HJLR May/Jun 2019

42 MAY / JUN 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of little rock   Healthcare Briefs required, reducing the patient’s pain and recov- ery time. “Our study showed that when a patient has negative nodes on a PET/CT scan, 96 percent of the time the result is truly negative. With a high level of confidence, we can say to a patient that if your neck is negative on PET/CT, there is probably no need for a neck dissection,” said Stack, professor in the UAMS College of Medi- cine Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Cancers that are collectively known as head and neck cancer usually begin in the squamous cells inside the moist surfaces of the head and neck. These cancers can affect the oral cavity, throat, larynx (voicebox), and nasal cavity. While it was commonly assumed by physicians that a negative scan of the neck meant there was no need for a neck dissection as part of cancer therapy, this assumption had never before been established in a prospective, multi-institution trial.  The study was conducted from August of 2010 to December of 2016 in 23 centers around the world. Of the total 287 patients enrolled, 42 were from UAMS. “More patients participated in this study at UAMS than at any other center,” said Stack, who developed the concept 18 years ago with co- investigator Val J. Lowe, MD, professor of radiol- ogy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “Our first article hypothesizing this concept was published in the journal Cancer in 2001. Now, almost two decades later, we have shown that with the help of PET/CT technology it may be possible to significantly reduce the number of neck dissections performed on head and neck cancer patients,” said Stack. PET scan is a type of nuclear medicine imaging that uses a small amount of radioactive material, called a tracer, to determine the severity of dis- ease. In the case of this study, the tracer used was fluorodeoxyglucose, or FDG, a molecule sim- ilar to glucose. CT imaging uses X-ray equipment to produce images of the inside of the body. When com- bined, PET/CT gives doctors the ability to see the body’s abnormality in relation to the anatomy, making it a more precise scan. Another major result of the study involves the mapping of positive lymph nodes in the neck. “There has been no other area of the body that has been mapped this way as it relates to PET scanning,” Stack said, adding that it could be beneficial for other types of surgeons to use the study’s results in determining the likelihood of positive lymph nodes in their own patients. The study was initiated by the American Col- lege of Radiology Imaging Network, which later joined with the Easter Cooperative Oncology Group. Results were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago in June of 2017, and a two-year patient follow-up concluded in December of 2018.  The Cancer Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs office provided internal support for the study while it was being conducted at UAMS. “Ideally, research should provide information that is both usable and capable to being built upon. I’m glad to say that researchers at another institution are already designing a follow-up trial to ours, which will develop this concept even fur- ther,” said Stack. Arkansas Businesses Provide Job Shadowing for those with Developmental Disabilities A dozen Arkansas businesses opened their doors to people with developmental disabilities today by providing job shadowing opportunities or holding open houses. Earlier this month, Gov. Asa Hutchinson proclaimed March as Develop- mental Disabilities Awareness Month and named March 21 as Individuals with Developmental Dis- abilities Employment Support Day. Employment Support Day encourages businesses to partic- ipate in expanding employment opportunities to Arkansans with developmental and intellec- tual disabilities. More than a dozen individuals with devel- opmental disabilities took part in the event by shadowing or touring one of the participating businesses.  “We hope to start a culture that people realize people that we ordinarily say have disabilities are really people with abilities. Everyone has some ability, and you never know how great a job they can do until you give them a shot,” said Fred Nor- man of Flavours in Maumelle. “If you put some- one with an ability to work, they become tax pay- ing citizens and they are so proud of being able to do that. The state is getting better and better at trying to find jobs for people with abilities, and I just hope more employers will jump right on in, ‘cause the water’s fine!” In 2017, only one out of every 10 people with disabilities had a paid job in the commu- nity, according to the NCI Results from People Across Arkansas 2016-2017 report. Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Employment Support Day aims to lead to more employment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities in their communities across the state and introduce employers to those in their com- munities who are interested in exploring those opportunities. “We have several businesses who have partic- ipated today, particularly in the Central Arkan- sas area, and we are excited to see this event get even bigger and better,” said Melissa Stone, director of Developmental Disabilities Services. “Today is one piece of the effort we’ll be continu- ing throughout the year to promote supported employment opportunities so that more busi- nesses understand and get to experience the value of hiring people with developmental dis- abilities and seeing the contributions they can make to their local businesses and communities.” Employment Support Day is sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS), the Governor’s Council on Developmen- tal Disabilities (GCDD), and other community partners. State agencies regularly partner through pro- grams like the State Agency Model Employer (SAME) and the Employment First initiative to Brendan C. Stack Jr., MD