NEWS
Nationwide expansion of kidney disease project
A project which identifies people with progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) earlier and improves access to treatment and patient outcomes has received £400,000 funding for expansion nationwide. The project is being led by the medical research charity Kidney Research UK, with funding from the Health Foundation. The programme called ASSIST-CKD
(ASSIST-Chronic Kidney Disease) looks for early signs of progressive kidney damage in patients by combining data from routine blood tests carried out by GPs and hospitals, using dedicated software to create graphs of kidney function over time. It aims to help to reduce the burden of
kidney disease and, through the early identification of patients with deteriorating kidney function, reduce the rate of late referral for dialysis, an important ambition for renal services across the UK. Nearly 2 million people in the UK have
been diagnosed with moderate-severe CKD by their GP and it is estimated that a further one million people remain undiagnosed. Early detection and treatment is critical and can help to delay or prevent the need for dialysis in some kidney patients. Following the success of a smaller-scale
project in the West Midlands, the ASSIST- CKD project has received Health Foundation funding for expansion across 12 to 15 locations nationwide, covering a population of between five and eight million people. As part of the programme, kidney function
graphs are assessed by a laboratory scientist or renal nurse to review the trends in patients’ tests results. This identifies people with failing kidney function, to allow earlier intervention and treatment, often before the problem becomes too severe. Patients’ GPs are then alerted with a prompt that further action may be needed, and advice on treatment options is provided. Resources are also provided to help improve patients’ understanding of CKD, encouraging them to become involved in their care. They include practical advice on self- management techniques and lifestyle changes which can help to slow down the progression of their kidney disease. Since 2005, when the original community-
wide CKD management system in the West Midlands first started, the number of patients starting dialysis per year at the Heart of England Foundation Trust (HEFT) has fallen by 16% compared to an increase of 8% in England as a whole. HEFT also has the lowest percentage of patients presenting late for dialysis in the UK.
APRIL 2015 Low breast density in
Very low mammographic breast density worsens the prognosis of breast cancer, according to a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland. Disease free survivals as well as overall life expectancies were significantly shorter in women with very low density breasts in comparison to women with high density breast tissue. The lower the breast tissue density, the less fibroglandular tissue there is compared to fat tissue. In the future, these findings may prove significant for the assessment of breast cancer prognosis and treatment planning.
mammography worsens prognosis The study involved 270
breast cancer patients at Kuopio University Hospital, aged between 32 and 86 years. Out of the women with very low breast tissue density, 70.7% were alive at the end of the six- year follow-up, whereas out of
women whose proportion of glandular tissue was higher than 10%, 87.7% were alive at the same time. Lower breast tissue density was also associated with more aggressive higher grade tumours. The study was published in the journal,
European Radiology.
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