All Resources

Use of Oncotype DX for guiding adjuvant chemotherapy decisions in early stage invasive breast cancer patients in Alberta : a health technology assessment

Description

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian women, accounting for an estimated 26 per cent of all cancer cases at the time of publication. Gene expression profiling (GEP) is an emerging... More ≫

Description

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian women, accounting for an estimated 26 per cent of all cancer cases at the time of publication. Gene expression profiling (GEP) is an emerging technology that may be able to successfully divide breast cancer patients into prognostic groups based on genes that increase in proliferating cells. Oncotype DX (Genome Health Inc.) is one commercially available GEP in Canada. However, there are concerns about the value-added merit of this testing. The primary policy question to be answered by this report is: Should Oncotype DX be publicly funded in Alberta? Other research objectives of the study include: determining the safety and effectiveness/efficacy of Oncotype DX as a decision support tool for adjuvant chemotherapy treatment decisions in women with early stage invasive breast cancer; determining the cost-effectiveness of Oncotype DX and other relevant comparators, and determining the budget impact of Oncotype DX as a decision support...

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Corneal crosslinking for Keratoconus and other corneal thinning disorders

Description

Corneal thinning disorders are rare progressive disorders that can either be caused by a primary disease process (keratoconus) or may be secondary to another process; such as post... More ≫

Description

Corneal thinning disorders are rare progressive disorders that can either be caused by a primary disease process (keratoconus) or may be secondary to another process; such as post laser-in-situ-keratomileusis (LASIK) induced keratectasia (KE). It has been estimated that the most common corneal thinning disorder, keratoconus (KC), affects 1 in every 2000 people globally. Corneal crosslinking using riboflavin and ultraviolet-A radiation (CXL) is an emerging technology which may be used for managing corneal thinning disorders. The purpose of this review is to determine the safety, clinical efficacy, social impact and economic value of CXL for the management of corneal thinning disorders.

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Transarterial radioembolization for the treatment of hepatic neoplasia : update of the 2010 STE report

Description

The present report is an update to the November 2010 STE Report: Transarterial Radioembolization for the treatment of Hepatic Neoplasia. The past report assessed the effectiveness of TARE for... More ≫

Description

The present report is an update to the November 2010 STE Report: Transarterial Radioembolization for the treatment of Hepatic Neoplasia. The past report assessed the effectiveness of TARE for onsideration as a publically funded health service in Alberta. This update assesses literature published between February 2010 and March 2012 on the effectiveness of TARE for hepatic neoplasia. The results of this update will provide information on the amount of recent research activity into TARE and changes in TARE’s effectiveness.

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Johne’s happens : Alberta Johne’s disease initiative

Description

Johne’s disease (JD) is a production-limiting disease, just like mastitis and lameness. Affected cattle produce less milk, take longer to become pregnant, and are worth less when culled. This... More ≫

Description

Johne’s disease (JD) is a production-limiting disease, just like mastitis and lameness. Affected cattle produce less milk, take longer to become pregnant, and are worth less when culled. This fact sheet presents summary of information about Johne’s disease, benefits of controlling the disease, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection, the importance of JD control program, JD risk assessment, JD management plan.

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A health technology assessment of transient elastography in liver disease

Description

Liver disease affects over two million Canadians. Liver biopsy is the current standard of care for diagnosing, staging and monitoring liver disease. It is an invasive procedure associated with a... More ≫

Description

Liver disease affects over two million Canadians. Liver biopsy is the current standard of care for diagnosing, staging and monitoring liver disease. It is an invasive procedure associated with a number of risks including bleeding, hospitalization and death. Transient elastography (TE) is an alternative, non-invasive, method of staging and monitoring liver. The intent of this report is to use current literature to determine the safety, effectiveness, social considerations and cost-effectiveness of TE for the diagnosis, staging and monitoring of liver damage associated with various liver diseases and complications due to liver transplant. The report also reviews the use of TE in paediatric patients, the use of acoustic radiation force imaging, and non-liver applications of TE.

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STE report : transarterial radioembolization for the treatment of hepatic neoplasia : final STE report

Description

The report reviews the use of transarterial radioembolization (TARE) for the treatment of primary and secondary hepatic neoplasia for the purpose of considering its potential as a publically... More ≫

Description

The report reviews the use of transarterial radioembolization (TARE) for the treatment of primary and secondary hepatic neoplasia for the purpose of considering its potential as a publically funded health service in Alberta.

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The University of Calgary mandate

Description

Presents the institutional mandate of the University of Calgary as approved by the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology on August 12, 2010. The University of Calgary is one of four... More ≫

Description

Presents the institutional mandate of the University of Calgary as approved by the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology on August 12, 2010. The University of Calgary is one of four comprehensive academic and research institutions in the province, which provide comprehensive baccalaureate and graduate programs to their students.

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Vitamin D testing : rapid literature review

Description

The clinical utility of testing individuals deemed at average risk for vitamin D deficiency has received the attention of the medical community in recent years. The objectives of this literature... More ≫

Description

The clinical utility of testing individuals deemed at average risk for vitamin D deficiency has received the attention of the medical community in recent years. The objectives of this literature review were: to outline the specific indications for vitamin D testing as reflected in the literature; to identify the number and type of studies for each indication; to review the abstracts of vitamin D randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses; and to review the Health Technology Assessment reports available.

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Point-of-care testing for oral anticoagulant management with portable prothrombin time systems

Description

Atrial fibrillation, venous thrombosis and thromboembolism are common diseases which require oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT). The current gold-standard method for monitoring the international... More ≫

Description

Atrial fibrillation, venous thrombosis and thromboembolism are common diseases which require oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT). The current gold-standard method for monitoring the international normalized ratio (INR) is laboratory testing of blood obtained by venepuncture. However, patients may find testing to be time consuming and inconvenient. With the development of portable coagulometers it is now possible to measure INR outside the laboratory setting. This review looks at the effectiveness of patient self-management (PSM), patient self-testing (PST) and point-of-care testing (POCT) by health care practitioners using portable coagulometers, compared to conventional laboratory testing.

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The Alberta student assessment study : executive summary

Description

The purposes of The Alberta Student Assessment Study (ASAS) were to report on optimal assessment theory, policies, and practice; educational leadership practices; and professional development. The... More ≫

Description

The purposes of The Alberta Student Assessment Study (ASAS) were to report on optimal assessment theory, policies, and practice; educational leadership practices; and professional development. The study emerged from an initial request from Alberta Education personnel to the Deans of Education at the Universities of Calgary, Alberta, and Lethbridge. Alberta Education identified the study objectives and funded the research. The Deans appointed the research team members who had complete academic freedom to design and conduct the study, and to report findings freely. The study commenced July 1, 2007 and was completed March 31, 2009.

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