Evaluation of an Early Individualized Integrated Rehabilitation Program versus Standard Rehabilitation Program for Smoking Cessation in 115 Smokers Among 467 Female Breast Cancer Patients 2019-2021 in Slovenia.

BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking affects cancer risk and cardiovascular risk. Smoking cessation is very beneficial for health. This study aimed to evaluate an early individualized integrated rehabilitation program and standard rehabilitation program for smoking cessation in breast cancer patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS This prospective study included 467 breast cancer patients (29-65 (mean 52) years of age) treated at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana from 2019 to 2021 and were followed longer than 1 year. The control group and intervention group included 282 and 185 patients, respectively. Three questionnaires were completed by patients before and 1 year after the beginning of oncological treatment. The intervention group received interventions according to the patient's needs, while the control group underwent standard rehabilitation. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using the chi-square test and analysis of variance. RESULTS In total, 115 patients were tobacco smokers before the beginning of cancer treatment. There were no differences between the intervention and control group in the prevalence of smoking before the treatment. Before the cancer treatment, smoking was present in the intervention group in 22% and in control group in 27% (P=0.27). One year after the beginning of cancer treatment, smoking was present in the intervention group in only 10% of cases, while it was present in control group in 20% of cases. Smoking was significantly less common in the intervention group than in the control group (P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS Smoking cessation was more common after early integrated rehabilitation than after standard rehabilitation.

Cognitive functioning is prognostic in patients with IDH1-wild type and MGMT-unmethylated high-grade gliomas.

AIM: To investigate the prognostic factors of survival in patients with high-grade gliomas without isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH) mutation and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation. METHODS: The study enrolled Slovenian patients with high-grade gliomas. Postoperatively, they completed a battery of neuropsychological tests. Demographics and clinical data were collected. The results of cognitive tests were converted to standardized scores and dichotomized based on impairment. A univariate Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to determine clinical predictors, and a multivariate Cox model was used to determine the prognostic value of cognitive test results. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed, and survival was compared with the log rank test. RESULTS: The study enrolled 49 patients with IDH wild-type, MGMT-unmethylated high-grade gliomas. The median time to progression was 9.92 months (7.25, 12.59) and the overall median survival was 12.19 months (8.95, 15.4). Age and the extent of surgery were significant prognostic factors for survival. After controlling for these factors, cognitive functioning in the domain of verbal fluency remained a significant predictor of survival outcomes. CONCLUSION: Cognitive functioning in the domain of verbal fluency was associated with overall survival independently of age and the extent of surgery. Cognitive functioning could be an important stratifying tool in this group of patients lacking other predictors.