Brandon H. Tieu

While surgical resection is recommended for most patients with early stage lung cancer, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is being increasingly utilized. Provider-patient communication regarding risks/benefits of each approach may be a modifiable factor leading to improved patient-centered outcomes. Our objective was to determine a framework and recommended strategies on how to best communicate with patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the post-treatment setting. We qualitatively evaluated the experiences of 11 patients with early clinical stage NSCLC after treatment, with a focus on treatment experience, knowledge obtained, communication, and recommendations. We used conventional content analysis and a patient-centered communication theoretical model to guide our understanding. Five patients received surgery and six received SBRT. Both treatments were generally well-tolerated. Few participants reported communication deficits around receiving follow-up information, although several had remaining questions about their treatment outcome (mainly those who underwent SBRT). They described feeling anxious regarding their first surveillance CT scan and clinician visit. Overall, participants remained satisfied with care because of implicit trust in their clinicians rather than explicit communication. Communication gaps remain but may be addressed by a trusting relationship with the clinician. Patients recommend clinicians give thorough explanations and personalize when possible.

Adult foreign body (FB) aspiration is an uncommon but potentially fatal event. Options for extraction include flexible bronchoscopy (FLXB), rigid bronchoscopy (RB), and surgical extraction. We report the case of a large, smooth aspirated rock causing airway obstruction in an elderly male. RB is generally the preferred approach for extraction of a large complex FB; however, due to its size, the FB had to be removed using FLXB combined with an endobronchial blocker. In this report, we describe the anesthetic and surgical considerations and the novel technique used to extract the FB.

Penetrating trauma to the axillary artery and its branches is uncommon and associated with high morbidity and mortality. Open exploration is mandated in hemodynamically unstable patients, but surgical exposure can be difficult due to the concentration of vital structures and complex anatomy in this region. Computed tomographic angiography is a potential diagnostic modality in hemodynamically stable patients. In these patients, endovascular therapies may provide a feasible means of controlling hemorrhage while minimizing surgical complications. A high incidence of concomitant intrathoracic injury has resulted in an expanding role for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. In this paper, we present a case of penetrating injury to the superior thoracic artery that was not amenable to endovascular therapy and was ultimately managed with thoracoscopic surgery.

135 Background: The optimal treatment strategy for clinical stage T2N0 (cT2N0) esophageal cancer is poorly defined. The specific aims of this analysis were to determine the impact of neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) in cT2N0 esophageal cancer patients on overall survival, nodal metastasis, staging, and pathological complete responders (pCR) NAT. Methods: We reviewed a retrospective cohort of 27 patients with cT2N0 esophageal cancer at Oregon Health & Science University, an NCI-Designated Cancer Center from 1999 to 2011. All patients were staged pre-operatively using Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), CT +/- FDG-PET. Patients were identified into two cohorts: NAT followed by surgery and surgery alone. We compared overall survival between the cohorts using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: Eleven patients (41%) received NAT followed by surgery and sixteen patients (59%) underwent surgery alone. Minimal invasive esophagectomy and decreased length of stay (p < 0.05) were associated with the presence of neoadjuvant therapy. The difference in overall survival rate was not statistically significant between NAT and surgery alone groups (p = 0.96). Three of 11 patients (27%) had a pCR and 8 (73%) were partial or non responders after NAT. In the surgery only group, nine of 16 patients (56%) were understaged, 6 (38%) were overstaged and 1 (6%) was correctly staged. Despite being clinically node negative, 14/27 (52%) had node positive disease in both groups with 5/11 (45%) in NAT group and 9/16 (56%) in surgery group. Conclusions: The benefit of NAT in cT2N0 esophageal cancer patients remains unclear. However, our finding of significant clinical understaging and frequent positive nodes in clinically node negative patients suggests a clinical benefit to NAT for some cT2N0 patients before surgery. These observations support design of a prospective clinical trial to define the role of NAT in patients with cT2N0 esophageal cancer.