[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer management: Experience of a French Comprehensive Cancer Center]. / Impact de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur la prise en charge du cancer du sein : retour d'expérience d'un centre de lutte contre le cancer.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on health-care systems and reduced access to care. This study assays the mid-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer management over a 2-year-period in a single French Comprehensive Cancer Center. METHODS: We performed, in a French comprehensive cancer center, an observational study including all patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer between 2019 and 2021. We collected the number of first consultations for breast cancer, the number of breast and axillary surgeries, pTNM and ypTNM cancer staging, the therapeutic sequence (surgery or neoadjuvant chemotherapy as a primary treatment), patients' age and their place of residence. RESULTS: In total, 14,772 patients had a first consultation for breast cancer. Among these 9058 breast and axillary surgeries were performed, 1798 patients had neoadjuvant chemotherapy as a primary treatment. During the first COVID-19 lockdown ( March17, 2020-May 10, 2020), we observed a reduction in the number of first consultations for breast cancer and breast cancer surgeries giving respectively a 42.3% and 27% rate of change. Subsequently, we observed a resumption of consultations and surgeries with a slight increase in early 2021 compared to 2019. In addition, we did not find any difference in terms of therapeutic sequence, pTNM and ypTNM stages, age at diagnosis or place of residence between the reference year 2019 and the years 2020 and 2021. CONCLUSION: Our study shows a decrease in activity during the first lockdown of 2020, then a resumption of activity. These reassuring results only concern patients with breast cancer, and are specific to our institution, whose oncology activity was preserved during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Direct medical and non-medical costs of a one-year care pathway for early operable breast cancer: Results of a French multicenter prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: The organization of health care for breast cancer (BC) constitutes a public health challenge to ensure quality of care, while also controlling expenditure. Few studies have assessed the global care pathway of early BC patients, including a description of direct medical costs and their determinants. The aims of this multicenter prospective study were to describe care pathways of BC patients in a geographic territory and to calculate the global direct costs of early stage BC during the first year following diagnosis. METHODS: OPTISOINS01 was a multicenter, prospective, observational study including early BC patients from diagnosis to one-year follow-up. Direct medical costs (in-hospital and out-of-hospital costs, supportive care costs) and direct non-medical costs (transportation and sick leave costs) were calculated by using a cost-of-illness analysis based on a bottom-up approach. Resources consumed were recorded in situ for each patient, using a prospective direct observation method. RESULTS: Data from 604 patients were analyzed. Median direct medical costs of 1 year of management after diagnosis in operable BC patients were €12,250. Factors independently associated with higher direct medical costs were: diagnosis on the basis of clinical signs, invasive cancer, lymph node involvement and conventional hospitalization for surgery. Median sick leave costs were €8,841 per patient and per year. Chemotherapy was an independent determinant of sick leave costs (€3,687/patient/year without chemotherapy versus €10,706 with chemotherapy). Forty percent (n = 242) of patients declared additional personal expenditure of €614/patient/year. No drivers of these costs were identified. CONCLUSION: Initial stage of disease and the treatments administered were the main drivers of direct medical costs. Direct non-medical costs essentially consisted of sick leave costs, accounting for one-half of direct medical costs for working patients. Out-of-pocket expenditure had a limited impact on the household.

Preoperative clinical pathway of breast cancer patients: determinants of compliance with EUSOMA quality indicators.

BACKGROUND: The European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) has defined quality indicators for breast cancer (BC). The aim of this study was to describe the preoperative clinical pathway of breast cancer patients and evaluate the determinants of compliance with EUSOMA quality indicators in the Optisoins01 cohort. METHODS: Optisoins01 is a prospective, multicentric study. Data from operable BC patients were collected, including results from before surgery to 1 year follow-up. Seven preoperative EUSOMA quality indicators were compared with the clinical pathways Optisoins01. RESULTS: Six hundred and four patients were included. European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists targets were reached for indicator 1 (completeness of clinical and imaging diagnostic work-up), 3 (preoperative definitive diagnosis) and 5 (waiting time). For indicator 8 (multidisciplinary discussion), the minimum standard of 90% of the patients was reached only in general hospitals and comprehensive cancer centres. Having more than 1 medical examination within the centre was associated with an increased waiting time for surgery, whereas it was reduced by having an outpatient breast biopsy. The comprehensive cancer centre type was the only parameter associated with the other quality indicators. CONCLUSIONS: European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists quality indicators are a useful tool to evaluate care organisations. This study highlights the need for a standardised and coordinated preoperative clinical pathway.

Age impact on human papillomavirus vaccination in France in 2014: A study from the National Health Insurance Database.

INTRODUCTION: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer. In France, since March 2007, HPV vaccination has been recommended for girls aged 14, in addition to a catch-up program for girls aged 15 to 23. In October 2012, the target population was changed to 11- to 14-year-old girls. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the recommendation change on HPV vaccination coverage and compliance. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive study of the Échantillon Généraliste des Bénéficiaires (EGB), which is a random 1/97 permanent sample from the French National Health Insurance Database. We focused our analyses on girls aged 11 to 17 years who were covered by the main insurance scheme (which covers 77% of the French population). RESULTS: We included 16,195 girls in this analysis. At the last update of the database (06/15/2014), 42% of 17-year-old girls had been vaccinated, with more than 50% of them having been vaccinated at age 14. Between January 2012 and June 2014, patients were reimbursed for a total of 7698 doses of the HPV vaccine. During the first trimester of 2013, the number of vaccinated 11- to 13-year-old girls increased, growing by more than 20-fold between the last trimester of 2012 (n=8) and the last trimester of 2013 (n=178). Less than 60% of the vaccinated patients received 3 injections. DISCUSSION: Implementation of the new recommendations was rapid but had only a slight impact on vaccination coverage.

The patient-breast cancer care pathway: how could it be optimized?

BACKGROUND: A care pathway is defined as patient-focused global care that addresses temporal (effective and coordinated management throughout the illness) and spatial issues (treatment is provided near the health territory in or around the patient's home). Heterogeneity of the care pathways in breast cancer (BC) is presumed but not well evaluated. The OPTISOINS01 study aims to assess every aspect of the care pathway for early BC patients using a temporal and spatial scope. METHODS/DESIGN: An observational, prospective, multicenter study in a regional health territory (Ile-de-France, France) in different types of structures: university or local hospitals and comprehensive cancer centers. We will include and follow during 1 year 1,000 patients. The study consists of 3 work-packages: - Cost of pathway The aim of this WP is to calculate the overall costs of the early BC pathway at 1 year from different perspectives (society, health insurance and patient) using a cost-of-illness analysis. Using a bottom-up method, we will assess direct costs, including medical direct costs and nonmedical direct costs (transportation, home modifications, home care services, and social services), and indirect costs (loss of production). - Patient satisfaction and work reintegration Three questionnaires will assess the patients' satisfaction and possible return to work: the occupational questionnaire for employed women; the questionnaire on the need for supportive care, SCNS-SF34 ('breast cancer' module, SCNS-BR8); and the OUTPASSAT-35 questionnaire. - Quality, coordination and access to innovation Quality will be evaluated based on visits and treatment within a set period, whether the setting offers a multidisciplinary consultative framework, the management by nurse coordinators, the use of a personalized care plan, the provision of information via documents about treatments and the provision of supportive care. The coordination between structures and caregivers will be evaluated at several levels. Day surgery, home hospitalization and one-stop breast clinic visits will be recorded to assess the patient's access to innovation. DISCUSSION: The assessment of care pathways encourages the implementation of new payment models. Our approach could help health care professionals and policymakers to establish other cost-of-illness studies and plan the allocation of resources on a patient basis rather than a visit basis.

Malignant transformation of superficial peritoneal endometriosis lesion.

A 63-year-old woman with no medical history underwent an abdominal surgery with hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for a 10 cm peritoneal cyst with increased cancer antigene-125. A large suspicious tumour of the Douglas space, with contact to the uterus and the rectal wall was described. The rest of the exploration was normal, specially the rest of the peritoneum. Histopathology revealed a malignant transformation of a superficial peritoneal endometriosis. Secondary surgery was thus completed by laparoscopy with bilateral pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissections, omentectomy and multiple peritoneal biopsies. All staging samples were free of cancer; therefore no complementary therapy was administered. After 18 months of follow-up, consisting of clinical examination and pelvis magnetic resonance imaging every 6 months, we did not observe any recurrence. Malignant transformation of superficial peritoneal endometriosis is a rare disease and surgical management seems to be the main treatment.