Oncologic Diagnosis Research Articles

SURG-11. COMPARATIVE RISK ANALYSIS OF DEVELOPMENT OF ANEMIA IN RADIOTHERAPY-TREATED VS. NON-TREATED MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS: A MULTICENTER RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Abstract INTRODUCTION The use of RT in patients who are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) is controversial due to adverse effects such as inflammation. Simultaneously, the relationship between oncologic RT and worsening anemia is well established. However, there is not a clear understanding of the risk associated with undergoing RT due to their oncologic diagnosis in MS patients for developing anemia. OBJECTIVE This study aims to analyze the risk of developing anemia for patients with MS who have been treated with RT versus who have not. METHODS This retrospective study consists of analysis of the data acquired from TriNetX, a database that houses clinical data from 92 healthcare organizations. Cohort 1 included MS patients with history of RT, while cohort 2 included MS patients without any history of RT. The cohorts were propensity score matched for demographics such as age, sex, race, and ethnicity. All neoplasms were also matched to eliminate cancer as a confounding variable. The analysis included outcomes of interest, ICD-10 code D64 (Other anemia), up to 6 months after the first occurrence of the index event. RESULTS 4,844 patients were identified for each cohort post-propensity score matching. The mean age was 65.4 and 67.3 years old, and most patients were white at 76.3% and 77.0% for the MS with RT and without RT cohorts, respectively. Cohort 1 had 628 patients who developed anemia, while cohort 2 only had 511 patients. The odds ratio was 1.263 with 95% confidence interval of 1.116 to 1.430 showing the statistically significant difference between the cohorts. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that there is a significant increase in the likelihood of developing broadly categorized anemia for multiple sclerosis patients with or without radiation therapy. Further study is warranted to understand other potential factors leading to an increased risk of developing anemia in the irradiated cohort.

DISP-10. RACIAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC DIFFERENCES IN CLINICAL AND ACCESS TO CARE OUTCOMES IN NEUROSURGICAL-ONCOLOGY PATIENTS

Abstract BACKGROUND Large database studies have identified racial and socioeconomic differences in neurosurgical-oncologic outcomes. For clearer insights and understanding, more detailed and prospective evaluation is needed. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed a database of 1475 patients undergoing surgery for CNS tumors over 5 years. Multivariate analysis, specific to various pathologies, was conducted to identify demographic and socioeconomic factors (including age, sex, racial identity, primary language, insurance status, and income estimate) associated with access to care and clinical outcomes. Additionally, prospective patient-centered interviews were conducted on neuro- oncology patients to qualitatively explore reasons for disparities in healthcare. RESULTS Significant associations were found between racial identities (White n=911; Hispanic n=285; Asian n=206; Black n=74) and sex (ANOVA p 0.0043), age (p<0.0001), income estimate (p<0.0001), primary language (p<0.0001), and insurance status (p<0.0001). Among different pathologies, presentation to the ED, rather than outpatient setting, was consistently associated with a non- English primary language (p=0.0312) and Medi-Cal insurance (p=0.0029). Time from imaging diagnosis to neurosurgical consultation was associated with non- English primary language (p=0.0262) and Medi-Cal (p=0.0030). Delay between recommendation for surgery and date of surgery was significant in Black patients (p=0.0112). A non- English primary language was negatively associated with having a gross total resection (p=0.0087). Notably, adjuvant treatments were less likely for those with non-English primary language (p=0.0203), Black race (p=0.0049), and Medi-Cal coverage (p=0.0014). Cox regression analysis identified only age (p<0.0001) as a predictor of poorer overall survival in oncologic cases. Prospective interviews identified cultural, economic (work- related), and healthcare navigation issues as reasons for differences in access to care. CONCLUSIONS Across the spectrum of neurosurgical oncology diagnoses, racial and socioeconomic factors independently associate with access to care but not clinical outcome variables. Further investigation is needed, particularly in patients with non- English primary languages and cultural attitudes towards chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Adaptive Transformer-Based Multi-Modal Image Fusion for Real-Time Medical Diagnosis and Object Detection

In recent years, medical diagnosis and object detection have been significantly enhanced by the integration of multi-modal image fusion techniques. This study proposes an Adaptive Transformer-Based Multi-Modal Image Fusion (AT-MMIF) framework designed for real-time medical diagnosis and object detection. The framework employs a Transformer architecture to capture both global and local feature correlations across multiple imaging modalities, including MRI, CT, PET, and X-ray, for more accurate diagnostic results and faster object detection in medical imagery. The fusion process incorporates spatial and frequency-domain information to improve the clarity and detail of the output images, enhancing diagnostic accuracy. The adaptive attention mechanism within the Transformer dynamically adjusts to the relevant features of different image types, optimizing fusion in real time. This leads to an improved sensitivity (98.5%) and specificity (96.7%) in medical diagnosis. Additionally, the model significantly reduces false positives and negatives, with an F1 score of 97.2% in object detection tasks. The AT-MMIF framework is further optimized for real-time processing with an average inference time of 120 ms per image and a model size reduction of 35% compared to existing multi-modal fusion models. By leveraging the strengths of Transformer architectures and adaptive learning, the proposed framework offers a highly efficient and scalable solution for real-time medical diagnosis and object detection in various clinical settings, including radiology, oncology, and pathology.

Do Fellowship-educated Military Orthopaedic Oncologists Who Practice in Military Settings Treat a Sufficient Volume of Patients to Maintain Their Oncologic Expertise?

Fellowship-trained orthopaedic oncologists in the US military provide routine clinical care and also must maintain readiness to provide combat casualty care. However, low oncologic procedure volume may hinder the ability of these surgeons to maintain relevant surgical expertise. Other low-volume specialties within the Military Health System (MHS) have established partnerships with neighboring civilian centers to increase procedure volume, but the need for similar partnerships for orthopaedic oncologists has not been examined. The purpose of this study was to characterize the practice patterns of US military fellowship-trained orthopaedic oncologists. We asked the following questions: (1) What are the diagnoses treated by US military fellowship-trained orthopaedic oncologists? (2) What are the procedures performed by US military fellowship-trained orthopaedic oncologists? We queried the Military Data Repository, a centralized repository for healthcare data for all healthcare beneficiaries (active duty, dependents, and retirees) within the Defense Health Agency using the MHS's Management and Reporting Tool for all international common procedure taxonomy (CPT) codes and ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes associated with National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers of active duty, military fellowship-trained orthopaedic oncologists. Fellowship-trained orthopaedic oncologists were identified by military specialty leaders. Then, we identified all procedures performed by the orthopaedic oncologist based on NPI numbers for fiscal years 2013 to 2022. We stratified the CPT codes by top orthopaedic procedure categories (such as amputation [performed for oncologic and nononcologic reasons], fracture, arthroplasty, oncologic) based on associated ICD codes. These were then tabulated by the most common diagnoses treated. Thirteen percent (796 of 5996) of the diagnoses were oncologic, of which 45% (357 of 796) were malignant. Forty-four percent (158 of 357) of the malignancies were primary and 56% (199 of 357) were secondary; this translates to an average of 2 patients with primary and 2.5 patients with secondary malignancies treated per surgeon per year. During the study period, nine orthopaedic oncologists performed 5996 orthopaedic procedures, or 74 procedures per surgeon per year. Twenty-one percent (1252 of 5996) of the procedures were oncologic; the remaining procedures included 897 arthroplasties, 502 fracture-related, 275 amputations for a nononcologic indication, 204 infections, 142 arthroscopic, and 2724 other procedures. Although military orthopaedic oncologists possess expert skills that are directly translatable to combat casualty care and operational readiness, within MHS hospitals they treat relatively few patients with oncologic diagnoses, and less than one-half of those involve malignancies. Despite postgraduation procedure volume raining stable over the last decade, it is unknown how many new patient visits for oncologic diagnoses and how many corresponding tumor procedures are necessary to maintain competence or build confidence after musculoskeletal oncology fellowship training. It is important to note that there are no military orthopaedic oncology fellowships, and all active duty orthopaedic oncologists undergo training at civilian institutions. Military-civilian partnerships with high-volume cancer centers may enable military orthopaedic oncologists to work at civilian cancer centers to increase their oncologic volume to ensure sustainment of operationally relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities and improve patient care and outcomes.

Ultrasound-Guided Intranodal Lipiodol Lymphangiography for the Assessment and Treatment of Chylous Leaks: A Retrospective Case Series from a Single Center in Switzerland and a Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background: Lymphatic leaks are well-known complications of major thoracic or abdominal surgeries, which significantly heighten morbidity and mortality rates. While the existing literature provides insights into managing these post-operative leaks, with a step-up approach from conservative measures (CMs) to surgical intervention, there are no standardized treatment guidelines. The purpose of this paper is to offer a management algorithm of post-operative lymphatic leaks based on a systematic literature review (SLR) of the therapeutic effect of Lipiodol lymphangiography (LL), completed by a case series of five patients who underwent LL in our department. Methods: In this IRB-approved study, we conducted an SLR following the PRISMA guidelines, using a PICOS. A quality assessment was performed for each study. The case series consisted of consecutive patients who underwent LL for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes at our institution between September 2018 and December 2020. Results: A total of 39 observational studies were included in the SLR comprising 11 retrospective case reviews (Group 1), and 3 case series as well as 25 case reports (Group 2). In total, these studies report cases of 557 patients (51.52% presenting oncological diagnoses; 43.98% having benefited from lymphadenectomy). Lymphatic or chylous fistulas were the most encountered complication, followed by chylothorax. The median volume of Lipiodol injected during lymphography was 11.7 mL (range: 9.8-75 mL). Overall, LL was technically successful in 77.7% (366/471) of patients. The clinical success of all technically successful LLs was 80.6% (295/366). Time-to-leak resolution after lymphography varied between 1 and 31 days. The factors associated with treatment failure were a high leak output (>500 mL/day) and Lipiodol extravasation on post-LL imaging. Our case series consisted of five patients (mean age: 62 ± 9.24 years; 20% female; 100% oncological diagnoses; 60% having beneficiated from lymphadenectomy). Technical and clinical successes were 80% (4/5) and 75% (3/4), respectively. Time-to-leak resolution varied between 1 and 4 days. The volume and technique of LL was not different from that identified in the SLR. Conclusions: LL is a safe procedure with high technical and clinical success rates that could be proposed as both a diagnostic and therapeutic solution for patients with post-operative central lymphatic lesions.

The Effects of Metformin on Cisplatin-Induced Ototoxicity in Diabetic Patients.

Ototoxicity is an important side effect of cisplatin. Recent animal and in vitro studies suggest metformin may protect hearing, though human studies are lacking. We report the first retrospective clinical study exploring the effects of metformin on cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. Retrospective case-control. Tertiary-care center. We reviewed all diabetic patients treated with cisplatin who were enrolled in an auditory monitoring program between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2018. Patients were grouped according to their use of metformin at the time of chemotherapy. Demographics, oncologic diagnosis and treatment, and prior noise exposure were recorded. Audiometric thresholds were compared before and after chemotherapy. The primary outcome measure was a change in hearing as defined by the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). Secondary measures of ototoxicity included changes in hearing using the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and TUNE criteria. Seventy-two diabetic patients met the inclusion criteria. Forty-six patients had taken metformin while on chemotherapy and 26 had not. The proportion of hearing loss as defined by both, CTCAE and ASHA criteria, was more than double in the metformin group relative to the nonmetformin group (CTCAE: 54.4% vs 19.2%, P = .004; ASHA: 62.2% vs 28.0%, P = .003). None of the potential covariates believed to be confounders were significantly associated with the outcome of multivariable analysis. Contrary to expectations from preclinical data, metformin did not reduce the incidence of hearing loss in patients receiving cisplatin and may, in fact, be associated with an increased risk.

Cancer, Consents, and Chaos: Navigating Health Literacy at the Time of a New Oncology Diagnosis.

Cancer, Consents, and Chaos: Navigating Health Literacy at the Time of a New Oncology Diagnosis.

Clinical Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes of Bacteremia in Children with Cancer: A Retrospective Study

Abstract Background Bacteremia is a common infectious complication among pediatric oncology patients, yet management practices are not standardized. Antibiotic treatment courses as short as seven days are supported by literature and could improve patient quality of life and resource use. However, it is not known if short courses are associated with greater treatment failure in immunocompromised patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective study at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, including patients with a laboratory confirmed bloodstream bacterial infection between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. Clinical characteristics such as age, gender, type of malignancy, phase of treatment, underlying chronic conditions, and clinical sites of infection were collected. Antibiotics used, duration of therapy, and route of administration were also gathered to examine clinical management. Clinical outcomes were measured by documenting ICU admission, oxygen, fluid and vasopressor requirements, date of hospital discharge, bacteremia recurrence, and mortality. Results 86 patients contributed 112 bacteremia episodes that met eligibility criteria. Severe neutropenia was present at onset in 68% of all episodes and 32% of patients did not have neutrophil recovery over 500 cells/ml during the episode. Gram-negative organisms accounted for 52% of isolated organisms, with the most common organisms isolated overall being Escherichia coli (19%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (14%), and Viridans group streptococcus (14%). The median length of antibiotic treatment was 12 days. Treatment duration was not associated with oncologic diagnosis or Gram-negative versus Gram-positive infection. Conclusion Bacteremia occurs more frequently in patients who are neutropenic, especially those who are severely neutropenic with an absolute neutrophil count less than 500 cells/mL. Treatment duration is not associated with primary cancer diagnosis or type of bacteremia. In this single high resource setting, bloodstream infections resulted in significant morbidity, resource use, and a mortality rate of 8%, highlighting opportunities for investigation to improve clinical practices.

Clinical insights into Invasive Aspergillosis in Mexican children with cancer

Abstract Background In the last years Invasive Aspergillosis (IA) has become the most frequent invasive fungal infection (IFI) affecting children with hematological malignancies. This complication results in the delay of cancer treatment and/or poor prognosis mainly due to late diagnosis and late start of antifungal treatment. Therefore, antifungal prophylaxis and preemptive approaches have been proposed for these patients based on risk factors and local epidemiological data. For this reason, we performed a unicenter, descriptive and prospective study to determine the frequency and clinical course of IA in hospitalized cancer patients with fever and neutropenia. Methods we included events of fever and neutropenia of hospitalized patients with cancer and either with persistent febrile neutropenia (PFN: fever for >96h with total neutrophil count of <500cells/mm3) or profound prolonged neutropenia (PPN: total neutrophil count of <500cells/mm3 for >7 days). Informed consent was requested prior inclusion and follow up of these events was performed with weekly measurement of serum galactomannan antigen (until the recovery of neutrophil count), lung computed tomography (CT) and/or sinus and/or central nervous system (CNS) imaging, depending on clinical findings, and if feasible bronchoscopy to obtain bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL) samples. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained; with this information diagnosis of IA was classified as possible, probable, and proven, according to the EORTC/MSG guidelines. This protocol was approved by the hospital’s research and ethics committees (INP 041/2021). For data analysis categorical variables were presented as frequencies and numerical variables as median and range. Statistical analysis was made with X2 and U Mann Whitney tests. Results Seventy events were included, 14 (20%) had IA diagnosis; 2 possible, 11 probable and 1 proved. Median of age was 10.2y (5.5 – 17) and 64.3% were male. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia was the main oncologic diagnosis (71.4%), 35.7% during induction phase; followed by acute myeloblastic leukemia (21.4%). 92.9% of events with IA presented as PFN (p=0.001) with a fever duration of 3.5 days (1-8) (p=0.004). Pulmonary disease was evident in all events with IA, two had disseminated infection. In 5/14 events serum galactomannan antigen was positive in the first measurement. Only 8 events underwent bronchoscopy: BAL was positive in 6 and 4 had positive culture with Aspergillus spp. Lung CT scan showed different findings, lobar/segmental consolidation and nodule with halo sign were the most common; 85.7% of cases presented with more than one radiological sign (p=0.003). Voriconazole monotherapy was given to 78.5% of IA cases and 21.4% required combined antifungal therapy (added caspofungine or liposomal amphotericin B) due to disseminated disease or severe clinical course. Intensive care admission resulted with statistical significance for the events with diagnosis of IA (64.3% p= 0.019). Within the IA events survival at 60 days was of 78.6%. Conclusion Frequency of IA was high among our high risk cancer patients. This study demonstrates the importance of a complete work up for invasive fungal infection in high-risk patients with persistent febrile neutropenia. The information obtained is of great use for the implementation of pre-emptive approaches and antifungal prophylaxis in this patient population.

Chemoradiotherapy treatment increases cardiac and aortic [18F]FDG uptake ratios in lung cancer patients

[18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is an indispensable non-invasive imaging tool to aid diagnosis, prognostication, and therapeutic monitoring in oncology, but it can also evaluate cardiovascular inflammation1,2. Previously, cardiac metabolic changes using [18F]FDG with chemoradiotherapy have been explored3 but changes in the rest of the cardiovascular system remain undetermined. To investigate the cardiovascular metabolic changes pre- and post-chemoradiotherapy in stage 3b non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. A retrospective analysis of 26 patients (43-82 years) with stage 3b NSCLC from the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN 6668) trial was performed3. All available pre- and post-treatment imaging were retrieved from the Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA)4 and regions of interest for the left ventricle and calcified large arteries were contoured on all PET-CT scans using PMOD version 4.0 software. The mean, maximum standard uptake value (SUVmean and SUVmax) and target-to-background ratio (TBR) were quantified on PMOD. At approximately 14 weeks post-chemoradiotherapy, there was a higher SUVmean (mean difference 0.81, p=0.01) and SUVmax (mean difference 2.20, p=0.006) in the left ventricle compared with pretreatment scans. TBR for aorta was higher post-treatment (mean difference 0.06, p=0.005). However, SUVmean for carotid arteries and right brachiocephalic artery was reduced post-chemoradiotherapy (mean difference 0.15, p=0.008 and mean difference 0.28, p=0.03). A reduction in SUVmax was also seen for aortic arch (mean difference 0.58, p=0.03) and right brachiocephalic artery (mean difference 0.42, p=0.03 and mean difference 0.42, p=0.03). Cardiovascular glucose metabolism is selectively increased in the left ventricle and aorta post-chemoradiotherapy. Changes in glucose metabolism of atherosclerotic plaques vary across different vessels throughout the body. Please click on the 'PDF' for the full abstract!

Metagenomic characterization of viruses in the serum of children with newly diagnosed cancer

Background and ObjectivesA large cohort of pediatric patients with various forms of childhood cancer was investigated for the presence of viruses using metagenomics. A total of 476 patient samples, collected between 1989 and 2018, were analyzed, representing various pediatric oncological diagnoses and a control group of non-malignant diagnoses. Study designThe study was carried out using metagenomic sequencing of serum samples. Viruses were identified and analyzed using bioinformatics methods, followed by Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmation ResultsThe results indicate that a wide range of viruses can be detected in the bloodstream of children with newly diagnosed cancer. Nine viral genomes were identified: Human Pegivirus (HPgV), Hepatitis C virus, Parechovirus 1, Rhinovirus C, Human papillomavirus 116, Human polyomavirus 10, Parvovirus B19, and different variants of Torque Teno Virus (TTV). In this study, a previously unknown virus was found belonging to the Iflavirdae family in the order Picornavirales. HPGV was significantly more common in patients with leukemia compared to other conditions. ConclusionsThese results highlight the abundance of systemic virus infections in children, and the value of metagenomic sequencing for hypothesis forming regarding the associations between virus infections and cancer.

Outcomes of patients with cancer cared for in a multisite home hospital program.

394 Background: Home hospital provides hospital-level care for acutely ill patients in their homes as a substitute for care in brick-and-mortar hospitals. Since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ acute hospital care at home waiver in November 2020, 330 hospitals have received approval to launch home hospital programs. Prior research has shown that patients cared for in home hospital have improved physical activity, and lower mortality and readmission rates. However, many of these programs exclude patients with cancer, and data describing outcomes of patients with cancer cared for in home hospital programs are limited. Methods: We identified patients admitted to a multisite home hospital program affiliated with an urban health system between February 1, 2020 and May 1, 2024 who had a diagnosis of cancer (ICD-10: C00-C96) or myelodysplastic syndrome (ICD-10: D46) managed by an oncologist within the health system. For each admission we conducted chart reviews to determine whether the malignancy was active at the time of admission, defined by ongoing antineoplastic treatment or an admission directly related to the malignancy. We also captured the patient’s cancer diagnosis, the admission diagnosis, total length of stay, and length of time in home hospital. We identified readmissions within 30 days of discharge and escalations of care, defined as a return to a brick-and-mortar hospital for additional care spanning at least one midnight, and calculated rates of these outcomes. Results: There were 141 home hospital admissions among 128 patients with cancer diagnoses (mean age: 77, 36% female). The most common oncologic diagnoses were lymphoma (16%, N = 22), chronic leukemias and MDS (14%, N = 20), and lung cancer (13%, N = 18). Seventy-one patients (50%) had active cancer at the time of admission. The leading admission diagnoses were pneumonia (N = 28, 16%), heart failure exacerbations (N = 19, 13%), complicated urinary tract infections (N = 12, 9%) and soft tissue infections (N = 10, 7%). The mean total length of stay was 7.9 days (SD 5.6) and patients were admitted to home hospital for a mean of 4.9 days (SD: 3.5). Escalation rates and 30-day readmission rates were 7% (N = 10) and 13% (N = 19), respectively, among all patients, and 5% (N = 4) and 14% (N = 10) among patients with active malignancies. Conclusions: These data describe a cohort of patients with cancer cared for in a multisite home hospital program. They show low rates of transfer back to brick-and-mortar hospitals and low 30-day readmission rates, and they demonstrate that patients with cancer can be safely cared for in a home hospital. As home hospital programs build new capabilities, a larger proportion of oncology patients will be eligible for home hospital. More work is needed to estimate risk-adjusted outcomes among these populations and to understand the patient and caregiver experience with oncology home hospital.

A clinical case of gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the duodenum

Background. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors localized in the duodenum are very rare and account for only 4–5%. They can be asymptomatic, while reaching large sizes and causing dangerous complications. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the duodenum are a special problem for diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is relevant to highlight the issue of their detection and treatment on the example of the presented clinical case. Purpose – present a description of the literature and present a rare clinical case of gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the duodenum. Material and methods. The patient, a 49-year-old woman, was diagnosed with a tumor of the abdominal cavity during a routine preventive ultrasound examination. The patient underwent a laboratory and instrumental examination, which included determination of blood and urine parameters, video esophagogastroduodenoscopy, contrast x-ray examination of the gastrointestinal tract, contrast-enhanced computer tomography and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the abdominal cavity. Results. The patient underwent surgical resection of the tumor of the duodenum. During the immunohistochemical study, the tumor cells were positive for markers DOG-1, CD117. As a result, «Gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the wall of the duodenum of a low degree of malignancy pT2N0M0R0» was diagnosed. During the six-month follow-up of the patient, no data on tumor recurrence were found. The relatively rare frequency of gastrointestinal tumors of the duodenum leads to difficulties at the diagnostic stage. In this clinical case, the tumor was asymptomatic, was not visualized during video esophagogastroduodenoscopy and was suspected during ultrasound examination. This indicates the importance of preventive examinations. Oncological awareness of doctors is extremely important for early diagnosis of oncology. Conclusion. Based on the analysis of the literature, the data on the epidemiology, clinical picture, methods of diagnosis and treatment of this rare pathology are displayed.

Travel-associated carbon emissions of patients receiving cancer treatment from an urban safety net hospital

BackgroundHealthcare transportation, particularly the transportation of patients to access healthcare services, is a significant source of carbon emissions. This study aims to estimate the carbon emissions of patient transportation among patients receiving cancer care at an urban community safety net hospital. Materials and MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study of patients seen at the oncology clinic of an urban community safety net hospital between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. Patients with at least one in-person visit in 1 year, documented home addresses, and oncologic diagnoses were included in the study. The distance between each patient's home address and the hospital was calculated using the Google Map API key and a macro to calculate distance in metres. The total estimated carbon emissions were calculated using the EPA equivalencies calculator. The primary outcome was carbon emissions from patients' round-trip travel from home to hospital. ResultsFrom 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, 13,970 visits were made to the oncology clinic. Of these, 8,235 visits made by 1,080 patients met the criteria for inclusion in the final analysis. Of the 8,235 visits recorded, 5,095 (61.8%) were follow-up/laboratory visits. The 1,080 patients who attended the clinic had a mean age of 63.8 years; 700 (64.8%) were male, and 525 (48.6%) were Black or African-American. Breast cancer was the most common diagnosis, accounting for 423 (39.2%) of cancer diagnoses. Each patient travelled 4.8 (0.3–149.3) miles for a one-way trip and 9.6 (0.7–298.6) miles for a round trip to receive cancer care. Approximately 1,520 (280–119,440) g carbon were emitted per patient visit. A total of 79,582 round-trip miles was calculated for the 8,235 visits made by all patients within 1 year, which corresponds to 31,832 kg CO2 emissions equivalent to 35,658 pounds of coal burned, 1,462 propane cylinders used for a home, or 3,872,250 smartphones charged. ConclusionTravel to receive cancer care is associated with significant carbon emissions and poses a climate and public health risk. Efforts to decrease the overall carbon footprint of cancer treatment are needed to minimise the contributions of cancer treatment to climate change.

Risk of transfusion-related iron overload varies based on oncologic diagnosis and associated treatment: Retrospective analysis from a single pediatric cancer center.

Transfusion-related iron overload (TRIO) is a widely acknowledged late effect of antineoplastic therapy in pediatric cancer survivors, but firm guidelines as to screening protocols or at-risk populations are lacking in the literature. We performed retrospective analysis of all oncology patients diagnosed at our center from 2014 to 2019, who underwent TRIO screening as part of an internal quality improvement project. Correlations of MRI-confirmed TRIO with patient-, disease-, and treatment-specific features were evaluated. We show that a tiered screening algorithm for TRIO, when followed as intended, led to the identification of the highest proportion of patients with TRIO. We confirm that cardiac TRIO is quite rare in the oncology patient population. However, accepted surrogate markers including red blood cell transfused volume and ferritin only modestly correlated with TRIO in our patient cohort. Instead, we found that older age, leukemia diagnosis, anthracycline exposure, and receipt of stem cell transplant were most strongly associated with risk for TRIO. We describe associations between TRIO and patient, disease, and treatment characteristics in a multivariate risk model that could lead to an improved risk stratification of off-therapy patients, and which should be validated in a prospective manner.

The intricate relationship between obesity, type 2 diabetes and female breast cancer: A retrospective study of 335 women.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a risk factor for female breast cancer (FBC). Obesity has also been associated with FBC, also depending on menopausal status. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of obesity and T2D on the development, aggressiveness, and invasiveness of FBC. Demographic, clinical, and histopathological data from 335 women with FBC were collected, and analyzed according to weight category (102 normal weight, 117 overweight, and 116 living with obesity) and the presence/absence of T2D. Age at oncologic diagnosis was not statistically significantly different for body weight; women with overweight or obesity were more likely to have an oncologic diagnosis after menopause than normal weight (p<0.001). The presence of overweight/obesity and T2D seemed to be associated with a higher incidence of metastasis, recurrence, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype (p<0.001). Excess body weight was also associated with high histologic grade (G3) (p<0.005). These results confirm excess body weight and T2D as unfavorable prognostic factors in terms of the presence of the TNBC subtype, tumor metastasis, recurrence, and aggressiveness (G3 and Ki-67>20%). This study highlights the importance of prevention in all women, with early screening, and adequate nutritional programs.

Italian translation, cultural adaptation and pilot testing of Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT 3.1) in pediatric cancer.

Experiences related to pediatric oncology diagnosis cause great imbalances within the family structure. Assessing the frailties and needs of families and children with cancer from a psychosocial perspective is an important step in providing appropriate pediatric psychology care. The aim of this study was to develop an Italian translation of the last version of the Psychosocial Assessment Tool questionnaire (PAT 3.1) and to pilot-test it among pediatric oncological families. The guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of health-related quality of life measures were followed. Specifically, two independent forward translations were produced, followed by a reconciliation step by a multidisciplinary expert committee and back-translation. Revision of the original text and all translations were performed by the expert committee leading to a final version, which was pilot-tested by cognitive debriefing on five families. Subsequently, the final Italian PAT 3.1 version was approved. The Italian version of the PAT 3.1 generated in the present study is a useful instrument to examine the psychosocial risk of the families with a child with cancer. This instrument will be a valuable tool for future clinical trials and it will help clinicians to target specific pediatric psychology support intervention. The questionnaire will be further validated through a multicenter Italian study on psychosocial screening of pediatric oncology and pediatric general diseases.

Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Outcomes in a Multicenter, Retrospective Cohort, 2009-2021.

To describe characteristics associated with survival for pediatric patients with an oncologic diagnosis or hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Multicenter, retrospective study. Sixteen PICUs in the United States and Israel. We included patients aged younger than 19 years with an oncologic diagnosis or HCT who required ECMO support between 2009 and 2021. None. A total of 149 patients were included in the study cohort. There were 118 patients with an oncologic diagnosis and 31 that received HCT. The indications for ECMO were respiratory failure (46%), combined respiratory and cardiac failure (28%), and cardiac failure (25%). Venovenous (V-V) ECMO was used in 45% of patients, with 53% of patients being placed on venoarterial (V-A) ECMO. For oncologic and HCT groups, survival to ECMO decannulation was 52% (62/118) and 64% (20/31), and survival to hospital discharge was 36% (43/118) and 42% (13/31), respectively. After adjusting for other factors, requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation was associated with greater odds ratio of mortality (3.0 [95% CI, 1.2-7.7]). Survival to ECMO decannulation of pediatric oncologic and HCT patients in this study was 52-64%, depending upon diagnosis. However, survival to hospital discharge remains poor. Future research should prioritize understanding factors contributing to this survival gap within these patient populations.

Evaluation of postoperative results after a presurgical optimisation programme

BackgroundPresurgical optimisation programmes decrease the risk of postoperative complications, reduce hospital stays and speed up patient recovery. They usually involve a multidisciplinary team addressing physical, nutritional and psychosocial issues. The objective of this study was to assess the results of implementing a presurgical optimisation programme led by a liaison nurse in patients undergoing major surgery in a primary general hospital.MethodsAn observational, retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional, comparative study based on the revision of patients’ health records undergoing major surgery between January 2019 and December 2022. Patients entering the presurgical optimisation programme (intervention group) were compared with patients receiving usual medical care (control group). The presurgical optimisation programme consisted of oral nutritional supplementation, physical exercise, strengthening of lung capacity and psychological and emotional support. Frequency (%) of surgery complications and use of healthcare resources (duration of hospitalisation, time spent in the intensive care unit (ICU), and readmission) at day 30 were recorded. Descriptive statistics were applied.ResultsTwo hundred eleven patients (58.5% men, mean age: 65.76 years (SD 11.5), 75.2%. non-smokers; mean body mass index (BMI): 28.32 (SD 5.38); mean Nutritional Risk Score (NRS) 3.71 (SD 1.35; oncology diagnosis: 88.6%) were included: 135 in the intervention group, and 76 in the control group. The average duration of the presurgical optimisation programme was 20 days (SD 5). Frequency of postoperative complications was 25% (n = 33) in the intervention group and 52.6% (n = 40) in the control group (p < 0.001) [odds ratio (OR) = 3.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.8; 6.2)]. 14.5% (n = 19) of patients in the intervention group and 34.2% (n = 26) in the control group had remote postoperative complications [OR = 3.1; 95% CI (1.6; 6.2)]. Patients in the intervention group spent fewer days in the hospital [mean 8.34 (SD 6.70) vs 11.63 (SD 10.63)], and there were fewer readmissions at 30 days (7.6% vs 19.7%) compared with the control group.ConclusionsA presurgical optimisation programme led by a liaison nurse decreases the rate of immediate and late surgical complications and reduces hospital stays and readmissions in patients undergoing major surgery.

Association between calf circumference and mortality in people receiving home enteral nutrition: A retrospective cohort study.

Among the anthropometric measurements, calf circumference has been widely used as a simple and practical method to diagnose low muscle mass and sarcopenia. However, the association between this measurement and clinical outcomes in people receiving home enteral nutrition is still unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association of calf circumference with mortality, discharge from home enteral nutrition, continuity in home enteral nutrition, and new hospitalizations in adult and older adult people. This retrospective cohort study used secondary data, including people aged ≥18 years receiving home enteral nutrition. The association between calf circumference and the outcomes of mortality, discharge from home enteral nutrition, and continuity in home enteral nutrition was analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. The association between calf circumference and the occurrence of new hospitalizations was investigated using binary logistic regression. Among the 899 people included in the study, 470 were men (52.3%), the median age was 72 years (interquartile range, 56.5-82), and 850 had inadequate calf circumference (94.5%). As calf circumference increased, the odds of mortality decreased and the probability of discharge from home enteral nutrition and continuity in home enteral nutrition increased. Furthermore, in people with oncologic diagnoses, the odds of new hospitalizations were reduced by 71.9% for each additional centimeter in calf circumference. These findings underline the importance of using calf circumference as part of the nutrition assessment because it is a simple, easy, and cost-effective method that can also be used as a tool to predict clinical outcomes.