Disparities and unmet need for e-mail use in cancer patients

Metastasis is the main cause of mortality in breast cancer patients. There is an unmet need to develop therapies that can impede metastatic spread. Precision oncology has shown great promise for the treatment of cancers, as the therapeutic approach is tailored to a specific group of patients who are likely to benefit from the treatment, rather than the traditional approach of “one size fits all”. CD82, also known as KAI1, a glycoprotein belonging to the tetraspanin family and an established metastasis suppressor, could potentially be exploited to hinder metastases in breast cancer. This review explores the prospect of targeting CD82 as an innovative therapeutic approach in precision medicine for breast cancer patients, with the goal of preventing cancer progression and metastasis. Such an approach would entail the selection of a subset of breast cancer patients with low levels of CD82, and instituting an appropriate treatment scheme tailored towards restoring the levels of CD82 in this group of patients. Proposed precision treatment regimens include current modalities of treating breast cancer, in combination with either clinically approved drugs that could restore the levels of CD82, CD82 peptide mimics or non-coding RNA-based therapeutics.

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Clinical nutrition as part of the treatment pathway of pancreatic cancer patients: an expert consensus

Clinical & Translational Oncology ◽

10.1007/s12094-021-02674-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

A. Carrato ◽

L. Cerezo ◽

J. Feliu ◽

T. Macarulla ◽

E. Martín-Pérez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Therapeutic Management ◽

Care Process ◽

Nutritional Screening

Abstract Purpose Malnutrition is a common problem among pancreatic cancer (PC) patients that negatively impacts on their quality of life (QoL) and clinical outcomes. The main objective of this consensus is to address the role of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) into the comprehensive therapeutic management of PC patients. Methods A Spanish multidisciplinary group of specialists from the areas of Medical Oncology; Radiation Oncology; Endocrinology and Nutrition; and General Surgery agreed to assess the role of MNT as part of the best therapeutic management of PC patients. Results The panel established different recommendations focused on nutritional screening and nutritional screening tools, MNT strategies according to PC status, and MNT in palliative treatment. Conclusions There is an unmet need to integrate nutritional therapy as a crucial part of the multimodal care process in PC patients. Health authorities, health care professionals, cancer patients, and their families should be aware of the relevance of nutritional status and MNT on clinical outcomes and QoL of PC patients.

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Cancer Patient-to-Patient Online Discussion Groups

Encyclopedia of Virtual Communities and Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-563-4.ch005 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 18-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Roy Rada

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Online Discussion ◽

Discussion Groups ◽

Care Givers ◽

Patterns Of Use ◽

Health Related ◽

Use Of The Internet ◽

Discussion System ◽

Extended Group ◽

E Mail

Three high-level observations set the stage: • Cancer is a major cause of death • Health-related concerns drive the greatest use of the Internet (Eysenbach, 2003) • Cancer patients may find support from online discussion groups. Actually, these discussion groups are for more than patients. Definitions of the users of the discussion systems and the types of systems are presented next. Care givers are those people who help a patient as friends or family of the patient (this is in contrast to care providers, who are healthcare professionals). The discussion systems to be addressed here serve both care givers and patients, and sometimes a more extended group of people who want to help or otherwise be involved in cancer support. This extended group of people will be denoted by the term ‘patient’ throughout the remainder of this article. The first patient online discussion system benefited from early technology to exploit e-mail connections known as e-mail list servers (listservs). A listserv allows a group of people to communicate by e-mail through a common email address. The listserv stores the messages received and participants can either receive e-mails one by one as they are sent, or in digests at daily, weekly or monthly intervals. Moderators are typically assigned to listservs and may determine conditions for membership in the listserv. The listserv itself has features for people to request enrollment and search the archives. Following the popularity of the World Wide Web (Web), technologists implemented Web discussion systems that allow people to register on the Web and gain access to Web-based archives of messages. These Web discussion systems typically also incorporate all the features of a listserv. Cancer patients participating in various online discussion systems will next be studied according to: • Patient patterns of use • Impact of the discussion systems on the patients • The extent to which patients might make scientific discoveries • The role of different healthcare industry entities in the management of these discussion systems The reader will see the opportunities for extended use of these discussion systems.

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EXPERIENCES RESEARCH ON CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE AMONG OLDER ADULTS

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2376 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S638-S638

Author(s):

Susan M Hannum ◽

Katherine Smith ◽

Dori M Beeler ◽

Jill Owczarzak

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Functional Dependence ◽

Energy Levels ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Care Needs ◽

Clinician Training ◽

Cancer Related Fatigue

Abstract Among older cancer patients, cancer-related fatigue is a common chronic problem that may result in functional dependence and decreased quality of life. Currently, there exists no standard of care for managing fatigue among cancer patients, pressing the need for further research and the development of novel interventions. Our research followed the validated DIPEx (Database of Patient Experiences) methodology, which utilizes in-depth, narrative interviews to create a rich and broad archival resource of patient stories to highlight commonalities and differences in illness experiences. We interviewed 9 older women (aged 60+ years) who have been diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer (Stage I-IV (IV only if clinically-stable). Interviews were audio and/or video-recorded and transcribed for analysis of emergent themes using MAXQDA qualitative software. Four primary themes have emerged from the data: (1) fatigue is a distressing side effect of treatment for which patients do not feel adequately prepared; (2) information about fatigue and how to deal with it is not systematically provided within the oncology setting; (3) patients develop their own systems for managing fatigue and general energy levels (e.g., limiting activities, using blocks of time strategically, etc.); and (4) social support for fatigue varies. Education about cancer-related fatigue and its management represents an unmet need among older breast cancer survivors. The development and implementation of both clinician training initiatives and patient-facing educational and engagement interventions represent important next steps in supporting the care needs of cancer patients and survivors.

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Differential utilization of preventive care among colon cancer survivors compared to non-cancer patients.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2018.36.4_suppl.577 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (4_suppl) ◽

pp. 577-577

Author(s):

Sally C Lau ◽

Richard M. Lee-Ying ◽

Davis Sam ◽

Winson Y. Cheung

Keyword(s):

Colon Cancer ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Preventive Care ◽

Low Income ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Metastatic Colon Cancer ◽

To Receive

577 Background: With advances in diagnosis and treatment, many cancer patients survive more than 5 years. The care of these cancer survivors (CS) represent an area of unmet need. We aim to characterize the patterns of preventive care in colon CS compared to non-cancer controls (NCC) and identify areas of deficiencies within the context of a universal health care system. Methods: Adult patients with non-metastatic colon cancer treated at the BC Cancer Agency between 2000-2012 were included. An age and gender matched cohort constructed from the provincial database served as NCC. Areas of preventive care examined include vaccinations, cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) screening. Multivariate regressions were done to test for associations between CS and preventive care. Results: In total, 9381 colon CS and 47187 NCC, matched at a ratio of 1:5, were analyzed. Among CS, median age of diagnosis was 68, 58% were male and 47% had stage 3 disease. The median overall survivals were 12/10/8 years for stages 1/2/3 disease respectively. 61% of these survivors died from colon cancer, 12% from other cancers and 25% from non-cancer causes. Deaths from colon cancer are more common within 5 years of diagnosis, particularly stage 3 disease. CS were more likely to receive any preventive care. In CS compared to NCC, 90% vs 85%, 47% vs 39% and 53% vs 46% of eligible patients had CVD screening, cancer screening and other preventive care respectively. This remained significant in multivariate analyses (Table). Patients who were female, had higher income and resided in urban areas were more likely to receive screening. Among CS, patients > 65 years (OR1.2, p = 0.04 95%CI 1.0-1.4), females (OR 1.5, p < 0.01 95%CI 1.3-1.8) and stages 1 or 2 disease (OR 1.3, p < 0.01 95%CI 1.1-1.5) had higher uptake of screening. Conclusions: Many colon cancer patients are long term survivors. CS are more likely to receive screening than NCC but uptake is suboptimal in certain areas. Targeted education towards certain sub-groups such as males, ≤65 years, low income and rural area patients may improve long term health outcomes. [Table: see text]

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Unmet supportive care needs and determinants among cancer patients treated at University of Gondar Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: A prospective cross-sectional study

Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice ◽

10.1177/1078155220971035 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 107815522097103

Author(s):

Begashaw Melaku Gebresillassie ◽

Asnakew Achaw Ayele ◽

Tadesse Melaku Abegaz

Keyword(s):

Supportive Care ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Unmet Needs ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Supportive Care Needs ◽

Care Needs ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Predicting Factors ◽

Specialized Hospital

Background Assessment of supportive care needs is an important requirement to plan supportive care intervention. This study aimed to assess the unmet supportive care needs of cancer patients treated at the University of Gondar Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1, 2017 to August 30, 2017. Adult (18 years and greater) cancer patients and those who were receiving therapy were included. The 34-Item short-form Supportive Care Needs Survey(SCNS-SF34) tool was used to assess unmet needs. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS version-21. Results A total of 150 interview guides were included in the analysis (97.4% of response rate). In the majority of 65(43.3%) the participants, the disease was metastasized even though they have undergone surgery 78 (52%). The overall mean score level of unmet need for cancer care was 3.49. The highest unmet need mean score was reported from the health system and information need domain. A significant unmet need difference concerning different need domain was found in sex, age, residence, occupation status, and monthly income. Sex and residence were found to be independent predicting factors for unmet supportive care needs. Conclusion The overall level of unmet need was high. A significant unmet need difference was found in sex, age, residence, occupation status, and monthly income. Sex and residence were found to be independent predicting factors. Hence, professionals working in the oncology unit should be aware of unmet needs and expect changes over time. Certain programs and services to address the identified unmet needs should be urgently provided.

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Development of a new stool biomarker ELISA for the early detection of colorectal cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2011.29.4_suppl.390 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 29 (4_suppl) ◽

pp. 390-390

Author(s):

J. Luka ◽

P. M. Arlen ◽

J. A. Bristol

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Colon Cancer ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Healthy People ◽

Target Antigen ◽

Proof Of Concept ◽

Cancer Disease ◽

Healthy Donors

390 Background: An ELISA was developed using NPC-1C, a novel antibody that reacts with an antigen expressed specifically by human colorectal and pancreatic tumor tissues and cell lines. The target antigen that NPC-1C recognizes was shown to be related to MUC5AC, a member of the mucin family of glycoproteins. NPC-1C reacts with neither normal tissues from healthy donors (rare, weak binding to normal colon and esophagus), nor cell lines derived from other tumor types, thereby providing the basis for a proof of concept comparative evaluation with stool from normal healthy donors. Methods: An ELISA that uses NPC-1C antibody as both capture and detection reagent was developed. Samples of stool collected during colonoscopy from colorectal cancer patients (n = 4), stool from people with small polyps (n = 4), stool from people with multiple polyps (n = 2), stool from people with large polyps (n = 3), and stool from healthy adults (n = 13) were applied to the ELISA. A soluble extract of stool was prepared by detergent lysis and centrifugation. The level of NPC-1C-specific MUC5AC antigen measured in this ELISA was compared among all groups. Results: Preliminary results demonstrated that healthy people did not express NPC-1C antigen in their stool. The signal in the assay was similar to background levels (average 723 units). In contrast, people with small polyps had higher levels (average 3,819 units); people with multiple polyps expressed higher levels (average 7,369 units); people with large polyps had even higher levels (average 10,189 units); and colon cancer patients had the highest levels (average 175,983 units), more than 240 times the level of MUC5AC-related antigen compared with healthy people. Conclusions: The proof of concept has been established to correlate the level of NPC-1C reactive antigen, measured by a novel stool-based ELISA, with colon cancer disease progression. The level of NPC-1C-specific MUC5AC detected increased concomitantly with the number and size of polyps observed during colonoscopy, and reached the highest levels in patients with colon cancer. Our goal is to apply this ELISA test for early noninvasive diagnostic screening for colorectal cancer, an area of still largely unmet need. [Table: see text]

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