Population Of Cancer Patients Research Articles

Quality measures in primary care skin cancer management: a qualitative study of the views of key informants

ObjectivesThis study explored potential quality measures to improve skin cancer management in primary care settings, and the barriers and facilitators associated with their implementation.DesignSemistructured interviews and qualitative proforma surveys were...

A comprehensive meta-analysis of tissue resident memory T cells and their roles in shaping immune microenvironment and patient prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer

Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) are a specialized subset of long-lived memory T cells that reside in peripheral tissues. However, the impact of TRM-related immunosurveillance on the tumor-immune microenvironment (TIME) and tumor progression across various non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient populations is yet to be elucidated. Our comprehensive analysis of multiple independent single-cell and bulk RNA-seq datasets of patient NSCLC samples generated reliable, unique TRM signatures, through which we inferred the abundance of TRM in NSCLC. We discovered that TRM abundance is consistently positively correlated with CD4+ T helper 1 cells, M1 macrophages, and resting dendritic cells in the TIME. In addition, TRM signatures are strongly associated with immune checkpoint and stimulatory genes and the prognosis of NSCLC patients. A TRM-based machine learning model to predict patient survival was validated and an 18-gene risk score was further developed to effectively stratify patients into low-risk and high-risk categories, wherein patients with high-risk scores had significantly lower overall survival than patients with low-risk. The prognostic value of the risk score was independently validated by the Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA) dataset and multiple independent NSCLC patient datasets. Notably, low-risk NSCLC patients with higher TRM infiltration exhibited enhanced T-cell immunity, nature killer cell activation, and other TIME immune responses related pathways, indicating a more active immune profile benefitting from immunotherapy. However, the TRM signature revealed low TRM abundance and a lack of prognostic association among lung squamous cell carcinoma patients in contrast to adenocarcinoma, indicating that the two NSCLC subtypes are driven by distinct TIMEs. Altogether, this study provides valuable insights into the complex interactions between TRM and TIME and their impact on NSCLC patient prognosis. The development of a simplified 18-gene risk score provides a practical prognostic marker for risk stratification.

973 Managing Primary Endocrine Treatment (PET) in Breast Cancer Patients: An Audit of Resource Utilisation and Risks

Abstract Aim Primary endocrine treatment (PET) is considered in patients with oestrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer who decline or are deemed unfit for surgery. This treatment can affect bone density resulting in osteoporosis and risk of fractures. With increasing demand on resources, our aim was to examine clinical practices in this vulnerable patient group, balancing risks whilst ensuring good patient selection for treatments. Method We reviewed patients who had PET for ER positive breast cancer from a single consultant database in a district general hospital in South Wales between May 2018 and March 2023. We examined use of bone density (DEXA) scans, bone protection medications, outcomes, and complications. Results 48 patients were included, aged 50-95 years (median 80) and male: female (1:47). All were ER positive, excepting 2 with limited prognosis empirically started on treatment. Reasons for PET included patient choice (15%), palliative treatment (8%), co-morbidities (65%), late stage (4%) and other (8%). There were 27 deaths (54%), with mean time from diagnosis to death 14 months (range 1-50 months). 5 patients (10%) had DEXA scan and 16 (33%) were on bone protection. 3 patients had fractures whilst on PET, likely due to pre-existing conditions. Conclusions The frail breast cancer patient population has limited life expectancy and should not be over-investigated unnecessarily. It could be debated as to how much benefit bone protection provides, given the low fracture rate. Further studies are required to determine benefits of empirical bone protection in PET patients.

The survival benefit associated with complete macroscopic resection in epithelial ovarian cancer is histotype specific.

Complete macroscopic resection is a key factor associated with prolonged survival in ovarian cancer. However, most evidence derives from high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, and the benefit of complete macroscopic resection in other histotypes is poorly characterized. We sought to determine which histotypes derive the greatest benefit from complete macroscopic resection to better inform future decisions on radical cytoreductive efforts. We performed multivariable analysis of disease-specific survival across 2 independent patient cohorts to determine the magnitude of benefit associated with complete macroscopic resection within each histotype. Across both cohorts (Scottish: n = 1622; Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results [SEER]: n = 18 947), complete macroscopic resection was associated with prolonged disease-specific survival; this was more marked in the Scottish cohort (multivariable hazard ratio [HR] = 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.37 to 0.52 vs HR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.57 to 0.62 in SEER). In both cohorts, clear cell ovarian carcinoma was among the histotypes to benefit most from complete macroscopic resection (multivariable HR = 0.23 and HR = 0.50 in Scottish and SEER cohorts, respectively); high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma patients demonstrated highly statistically significant and clinically meaningful survival benefit, but this was of lower magnitude than in clear cell ovarian carcinoma and endometrioid ovarian carcinoma across both cohorts. The benefit derived in low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma is also high (multivariable HR = 0.27 in Scottish cohort). Complete macroscopic resection was associated with prolonged survival in mucinous ovarian carcinoma patients in the SEER cohort (multivariable HR = 0.65), but the association failed to reach statistical significance in the Scottish cohort. The overall ovarian cancer patient population demonstrates clinically significant survival benefit associated with complete macroscopic resection; however, the magnitude of benefit differs between histotypes.

Gender Matters. Sex-related Differences in Immunotherapy Outcome in Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Emerging evidence identified sex as a variable regulating immune system functions and modulating response to immunotherapy in cancer patients. This retrospective study analysed sex-related differences in immunotherapy outcomes in a real-world population of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). e retrospectively investigated clinical data of 99 patients with advanced NSCLC and treated with single-agent nivolumab and pembrolizumab at Medical Oncology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Florence (Italy), between April 2014 to August 2019. Main clinical characteristics and clinical outcomes were analysed. Our study showed that the efficacy of ICI treatment differed according to gender. A trend for better median progression-free survival (mPFS) was reported in males (mPFS 5.0 months, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 4.0-11.0) than females (mPFS 4.5 months, 95% CI 2.0-9.0) (p=0.133), while no significant difference for overall survival (OS) between the two sex groups was observed (p=0.622). In the nivolumab cohort, we showed a statistically significant difference for a longer PFS in men compared to women (log-rank p=0.054), HR for PFS in females versus males was 1.81 (95% CI 0.97- 3.37, p=0.062). Disease control rate (DCR) was achieved in 55.7% and 45.7% of men and women, respectively, while disease progression was registered in 44.3% of males and 54.3% of females (p=0.386). Gender is a variable that should be taken into account in the choice of immunotherapy. Future prospective randomized trials testing tailored sex-based immunotherapy strategies are required to validate our findings before integrating into clinical practice.

Cancer research is not correlated with driver gene mutation burdens

Cancer research is pursued with the goal of positively impacting patients with cancer. Decisions regarding how to allocate research funds reflect a complex balancing of priorities and factors. Even though these are subjective decisions, they should be made with consideration of all available objective facts. An accurate estimate of the affected cancer patient population by mutation is one variable that has only recently become available to inform funding decisions. We compared the overall incident burden of mutations within each cancer-associated gene with two measures of cancer research efforts: research grant funding amounts and numbers of academic manuscripts. We ask to what degree the aggregate set of cancer research efforts reflects the relative burdens of the different cancer genetic drivers. We thoroughly investigate the design of our queries to ensure that the presented results are robust and conclusions are well justified. We find cancer research is generally not correlated with the relative burden of mutation within the different genetic drivers of cancer. We suggest that cancer research would benefit from incorporating, among other factors, an epidemiologically informed mutation-estimate baseline into a larger framework for funding and research allocation decisions. This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) P30CA014195 and NIH DP2AT011327.

The transformative role of digital health platforms: Bridging diversity gaps in cancer care in younger patient populations.

e13503 Background: Digital health platforms are transforming cancer care by offering unprecedented access to treatment options, including clinical trials (CTs). In this study, we analyzed data from the Leal digital health platform to identify demographic and behavioral trends among patients that may have implications for quality care and access to advanced treatments. Methods: Leal is an AI-based platform that matches cancer patients to CTs based on a self-reported medical profile. The profile includes parameters essential for CT matching, including disease status, stage, biomarker/mutational status, treatment history, comorbidities and demographics. The analysis incorporated data from 34,913 Leal Health community members, spanning a range of cancer types and encompassing all disease stages. Results: The digital platform attracted a significantly younger user base, while also reflecting key demographic trends consistent with the broader real-world cancer patient population. Specifically, 45% of the users were under 60 years old, and 20% were under 50, leading to a mean age of 60 years. This is notably younger than the general cancer patient population's mean age at diagnosis of 66 years (p = 0.03). The platform engaged diverse demographics, particularly among younger age groups (p<0.0001). Notably, one-third of users under 40 and over a quarter under 60 belonged to minority groups. African American at younger ages represented about 10% of all signups, bridging a significant disparity for this minority group, even more so within the space of CT search and recruitment where African Americans represent up to 5% of patients. Moreover, younger users exhibited significantly higher disease knowledge (p<0.0001), enhancing their potential for precise matching with advanced treatments. Conclusions: Digital health platforms uniquely attract younger and more diverse demographics, reflecting a broader spectrum of patient needs and experiences while significantly bridging racial disparity in CTs representation. This shift has profound implications for healthcare knowledge and outcomes. Our findings highlight the importance of adopting digital platforms to address the unique needs of the younger patient population.

Racial differences in degrees of side effects to taxane based chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer.

e13726 Background: Taxane-based chemotherapy is well-established as a backbone of treatment for patients with breast cancer. While highly effective, all taxanes are known to cause peripheral neuropathy, with a high prevalence in obese patients. Other risk factors to developing peripheral neuropathy include older age, smoking, and hyperglycemia. Prior studies have shown that obesity is more prevalent in Black women compared with other racial group in the United States. Obese women have higher body surface areas and thus, tend to receive higher doses of chemotherapy. The higher total doses of taxanes received by obese women puts them at higher risks for developing peripheral neuropathy. We sought to evaluate the racial and BMI differences in rates of neuropathy in patients with breast cancer receiving taxanes. Methods: We created a 2-year database (2021-2022) of women diagnosed with breast cancer who received a taxane across a single health system. Data collected included age at diagnosis, self-identified race, breast cancer subtype, BMI, type of taxane, neuropathy, smoking and diabetes. Stratification analysis was performed using SAS Software 9.4. Results: The rate of neuropathy was 65.2% in White patients and 71.01% in Black patients (p=0.4649). The risk ratio between Black patients with neuropathy to White patients with was 1.26, 95% Cl (0.73-2.17), p=0.6525. In the total cohort of patients, regardless of neuropathy, 60.6% of Black patients had a BMI >30 compared with only 39.5% of White patients. Of those who had neuropathy, obesity was present in 64% of White patients and 65% of Black patients. Conclusions: The data presented here suggest that in a population of breast cancer patients treated with taxanes, there was a trend towards increased neuropathy in Black patients, but no increase in neuropathy based on BMI. Black women were more obese, which suggests that they are at increased risk for developing neuropathy. Factors such as universal effects of chemotherapy across races, comorbid conditions and insufficient sample size could have masked potential significant differences. Further research is needed to understand the complex elements influencing treatment responses in a diverse population. [Table: see text]

Retrospective study of continued immunotherapy in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after progression on first-line immunotherapy combination chemotherapy.

e16025 Background: Immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has become the standard first-line treatment for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, the disease progression pattern after first-line immunotherapy resistance and the second-line treatment options are not fully understood. This retrospective study was designed to explore the efficacy of continued immunotherapy in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients after progression on first-line immunotherapy combination chemotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of second-line continued immunotherapy in patients with stage IV esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who experienced disease progression after first-line immunotherapy at Huai 'an First People's Hospital from July 2020 to December 2023. The main outcome were progression-free survival (PFS), 3-and 6-month PFS rates, objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate(DCR)and overall survival (OS). Results: A total of 30 eligible patients were included. Median age was 67 years, 20 (66.7%) patients were male. 14 patients achieved partial response (PR), 8 stable disease (SD), illustrating an ORR of 46.7% and a DCR of 73.3%. Median PFS was 3.85 months. In the second-line treatment regimen, 21 (70%) were immunotherapy combined chemotherapy, and the others were immunomonotherapy or combined anti-angiogenic drugs. Conclusions: The current retrospective data shows that a considerable number of patients still could benefit from second-line immunotherapy after the progress of first-line immunotherapy in patients with advanced ESCC. This result brings new hope for the increasingly large population of immune resistance esophageal cancer patients. [Table: see text]

Characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of pregnant women by cancer diagnosis status.

11038 Background: Given the broad exclusion of pregnant patients from clinical trials, limited evidence exists on the impact of cancer diagnoses on pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to describe patient characteristics and end of pregnancy events among women with and without a cancer diagnosis before pregnancy. Methods: This retrospective claims study used data from the Komodo Research Dataset between 01/01/2016–08/31/2023 to identify adult women with a known gestation of pregnancy record and end of pregnancy outcome. Eligible members needed to be continuously enrolled in medical and prescription drug plans for both 365 days before (baseline) and after the derived pregnancy start (index date). This pregnancy cohort was then stratified according to cancer status, evidenced by any cancer diagnosis during the baseline period, to allow assessment of pregnancy outcomes. Valid pregnancy outcomes included full or preterm live birth and pregnancy loss such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and elective termination. Only the earliest pregnancy observed for each eligible member was analyzed. Results: Among the 1,921,866 pregnant women included in the analyses, only 0.7% (N=12,723) of patients had any cancer diagnosis in the year prior to pregnancy start. Cancer patients were older than non-cancer patients (mean age: 33.8 and 29.2 years, respectively). Commercial medical insurance was more common (67.7% vs. 58.9%) among cancer vs. non-cancer patients and Medicaid enrollment was less common (30.3% vs. 40.6%) upon pregnancy start. The proportion of patients with a live birth was lower among cancer vs. non-cancer patients (59.7% vs. 67.1%), while the proportion with pregnancy loss was higher (31.6% vs. 25.8%). Medicaid enrollment was more common among patients that had a pregnancy loss relative to live birth for both cancer and non-cancer patients (35.5% vs. 27.5% and 45.7% vs. 38.7%, respectively). The proportion of black patients was higher among patients with a pregnancy loss relative to those with live birth in both cohorts (cancer: 11.1% vs. 8.3%; non-cancer: 16.9% vs. 13.7%), while the proportion of white patients was similar for cancer patients with a pregnancy loss vs. live birth (37.4% vs. 37.1%) and the proportion was lower for non-cancer patients (30.4% vs. 34.4%). Conclusions: Preliminary findings suggest pregnancy loss was more common among cancer patients than non-cancer patients. Regardless of cancer status, differences in insurance coverage and race were observed for patients with a live birth relative to patients with pregnancy loss. Additional research should be conducted to identify factors driving differences in pregnancy outcomes, such as in care management by race and ethnicity, particularly among the vulnerable population of cancer patients.

Genomic Characterization of Preclinical Prostate Cancer Cell Line Models.

As we move into the era of precision medicine, the growing relevance of genetic alterations to prostate cancer (PCa) development and treatment demonstrates the importance of characterizing preclinical models at the genomic level. Our study investigated the genomic characterization of eight PCa cell lines to understand which models are clinically relevant. We designed a custom AmpliSeq DNA gene panel that encompassed key molecular pathways targeting AR signaling, apoptosis, DNA damage repair, and PI3K/AKT/PTEN, in addition to tumor suppressor genes. We examined the relationship between cell line genomic alterations and therapeutic response. In addition, using DepMap's Celligner tool, we identified which preclinical models are most representative of specific prostate cancer patient populations on cBioPortal. These data will help investigators understand the genetic differences in preclinical models of PCa and determine which ones are relevant for use in their translational research.

Interaction between VEGF-A and immune checkpoint targets in triple-negative breast cancer and mechanisms of immune evasion and tumor progression.

1096 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized the treatment triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, not all patients with TNBC benefit from the addition of ICIs due to factors such as intrinsic and acquired resistance to ICIs, and complex interplay between tumor and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes angiogenesis and potentially modulates tumor immune evasion. A phase I clinical trial has shown that a bispecific antibody to VEGF-A and PD-L1 produces encouraging tumor responses in advanced TNBC. In this study, we investigated the interaction between VEGF and various immune gene expression signatures including PD-L1 in a real-world breast cancer patient population. Methods: Comprehensive immune profiling, including the RNA-seq based gene expression assessment of 395 immune-associated genes, was performed on 120 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast cancer samples. PD-L1 expression (Combined Positive Score, CPS ≥ 10%) was measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC; 22C3). Clinicopathologic variables were collected. Statistical associations between quantitative biomarkers, including 28 immune checkpoint genes, were calculated using Pearson correlations (r), and comparisons of quantitative biomarkers between groups were performed using the proportions test. For statistical significance, p<0.05 was required. Results: The study cohort included 29 patients (24.2%) with TNBC and 91 (75.2%) with non-TNBC (including ER+/HER2- and HER2+). Most patients had metastatic tumors (n=92, 76.7%) and invasive ductal carcinoma (n=83, 69.2%). Among the TNBC group, 21 patients had PD-L1 positive tumors (72.4%), defined by CPS ≥ 10.In non-TNBC, VEGF has significant, though weak (r<0.35) correlations with the expression of three checkpoint genes: AKT1 (r=0.35, p=0.00063), ICOS (r=0.34, p=0.00099), and TIM3 (r=0.29, p=0.0061). In TNBC, VEGF has significant, strong (r>0.47) correlations with the expression of three other checkpoint genes: PD-1 (r=0.47, p=0.0094), PD-L1 (r=0.57, p=0.0012), and PIK3CA (r=0.6, p=0.00051) However, in TNBC, VEGF gene expression does not have a statistical association with PD-L1 IHC (CPS ≥/< 10 (p=0.9)). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that there is an interplay between angiogenesis and an immunosuppressive tumor immune microenvironment in TNBC to a greater degree than in non-TNBCs. This supports the notion that angiogenesis mediators such as VEGF-A may enhance the expression of immunosuppressive checkpoint molecules, leading to immune evasion and tumor progression. Combination treatments of ICIs, especially anti-PD-1 therapy, with VEGF antibodies may be promising approaches to enhance the immune responses in TNBC, especially in tumors with CPS<10, where the current frontline treatment is cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Similarities and differences of lung cancer (LC) multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) in China compared to Europe and Canada.

e13562 Background: LC MDTs involve a collaborative approach where specialists work together to analyze individual cases, discuss treatment options, and tailor comprehensive care plans for patients. Implementing MDTs can be challenging, especially for developing countries with limited resources and high disease burden. China, with approximately 820,000 new patients with lung cancer in 2020 accounting for 37% of the total number in the world, bears the responsibility of treating the largest lung cancer patient population worldwide. The global MDT Aid Program (MAP) in LC has been including China to gather insights on the challenges, best practices, similarities, and differences of China LC MDT processes compared to other countries, so as to improve the outcome and cost-efficiency of global MDTs. Methods: In this study, we learned about the status, best practices, challenges of LC MDT development in China through virtual semi-structured healthcare professional (HCP) interviews, on-site masterclasses, and internal data sharing with 3 Chinese leading hospitals in LC - Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, West China Hospital and Xiangya Hospital. Similarities and differences were gathered based on previous MAP experience and insights from HCP discussions in LC across the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, and Canada. To build a global collaboration on LC MDTs, three international knowledge exchange (IKE) sessions were organised to include China and all participating countries. Results: We identified seven main differences between China, Europe and Canada, including the enrolment criteria of patients in MDT that China MDTs focus on challenging cases such as resistance to multi-lines of therapy, multiple primary lung cancer and stage III lung cancer, while Europe and Canada MDTs mainly for routine patients. Other differences include setup and composition of MDT teams, digitalization of MDTs, incentives and reimbursement for MDT attendance, cross-institutional patient referral to the MDT, time spent per patient, patient follow-up after MDT discussion. Similarities identified include the MDT development model from both hospital and national level, experience sharing to educate junior physicians, hospital willingness to learn at global level, and challenges of high pressure with limited medical resources. Best practices of leveraging innovative digital capabilities to improve MDT efficiency and to support decision-making have been shared by China participants during the IKEs. Conclusions: Global collaboration to identify synergies within LC MDT communities can help China and other regions learn from each other and share China expertise in large-volume data-based practices globally. Alongside China’s rapid development of digital health, the digitalization of MDTs is likely to follow.

GOG3069: Phase 2 study of alpelisib and fulvestrant for PIK3CA-mutated estrogen receptor (ER)-positive endometrioid endometrial cancers.

TPS5639 Background: Treatment options for persistent, metastatic, or recurrent endometrial cancer continues to evolve as we learn more about the molecular landscape of this disease. Recent studies have shown a benefit to endocrine-based combinations such as aromatase inhibitors with mTOR or CDK4/6 inhibitors especially in patients who had not received prior chemotherapy ( 1– 3). The presence of oncogenic PIK3CA mutations have been shown to impact response to aromatase inhibitors in breast cancer. The combination of alpelisib and fulvestrant was approved for the treatment of metastatic hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer harboring oncogenic mutations in the PIK3CA gene that progressed on prior endocrine therapy( 4). PIK3CA mutations are commonly identified in endometrial cancers and may similarly confer endocrine resistance. GOG3069 is a phase II trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of alpelisib and fulvestrant in a biomarker-selected endometrial cancer patient population. Methods: This is a phase II non-randomized, open label, multicenter, two-stage study. Eligible patients must have advanced (FIGO 2014 Stage III or IV), persistent, or recurrent endometrial carcinoma with measurable disease by RECISTv1.1 criteria. Patients cannot be curable by surgery or radiotherapy. Disease must be of endometrioid histology with positive expression of estrogen receptor (defined as ≥1% of tumor cells demonstrating positive nuclear staining by immunohistochemistry) and oncogenic PIK3CA mutation. Patients may have received no more than 3 prior lines of therapy including 1 prior line of systemic chemotherapy. Enrolled patients will receive treatment with alpelisib 300mg orally daily and fulvestrant 500mg IM on Day 1 and Day 15 of Cycle 1, then 500mg IM on Day 1 of each 28-day cycle. The primary endpoint is overall response rate as measured by RECISTv1.1-defined tumor response. Secondary endpoints include safety, tolerability, progression-free survival, duration of response, and 24-month overall survival rate. GOG3069 activated in November 2023 and expects to enroll across 15 US sites. The statistical plan uses a conditional stratified design factoring differing probabilities of response based on whether the patient had prior chemotherapy exposure. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05154487

Mutations and mortality in very young patients with breast cancer.

e13157 Background: Breast cancer diagnoses in young women have increased over the last 10 years. Despite decreasing mortality rates for breast cancer, disparities continue to exist for specific populations including Black women and premenopausal women. Recent studies observe a 41% increased death rate in Black women compared to White women, and a two-fold increased mortality in women younger than 50 years. Many biological and societal factors can affect breast cancer mortality. We sought to evaluate the relationship between germline mutations (GM), breast cancer subtype, and mortality based on race in a unique, young breast cancer patient population. Methods: We assembled a 10-year retrospective chart review (2012 to 2022) of 773 women diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 40 in a regional health network. Data was collected from electronic medical records. Associations were assessed using the chi-square test using SAS version 9.4. Results: Out of the 773 patient information collected, 60% of patients were White, 36% Black, and 3% Other. A total of 675 patients had genetic results and 124 patients with documented GM. Of patients with GM, 48 were Black and 74 were White. 13 patients with germline mutations had documented deaths. There was no statistical link between germline mutations and mortality. Of the 13 patients, 4 (30%) were Black and 9 (70%) were White. There was no statistical difference amongst area deprivation index (ADI) quintiles for mortality in patients with GM. Of the 675 patients with genetics data, 72 patients without GM died which includes 31 Black patients, 38 White patients, 3 Other. Based on our data, there is a higher prevalence of germline mutations (60%) in White patients over Black patients and a descriptive predominance of mortality despite absence of statistical significance. More patients who resided in areas of higher ADI (2-4) with GM died than in areas of lower ADI. Conclusions: Our data demonstrates a descriptive prevalence in mortality among young White patients compared to young Black patients. Across the USA, the Black population is 13% and in Louisiana, that population is 33%. Given that our cohort population was 36% Black, it is noteworthy that we were unable to demonstrate a statistical mortality predominance among these young patients. [Table: see text]

Impact of patient navigation on time from diagnosis to treatment in an urban safety net lung cancer patient population

Impact of patient navigation on time from diagnosis to treatment in an urban safety net lung cancer patient population

Risk Factors for Thromboembolism in the Population of Cancer and Hospice Patients

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant cause of death among palliatively treated patients. So far, numerous studies have been conducted on the general population. As a result, special scales were created to assess the risk of VTE or the probability of its occurrence. Among patients with terminal disease, there are much fewer publications discussing the problem of VTE. Hospice care patients constitute a special group due to their epidemiological structure and accompanying diagnoses. The most common are malignant tumors and heart failure. For this reason, they are particularly vulnerable to VTE events. This article reviews the literature on risk scales such as The Padua Risk Assessment Scale, Khoran score, Wells scale, PVFS scale and VTE-BLEED scale. W also present risk factors which contribute to the development of the VTE as well as to a more serious course of VTE. We discuss the epidemiological structure of patients, the impact of cancer as well as the chemotherapy used to treat it. We discuss the epidemiological structure of patients, the impact of cancer as well as the chemotherapy used in its treatment. We describe how the presence of a catheter and immobilization contribute to the development of VTE. We focus particularly on scales and risk factors to which a patient with a terminal disease is exposed. More research is needed in the future to better predict VTE in hospice patients. We hope that this work will increase awareness and encourage researchers to expand knowledge in this area.

Oral administration of CXCL12-expressing Limosilactobacillus reuteri improves colitis by local immunomodulatory actions in preclinical models.

Treatments of colitis, inflammation of the intestine, is today relying on induction of immune suppression associated with systemic adverse events including recurrent infections. This treatment strategy is specifically problematic in the increasing population of cancer patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-induced colitis, as immune suppression also interferes with the ICI-treatment response. Thus, there is a need for local-acting treatments which reduce inflammation and enhance intestinal healing. Here, we investigated the effect and safety of bacterial delivery of short-lived immunomodulating chemokines to the inflamed intestine in mice with colitis. Colitis was induced by DSS alone or in combination with ICI (anti-PD1, anti-CTLA-4) and L. reuteri R2LC genetically modified to express the chemokine CXCL12-1α (R2LC_CXCL12, emilimogene sigulactibac) was given perorally. In addition, pharmacology and safety of the formulated drug candidate, ILP100-Oral, was evaluated in rabbits. Peroral CXCL12-producing L. reuteri R2LC significantly improved colitis symptoms already after 2 days in mice with overt DSS and ICI-induced colitis, which in benchmarking experiments was demonstrated to be superior to treatments with anti-TNF-α, anti-α4ꞵ7 and corticosteroids. The mechanism of action involved chemokine delivery to Peyer´s Patches (PPs), confirmed by local CXCR4 signaling, and increased numbers of colonic, regulatory immune cells expressing IL-10 and TGF-β1. No systemic exposure or engraftment could be detected in mice, and product feasibility, pharmacology and safety were confirmed in rabbits. In conclusion, peroral CXCL12-producing L. reuteri R2LC efficiently ameliorates colitis and enhances mucosal healing, and has a favorable safety profile.

Prognostic factors and the role of primary debulking in operable stage IVB ovarian cancer with supraclavicular lymph node metastasis: a retrospective study in Chinese patients

BackgroundRecent studies showed heterogeneity in stage IVB patients. However, few studies focused on the prognosis of supraclavicular metastatic ovarian cancer. This study aimed to explore the prognostic factors and the role of primary debulking in IVB ovarian cancer patients with supraclavicular lymph node metastasis.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed patients newly diagnosed as primary epithelial ovarian cancer with supraclavicular lymph node metastasis from January 2015 to July 2020. Supraclavicular lymph node metastasis was defined as either the pathological diagnosis by supraclavicular lymph node biopsy, or the radiological diagnosis by positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT).ResultsIn 51 patients, 37 was diagnosed with metastatic supraclavicular lymph nodes by histology, 46 by PET-CT, and 32 by both methods. Forty-four (86.3%) with simultaneous metastatic paraaortic lymph nodes (PALNs) by imaging before surgery or neoadjuvant chemotherapy were defined as “continuous-metastasis type”, while the other 7 (13.7%) defined as “skip-metastasis type”. Nineteen patients were confirmed with metastatic PALNs by histology. Thirty-four patients were investigated for BRCA mutation, 17 had germline or somatic BRCA1/2 mutations (g/sBRCAm). With a median follow-up of 30.0 months (6.3–63.4 m), 16 patients (31.4%) died. The median PFS and OS of the cohort were 17.3 and 48.9 months. Survival analysis showed that “continuous-metastasis type” had longer OS and PFS than “skip-metastasis type” (OS: 50.0/26.6 months, PFS: 18.5/7.2months, p=0.005/0.002). BRCA mutation carriers also had longer OS and PFS than noncarriers (OS: 57.4 /38.5 m, p=0.031; PFS: 23.6/15.2m, p=0.005). Multivariate analysis revealed only metastatic PALNs was independent prognostic factor for OS (p=0.040). Among “continuous-metastasis type” patients, 22 (50.0%) achieved R0 abdominopelvic debulking, who had significantly longer OS (55.3/42.3 months, p =0.034) than those with residual abdominopelvic tumors.ConclusionsIn stage IVB ovarian cancer patients with supraclavicular lymph nodes metastasis, those defined as “continuous-metastasis type” with positive PALNs had better prognosis. For them, optimal abdominopelvic debulking had prognostic benefit, although metastatic supraclavicular lymph nodes were not resected. Higher BRCA mutation rate than the general population of ovarian cancer patients was observed in patients with IVB supraclavicular lymph node metastasis, leading to better survival as expected.

Remote electrocardiogram monitoring in cancer patients for detecting cardiotoxicity. Case report

Cardiotoxicity is the direct adverse effect of anticancer agents on the function or structure of the heart, occurring both during treatment and many years later. The manifestations of cardiotoxicity can be very different: heart failure, coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, pericarditis, and arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (AF). The incidence of AF in the cancer patient population during therapy is 20–30%. Current options of remote electrocardiogram monitoring ensure the timely detection and treatment of AF in cancer patients, including the administration of anticoagulants. The article presents a clinical case of a 59-year-old patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the lower third of the esophagus after the first course of the TPF polychemotherapy regimen (docetaxel, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil) with AF detected using a single-channel electrocardiogram monitor in a smartphone case.