JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Comparative Study
Biochemical outcome following external beam radiation therapy with or without androgen suppression therapy for clinically localized prostate cancer.
Combined treatment using radiation therapy (RT) and androgen suppression therapy (AST) is used to treat men with clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate, but outcome using this combined therapy compared with RT alone is not known. ⋯ Our data suggest a significant benefit in 5-year PSA outcomes for men with clinically localized prostate cancer in intermediate- and high-risk groups treated with RT plus AST vs those treated with RT alone. Results from prospective randomized trials currently under way are needed to validate these findings. JAMA. 2000;284:1280-1283
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Issues of cost and quality are gaining importance in the delivery of medical care, and whether quality of care is better in teaching vs nonteaching hospitals is an essential question in this current national debate. ⋯ In this study of elderly patients with AMI, admission to a teaching hospital was associated with better quality of care based on 3 of 4 quality indicators and lower mortality. JAMA. 2000;284:1256-1262
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This report examines data collected through the American Medical Association Annual Survey of Graduate Medical Education Programs for 1999-2000 and compares these data with similar data collected during the past several years. The number of resident physicians enrolled during 1999-2000 was 606 more than during the previous year; graduates of US osteopathic medical schools (USDOs) had the greatest proportional increase (5.2%). The number of physicians entering graduate medical education (GME) for the first time in 1999-2000 (n = 22,320) also increased, with the number of USDOs increasing the most, by 14.5%, followed by international medical graduates (IMGs) at 6.5%. ⋯ The number of Asian GY1 USMDs increased steadily (11.0%) but the number of blacks decreased by 7.1% from 1998-1999. Growth continues, both in numbers and in heterogeneity of physicians in training, and must be considered in the future development of policy to guide US GME. JAMA. 2000;284:1121-1126