Trajectories of health-related quality of life and symptom burden in patients with advanced cancer towards the end of life: Longitudinal results from the eQuiPe study.

BACKGROUND: Support for health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an essential part of cancer care in the final stages of life, yet empirical guidance regarding HRQOL and symptom trajectories is lacking. AIM: To assess the change in HRQOL and symptom burden in the last year of life in patients with advanced cancer and its association with health care-related factors, cancer-specific treatment, and comorbidity. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter, observational study in patients with advanced cancer (eQuiPe). Three monthly questionnaires included European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life-C30 and reported continuity of care. Multivariable mixed-effects analysis was used to assess the association between HRQOL and health care-related factors. RESULTS: A total of 762 deceased patients were included with a mean age of 66 (SD, 10) years and 52% were male. The most common primary tumors were lung (29%), colorectal (20%), and breast cancer (13%). Mean overall HRQOL decreased in the last 9 months of life, with the greatest decrease in the last 3 months (ß -16.2). Fatigue, pain, appetite loss, dyspnea, constipation, and nausea worsened significantly in the last year of life. Multimorbidity (ß -7.5) and a better reported continuity of care (ß 0.7) were both significantly associated with the trajectory of HRQOL. CONCLUSION: Mean overall HRQOL begins to decline 9 months before death, highlighting the need for early identification and (re)assessment of different symptoms as aspects of HRQOL follow different trajectories. Multimorbidity and reported continuity of care may be associated with the trajectory of HRQOL.

Open communication between patients and relatives about illness & death in advanced cancer-results of the eQuiPe Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the degree of openness of communication about illness and death between patients with advanced cancer and their relatives during the last three months of the patient's life, and its association with relatives' characteristics and bereavement distress. METHODS: We used data from bereaved relatives of patients with advanced cancer from the prospective, longitudinal, multicenter, observational eQuipe study. Univariate and multivariable linear regression analyses were used to assess the association between the degree of openness of communication (measured using the validated Caregivers' Communication with patients about Illness and Death scale), the a priori defined characteristics of the relatives, and the degree of bereavement distress (measured using the Impact of Event Scale). RESULTS: A total of 160 bereaved relatives were included in the analysis. The average degree of open communication about illness and death between patients with advanced cancer and their relatives was 3.86 on a scale of 1 to 5 (SE=0.08). A higher degree of open communication was associated with a lower degree of bereavement distress (p=0.003). No associations were found between the degree of open communication and the relatives' age (p=0.745), gender (p=0.196), level of education (p>0.773), (religious) worldview (p=0.435), type of relationship with the patient (p>0.548), or level of emotional functioning before the patient's death (p=0.075). CONCLUSIONS: Open communication about illness and death between patients and relatives seems to be important, as it is associated with a lower degree of bereavement distress. Healthcare professionals can play an important role in encouraging the dialogue. However, it is important to keep in mind that some people not feel comfortable talking about illness and death.

Trajectories of emotional functioning and experienced care of relatives in the last year of life of patients with advanced cancer: A longitudinal analysis of the eQuiPe study.

OBJECTIVE: Advanced cancer has a major impact on both patients and their relatives. To allow for personalized support, it is important to recognize which relatives will experience a decline in emotional functioning during the patient's last year of life, when this decline will occur, and what factors are associated with it. This study aimed to examine the trajectory of emotional functioning of relatives during that time and the characteristics associated with changes in this trajectory. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal, multicenter, observational study in patients with advanced cancer and their relatives was conducted (eQuiPe). We analyzed relatives' changes in emotional functioning in the patient's last year using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and assessed associations with sociodemographic and care characteristics using multivariable mixed-effects analysis. RESULTS: 409 relatives completed ≥1 questionnaires during the patient's last year of life. Mean age was 64 years, 61% were female and 75% were the patient's partner. During this year, mean emotional functioning declined significantly over time from 73.9 to 64.6 (p = 0.023, effect size = 0.43). The type of relationship between relatives and patients (p = 0.002), patient' sleep problems (p = 0.033), and continuity of care (p = 0.002) were significantly associated with changes in emotional functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Relatives' emotional functioning declined during the patient's last year of life. Support for them, especially partners and relatives of patients with sleep problems, is important. Relatives who experienced more continuity of care had a less steep decline in emotional functioning.

Primary tumour standardised uptake value is prognostic in nonsmall cell lung cancer: a multivariate pooled analysis of individual data.

(18)F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography (PET) complements conventional imaging for diagnosing and staging lung cancer. Two literature-based meta-analyses suggest that maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) on PET has univariate prognostic value in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We analysed individual data pooled from 12 studies to assess the independent prognostic value of binary SUVmax for overall survival.After searching the published literature and identifying unpublished data, study coordinators were contacted and requested to provide data on individual patients. Cox regression models stratified for study were used.Data were collected for 1526 patients (median age 64 years, 60% male, 34% squamous cell carcinoma, 47% adenocarcinoma, 58% stage I-II). The combined univariate hazard ratio for SUVmax was 1.43 (95% CI 1.22-1.66) and nearly identical if the SUV threshold was calculated stratifying for histology. Multivariate analysis of patients with stage I-III disease identified age, stage, tumour size and receipt of surgery as independent prognostic factors; adding SUV (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.27-1.96) improved the model significantly. The only detected interaction was between SUV and stage IV disease.SUV seems to have independent prognostic value in stage I-III NSCLC, for squamous cell carcinoma and for adenocarcinoma.

Assessing the clinical benefit of systemic anti-cancer treatments in the Netherlands: The impact of different thresholds for effectiveness.

BACKGROUND: In the Netherlands, the clinical benefit of systemic anti-cancer treatments (SACTs) is assessed by the Committee for the Evaluation of Oncological Agents (cieBOM). For non-curative SACTs, the assessment is based on the hazard ratio (HR) for progression-free survival and/or overall survival (OS), and the difference in median survival. We evaluated the impact of different thresholds for effectiveness by reassessing the clinical benefit of SACTs. METHODS: We reassessed SACTs that were initially assessed by cieBOM between 2015 and 2017. Four scenarios were formulated: replacing an "OR" approach (initial assessment) by an "AND" approach (used in all scenarios), changing the HR threshold from < 0.70 (initial assessment) to < 0.60, changing the threshold for the difference in median survival from > 12 weeks (initial assessment) to > 16 weeks, and including thresholds for OS rates. The outcomes of these scenarios were compared to the outcomes of the initial assessment. RESULTS: Reassessments were conducted for 41 treatments. Replacing the "OR" approach by an "AND" approach substantially decreased the number of positive assessments (from 33 to 22), predominantly affecting immunotherapies. This number further decreased (to 21 and 19, respectively) in case more restrictive thresholds for the HR and difference in median survival were used. Including thresholds for OS rates slightly mitigated the impact of applying an "AND" approach. CONCLUSIONS: The scenario-specific thresholds had a substantial impact; the number of negative assessments more than doubled. Since this was not limited to treatments with marginal survival benefits, understanding the potential challenges that may arise from applying more restrictive thresholds is essential.

Relatives' Unmet Needs in the Last Year of Life of Patients With Advanced Cancer: Results of a Dutch Prospective, Longitudinal Study (eQuiPe).

Objective(s): Unmet needs of relatives of patients with advanced cancer not only reduce their own health-related quality of life, but may also negatively affect patients' health outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess changes in relatives' unmet needs of patients with advanced cancer in the last year of life and to identify differences in unmet needs by gender and type of relationship. Methods: Relatives of patients with advanced cancer in the Netherlands were included in a prospective, longitudinal, observational study. Relatives' unmet needs were measured every 3 months with an adapted version of the Problems and Needs in Palliative Care (PNPC) questionnaire Caregiver form (44 items, 12 domains). Questionnaires completed in the patients' last year of life were analyzed. Change of unmet needs in the last year, and differences in unmet needs by gender and type of relationship were analyzed. Results: A total of 409 relatives were included with a median of 4 unmet needs in the patient's last year. Unmet needs were most prevalent at all time points during the last year in the domains "caring for the patient" (highest need = 35%) and "psychological issues" (highest need = 40%). The number of unmet needs of relatives did not change significantly during the last year of life (P=.807). There were no significant differences in the number of unmet needs between male and female partners and between partners and other relatives. Conclusion: The most unmet needs for relatives were in the domains "caring for the patient" and "psychological issues." Professional support should focus on these items. Within these domains, it seems especially important that relatives get more knowledge and support about what scenarios to expect and how to deal with them.

Tailored anticoagulant treatment after a first venous thromboembolism: protocol of the Leiden Thrombosis Recurrence Risk Prevention (L-TRRiP) study - cohort-based randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with a first venous thromboembolism (VTE) are at risk of recurrence. Recurrent VTE (rVTE) can be prevented by extended anticoagulant therapy, but this comes at the cost of an increased risk of bleeding. It is still uncertain whether patients with an intermediate recurrence risk or with a high recurrence and high bleeding risk will benefit from extended anticoagulant treatment, and whether a strategy where anticoagulant duration is tailored on the predicted risks of rVTE and bleeding can improve outcomes. The aim of the Leiden Thrombosis Recurrence Risk Prevention (L-TRRiP) study is to evaluate the outcomes of tailored duration of long-term anticoagulant treatment based on individualised assessment of rVTE and major bleeding risks. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The L-TRRiP study is a multicentre, open-label, cohort-based, randomised controlled trial, including patients with a first VTE. We classify the risk of rVTE and major bleeding using the L-TRRiP and VTE-BLEED scores, respectively. After 3 months of anticoagulant therapy, patients with a low rVTE risk will discontinue anticoagulant treatment, patients with a high rVTE and low bleeding risk will continue anticoagulant treatment, whereas all other patients will be randomised to continue or discontinue anticoagulant treatment. All patients will be followed up for at least 2 years. Inclusion will continue until the randomised group consists of 608 patients; we estimate to include 1600 patients in total. The primary outcome is the combined incidence of rVTE and major bleeding in the randomised group after 2 years of follow-up. Secondary outcomes include the incidence of rVTE and major bleeding, functional outcomes, quality of life and cost-effectiveness in all patients. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol was approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee Leiden-Den Haag-Delft. Results are expected in 2028 and will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and during (inter)national conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT06087952.

Perceptions of involvement in advance care planning and emotional functioning in patients with advanced cancer.

PURPOSE: Advance Care Planning (ACP) is positively associated with the quality of care, but its impact on emotional functioning is ambiguous. This study investigated the association between perceptions of ACP involvement and emotional functioning in patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: This study analyzed baseline data of 1,001 patients of the eQuiPe study, a prospective, longitudinal, multicenter, observational study on quality of care and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer in the Netherlands. Patients with metastatic solid cancer were asked to participate between November 2017 and January 2020. Patients' perceptions of ACP involvement were measured by three self-administered statements. Emotional functioning was measured by the EORTC-QLQ-C30. A linear multivariable regression analysis was performed while taking gender, age, migrant background, education, marital status, and symptom burden into account. RESULTS: The majority of patients (87%) reported that they were as much involved as they wanted to be in decisions about their future medical treatment and care. Most patients felt that their relatives (81%) and physicians (75%) were familiar with their preferences for future medical treatment and care. A positive association was found between patients' perceptions of ACP involvement and their emotional functioning (b=0.162, p<0.001, 95%CI[0.095;0.229]) while controlling for relevant confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of involvement in ACP are positively associated with emotional functioning in patients with advanced cancer. Future studies are needed to further investigate the effect of ACP on emotional functioning. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NTR6584 Date of registration: 30 June 2017 IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Patients' emotional functioning might improve from routine discussions regarding goals of future care. Therefore, integration of ACP into palliative might be promising.

Current smoking-specific gene expression signature in normal bronchial epithelium is enhanced in squamous cell lung cancer.

Cigarette smoking is the main risk factor for the development of squamous cell lung carcinoma (SCC). However, the smoking-related molecular changes in SCC have not been studied. Gene expression studies in both histologically normal bronchial epithelium and SCC epithelial samples identified genes differentially expressed between current and ex-smokers. Subsequently, expression levels of the smoking-related genes in normal bronchial epithelium were compared with those in SCC cells, since we hypothesized that the smoking-induced changes would be also deregulated in SCC. Gene expression profiles were generated using Agilent whole human genome microarrays on laser-microdissected normal bronchial epithelium and SCC samples. Expression levels of 246 genes, mainly related to oxidative stress response, were significantly different between normal bronchial epithelium of current and ex-smokers. Such a differential gene expression profile did not exist in SCC cells of smokers and ex-smokers. Interestingly, when comparing SCC and normal bronchial epithelium from ex-smokers, the vast majority of these 246 genes were also deregulated in SCC. When comparing SCC with normal epithelium from smokers, 22% of the up-regulated genes showed a similar high expression in SCC whereas 79% of the down-regulated genes were even further reduced in SCC as compared to current smokers. The down-regulated genes included several tumour suppressor genes, such as C9orf9, INHBB, LRIG1, SCGB3A1, SERPINI2, STEAP3 and ZMYND10. Thus, our study shows that the majority of genes up-regulated in normal bronchial epithelium of current smokers show similar high expression levels in SCC, while down-regulated genes are even further repressed in SCC. Our data indicate that smoking-related changes in normal bronchial epithelial cells persist in malignant transformed squamous cells.

Promoter methylation primarily occurs in tumor cells of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The distribution of promoter methylation throughout the lungs of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. In this explorative study, we assessed the methylation status of the promoter region of 11 genes in brush samples of 3 well-defined endobronchial locations in patients with NSCLC and in brushes of former and current smokers without NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The methylation status of RASSF1A, GATA4, GATA5, SFRP1, RARbeta2, DAPK, MGMT, p16, p14, CHFR and APC2 was determined in all samples using real-time methylation-specific PCR. RESULTS: Ten patients with NSCLC and 18 non-NSCLC controls were included. Eight patients had one or more methylated genes in their tumor brush. Promoter methylation of genes in proximal or contralateral locations was much less frequent than in tumor brushes, and almost exclusively occurred in normal tissue if the same gene was also methylated in the tumor brush. CONCLUSION: Promoter methylation almost exclusively occurred in tumor cells of patients with NSCLC.

Thymic epithelial tumours: a population-based study of the incidence, diagnostic procedures and therapy.

The population-based incidence, diagnostic procedures, therapy and survival of thymic epithelial tumours were determined using the Netherlands National Pathological Archives and the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Excess mortality compared to the Netherlands standard population was estimated by relative survival analysis. Between 1994 and 2003, 537 thymic epithelial tumours were diagnosed. The incidence of all thymic epithelial tumours was 3.2/1,000,000. Diagnosis was obtained by primary resection in 56% of cases. Survival data were available for 232 cases. Not only thymic carcinomas (type C) but also thymomas (types B1-B3) were associated with excess mortality. Cases that underwent resection (78%) had a better survival than non-operated cases (median survival >10 years versus 1.1 years, p<0.001). Amongst the surgically treated cases (n=180), the completeness of resection did not predict survival (p=0.53). Thymic epithelial tumours are rare. Excess mortality was observed in the majority of tumours. Surgery offers the best perspectives, even if the resection is incomplete.

Phase III study of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and etoposide compared with carboplatin and paclitaxel in patients with extensive disease small-cell lung cancer.

The progression-free survival (PFS) of cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/etoposide (CDE) and carboplatin/paclitaxel (CP) was compared in chemonaive patients with extensive disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). A total of 203 patients were randomised to three-weekly CDE (n=102) or CP (n=101) for five cycles. Tumour response rates in CDE and CP were 60% and 61%. PFS of CP was 5.2 months, PFS of CDE 4.9 months (p=0.60). The major difference in toxicity between CDE and CP was grade 4 leukocytopaenia in 64% and 9% of the patients (p<0.0001), leading to febrile neutropaenia in 30% and 4% of the patients (p<0.0001), respectively. This was the reason for differences in the total number of hospital admissions (63 for CDE and 40 for CP, p=0.0025). This study failed to demonstrate any benefit in PFS with CP compared with CDE. CP was associated with significantly less haematological toxicity, leading to 37% less hospital admissions for febrile neutropaenia.

Prognostic classification with laboratory parameters or imaging techniques in small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Our aim in this study was to compare prognostic models based on laboratory tests with a model including imaging information in small-cell lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 156 consecutive patients. Three existing models based on laboratory tests and performance status (PS) and a model based on disease stage assessed by imaging techniques and PS were tested with Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: The 3 laboratory-based models and the imaging-based model were significant in predicting prognosis in our patient group, with hazard ratios of 1.6-3 for medium prognosis groups and 2.6-6.1 for poor prognosis groups compared with good prognosis groups. Models based on laboratory tests appear to predict survival probabilities at least as well as a model with information from imaging techniques. CONCLUSION: Prognostic models using PS and laboratory tests provide a similar estimation of survival of patients with small-cell lung cancer as the combination of PS and disease stage assessed by imaging tests.

Third-line chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer.

Efficacy of third-line chemotherapy treatment for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is unknown. We present our experience with third-line chemotherapy for recurrent SCLC. Between January 1996 and July 2004 all consecutive patients treated for SCLC were retrospectively studied. We recorded patient characteristics, treatment details for each subsequent regimen, response to chemotherapy and survival. From 191 patients treated with chemotherapy 35 patients (18%) received third-line chemotherapy. At the start of third-line therapy, median age was 58 years (range 36-77), male/female 54%/46%, and ECOG performance score was 0/1/2/3 in 15%/64%/12%/9% of patients. Median time from diagnosis till start of third-line treatment was 15 months (range 5-34). Tumor response to first-line, second-line, and third-line therapy was 91%, 51%, and 26%, respectively. Median survival time estimated from the start of third-line treatment was 5 months (range 1-15). No toxic deaths were observed. Comparison of characteristics of patients who were treated with third-line chemotherapy with patients treated with maximally two lines of chemotherapy revealed that those who received third-line therapy were younger (p<0.001), had a better performance score (p<0.001), and had a better response to first-line treatment (p=0.004). In conclusion, third-line chemotherapy is still active in one in four SCLC patients.

Prognostic value of different metabolic measurements with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in resectable non-small cell lung cancer: a two-center study.

INTRODUCTION: Standard uptake value (SUV) is a quantitative measure for the preferential uptake of a radiopharmaceutical in a tumor compared with the homogeneous distribution in the body. SUV can be based on the maximal value of one pixel (SUVmax) or on the mean value in a region outlined by isodensity contours. The prognostic value of different SUVs in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not established. We evaluated this value for SUVmax, SUV70%, and SUV50% among patients with resectable NSCLC. METHODS: All consecutive patients with resectable NSCLC who underwent an attenuation-corrected whole-body fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scan from two university hospitals were selected. By adjusting the isocontour in the region of interest on the scan, SUVmax, SUV70%, and SUV50% of the primary tumor were calculated. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients (50 male, median age 63 years) were included. Of the tumors, 16 were pathological stage IA, 23 were IB, 4 were IIA, 14 were IIB, and 9 were IIIA. Median (range) values for SUVmax, SUV70%, and SUV50% were 6.4 (1.6-19.1), 5.1 (1.0-15.7), and 4.0 (0.9-13.4), respectively. SUVs were associated with survival. Analysis of residuals of SUVmax as a continuous variable in a Cox's proportional hazard model for survival suggested no cutoff point and no indication of time-dependency. Patients with a SUV higher than the median value had a worse survival than patients with a SUV lower than median (hazard ratios for SUVmax, SUV70%, and SUV50% all were 2.9; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: SUVmax, SUV70%, and SUV50% measured with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography have a similar prognostic value, and no "natural" cutoff point for SUVmax in resectable NSCLC was identified.