scholarly journals We Should Treat Financial Toxicity With Curative, Rather Than Palliative, Intent

2021 ◽  
pp. OP.21.00540
Author(s):  
Aaron P. Mitchell
Author(s):  
Kamal S. Saini ◽  
Chris Twelves

AbstractThe complexity of neoplasia and its treatment are a challenge to the formulation of general criteria that are applicable across solid cancers. Determining the number of prior lines of therapy (LoT) is critically important for optimising future treatment, conducting medication audits, and assessing eligibility for clinical trial enrolment. Currently, however, no accepted set of criteria or definitions exists to enumerate LoT. In this article, we seek to open a dialogue to address this challenge by proposing a systematic and comprehensive framework to determine LoT uniformly across solid malignancies. First, key terms, including LoT and ‘clinical progression of disease’ are defined. Next, we clarify which therapies should be assigned a LoT, and why. Finally, we propose reporting LoT in a novel and standardised format as LoT N (CLoT + PLoT), where CLoT is the number of systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT) administered with curative intent and/or in the early setting, PLoT is the number of SACT given with palliative intent and/or in the advanced setting, and N is the sum of CLoT and PLoT. As a next step, the cancer research community should develop and adopt standardised guidelines for enumerating LoT in a uniform manner.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 484-493
Author(s):  
Jukapun Yoodee ◽  
Aumkhae Sookprasert ◽  
Phitjira Sanguanboonyaphong ◽  
Suthan Chanthawong ◽  
Manit Seateaw ◽  
...  

Anthracycline-based regimens with or without anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) 2 agents such as trastuzumab are effective in breast cancer treatment. Nevertheless, heart failure (HF) has become a significant side effect of these regimens. This study aimed to investigate the incidence and factors associated with HF in breast cancer patients treated with anthracyclines with or without trastuzumab. A retrospective cohort study was performed in patients with breast cancer who were treated with anthracyclines with or without trastuzumab between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2018. The primary outcome was the incidence of HF. The secondary outcome was the risk factors associated with HF by using the univariable and multivariable cox-proportional hazard model. A total of 475 breast cancer patients were enrolled with a median follow-up time of 2.88 years (interquartile range (IQR), 1.59–3.93). The incidence of HF was 3.2%, corresponding to an incidence rate of 11.1 per 1000 person-years. The increased risk of HF was seen in patients receiving a combination of anthracycline and trastuzumab therapy, patients treated with radiotherapy or palliative-intent chemotherapy, and baseline left ventricular ejection fraction <65%, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in other risk factors for HF, such as age, cardiovascular comorbidities, and cumulative doxorubicin dose. In conclusion, the incidence of HF was consistently high in patients receiving combination anthracyclines trastuzumab regimens. A reduced baseline left ventricular ejection fraction, radiotherapy, and palliative-intent chemotherapy were associated with an increased risk of HF. Intensive cardiac monitoring in breast cancer patients with an increased risk of HF should be advised to prevent undesired cardiac outcomes.


2021 ◽  
pp. 216507992110126
Author(s):  
Lauren Victoria Ghazal ◽  
John Merriman ◽  
Sheila Judge Santacroce ◽  
Victoria Vaughan Dickson

Background: Young adult cancer survivors have significant work-related challenges, including interruptions to education and employment milestones, which may affect work-related goals (WRGs). The study purpose was to explore posttreatment perspectives of WRGs in a sample of young adult hematologic cancer survivors. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study used social media to recruit eligible cancer survivors (young adults working or in school at the time of cancer diagnosis). Data were collected through telephone semi-structured interviews and analyzed using directed content analysis, followed by thematic content analysis to identify themes. Findings: The sample ( N = 40) were mostly female (63.5%), White (75%), and diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (57.5%); most worked in professional (40%) or health care (23%) roles. The overarching theme, “Survivors’ Dilemma,” highlights a changed perspective on work-related fulfillment and financial obligations, capturing survivors’ decision-making process regarding work. Three subthemes illustrated questions that participants contemplated as they examined how their WRGs had changed: (a) Self-identity: Do I want to do this work? (b) Perceived health and work ability: Can I do this work? and (c) Financial toxicity: Can I afford to/not to do this work? Conclusions/Application to Practice: Participants experienced a state of dilemma around their WRGs, weighing areas around self-identity, perceived health and work ability, and financial toxicity. Findings suggest occupational health nurses should be aware of challenges surrounding WRGs, including how goals may change following a cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the potential stressors involved in the Survivors’ Dilemma. Occupational health nurses should assess for these issues and refer young survivors to employee and financial assistance programs, as necessary.


Author(s):  
Matthias Büttner ◽  
Susanne Singer ◽  
Leopold Hentschel ◽  
Stephan Richter ◽  
Peter Hohenberger ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose Cancer patients have been shown to frequently suffer from financial burden before, during, and after treatment. However, the financial toxicity of patients with sarcoma has seldom been assessed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether financial toxicity is a problem for sarcoma patients in Germany and identify associated risk factors. Methods Patients for this analysis were obtained from a multicenter prospective cohort study conducted in Germany. Using the financial difficulties scale of the EORTC QLQ-C30, financial toxicity was considered to be present if the score exceeded a pre-defined threshold for clinical importance. Comparisons to an age- and sex-matched norm population were performed. A multivariate logistic regression using stepwise backward selection was used to identify factors associated with financial toxicity. Results We included 1103 sarcoma patients treated in 39 centers and clinics; 498 (44.7%) patients reported financial toxicity. Sarcoma patients had 2.5 times the odds of reporting financial difficulties compared to an age- and sex-matched norm population. Patient age < 40 and > 52.5 years, higher education status, higher income, and disease progression (compared to patients with complete remission) were associated with lower odds of reporting financial toxicity. Receiving a disability pension, being currently on sick leave, and having a disability pass were statistically significantly associated with higher odds of reporting financial toxicity. Conclusion Financial toxicity is present in about half of German sarcoma patients, making it a relevant quality of life topic for patients and decision-makers.


Author(s):  
S.Z. Hazell ◽  
W. Fu ◽  
C. Hu ◽  
V. Peterson ◽  
B. Lee ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-249
Author(s):  
Reza Arsanjani ◽  
Nandita Khera

Author(s):  
Carla Thamm ◽  
Jennifer Fox ◽  
Nicolas H. Hart ◽  
Joel Rhee ◽  
Bogda Koczwara ◽  
...  

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 198
Author(s):  
Ji Yeon Park ◽  
Byunghyuk Yu ◽  
Ki Bum Park ◽  
Oh Kyoung Kwon ◽  
Seung Soo Lee ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: The prognosis of metastatic or unresectable gastric cancer is dismal, and the benefits of the palliative resection of primary tumors with noncurative intent remain controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of palliative gastrectomy (PG) on overall survival in gastric cancer patients. Materials and Methods: One hundred forty-eight gastric cancer patients who underwent PG or a nonresection (NR) procedure between January 2011 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed to select and analyze clinicopathological factors that affected prognosis. Results: Fifty-five patients underwent primary tumor resection with palliative intent, and 93 underwent NR procedures owing to the presence of metastatic or unresectable disease. The PG group was younger and more female dominant. In the PG group, R1 and R2 resection were performed in two patients (3.6%) and 53 patients (96.4%), respectively. The PG group had a significantly longer median overall survival than the NR group (28.4 vs. 7.7 months, p < 0.001). Multivariate analyses revealed that the overall survival was significantly better after palliative resection (hazard ratio (HR), 0.169; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.088–0.324; p < 0.001) in patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA) scores ≤1 (HR, 0.506; 95% CI, 0.291–0.878; p = 0.015) and those who received postoperative chemotherapy (HR, 0.487; 95% CI, 0.296–0.799; p = 0.004). Among the patients undergoing palliative resection, the presence of <15 positive lymph nodes was the only significant predictor of better overall survival (HR, 0.329; 95% CI, 0.121–0.895; p = 0.030). Conclusions: PG might lead to the prolonged survival of certain patients with incurable gastric cancer, particularly those with less-extensive lymph-node metastasis.


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