Late onset toxicities associated with the use of CDK 4/6 inhibitors in hormone receptor positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer patients: a multidisciplinary, pan-EU position paper regarding their optimal management. The GIOCONDA project.

The personalization of therapies in breast cancer has favoured the introduction of new molecular-targeted therapies into clinical practice. Among them, cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors have acquired increasing importance, with the approval in recent years of palbociclib, ribociclib, and abemaciclib in combination with endocrine therapy. Currently, no guidelines are available to monitor and manage potential long-term toxicities associated with the use of these drugs. A multidisciplinary panel of European oncologists, was supported by a pharmacologist, a hematologist, a hepatologist and a pulmonologist to discuss the management of long-term toxicities, based on the literature review and their clinical experience. The panel provided detailed roadmaps to manage long-term toxicities associated with the use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in clinical practice. Knowing the frequency and characteristics of the toxicity profile associated with each CDK4/6 inhibitor is important in the decision-making process to match the right drug to the right patient.

Patient blood management in oncology in the Russian Federation: Resolution to improve oncology care.

There is accumulating evidence that anemia and iron deficiency, thrombocytopenia, blood loss and coagulopathy are independent risk factors for adverse patient outcomes in oncology and other settings. Patient blood management (PBM) aims to address these factors by managing and preserving a patient's blood. PBM improves patient health, but also reduces resource utilization, including use of allogeneic blood components, which is another risk factor for adverse outcomes. Supported by the World Health Organization and endorsed in WHA63.12, PBM is recommended by an increasing number of health authorities and is about to become a new standard of care. In support of the Russian National Long-Term Oncology Strategy 2030 to improve quality of oncological care, and with support from the National Association of Specialists in PBM, the PBM Oncology Working Group of the Russian Federation was created. In July 2020, this Group met to discuss the rationale and need for PBM in Russian oncology care. The Group recommended to include PBM as an integral part of standard oncology treatment pathways and developed a national resolution as a call to action on this matter, which was adopted in August 2020. This article details the rationale behind the resolution, delineates the action required from facilitating stakeholders (government; healthcare providers; educational facilities; research entities/institutions; funders; patient representatives/advocates), and proposes a roadmap for implementation. The generation of local health-economic and outcome data and the development of educational programs will be important in the implementation of PBM to help alleviate the health, social and economic burden of cancer.

Cancer-associated anorexia: Validity and performance overtime of different appetite tools among patients at their first cancer diagnosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Anorexia is a frequent symptom in cancer and we aimed to assess its prevalence among patients at their first cancer diagnosis by different appetite tools and the relationship between each tool with self-reports of food intake. We also tested whether cancer anorexia influences outcomes independently of reduced food intake or body weight loss (BWL) overtime and whether BWL was associated with complications during anticancer-therapy. METHODS: Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT) score, self-assessment of appetite, Anorexia Questionnaire (AQ) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were administered. Percent of food intake was used as a criterion measure of anorexia. We registered BWL and anticancer-therapy complications over 3-month-follow-up. RESULTS: 438 cancer patients from 7 cancer-centers worldwide were included. The prevalence of anorexia was 39.9% by FAACT score, 40.2% by VAS, 40.6% by the self-assessment of appetite and 65.4% by AQ. Low food intake (≤50%) was reported in 28% of patients. All appetite tools correlated with food intake percent (P < 0.0001). We documented a correlation between self-assessment of appetite, FAACT score, VAS and BWL overtime (P < 0.04). The self-assessment of appetite (P = 0.0152) and the FAACT score (P = 0.043) were associated with BWL independently of anticancer therapies. Among patients with BWL, the risk to develop complications was greater with respect to those who maintained a stable or gained body weight (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In our sample of cancer patients, FAACT score and self-assessment of appetite performed well when low food intake was used as a criterion measure, and revealed an association of anorexia with BWL, which was, in turn, related to the development of anticancer-therapy complications.

Everolimus in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma previously treated with bevacizumab: a prospective multicenter study CRAD001LRU02T.

Everolimus is an orally administered inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) recommended for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) who progressed on previous vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Efficacy of everolimus in patients who progressed on anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody bevacizumab is unknown. We did a multicenter prospective trial of everolimus in patients with mRCC whose disease had progressed on bevacizumab ± interferon alpha (IFN). Patients with clear-cell mRCC which had progressed on bevacizumab ± IFN received everolimus 10 mg once daily. The primary end point was the proportion of patients remaining progression-free for 56 days, and a two-stage Simon design was used, with 80% power and an alpha risk of 5%. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02056587. From December 2011 to October 2013, a total of 37 patients (28 M, 9 F) were enrolled. Median age was 60.5 years (range 41-66), 1% had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) >2, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) favorable/intermediate risk was 38/62%. Five (14%) patients had a confirmed partial response and 26 (70%) patients had a stable disease. Median progression-free survival was 11.5 months (95% CI, 8.8-14.2). Median overall survival was not reached. No grade 3 or 4 treatment-related toxicities were observed. The most common grade 2 adverse events were fatigue (19%) and pneumonitis (8%). Everolimus demonstrated a favorable toxicity profile and promising anti-tumor activity as a second-line therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients previously treated with bevacizumab ± IFN.