The oncologist
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Moral distress and burnout are highly prevalent among oncology clinicians. Research is needed to better understand how resource constraints and systemic inequalities contribute to moral distress in order to develop effective mitigation strategies. Oncology providers in low- and middle-income countries are well positioned to provide insight into the moral experience of cancer care priority setting and expertise to guide solutions. ⋯ For many oncology clinicians worldwide, resource limitations constrain routine clinical practice and necessitate decisions about prioritizing cancer care. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first in-depth analysis of how resource constraints and priority setting lead to moral distress among oncology clinicians in a low-resource setting. Effective individual and organizational interventions and collective advocacy for equity in cancer care are urgently needed to address moral distress and reduce clinician burnout among a strained global oncology workforce. Lessons from low-resource settings can be gleaned as high-income countries face growing needs to prioritize oncology resources.
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Patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer have a poor prognosis. Sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) is an antibody-drug conjugate that contains the irinotecan active metabolite, SN-38, linked to a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting trophoblast cell surface antigen 2, which is overexpressed in many solid tumors. In a basket design phase I/II study, sacituzumab govitecan demonstrated promising single-agent therapeutic activity in multiple cancer cohorts, leading to accelerated approval by the U. ⋯ IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Sacituzumab govitecan (TRODELVY) is a novel antibody-drug conjugate composed of the active metabolite of irinotecan (SN-38) conjugated to a monoclonal antibody targeting trophoblast cell surface antigen 2, an epithelial cell surface antigen overexpressed in many cancers. Because of the rapid approval of sacituzumab govitecan, there is limited available information on adverse event (AE) management with this agent. As such, this article reviews the clinical development of the drug, the AE profile, and provides recommendations regarding AE management to help optimize therapy with sacituzumab govitecan.
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Lenvatinib (Len) plus everolimus (Eve) is an approved therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) after first-line vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs), but limited data exist on the efficacy of Len ± Eve after progression on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and VEGFR-TKIs. ⋯ As the therapeutic landscape for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma continues to evolve, this single-center, retrospective review highlights the real-world efficacy of lenvatinib with or without everolimus in heavily pretreated patients. This article supports the use of lenvatinib with or without everolimus as a viable salvage strategy for patients whose disease progresses after treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapies, including cabozantinib.
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The aim of this study was to characterize severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs) seen among hospitalized patients and to examine risk factors for irAE admissions and clinically relevant outcomes, including length of stay, immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) discontinuation, readmission, and death. ⋯ The number of patients admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital for immune-related adverse events (irAEs) has gradually increased every year and the most common admissions are for gastrointestinal (30.7%), pulmonary (15/8%), and hepatic (14.2%) events. Readmission rates are high (29% at 30 days, 49% at 180 days) and 64.2% have to permanently discontinue immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Importantly, multiple concurrent toxicities were seen in 21.6% (97/450) of irAE admissions and these patients have a fivefold increased risk of inpatient death.
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The aim of this study was to determine the rate of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) among patients with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). ⋯ ICIs did not increase the rate of COVID-19. This information may assist patients and their oncologists in decision-making surrounding cancer treatment during this pandemic.