Frequently asked questions

Appendix

The SAS-trial is a multicentre, prospective cohort study that aims to validate a previously established prediction score for the severity of appendicitis. This score can be used preoperatively to distinguish between patients with simple and complex appendicitis. The study uses data from the standard diagnostic and treatment process.

Lung Biopsy

Prospective lung study on LC-NEC.

TIGER study

Lymph node status is an important prognostic parameter in oesophageal carcinoma and an independent predictor of survival. The distribution of metastatic lymph nodes may vary depending on tumour location, histology and invasion depth, and on the use of neoadjuvant therapy. The surgical strategy is informed by the distribution pattern of nodal metastases, but consensus on how much tissue should be removed varies worldwide. For adenocarcinoma, the distribution of lymph node metastases has not yet been described in extensive series reporting on complete two and three-field lymphadenectomies. The lack of homogeneity regarding the classification of lymph node stations makes it difficult to interpret and compare research results. Currently, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that oesophageal cancer often metastasises to the cervical, mediastinal and upper abdominal lymph nodes. The heterogeneity in the available evidence presents a challenge when it comes to finding the most effective surgical strategy, especially given the significant morbidity associated with oesophageal surgery.

An observational study will identify lymph node stations to be resected in relation to tumour characteristics and may clarify whether the optimal surgical strategy for patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy should also be used for patients not receiving this treatment. Moreover, the study will examine the prognostic value of different lymph node stations.

The aim of the current multinational observational cohort study is to evaluate the distribution of lymph node metastases in all patients with resectable (cT1-4a N0-3 M0) oesophageal or gastroesophageal junction carcinoma scheduled for at least a transthoracic two-field lymphadenectomy. This will contribute to the development of a unified global staging system and help determine the optimal surgical strategy for oesophageal cancer patients. In addition, the prognostic value of different lymph node stations, the distribution pattern of recurrences and metastases, the frequency of skip nodal metastases and the ratio between nodal metastases inside and outside the radiation field will be studied.

How to use the Palga Protocol Module

Click here to view a presentation on the use of the Palga Protocol Module. The presentation provides a step-by-step explanation of how two protocols can be linked together under one research number,

using the link between the national Palga protocol for Molecular Determinations and the national Lung Carcinoma protocol as an example.

DTHS has created an import button that allows NGS results to be added to the Molecular Determinations protocol in UDPS. The release notes are available here.

Navigation through PPM

Literature

Appendix
- ENETS Consensus Guidelines

Cervix
- Silva system

Colonrectum
- cancers-03-00164_serosal involvement

Colon / Colonbiopt
- Recommendations for reporting tumor budding in colorectal cancer based on the International Tumor Budding Consensus Conference

Hoofd hals protocol
- Reproducibility and prognostic value of pattern of invasion scoring in low stage oral squamous cell carcinoma

Hoofd hals biopten
- Digital image analysis of intraepithelial B-lymphocytes to assess lymphoepithelial lesions in salivary glands of Sjögren's syndrome patients
- Increased Diagnostic Accuracy of the Labial Gland Biopsy in Primary Sjögren Syndrome When Multiple Histopathological Features Are Included

Longbiopt
- Diagnosis of Lung Cancer in Small Biopsies and Cytology

Longcytologie
- ROSE screening

MaagOesofaguscarcinoom
- AGA Clinical Practice Update on the Utility of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection in T1b Esophageal Cancer
- Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer updated clinical guidelines with an emphasis on germline CDH1 mutation carrier

Mammacarcinoom
- Implementation of Targeted Axillary Dissection

Melanoom
- The eighth edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) melanoma staging system: implications for melanoma treatment and care

NET/NEC
- WD-NET vs PD-NEC

Pancreas
- Validation of a Proposed Tumor Regression Grading Scheme for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma After Neoadjuvant Therapy as a Prognostic Indicator for Survival
- Prognostic Significance of New AJCC Tumor Stage in Patients With Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Treated With Neoadjuvant Therapy

Prostaat
- The 2014 (ISUP) Definition of Grading Patterns and Proposal for a New Grading System
- The 2005 (ISUP) Consensus Gleason Grading of Prostatic Carcinoma

Schildklier
- International Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Grading System A Validated Grading System for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

Urine
- The Paris System

What are the guidelines for UDPS?

The guidelines are set out here.

What are the guidelines for Core UDPS?

View the rules for completing sections in UDPS here.

What are the rules for completing sections in UDPS?

View the rules for completing sections in UDPS here.

Where can I find the Excel file containing the UDPS dataset?

The Excel file containing the UDPS dataset is available to suppliers. To request a copy of the file, send an email to stichting@palga.nl.

What are the guidelines for reporting identifying data?

To protect the privacy of patients and those involved in their treatment, the Palga Privacy Committee (PPC) advises the Palga Foundation on the provision of data from Palga’s databases. The amended reporting guidelines for data requests (available here) were adopted in May 2016.

How do I use Lab2Lab?

More information on how to use Lab2Lab is available here.

Where can I find technical information about Lab2Lab?

Technical information about Lab2Lab is available here.

Benefits of Lab2Lab

Lab2Lab offers an effective way of requesting consultations, revisions and outsourced testing, such as molecular diagnostics, while guaranteeing patient safety. It allows you to exchange electronic consultation results as well as data from national protocols. As part of the national Palga infrastructure, Lab2Lab will be linked to the Mercury Node and the Mercury Hub.

What is UDPS?

UDPS stands for Uniform Decentralised Palga System: a computer system that is placed in clinical pathology labs to facilitate local record keeping. It is also used to send excerpts from pathology reports to Palga’s national database. The functionality of UDPS is intentionally limited to medical records.

All UDPS systems have access to the same national dataset (possibly with some local additions), as indicated by the word ‘uniform’.

The functionality of UDPS is too limited for my lab. What should I do?

Some labs that require specific functionality not offered by UDPS may wish to use a third-party pathology system. For these labs, Palga offers Core UDPS: a trimmed-down version of UDPS, which provides a basic interface with Palga’s national database for submitting report excerpts and questions from patients. Third-party systems can communicate with Core UDPS using the standard UDPS XML server. This is described in the document ‘UDPS-XML-publ.doc’.

How do I use Core UDPS?

More information on how to use Core UDPS is available here.

Where can I find technical information about Core UDPS?

Technical information about Core UDPS is available here.

What does my request status mean?

Open, not yet submitted: the request has been created but not yet submitted, or a Palga consultant has reopened the request so that it can be changed. After the necessary changes have been made, the request must be resubmitted.

Received by Palga consultant – Waiting for authentication form: the request has been submitted and received by the consultants. Once the ‘Request authentication and approval’ form has been submitted, processing will continue.

Waiting for approval: the request has been submitted to the Scientific Council and the Privacy Committee and is awaiting approval.

Approved: the request has been approved by the Scientific Council and will be processed by a consultant as soon as possible. Depending on the number of requests waiting to be processed, this may take several weeks.

Approved, waiting for cohort: this pertains to requests involving a link to another registry or data source. The request has been approved by the Scientific Council, but the cohort the Palga data will be linked to has not yet been submitted. Once this data has been received, the request will be processed by one of the consultants. Depending on the number of requests waiting to be processed, this may take several weeks.

Cohort submitted: this pertains to requests involving a link to another registry or data source. The cohort data has been received and the request will be processed by one of the consultants. Depending on the number of requests waiting to be processed, this may take several weeks.

Being processed by Palga consultant: the request is being processed by one of the consultants, who may contact you to discuss the best search criteria.

Data delivered: the data file has been delivered to the researcher.

Data delivered, excerpt selection: the data file has been delivered to the researcher. The researcher makes a selection of excerpts to request tissue samples, anonymised pathology reports and/or clinical data (provided by the attending physician) using the intermediary procedure (links to ‘Requesting tissue samples’).

Request submitted to labs: the request for tissue samples, anonymised pathology reports and/or clinical data has been forwarded to the relevant labs. The status of the request can be tracked in the ‘DNTP requests’ tab.

Closed: the data has been delivered and the request has been closed.