Spatiotemporal trends in norovirus outbreaks in the United States, 2009–2019

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Spatiotemporal trends in norovirus outbreaks in the United States, 2009–2019 via Clinical Infectious Diseases Advance Access Abstract Background Globally, noroviruses cause infections year-round but have recognized winter seasonality in the northern hemisphere and yearly variations in incidence. With candidate norovirus vaccines in development, understanding temporal and geographic trends in norovirus disease is important to inform potential vaccination strategies and evaluate vaccine impact. Methods We analyzed data from the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) and CaliciNet on single-state norovirus outbreaks that occurred from August 2009–July 2019 in the contiguous United States. We defined norovirus season onset and offset as the weeks by which 10% and 90% of norovirus outbreaks in a surveillance year occurred, respectively, and duration as the difference in weeks between onset and offset. We compared norovirus seasons across surveillance years and geographic regions. Results During August 2009–July 2019, 24,995 single-state norovirus outbreaks were reported to NORS and/or CaliciNet. Nationally, median norovirus season duration was 24 weeks, with onset occurring between October–December and offset occurring between April–May. Across all years combined, we observed a west-to-east trend in seasonality, with the earliest onset (October) and latest offset (May) occurring in western regions and the latest onset (December) and earliest offset (April) occurring in northeastern regions. Conclusions Timing and duration of the US norovi rus season varied annually, but generally occurred during October–May. Norovirus wintertime seasonality was less distinct in western regions and was progressively more pronounced moving east. Further understanding the drivers of spatiotemporal dynamics of norovirus could provide insights into factors promoting virus transmission and help guide future interventions. View on Web

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The management of metastatic neck nodes following induction chemotherapy in N2/3 classification hypopharyngeal carcinoma

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader The management of metastatic neck nodes following induction chemotherapy in N2/3 classification hypopharyngeal carcinoma via Head & Neck Abstract Background For patients with less chemosensitive neck nodes, poor prognosis after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) could be predicted and neck dissection is needed. Methods Ninety-two N2/3 hypopharyngeal carcinoma patients were retrospectively studied. According to response after induction chemotherapy (ICT), patients were treated with neck dissection followed by concurrent CRT (CCRT) (group 1), surgery plus postoperative CRT (group 2), or CCRT for primary and regional sites (group 3). Results Overall survival and disease-free survival rates of group 1 were significantly higher than group 2 (p = 0.038, p = 0.031) and group 3 (both p = 0.018). Regional control rate of group 1 was significantly higher than group 3 (p = 0.041). There were no significant differences between groups 1 and 2 regarding local and regional control (p = 0.746, p = 0.302). Conclusions Neck dissection followed by CCRT is the best choice for patients with responsive primary but nonresponsive nodes. View on Web

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Association between body composition and survival in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Association between body composition and survival in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy via Head & Neck Abstract Background Body composition may influence the prognosis of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. To find out the most crucial factors in this relationship, we explored the association between body composition and survival. Methods In this prospective longitudinal study, HNC patients who underwent radiotherapy (RT) from March 2017 to December 2018 were recruited. The association between body composition and survival was analyzed using Cox proportional hazard regression. Results Final analysis included 316 patients, with a median follow-up of 34.4 months. Multivariable analysis revealed that weight loss 6 months before RT and body composition changes during RT did not affect the survival outcome. However, patients with low appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) before RT exhibited poor overall survival (OS). ASMI before RT was an independent prognostic factor for OS. Conclusions Body composition loss was common during RT, and ASMI before RT independently influenced the survival outcomes of HNC patients. View on Web

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Recurrence risk stratification and treatment strategies of patients with stage IVa‐b hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Recurrence risk stratification and treatment strategies of patients with stage IVa‐b hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma via Head & Neck Abstract Background Optimal treatment strategies for patients with stage IVa-b hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC) remain controversial. This study aimed to examine the high-risk factors of postoperative tumor recurrence after surgical resection of HSCC and devise individualized postoperative adjuvant treatment (POAT). Methods Overall, 218 patients with stage IVa-b HSCC who received surgery as initial treatment and with negative surgical margins were evaluated. Independent risk factors of recurrence were identified, and survival outcomes were compared according to recurrence risk and POAT use. Results POAT significantly improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) only in the high-risk patients (p = 0.003 and 0.018, respectively). Compared with postoperative radiotherapy alone, postoperative chemoradiotherapy (pCRT) achieved significantly better RFS (p = 0.035) and OS (p = 0.048). Conclusions POATs are recommended for high-risk patients with stage Iva-b HSCC, with pCRT achieving superior outcomes. Regular re-examination after tumor resection is sufficient for low-risk patients. View on Web

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Prediction of R Status in Resections for Pancreatic Cancer Using Simplified Radiological Criteria

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Prediction of R Status in Resections for Pancreatic Cancer Using Simplified Radiological Criteria via Annals of Surgery - Most Popular Articles Objective: Predicting R status before surgery for pancreatic cancer (PDAC) patients with upfront surgery and neoadjuvant therapy. Summary Background Data: Negative surgical margins (R0) are a key predictor of long-term outcomes in PDAC. Methods: Patients undergoing pancreatic resection with curative intent for PDAC were identified. Using the CT scans from the time of diagnosis, the 2019 NCCN borderline resectability criteria were compared to novel criteria: presence of any alteration of the superior mesenteric-portal vein (SMPV) and perivascular stranding of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). Accuracy of predicting R status was evaluated for both criteria. Patient baseline characteristics, surgical, histopathological parameters, and long-term overall survival (OS) after resection were evaluated. Results: A total of 593 patients undergoing pancreatic resections for PDAC between 2010 and 2018 were identified. Three hundred and twenty-five (54.8%) patients underwent upfront surgery, whereas 268 (45.2%) received neoadjuvant therapy. In upfront resected patients, positive SMA stranding was associated with 56% margin positive resection rates, whereas positive SMA stranding and SMPV alterations together showed a margin positive resection rate of 75%. In contrast to these criteria, the 2019 NCCN borderline criteria failed to predict margin status. In patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy, only perivascular SMA stranding remained a predictor of margin positive resection, leading to a rate of 33% R+ resections. Perivascular SMA stranding was related to higher clinical T stage (P = 0.003) and clinical N stage (P = 0.043) as well as perineural invasion (P = 0.022). SMA stranding was associated with worse survival in both patients undergoing upfront surgery (36 vs 22 months, P = 0.002) and neoa djuvant therapy (47 vs 34 months, P = 0.050). Conclusions: The novel criteria were accurate predictors of R status in PDAC patients undergoing upfront resection. After neoadjuvant treatment, likelihood of positive resection margins is approximately halved, and only perivascular SMA stranding remained a predictive factor. View on Web

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