Between 1961 and 1980, 124 patients with Stages I and II nodular lymphocytic poorly differentiated (NLPD), nodular mixed histiocytic‐lymphocytic (NM), nodular histiocytic (NH), or diffuse well‐differentiated lymphocytic (DLWD) lymphoma according to the Rappaport classification were treated at Stanford University. Initial staging studies included lymphangiography in 91%, bone marrow biopsy in 93%, and diagnostic or staging laparotomy in 41% of patients. All patients were treated with megavoltage irradiation to either involved field (IF), extended field (EF), or total lymphoid fields (TLI) to a total dose of 3500–5000 rad. Median follow‐up was 5.5 years. Kaplan‐Meier actuarial survival at 5, 10, and 15 years was 84%, 68%, and 42%, respectively. Freedom from relapse at 5 and 10 years was 62% and 54%, respectively. In addition, there was a flattening of the relapse curve suggesting cure of approximately 50% of patients. Patients with NH had a significantly poorer survival (P = 0.03) while there were no differences among the other histologic groups. Freedom from relapse was higher in patients treated with TLI compared with those treated with IF or EF. However, a prospective study of 20 patients who all underwent staging laparotomy and were randomized to treatment with either IF or TLI revealed no significant difference in either survival or freedom from relapse. Utilizing multivariate analysis for the entire group, important prognostic factors included age, stage, histologic subtype, and treatment field. Cancer 52:2300‐2307, 1983.

Study Rationale The swift progression of the COVID‐19 pandemic appeared to facilitate the increase in telehealth utilization. However, it is clear neither how telehealth was offered by providers nor how it was used by patients during this time of unusual and rapid change within the health industry. Aim To investigates the telehealth utilization patterns of Medicare beneficiaries during the height of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods and Materials A cross‐sectional study design was used to examine the responses of 9686 Medicare beneficiaries to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, Fall 2020 COVID‐19 Supplement. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between telehealth offering and beneficiaries' sociodemographic variables. Results Over half (58%) of primary care providers provided telehealth services, while only 26%–28% of specialists did. Less than 8% of Medicare beneficiaries reported that they were unable to obtain care because of COVID‐19. Conclusions This research found that changes in Medicare policy, associated with CMS' declaration of telehealth waivers during the Public Health Emergency (PHE), likely increased the proliferation and utilization of telehealth services during the COVID‐19 pandemic, providing important access to care for certain populations. With the impending conclusion of the PHE, policymakers must 1) ascertain which elements of the new telehealth landscape will be retained, 2) modernize the regulatory, accreditation and reimbursement framework to maintain pace with care model innovation and 3) address disparities in access to broadband connectivity with a particular focus on rural and underserved communities.

No abstract

Between 1961 and 1982, 543 patients with diffuse histiocytic, mixed, or undifferentiated lymphoma were treated at Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. Of this group, 281 (52%) had extralymphatic lesions and the 111 patients with stage IE and IIE disease were subjected to analysis. Most patients (94) had diffuse histiocytic lymphoma. Lymphangiography was performed in 77%, bone marrow biopsy in 91%, and diagnostic or staging laparotomy in 52% of the patients. All but five patients were treated with megavoltage irradiation and 35 patients received combination chemotherapy. Median follow-up was 4.0 years. Kaplan-Meier actuarial survival at five and 10 years was 46% and 36%, respectively. Freedom from relapse (FFR) at five years was 49% with no relapses beyond that point. The most common extralymphatic sites were the gastrointestinal tract, the head and neck region, and the lung. Prognosis could not be correlated with the specific sites of involvement. Patients with bulky disease (greater than 10 cm) or more than three sites of involvement had a significantly lower survival and FFR. There was no significant difference in outcome for patients treated with irradiation or combined modality therapy. Most patients (62%) relapsed in distant extralymphatic sites.

Between 1961 and 1982, 66 patients with stage III follicular small cleaved (FSC) and follicular mixed small cleaved and large cell (FM) lymphoma were treated at Stanford University. Treatment consisted of total-lymphoid irradiation (TLI) to a total dose of about 4,000 rad in 61 patients or whole-body irradiation (WBI) followed by boost irradiation to sites of involvement in five patients. In addition, 13 patients treated with TLI received adjuvant chemotherapy, consisting of six cycles of cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (CVP). Median follow-up was 9.6 years. Kaplan-Meier actuarial survival at five, ten, and 15 years was 78%, 50%, and 37%, respectively. Freedom from relapse at five and ten years was 60% and 40% with no relapses after ten years. In a prospective randomized study of 16 patients who all underwent staging laparotomy comparing TLI with or without adjuvant chemotherapy with CVP, there was no significant difference in either survival or freedom from relapse between the two groups. Patients with limited stage III disease (without B symptoms, less than five sites of involvement, and maximum size of disease less than 10 cm) had an excellent prognosis with a 15-year survival and freedom from relapse of 100% and 88%, respectively. Radiation therapy may be a potentially curative modality in patients with stage III follicular lymphomas.