[Selective digestive decontamination: reflections on the European Consensus Conference].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
SEARCH · Search PubMed
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
BACKGROUND: Subsequent to the development of consensus statements on a clinical topic, it is vital to establish a plan for dissemination, implementation and evaluation of impact. Consensus statements can be used for both guiding continuing medical education (CME) and producing clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). Insufficient attention to dissemination can lead to a failure to change physician behaviour and improve patient outcomes. METHODS: A plan to disseminate the conclusions of the Canadian Consensus Conference on Dementia (CCCD) was developed. This plan was based on a literature review of CME and CPGs. A Medline search was performed on the dissemination and evaluation of the 1989 Canadian Consensus Conference on the Assessment of Dementia (CCCAD) and other published guides for physicians on dementia care. CCCD dissemination that has occurred to date (June, 2000) was reviewed in this paper. RESULTS: Lectures and unsolicited printed material are weak forms of CME. Small-group interactive CME that provides practice opportunities appears to be the most effective way to change physician behaviour. The ability of CPGs to change physician behaviour is uncertain. It appears that inadequate attention has been placed on CPG dissemination and implementation. The CCCAD had a modest impact on clinical practice in Canada. While dissemination of the conclusions of the CCCD has taken place, evaluation of the impact of the CCCD has yet to be done. Local initiatives utilizing the conclusions of the CCCD are on-going. CONCLUSIONS: Further work is needed on how to optimize the impact of consensus statements and CPGs. While dissemination of the CCCD has occurred, it is currently unknown whether it has led to any change in physician practices.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
BACKGROUND: The impact of regional therapy on survival of patients with invasive breast cancer remains controversial. Regional therapies discussed include axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), internal mammary node dissection, and locoregional radiotherapy. METHODS: Prospective randomized clinical studies of regional therapy were reviewed using, as a source, Medline, main review articles on the related topic, and statements from consensus conference. RESULTS: Although a number of randomized clinical studies have failed to demonstrate the benefits of regional treatment for survival, it is still a matter of debate whether ALND or regional radiotherapy alone can have a small but significant beneficial effect on the survival of breast cancer patients. However, recent studies have suggested that survival can be enhanced by interaction of postmastectomy locoregional radiotherapy with adjuvant systemic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Locoregional control is important for enhancing survival in the presence of adjuvant systemic therapy. Although only a few randomized controlled trials show conclusively the survival benefit of local therapies, it is expected that in clinical practice, the node-positive or other high-risk breast cancer patients given systemic treatment will be more frequently treated with postmastectomy radiation.
The prostatic cancer screening policy in France is defined by recommendations established at the 1989 consensus conference. Mass or individual screening by serum specific prostatic antigen (PSA) assay is not recommended. The Oncology Committee of the Association Française d'Urologie has up-dated the knowledge concerning prostatic cancer screening since 1989. The results are published in the form of a series of articles referring to the criteria used as prerequisites for cancer screening programmes. This article describes: 1) Current screening and treatment recommendations in France and in other countries. 2) The progress in our understanding of the prognosis, diagnosis and treatment of prostatic cancer, justifying revision of the screening policy. 3) The methodology and results of prospective screening studies and the projections of these results on the basis of the French population. Despite the 1989 recommendations, individual screening by serum PSA assay is widely performed both due to the characteristics of the test (simple blood test, low cost, high positive predictive value) and information of the public by the media concerning the morbidity and mortality related to prostatic cancer. The current data of the literature are unable to define the impact of PSA screening on the morbidity and mortality of prostatic cancer. Randomized prospective studies are currently underway. The absence of proof of a favourable impact of PSA screening is only one of the causes of the controversy concerning this screening technique, as another source of controversy is the magnitude of iatrogenic disorders induced by screening. In patients with raised PSA, the diagnostic examinations (biopsy) and curative treatments (surgery or radiotherapy) proposed are invasive, responsible for considerable morbidity and non-negligible mortality. Finally, the cost of screening remains unknown. Future recommendations must adapt their conclusions to changes in the current situation, in which prostatic cancer is simultaneously considered to be a non-serious disease which does not justify screening and a serious disease, as soon as the diagnosis is made, justifying, for 95% of urologists, an invasive and mutilating treatment in men with a life expectancy of more than 10 years.
The Second Molecular Biomarkers Workshop was held at the Roy Castle International Centre for Lung Cancer Research in Liverpool, in June 2001 and it brought together experts in the clinical, epidemiological and molecular-pathology of lung cancer from Europe and the USA, to address issues surrounding the development of a European strategy for early lung cancer detection. The 2001 Workshop Breakout Groups concentrated on the current challenges in the early detection of lung cancer which need to be addressed in the light of the recent surge in interest in many countries for mounting new clinical trials to evaluate the utility of Spiral CT in early lung cancer detection. If population-based trials of CT screening are mounted it will also be a favorable clinical environment in which to evaluate efficiently recent advances in molecular screening and genotyping. The Workshop focused specifically on: a) clinical and molecular biomarkers, b) sputum as an early detection and diagnostic tool, c) validation of molecular markers prior to their use in early detection trials and d) ethical issues that have to be considered in early lung cancer detection trials. A distillation of the Workshop discussions is given in this article.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) has dramatically increased in India during the recent years. There are two facets of CAD: stable CAD and unstable CAD which includes patients with acute coronary syndrome (unstable angina, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction, ST elevation myocardial infarction). The treatment of stable CAD (stable angina) includes anti-anginal medication, medication to modify atherosclerosis and aggressive treatment of causative risk factors. Those patients with stable CAD who have symptoms refractory to medical treatment usually require coronary angiography to be followed by either percutaneous or surgical revascularization. Percutaneous coronary revascularization using drug eluting stents has been a major revolution during the last five years for symptomatic relief of angina in symptomatic CAD and can be applied to large subsets of patients. Off-pump surgical revascularization using arterial grafts is a major advance and bypass surgery continues to remain treatment of choice in diabetics with multi-vessel CAD, left main CAD and in patients with multivessel disease and impaired ventricles. Acute coronary syndromes are usually caused by plaque rupture with resultant thrombus and present as unstable angina, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). It is now increasingly realized that these patients (particularly the one with high risk) are best managed in advanced cardiac care centres with facilities for cardiac catheterization laboratory, percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary bypass surgery. In both, NSTEMI and STEMI aggressive medical management involving nitrates, ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, dual anti-platelet agents, heparin and statins are recommended. High risk patients with NSTE-ACS require use of glycoprotein IIa / IIIb inhibitors along with early invasive approach involving coronary angiography, angioplasty using drug eluting stent and in some patients bypass surgery. Early reperfusion is key to management of patients presenting with STEMI. If facilities are available, primary percutaneous coronary intervention (angioplasty with stenting) is treatment of choice for patients with STEMI. In our country, thrombolysis still remains the most frequently utilized reperfusion therapy and all efforts should be devoted to provide this therapy at the earliest. All high risk patients with STEMI (including cardiogenic shock) are best treated in higher centres and these patients should be promptly transported to such centres. Early coronary angiography is recommended for majority of patients following thrombolysis for risk stratification and further treatment. In acute coronary syndromes there is drift towards early invasive treatment and this is reflected in marked increase in cardiac care (catheterization laboratories and cardiac surgery centers) facilities throughout India. All patients with CAD require life-long supervised treatment which includes medication, control of risk factors and lifestyle modification. Avoidance of smoking, heart healthy diet, proper exercise, ideal weight management are important for all the patients. Statins, ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, antiplatelet agents have a great role to play in treatment and prevention and these drugs should be utilized under medical supervision. It is important that the medical profession play an important role in critically evaluating the use of diagnostic procedures and therapies as they are introduced and tested in the detection and management of cardiac disorders. The American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and several other societies engage in production of guidelines in the area of cardiovascular diseases from time to time. These guidelines attempt to define practices that meet the needs of most patients in most circumstances. The aim of the guidelines is to improve the patient care. The ultimate judgement regarding the care of the particular patient is to be made by the clinician / healthcare provider keeping in mind all the circumstances. The incidence and prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) has increased tremendously in India during the last two decades and this change is largely attributable to lifestyle changes. There has also been a rapid progress in the treatment of CAD with proliferation of specialized cardiac care units, intensive care units, cardiac catheterization laboratories and facilities for bypass surgery. It is estimated that there are over 400 catheterization laboratories currently in India and nearly half of them are located in six major cities. The increase in disease and availability of facilities has resulted in a dramatic change and the focus is shifting from only medical treatment to invasive treatment. This document is an expert consensus document which has been prepared by going through the available guidelines and other relevant literature on the subject. The experts have performed a formal review of the literature and have weighed the strength of evidence for or against a particular therapy as it can be applied in Indian scenario. The consensus document deals with the management of ischemic heart disease (IHD) under following sections: 1) Stable Angina 2) Non ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome (NSTE-ACS) 3) ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome (STE-ACS) or Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI).
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
New criteria for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) were published as the result of an internationally formed committee. To increase the specificity of diagnosis and to minimize the number of false diagnoses, the committee recommended the use of both clinical and paraclinical criteria, the latter involving information obtained from magnetic resonance imaging, evoked potentials, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. Although rigorous magnetic resonance imaging requirements were provided, the "new criteria paper" fell short in terms of guidelines as to how the CSF analysis should be performed and simply equated the IgG index with isoelectric focusing, without any justification. The spectrum of parameters analyzed and methods for CSF analysis differ worldwide and often yield variable results in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and reliability, with no decided "optimal" CSF test for the diagnosis of MS. To address this question specifically, an international panel of experts in MS and CSF diagnostic techniques was convened and the result was this article, representing a consensus of all the participants. These recommendations for establishing a standard for the evaluation of CSF in patients suspected of having MS should greatly complement the new criteria in ensuring that a correct diagnosis of MS is being made.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Endocrine therapy has a firm role in adjuvant treatment of women with hormone receptor-positive invasive breast cancer. Until recently, tamoxifen was the most commonly used adjuvant endocrine therapy in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Several randomized clinical trials have studied the third-generation selective aromatase inhibitors (AIs) (anastrozole, letrozole, and exemestane) as adjuvant endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women. These studies compared therapy with an AI alone versus tamoxifen alone; 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen followed by switching to an AI versus continuation of tamoxifen; or extended therapy with an AI after approximately 5 years of tamoxifen therapy. No statistically significant differences in overall survival were observed. A single trial using extended treatment with an adjuvant AI suggests a small, statistically significant survival advantage in women with axillary lymph node-positive disease while showing no statistically significant decrease in survival with the use of an AI. The toxicities of the AIs are generally acceptable, with fewer endometrial cancers, gynecologic complaints, and thromboembolic events, but more bone fractures and arthralgias compared with tamoxifen alone. Three widely disseminated treatment guidelines, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Breast Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology Technology Assessment on the Use of Aromatase Inhibitors, and the St Gallen International Expert Consensus on the Primary Therapy of Early Breast Cancer, now incorporate AIs in the adjuvant therapy of postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.