Pilot results indicate that the QOPI process provides a rapid and objective measurement of practice quality that allows comparisons among practices and over time. It also provides a mechanism for measuring concordance with published guidelines. Most importantly, it provides a tool for practice self-examination that can promote excellence in cancer care.

No abstract

We prospectively compared neuropsychologic functioning and clinical indicators of neurotoxicity in 49 consecutive childhood leukemia patients in long-term continuous complete remission (CR) who had received two different regimens of CNS prophylaxis by random assignment. Twenty-three patients were treated with 1,800 cGy cranial radiation and intrathecal methotrexate (RT group) and 26 with parenteral methotrexate only (MTX group). Over half of the RT group had somnolence syndrome, and four developed cerebral calcifications late in their clinical course. Abnormal electroencephalograms (EEGs) were seen in 15 patients in the MTX group, and six had early, transient white-matter hypodensities apparent on computed tomographic (CT) scans. Mean scores on standard tests of intelligence and academic achievement, administered after remission induction and again at a median of 6 years after treatment cessation, did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, statistically significant decreases in overall and verbal intelligence quotients (IQs) and in arithmetic achievement were found within both treatment groups. Sixteen of 26 in the MTX group and 14 of the 23 in the RT group had clinically important decreases (greater than or equal to 15 points) on one or more neuropsychologic measures. These changes did not correlate with findings on CT scans, EEGs, or other clinical signs of neurotoxicity. We conclude that 1,800 cGy cranial radiation and parenteral methotrexate, as used in this study, are associated with comparable decreases in neuropsychologic function.

The development and successful application of preventive therapy for meningeal leukemia, followed by the intensification of systemic chemotherapy, has progressively improved the rate of cure of childhood lymphoblastic leukemia, with relatively few adverse sequelae.

A boy is described with clinical and laboratory manifestations which were indistinguishable from von Willebrand’s disease. However, the relatively recent onset of symptoms, the negative family history, and the normal coagulation studies in both parents and six siblings led to the belief that the bleeding syndrome was acquired rather than inherited. The patient subsequently developed systemic lupus erythematosus following a smallpox vaccination. The findings of von Willebrand’s syndrome disappeared following corticosteroid therapy and did not return after cessation of therapy.

Practices that participated in QOPI demonstrated improved performance in self-reported process measures, with the greatest improvement demonstrated in initially low-performing practices.

We examined the results of stopping therapy in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia. Of 639 patients in eight consecutive "total therapy" studies, 278 (44 per cent) had all treatment stopped, usually after 2 1/2 years of complete remission. About one fifth (55 of 278) of this group have relapsed, mainly in the bone marrow. The relapse rate for the first year off therapy was higher than that for the next three years (0.16 vs. 0.04, P less than 0.01). The life-table estimates of the four-year relapse rates were 0.24 for all patients and 0.22 for patients receiving adequate central-nervous system prophylaxis. Boys had a higher relapse rate than girls (0.33 vs. 0.15 P less than 0.01). None of the 79 patients who remained in complete remission for at least four years off therapy have yet relapsed. Acute lymphocytic leukemia appears curable in over one third of all newly diagnosed patients who receive treatment for approximately 2 1/2 years.

No abstract