Tobacco use following liver transplantation for alcoholic liver disease: an underestimated problem.

Alcohol and tobacco use commonly co-occur, with at least 90% of those with an alcohol problem also using tobacco. Thus, 3 years ago when we discovered higher rate of late deaths due to lung and oropharyngeal cancer in patients who had received a transplant for alcoholic liver disease (ALD), we hypothesized that these patients were continuing to expose themselves to tobacco after liver transplantation (post-LTX) and that this behavior was increasing their risk for cancer. We subsequently began a prospective investigation of post-LTX tobacco use in patients having undergone LTX for ALD (n = 172). For 33 recipients we had data starting from our first assessment at 3 months post-LTX and for this subgroup we report on the details of the timing of tobacco use resumption and the redevelopment of nicotine addiction. We found that on average more than 40% are smoking across all time periods. ALD recipients resume smoking early post-LTX, increase their consumption over time, and quickly become tobacco dependent. These data highlight an underrecognized serious health risk for these patients and demonstrate our need for more stringent clinical monitoring and intervention for tobacco use in the pre- and post-LTX periods.     

Data sources for measuring colorectal endoscopy use among Medicare enrollees.

BACKGROUND: Estimates of colorectal cancer test use vary widely by data source. Medicare claims offer one source for monitoring test use, but their utility has not been validated. We compared ascertainment of sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy between three data sources: self reports, Medicare claims, and medical records. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population included Medicare enrollees residing in North Carolina (n = 561) who had participated in a telephone survey on colorectal cancer tests. Medicare claims were obtained for the 5 years preceding the survey (January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2002). Information about sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy procedures conducted in physician offices were abstracted from medical records. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, agreement, and kappa statistics were calculated using the medical record as the gold standard. Agreement on specific procedure type and purpose was also assessed. RESULTS: Agreement between claim and medical record regarding whether an endoscopic procedure had been done was high (over 90%). Agreement between self report and medical record and between self report and claim was good (79% and 74%, respectively). All three data sources adequately distinguished the type of procedure done. None of the data sources showed reliable levels of agreement regarding procedure purpose (screening or diagnostic). CONCLUSION: Medicare claims can provide accurate information on whether a patient has undergone colorectal endoscopy and may be more complete than physician medical records. Medicare claims cannot be used to distinguish screening from diagnostic tests. Recognizing this limitation, researchers who use Medicare claims to assess rates of colorectal testing should include both screening and diagnostic endoscopy procedures in their analyses.     

Standards of care for area mental health services

A provisional set of standards of care was derived from a quality assurance strand of a wider research project, which reported the development of evaluation strategies for area integrated mental health services (AIMHS). In contrast to most published standards, they apply to all facets of care in a comprehensive catchment area mental health service, whether clinical or functional, community or hospital based, urban or rural, or managed by the public, private or voluntary sectors. We review briefly existing sets of standards of mental health services and report the process of development of standards of care, each with sub-sets of performance indicators and examples. While the AIMHS standards and a companion quality assurance manual are still undergoing refinement, they offer a guide for mental health professionals to the provision of services, and a checklist to service-users of services that should be available to them at every stage of care in a mental health system.     

Florid papillomatosis of the nipple. A study of 51 patients, including nine with mammary carcinoma

The present study was undertaken to review the pathology of florid papillomatosis (FP) of the nipple and to examine the relationship of FP to breast carcinoma. Clinical features of 49 women studied did not differ appreciably from those noted on prior reports, except that in one instance the lesion was probably congenital. Histologically, three distinct growth patterns were found: sclerosing papillomatosis (17 cases), papillomatosis (12 cases), and adenosis (3 cases). In 17 other cases, mixtures of these proliferative patterns were seen. FP with the sclerosing papillomatosis pattern more frequently had areas of focal necrosis in hyperplastic ducts and scattered mitoses, features that might be interpreted as evidence of carcinoma. No prognostic significance can be attributed to these patterns, since all types were cured by excision with follow-up that averaged 8.3 years. Seven of the 49 women had carcinoma in the same breast as FP: Two women had invasive carcinoma that appeared to arise from FP, and four women had concurrent invasive carcinomas that were separate from the FP; the seventh woman developed diffuse intraductal carcinoma 10 years after FP was excised from the same breast. Three of the seven women were also treated for contralateral breast carcinoma. Also reviewed were lesions from two men who had carcinoma arising in FP. One had intraductal carcinoma with Paget's disease and the other had invasive carcinoma. Appreciation of the diverse histological patterns of FP may be helpful in avoiding an erroneous diagnosis of carcinoma. Features indicative of carcinoma arising in FP are Paget's disease and areas of invasion. FP of the nipple is rarely the substrate for mammary carcinoma and is adequately treated by local excision. Coexistence with carcinoma elsewhere in the same or opposite breast occurs often enough to warrant thorough examination of the breasts when FP of the nipple is diagnosed. The risk of subsequent carcinoma following excision of FP appears to be low, but clinical follow-up is prudent.