POLR1A variants underlie phenotypic heterogeneity in craniofacial, neural, and cardiac anomalies.

Heterozygous pathogenic variants in POLR1A, which encodes the largest subunit of RNA Polymerase I, were previously identified as the cause of acrofacial dysostosis, Cincinnati-type. The predominant phenotypes observed in the cohort of 3 individuals were craniofacial anomalies reminiscent of Treacher Collins syndrome. We subsequently identified 17 additional individuals with 12 unique heterozygous variants in POLR1A and observed numerous additional phenotypes including neurodevelopmental abnormalities and structural cardiac defects, in combination with highly prevalent craniofacial anomalies and variable limb defects. To understand the pathogenesis of this pleiotropy, we modeled an allelic series of POLR1A variants in vitro and in vivo. In vitro assessments demonstrate variable effects of individual pathogenic variants on ribosomal RNA synthesis and nucleolar morphology, which supports the possibility of variant-specific phenotypic effects in affected individuals. To further explore variant-specific effects in vivo, we used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to recapitulate two human variants in mice. Additionally, spatiotemporal requirements for Polr1a in developmental lineages contributing to congenital anomalies in affected individuals were examined via conditional mutagenesis in neural crest cells (face and heart), the second heart field (cardiac outflow tract and right ventricle), and forebrain precursors in mice. Consistent with its ubiquitous role in the essential function of ribosome biogenesis, we observed that loss of Polr1a in any of these lineages causes cell-autonomous apoptosis resulting in embryonic malformations. Altogether, our work greatly expands the phenotype of human POLR1A-related disorders and demonstrates variant-specific effects that provide insights into the underlying pathogenesis of ribosomopathies.

Randomized Trial of a Palliative Care Intervention to Improve End-of-Life Care Discussions in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Studies show that early, integrated palliative care (PC) improves quality of life (QoL) and end-of-life (EoL) care for patients with poor-prognosis cancers. However, the optimal strategy for delivering PC for those with advanced cancers who have longer disease trajectories, such as metastatic breast cancer (MBC), remains unknown. We tested the effect of a PC intervention on the documentation of EoL care discussions, patient-reported outcomes, and hospice utilization in this population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with MBC and clinical indicators of poor prognosis (n=120) were randomly assigned to receive an outpatient PC intervention (n=61) or usual care (n=59) between May 2, 2016, and December 26, 2018, at an academic cancer center. The intervention entailed 5 structured PC visits focusing on symptom management, coping, prognostic awareness, decision-making, and EoL planning. The primary outcome was documentation of EoL care discussions in the electronic health record (EHR). Secondary outcomes included patient-report of discussions with clinicians about EoL care, QoL, and mood symptoms at 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks after baseline and hospice utilization. RESULTS: The rate of EoL care discussions documented in the EHR was higher among intervention patients versus those receiving usual care (67.2% vs 40.7%; P=.006), including a higher completion rate of a Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment form (39.3% vs 13.6%; P=.002). Intervention patients were also more likely to report discussing their EoL care wishes with their doctor (odds ratio [OR], 3.10; 95% CI, 1.21-7.94; P=.019) and to receive hospice services (OR, 4.03; 95% CI, 1.10-14.73; P=.035) compared with usual care patients. Study groups did not differ in patient-reported QoL or mood symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This PC intervention significantly improved rates of discussion and documentation regarding EoL care and delivery of hospice services among patients with MBC, demonstrating that PC can be tailored to address the supportive care needs of patients with longer disease trajectories. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02730858.

Home Language Environment of Children With Orofacial Clefts as a Target for Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the home language environment (HLE) in children with orofacial clefts as a potential modifiable target for language and literacy intervention. DESIGN: Feasibility study examining longitudinal trends in HLE and responses to parent-focused literacy intervention. SETTING: Tertiary care children's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: HLE data were collected for 38 children with orofacial clefts between ages 7 and 23 months. Twenty-seven participants received parent-focused literacy intervention. INTERVENTIONS: Reach Out and Read, a literacy intervention, was introduced during a clinic visit. To assess response, participants were randomized to age at intervention (9, 18, or 24 months). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measures included measurements from recordings in the home language environment of adult word count, child vocalizations, and conversational turns. RESULTS: Baseline (preintervention) results showed lower adult word count and conversational turns for caregivers and children with cleft lip and palate, as well as for those from lower socioeconomic groups. After the literacy intervention was introduced, this cohort showed increasing measures of child and caregiver vocalizations, particularly when introduced at 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: Although these results are preliminary, findings suggest that HLE characteristics vary as a function of children's cleft type as well as family socioeconomic status. Further, our caregiver-focused literacy intervention was feasible and resulted in short-term improvements in HLE. This is the first study to document HLE as a target for intervention in children with oral clefts. These findings support further research on HLE and caregiver-focused intervention to improve language/literacy outcomes for children with oral clefts.

Catel-Manzke syndrome without Manzke dysostosis.

Catel-Manzke syndrome is characterized by hand anomalies, Robin sequence, cardiac defects, joint hyperextensibility, and characteristic facial features. Approximately 40 patients with Catel-Manzke have been reported, all with the pathognomonic bilateral or unilateral hyperphalangy caused by an accessory bone between the second metacarpal and proximal phalanx known as Manzke dysostosis. Here we present the first case of molecularly confirmed Catel-Manzke syndrome with Robin sequence but without Manzke dysostosis.

An Algorithm for the Assessment of Facial Asymmetry in Children With Focus on Etiology and Treatment.

BACKGROUND: Facial asymmetry is a common referral indication for craniofacial teams but has a wide range of causes. Prompt identification of etiology is critical to treatment, as medical and surgical interventions vary depending on the cause of asymmetry in each patient. SOLUTION: A standardized diagnostic algorithm. WHAT WE DID THAT IS NEW: We developed an algorithm to assist in the diagnostic evaluation of facial asymmetry with a focus on next steps for medically actionable causes.

Sarcopenia Is Associated with Quality of Life and Depression in Patients with Advanced Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced cancer often experience muscle wasting (sarcopenia), yet little is known about the characteristics associated with sarcopenia and the relationship between sarcopenia and patients' quality of life (QOL) and mood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As part of a randomized trial, we assessed baseline QOL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General [FACT-G]) and mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]) in patients within 8 weeks of diagnosis of incurable lung or gastrointestinal cancer, and prior to randomization. Using computed tomography scans collected as part of routine clinical care, we assessed sarcopenia at the level of the third lumbar vertebra with validated sex-specific cutoffs. We used logistic regression to explore characteristics associated with presence of sarcopenia. To examine associations between sarcopenia, QOL and mood, we used linear regression, adjusted for patients' age, sex, marital status, education, and cancer type. RESULTS: Of 237 participants (mean age = 64.41 ± 10.93 years), the majority were male (54.0%) and married (70.5%) and had lung cancer (56.5%). Over half had sarcopenia (55.3%). Older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, p = .002) and education beyond high school (OR = 1.95, p = .047) were associated with greater likelihood of having sarcopenia, while female sex (OR = 0.25, p < .001) and higher body mass index (OR = 0.79, p < .001) correlated with lower likelihood of sarcopenia. Sarcopenia was associated with worse QOL (FACT-G: B = -4.26, p = .048) and greater depression symptoms (HADS-depression: B = -1.56, p = .005). CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia was highly prevalent among patients with newly diagnosed, incurable cancer. The associations of sarcopenia with worse QOL and depression symptoms highlight the need to address the issue of sarcopenia early in the course of illness. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study found that sarcopenia, assessed using computed tomography scans acquired as part of routine clinical care, is highly prevalent in patients with newly diagnosed, incurable cancer. Notably, patients with sarcopenia reported worse quality of life and greater depression symptoms than those without sarcopenia. These findings highlight the importance of addressing muscle loss early in the course of illness among patients with incurable cancer. In the future, investigators should expand upon these findings to develop strategies for assessing and treating sarcopenia while striving to enhance the quality of life and mood outcomes of patients with advanced cancer.

Associations between laterality of orofacial clefts and medical and academic outcomes.

Patients with oral clefts have an increased risk of other malformations, syndromes, and lower academic performance in school. Few studies have investigated if laterality of clefts is associated with medical and academic outcomes. Oral clefts have nonrandom laterality, with left-sided clefts occurring approximately twice as often as right-sided clefts. Using a retrospective study design, we examined potential associations of cleft attributes and outcomes in patients with cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) born in 2003-2010 who were treated at the Seattle Children's Craniofacial Center. The following variables were extracted from medical records: cleft type, medical history, maternal hyperglycemia, other malformations, and the need for academic support at school. We used logistic regression to examine risk of associations with outcomes of interest. Relative to patients with left-sided clefts, patients with bilateral CL/P were more likely to have a syndrome. Patients with nonsyndromic right-sided CL/P had a higher risk (OR and 95%CI: 3.5, 1.3-9.5, and 5.5, 1.9-16.0, respectively) of having other malformations and requiring academic support at school, when compared to patients with left-sided CL/P. Understanding the etiology of oral clefts is complicated, in part because both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the risk of developing a cleft. However, the different outcomes associated with cleft laterality suggest that right-sided clefts may have a distinct etiology. Using laterality to study cleft subgroups may advance our understanding of the etiology of this common birth defect.

Differential effects of early palliative care based on the age and sex of patients with advanced cancer from a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Early palliative care interventions enhance patient outcomes, including quality of life, mood, and coping, but it remains unclear whether certain subgroups of patients are more likely to benefit from early palliative care. We explored whether age and sex moderate the improved outcomes seen with early palliative care. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial of 350 patients with advanced lung and non-colorectal gastrointestinal cancer. Patients received an early palliative care intervention integrated with oncology care or usual oncology care alone. We used linear regression to determine if age (older or younger than 65) and sex moderated the effects of the intervention on quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G)), depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9)), and coping (Brief COPE) within lung and gastrointestinal subgroups. RESULTS: At 24 weeks, younger patients with lung cancer receiving early palliative care reported increased use of active coping ( B = 1.74; p = 0.02) and decreased use of avoidant coping ( B = -0.97; p = 0.02), but the effects of early palliative care on these outcomes were not significant for older patients. Male patients with lung cancer assigned to early palliative care reported better quality of life (FACT-G: B = 9.31; p = 0.01) and lower depression scores (PHQ-9: B = -2.82; p = 0.02), but the effects of early palliative care on these outcomes were not significant for female patients. At 24 weeks, we found no age or sex moderation effects within the gastrointestinal cancer subgroup. CONCLUSION: Age and sex moderate the effects of early palliative care for patients with advanced lung cancer. Early palliative care may need to be tailored to individuals' unique sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

Effects of Early Integrated Palliative Care on Caregivers of Patients with Lung and Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: The family and friends (caregivers) of patients with advanced cancer often experience tremendous distress. Although early integrated palliative care (PC) has been shown to improve patient-reported quality of life (QOL) and mood, its effects on caregivers' outcomes is currently unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized trial of early PC integrated with oncology care versus oncology care alone for patients who were newly diagnosed with incurable lung and noncolorectal gastrointestinal cancers and their caregivers. The early PC intervention focused on addressing the needs of both patients and their caregivers. Eligible caregivers were family or friends who would likely accompany patients to clinic visits. The intervention entailed at least monthly patient visits with PC from the time of diagnosis. Caregivers were encouraged, but not required, to attend the palliative care visits. We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Medical Health Outcomes Survey Short-Form to assess caregiver mood and QOL. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-five caregivers (intervention n = 137; control n = 138) of the 350 patients participated. The intervention led to improvement in caregivers' total distress (HADS-total adjusted mean difference = -1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.76 to -0.15, p = .029), depression subscale (HADS-depression adjusted mean difference = -0.71, 95% CI -1.38 to -0.05, p = .036), but not anxiety subscale or QOL at week 12. There were no differences in caregivers' outcomes at week 24. A terminal decline analysis showed significant intervention effects on caregivers' total distress (HADS-total), with effects on both the anxiety and depression subscales at 3 and 6 months before patient death. CONCLUSION: Early involvement of PC for patients with newly diagnosed lung and gastrointestinal cancers leads to improvement in caregivers' psychological symptoms. This work demonstrates that the benefits of early, integrated PC models in oncology care extend beyond patient outcomes and positively impact the experience of caregivers. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Early involvement of palliative care for patients with newly diagnosed lung and gastrointestinal cancers leads to improvement in caregivers' psychological symptoms. The findings of this trial demonstrate that the benefits of the early, integrated palliative care model in oncology care extend beyond patient outcomes and positively impact the experience of caregivers. These findings contribute novel data to the growing evidence base supporting the benefits of integrating palliative care earlier in the course of disease for patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers.

Mental and physical health correlates among family caregivers of patients with newly-diagnosed incurable cancer: a hierarchical linear regression analysis.

PURPOSE: Caregiver, relational, and patient factors have been associated with the health of family members and friends providing care to patients with early-stage cancer. Little research has examined whether findings extend to family caregivers of patients with incurable cancer, who experience unique and substantial caregiving burdens. We examined correlates of mental and physical health among caregivers of patients with newly-diagnosed incurable lung or non-colorectal gastrointestinal cancer. METHODS: At baseline for a trial of early palliative care, caregivers of participating patients (N = 275) reported their mental and physical health (Medical Outcome Survey-Short Form-36); patients reported their quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General). Analyses used hierarchical linear regression with two-tailed significance tests. RESULTS: Caregivers' mental health was worse than the U.S. national population (M = 44.31, p < .001), yet their physical health was better (M = 56.20, p < .001). Hierarchical regression analyses testing caregiver, relational, and patient factors simultaneously revealed that younger (B = 0.31, p = .001), spousal caregivers (B = -8.70, p = .003), who cared for patients reporting low emotional well-being (B = 0.51, p = .01) reported worse mental health; older (B = -0.17, p = .01) caregivers with low educational attainment (B = 4.36, p < .001) who cared for patients reporting low social well-being (B = 0.35, p = .05) reported worse physical health. CONCLUSIONS: In this large sample of family caregivers of patients with incurable cancer, caregiver demographics, relational factors, and patient-specific factors were all related to caregiver mental health, while caregiver demographics were primarily associated with caregiver physical health. These findings help identify characteristics of family caregivers at highest risk of poor mental and physical health who may benefit from greater supportive care.

Quality of life and mood predict posttraumatic stress disorder after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: During hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), patients experience a steep deterioration in quality of life (QOL) and mood. To our knowledge, the impact of this deterioration on patients' QOL and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after HCT is unknown. METHODS: We conducted a prospective longitudinal study of patients hospitalized for HCT. They assessed QOL using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplantation (FACT-BMT) and depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) at the time of admission for HCT, during hospitalization, and 6 months after HCT. We also used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to measure patients' anxiety and depression symptoms at baseline and during HCT hospitalization. The PTSD Checklist was used to assess for PTSD symptoms. Multivariable linear regression models were used to identify predictors of QOL and PTSD symptoms at 6 months. RESULTS: We enrolled 90 of 93 consecutively eligible patients (97%) undergoing autologous and allogeneic HCT. Data at 6 months were available for 67 participants. At 6 months, 28.4% of participants met the criteria for PTSD and 43.3% had clinically significant depression. On multivariable regression analyses adjusting for significant covariates, changes in QOL and depression scores from week 2 of HCT hospitalization to baseline predicted worse QOL (changes in scores between week 2 and baseline [Δ] QOL: ß, 0.94 [P<.0001] and Δ PHQ-9: ß, -2.59 [P = 0.001]) and PTSD symptoms (Δ QOL: ß, -0.40 [P<.0001] and Δ PHQ-9: ß, 1.26 [P<.0001]) at 6 months after HCT. CONCLUSIONS: Six months after HCT, a significant percentage of patients met the criteria for PTSD and depression. A decline in QOL and an increase in depressive symptoms during hospitalization for HCT were found to be the most important predictors of 6-month QOL impairment and PTSD symptoms. Therefore, managing symptoms of depression and QOL deterioration during HCT hospitalization may be critical to improving QOL at 6 months and reducing the risk of PTSD. Cancer 2016;122:806-812. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

The relationship between coping strategies, quality of life, and mood in patients with incurable cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients with incurable cancer face many physical and emotional stressors, yet little is known about their coping strategies or the relationship between their coping strategies, quality of life (QOL), and mood. METHODS: As part of a randomized trial of palliative care, this study assessed baseline QOL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General), mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and coping (Brief COPE) in patients within 8 weeks of a diagnosis of incurable lung or gastrointestinal cancer and before randomization. To examine associations between coping strategies, QOL, and mood, we used linear regression, adjusting for patients' age, sex, marital status, and cancer type. RESULTS: There were 350 participants (mean age, 64.9 years), and the majority were male (54.0%), were married (70.0%), and had lung cancer (54.6%). Most reported high utilization of emotional support coping (77.0%), whereas fewer reported high utilization of acceptance (44.8%), self-blame (37.9%), and denial (28.2%). Emotional support (QOL: ß = 2.65, P < .01; depression: ß = -0.56, P = .02) and acceptance (QOL: ß = 1.55, P < .01; depression: ß = -0.37, P = .01; anxiety: ß = -0.34, P = .02) correlated with better QOL and mood. Denial (QOL: ß = -1.97, P < .01; depression: ß = 0.36, P = .01; anxiety: ß = 0.61, P < .01) and self-blame (QOL: ß = -2.31, P < .01; depression: ß = 0.58, P < .01; anxiety: ß = 0.66, P < .01) correlated with worse QOL and mood. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with newly diagnosed, incurable cancer use a variety of coping strategies. The use of emotional support and acceptance coping strategies correlated with better QOL and mood, whereas the use of denial and self-blame negatively correlated with these outcomes. Interventions to improve patients' QOL and mood should seek to cultivate the use of adaptive coping strategies. Cancer 2016;122:2110-6. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Age and Gender Moderate the Impact of Early Palliative Care in Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Studies demonstrate that early palliative care (EPC) improves advanced cancer patients' quality of life (QOL) and mood. However, it remains unclear whether the role of palliative care differs based upon patients' demographic characteristics. We explored whether age and gender moderate the improvements in QOL and mood seen with EPC. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Patients received either EPC integrated with oncology care or oncology care alone. We assessed the degree to which QOL (Trial Outcome Index [TOI]) and mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS] and Patient Health Questionnaire 9 [PHQ-9]) outcomes at week 12 varied by patient age (<65) and gender. The week 12 data of 107 patients are included in this analysis. RESULTS: At 12 weeks, younger patients receiving EPC reported better QOL (TOI mean = 62.04 vs. 49.43, p = .001) and lower rates of depression (HADS-Depression = 4.0% vs. 52.4%, p < .001; PHQ-9 = 0.0% vs. 28.6%, p = .006) than younger patients receiving oncology care alone. Males receiving EPC reported better QOL (TOI mean = 58.81 vs. 48.30, p = .001) and lower rates of depression (HADS-Depression = 18.5% vs. 60.9%, p = .002; PHQ-9 = 3.8% vs. 34.8%, p = .008) than males receiving oncology care alone. At 12 weeks, QOL and mood did not differ between study groups for females and older patients. CONCLUSION: Males and younger patients who received EPC had better QOL and mood than those who received oncology care alone. However, these outcomes did not differ significantly between treatment groups for females or older patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study found that early palliative care improves patients' quality of life and mood differentially based on their age and gender. Specifically, males and younger patients receiving early palliative care experienced better quality of life and mood than those receiving oncology care alone. Conversely, females and older patients did not experience this treatment effect. Thus, palliative care interventions may need to be tailored to patients' age- and gender-specific care needs. Studying how patients' demographic characteristics affect their experience with palliative care will enable the development of interventions targeted to the distinct supportive care needs of patients with cancer.

Retrospective evaluation of palliative care and hospice utilization in hospitalized patients with metastatic breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalizations in patients with metastatic cancer occur commonly at the end of life but have not been well-described in individuals with metastatic breast cancer. AIM: To describe the reasons for admission and frequency of palliative care and hospice utilization in hospitalized patients with metastatic breast cancer. DESIGN: This was a retrospective chart review of patients who had their first hospitalization with a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2010. To standardize follow-up time, we collected data for 3 years post the index hospitalization. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: We identified 123 consecutive patients who were hospitalized for the first time with a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer at a single, tertiary care center. RESULTS: Uncontrolled symptoms accounted for half (50%, 62/123) of index admissions. The majority of patients died during the follow-up period (76%, 94/123), and the median time from index admission to death was 6 months (range: 0-34 months). Approximately half (53%, 50/94) died in the hospital or within 14 days of last hospital discharge, and less than one-third (29%, 27/94) were referred to hospice after their last hospitalization. The inpatient palliative care team evaluated 57% (54/94) of those who died at least once during an admission, but only 17% (16/94) of patients attended an outpatient palliative care appointment. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized patients with metastatic breast cancer are commonly admitted for uncontrolled symptoms and have a poor prognosis. However, only a minority receive outpatient palliative care or are referred to hospice during their last hospitalization prior to death.

Quality of life and mood of patients and family caregivers during hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a study to investigate the impact of hospitalization for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) on the quality of life (QOL) and mood of patients and family caregivers (FC). METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal study of patients who were hospitalized for HCT and their FC. We assessed QOL (using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplantation) and mood (using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) at baseline (6 days before HCT), day +1, and day +8 of HCT. We administered the Medical Outcomes Study Health Survey Short Form-36 to examine FC QOL (Physical Component Scale and Mental Component Scale). To identify predictors of changes in QOL, we used multivariable linear mixed models. RESULTS: We enrolled 97% of eligible patients undergoing autologous (30 patients), myeloablative (30 patients), or reduced intensity (30 patients) allogeneic HCT. Patients' QOL markedly declined (mean Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplantation score, 109.6 to 96.0; P<.0001) throughout hospitalization. The percentage of patients with depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression score of >7) more than doubled from baseline to day +8 (15.6% to 37.8%; P<.0001), whereas the percentage of patients with anxiety remained stable (22.2%; P = .8). These results remained consistent when data were stratified by HCT type. Baseline depression (ß, -2.24; F, 42.2 [P<.0001]) and anxiety (ß, -0.63; F, 4.4 [P =.03]) were found to independently predict worse QOL throughout hospitalization. FC QOL declined during the patient's hospitalization (physical component scale: 83.1 to 79.6 [P =.03] and mental component scale: 71.6 to 67.4 [P =.04]). CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing HCT reported a steep deterioration in QOL and substantially worsening depression during hospitalization. Baseline anxiety and depression predicted worse QOL during hospitalization, underscoring the importance of assessing pre-HCT psychiatric morbidity.

Associations among prognostic understanding, quality of life, and mood in patients with advanced cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients' perception of their prognosis has an impact on their decisions about medical care. However, the relations between prognostic understanding and quality of life (QoL) and mood are unknown. The objectives of this study were to assess perceptions of prognosis and preferences for prognostic information among patients with advanced cancer and to explore the associations of prognostic understanding with QoL and mood. METHODS: Fifty patients were assessed within 6 to 12 weeks of initiating chemotherapy for advanced gastrointestinal cancers. A 13-item questionnaire was used to assess patients' information preferences, perceptions of their prognosis and goal of therapy, and communication about end-of-life care. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used to assess QoL and mood, respectively. RESULTS: Fifty of 62 (80%) consecutive, eligible patients were enrolled. Thirty-eight of 50 patients (75%) wanted to know as many details as possible about their cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, 25 of 50 patients (50%) stated that the goal of therapy was to "cure their cancer," and only 10 of 49 patients (22%) reported having a discussion about end-of-life preferences with their oncologist. Patients who acknowledged their illness as terminal reported lower QoL (P=.005) and higher anxiety (P=.003) compared with those who did not perceive themselves as being terminally ill. CONCLUSIONS: Although patients desired detailed information about their illness, half incorrectly perceived their cancer as curable. Accurate prognostic understanding was associated with lower QoL and worse anxiety. Interventions to improve patients' prognostic understanding while providing adequate psychosocial support are warranted.

Hearing Loss Detection and Early Intervention Strategies in Kenya.

Background: Thirty-four million children globally have disabling hearing loss, with the highest prevalence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Early identification and management is crucial, yet barriers to screening and treatment of hearing loss are extensive in LMICs. Unaddressed hearing loss negatively impacts individuals and communities. The WHO's 2021 World Report on Hearing urges the development of Ear and Hearing Care (EHC) programs to improve access to all aspects of care, including screening, diagnostics, management, and developmental support. A joint Nairobi- and Seattle-based group convened in 2021 to discuss strategies for program development in Kenya, as presented in this paper. Findings: Developing a national EHC program must include the necessary support services for a child with a diagnosed hearing loss, while simultaneously promoting engagement of family, community, and healthcare workers. Existing government and healthcare system policies and priorities can be leveraged for EHC programming. Strategies for success include strengthening connections between policymakers at national, county, and municipal levels and local champions for the EHC agenda, with a concurrent focus on policy, early detection and intervention, habilitation, and family-centered care. Updates to health policy and funding to support the accessibility of services and equipment should focus on leveraging national healthcare coverage for hearing technologies and services, strengthening referral pathways, training to bolster the workforce, and metrics for monitoring and evaluation. Additional strategies to support forward progress include strategic engagement of partners and leveraging local partners for phased scale-up. Conclusions and Recommendations: Recommendations to strengthen EHC within the Kenyan health system include concurrent leverage of existing health policies and priorities, partner engagement, and strengthening referral pathways, monitoring and evaluation, and training. These strategies may be generalized to other countries too.

Book-Sharing for Toddlers with Clefts (BOOST): Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a remote intervention to promote language development in children with cleft palate.

BACKGROUND: Children with cleft palate, with or without cleft lip (CP±L), exhibit language delays on average compared to children without clefts. Interventions to address these disparities are scarce. In this multi-center study, Book Sharing for Toddlers with Clefts (BOOST), we will test a remote, parent-focused intervention to promote language development in children with CP±L. OBJECTIVES: The study will test two primary hypotheses. First, toddlers randomized to BOOST will exhibit better language outcomes than children receiving standard-of-care (SOC). Second, we hypothesize that the BOOST program's effect on language outcomes is mediated by the frequency and quality of parent-child reading interactions. METHODS: The study is a randomized-controlled trial comparing the BOOST group to a SOC comparison group. We will enroll N = 320 English and/or Spanish-speaking children ages 24-32 months with isolated CP±L (n = 160 per group). Both groups will receive children's books, and parents will record and upload videos of themselves reading the books with their children using a smartphone app developed for the study. Parents will also complete surveys asking whether they read to their children on five randomly selected days each week. In addition, the BOOST group will participate in 3 remote dialogic book-sharing intervention sessions via Zoom. We will code book-sharing videos to assess parents' target skill usage and children's expressive language. End-of-study assessments will include measures of child language outcomes (e.g., clinician-administered measures, parent reports, and naturalistic child language samples). RESULTS: Enrollment began in April 2024 and will continue through approximately April 2028. CONCLUSION: The BOOST study will address a critical gap in the literature on interventions to improve language in children with CP±L. The results will inform the care for toddlers with oral clefts and have potential applications for other populations.

Early palliative care for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer have a substantial symptom burden and may receive aggressive care at the end of life. We examined the effect of introducing palliative care early after diagnosis on patient-reported outcomes and end-of-life care among ambulatory patients with newly diagnosed disease. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with newly diagnosed metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer to receive either early palliative care integrated with standard oncologic care or standard oncologic care alone. Quality of life and mood were assessed at baseline and at 12 weeks with the use of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, respectively. The primary outcome was the change in the quality of life at 12 weeks. Data on end-of-life care were collected from electronic medical records. RESULTS: Of the 151 patients who underwent randomization, 27 died by 12 weeks and 107 (86% of the remaining patients) completed assessments. Patients assigned to early palliative care had a better quality of life than did patients assigned to standard care (mean score on the FACT-L scale [in which scores range from 0 to 136, with higher scores indicating better quality of life], 98.0 vs. 91.5; P=0.03). In addition, fewer patients in the palliative care group than in the standard care group had depressive symptoms (16% vs. 38%, P=0.01). Despite the fact that fewer patients in the early palliative care group than in the standard care group received aggressive end-of-life care (33% vs. 54%, P=0.05), median survival was longer among patients receiving early palliative care (11.6 months vs. 8.9 months, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer, early palliative care led to significant improvements in both quality of life and mood. As compared with patients receiving standard care, patients receiving early palliative care had less aggressive care at the end of life but longer survival. (Funded by an American Society of Clinical Oncology Career Development Award and philanthropic gifts; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01038271.)