Annals of hematology & oncology最新文献

Blast quantification by Flow Cytometry (FCM) may become essential in situations where morphologic evaluation is difficult or unavailable. As hemodilution invariably occurs, a means of determining Bone Marrow Purity (BMP) and normalizing FCM blast counts is essential, especially when blast percentages are diagnostically critical as in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Myelodysplasia (MDS). By evaluating different leukocyte populations in eight initial patients, a formula to predict BMP was developed and compared to the actual BMP determined by manual counts. Performance of the formula was then validated in 86 AML/MDS patients by comparing normalized FCM blast counts to those determined by the reference manual method. A BMP formula was empirically developed, primarily based on changes in lymphocytes which reliably correlated with the actual BMP (R2 = 0.8955). Components of the formula were derived entirely from automated lymphocyte and total leukocyte counts from the peripheral blood and FCM analyses. BMP formula was then validated in 86 AML/MDS patients. When used to normalize blast counts, the formula showed accurate correction when BMP fell between 40%-90%. In this group, correlation of normalized FCM and manual blast counts was acceptable (R² = 0.8335), being greatest at lower blast percentages. Normalization of the FCM blast count appropriately reclassified disease in 26.8% of cases. We identified a practical means of estimating hemodilution and allowing FCM blast normalization in the evaluation of AML and MDS. BMP assessment by this simple method improves the quality of the FCM data and facilitates accurate diagnosis and patient management.

Background: There is concern that elders are not adequately evaluated prior to colon cancer surgery. We sought to determine adherence with ACOVE-3 (Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders) quality indicators for pre-operative staging prior to colectomy for colon cancer utilizing the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database (1992-2005).

Methods: We determined the proportion of patients aged 75 and older who had preoperative staging prior to colectomy for colon adenocarcinoma. Preoperative staging was defined as abdominopelvic computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scan (SCAN) and colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy (SCOPE). Multivariate logistic regression identified predictors of adherence. Odds ratios were adjusted for comorbidity, socioeconomic status, and disease severity. The association of adherence to ACOVE-3 and survival was quantified.

Results: Of the 37,862 patients, the majority were 75-84 years, 28% of the patients were ≥85 years. Regarding preoperative staging in the 6-month interval prior to surgical resection, 8% had neither SCAN nor SCOPE, 6% had only SCAN, 43% had only SCOPE, and 43% had both SCAN and SCOPE. Compared to patients who were not staged, those evaluated with either SCOPE alone or SCAN plus SCOPE had lower odds of 3-year mortality. Patients who were staged with SCAN alone had an increased odds of death compared to those who had neither SCAN or SCOPE.

Conclusions: These data demonstrate that the majority of vulnerable elders with colon cancer did not receive appropriate preoperative staging prior to resection. The findings also confirm that adherence to ACOVE-3 guidelines is associated with improved long-term survival.