Cancer
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Head and neck cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: An international, multicenter, observational cohort study.
The aims of this study were to provide data on the safety of head and neck cancer surgery currently being undertaken during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. ⋯ Head and neck surgery is safe for patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic even when it is lengthy and complex. This is significant because concerns over patient safety raised in many guidelines appear not to be reflected by outcomes, even for those who have other serious illnesses or require complex reconstructions. Patients subjected to suboptimal or nonstandard treatments should be carefully followed up to optimize their cancer outcomes. The overlap between patients and surgeons testing positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is notable and emphasizes the need for fastidious cross-infection controls and effective personal protective equipment.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Validation of the caregiver Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events measure.
Despite improvements in survival rates, cancer treatments have significant side effects that affect the quality of life of children and their families. When an ill child cannot self-report symptoms (eg, he or she is too ill), caregiver (parent) reporting becomes critical. This study evaluates the validity and reliability of the caregiver-reported Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (Ped-PRO-CTCAE [Caregiver]) measure. ⋯ Despite advances in cancer treatments, children and adolescents continue to suffer from treatment side effects, including pain, nausea, fatigue, and emotional distress, that can adversely affect quality of life for children and their families. Although it is best for children to report how they are feeling, there are times when a child may be too young or too ill to self-report. This study provides critical evidence for a new type of questionnaire that allows the caregiver or parent to report accurately what the child is experiencing. This measure can be used to improve adverse event reporting and child cancer care.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
What matters most: Randomized controlled trial of breast cancer surgery conversation aids across socioeconomic strata.
Women of lower socioeconomic status (SES) with early-stage breast cancer are more likely to report poorer physician-patient communication, lower satisfaction with surgery, lower involvement in decision making, and higher decision regret compared to women of higher SES. The objective of this study was to understand how to support women across socioeconomic strata in making breast cancer surgery choices. ⋯ The objective of this study was to understand how to help women with lower incomes or less formal education to make breast cancer surgery choices. Compared with usual care, a conversation aid with pictures and text led to higher knowledge. It improved the decision process and shared decision making (SDM) and lowered decision regret. A text-only conversation aid led to an improved decision process, more coordinated care, and higher SDM compared to usual care. The conversation aid with pictures was more helpful for women with lower income or less formal education. Conversation aids with pictures and text helped women make better breast cancer surgery choices.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Outcomes of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in 107 patients with cancer from Wuhan, China.
Patients with cancer have a higher risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) than noncancer patients. The authors conducted a multicenter retrospective study to investigate the clinical manifestations and outcomes of patients with cancer who are diagnosed with COVID-19. ⋯ The results of the current study demonstrated that >50.0% of infected patients with cancer are susceptible to severe COVID-19. This risk is aggravated by simultaneous anticancer treatment and portends for a worse survival, despite treatment for COVID-19.
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Multicenter Study
Pembrolizumab for the treatment of programmed death-ligand 1-positive advanced carcinoid or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: Results from the KEYNOTE-028 study.
Despite a protracted disease course and multiple available therapies, patients with well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) inevitably experience disease progression. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) has been associated with NET progression and prognosis. The multicohort, phase 1 KEYNOTE-028 study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02054806) evaluated the activity and safety of the anti-programmed cell death protein 1 immunotherapy pembrolizumab in patients with well-differentiated or moderately-differentiated NETs. ⋯ Pembrolizumab demonstrated antitumor activity in a subset of patients with NETs and was well-tolerated.