Volume 118, Issue 1

Background Although not incorporated into current cervical cancer screening guidelines, racial differences are known to persist in both occurrence of and outcomes related to cervical cancer. Objective To compare the differences in progression and regression of precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix on cervical cytologic analysis among women of different races who adhered to cervical cancer screening recommendations and follow-up. Methods Retrospective cohort study comparing differences in precancerous lesion diagnoses for patients receiving adequate evaluation according to the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology guidelines. The authors fit Markov multistate models to estimate self-reported race-specific expected wait times and hazard ratios for each possible regression and progression and compared a race model with an intercept-only model using a likelihood ratio test. Results The sample included 5472 women receiving a Papanicolaou test between January 2006 and September 2016, contributing a total of 24,316 person-years of follow-up. Of 21 hazard ratios tested for significance, the following 4 hazard ratios (95% CIs) were statistically significant: atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) progression to low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) for Hispanic patients (0.72; 95% CI, 0.54-0.96); LSIL regression to ASC-US for Hispanic patients (1.55; 95% CI, 1.04-2.31), LSIL regression to ASC-US for Asian patients (1.91; 95% CI, 1.08-3.36), and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion regression to LSIL for black patients (0.39; 95% CI, 0.16-0.96). There is an observed trend that all racial groups other than white had a slower rate of progression from ASC-US to LSIL, with Hispanics having demonstrated the slowest rate from ASC-US to LSIL. Hispanics also demonstrated the fastest rate from LSIL to HSIL when compared with all other race categories. In regressions, blacks had the slowest rate of regression from HSIL to LSIL, and Asians had the fastest rate from LSIL to ASC-US. The Hispanic group demonstrated the fastest expected progression (17.6 years; 95% CI, 11.5-25.5), as well as the fastest regression (27.6 years; 95% CI, 21.5-35.6), and the black group has the slowest expected times for both progression (28.1 years; 95% CI, 14.6-47.2) and regression (49 years; 95% CI, 29.1-86.2). The number of visits (1 vs ≥2) in the study was differentially distributed both by race ( P =.033) and by last diagnosis ( P <.001). Conclusion Variations in precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix are not uniform across races.

Context As future physicians, osteopathic medical students will play a critical role in helping patients make informed decisions regarding treatment options. Objective To examine the influence that the time, cost, and cosmetic effects associated with treatment options for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), along with students’ demographic characteristics, have on treatment decision-making. The influence that different sources of information have on students was also studied. Methods Medical students were recruited from the Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine for this cross-sectional study. Students were presented with a case scenario in which they were a patient with primary nodular BCC in a low-risk zone, and they were asked to select standard surgical excision (SSE) or Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) as a treatment option. They also completed an anonymous survey that assessed the way that factors associated with the treatment options (time, cost, and cosmetic effects) influenced their treatment choice, along with the influence that different sources of information have. Measures of central tendency, frequencies, and other descriptive analyses were used to define the characteristics of the sample. χ 2 analysis, correlational analysis, and t tests were used to examine the associations between the treatment decision, treatment-related factors (time, cost, cosmetics), and year in medical school. Statistical significance was set at P ≤.05. Results A total of 450 students completed the survey and were included in the bivariate analysis. Three hundred forty-five students (76.7%) selected MMS as a treatment option and 105 (23.3%) selected SSE. Significant differences were found in the influence of time, cost, and cosmetic effects associated with treatment between students who selected MMS and those who selected SSE ( P <.001). Cost played a more influential role in treatment decision-making for students who selected SSE than for those who selected MMS. Time and cosmetic effects played a more influential role in treatment choice for those who selected MMS. The most influential sources of information were health care professionals and medical literature, with 398 (88.4%) and 313 (69.6%) students, respectively, indicating that these sources were highly influential when making medical treatment decisions. The internet had a low influence over students’ treatment decision-making (238 [52.9%]). Conclusions This study represents an initial step toward understanding factors that influence patients’ treatment decision-making in a situation in which there is no medically preferred treatment option. The findings point to the importance of time, cost, and cosmetics as influential factors for patients choosing between different treatment options.

Context The American Cancer Society's 80% by 2018 initiative aims to increase at-home colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Objective To assess the effectiveness of one-on-one conversations with patients about CRC screening on compliance with at-home fecal immunochemical tests (FITs). Setting Federally funded health care center serving a largely minority, urban, underserved population in Vallejo, California. Methods Patients aged 50 to 75 years were divided into 3 main intervention arms: (1) patients who received a one-on-one in-person consultation to discuss the need for CRC screening and the screening process, as well as a FIT; (2) patients who received a telephone call to discuss the need for CRC screening and the screening process before receiving a FIT in the mail; and (3) patients who were mailed a FIT with a letter explaining the importance of completing the FIT and instructions. The FITs were tracked to see if they were returned to the laboratory for processing, and the rates of return were compared in bivariate analyses using t and χ 2 tests and in adjusted analyses using logistic regression with bootstrapping. Results A total of 3415 patients were included in the study. One-on-one conversations either in person (OR, 24.63; 95% CI, 19.28-31.46) or via telephone (OR, 14.74; 95% CI, 10.96-19.82) were more effective at getting patients to complete the at-home CRC screening than not having one-on-one conversations before receiving the FIT. Conclusion Patients may be more likely to complete at-home FITs to screen for CRC if they are first able to discuss the need for screening and the screening process with a health care professional.

Context Ultrasonography is becoming more common in clinical use, and it has been shown to have promising results when introduced into medical school curricula. Objective To determine whether the use of ultrasonography as an educational supplement can improve osteopathic medical students’ confidence and ability to locate 4 specific shoulder anatomical landmarks: the coracoid process, the transverse process of T1, the long head of the biceps within the bicipital groove, and the supraspinatus tendon. Methods In this randomized controlled study, first-year osteopathic medical students aged 18 years or older were recruited and randomly assigned to a group with exposure (ultrasonography group) or without exposure (control group) to an ultrasonography machine. First, a survey was administered to measure students’ baseline knowledge of shoulder anatomy, confidence in palpation skills, and opinion on anatomical landmark identification teaching methods. Next, students were shown presentations on shoulder anatomy and allowed to practice locating and palpating the specified landmarks. Students in the ultrasonography group were also given instruction on the use of ultrasonography. All students were asked to locate each of the 4 specified anatomical landmarks and then given a follow-up survey. A Mann Whitney U test was used to compare the confidence of the students before and after the intervention. A secondary analysis was performed to compare the degree of deviance from the correct position of the specified anatomical landmark between the ultrasonography and control groups. P values less than .05 were considered statistically significant. Results Sixty-four students participated. Compared with the control group, students in the ultrasonography group had a greater increase in confidence after the session in their ability to locate the coracoid process, bicipital tendon, and supraspinatus tendon ( P =.022, P =.029, P =.44, respectively). Students in the ultrasonography group were also able to more accurately palpate the landmarks than those in the control group, with a significant difference in accurate palpation of the bicipital tendon ( P =.024). The ultrasonography group showed less deviation with palpation of the other 3 landmarks compared with the control group, but these results were not significant ( P =.50, P =.82, P= .29, respectively). Conclusion Ultrasonography in the preclinical curriculum may improve medical students' confidence in and accuracy of palpation.

Ipilimumab, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4–blocking antibody, is known to precipitate tissue-specific immune-related adverse events. The second most common site for immune-related adverse events is the gastrointestinal tract, with toxic injury resulting in diarrhea, colitis, and enterocolitis. In the present case, a woman who received ipilimumab 2 weeks prior was found to have severe, diffuse corticosteroid-refractory gastrointestinal tract toxic injury affecting the stomach, small bowel, and colon.

Extrarenal nephroblastoma is an extremely rare tumor thought to be related to teratoid tumors of germ cell origin. Because few cases have been reported, no standard method for categorizing and managing these tumors exists. To our knowledge, there have only been 3 adult cases of nephroblastoma arising in a germ cell tumor of testicular origin in a nonatrophic testis, all in men aged 19 to 22 years and with aggressive clinical courses. We report a case of nephroblastoma in a nonatrophic testis, with nephroblastoma being the only non–germ cell component, in an older patient and with a more indolent clinical course that was responsive to localized treatment.