A pilot feasibility study of a group-delivered cancer parenting program: Enhancing Connections-Group

Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and short-term impact of a 5-session fully manualized, group-delivered cancer parenting education program to diagnosed parents or surrogate parents with a school-age child.     

Oncology provider and African-American breast cancer survivor perceptions of the emotional experience of transitioning to survivorship

Abstract

Purpose

To examine the emotional experience of African American breast cancer survivors (BCS), and the information exchange between providers and patients, during transitioning to post-treatment survivorship     

Efficacy of LGBTQI cultural competency training for oncology social workers

Abstract

Purpose

Oncology social workers rarely receive training on the health care needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) cancer patients. This study examined the efficacy of an intensive workshop that aimed to increase the knowledge, confidence, and clinical preparedness of social workers supporting LGBTQI cancer patients.     

Are women more afraid than men? Fear of recurrence in couples with cancer – predictors and sex-role-specific differences

Abstract

Purpose

Although fear of cancer recurrence (FoR) is one of the major concerns in cancer patients and their partners with approximately 49% reporting moderate to high FoR, few studies investigated predictors and sex-role-specific differences. The aim of the current study was to investigate FoR in couples with different types of cancer and to gain a deeper understanding of sex and role-specific differences and predictors of FoR in patients and partners.     

Posttraumatic stress and growth in childhood cancer survivors: Considering the pathways for relationship

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to contribute to the clarification of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and growth (PTG) in childhood cancer survivors, taking into account the possibility of a nonlinear relationship and using a clinical approach to analyzing PTSS.     

“I need to know if I’m going to die young”: Adolescent and young adult experiences of genetic testing for Li–Fraumeni syndrome

Abstract

Purpose

This study explored the genetic testing experiences of adolescents and young adults (AYAs; aged 15–39?years) with, or at 50% risk of, an early onset cancer predisposition syndrome: Li–Fraumeni syndrome (LFS).     

Covariates of risky health behaviors in pediatric cancer survivors during adolescence

Abstract

Purpose

Adolescent survivors of pediatric cancers may use alcohol and tobacco (73–90% and 10–29%, respectively) at similar rates as their healthy peers despite known adverse health effects of these substances. This is concerning given that these behaviors can increase the risk for adverse late effects among this population. This study explores the beliefs and behaviors associated with alcohol and tobacco use among adolescent survivors of pediatric cancer.     

Online social support for cancer caregivers: alignment between requests and offers on CaringBridge

Abstract

Objectives

Exploring CaringBridge, we describe types of social support caregivers requested, types of social support offered, and the alignment between the two.     

Exploring barriers to the receipt of necessary medical care among cancer survivors under age 65 years

Purpose

With increasing cancer care costs and greater patient cost-sharing in the USA, understanding access to medical care among cancer survivors is imperative. This study aims to identify financial, psychosocial, and cancer-related barriers to the receipt of medical care, tests, or treatments deemed necessary by the doctor or patient for cancer among cancer survivors age < 65 years.

Methods

We used data on 4321 cancer survivors aged 18–64 years who completed the 2012 LIVESTRONG Survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with the receipt of necessary medical care, including sociodemographic, financial hardship, debt amount, caregiver status, and cancer-related variables.

Results

Approximately 28% of cancer survivors were within 1 year, and 43% between 1 and 5 years, since their last treatment at the time of survey. Nearly 9% of cancer survivors reported not receiving necessary medical care. Compared to survivors without financial hardship, the likelihood of not receiving necessary medical care significantly increased as the amount of debt increased among those with financial hardship (RR_{Financial hardship w/< $10,000 debt} = 1.94, 95% CI 1.55–2.42, and RR RR_{Financial hardship w/≥ $10,000 debt} = 3.41, 95% CI 2.69–4.33, p < 0.001). Survivors who reported lack of a caregiver, being uninsured, and not receiving help understanding medical bills were significantly more likely to not receive necessary medical care.

Conclusion

We identified key financial and insurance risk factors that may serve as significant barriers to the receipt of necessary medical care among cancer survivors age < 65 in the USA

Implications for cancer survivors

The majority of cancer survivors reported receiving medical care either they or their doctors deemed necessary. However, identifying potentially modifiable barriers to receipt of necessary medical cancer care among cancer survivors age < 65 is imperative for developing interventions to ensure equitable access to care and reducing cancer disparities.

     

The cost of failed first-line cancer treatment related to continued smoking in Canada

BackgroundSmoking by cancer patients and survivors causes adverse cancer treatment outcomes, but little information is available about how smoking can affect cancer treatment costs.MethodsWe developed a model to estimate attributable cancer treatment failure because of continued smoking after a cancer diagnosis (af_s). Canadian health system data were used to determine the additional treatment cost for af_s for the most common cancers in Canada.ResultsOf 206,000 patients diagnosed with cancer annually, an estimated 4789 experienced af_s. The annual incremental cost associated with treating patients experiencing af_s was estimated at between $198 million and $295 million (2017 Canadian dollars), reflecting an added incremental cost of $4,810–$7,162 per patient who continued to smoke. Analyses according to disease site demonstrated higher incremental costs where the smoking prevalence and the cost of individual second-line cancer treatment were highest. Of breast, prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers, lung cancer was associated with the highest incremental cost for treatment after af_s.ConclusionsThe costs associated with af_s in Canada after a cancer diagnosis are considerable. Populations in which the smoking prevalence and treatment costs are high are expected to benefit the most from efforts aimed at increasing smoking cessation capacity for patients newly diagnosed with cancer.     

Association Between Primary Payer Status and Survival in Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer: An National Cancer Database Analysis

Background

Colon cancer is the third most frequent cancer diagnosis, and primary payer status has been shown to be associated with treatment modalities and survival in cancer patients. The goal of our study was to determine the between-insurance differences in survival in patients with clinical stage III colon cancer using data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

E-Cadherin in Colorectal Cancer: Relation to Chemosensitivity

Background

The conventional chemotherapy of colorectal cancer with irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin remains one of the front-line treatments worldwide. However, its efficacy is quite low. Recently studies of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) have become the focus of investigations into the cause of chemoresistance in several types of cancer, including colorectal cancer. The data about the role of EMT in chemosensitivity are controversial.

21-Gene Recurrence Score Testing in HER2-positive Patients

Introduction

The 21-gene recurrence score (RS) has been extensively studied and validated in patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER⁺), human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer; however, RS testing is not routinely performed in patients with HER2-positive (HER2⁺) disease. We sought to determine patterns of RS testing, to characterize RS distributions, and to determine the impact of RS results on clinical decision-making for patients with ER⁺, HER2⁺ breast cancer.

Screening for frailty among older patients with cancer using blood biomarkers of inflammation

Introduction

As frailty is associated with inflammation, biomarkers of inflammation may represent objective measures that could facilitate the identification of frailty. Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), combines C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin, and is scored from 0 to 2 points. Higher score indicates a higher degree of inflammation.

First-in-human Phase 1 open label study of the BET inhibitor ODM-207 in patients with selected solid tumours

Background Bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) proteins are reported to be epigenetic anti-cancer drug targets. This first-in-human study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics and preliminary anti-tumour activity of the BET inhibitor ODM-207 in patients with selected solid tumours.Methods This was an open-label Phase 1 study comprised of a dose escalation part, and evaluation of the effect of food on pharmacokinetics. ODM-207 was administered orally once daily. The dose escalation part was initiated with a dose titration in the initial cohort, followed by a 3 + 3 design.Results Thirty-five patients were treated with ODM-207, of whom 12 (34%) had castrate-resistant prostate cancer. One dose-limiting toxicity of intolerable fatigue was observed. The highest studied dose achieved was 2 mg/kg due to cumulative toxicity observed beyond the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) treatment window. Common AEs included thrombocytopenia, asthenia, nausea, anorexia, diarrhoea, fatigue, and vomiting. Platelet count decreased proportionally to exposure with rapid recovery upon treatment discontinuation. No partial or complete responses were observed.Conclusions ODM-207 shows increasing exposure in dose escalation and was safe at doses up to 2 mg/kg but had a narrow therapeutic window.Clinical trial registration The clinical trial registration number is {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT03035591","term_id":"NCT03035591"}}NCT03035591.Subject terms: Drug development, Pharmaceutics, Prostate cancer, Breast cancer, Melanoma     

Measurement of the IgM and IgG Autoantibody Immune Responses in Human Serum has High Predictive Value for the Presence of Colorectal Cancer

Introduction

Colorectal cancer is a major public health issue, with incidences continuing to rise owing to the growing and aging world population. Current screening strategies for colorectal cancer diagnosis suffer from various limitations, including invasiveness and poor uptake. Consequently, there is an unmet clinical need for a minimally invasive, sensitive, and specific method for detecting the presence of colorectal cancer and pre-malignant lesions.

Chronic inflammation and risk of lung cancer in older adults in the health,aging and body composition cohort study

Objectives

We examined the association between three inflammatory markers (Interleukin (IL)-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α) and incident lung cancer using baseline, updated, and averaged inflammatory measures in older adults.

Role of Overweight,Obesity, and Comorbidities in the Prognosis of Patients With Breast Cancer With Brain Metastases

Introduction

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women, and the incidence of brain metastasis (BM) from BC ranges from 20% to 30%, with a median survival of 10 to 15 months. Previous reports have shown that the presence of obesity or diabetes negatively impacts survival. The present study investigates the association between obesity or diabetes mellitus (DM) and overall survival of patients with BC with BM.