Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:Race, ethnicity and socio-economic status impact clinical outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. However, their impact on disability has not been studied. AIM/OBJECTIVE:To determine the association between race, ethnicity and socio-economic factors with disability in IBD, using the validated IBD disability index (IBD-DI). METHODS:Ambulatory IBD patients were enrolled at five academic centres participating in the New York Crohn's and Colitis Organization. We assessed the IBD-DI, and collected clinical and socio-economic data. Factors associated with moderate-to-severe disability (IBD-DI score > 35) on univariable analysis were tested in multivariable models with adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) reported. RESULTS:In this study, 323 patients (57.3% CD, 51.4% female) were enrolled; 17.7% were Hispanic, 17% were non-Hispanic black, 56.0% were non-Hispanic Caucasian and 9.3% belonged to non-Hispanic non-black minority races. However, 39.0% of patients were publicly insured and 38.4% of patients had low annual household income (<$50 000). 100 (31.0%) patients reported moderate-to-severe disability. On multivariable analysis, Hispanic ethnicity (aOR 2.7, 95% CI 1.3-5.6), non-Hispanic non-black minority race (aOR 3.5, 95% CI 1.3-8.9), public payer (aOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-4.0) and low annual household income (aOR 3.0, 95% CI 1.7-5.4) were associated with moderate-to-severe disability controlling for disease characteristics. CONCLUSIONS:IBD patients who are minorities, have public insurance, or low household income, are 2-3 times more likely to report moderate-to-severe disability independent of disease characteristics in the United States. Future studies are needed to study their complex relationship and to mitigate disability.

BACKGROUND & AIMS:Given the increased morbidity and potential mortality of celiac disease, guidelines recommend screening high-risk individuals, including first-degree relatives of patients. We assessed how commonly celiac disease testing occurs in these individuals and identified factors that influence testing. METHODS:Relatives of 2081 patients with biopsy-diagnosed celiac disease and followed up at Columbia University Medical Center were identified using relationship inference from the electronic health record-a validated method that uses emergency contact information to identify familial relationships. We manually abstracted data from each record and performed univariate and multivariate analyses to identify factors associated with testing relatives for celiac disease. RESULTS:Of 539 relatives identified, 212 (39.3%) were tested for celiac disease, including 50.4% (193 of 383) of first-degree relatives and 71.5% (118 of 165) of symptomatic first-degree relatives. Of the 383 first-degree relatives, only 116 (30.3%) had a documented family history of celiac disease. On multivariate analysis, testing was more likely in adults (odds ratio [OR], for 18-39 y vs younger than 18 y, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.12-4.58); relatives being seen by a gastroenterologist (OR, 15.16; 95% CI, 7.72-29.80); relatives with symptoms (OR, 3.69; 95% CI, 2.11-6.47); first-degree relatives of a patient with celiac disease (OR, 4.90, 95% CI, 2.34-10.25); and relatives with a documented family history of celiac disease (OR, 11.9, 95% CI, 5.56-25.48). CONCLUSIONS:By using an algorithm to identify relatives of patients with celiac disease, we found that nearly 30% of symptomatic first-degree relatives of patients with celiac disease have not received the tests recommended by guidelines. Health care providers should implement strategies to identify and screen patients at increased risk for celiac disease, including methods to ensure adequate documentation of family medical history.

BACKGROUND AND GOALS/OBJECTIVE:There are little data examining patient satisfaction with celiac disease (CD) care. We sought to assess how satisfied patients are with their CD care, and to determine the influencing factors. STUDY/METHODS:We distributed an online questionnaire to adults receiving programmatic updates from a CD referral center, querying aspects of CD care and using disease-specific validated instruments to measure quality of life and dietary adherence. The univariable and multivariable analyses were performed using satisfaction as a binary outcome comparing grouped "satisfied" and "very satisfied" respondents to "neutral," "dissatisfied," and "very dissatisfied" respondents. RESULTS:Three hundred eighty-seven (22%) individuals completed the survey, and 229 met the inclusion criteria of biopsy-proven CD. Seventy-nine individuals (34.5%) reported being "very satisfied" with their CD care, 82 (35.8%) "satisfied," 46 (20.1%) "neutral," 14 (6.1%) "dissatisfied," and 8 (3.5%) "very dissatisfied." On multivariable analysis, reporting that physicians spend ample time managing CD needs (P=0.013), and having CD-antibody levels checked yearly (P=0.003), were positive predictors of patient satisfaction. Factors that were not correlated with patient satisfaction included symptom severity (P=0.268), quality of life (P=0.13), and following with a CD specialist (P=0.139). CONCLUSIONS:The majority of patients we surveyed were satisfied with their CD care. We found that patients report higher satisfaction when they feel physicians spend time caring for their CD needs and when they receive annual CD-antibody testing. On the basis of our study, these factors are more important than disease severity, seeing a CD specialist, and quality of life in determining patient satisfaction with CD care.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS/OBJECTIVE:Preliminary single-institution data suggest that fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) may be useful for detecting high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) in patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE). This multicenter study aims to validate the measurement of polysomy (gain of at least two loci) by FISH as a way to discriminate degrees of dysplasia in BE specimens. METHODS:Tissue specimens were collected from four different hospitals and read by both the local pathology department ("Site diagnosis") and a single central pathologist ("Review diagnosis") at a separate institution. The specimens then underwent FISH analysis using probes 8q24 (MYC), 9p21 (CDKN2A), 17q12 (ERBB2), and 20q13 (ZNF217) for comparison. A total of 46 non-BE, 42 non-dysplastic specialized intestinal metaplasia (SIM), 23 indefinite-grade dysplasia (IGD), 10 low-grade dysplasia (LGD), 29 HGD, and 42 EA specimens were analyzed. RESULTS:We found that polysomy, as detected by FISH, was the predominant chromosomal abnormality present as dysplasia increased. Polysomy was also the best predictor for the presence of dysplasia or EA when comparing its area under the curve to that of other FISH abnormalities. We observed that if at least 10% of cells had polysomy within a specimen, the FISH probe was able to differentiate between EA/HGD and the remaining pathologies with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 88%. CONCLUSIONS:This study demonstrates that using FISH to determine the percentage of cells with polysomy can accurately and objectively aid in the diagnosis of HGD/EA in BE specimens.

BACKGROUND: Targeting the tumor microenvironment and angiogenesis is a novel lymphoma therapeutic strategy. The authors report safety, activity, and angiogenic profiling results with the rituximab and thalidomide plus prednisone, etoposide, procarbazine, and cyclophosphamide (RT-PEPC) regimen in patients with recurrent mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). METHODS: RT-PEPC included induction (Months 1-3) of rituximab 4 times weekly, daily thalidomide (50 mg), and PEPC followed by maintenance thalidomide (100 mg), oral PEPC titrated to the neutrophil count, and rituximab every 4 months. Endpoints included safety, efficacy, quality of life (QoL), and translational studies, including tumor angiogenic phenotyping, plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and circulating endothelial cells. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were enrolled, and 22 were evaluable. The median age was 68 years (range, 52-81 years), 24 patients (96%) had stage III or IV disease, 18 patients (72%) had an International Prognostic Index (IPI) score of 3 to 5, and 20 patients (80%) had high-risk Mantle Cell International Prognostic Index (MIPI) scores. Patients had received a median of 2 previous therapies (range, 1-7 previous therapies), and 15 patients (60%) had progressed on bortezomib. At a median follow-up of 38 months, the overall response rate was 73% (complete response [CR]/unconfirmed CR rate, 32%; partial response [PR] rate, 41%; n = 22 patients), and the median progression-free survival was 10 months. Four CRs were ongoing (> or =6 months, > or =31 months, > or =48 months, and > or =50 months). Toxicities included grade 1 and 2 fatigue, rash, neuropathy, and cytopenias, including grade 1 and 2 thrombocytopenia (64%) and grade 3 and 4 neutropenia (64%). Two thromboses and 5 episodes of grade 3 or 4 infections occurred. QoL was maintained or improved. Correlative studies demonstrated tumor autocrine angiogenic loop (expression of VEGF A and VEGF receptor 1) and heightened angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in stroma. Plasma VEGF levels and circulating endothelial cells trended down with treatment. CONCLUSIONS: RT-PEPC had significant and durable activity in MCL with manageable toxicity and maintained QoL. Novel, low-intensity approaches warrant further evaluation, potentially as initial therapy in elderly patients.