Current Oncology

Background: The Prostate Cancer-Patient Empowerment Program (PC-PEP) is a six-month daily home-based program shown to improve mental health and urinary function. This secondary analysis explores weight loss in male PC-PEP participants. Methods: In a randomized clinical trial with 128 men undergoing curative prostate cancer (PC) treatment, 66 received 'early' PC-PEP, while 62 were assigned to the 'late' waitlist-control group, receiving 6 months of standard-of-care treatment followed by 6 months of PC-PEP. PC-PEP comprised 182 daily emails with video-based exercise and dietary (predominantly plant-based) education, live online events, and 30 min strength training routines (using body weight and elastic bands)...

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common cause of brain metastasis (BM). Little is known about immune checkpoint inhibitor activity in the central nervous system, especially in patients receiving monotherapy for tumors with a tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥ 50%. This noninterventional, retrospective, multicenter study, conducted with the GFPC, included treatment-naïve patients strongly positive for PD-L1 (TPS ≥ 50%) with BM receiving first-line single-agent pembrolizumab treatment between May 2017 and November 2019...

BACKGROUND: The risk factors for acute care utilization in gynecologic oncology patients are poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate risk factors for the utilization of our centre's acute care radiation nursing clinic (RNC) by gynecologic oncology patients receiving radiotherapy (RT). METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of gynecological cancer patients treated with RT at an academic cancer centre between 1 August 2021 and 31 January 2022. Data on socio-demographics, clinical and treatment characteristics, and RNC visits were collected and summarized by descriptive statistics...

Background: Ontario publicly funds reference trastuzumab (Herceptin) and four biosimilar trastuzumab products for adjuvant treatment of HER2+ breast cancer. We assessed the real-world safety and effectiveness of biosimilar trastuzumab compared to Herceptin for adjuvant treatment of patients with HER2+ breast cancer. Methods: This was a population-based, retrospective study comparing the safety and effectiveness of biosimilar trastuzumab and Herceptin for neoadjuvant/adjuvant treatment of HER2+ breast cancer from 2016 to 2021...

Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a rare subtype of prostate cancer (PCa) that usually results in poor clinical outcomes and may be accompanied by paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS). NEPC is becoming more frequent. It can initially manifest as PNS, complicating diagnosis. Therefore, we reviewed the literature on the different PNS associated with NEPC. We systematically reviewed English-language articles from January 2017 to September 2023, identifying 17 studies meeting PRISMA guidelines for NEPC and associated PNS...

Using digitized data from progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival Kaplan-Meier curves, one can assess population survival kinetics through exponential decay nonlinear regression analyses. To demonstrate their utility, we analyzed PFS curves from published curative-intent trials of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) adjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant osimertinib in resected EGFR -mutant NSCLC (ADAURA trial), chemoradiotherapy for inoperable NSCLC, and limited small cell lung cancer (SCLC). These analyses permit assessment of log-linear curve shape and estimation of the proportion of patients cured, PFS half-lives for subpopulations destined to eventually relapse, and probability of eventual relapse in patients remaining progression-free at different time points...

Breast cancer is diagnosed in nearly 3 million people worldwide. Radiation therapy is an integral component of disease management for patients with breast cancer, and is used after breast-conserving surgery or a mastectomy to reduce the risk of a local recurrence. The following review describes the methods used to personalize radiation therapy by optimizing patient selection, using advanced treatment techniques to lessen the radiation dose to normal organs, and using hypofractionation in order to shorten the duration of radiation treatment...

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) can improve the physical and psychosocial health of individuals with cancer, yet PA levels remain low. Technology may address PA maintenance barriers in oncology, though the intervention effectiveness to date remains mixed. Qualitative research can reveal the nuances of using technology-based PA maintenance tools. The present study aimed to understand the perspectives of individuals with cancer on using an app to support PA maintenance. METHODS: Individuals were interviewed after using a self-monitoring app for 24 weeks, asking about their app use, ease of use, and perceived value for supporting PA...

Background: The effect of COVID-19 on treatment outcomes in the literature remains limited and is mostly reported either as predictive survival using prioritization and modeling techniques. We aimed to quantify the effect of COVID-19 on lung cancer survival using real-world data collected at the Jewish General Hospital, Montreal. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review study of patients diagnosed between March 2019 and March 2022. We compared three cohorts: pre-COVID-19, and 1st and 2nd year of the pandemic...

Ductal adenocarcinoma of the prostate (DAP) is an uncommon variant of prostate cancer associated with aggressive disease and poor outcome. It presents most frequently as a mixed tumor combined with acinar adenocarcinoma. Although the histopathological features of DAP are well known, its genomic characteristics are still evolving, prompting the suggestion that all DAP would benefit from molecular analysis with the purpose of improving tumor recognition, genetic classification, and, ultimately, personalized therapy...

Various locoregional treatments for localized hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been developed. This retrospective study investigated the safety and feasibility of combining on-demand selective locoregional treatment for residual lesions after tumor shrinkage (complete response [CR] oriented) or for solitary or few drug-resistant lesions (progressive disease (PD) salvage) with first-line atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (atezo/bev) for unresectable HCC. Twenty-nine patients with unresectable HCC were included...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the overall survival of patients with ≤8 mm non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who undergo wedge resection versus stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Kaplan-Meier analysis, multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling, and propensity score-matched analysis were performed to evaluate the overall survival of patients with ≤8 mm NSCLC in the National Cancer Database (NCDB) from 2004 to 2017 who underwent wedge resection versus patients who underwent SBRT...

Background : Timely reporting of molecular biomarkers is critical in guiding optimal treatment decisions in patients with advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Any delays along the tissue or treatment pathway may be associated with suboptimal treatment/outcomes and a reduced quality of life. For many centres, biomarkers are tested off-site. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 123 patients with advanced NSCLC seen between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2022 was conducted. With a focus on core biomarkers (PD L1, EGFR, and ALK), the outcome variables were as follows: total turnaround time (total TAT), divided into pre-laboratory, laboratory, and post-laboratory time intervals, as well as time to treatment decision (TOTD) and time to optimal systemic therapy decision (TOTSD)...

The aim of this study was to present our preliminary experience with transarterial radioembolization (TARE) using Yttrium-90 (90 Y), compare the cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastases undergoing TARE, and investigate the influence of additional treatments on CSS. Our database was interrogated to retrieve patients who had undergone TARE using Yttrium-90 (90 Y) glass or resin microspheres. Kaplan-Meier curves and the log-rank test were employed to conduct survival analysis for the different groups ( p < 0...

Over half of all new cancer cases in Alberta are diagnosed among people aged 65+ years, a group that encompasses vast variation. Patient-reported experience measures are routinely collected within Cancer Care Alberta; however, the specific consideration of the needs and concerns of older Albertans with cancer is lacking. In 2021, 2204 adults who had received treatment at a cancer centre in Alberta completed the Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey (AOPSS). In this study, we explored the age differences in satisfaction across six dimensions of person-centred care and in the proportions of unmet needs across eight types of issues, with specific attention to older adults...

Chylous ascites is a rare form of ascites with high triglyceride content arising from the thoracoabdominal lymph nodes in the peritoneal cavity due to various benign or malignant etiologies, including pancreatic cancer. During cancer chemotherapy, the accumulation of ascites can lead to the deterioration of the patient's general condition, making chemotherapy administration difficult, and resulting in a poor prognosis. We encountered a rare case of chylous ascites complicated by advanced pancreatic cancer. The patient presented with a discrepancy between the shrinkage of the pancreatic cancer and the accumulation of ascites...

This commentary provides a detailed overview of the extensive stakeholder engagement efforts critical to the development of the Future of Cancer Impact (FOCI) in Alberta report. The overarching aim of the FOCI report was to support informed and strategic discussions and actions that will help key stakeholders in the province prepare for a future with increasing cancer incidence and survival. Employing a comprehensive approach and a diverse range of engagement activities, insights from a wide spectrum of stakeholders were gathered and subsequently used to shape the content of the report...

Canada has one of the most complex and rigorous drug approval and public reimbursement processes and is, unfortunately, one of the countries with the longest delays in drug access. To assess the overall impact of systemic delays in access to cancer therapy, a targeted literature review (TLR) was performed to identify studies associated with the clinical, economic, and quality of life impacts of delayed access to oncology drugs. Using MEDLINE/PubMed databases and snowballing, four unique records met the eligibility criteria...

Peritoneal metastasis is a common finding in patients with advanced gastric cancer. Beyond systemic chemotherapy, additive local treatments such as cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy are considered an inherent part of different multimodal treatment concepts for selected patients with peritoneal metastatic gastric cancer. This review article discusses the role of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and intraperitoneal chemotherapy, including HIPEC, NIPS, and PIPAC, as additive therapeutic options with curative and palliative intent...

This is a consensus-based Canadian guideline whose primary purpose is to standardize and facilitate the management of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) across the country. Creating uniform healthcare guidance in Canada is a challenge for a number of reasons including the differences in healthcare authority structure, funding and access to healthcare resources between provinces and territories, as well as the geographic size. These differences can lead to variable and unequal access to effective therapies for GvHD...