The Armed Conflict and the Impact on Patients With Cancer in Ukraine: Urgent Considerations.

On February 24, 2022, a war began within the Ukrainian borders. At least 3.0 million Ukrainian inhabitants have already fled the country. Critical infrastructure, including hospitals, has been damaged. Children with cancer were urgently transported to foreign countries, in an effort to minimize interruption of their life-saving treatments. Most adults did not have that option. War breeds cancer-delaying diagnosis, preventing treatment, and increasing risk. We project that a modest delay in care of only 4 months for five prevalent types of cancer will lead to an excess of over 3,600 cancer deaths in the subsequent years. It is critical that we establish plans to mitigate that risk as soon as possible.

Brigatinib in ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer: real-world data in the Latin American population (Bri-world extend CLICaP).

Background: Brigatinib has demonstrated its efficacy as first-line therapy and in further lines for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients; however, real-world data in Latin America are scarce. Methods: From January 2018 to March 2020, 46 patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC received brigatinib as second or further line of therapy in Mexico and Colombia. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS); secondary end point was time to treatment discontinuation (TTD). Results: At a median follow-up of 9.3 months, the median PFS was 15.2 months (95% CI: 11.6-18.8), and TTD was 18.46 months (95% CI: 9.54-27.38). The estimated overall survival at 12 months was 80%. Safety profile was consistent with previously published data. Conclusion: Brigatinib is an effective treatment for previously treated ALK-positive NSCLC patients in a real-world setting.

Treatment Patterns and Costs Associated with Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in a Mexican Population: A Chart Review.

BACKGROUND: The available evidence regarding the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, adverse events (AEs), and costs of treating patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Mexico is scarce. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to describe the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and direct costs associated with Mexican patients diagnosed with stage IV NSCLC who had completed two or more lines of systemic antineoplastic treatment. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective cohort study was designed to collect data from the medical records of patients treated at tertiary-level public hospitals in Mexico (multicenter chart review). We calculated costs from the viewpoint of payers based on data regarding therapy and service utilization. RESULTS: A total of 115 patients were included. Median patient age was 61 years (interquartile range [IQR] 52.4-68.5), and 51.3% were female. The most common NSCLC type was non-squamous (92.2%), and the typical histology was adenocarcinoma (88.7%). All patients received first- and second-line therapy: 54.78% completed a third-line, 27.82% a fourth-line, 7.82% a fifth-line, 2.6% a sixth-line, and 1.7% a seventh-line active therapy. Carboplatin was the most frequently used therapy (28.6%) followed by docetaxel (23.3%), nivolumab (16.7%), and irinotecan (13.3%). AEs occurred in 53% of the patients and none was fatal. In total, 59 patients (51.3%) required hospitalization during the observation period. The median cost per patient was $US7039.40, with a minimum of $US628.30 and a maximum of $US3,557,364.20. Median overall survival of the cohort was 12 months (95% confidence interval 9.8-14.1). CONCLUSIONS: In Mexico, NSCLC is usually diagnosed at stage IV. This study shows considerable variation in chemotherapy regimens, leading to a wide range in treatment cost. The understanding of NSCLC treatment patterns in Mexico will help to identify and address unmet needs.

Phase II study. Concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy with nitroglycerin in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Nitroglycerin, a nitric oxide donor agent, reduces the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and could be a normalizer of the tumor microenvironment. Both factors are associated with chemo-radio-resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the safety profile and efficacy of nitroglycerin administration with chemo-radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: This is a phase II trial of locally advanced NSCLC patients treated with cisplatin and vinorelbine plus concurrent nitroglycerin with radiotherapy. A 25-mg NTG patch was administered to the patients for 5 days (1 day before and 4 days after chemotherapy induction and consolidation) and all day during chemo-radiotherapy. VEGF plasmatic level was determined before and after two cycles of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were enrolled in this trial. Sixty-three percent of patients achieved an overall response after induction of chemotherapy, and 75% achieved an overall response after chemo-radiotherapy. The median progression-free survival was 13.5 months (95% CI, 8.8-18.2), and the median overall survival was 26.9 months (95% CI, 15.3-38.5). Reduction of VEGF level was associated with better OS. The toxicity profile related to nitroglycerin included headache (20%) and hypotension (2.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of nitroglycerin to induction chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced NSCLC has an acceptable toxicity profile and supports the possibility to add nitroglycerin to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. A randomized trial is warranted to confirm these findings.