COVID-19 AND ITS IMPACT ON RADIATION ONCOLOGY PRACTICE IN INDIA.

2021 ◽  
pp. 66-68
Author(s):  
Vasudha Kesarwani ◽  
Divya Kesarwani
Keyword(s):  
Targeted Therapy ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Radiation Oncology ◽  
Work Load ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Load Management ◽  
Staff Education ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Oncology Practice

Patients with cancer are known to be at an increased risk for community-acquired respiratory viruses, because of their frequently observed systemic immunosuppressive state caused by the malignancy and anticancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. In this study different challenges of radiation oncology department and their infection control practices are given such as Pt screening, temperature monitoring and pt staff education, hygiene and departmental cleaning, zoning,work load management etc.There must be national and departmental measures to be taken in response to covid 19 pandemic.Some of risk adapted triage strategies for radiotherapy patients during covid 19 is discussed further. Comparison between covishield, covaxin and sputnik V covid 19 vaccines and lack of vaccine prioritisation for cancer patients in India have been elaborated.

scholarly journals Implementing a Multidisciplinary Approach to Enhance Compliance With Guideline-Recommended Prechemotherapy Pneumococcal Vaccination in a Military-Based Medical Oncology Practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. e966-e971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilfred Delacruz ◽  
Sandra Terrazzino ◽  
Michael Osswald ◽  
Casey Payne ◽  
Brian Haney
Keyword(s):  
Pneumococcal Vaccination ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Baseline Period ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Single Person ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Oncology Practice ◽  
Current Guidelines

Purpose: Patients with cancer are at increased risk for invasive pneumococcal disease, including community-acquired pneumonia. Current Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and National Cancer Comprehensive Network guidelines recommend pneumococcal vaccination for immunocompromised patients, including patients with cancer. Methods: We conducted a quality improvement (QI) project to enhance compliance with pneumococcal vaccination in patients before their chemotherapy. Baseline pneumococcal vaccination rates were gathered from July 2013 to June 2014. We reviewed the current guidelines for pneumococcal vaccinations in patients with cancer with physicians and encouraged them to prescribe the pneumococcal vaccination to patients before therapy. We also recruited our clinic nurse practitioner, who meets all patients for chemotherapy teaching, to prescribe the vaccine to patients younger than 65 years of age. Results: During the baseline period, of the 110 patients younger than 65 years who received chemotherapy, seven (6.4%) received the pneumococcal vaccine. Of the 90 patients (median age, 60 years; range, 20 to 86 years) who received chemotherapy during the study period, 58 were younger than 65 years, of whom three patients were already vaccinated before their diagnosis. Twenty-five (45.5%) patients were vaccinated through our QI project. We have improved our compliance with pneumococcal vaccination by 39% ( P < .001). Conclusion: We have improved compliance with pneumococcal vaccination in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy in our clinic through a QI project. We found that screening is best accomplished by a single person who is able to screen all patients. This practice is now a standard of care in our clinic.

scholarly journals Rising and Falling Trends in the Use of Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapy Near the End of Life in Older Patients With Cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (20) ◽  
pp. 1721-1731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penny Fang ◽  
Reshma Jagsi ◽  
Weiguo He ◽  
Xiudong Lei ◽  
Eric G. Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Targeted Therapy ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Logistic Models ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Oncology Practice

PURPOSE End-of-life (EOL) chemotherapy has been described as the most widespread, wasteful, and unnecessary practice in oncology, with benchmarking aimed to reduce physician use of chemotherapy within 14 days of EOL. We evaluated the recent transformation of EOL chemotherapy and targeted therapy practices nationally. METHODS In patients older than 65 years of age who died as a result of breast (n = 19,887), lung (n = 79,613), colorectal (n = 29,844), or prostate (n = 17,910) cancer between 2007 and 2013, we evaluated the guideline-benchmarked measure of chemotherapy use within 14 days of EOL in SEER-Medicare. Comparison outcomes were nonbenchmarked measures of chemotherapy and targeted therapy across time points within 6 months of EOL. Cochran-Armitage test was used to evaluate temporal trends. Multilevel logistic models and intraclass correlation coefficient was used to evaluate variation in EOL chemotherapy use at the physician level. RESULTS From 2007 to 2013, chemotherapy within 14 days of EOL declined from 6.7% to 4.9% of patients ( Ptrend < .001; ∆ = −1.8%). Similar declines occurred for chemotherapy within 1 month ( Ptrend < .001; ∆ = −1.8%) and 2 months ( Ptrend < .001; ∆ = −1.3%) of EOL. In contrast, chemotherapy within 4 to 6 months of EOL rose ( Ptrend ≤ .04; ∆ = 0.7% to 1.7%), and 43.0% of all patients received chemotherapy within 6 months of EOL. Frequency of targeted therapy use across all time points within 6 months of EOL was stable to marginally rising from 2007 to 2013 ( Ptrend = .09 to .82; ∆ = −0.2% to 1.8%); overall, 1.2% received targeted therapy within 14 days and 3.6% within 1 month of EOL. By 2013, 13.2% of patients received any targeted therapy within 6 months of EOL. In a multilevel model, 5.19% (intraclass correlation coefficient) of variation in 14-day EOL chemotherapy was attributed to the physician level. CONCLUSION With national benchmarking, chemotherapy within 14 days of EOL successfully declined to less than 5%, with comprehensive benchmark uptake by physicians. Results may inform current strategies to help to achieve high-value EOL oncology practice.

Port in oncology practice: 3-monthly locking with normal saline for catheter maintenance, a preliminary report

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianfranca Solinas ◽  
Francesca Platini ◽  
Maurizio Trivellato ◽  
Carla Rigo ◽  
Oscar Alabiso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Normal Saline ◽  
Venous Access ◽  
Central Venous ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Oncology Practice ◽  
The Right

Introduction Patients with cancer need stable venous access using central vascular devices like central venous ports and peripherally inserted central catheters that can be used for a wide range of indications. Numerous flushing protocols exist including different frequencies for catheter locking to maintain catheter patency. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the incidence of lumen occlusion of central venous ports in a group of adult cancer patients, adopting a policy of locking with normal saline every three months. Methods This is a single-center retrospective observational study. During follow-up, we analyzed adult cancer patients who had undergone port insertion from January 1st, 2007 to August 31st, 2014. Flushing and locking were performed every three months with a syringe containing normal saline. Results We collected data from 381 patients with ports inserted in subclavian vein (379 patients) and in the right jugular vein (2 patients). Locking was performed during 3-monthly follow-up visits. Median follow-up was 810 days (90-2700 days). Among 381 ports, 59 were removed; the reasons for removal were: end of use (45 cases), catheter rupture (9 cases), dislocation (3 cases) and catheter-related bloodstream infection (2 cases). We had no reports of lumen occlusion. Conclusions Our data suggest that locking ports with normal saline every three months is not associated with an increased risk of lumen occlusion.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and cancer registries: learning from the first peak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvin J. X. Lee ◽  
Karin Purshouse
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Cancer Registries ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Smoking History ◽  
Poor Performance Status ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Increased Risk

AbstractThe SARS-Cov-2 pandemic in 2020 has caused oncology teams around the world to adapt their practice in the aim of protecting patients. Early evidence from China indicated that patients with cancer, and particularly those who had recently received chemotherapy or surgery, were at increased risk of adverse outcomes following SARS-Cov-2 infection. Many registries of cancer patients infected with SARS-Cov-2 emerged during the first wave. We collate the evidence from these national and international studies and focus on the risk factors for patients with solid cancers and the contribution of systemic anti-cancer treatments (SACT—chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted and hormone therapy) to outcomes following SARS-Cov-2 infection. Patients with cancer infected with SARS-Cov-2 have a higher probability of death compared with patients without cancer. Common risk factors for mortality following COVID-19 include age, male sex, smoking history, number of comorbidities and poor performance status. Oncological features that may predict for worse outcomes include tumour stage, disease trajectory and lung cancer. Most studies did not identify an association between SACT and adverse outcomes. Recent data suggest that the timing of receipt of SACT may be associated with risk of mortality. Ongoing recruitment to these registries will enable us to provide evidence-based care.

scholarly journals First trimester employment, working conditions and preterm birth: a prospective population-based cohort study

2021 ◽  
pp. oemed-2020-107072
Author(s):  
Tanja Vrijkotte ◽  
Teus Brand ◽  
Gouke Bonsel
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Work Load ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Pregnancy Induced Hypertension ◽  
Prolonged Standing ◽  
Physical Work Load ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Induced Hypertension

ObjectivesTo explore the association between working conditions during first trimester and total preterm birth (PTB), and subtypes: spontaneous PTB and iatrogenic PTB, additionally to explore the role of hypertension.MethodsPregnant women from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study, filled out a questionnaire between January 2003 and March 2004, two weeks after first prenatal screening (singleton liveborn, n=7561). Working conditions were working hours/week, standing/walking hours/week, physical work load and job strain.ResultsProlonged standing/walking during first trimester was associated with an increased risk for total PTB (OR=1.5; 95% CI 1.0–2.3, after adjustments). Other working conditions were not related to total PTB. The separation into spontaneous and iatrogenic PTB revealed that standing/walking was associated with iatrogenic PTB only (OR=2.09; 95% CI 1.00–4.97). The highest risk was found for the combination of a long workweek with high physical work load (OR=3.42; 95% CI 1.04–8.21). Hypertension did not mediate these associations; however, stratified analysis revealed that high physical work load was only related to iatrogenic PTB when pregnancy-induced hypertension was present (OR=6.44; 95% CI 1.21–29.76).ConclusionThis study provides evidence that high physically demanding work is associated with an increased risk for iatrogenic PTB and not with spontaneous PTB. Pregnancy-induced hypertension may play a role: when present, high physical work load leads to a more severe outcome.

scholarly journals Adverse reactions of targeted therapy in cancer patients: a retrospective study of hospital medical data in China

BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruofei Du ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Lixia Ma ◽  
Leon M. Larcher ◽  
Han Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Targeted Therapy ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Adverse Reactions ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Target Therapy ◽  
Skin Damage ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Background The adverse reactions (ADRs) of targeted therapy were closely associated with treatment response, clinical outcome, quality of life (QoL) of patients with cancer. However, few studies presented the correlation between ADRs of targeted therapy and treatment effects among cancer patients. This study was to explore the characteristics of ADRs with targeted therapy and the prognosis of cancer patients based on the clinical data. Methods A retrospective secondary data analysis was conducted within an ADR data set including 2703 patients with targeted therapy from three Henan medical centers of China between January 2018 and December 2019. The significance was evaluated with chi-square test between groups with or without ADRs. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression with backward stepwise method were applied to assess the difference of pathological characteristics in patients with cancer. Using the univariate Cox regression method, the actuarial probability of overall survival was performed to compare the clinical outcomes between these two groups. Results A total of 485 patients were enrolled in this study. Of all patients, 61.0% (n = 296) occurred ADRs including skin damage, fatigue, mucosal damage, hypertension and gastrointestinal discomfort as the top 5 complications during the target therapy. And 62.1% of ADRs were mild to moderate, more than half of the ADRs occurred within one month, 68.6% ADRs lasted more than one month. Older patients (P = 0.022) and patients with lower education level (P = 0.036), more than 2 comorbidities (P = 0.021), longer medication time (P = 0.022), drug combination (P = 0.033) and intravenous administration (P = 0.019) were more likely to have ADRs. Those with ADRs were more likely to stop taking (P = 0.000), change (P = 0.000), adjust (P = 0.000), or not take the medicine on time (P = 0.000). The number of patients with recurrence (P = 0.000) and metastasis (P = 0.006) were statistically significant difference between ADRs and non-ADRs group. And the patients were significantly poor prognosis in ADRs groups compared with non-ADRs group. Conclusion The high incidence of ADRs would affect the treatment and prognosis of patients with cancer. We should pay more attention to these ADRs and develop effective management strategies.

scholarly journals Effects of Extraoral Suction on Droplets and Aerosols for Infection Control Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 80
Author(s):  
Hidenobu Senpuku ◽  
Masahiko Fukumoto ◽  
Toshikazu Uchiyama ◽  
Chieko Taguchi ◽  
Itaru Suzuki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Adenosine Triphosphate ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Dental Treatment ◽  
Effective Area ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Dental Hygienist ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Dental Professionals

Dental professionals are at increased risk of being infected with airborne pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 because they are often exposed to droplets/aerosols production during dental treatment. To scientifically clear the effects of extraoral and oral suctions on the droplets and aerosols produced by dental treatments using an ultrasonic scaler was analyzed. The adenosine triphosphate and bacteria in droplets and aerosols produced during simulated scaling were quantitatively observed by reactions with luciferin/luciferase and incubation in culture plates to grow bacteria, respectively. The protection against spreading droplets and aerosols by oral and extraoral suctions was recognized, and the areas were limited to the left and posterior sides of the dental chair head when a right-handed dentist and dental hygienist performed scaling. Extraoral suction is a very useful tool for reducing the infection risk of COVID-19 in dental care, but the effective area is limited depending on physical characteristics of dentist and dental hygienist.

Diagnosis and Initial Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Cancer

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (29) ◽  
pp. 4889-4894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Streiff
Keyword(s):  
Venous Thromboembolism ◽  
Initial Treatment ◽  
Vena Cava ◽  
Initial Therapy ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Thrombotic Disease ◽  
Venous Stenting ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Vena Cava Filters ◽  
Increased Risk

Purpose Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication of cancer and its therapy. The purpose of this article is to review the diagnosis and initial treatment of VTE in the patient with cancer. Methods I conducted a survey of the English-language literature on topics relevant to the diagnosis and initial treatment of VTE in patients with cancer. Results Patients with cancer are at increased risk for VTE because of the presence of multiple risk factors for thrombotic disease. The most common signs and symptoms of VTE as well as the utility of clinical prediction rules and D-dimer testing in the diagnosis of VTE in the patient with cancer are reviewed. Duplex ultrasound and computer tomography angiography are the primary objective diagnostic modalities for VTE. Low molecular weight heparin is the preferred initial therapy for VTE. Until further data emerge, thrombolysis and vena cava filters should be reserved for patients in whom anticoagulation is insufficient or contraindicated. Outpatient management is feasible for carefully selected patients with cancer with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and low-risk pulmonary embolism. Anticoagulation is the preferred initial therapy for cancer patients with central venous catheter–associated DVT, calf DVT, and unsuspected VTE. Conclusion Optimal initial management of VTE in patients with cancer entails maintaining a high index of suspicion for thrombotic disease, confirming diagnostic suspicions with objective testing and evidence-based use of anticoagulation, and adjunctive therapeutic modalities (thrombolysis, vena cava interruption, venous stenting). Further investigation of initial diagnostic and treatment strategies for VTE focusing on patients with cancer are warranted.

scholarly journals Recanalisation theraphy for acute ischemic stroke in cancer patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Merlino ◽  
Carmelo Smeralda ◽  
Gian Luigi Gigli ◽  
Simone Lorenzut ◽  
Sara Pez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Metastatic Cancer ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Bridging Therapy ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Active Cancer

AbstractTo date, very few studies focused their attention on efficacy and safety of recanalisation therapy in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with cancer, reporting conflicting results. We retrospectively analysed data from our database of consecutive patients admitted to the Udine University Hospital with AIS that were treated with recanalisation therapy, i.e. intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), mechanical thrombectomy (MT), and bridging therapy, from January 2015 to December 2019. We compared 3-month dependency, 3-month mortality, and symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (SICH) occurrence of patients with active cancer (AC) and remote cancer (RC) with that of patients without cancer (WC) undergoing recanalisation therapy for AIS. Patients were followed up for 3 months. Among the 613 AIS patients included in the study, 79 patients (12.9%) had either AC (n = 46; 7.5%) or RC (n = 33; 5.4%). Although AC patients, when treated with IVT, had a significantly increased risk of 3-month mortality [odds ratio (OR) 6.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.42–20.07, p = 0.001] than WC patients, stroke-related deaths did not differ between AC and WC patients (30% vs. 28.8%, p = 0.939). There were no significant differences between AC and WC patients, when treated with MT ± IVT, regarding 3-month dependency, 3-month mortality and SICH. Functional independence, mortality, and SICH were similar between RC and WC patients. In conclusion, recanalisation therapy might be used in AIS patients with nonmetastatic AC and with RC. Further studies are needed to explore the outcome of AIS patients with metastatic cancer undergoing recanalisation therapy.

Abstract 14: The Influence of Provider Specialty on Anticoagulation Prescription Fills and Stroke Risk in Atrial Fibrillation Patients With History of Cancer

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley T O’Neal ◽  
J’Neka Claxton ◽  
Richard MacLehose ◽  
Lin Chen ◽  
Lindsay G Bengtson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Oral Anticoagulant ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Prior History ◽  
Cancer Type ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
History Of ◽  
Reduced Risk ◽  
History Of Cancer

Background: Early cardiology involvement within 90 days of atrial fibrillation (AF) diagnosis is associated with greater likelihood of oral anticoagulant use and a reduced risk of stroke. Due to variation in cardiovascular care for patients with cancer, it is possible that a similar association does not exist for AF patients with cancer. Methods: We examined the association of early cardiology involvement with oral anticoagulation use among non-valvular AF patients with history of cancer (past or active), using data from 388,045 patients (mean age=68±15 years; 59% male) from the MarketScan database (2009-2014). ICD-9 codes in any position were used to identify cancer diagnosis prior to AF diagnosis. Provider specialty and filled anticoagulant prescriptions 3 months prior to and 6 months after AF diagnosis were obtained. Poisson regression models were used to compute the probability of an oral anticoagulant prescription fill and Cox regression was used to estimate the risk of stroke and major bleeding. Results: A total of 64,016 (17%) AF patients had a prior history of cancer. Cardiology involvement was less likely to occur among patients with history of cancer than those without (relative risk=0.92, 95% confidence interval (0.91, 0.93)). Similar differences were observed for cancers of the colon (0.90 (0.88, 0.92)), lung (0.76 (0.74, 0.78)), pancreas (0.74 (0.69, 0.80)), and hematologic system (0.88 (0.87, 0.90)), while no differences were observed for breast or prostate cancers. Patients with cancer were less likely to fill prescriptions for anticoagulants (0.89 (0.88, 0.90)) than those without cancer, and similar results were observed for cancers of the colon, lung, prostate, pancreas, and hematologic system. However, patients with cancer were more likely to fill prescriptions for anticoagulants (1.48 (1.45, 1.52)) if seen by a cardiology provider, regardless of cancer type. A reduced risk of stroke (hazard ratio=0.89 (0.81, 0.99)) was observed among all cancer patients who were seen by a cardiology provider than among those who were not, without an increased risk of bleeding (1.04 (0.95, 1.13)). Conclusion: AF patients with cancer were less likely to see a cardiologist, and less likely to fill an anticoagulant prescription than AF patients without cancer. However, cardiology involvement was associated with increased anticoagulant prescription fills and reduced risk of stroke, suggesting a beneficial role for cardiology providers to improve outcomes in AF patients with history of cancer.

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