Harnessing physical activity monitoring and digital biomarkers of frailty from pendant based wearables to predict chemotherapy resilience in veterans with cancer.

This study evaluated the use of pendant-based wearables for monitoring digital biomarkers of frailty in predicting chemotherapy resilience among 27 veteran cancer patients (average age: 64.6 ± 13.4 years), undergoing bi-weekly chemotherapy. Immediately following their first day of chemotherapy cycle, participants wore a water-resistant pendant sensor for 14 days. This device tracked frailty markers like cadence (slowness), daily steps (inactivity), postural transitions (weakness), and metrics such as longest walk duration and energy expenditure (exhaustion). Participants were divided into resilient and non-resilient groups based on adverse events within 6 months post-chemotherapy, including dose reduction, treatment discontinuation, unplanned hospitalization, or death. A Chemotherapy-Resilience-Index (CRI) ranging from 0 to 1, where higher values indicate poorer resilience, was developed using regression analysis. It combined physical activity data with baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) assessments. The protocol showed a 97% feasibility rate, with sensor metrics effectively differentiating between groups as early as day 6 post-therapy. The CRI, calculated using data up to day 6 and baseline ECOG, significantly distinguished resilient (CRI = 0.2 ± 0.27) from non-resilient (CRI = 0.7 ± 0.26) groups (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 1.67). This confirms the potential of remote monitoring systems in tracking post-chemotherapy functional capacity changes and aiding early non-resilience detection, subject to validation in larger studies.

Study protocol: maintaining preventive care during public health emergencies through effective coordination.

BACKGROUND: Screening lies at the heart of preventive care. However, COVID-19 dramatically disrupted routine screening efforts, resulting in excess mortality not directly attributable to COVID-19. Screening rates during COVID varied markedly by facility and clinical condition, suggesting susceptibilities in screening and referral process workflow. To better understand these susceptibilities and identify new practices to mitigate interrupted care, we propose a qualitative study comparing facilities that exhibited high, low, and highly variable performance (respectively) in screening rates before and during the pandemic. We will be guided by Weaver et al.'s multi-team systems (MTS) model of coordination, using cancer and mental health screening rates as exemplars. METHOD: Qualitative analysis of interviews and focus groups with primary care personnel, leadership, and patients at 10 VA medical centers. We will select sites based on rurality, COVID-19 caseload at the beginning of the pandemic, and performance on five outpatient clinical performance indicators of cancer and mental health screening. Sites will be categorized into one of five screening performance groups: high performers, low performers, improvers, plummeters, and highly variable. We will create process maps for each performance measure to create a workflow baseline and then interview primary care leadership to update the map at each site. We will clinician conduct focus groups to elicit themes regarding clinician coordination patterns (e.g., handoffs), strategies, and barriers/facilitators to screening during COVID. We will also conduct patient interviews to examine their screening experience during this period, for context. All interviews and focus groups will be audio-recorded, transcribed, and enhanced by field notes. We will analyze clinician transcripts and field notes using iterative, rapid analysis. Patient interviews will be analyzed using inductive/deductive content analysis. DISCUSSION: Our study represents a unique opportunity to inform the multi-team systems literature by identifying specific forms of information exchange, collective problem solving, and decision-making associated with higher and improved clinical performance. Specifically, our study aims to detect the specific points in the screening and referral process most susceptible to disruption and coordination processes that, if changed, will yield the highest value. Findings apply to future pandemics or any event with the potential to disrupt care.

Survival outcomes in veterans with hepatocellular carcinoma, with and without HIV infection.

BACKGROUND: HIV infection has been associated with survival disparities among persons with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, most studies examining survival do not control for provider (e.g. type of HCC treatment given) or individual-level factors (e.g. homelessness, substance use) that could impact survival. In this study, we evaluate the effect of HIV status on survival among persons with HCC, in a comprehensive model that accounts for key individual, provider, and systems-level factors. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of persons with HIV (PWH) matched 1 : 1 to HIV-negative controls based on age and year of HCC diagnosis in the national Veterans Administration (VA) health system. The primary outcome was survival. We used Cox regression models to evaluate the effect of HIV status on risk of death. RESULTS: This cohort included 200 matched pairs diagnosed with HCC between 2009 and 2016. A total of 114 PWH (57.0%) and 115 HIV-negative patients (57.5%) received guideline-concordant therapy ( P  = 0.92). Median survival was 13.4 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.7-18.1] among PWH and 19.1 months (95% CI 14.6-24.9) for HIV-negative patients. In adjusted models, older age, homelessness, advanced Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage, and not receiving any HCC treatment predicted risk of death. HIV status was not associated with risk of death [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.95; 95% CI 0.75-1.20; P  = 0.65]. CONCLUSION: HIV status was not associated with worse survival among HCC patients, in a single-payer, equal access healthcare system. These results suggest that HIV infection alone should not exclude PWH from receiving standard therapy.

Using Telemedicine to Facilitate Patient Communication and Treatment Decision-Making Following Multidisciplinary Tumor Board Review for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A rapid increase in the use of telemedicine for delivering healthcare has occurred since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. There is evidence for using telemedicine to facilitate cancer care delivery for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Examining how telemedicine can be used to communicate multidisciplinary tumor board (MTB) recommendations for HCC has not been studied. This study has two specific aims: (1) to evaluate the patient perspective of the MTB review process and identify best strategies for communicating treatment recommendations for HCC and (2) to pilot test a telemedicine intervention following MTB review to assess patient feasibility and satisfaction with using telemedicine to facilitate treatment decision-making and treatment referral. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods study. First, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted among patients diagnosed with HCC who were discussed in MTB review at one of three VA Medical Centers (VAMC). We collected information about the MTB process from the patient perspective and identified strategies for improving communication and delivery of care. Rapid qualitative analysis was used to inform intervention development. Using our qualitative data, a MTB telemedicine pilot intervention was developed and implemented to assess the feasibility of using this approach for patients with HCC. RESULTS: Almost all patients (94%) in the pilot study would recommend telemedicine to other patients with HCC, and half of the patients (50%) preferred telemedicine over in-person visits. Many patients (81%) found communication through telemedicine an acceptable platform to deliver difficult cancer information. Overall, patients felt they understood their treatment recommendations and found them clear and useful. Further, patients reported that they enjoyed being included in the decision-making process and appreciated being able to have family members easily join them for the telemedicine visit. CONCLUSIONS: Using telemedicine to communicate treatment recommendations following MTB review was found to be feasible and an acceptable alternative to an in-person visit for patient with HCC. Future studies could include expanding this approach for communicating MTB recommendations to patients with other types of cancers.

Malignant Insulinoma Arising From Nonfunctioning Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors are rare neoplasms characterized into nonfunctioning (NF-PNET) and functioning (F-PNET) subtypes. F-PNETs typically involve overt symptoms related to excessive hormone secretion but may rarely present first as NF-PNETs with delayed transformation. We present a patient with known NF-PNET with liver metastases who developed hypoglycemia 2 years after initial diagnosis due to malignant insulinoma. Hypoglycemia was refractory to continuous dextrose but improved temporarily after diazoxide and hepatic artery embolization. Malignant insulinomas are usually metastatic at presentation and portend poor prognosis. Hypoglycemia may be medically managed with steroids, somatostatin analogues, and diazoxide, along with therapies to reduce tumor burden.

Care transitions: opportunities to better serve the traveling patient.

The authors share a model that facilitates patient-centered care and can be adopted by other health systems to encourage successful care transitions for the traveling patient.

The detrimental association between fear of falling and motor performance in older cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) are at increased risk of falls and developing fear of falling (FoF). Although FoF may continue to impair motor performance and increase the risk of falling even further, this association remains unexplored in CIPN. RESEARCH QUESTION: Does high FoF in patients with CIPN further deteriorate motor performance beyond the impairment from CIPN-related sensory deficits? METHODS: In this secondary analysis of data collected from two clinical trials, gait parameters during habitual walking condition and postural sway parameters during 30-second quiet standing (eye-open and eyes-closed) were compared among older participants (≥ 65 years) with CIPN and high FoF (CIPN FoF+; n=16), older participants with CIPN and low FoF (CIPN FoF-; n=19) and normal older controls (i.e., non-cancer, non-diabetic, non-neurologic, and non-orthopedic; n=16). We measured gait and postural sway parameters using wearable sensors (BioSensics, Newton, MA, USA), and FoF severity using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International. RESULTS: The largest between-group differences were found in gait speed. The CIPN FoF + group had significantly slower gait speed (0.78 ± 0.21 m/s) than the CIPN FoF- (0.93 ± 0.17 m/s) and normal control groups (1.17 ± 0.13 m/s) (all p < .05; effect sizes = 0.79 and 2.23, respectively). We found a significant association between gait speed and FoF severity (R2 = 0.356; p < .001) across all participants with CIPN. Among participants with CIPN, no significant differences in postural sway parameters were found between the CIPN FoF+and CIPN FoF- groups. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that gait performance further deteriorates in patients with CIPN and high FoF beyond the impairment from CIPN-related sensory deficits. Our results also suggest further research is needed regarding FoF, and fall risk, as FoF is a simple tool that healthcare providers can use in clinical practice.

Treatment approach, hospital practice patterns, and receipt of multimodality therapy as measures of quality for locally advanced gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Adequate lymphadenectomy (AL) during surgical resection and delivery of multimodality therapy (MMT) are considered important for optimizing oncologic outcomes in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. Both neoadjuvant and adjuvant approaches to MMT delivery are considered acceptable treatment strategies. Our goal was to evaluate the association between MMT treatment approach, hospital practice patterns, and survival and to explore whether AL and MMT might represent measures of quality for locally advanced gastric cancer. METHODS: A national cohort study of 5433 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer (≥cT2 and/or cN+) treated at 987 hospitals within the National Cancer Database (2006-2015). Patients were categorized as receiving a neoadjuvant therapy (NT) or adjuvant therapy (AT) approach. Patients were also categorized based on receipt of AL (≥15 nodes) and MMT (surgery with any preoperative, perioperative, or postoperative AT). Hospitals were stratified based on the predominant treatment approach and the proportion of patients that achieved performance benchmarks (AL ≥ 80%; MMT ≥ 75%). Multivariable Cox shared frailty modeling was used to evaluate the association with the overall risk of death. RESULTS: Overall, 54.5% of patients were treated with an AT and 45.6% with an NT approach. Relative to surgery alone, receipt of MMT by either approach was associated with decreased risk of death (NT-hazard ratio [HR]: 0.75, 95% confidence interval: [0.65-0.86]; AT-HR: 0.80 [0.71-0.90]). Relative to care at mixed pattern hospitals, care at predominantly AT hospitals was associated with an increased risk of death (HR: 1.28 [1.12-1.47]). Relative to patients whose care achieved no quality measures, AL (HR: 0.75, [0.67-0.82]) and MMT (HR: 0.68 [0.60-0.76]) were each associated with a reduced risk of death. Receipt of both measures was associated with an even greater reduction (HR: 0.47 [0.40-0.56]). Hospital performance on AL, MMT, or both measures was not associated with the risk of death. CONCLUSION: Because over half of patients are treated with surgery first (many having surgery alone) and care at hospitals favoring a surgery first approach is associated with worse outcomes, quality improvement (QI) efforts should focus on increasing the use of NT strategies. Furthermore, delivery of AL and MMT together may represent an actionable, generalizable target for gastric cancer QI efforts because it improves survival and is unrelated to the context in which care is provided.

Harnessing digital health to objectively assess cancer-related fatigue: The impact of fatigue on mobility performance.

OBJECTIVE: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is highly prevalent among cancer survivors, which may have long-term effects on physical activity and quality of life. CRF is assessed by self-report or clinical observation, which may limit timely diagnosis and management. In this study, we examined the effect of CRF on mobility performance measured by a wearable pendant sensor. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a clinical trial evaluating the benefit of exercise in cancer survivors with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). CRF status was classified based on a Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) score ≤ 33. Among 28 patients (age = 65.7±9.8 years old, BMI = 26.9±4.1kg/m2, sex = 32.9%female) with database variables of interest, twenty-one subjects (75.9%) were classified as non-CRF. Mobility performance, including behavior (sedentary, light, and moderate to vigorous activity (MtV)), postures (sitting, standing, lying, and walking), and locomotion (e.g., steps, postural transitions) were measured using a validated pendant-sensor over 24-hours. Baseline psychosocial, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G), Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), and motor-capacity assessments including gait (habitual speed, fast speed, and dual-task speed) and static balance were also performed. RESULTS: Both groups had similar baseline clinical and psychosocial characteristics, except for body-mass index (BMI), FACT-G, FACIT-F, and FES-I (p<0.050). The groups did not differ on motor-capacity. However, the majority of mobility performance parameters were different between groups with large to very large effect size, Cohen's d ranging from 0.91 to 1.59. Among assessed mobility performance, the largest effect sizes were observed for sedentary-behavior (d = 1.59, p = 0.006), light-activity (d = 1.48, p = 0.009), and duration of sitting+lying (d = 1.46, p = 0.016). The largest correlations between mobility performance and FACIT-F were observed for sitting+lying (rho = -0.67, p<0.001) and the number of steps per day (rho = 0.60, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that sensor-based mobility performance monitoring could be considered as a potential digital biomarker for CRF assessment. Future studies warrant evaluating utilization of mobility performance to track changes in CRF over time, response to CRF-related interventions, and earlier detection of CRF.

Hospital clinical staging accuracy for upper gastrointestinal malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Decisions about multimodality treatment for upper gastrointestinal malignancies are largely predicted on clinical staging information. However, hospital-level accuracy of clinical staging is currently unknown. METHODS: A national cohort study of patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, stomach, or pancreas in the NCDB (2006-2015) who were treated with upfront resection. Hospital-level staging accuracy (ascertained by comparing clinical stage to pathologic stage) was calculated. Within hospital correlation of staging accuracy across disease sites was evaluated using risk and reliability adjustment. RESULTS: Overall, 1246 hospitals were evaluated. Median hospital T-staging accuracy was 77.5%, 73.7%, and 60.8% for esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic cancer, respectively. Median hospital N-staging accuracy was 80.2%, 72.9%, and 61.8%, respectively. For T-stage, over-staging was most frequently observed in esophageal patients (11.2%) while under-staging was most frequent in pancreatic patients (36.1%). For N-stage, over-staging was infrequent for all three, while under-staging was most common in pancreatic patients (37.4%). Correlation across disease sites was weak for both T- (best observed, r = .34) and N-stages (r = .30). When high volume hospitals were evaluated, correlation improved but accuracy rates were similar. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the importance of clinical staging in multimodality treatment planning, hospitals inaccurately stage 20-40% of patients, with low correlation across disease sites.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Carcinoid Brain Metastasis: A Case Report.

Carcinoid brain metastases are extremely rare and are associated with a poor prognosis. Treatment options are variable, ranging from surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy alone or combined. We report on a case of rectal carcinoid metastatic to the cerebellum and review chemotherapeutic regimens for carcinoid tumor treatment, focusing on the potential role of temozolomide or stereotactic radiosurgery.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment and associated factors in a sample of older male oral-digestive cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the demographic and clinical variables associated with cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) in a sample of older, male, oral-digestive cancer survivors at VA Medical Centers in Boston and Houston. METHODS: A two-time point, longitudinal design was used, with cognitive assessment conducted at 6 and 18 months post-diagnosis. Using ANCOVA, the cognitive functioning of 88 older adults with head and neck, esophageal, gastric, or colorectal cancers was compared with that of 88 healthy controls. Paired t-tests examined cognitive change over time in the cancer group. Hierarchical linear regression examined variables potentially associated with cognitive impairment at 18 months. RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of cancer patients exhibited cognitive impairment 6 months post-cancer diagnosis, and 40% at 18 months. Cancer survivors were impaired relative to controls on measures of sustained attention, memory, and verbal fluency at 18 months, controlling for age. Older age, low hemoglobin, and cancer-related PTSD were associated with worse cognition at 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: CRCI is more frequent in older adults than reported in studies of younger adults and may be more frequent in men. Potential areas of intervention for CRCI include psychotherapy for cancer-related PTSD, treatment of anemia, and awareness of particularly vulnerable cognitive domains such as sustained attention, memory, and verbal fluency.

Prognostic Value of Nodal Response After Preoperative Treatment of Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Pathologically positive lymph nodes (ypN+) after preoperative chemotherapy are associated with poor survival in patients with gastric cancer. Little is known about the association between response to preoperative therapy and the benefit of postoperative therapy. Methods: This retrospective cohort study of the National Cancer Database included patients with clinically node-positive (cN+) gastric cancer treated with preoperative therapy followed by surgery (2006-2014). Preoperative treatment modality was categorized as the inclusion of radiation therapy (RT) or chemotherapy alone. Pretreatment clinical and pathologic stages were used to determine pathologic treatment response rates. The association between overall risk of death and preoperative treatment, disease response, and adjuvant therapy use was evaluated using multivariable Cox regression. Results: Preoperative RT was used in 53.6% of 1,976 patients with cN+ gastric cancer, (74.3% cardia and 10.1% noncardia). The nodal response rate was 38.9% and was higher with RT than with chemotherapy alone (cardia, 46.0% vs 29.1%; P<.001; noncardia, 43.8% vs 31.9%; P=.06). Preoperative RT was associated with an approximate 2-fold increase in the odds of pathologic response compared with chemotherapy. Overall, use of adjuvant therapy was not associated with a decreased risk of death. A primary tumor response with residual nodal disease was not associated with survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.03; 95% CI, 0.66-1.60). However, a nodal response with residual primary disease was significantly associated with survival (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.44-0.65). Conclusions: More than one-third of node-positive gastric cancers showed pathologic nodal response with preoperative treatment. RT is associated with a higher response than chemotherapy. Patients with ypN+ disease have worse survival, regardless of whether they receive postoperative therapy. Future gastric cancer trials should evaluate the role of preoperative RT and individualize postoperative therapy use.

Prognostic value of neoadjuvant treatment response in locally advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiation therapy on completeness of pathologic response and to assess the impact of primary tumor versus nodal response on survival after esophagectomy. METHODS: Patients aged 18 to 80 years in the National Cancer Data Base (2006-2016) with clinically staged, locally advanced (cT2-4 or cN+) esophageal adenocarcinoma who underwent an R0 esophagectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation therapy were included. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were constructed to assess the association between treatment response and survival. RESULTS: Among 2870 patients, there was a significant dose-response association between completeness of response and overall survival: no response (reference), partial response (hazard ratio [HR], 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72-0.91), and complete response (HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.47-0.65). Compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone, neoadjuvant chemoradiation was associated with higher pathologic primary tumor (33.9% vs 21.3%; P < .001) and pathologic nodal response rates (55.9% vs 32.7%; P < .001). Both a primary and nodal response were associated with improved survival. However, among patients with a primary but no nodal response, primary tumor response was not associated with risk of death (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.69-1.11). In contrast, among patients who had a nodal but no primary response, the survival benefit of a nodal response was maintained (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.58-0.76). CONCLUSIONS: Pathologic nodal (rather than primary tumor) response to neoadjuvant therapy is associated with improved survival. These data suggest a need to optimize neoadjuvant strategies associated with more complete nodal response rates and to consider more aggressive adjuvant treatment for patients with residual nodal disease after esophagectomy.

National Trends in Multimodality Therapy for Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Multimodality therapy (MMT) is recommended for patients with resectable gastric cancer, but no single approach has been established as standard. Little is presently known about current national practice patterns and sequencing of MMT. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients with gastric cancer aged 18 to 80 y in the National Cancer Database (2006-2014) with ≥T2 and/or node-positive disease (i.e., stage Ib to III) treated with MMT. Clinical nodal staging accuracy was ascertained among those treated with upfront surgery by comparing clinical and pathologic nodal staging. Multivariable Cox regression was used to evaluate the association between overall risk of death and MMT approach (i.e., radiation used versus not and treatment sequence). RESULTS: Among 5817 patients, 16.1% received perioperative MMT, 50.6% preoperative only, and 33.3% postoperative only. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive values of clinical nodal staging were 68.4%, 88.8%, 91.1%, and 62.7%, respectively. Current clinical nodal staging modalities understage 37.3% of clinically node-negative patients. Over time, radiation utilization decreased (74.3% in 2006 versus 53.9% in 2014; trend test, P < 0.001), perioperative MMT increased (8.9% versus 22.2%%; trend test, P < 0.001), and postoperative MMT decreased (43.1% versus 21.0%; trend test, P < 0.001). Neither type of MMT nor treatment sequence is associated with risk of death. CONCLUSIONS: One-third of patients with gastric cancer who are candidates to receive MMT are treated with upfront surgery. Given the high false negative rate of clinical nodal staging and high noncompletion rate of postoperative treatment, efforts should be directed at improving and optimizing preoperative therapy utilization.

Using wearables to screen motor performance deterioration because of cancer and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in adults - Toward an early diagnosis of CIPN.

OBJECTIVE: An essential component for optimizing quality of life in adults with cancer is determining the degree to which therapy may negatively impact motor-performance, so that patients can maintain their quality of life and independence. This study examined whether instrumented gait and balance could determine the magnitude of deterioration in motor-performance from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). METHODS: We recruited 84 adults with cancer (age = 71.1 ±â€¯9.7 years old, BMI = 26.8 ±â€¯6.2 kg/m2, gender = 56%female) and 57 age-matched non-cancer patients (age = 69.5 ±â€¯9.8 years old, BMI = 27.1 ±â€¯6.0 kg/m2, gender = 79%female). Based on clinical screening, the group with cancer was classified into two groups: participants with CIPN (CIPN+) and without CIPN (CIPN-). Gait and balance were quantified using validated wearables. The Vibration Perception Threshold (VPT) test was used to stratify the CIPN+ group into mild (Mild-CIPN) and severe (Severe-CIPN) subgroups. RESULTS: All gait and balance parameters were deteriorated in the group with cancer compared to non-cancer group with the largest effects observed for stride-time (11%, Cohen's effect size d = 1.00, p < 0.001) and eyes-closed ankle sway (94%, d = 0.49, p = 0.001). The same trend was observed when the Severe-CIPN subgroup was compared to the Mild-CIPN. VPT correlates significantly with motor deterioration, with the largest correlation found in stride-time (Rho = 0.37, p = 0.007). Severe-CIPN subjects were significantly older and overall had more deterioration in the majority of motor-performance parameters after adjusting for age (p < 0.050). CONCLUSION: These results confirmed the negative impact of CIPN on motor-performance with the largest effects on ankle stability and stride-time. VPT is a predictor of motor deterioration and may be used to determine the severity of CIPN symptom.

Impact of the Treating Hospital on Care Outcomes for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Multidisciplinary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment is associated with optimal outcomes. There are few data analyzing the impact of treating hospitals' therapeutic offerings on survival. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 18-70 years with HCC in the National Cancer Database (2004-2012). Hospitals were categorized based on the level of treatment offered (Type I-nonsurgical; Type II-ablation; Type III-resection; Type IV-transplant). Associations between overall risk of death and hospital type were evaluated with multivariable Cox shared frailty modeling. Among 50,381 patients, 65% received care in Type IV hospitals, 26% in Type III, 3% in Type II, and 6% in Type I. Overall 5-year survival across modalities was highest at Type IV hospitals (untreated: Type IV-13.1% versus Type I-5.7%, Type II-7.0%, Type III-7.4% [log-rank, P < 0.001]; chemotherapy and/or radiation: Type IV-18.1% versus Type I-3.6%, Type II-4.6%, Type III-7.7% [log-rank, P < 0.001]; ablation: Type IV-33.3% versus Type II-13.6%, Type III-23.6% [log-rank, P < 0.001]; resection: Type IV-48.4% versus Type III-39.1% [log-rank, P < 0.001]). Risk of death demonstrated a dose-response relationship with the hospital type-Type I (ref); Type II (hazard ratio [HR] 0.81, 95% confidence interval [0.73-0.90]); Type III (HR 0.67 [0.62-0.72]); Type IV hospitals (HR 0.43 [0.39-0.47]). Conclusion: Although care at hospitals offering the full complement of HCC treatments is associated with decreased risk of death, one third of patients are not treated at these hospitals. These data can inform the value of health policy initiatives regarding regionalization of HCC care.

Prognostic value of neoadjuvant treatment response in locally advanced rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: For locally advanced rectal cancer, response to neoadjuvant radiation has been associated with improved outcomes but has not been well characterized in general practice. The goals of this study were to describe disease response rates after neoadjuvant treatment and to evaluate the association between disease response and survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients aged 18-80 y with clinical stage II and III rectal adenocarcinoma in the National Cancer Database (2006-2012). All patients underwent radical resection after neoadjuvant treatment. Treatment responses were defined as follows: no tumor response; intermediate-T and/or N downstaging with residual disease; and complete-ypT0N0. Multivariable, multinomial regression was used to evaluate the association between neoadjuvant radiation use and disease response. Multivariable Cox regression was used to evaluate the association between disease response and overall risk of death. RESULTS: Among 12,024 patients, 12% had a complete and 30% an intermediate response. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone was less likely to achieve an intermediate (relative risk ratio: 0.70 [0.56-0.88]) or a complete response (relative risk ratio: 0.59 [0.41-0.84]) relative to neoadjuvant radiation. Tumor response was associated with improved 5-y overall survival (complete = 90.2%, intermediate = 82.0%, no response = 70.5%; log-rank, P < 0.001). Complete and intermediate pathologic responses were associated with decreases in risk of death (hazard ratio: 0.40 [0.34-0.48] and 0.63 [0.57-0.69], respectively) compared to no response. Primary tumor and nodal response were independently associated with decreased risk of death. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant radiation is associated with treatment response, and pathologic response is associated with improved survival. Pathologic response may be an early benchmark for the oncologic effectiveness of neoadjuvant treatment.

Determinants and Outcomes of Hospice Utilization Among Patients with Advance-Staged Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Veteran Affairs Population.

BACKGROUND: Hospice provides integrative palliative care for advance-staged hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, but hospice utilization in HCC patients in the USA is not clearly understood. AIMS: We examined hospice use and subsequent clinical course in advance-staged HCC patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on a national, Veterans Affairs cohort with stage C or D HCC. We evaluated demographics, clinical factors, treatment, and clinical course in relation to hospice use. RESULTS: We identified 814 patients with advanced HCC, of whom 597 (73.3%) used hospice. Oncologist management consistently predicted hospice use, irrespective of HCC treatment [no treatment: OR 2.25 (1.18-4.3), treatment: OR 1.80 (1.10-2.95)]. Among patients who received HCC treatment, hospice users were less likely to have insurance beyond VA benefits (47.2 vs. 60.0%, p = 0.01). Among patients without HCC treatment, hospice users were older (62.2 [17.2] vs. 60.2 [14.0] years, p = 0.05), white (62.1 vs. 52.9%, p = 0.01), resided in the Southern USA (39.5 vs. 31.8%, p = 0.05), and had a performance score ≥ 3 (41.9 vs. 31.8%, p = 0.01). The median time from hospice entry to death or end of study was 1.05 [2.96] months for stage C and 0.53 [1.18] months for stage D patients. CONCLUSIONS: 26.7% advance-staged HCC patients never entered hospice, representing potential missed opportunities for improving end-of-life care. Age, race, location, performance, insurance, and managing specialty can predict hospice use. Differences in managing specialty and short-term hospice use suggest that interventions to optimize early palliative care are necessary.