The impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on marital outcomes and factors associated with divorce and separation.

Objective: To analyze marital outcomes, divorce or separation, and its association with demographic, socioeconomic, and clinicopathological factors among breast cancer (BC) survivors after 2-years of diagnosis. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of marital status at baseline and at years 1 and 2 of follow-up of women aged ≥ 18 years diagnosed with invasive BC participating in the AMAZONA III (GBECAM0115) study. The BC diagnosis occurred between January 2016 and March 2018 at 23 institutions in Brazil. Results: Of the 2974 women enrolled in AMAZONA III, 599 were married or living under common law at baseline. Divorce or separation occurred in 35 (5.8%) patients at 2 years of follow-up. In the multivariate analysis, public health insurance coverage was associated with a higher risk of marital status change (8.25% vs. 2.79%, RR 3.09, 95% CI 1.39 - 7.03, p = 0.007). Women who underwent mastectomy, adenomastectomy or skin-sparing mastectomy were associated with a higher risk of divorce or separation (8.1% vs. 4.49%, RR 1.97, 95 CI 1.04 - 3.72, p = 0.0366) than those who underwent breast-conserving surgery. Conclusion: Women covered by the public health system and those who underwent mastectomy, adenomastectomy or skin-sparing mastectomy were associated with a higher risk of divorce or separation. This evidence further supports the idea that long-term marital stability is associated with a complex interplay between socioeconomic conditions and stressors, such as BC diagnosis and treatment. ClinicalTrials Registration: NCT02663973.

Socioeconomic Impact of Cancer in Latin America and The Caribbean.

The incidence of cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is increasing yearly and is expected to reach 2.4 million new cases by 2040, with a more pronounced effect in Central America and South America. In addition, cancer is already the most frequent cause of premature death for most countries in LAC, and the second cause of death independent of country socioeconomic status, clearly demonstrating that the cancer burden in LAC should be addressed now rather than considered as an issue to be dealt with in the future. LAC countries performed in a mid-range zone in terms of income and mortality-to-incidence ratio compared to other countries globally. The LAC continent has, in general, a median income per capita and a median availability of radiotherapy (RDT) machines per capita. Patients that have private health coverage are more likely to receive preventive care such as pap smears and mammography in many countries of the LAC. The human development index was negatively related to mortality from oral cancer in the LAC countries with medium and low Human Development Index (HDI). Cancer treatment adverse events can negatively affect survivors' workability compromising their return to work after diagnosis. In conclusion, the cancer burden can be a major public health issue with a considerable socioeconomic impact in LAC countries. It is demonstrated in several studies that unequal access to optimal care is frequent in LAC and that health insurance type may impact patients' diagnosis and outcome.

The impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on marital outcomes and factors associated with divorce and separation

Abstract Objective To analyze marital outcomes, divorce or separation, and its association with demographic, socioeconomic, and clinicopathological factors among breast cancer (BC) survivors after 2-years of diagnosis. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of marital status at baseline and at years 1 and 2 of follow-up of women aged ≥ 18 years diagnosed with invasive BC participating in the AMAZONA III (GBECAM0115) study. The BC diagnosis occurred between January 2016 and March 2018 at 23 institutions in Brazil. Results Of the 2974 women enrolled in AMAZONA III, 599 were married or living under common law at baseline. Divorce or separation occurred in 35 (5.8%) patients at 2 years of follow-up. In the multivariate analysis, public health insurance coverage was associated with a higher risk of marital status change (8.25% vs. 2.79%, RR 3.09, 95% CI 1.39 - 7.03, p = 0.007). Women who underwent mastectomy, adenomastectomy or skin-sparing mastectomy were associated with a higher risk of divorce or separation (8.1% vs. 4.49%, RR 1.97, 95 CI 1.04 - 3.72, p = 0.0366) than those who underwent breast-conserving surgery. Conclusion Women covered by the public health system and those who underwent mastectomy, adenomastectomy or skin-sparing mastectomy were associated with a higher risk of divorce or separation. This evidence further supports the idea that long-term marital stability is associated with a complex interplay between socioeconomic conditions and stressors, such as BC diagnosis and treatment. ClinicalTrials Registration: NCT02663973.

Impacto na Sobrevida Livre de Progressão pela Falta de Acesso a Inibidores de EGFR em Carcinoma de Pulmão de Células não Pequenas no Sistema de Saúde Público Brasileiro / Impact that Lack of Access to EGFR Inhibitors has on Progression-Free Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer treated via the Public Health Care System in Brazil / Impacto en la Sobrevida Libre de Progresión por la Falta de Acceso a los Inhibidores de EGFR en el Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas en el Sistema de Salud Pública Brasileña

Introdução: O advento de terapias-alvo antirreceptor do fator de crescimento epidérmico (anti-EGFR) impactou na sobrevida dos pacientes com câncer de pulmão de células não pequenas avançado e portadores de mutação no EGFR, que são tratados no Sistema Único de Saúde Brasileiro (SUS). Objetivo: Estimar o impacto da falta de acesso a terapias anti-EGFR na sobrevida livre de progressão (SLP) desses pacientes. Método: Por meio da base de dados do Instituto Nacional de Câncer José Alencar Gomes da Silva e de estudos que descrevem a prevalência de mutação em EGFR na população brasileira, foi estimado o número de pacientes com adenocarcinoma de pulmão avançado, portadores de mutação EGFR, candidatos à terapia-alvo no ano de 2017. Para a estimativa de efetividade, quatro diferentes esquemas de tratamentos foram considerados: quimioterapia, erlotinib, afatinib e gefitinib. O número de pacientes livres de progressão de doença, após dois anos, foi estimado com base nos resultados para SLP em ensaios clínicos randomizados. Resultados: Foram estimados 1.735 pacientes com adenocarcinoma de pulmão metastático portadores de mutações ativadoras de EGFR no Brasil para o ano de 2017. Projetou-se que, caso fossem tratados com quimioterapia, apenas 71 estariam livres de progressão após 24 meses do início do tratamento. Em contrapartida, com o uso de inibidores de tirosina-quinase anti-EGFR, a expectativa seria de 312 pacientes livres de doença para erlotinib, 377 para gefitinib e 388 para afatinib. Conclusão: Apesar de recomendadas internacionalmente, as terapias anti-EGFR não são disponibilizadas no SUS, sendo oferecida aos pacientes apenas a quimioterapia. Isso problematiza a situação de falta de acesso no âmbito do SUS e embasa, localmente, a discussão acerca da incorporação dessas terapias no âmbito público.

Introduction: The advent of targeted anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) therapies have improved survival in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer that carry the EGFR mutation, including those treated via the Brazilian Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS, Unified Health Care System). Objective: To estimate the impact that lack of access to anti-EGFR therapies has on progression-free survival (PFS) among such patients. Method: On the basis of epidemiologic data obtained from the José Alencar Gomes da Silva National Cancer Institute and from studies reporting the prevalence of the EGFR mutation in the Brazilian population, we estimated the number of patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma and the EGFR mutation who were candidates for targeted therapy in 2017. To estimate effectiveness, we evaluated four different treatments: chemotherapy, erlotinib, afatinib, and gefitinib. The number of patients with PFS after 2 years of follow-up was estimated on the basis of the results of randomized clinical trials. Results: We evaluated 1,735 patients with EGFR mutation-positive metastatic lung adenocarcinoma in Brazil in 2017. We estimated that, if treated with chemotherapy, only 71 of those patients would be free of progression after 24 months. In contrast, if all of the patients were treated with anti-EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the expectation was that PFS would be achieved in 312 patients for erlotinib, 377 for gefitinib, and 388 for afatinib. Conclusion: Although recommended by international guidelines, anti-EGFR therapies are not available via the SUS, which offers only chemotherapy. This complicates the problem of lack of access in the SUS and promotes local discussion in the public sphere about the incorporation of these therapies.

Introducción: El advenimiento de terapias objetivo anti receptor del factor de crecimiento epidérmico (EGFR) impactó en la supervivencia de los pacientes con cáncer de pulmón de células no pequeñas avanzado y portadores de mutación en el EGFR, que son tratados en el sistema único de salud brasileño (SUS). Objetivo: Estimar el impacto de la falta de acceso a terapias anti-EGFR en la sobrevida libre de progresión (SLP) de esos pacientes. Método:A través de la base de datos del Instituto Nacional de Cáncer José Alencar Gomes da Silva y de estudios que describen la prevalencia de mutación de EGFR en la población brasileña, se estima el número de pacientes con adenocarcinoma de pulmón avanzado portadores de mutación EGFR candidatos a la terapia objetivo en el año de Para la estimación de efectividad, cuatro diferentes esquemas de tratamientos fueron considerados: quimioterapia, erlotinib, afatinib y gefitinib. El número de pacientes libres de progresión de la enfermedad después de dos años se calculó sobre la base de los resultados para SLP en los ensayos clínicos aleatorizados. Resultados: Se estimó 1.735 pacientes con adenocarcinoma de pulmón metastático, portadores de mutaciones activadoras de EGFR en Brasil para el año 2017. Se proyectó que si se tratar con quimioterapia sólo 81 estarían libres de progresión después de 24 meses. En contrapartida, con el uso de inhibidores de tirosina quinasa anti-EGFR, la expectativa sería de 312 pacientes libres de enfermedad para erlotinib, 377 para gefitinib y 388 para afatinib. Conclusión: A pesar de ser recomendadas internacionalmente, las terapias anti-EGFR no están disponibles en el SUS, siendo ofrecido a los pacientes sólo quimioterapia. Esto problematiza claramente la situación de falta de acceso en el ámbito del SUS y basan, localmente, la discusión sobre la incorporación de estas terapias en el ámbito público.