Cancer
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Despite consensus guidelines, concern about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission has dissuaded patients with cancer from seeking medical care. Studies have shown that contaminated surfaces may contain viable virus for up to 72 hours in laboratory settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate contamination of SARS-CoV-2 on commonly used environmental surfaces in a tertiary cancer care center. ⋯ The potential risks of nosocomial infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have deterred patients with cancer from seeking timely care despite consensus guidelines. This study has found negligible rates of environmental contamination with SARS-CoV-2 across a multitude of commonly used surfaces in outpatient and inpatient hematology/oncology settings with adherence to strict infection control protocols.
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To inform patients who are in the process of selecting prostate cancer treatment, the authors compared disease-specific function after external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) alone versus EBRT plus a low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy boost (EBRT-LDR). ⋯ In men with prostate cancer who received external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with or without a brachytherapy boost (EBRT-LDR), EBRT-LDR was associated with clinically worse urinary irritation and bowel function through 3 years but resolved after 5 years. Men who received EBRT-LDR continued to report moderate-to-big problems with urinary function bother and frequent urination through 5 years. There was no difference in treatment-related regret or survival between patients who received EBRT and those who received EBRT-LDR. These intermediate-term estimates of function may facilitate counseling for men who are selecting treatment.