Risk perceptions and health care use in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic in adults treated for childhood cancer.

PURPOSE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, childhood cancer survivors (CCS) may have felt more at risk of having severe consequences of COVID-19 and therefore may have been more likely to defer their health care use. We aimed to assess the risk perceptions of CCS related to COVID-19 (perceived infection risk, perceived risk of experiencing a severe illness in the event of infection), and their forgoing of health care during the year 2020. METHODS: In December 2020, we interviewed through an online self-report questionnaire 580 5-year CCS participating in the French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (FCCSS) cohort. Combining clinical and patient-reported outcomes, we studied predictors of perceived risks related to COVID-19 and forgoing health care. RESULTS: Overall, 60% of respondents stated that COVID-19 could have severe consequences for their health if infected. Survivors with a cardiovascular disease and those who felt more at risk of being infected were more likely to think that COVID-19 could have severe health consequences for them. Moreover, 30% of respondents seeking care declared they had forgone at least one medical appointment in 2020. Forgoing medical appointments was more common among CCS who reported a deterioration in their financial situation in 2020 and those who felt more at risk of being infected. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that a considerable proportion of survivors had forgone medical appointments because of the pandemic; forgoing care was more frequent among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged survivors. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: This study presents data hitherto absent in the literature and suggests the need to develop telehealth to ensure appropriate long-term follow-up of CCS.

Access to inpatient palliative care among cancer patients in France: an analysis based on the national cancer cohort.

BACKGROUND: Closely linked to the concept of supportive care, the integrated model of palliative care (PC) implies identifying, assessing and treating physical and psychological suffering as early as needed, irrespective of patient characteristics. In France, as in the most southern European countries, little is known about the proportion of cancer patients who have access to PC. Accordingly, we aimed in this study to estimate the proportion of cancer patients in France who have access to inpatient PC, and to explore associated factors. We carried out a nationwide retrospective cohort study using data from the French national health system database (SNDS) for all individuals diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and followed between 2013 and 2016. We compared patients who had inpatient PC with those who did not. RESULTS: Of the 313,059 cancer patients included in the national French cancer cohort in 2013, 53,437 (17%) accessed inpatient PC at least once between 2013 and 2016, ranging from 2% in survivors to 56% in the deceased population. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that women and younger patients (18-49 years old) were less likely to access inpatient PC while patients with a greater number of comorbidities, metastatic cancer, or cancer of the nervous system, were more likely to have done so. CONCLUSIONS: A negligible proportion of cancer survivors accessed inpatient PC. More research and training are needed to convince healthcare providers, patients, and families about the substantial benefits of PC, and to promote better integration of PC and oncology.

The Psychological Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Adults Treated for Childhood Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Compared with the general population, childhood cancer survivors (CCS) could be at greater risk of psychological distress following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study assessed the psychological consequences of COVID-19 on the mental health of CCS. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: In December 2020, we interviewed through an online self-report questionnaire, 580 5-year CCS participating in the French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (FCCSS) cohort. METHODS: We first compared the mental health score of CCS with that observed in the French general population of the same age and gender. Subsequently, we studied predictors of the mental health score of CCS. RESULTS: External comparisons revealed that the mental health score of CCS was similar to that of the general population. Among CCS, almost 42% stated that their psychological state had been worse during the lockdown. Predictors of poorer mental health included, among others, female gender, reporting a change in the occupational situation, having a relative who had been hospitalized or had died following COVID-19, and a greater perceived infection risk. INTERPRETATION AND IMPLICATIONS: Given the pre-existing vulnerability of some CCS to mental distress, the additional psychological consequences of COVID-19 in vulnerable survivors should receive attention from health care providers.

Underprescription of Step III Opioids in French Cancer Survivors With Chronic Pain: A Call for Integrated Early Palliative Care in Oncology.

CONTEXT: Chronic pain (CP) is a major concern in cancer survivors. Often under-reported by patients, it is both underassessed and undertreated by care providers. OBJECTIVES: To assess CP prevalence and related treatment in cancer survivors five years after diagnosis and to identify factors associated with prescribing opioids among survivors with CP, focusing on access to palliative care (PC). METHODS: In 2015-2016, we interviewed 4174 French patients diagnosed with cancer five years previously. Combining patient-reported and clinical-reported outcomes together with medicoadministrative data, we studied factors associated with Step II and Step III opioid prescriptions in cancer survivors with CP. We performed multinomial logistic regression adjusting for various covariates, including self-reported health status variables and inpatient PC. RESULTS: Five years after cancer diagnosis, 63.5% of the respondents reported current CP (i.e., pain lasting three months or more). Of these, 64.6% and 14.4% were prescribed at least one Step II or Step III opioid, respectively. Only 1.9% had had inpatient PC since diagnosis. After adjustment for age, gender, clinical and self-reported variables, we found that the latter were more likely to receive Step III opioids (adjusted relative risk ratio 5.33; 95% CI 1.15, 24.58). CONCLUSION: This study showed a high prevalence of CP five years after cancer diagnosis. Step III opioids were underprescribed but positively associated with inpatient PC. PC access in France remains limited, especially among cancer survivors. Integrating PC in oncology is essential to provide the best cancer-related symptoms management.

Intensity of care for cancer patients treated mainly at home during the month before their death: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding healthcare for cancer patients treated mainly at home during the month before they die. The aim of this study was to provide information on how they were treated and what were their causes of death. METHODS: This population-based observational study analysing information obtained from the French national healthcare data system (SNDS) included adult health insurance beneficiaries treated for cancer who died in 2015 after having spent at least 25 of their last 30 days at home. RESULTS: Among the cancer patients who died in 2015, 25,463 (20%) were included [mean age (±SD) 74±13.2 years, men 62%]; 54% of them died at home. They were slightly older (75 vs. 73 years) than those who died in hospital, had less frequently received hospital palliative care during the year preceding their deaths (19% vs. 41%) and had less often used medical transport (41% vs. 73%) to an emergency department (8% vs. 62%), to hospital-based (11% vs. 17%) or community-based (16% vs. 12%) chemotherapy, to a general practitioner (73% vs. 78%) or to a community-based nursing service (63% vs. 73%). However, when they consulted a general practitioner (median 3 visits vs. 2) or a nurse (median 22 nursing procedures vs. 10) during their last month of life, visits were more frequent. The leading cause of death was tumour, which represented 69% of deaths at home vs. 74% of deaths in hospital. CONCLUSIONS: In France, home management during the last month of life is uncommon and even when it is occurs, in one out of two cases patients pass away in a hospital setting. This study is an interrogation on medical choices, given the wish of many of the French to die at home and placing their choices in an international perspective.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Lopinavir/Ritonavir Monotherapy Versus Standard Combination Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-1 Infected Patients with Viral Suppression in France (ANRS 140 DREAM).

BACKGROUND: Protease inhibitor monotherapy is a simplified treatment strategy for virally suppressed HIV-positive patients that has the potential for cost savings, as fewer drugs are used than with combination therapy. However, evidence for its economic value is limited. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the cost-effectiveness of lopinavir/ritonavir monotherapy followed by treatment intensification in case of viral load rebound versus combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) with efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir in HIV-1 infected patients with viral suppression in the ANRS 140 DREAM trial. METHODS: DREAM was conducted in 36 French Hospitals between 2009 and 2013. For each treatment strategy, we estimated the unadjusted and multivariate-adjusted mean costs (in €, year 2010 values) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) per patient, as well as incremental costs and QALYs per patient. We then assessed uncertainty using the cost-effectiveness acceptability curve, scenario analyses and cost-effectiveness price-threshold (CEPT) analysis. RESULTS: In the base-case analysis considering 2009-2013 antiretroviral drug (ARV) prices, adjusted incremental costs and QALYs were - €3296 (95% confidence interval [CI] - 5202 to - 1391) and 0.006 (95% CI - 0.021 to 0.033), respectively, over 2 years, suggesting that monotherapy was cost-effective with a probability of 100% at various cost-effectiveness thresholds. In scenario analyses considering 2018 ARV prices, monotherapy remained cost-effective but with a lower probability (94% vs. 100% in the base-case analysis). The current price of cART would have to decrease by 34% to be cost-effective with a probability of 95%. CONCLUSION: Monotherapy appears to be cost-effective compared with cART for virologically suppressed HIV-positive patients in France. CEPT analysis is a useful tool to identify the preferred strategy to adopt given that ARV prices change rapidly. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00946595.

Access to palliative care for cancer patients between diagnosis and death: a national cohort study.

Background and purpose: Introducing palliative care earlier in the disease trajectory has been found to provide better management of physical and psychological suffering. In France, the proportion of cancer patients who receive palliative care is unclear. This study aimed primarily to measure the prevalence of access to inpatient palliative care and associated patient-level factors, and to identify the time between access to palliative care and death. Patients and methods: A nationwide retrospective cohort study using data from the French national health system database (SNDS). All those diagnosed with cancer in 2013 who died between 2013 and 2015 were included. Access to inpatient palliative care was the main outcome. Results: Of the 313,059 patients diagnosed with cancer in 2013 in France, 72,315 (23%) died between 2013 and 2015. Overall, 57% had access to inpatient palliative care. The following groups were the most likely to have access to palliative care: women (adjusted odds ratio, aOR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.11-1.20), people aged 18-49 (aOR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.26-1.51), individuals with metastatic cancer (aOR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.96-2.13), and patients with cancer of the nervous system (aOR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.62-2.01). The median time between palliative care and death was 29 (interquartile range: 13-67) days. Conclusion: More than half of cancer patients who died within 2 years after diagnosis had access to inpatient palliative care. Access to palliative care occurs late in the disease trajectory, often during the final month of life. Further research and guidelines are warranted to optimize access to early, standardized palliative care.

Opioid analgesics prescription in people with and without cancer in France.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: According to World Health Organization recommendations, opioids prescription is a key aspect of improvement in cancer pain relief. However, studies on opioids prescription in France are scarce. This study aimed principally to investigate the impact of cancer on opioids prescription and then to identify factors associated with this prescription, focusing on patients& characteristics impact. METHODS: We matched the following two cohorts: cancer survivors (N = 6,760) and individuals without cancer (N = 6,760). Using French health insurance databases, we compared the prevalence of prescribed opioids in 2009-2015 in people with and without cancer and we applied afterwards conditional Poisson regressions to estimate relative risks for monthly opioids prescription. For cancer survivors only (N = 3,055), multivariate negative binomial regressions were performed to identify factors associated with opioids prescription. RESULTS: Cancer was associated with a higher analgesics prescription in the cancer population. While Step II and III opioids prescription decreased over time, the latter remained marginal and tended to stabilize. Older people were most adversely affected by underprescription of opioids, especially Step III opioids. Furthermore, although the matched case/control study suggested that men were prescribed opioids more often than women, multivariate analysis did not support this finding. CONCLUSION: The inconsistency between our findings and existing literature regarding both opioids prescription trends and postdiagnosis pain chronicity in cancer survivors over the medium term suggests possible changes in pain perception and the evolution of cancer pain management strategies. Further research should explore these hypotheses and investigate patient characteristics& effect in cancer pain management.

Opioid Analgesics Prescription to End-of-Life Cancer Patients: Characteristics, Attitudes, and Practices of French General Practitioners.

Background: Pain management, especially at the end of life, varies depending on the prescriber's characteristics and attitudes. Little is known about the practices of general practitioners (GPs) regarding end-of-life management for patients with cancer. Objectives: To provide an overview of the characteristics associated with GPs' attitudes and practices regarding opioids prescribing and to explore GPs' perceived role and difficulties in managing end-of-life care for patients with cancer. Design: A cross-sectional study (December 2015 to March 2016). Subjects and Analyses: Data were collected from a representative sample of 376 GPs in southeastern France recruited to participate in a survey on medical practices and opinions regarding cancer patient management. Descriptive analyses and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to study the characteristics, attitudes, and practices associated with GPs' opioids prescribing attitudes. Results: Almost 97% of GPs stated that they prescribe opioids to end-of-life cancer patients. Among these, 77% said that they prescribe opioids on their own initiative, while 23% declared doing so in coordination with a specialist team. Female GPs, GPs working in solo practices, and GPs reporting more difficulties in managing end-of-life cancer patients were significantly less likely to prescribe opioids on their own initiative. Conclusion: Our results suggest that GPs' characteristics and practices influence the prescribing attitudes at the end of life. Given the dearth of studies on this topic, further research is recommended to better understand the impact of GPs' characteristics on their prescriptive attitudes. The possible interactions between patients' and physicians' characteristics-in particular gender-should also be investigated.