Trends in racial and ethnic disparities in health-related quality of life in older adults with lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to quantitatively examine differences in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) by race/ethnicity among older adults with lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (SEER-MHOS) data set, we identified two cohorts of patients ≥65 years old with lung cancer diagnosed from 2004 to 2015 who completed the health outcomes survey within 36 months pre- and post-diagnosis. The Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) were used to measure HRQOL. Racial/ethnic groups were White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic. Univariate (UVA) and multivariable (MVA) linear regression analyses with pairwise contrasts assessed disparities among the racial/ethnic groups. MVA models were adjusted for sex, age, marital status, education, income, year diagnosed, comorbidity count, limitations in activities of daily living, national region, histology, and treatment type (post-diagnosis cohort only). RESULTS: We identified 4025 patients in the pre-diagnosis cohort (White = 75.9 %, Asian = 6.3 %, Black = 8.7 %, and Hispanic = 6.1 %; stages I = 28.8 %, II = 8.9 %, III = 21.7 %, IV = 27.8 %, unknown = 12.7 %) and 2465 patients in the post-diagnosis cohort (White = 74.4 %, Asian = 7.8 %, Black = 8.8 %, and Hispanic = 5.8 %; stages I = 40.2 %, II = 14.1 %, III = 17.5 %, IV = 10.7 %, unknown = 17.5 %; treatment type surgery = 0.9 %, radiation = 46.5 %, radiation and surgery = 26.8 %, no radiation or surgery = 25.9 %). Upon pre-diagnosis cohort UVA, White and Asian patients had higher mean MCS scores than Black and Hispanic patients (51.3 and 52.7 vs 47.4 and 47.4, respectively; p < .001 and p < .001), White patients had higher mean PCS scores than Black patients (38.6 vs 36.0; p < .001), and Asian patients had higher mean PCS scores than White, Black, and Hispanic patients (40.7 vs 38.6, 36.0 and 37.5, respectively; p = .008, p < .001, and p = .005). On pre-diagnosis MVA, White and Asian patients had higher mean MCS scores than Hispanic patients (51.2 and 52.0, respectively, vs 47.2; p < .001). On pre-diagnosis MVA, Asian patients had higher mean PCS scores than White patients (52.0 and 51.2; p = .002).On post-diagnosis UVA, White and Asian patients had higher mean MCS scores than Black patients (48.9 and 48.9, respectively, vs 46.3; p = .006 and p = .042), White patients had higher mean MCS scores than Hispanic patients (48.9 vs 46.1; p = .015), White patients had higher mean PCS scores than Black patients (33.8 vs 31.9; p = .018), and Hispanic patients had higher mean PCS scores than Black patients (34.9 vs. 31.9; p = .019). On post-diagnosis MVA, race/ethnicity was no longer associated with differing MCS or PCS. DISCUSSION: Among older patients with lung cancer, those identifying as White or Asian had higher pre-diagnosis mental HRQOL than Hispanic patients. However, HRQOL differences before diagnosis among all racial/ethnic groups were no longer significant after cancer diagnosis and treatment. Understanding these patterns of HRQOL can be used for more pointed initiatives to improve therapeutic strategy, compliance, goals of care, and treatment-related morbidity.

Motion compensated cone-beam CT reconstruction using ana priorimotion model from CT simulation: a pilot study.

Objective. To combat the motion artifacts present in traditional 4D-CBCT reconstruction, an iterative technique known as the motion-compensated simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (MC-SART) was previously developed. MC-SART employs a 4D-CBCT reconstruction to obtain an initial model, which suffers from a lack of sufficient projections in each bin. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of introducing a motion model acquired during CT simulation to MC-SART, coined model-based CBCT (MB-CBCT).Approach. For each of 5 patients, we acquired 5DCTs during simulation and pre-treatment CBCTs with a simultaneous breathing surrogate. We cross-calibrated the 5DCT and CBCT breathing waveforms by matching the diaphragms and employed the 5DCT motion model parameters for MC-SART. We introduced the Amplitude Reassignment Motion Modeling technique, which measures the ability of the model to control diaphragm sharpness by reassigning projection amplitudes with varying resolution. We evaluated the sharpness of tumors and compared them between MB-CBCT and 4D-CBCT. We quantified sharpness by fitting an error function across anatomical boundaries. Furthermore, we compared our MB-CBCT approach to the traditional MC-SART approach. We evaluated MB-CBCT's robustness over time by reconstructing multiple fractions for each patient and measuring consistency in tumor centroid locations between 4D-CBCT and MB-CBCT.Main results. We found that the diaphragm sharpness rose consistently with increasing amplitude resolution for 4/5 patients. We observed consistently high image quality across multiple fractions, and observed stable tumor centroids with an average 0.74 ± 0.31 mm difference between the 4D-CBCT and MB-CBCT. Overall, vast improvements over 3D-CBCT and 4D-CBCT were demonstrated by our MB-CBCT technique in terms of both diaphragm sharpness and overall image quality.Significance. This work is an important extension of the MC-SART technique. We demonstrated the ability ofa priori5DCT models to provide motion compensation for CBCT reconstruction. We showed improvements in image quality over both 4D-CBCT and the traditional MC-SART approach.

Performance Analysis of a Radiation Oncology Educational Podcast.

PURPOSE: Asynchronous podcast education is a popular supplementary tool, with up to 88% of medical residents reporting its use. Radiation oncology podcasts remain scarce. The authors analyzed the early performance, listenership, and engagement of the first education-specific radiation oncology medical podcast. METHODS: Episode data and listener demographics were gathered from Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Episodes were case based, categorized by disease subsite, and reviewed by a board-certified radiation oncologist. Listenership was defined by the number of plays per day (ppd) on unique devices, averaged up to 60 days from publication. Episode engagement was defined as a percentage of plays on unique devices playing >40% of an episode within a single session. Quantitative end points included episode engagement and listenership. Pearson's correlation coefficient calculations were used for analysis. RESULTS: From July 2022 to March 2023, 20 total episodes had 13,078 total plays over 227 days. The median episode length was 13.8 min (range, 9.2-20.1 min). Listener demographics were as follows: 54.4% men, 44.0% women, 1.3% not specified, and 0.3% nonbinary, with ages 18 to 22 (1%), 23 to 27 (13%), 28 to 34 (58%), 35 to 44 (22%), 45 to 59 (4%), and ≥60 (2%) years. Episodes were played in 53 countries, with the most plays in North America (71.5%), followed by Asia (10.2%), Europe (8.2%), Oceania (8.0%), Africa (1.5%), and South America (0.5%). There was a 585.2% increase in listenership since initiation, with median growth of 46.0% per month. Median listenership and engagement were 11.3 ppd (interquartile range, 10.3-13.8 ppd) and 81.4% (interquartile range, 72.0%-84.2%) for all episodes, respectively. A significant negative relationship between episode length and engagement was observed (r[20] = -0.51, P = .02). There was no statistically significant relationship between ppd and episode length (r[20] = -0.19, P = .42). CONCLUSIONS: The significant rise in listenership, high episode engagement, and large international audience support a previously unmet need in radiation oncology medical education that may be supplemented by podcasts.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of pathologic complete response rates for patients with cholangiocarcinoma treated on liver transplant protocols.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many heterogenous orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) protocols exist for patients with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma. Little is known about the incidence, predictors for, and the significance of achieving a pathologic complete response (pCR). METHODS: We performed a systematic review through September 2022 of the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted to pool data across studies with reported pCR rates. Heterogeneity between treatment protocols was assessed via subgroup analysis. The pCR and 1-, 3-, and 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were extracted as outcomes of interest. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies reported pCR rates and were grouped by use of the Mayo protocol (4/15), stereotactic body radiation therapy (2/15), and an Other category (9/15). The pooled pCR rate among all studies was 32%. Both radiation technique and duration of CHT showed no significant association with pCR (p = 0.05 and 0.13, respectively). Pooled 1-year RFS and OS after any neoadjuvant therapy and OLT was 80% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61-0.91), and 91% (95% CI, 0.87-0.94), respectively. There was no 1-year OS difference detected among the three groups. pCR was not associated with OS in the meta-regression. Pooled 3- and 5-year OS among all studies was 72% and 61%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The pooled incidence of pCR was 32%. Differences in radiation technique did not appear to influence pCR rates and upon meta-regression, pCR was not a surrogate marker for survival.

Evaluating the Impact of Race and Ethnicity on Health-Related Quality of Life Disparities in Patients with Esophageal Cancer: A SEER-MHOS National Database Study.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether health-related quality of life (HRQOL) disparities exist between racial/ethnic groups in older patients with esophageal cancer, pre- and post-diagnosis. METHODS: Using the SEER-MHOS (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results and Medicare Health Outcomes Survey) national database, we included patients ages 65-years-old or greater with esophageal cancer diagnosed from 1996 to 2017. HRQOL data within 36 months before and after diagnosis were measured by the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores from the SF-36 and VR-12 instruments. Total combined score (TCS) was reflected by both PCS and MCS. RESULTS: We identified 1,312 patients, with evaluable data on 873 patients pre-diagnosis and 439 post-diagnosis. On pre-diagnosis cohort MVA, the MCS was better for White over Hispanic patients (54.1 vs. 48.6, P = 0.012). On post-diagnosis cohort MVA, PCS was better for Hispanic compared with White (39.8 vs. 34.5, P = 0.036) patients, MCS was better for Asian compared with White (48.9 vs. 40.9, P = 0.034) patients, and TCS better for Asian compared with White (92.6 vs. 76.7, P = 0.003) patients. CONCLUSIONS: In older patients with esophageal cancer, White patients had better mental HRQOL as compared with Hispanic patients pre-diagnosis. However, post-diagnosis, White patients had worse mental and physical HRQOL compared with Asian and Hispanic patients, respectively, suggesting a greater negative impact on self-reported HRQOL in White patients with esophageal cancer. IMPACT: To our knowledge, this study is the first to explore HRQOL differences in patients with esophageal cancer of various racial and ethnic groups and warrants further validation in future studies.

Stereotactic MR-guided on-table adaptive radiation therapy (SMART) for borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer: A multi-center, open-label phase 2 study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Radiation dose escalation may improve local control (LC) and overall survival (OS) in select pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. We prospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of ablative stereotactic magnetic resonance (MR)-guided adaptive radiation therapy (SMART) for borderline resectable (BRPC) and locally advanced pancreas cancer (LAPC). The primary endpoint of acute grade ≥ 3 gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity definitely related to SMART was previously published with median follow-up (FU) 8.8 months from SMART. We now present more mature outcomes including OS and late toxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, multi-center, single-arm open-label phase 2 trial (NCT03621644) enrolled 136 patients (LAPC 56.6 %; BRPC 43.4 %) after ≥ 3 months of any chemotherapy without distant progression and CA19-9 ≤ 500 U/mL. SMART was delivered on a 0.35 T MR-guided system prescribed to 50 Gy in 5 fractions (biologically effective dose10 [BED10] = 100 Gy). Elective coverage was optional. Surgery and chemotherapy were permitted after SMART. RESULTS: Mean age was 65.7 years (range, 36-85), induction FOLFIRINOX was common (81.7 %), most received elective coverage (57.4 %), and 34.6 % had surgery after SMART. Median FU was 22.9 months from diagnosis and 14.2 months from SMART, respectively. 2-year OS from diagnosis and SMART were 53.6 % and 40.5 %, respectively. Late grade ≥ 3 toxicity definitely, probably, or possibly attributed to SMART were observed in 0 %, 4.6 %, and 11.5 % patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term outcomes from the phase 2 SMART trial demonstrate encouraging OS and limited severe toxicity. Additional prospective evaluation of this novel strategy is warranted.

Single center experience using stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) on orthotopic liver transplant protocol for unresectable cholangiocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate tolerability, pathologic response, and disease outcomes utilizing pre-operative stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) followed by consolidation chemotherapy (CHT) prior to orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) in unresectable cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review of patients treated on OLT protocol at a single tertiary center from 2012 to 2019. Patients received pre-operative SBRT (40-50 Gy in 5 fractions) followed by CHT until progression or OLT. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared via log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: 26 patients (84.6% hilar, 15.4% intrahepatic) were identified for analysis. Eight patients (30.8%) patients developed acute toxicity after SBRT, mostly grade 1 nausea. Nine (34.6%) patients underwent OLT of which 4 (44.4%) achieved a pathologic complete response (pCR). Five (55.6%) OLT patients, including 2 pCR, developed recurrence at a median time of 49.9 weeks after OLT. 3-year OS for the OLT and dropout cohort was 75% and 9%, respectively (p < 0.0001). OS in hilar tumors only was statistically different for those that achieved a pCR (p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative SBRT is a well-tolerated and effective radiation technique as part of OLT protocol for unresectable CCA and conferred in a pCR rate of 44% within our cohort.

MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy-An Emerging and Disruptive Process of Care: Healthcare Economic and Policy Considerations.

MRI-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) is an emerging, innovative technology that provides opportunities to transform and improve the current clinical care process in radiation oncology. As with many new technologies in radiation oncology, careful evaluation from a healthcare economic and policy perspective is required for its successful implementation. In this review article, we describe the current evidence surrounding MRgRT, framing it within the context of value within the healthcare system. Additionally, we highlight areas in which MRgRT may disrupt the current process of care, and discuss the evidence thresholds and timeline required for the widespread adoption of this promising technology.

Prediction of Radiation Treatment Response for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer via a Longitudinal Trend Analysis Framework on Cone-Beam CT.

Locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) presents a significant challenge in terms of treatment management, particularly with regards to identifying patients who are likely to respond to radiation therapy (RT) at an individualized level. Patients respond to the same radiation treatment course differently due to inter- and intra-patient variability in radiosensitivity. In-room volumetric cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is widely used to ensure proper alignment, but also allows us to assess tumor response during the treatment course. In this work, we proposed a longitudinal radiomic trend (LRT) framework for accurate and robust treatment response assessment using daily CBCT scans for early detection of patient response. The LRT framework consists of four modules: (1) Automated registration and evaluation of CBCT scans to planning CT; (2) Feature extraction and normalization; (3) Longitudinal trending analyses; and (4) Feature reduction and model creation. The effectiveness of the framework was validated via leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV), using a total of 840 CBCT scans for a retrospective cohort of LARC patients. The trending model demonstrates significant differences between the responder vs. non-responder groups with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.98, which allows for systematic monitoring and early prediction of patient response during the RT treatment course for potential adaptive management.

An analysis of the regional heterogeneity in tissue elasticity in lung cancer patients with COPD.

Purpose: Recent advancements in obtaining image-based biomarkers from CT images have enabled lung function characterization, which could aid in lung interventional planning. However, the regional heterogeneity in these biomarkers has not been well documented, yet it is critical to several procedures for lung cancer and COPD. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the interlobar and intralobar heterogeneity of tissue elasticity and study their relationship with COPD severity. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a set of 23 lung cancer patients for this study, 14 of whom had COPD. For each patient, we employed a 5DCT scanning protocol to obtain end-exhalation and end-inhalation images and semi-automatically segmented the lobes. We calculated tissue elasticity using a biomechanical property estimation model. To obtain a measure of lobar elasticity, we calculated the mean of the voxel-wise elasticity values within each lobe. To analyze interlobar heterogeneity, we defined an index that represented the properties of the least elastic lobe as compared to the rest of the lobes, termed the Elasticity Heterogeneity Index (EHI). An index of 0 indicated total homogeneity, and higher indices indicated higher heterogeneity. Additionally, we measured intralobar heterogeneity by calculating the coefficient of variation of elasticity within each lobe. Results: The mean EHI was 0.223 ± 0.183. The mean coefficient of variation of the elasticity distributions was 51.1% ± 16.6%. For mild COPD patients, the interlobar heterogeneity was low compared to the other categories. For moderate-to-severe COPD patients, the interlobar and intralobar heterogeneities were highest, showing significant differences from the other groups. Conclusion: We observed a high level of lung tissue heterogeneity to occur between and within the lobes in all COPD severity cases, especially in moderate-to-severe cases. Heterogeneity results demonstrate the value of a regional, function-guided approach like elasticity for procedures such as surgical decision making and treatment planning.

The Patient's perspective on radiation therapy for anal cancer: Evaluation of expectations and stigma.

BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding anal cancer patients' perspectives on undergoing radiation therapy. Additionally, the stigma surrounding anal cancer diagnosis warrants a better understanding of the barriers to complete disclosure in patient-healthcare team interactions. METHODS: Included patients had squamous cell carcinoma of the anus treated with definitive chemoradiation (CRT) from 2009 to 2018. Survey questions were adapted from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire and Discrimination and Stigma Scale. RESULTS: A total of 46 anal cancer patients who underwent CRT were surveyed, of which 72% responded. 73% of respondents indicated little to no pre-treatment knowledge of CRT. 70% reported overall short-term effects as worse than expected, most commonly with bowel habits (82%), energy (73%), and interest in sexual activity (64%). 39% reported overall long-term effects to be worse than expected, most commonly with changes to bowel habits (73%), sexual function (67%), and interest in sexual activity (58%). However, 94% agreed they were better off after treatment. Regarding stigma, a subset reported hiding their diagnosis (12%, 24%) and side effects (24%, 30%) from friends/family or work colleagues, respectively, and 15% indicating they stopped having close relationships due to concerns over stigma. CONCLUSIONS: Although patients' perceptions of the severity of short-term CRT side effects were worse than expectations, the vast majority agreed they were better off after treatment. Targeted counseling on common concerns may improve the anal cancer treatment experience. A notable subset reported stigma associated with treatment, warranting further evaluation to understand the impact on the patient experience.

Association of Parental Status and Gender With Burden of Multidisciplinary Tumor Boards Among Oncology Physicians.

Importance: Tumor boards are integral to the care of patients with cancer. However, data investigating the burden of tumor boards on physicians are limited. Objective: To investigate what physician-related and tumor board-related factors are associated with higher tumor board burden among oncology physicians. Design, Setting, and Participants: Tumor board burden was assessed by a cross-sectional convenience survey posted on social media and by email to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center cancer physicians between March 3 and April 3, 2022. Tumor board start times were independently collected by email from 22 top cancer centers. Main Outcomes and Measures: Tumor board burden was measured on a 4-point scale (1, not at all burdensome; 2, slightly burdensome; 3, moderately burdensome; and 4, very burdensome). Univariable and multivariable probabilistic index (PI) models were performed. Results: Surveys were completed by 111 physicians (median age, 42 years [IQR, 36-50 years]; 58 women [52.3%]; 60 non-Hispanic White [54.1%]). On multivariable analysis, factors associated with higher probability of tumor board burden included radiology or pathology specialty (PI, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54-0.79; P = .02), attending 3 or more hours per week of tumor boards (PI, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.58-0.76; P < .001), and having 2 or more children (PI, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.52-0.77; P = .03). Early or late tumor boards (before 8 am or at 5 pm or after) were considered very burdensome by 33 respondents (29.7%). Parents frequently reported a negative burden on childcare (43 of 77 [55.8%]) and family dynamics (49 of 77 [63.6%]). On multivariable analysis, a higher level of burden from early or late tumor boards was independently associated with identifying as a woman (PI, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.57-0.78; P = .003) and having children (PI, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.62-0.84; P < .001). Independent assessment of 358 tumor boards from 22 institutions revealed the most common start time was before 8 am (88 [24.6%]). Conclusions and Relevance: This survey study of tumor board burden suggests that identifying as a woman or parent was independently associated with a higher level of burden from early or late tumor boards. The burden of early or late tumor boards on childcare and family dynamics was commonly reported by parents. Having 2 or more children, attending 3 or more hours per week of tumor boards, and radiology or pathology specialty were associated with a significantly higher tumor board burden overall. Future strategies should aim to decrease the disparate burden on parents and women.

The patient's perspective on radiation for rectal cancer: Initial expectations versus actual experience.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare patient perceptions of radiotherapy (RT) before and after treatment to better inform future patients and providers. METHODS: Seventy-eight consecutive patients with rectal adenocarcinoma treated with neo- or adjuvant chemoradiation, surgical resection, and adjuvant chemotherapy from 2009 to 2018 and who were without recurrence were included. Patients were surveyed ≥6 months after ileostomy reversal or ≥3 months after adjuvant chemotherapy. The survey assessed patients' baseline knowledge and fears of RT, how their short- and long-term side effects compared with initial expectations, and how their experiences compared for each modality (RT, surgery, and chemotherapy). RESULTS: Forty patient-responses were received. Before treatment, 70% of patients indicated little to no knowledge of RT, though 43% reported hearing frightening stories about RT. The most commonly top-ranked fears included organ damage (26%), skin burns (14%), and inability to carry out normal daily activities (10%). Eighty percent reported short-term effects of RT to be less than or as expected, with urinary changes (93%), abdominal discomfort (90%), and anxiety (88%) most commonly rated as less than or as expected. 85% reported long-term effects to be less than or as expected, with pain (95%), changes to the appearance of the treated area (85%), and dissatisfaction with body image (80%) most commonly rated as less than or as expected. Surgery was most commonly rated as the most difficult treatment (50%) and most responsible for long-term effects (55%). RT was least commonly rated as the most difficult treatment (13%), and chemotherapy was least commonly rated as most responsible for long-term effects (13%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients indicated short- and long-term side effects of RT for rectal cancer to be better than initial expectations. In the context of trimodality therapy, patients reported RT to be the least difficult of the treatments.

Assessing utilities for muscle-invasive bladder cancer-related health states.

OBJECTIVES: How patients value functional outcomes against oncologic outcomes during decision-making for muscular-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) remains unclear. We sought to quantify individuals' preferences on a scale of 0 to 1, where 1 represents perfect health and 0 represents death. METHODS: Descriptions of 6 hypothetical health states were developed. These included: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy with ileal conduit (IC) or with neobladder reconstruction (NB), Transurethral resection and chemotherapy/radiation (CRT), CRT requiring salvage cystectomy (SC), Recurrent/metastatic bladder cancer after local therapy (RMBC), and Metastatic bladder cancer (MBC). Descriptions consisted of diagnosis, treatments, adverse effects, follow-up protocol, and prognosis and were reviewed for accuracy by expert panel. Included individuals were asked to evaluate states using the visual analog scale (VAS) and standard gamble (SG) methods. RESULTS: Fifty-four individuals were included for analysis. No score differences were observed between IC, NB, and CRT on VAS or SG. On VAS, SC (value = 0.429) was rated as significantly worse (P < 0.001) than NB (value = 0.582) and CRT (value = 0.565). However, this was not the case using the SG method. Both RMBC (VAS value = 0.178, SG value = 0.631) and MBC (VAS value = 0.169, SG value = 0.327) rated as significantly worse (P < 0.001) than the other states using both VAS and SG. CONCLUSIONS: Within this sample of the general population, preferences for local treatments including IC, NB, and CRT were not found to be significantly different. These values can be used to calculate quality-adjusted life expectancy in future cost-effectiveness analyses.

Web-Based Symptom Monitoring With Patient-Reported Outcomes During Definitive Radiation Therapy With Chemotherapy (SYMPATHY): A Prospective Single-Center Phase 1 Study.

Purpose: We evaluated the feasibility of patient symptom self-reporting using a web-based interface (WBI), with automated message alerts for severe and/or worsening symptoms, in patients undergoing definitive chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Methods and Materials: Patients receiving definitive CRT for gastrointestinal, lung, and head and neck cancers with access to a computer and/or mobile device were eligible. Symptom self-reporting was conducted via a WBI through surveys adapted from the patient-reported outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events: 2 per week during CRT and 1 per week for 3 months after CRT. Nurses were alerted whenever a patient's symptom worsened by ≥2 points or reached a score of ≥3. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) surveys were conducted at baseline, end of CRT, and 3 months after CRT. Patients also completed exit surveys 3 months after CRT. Results: Nineteen patients were enrolled with a median of 30 fractions (range, 28-33). The median survey completion rate was 26% (range, 0%-100%) during CRT and 33% (range, 0%-100%) during the first 3 months after CRT. Five (26%) had acute hospital encounters during CRT or within 3 months of CRT completion. Two patients (11%) experienced CRT treatment interruptions. During CRT, 70 of 81 surveys (86%) were flagged and 61 of 70 (87%) were acted upon by a nurse or physician within 4 days; during the first 3 months after CRT, 47 of 85 (55%) were flagged and 28 of 47 (60%) were acted upon within 7 days. Ninety-two percent of patients found it always easy to access the survey while 58% found the surveys too long or too frequent. None of the PROMIS domains had statistically significant changes during any time points. Conclusions: Symptom self-reporting via a WBI is feasible during definitive chemoradiation with high patient satisfaction. Survey fatigue is common and may be mitigated by improving the WBI to make it more patient-centered and allowing patients to choose which symptoms to report.

Assessment of Differences in Academic Rank and Compensation by Gender and Race/Ethnicity Among Academic Radiation Oncologists in the United States.

Purpose: Advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the physician workforce is essential to providing high-quality and culturally responsive patient care and has been shown to improve patient outcomes. To better characterize equity in the field of radiation oncology, we sought to describe the current academic radiation oncology workforce, including any contemporary differences in compensation and rank by gender and race/ethnicity. Methods and Materials: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiation Oncology Programs (SCAROP) 2018 Financial Survey. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with associate or full professor rank. Compensation was compared by gender and race/ethnicity overall and stratified by rank and was further analyzed using multivariable linear regression models. Results: Of the 858 academic radiation oncologists from 63 departments in the United States in the sample, 33.2% were female, 65.2% were White, 27.2% were Asian, and 7.6% were underrepresented in medicine (URiM). There were 44.0% assistant professors, 32.0% associate professors, and 22.8% full professors. Multivariable logistic regression analysis for factors associated with associate or full professor rank did not reveal statistically significant associations between gender or race/ethnicity with academic rank (odds ratio [OR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-1.32; P = .48 for gender; OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.5-1.30; P = .37 for Asian vs White; and OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.31-1.55; P = .37 for URiM vs White), but CIs were wide due to sample size, and point estimates were <1. Similarly, multivariable linear regression analysis modeling the log relative total compensation did not detect statistically significant differences between radiation oncologists by gender (-1.7%; 95% CI, -6.8% to 3.4%; P = .51 for female vs male) or race/ethnicity (-1.6%; 95% CI, -7.3% to 4.0%; P = .57 for Asian vs White and -3.0%; 95% CI, -12.1% to 6.0%; P = .51 for URiM vs White). Conclusions: The low numbers of women and faculty with URiM race/ethnicity in this radiation oncology faculty sample limits the ability to compare career trajectory and compensation by those characteristics. Given that point estimates were <1, our findings do not contradict larger multispecialty studies that suggest an ongoing need to monitor equity.

A Multi-Institutional Phase 2 Trial of Ablative 5-Fraction Stereotactic Magnetic Resonance-Guided On-Table Adaptive Radiation Therapy for Borderline Resectable and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer.

PURPOSE: Magnetic resonance (MR) image guidance may facilitate safe ultrahypofractionated radiation dose escalation for inoperable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. We conducted a prospective study evaluating the safety of 5-fraction Stereotactic MR-guided on-table Adaptive Radiation Therapy (SMART) for locally advanced (LAPC) and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients with LAPC or BRPC were eligible for this multi-institutional, single-arm, phase 2 trial after ≥3 months of systemic therapy without evidence of distant progression. Fifty gray in 5 fractions was prescribed on a 0.35T MR-guided radiation delivery system. The primary endpoint was acute grade ≥3 gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity definitely attributed to SMART. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-six patients (LAPC 56.6%, BRPC 43.4%) were enrolled between January 2019 and January 2022. Mean age was 65.7 (36-85) years. Head of pancreas lesions were most common (66.9%). Induction chemotherapy mostly consisted of (modified)FOLFIRINOX (65.4%) or gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (16.9%). Mean CA19-9 after induction chemotherapy and before SMART was 71.7 U/mL (0-468). On-table adaptive replanning was performed for 93.1% of all delivered fractions. Median follow-up from diagnosis and SMART was 16.4 and 8.8 months, respectively. The incidence of acute grade ≥3 GI toxicity possibly or probably attributed to SMART was 8.8%, including 2 postoperative deaths that were possibly related to SMART in patients who had surgery. There was no acute grade ≥3 GI toxicity definitely related to SMART. One-year overall survival from SMART was 65.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The primary endpoint of this study was met with no acute grade ≥3 GI toxicity definitely attributed to ablative 5-fraction SMART. Although it is unclear whether SMART contributed to postoperative toxicity, we recommend caution when pursuing surgery, especially with vascular resection after SMART. Additional follow-up is ongoing to evaluate late toxicity, quality of life, and long-term efficacy.