Predicting serious complications in patients with cancer and pulmonary embolism using decision tree modelling: the EPIPHANY Index.

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to develop a prognostic stratification tool that enables patients with cancer and pulmonary embolism (PE), whether incidental or symptomatic, to be classified according to the risk of serious complications within 15 days. METHODS: The sample comprised cases from a national registry of pulmonary thromboembolism in patients with cancer (1075 patients from 14 Spanish centres). Diagnosis was incidental in 53.5% of the events in this registry. The Exhaustive CHAID analysis was applied with 10-fold cross-validation to predict development of serious complications following PE diagnosis. RESULTS: About 208 patients (19.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI), 17.1-21.8%) developed a serious complication after PE diagnosis. The 15-day mortality rate was 10.1%, (95% CI, 8.4-12.1%). The decision tree detected six explanatory covariates: Hestia-like clinical decision rule (any risk criterion present vs none), Eastern Cooperative Group performance scale (ECOG-PS; <2 vs ⩾2), O2 saturation (<90 vs ⩾90%), presence of PE-specific symptoms, tumour response (progression, unknown, or not evaluated vs others), and primary tumour resection. Three risk classes were created (low, intermediate, and high risk). The risk of serious complications within 15 days increases according to the group: 1.6, 9.4, 30.6%; P<0.0001. Fifteen-day mortality rates also rise progressively in low-, intermediate-, and high-risk patients: 0.3, 6.1, and 17.1%; P<0.0001. The cross-validated risk estimate is 0.191 (s.e.=0.012). The optimism-corrected area under the receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.779 (95% CI, 0.717-0.840). CONCLUSIONS: We have developed and internally validated a prognostic index to predict serious complications with the potential to impact decision-making in patients with cancer and PE.

Determinants of mortality in cancer patients with unscheduled admission to the Intensive Care Unit: A prospective multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze clinical features associated to mortality in oncological patients with unplanned admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and to determine whether such risk factors differ between patients with solid tumors and those with hematological malignancies. DESIGN: An observational study was carried out. SETTING: A total of 123 Intensive Care Units across Spain. PATIENTS: All cancer patients with unscheduled admission due to acute illness related to the background oncological disease. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN VARIABLES: Demographic parameters, severity scores and clinical condition were assessed, and mortality was analyzed. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 482 patients were included: solid cancer (n=311) and hematological malignancy (n=171). Multivariate regression analysis showed the factors independently associated to ICU mortality to be the APACHE II score (OR 1.102; 95% CI 1.064-1.143), medical admission (OR 3.587; 95% CI 1.327-9.701), lung cancer (OR 2.98; 95% CI 1.48-5.99) and mechanical ventilation after the first 24h of ICU stay (OR 2.27; 95% CI 1.09-4.73), whereas no need for mechanical ventilation was identified as a protective factor (OR 0.15; 95% CI 0.09-0.28). In solid cancer patients, the APACHE II score, medical admission, antibiotics in the previous 48h and lung cancer were identified as independent mortality indicators, while no need for mechanical ventilation was identified as a protective factor. In the multivariate analysis, the APACHE II score and mechanical ventilation after 24h of ICU stay were independently associated to mortality in hematological cancer patients, while no need for mechanical ventilation was identified as a protective factor. Neutropenia was not identified as an independent mortality predictor in either the total cohort or in the two subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors associated to mortality did not differ significantly between patients with solid cancers and those with hematological malignancies. Delayed intubation in patients requiring mechanical ventilation might be associated to ICU mortality.

Coping strategies and depressive symptoms in cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: Depression in cancer patients is prevalent and negatively impacts their quality of life. Likewise, it correlates with lower overall survival. The aim of this work is to analyze whether different coping strategies, as well as sociodemographic and clinical factors are associated with the presence of depressive symptoms in individuals with a resected, non-metastatic neoplasm about to initiate adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: NEOcoping is a cross-sectional, prospective, observational, multicenter study. Clinical (tumor site and stage, time to diagnosis, risk of recurrence, and type of adjuvant treatment) and sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status, educational level, occupational sector, and employment status), coping strategies (Mini-MAC scale), and depressive symptoms (BSI scale) were collected. A two-block linear regression model was performed to determine the predictive variables of depressive symptoms. RESULTS: 524 adults with resected, non-metastatic cancer were recruited. Twenty-six percent of patients have clinically significant depressive symptoms. Being female, < 40 years of age, having breast and stomach cancer, and > 50% chance of recurrence were associated with increased risk of depression. Likewise, depression was associated with greater helplessness and anxious preoccupation, and less fighting spirit. Age, gender, and risk of recurrence accounted for only 7% of the variance in depressive symptoms. Including coping strategies in the regression analysis significantly increased the variance explained (48.5%). CONCLUSION: Early psychological intervention in patients with maladaptive coping strategies may modulate the onset of depressive symptoms, especially in those at higher risk for depression.

SEOM clinical guideline for treatment of kidney cancer (2019).

In this article, we review de state of the art on the management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and provide recommendations on diagnosis and treatment. Recent advances in molecular biology have allowed the subclassification of renal tumours into different histologic variants and may help to identify future prognostic and predictive factors. For patients with localized disease, surgery is the treatment of choice with nephron-sparing surgery recommended when feasible. No adjuvant therapy has demonstrated a clear benefit in overall survival. Considering the whole population of patients with advanced disease, the combination of axitinib with either pembrolizumab or avelumab increase response rate and progression-free survival, compared to sunitinib, but a longer overall survival has only been demonstrated so far with the pembrolizumab combo. For patients with IMDC intermediate and poor prognosis, nephrectomy should not be considered mandatory. In this subpopulation, the combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab has also demonstrated a superior response rate and overall survival vs. sunitinib. In patients progressing to one or two antiangiogenic tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, both nivolumab and cabozantinib in monotherapy have shown benefit in overall survival compared to everolimus. Although no clear sequence can be recommended, medical oncologists and patients should be aware of the recent advances and new strategies that improve survival and quality of life in patients with metastatic RCC.

Clinical Management of Cutaneous Adverse Events in Patients on Chemotherapy: A National Consensus Statement by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology. / Manejo clínico de los eventos adversos cutáneos en pacientes tratados con quimioterapia: consenso nacional de la Academia Española de Dermatología y Venereología y de la Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica.

Although the arrival of new chemotherapy drugs and combinations has brought progress in terms of cancer patient survival, they entail many adverse effects that can compromise treatment, and hence prognosis, of the disease. Cytostatic agents can cause dermatological toxicity, among other side effects. The most familiar adverse effect of chemotherapy is alopecia. Although not serious, this changes the outward appearance of cancer patients. Other adverse effects include hypersensitivity and photosensitivity reactions, hand-foot syndrome, epidermal necrolysis, recall reactions, scleroderma-like reactions, Raynaud's phenomenon, eccrine squamous syringometaplasia, neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis, nail abnormalities, pigmentation changes and extravasation injuries. Onset of these adverse effects often causes dose reduction and/or delayed treatment, which can affect patient survival and quality of life. It is therefore important to prevent their occurrence and treat them promptly, which requires cooperation between medical oncologists and dermatologists. This article reviews chemotherapy-associated dermatological toxicity, along with its diagnosis and therapeutic management.

Clinical management of cutaneous adverse events in patients on targeted anticancer therapies and immunotherapies: a national consensus statement by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology.

Progress in the understanding of many tumors has enabled the development of new therapies, such as those targeted at specific molecules involved in cell growth (targeted therapies) or intended to modulate the immune system (immunotherapy). However, along with the clinical benefit provided by these new treatments, new adverse effects have also appeared. Dermatological toxicities such as papulopustular eruptions, xerosis, and pruritus are common with EGFR inhibitors. Other adverse effects have also been described with PDGFR, BCR-ABL, and MAPK tyrosine kinase inhibitors, antiangiogenic drugs, and inhibitors at immune checkpoints such as CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1. Onset of these adverse effects often causes dose reductions and/or delays in administering the prescribed therapy, which can affect patient survival and quality of life. It is, therefore, important to prevent the occurrence of these adverse effects, or to treat unavoidable ones as soon as possible. This requires cooperation between medical oncologists and dermatologists. This article reviews the various dermatological toxicities associated with targeted therapies and immunotherapies, along with their diagnosis and therapeutic management.

Risk of malnutrition and emotional distress as factors affecting health-related quality of life in patients with resected cancer.

INTRODUCTION: This study analyzes the prevalence of malnutrition, depression, anxiety, and somatization and which factor has the biggest effect on quality of life (QoL) in individuals with resected cancer. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted among 747 participants. Participants completed the EORTC-QLQ30, MST, and BSI-18 questionnaires. RESULTS: Prevalence for risk of malnutrition, depression, anxiety, and somatization were 36.4%, 35.5%, 35.2%, and 48.8%, respectively. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that malnutrition risk, somatization, depression, and anxiety accounted for 50.8% of the variance in functional scale, 45.3% in symptom scale, and 52.2% in global health. Malnutrition, somatization, depression, and anxiety displayed high explanatory power on all health-related QoL (HRQoL) scales. CONCLUSION: The risk of malnutrition and psychological symptoms is strongly associated with HRQoL in cancer patients; thus, medical oncologists should develop effective interventions that contribute to lowering the risk of malnutrition and psychological distress, thereby improving subjects' HRQoL before initiating adjuvant chemotherapy.

SEOM clinical guidelines to primary prevention of cancer (2018).

Cancer is the leading social and healthcare problem of the twenty-first century. The aim of primary prevention is to decrease the incidence of cancer by avoiding the known causes and risk factors. Nevertheless, it has been estimated that cancer diagnoses could be halved through primary prevention measures. A comprehensive review of the scientific evidence regarding the main carcinogens and risk factors and primary prevention recommendations have been put forth based on this evidence. The GRADE scale has been used to classify the grade of evidence. We present the scientific evidence and recommendations for primary prevention of the major modifiable risk factors: smoking, alcohol, diet, obesity, physical activity, occupational and environmental factors, ultraviolet radiation, infections, and socioeconomic factors. Primary prevention is a simple, effective means to lower the incidence of cancer. Preventive measures must be circulated in the fight against cancer.

SEOM clinical guidelines on cardiovascular toxicity (2018).

One of the most common side effects of cancer treatment is cardiovascular disease, which substantially impacts long-term survivor's prognosis. Cardiotoxicity can be related with either a direct side effect of antitumor therapies or an accelerated development of cardiovascular diseases in the presence of preexisting risk factors. Even though it is widely recognized as an alarming clinical problem, scientific evidence is scarce in the management of these complications in cancer patients. Consequently, current recommendations are based on expert consensus. This Guideline represents SEOM's ongoing commitment to progressing and improving supportive care for cancer patients.

Intensive care in cancer patients in the age of immunotherapy and molecular therapies: Commitment of the SEOM-SEMICYUC.

Cancer patients are a vulnerable group exposed to numerous and serious risks beyond cancer itself. In recent years, the prognosis of these individuals has improved substantially thanks to several advances such as immunotherapy, targeted molecular therapies, surgical techniques, or developments in support treatment. This coincides with the prolonged survival of oncological patients admitted to the ICU due to critical complications, and under the supervision of intensivists. The time has therefore come to revisit the intensive care support of these patients, which poses new professional as well as organizational challenges. An agreement was signed in 2017 between the SEOM and SEMICYUC with the aim of improving the quality of care of cancer patients with critical complications. The initiative seeks to aid in decision-making, standardize criteria, decrease subjectivity, generate channels of communication, and delve deeper into the ethical and scientific aspects of these situations. This document sets forth the most important reasons that have led us to undertake this initiative.

The relationship between physician and cancer patient when initiating adjuvant treatment and its association with sociodemographic and clinical variables.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze differences in physician and patient satisfaction in shared decision-making (SDM); patients' emotional distress, and coping in subjects with resected, non-metastatic cancer. METHODS: 602 patients from 14 hospitals in Spain were surveyed. Information was collected regarding physician and patient satisfaction with SDM, participants' emotional distress and coping, as well as patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics by means of specific, validated questionnaires. RESULTS: Overall, 11% of physicians and 19% of patients were dissatisfied with SDM; 22% of patients presented hopelessness or anxious preoccupation as coping strategies, and 56% presented emotional distress. By gender, female patients showed a higher prevalence of dissatisfaction with SDM (23 vs 14%), anxious preoccupation (26 vs 17%), and emotional distress (63 vs 44%) than males. Hopelessness was more prevalent in individuals with stage III disease than those with stages I-II (28 vs 18%). CONCLUSION: Physicians must be mindful of the importance of emotional support and individual characteristics when communicating treatment options, benefits, and adverse effects of each alternative to oncological patients.

Prospective analysis of psychological differences between adult and elderly cancer patients during postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: Despite the burgeoning geriatric population with cancer and the importance of understanding how age may be related to mental adjustment and quality of life so far, differences in coping strategies and psychological harm between the elderly and adults are hardly being taken into account to modify the approach to this population. The aim of this prospective study is to describe the differences in psychological characteristics between older and adult cancer patients and examine dissimilarities in their psychological evolution during adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: Adults (18-69 years old) and older patients (≥ 70) with newly diagnosed non-metastatic resected cancer admitted to receive adjuvant chemotherapy were recruited. Patients completed the following questionnaires: mini-mental adjustment to cancer, brief symptom inventory, shared decision-making questionnaire-patient's version, multidimensional scale of perceived social support, EORTC quality-of-life instrument, life orientation test-revised, and satisfaction with life scale. RESULTS: 500 cancer patients (394 adults and 106 older) were evaluated. The impact of the diagnosis was less negative among older patients, with no differences in coping strategies, quality of life, or search for support. Regarding psychological changes from the beginning to the end of the adjuvant treatment, both age groups reported more somatic symptoms, increased psychological difficulty, reduced coping strategies, and a significant decrease in quality of life at the end of postoperative chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Although there were clear psychological differences between adults and senior cancer patients, their evolution during adjuvant chemotherapy was similar, with deterioration in quality of life and coping. This negative psychological impact of adjuvant chemotherapy should be taken into account when considering interventions.

The prognostic impact of additional intrathoracic findings in patients with cancer-related pulmonary embolism.

AIM: To assess the prevalence and prognostic significance of additional intrathoracic findings (AIFs) in patients with cancer and pulmonary embolism (PE). AIFs were considered alterations other than the characteristic ones intrinsic to PE or changes in cardiovascular morphology. METHODS: Subjects have been taken from a Spanish national multidisciplinary and multicenter study of PE and cancer who were treated between 2004 and 2015. The endpoint was the appearance of serious complications or death within 15 days. RESULTS: The registry contains 1024 eligible patients; 41% diagnosed by computed tomography pulmonary angiography versus 59% by non-angiographic CT. Serious complications occurred within 15 days in 18.9%, [95% confidence interval (CI), 16.6-21.4%] and 9.5% (95% CI 7.9-11.5%) died. At least one AIF was seen in 72.6%. The most common AIFs were as follows: pulmonary nodules (30.9%), pleural effusion (30.2%), tumor progression (28.3%), atelectasis (19.0%), pulmonary infarct (15.2%), emphysema (13.4%), pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis (4.5%), and pneumonia (6.1%). Patients with AIF exhibited a higher complication rate at 15 days: 21.9% versus 13.0%, odds ratio (OR) 1.8 (95% CI 1.2-2.8), P = 0.03, and 15-day mortality: 15.0% versus 7.3%, OR 1.9 (95% CI 1.1-3.2), P = 0.020. Patients with pneumonia, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema, pulmonary nodules, tumor progression, pulmonary fibrosis, and pleural effusion showed an excess of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Additional intrathoracic findings are highly prevalent and significantly impact prognosis in patients with PE and cancer, making them germane to the classification of this population.

Validation of SDM-Q-Doc Questionnaire to measure shared decision-making physician's perspective in oncology practice.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire-Physician version (SDM-Q-Doc) in a sample of medical oncologists who provide adjuvant treatment to patients with non-metastatic resected cancer and the correlations between the total SDM-Q-Doc score and physician satisfaction with the information provided. METHODS: Prospective, observational and multicenter study in which 32 medical oncologists and 520 patients were recruited. The psychometric properties, dimensionality, and factor structure of the SDM-Q-Doc were assessed. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analyses suggested that the most likely solution was two-dimensional, with two correlated factors: one factor regarding information and another one about treatment. Confirmatory factor analysis based on cross-validation showed that the fitted two-dimensional solution provided the best fit to the data. Reliability analyses revealed good accuracy for the derived scores, both total and sub-scale, with estimates ranging from 0.81 to 0.89. The results revealed significant correlations between the total SDM-Q-Doc score and physician satisfaction with the information provided (p < 0.01); between information sub-scale scores (factor 1) and satisfaction (p < 0.01), and between treatment sub-scale scores (factor 2) and satisfaction (p < 0.01). Medical oncologists of older age and those with more years of experience showed more interest in the patient preferences (p = 0.026 and p = 0.020, respectively). Patient age negatively correlated with SDM information (p < 0.01) and physicians appear to provide more information to young patients. CONCLUSION: SDM-Q-Doc showed good psychometric properties and could be a helpful tool that examines physician's perspective of SDM and as an indicator of quality and satisfaction in patients with cancer.

Performance of the clinical index of stable febrile neutropenia (CISNE) in different types of infections and tumors.

PURPOSE: The clinical index of stable febrile neutropenia (CISNE) can contribute to patient safety without increasing the complexity of decision-making. However, febrile neutropenia (FN) is a diverse syndrome. The aim of this analysis is to assess the performance of CISNE according to the type of tumor and infection and to characterize these patients. METHODS: We prospectively recruited 1383 FN episodes in situations of apparent clinical stability. Bonferroni-adjusted z tests of proportions were used to assess the association between the infections suspected at the time of onset and the type of tumor with the risk of serious complications and mortality. The performance of CISNE was appraised in each category using the Breslow-Day test for homogeneity of odds ratios and Forest Plots. RESULTS: 171 patients had a serious complication (12.3 %, 95 % confidence interval 10.7-14.2 %). The most common initial assumptive diagnoses were: fever without focus (34.5 %), upper respiratory infection (14.9 %), enteritis (12.7 %), stomatitis (11.8 %), and acute bronchitis (10.7 %). Lung and breast were the most common tumors, accounting for approximately 56 % of the series. The distribution of complications, mortality, and bacteremia varies for each of these categories. However, Breslow-Day tests indicate homogeneity of the odds ratio of the dichotomized CISNE score to predict complications in all infection and tumor subtypes. CONCLUSION: Despite FN's clinical and microbiological heterogeneity, the CISNE score was seen to be consistent and robust in spite of these variations. Hence, it appears to be a safe tool in seemingly stable FN.

SEOM Clinical Guideline of fertility preservation and reproduction in cancer patients (2016).

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy often result in reduced fertility in cancer patients. With increasing survival rates, fertility is an important quality-of-life concern for many young cancer patients. Around 70-75% of young cancer survivors are interested in parenthood but the numbers of patients who access fertility preservation techniques prior to treatment are significantly lower. Moreover, despite existing guidelines, healthcare professionals do not address fertility preservation issues adequately. There is a critical need for improvements in clinical care to ensure patients are well informed about infertility risks and fertility preservation options and to support them in their reproductive decision-making prior to cancer treatment.

On the necessity of new decision-making methods for cancer-associated, symptomatic, pulmonary embolism.

BACKGROUND: Acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) varies in its clinical manifestations in patients with cancer and entails specific issues. The objective is to assess the performance of five scores (PESI, sPESI, GPS, POMPE, and RIETE) and a clinical decision rule to predict 30-day mortality. METHODS: This is an ambispective, observational, multicenter study that collected episodes of PE in patients with cancer from 13 Spanish centers. The main criterion for comparing scales was the c-indices and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the models for predicting 30-day mortality. RESULTS: 585 patients with acute symptomatic PE were recruited. The 30-day mortality rate was 21.3 (95% CI; 18.2-24.8%). The specific scales (POMPE-C and RIETE) were equally effective in discriminating prognosis (c-index of 0.775 and 0.757, respectively). None of these best performing scales was superior to the ECOG-PS with a c-index of 0.724. The remaining scores (PESI, sPESI, and GPS) performed worse, with c-indexes of 0.719, 0.705, and 0.722, respectively. The dichotomic "clinical decision rule" for ambulatory therapy was at least equally reliable in defining a low risk group: in the absence of all exclusion criteria, 30-day mortality was 2%, compared to 5% and 4% in the POMPE-C and RIETE low-risk categories, respectively. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of the five scales examined was not high enough to rely on to predict 30-day mortality and none of them contribute significantly to qualitative clinical judgment.

SEOM clinical guidelines on cardiovascular toxicity (2018)

One of the most common side effects of cancer treatment is cardiovascular disease, which substantially impacts long-term survivor's prognosis. Cardiotoxicity can be related with either a direct side effect of antitumor therapies or an accelerated development of cardiovascular diseases in the presence of preexisting risk factors. Even though it is widely recognized as an alarming clinical problem, scientific evidence is scarce in the management of these complications in cancer patients. Consequently, current recommendations are based on expert consensus. This Guideline represents SEOM's ongoing commitment to progressing and improving supportive care for cancer patients

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SEOM clinical guidelines to primary prevention of cancer (2018)

Cancer is the leading social and healthcare problem of the twenty-first century. The aim of primary prevention is to decrease the incidence of cancer by avoiding the known causes and risk factors. Nevertheless, it has been estimated that cancer diagnoses could be halved through primary prevention measures. A comprehensive review of the scientific evidence regarding the main carcinogens and risk factors and primary prevention recommendations have been put forth based on this evidence. The GRADE scale has been used to classify the grade of evidence. We present the scientific evidence and recommendations for primary prevention of the major modifiable risk factors: smoking, alcohol, diet, obesity, physical activity, occupational and environmental factors, ultraviolet radiation, infections, and socioeconomic factors. Primary prevention is a simple, effective means to lower the incidence of cancer. Preventive measures must be circulated in the fight against cancer

No disponible