Preferences of adults with cancer for systemic cancer treatment: do preferences differ based on age?

Background: We used the Therapy Preference Scale, a 30-item questionnaire, to determine cancer treatment preferences of adults with cancer. Methods: We used Wilcoxon's rank sum test and Fisher's exact test to compare the preferences of younger (<60 years) versus older adults (≥60 years). Results: While 56% of patients would accept treatment offering increased life expectancy at an expense of short-term side effects, 75% preferred maintenance of cognition, functional ability and quality of life to quantity of days. Oral instead of intravenous treatment (p = 0.003), shorter hospital stay (p = 0.03), preservation of cognitive function (p = 0.01) and avoidance of pain (p = 0.02) were more important to older patients compared with younger patients. Conclusion: Many patients prioritized maintenance of cognition, functional ability and quality of life; older patients valued oral treatment, shorter hospital stay, preservation of cognitive function and avoidance of pain.

Lay abstract Understanding the preferences of adults with cancer is important for physicians to develop personalized cancer treatment plans. We used a self-reported 30-item questionnaire, the Therapy Preference Scale, to help patients express their preferences with regard to safety, efficacy and other aspects of therapy. While 56% of the patients in our study would accept treatment offering increased life expectancy at an expense of short-term side effects, 75% preferred maintenance of cognition, functional ability and quality of life to quantity of days. Compared with younger patients, older patients preferred oral instead of intravenous treatment, shorter hospital stay, preservation of cognitive function and avoidance of pain.

Tyrosine aminotransferase is involved in the oxidative stress response by metabolizing meta-tyrosine in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Under oxidative stress conditions, hydroxyl radicals can oxidize the phenyl ring of phenylalanine, producing the abnormal tyrosine isomer meta-tyrosine (m-tyrosine). m-Tyrosine levels are commonly used as a biomarker of oxidative stress, and its accumulation has recently been reported to adversely affect cells, suggesting a direct role for m-tyrosine in oxidative stress effects. We found that the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of tyrosine aminotransferase (TATN-1)-the first enzyme involved in the metabolic degradation of tyrosine-is up-regulated in response to oxidative stress and directly activated by the oxidative stress-responsive transcription factor SKN-1. Worms deficient in tyrosine aminotransferase activity displayed increased sensitivity to multiple sources of oxidative stress. Biochemical assays revealed that m-tyrosine is a substrate for TATN-1-mediated deamination, suggesting that TATN-1 also metabolizes m-tyrosine. Consistent with a toxic effect of m-tyrosine and a protective function of TATN-1, tatn-1 mutant worms exhibited delayed development, marked reduction in fertility, and shortened lifespan when exposed to m-tyrosine. A forward genetic screen identified a mutation in the previously uncharacterized gene F01D4.5-homologous with human transcription factor 20 (TCF20) and retinoic acid-induced 1 (RAI1)-that suppresses the adverse phenotypes observed in m-tyrosine-treated tatn-1 mutant worms. RNA-Seq analysis of F01D4.5 mutant worms disclosed a significant reduction in the expression of specific isoforms of genes encoding ribosomal proteins, suggesting that alterations in protein synthesis or ribosome structure could diminish the adverse effects of m-tyrosine. Our findings uncover a critical role for tyrosine aminotransferase in the oxidative stress response via m-tyrosine metabolism.

Graded Proteasome Dysfunction in Caenorhabditis elegans Activates an Adaptive Response Involving the Conserved SKN-1 and ELT-2 Transcription Factors and the Autophagy-Lysosome Pathway.

The maintenance of cellular proteins in a biologically active and structurally stable state is a vital endeavor involving multiple cellular pathways. One such pathway is the ubiquitin-proteasome system that represents a major route for protein degradation, and reductions in this pathway usually have adverse effects on the health of cells and tissues. Here, we demonstrate that loss-of-function mutants of the Caenorhabditis elegans proteasome subunit, RPN-10, exhibit moderate proteasome dysfunction and unexpectedly develop both increased longevity and enhanced resistance to multiple threats to the proteome, including heat, oxidative stress, and the presence of aggregation prone proteins. The rpn-10 mutant animals survive through the activation of compensatory mechanisms regulated by the conserved SKN-1/Nrf2 and ELT-2/GATA transcription factors that mediate the increased expression of genes encoding proteasome subunits as well as those mediating oxidative- and heat-stress responses. Additionally, we find that the rpn-10 mutant also shows enhanced activity of the autophagy-lysosome pathway as evidenced by increased expression of the multiple autophagy genes including atg-16.2, lgg-1, and bec-1, and also by an increase in GFP::LGG-1 puncta. Consistent with a critical role for this pathway, the enhanced resistance of the rpn-10 mutant to aggregation prone proteins depends on autophagy genes atg-13, atg-16.2, and prmt-1. Furthermore, the rpn-10 mutant is particularly sensitive to the inhibition of lysosome activity via either RNAi or chemical means. We also find that the rpn-10 mutant shows a reduction in the numbers of intestinal lysosomes, and that the elt-2 gene also plays a novel and vital role in controlling the production of functional lysosomes by the intestine. Overall, these experiments suggest that moderate proteasome dysfunction could be leveraged to improve protein homeostasis and organismal health and longevity, and that the rpn-10 mutant provides a unique platform to explore these possibilities.

DLK-1, SEK-3 and PMK-3 Are Required for the Life Extension Induced by Mitochondrial Bioenergetic Disruption in C. elegans.

Mitochondrial dysfunction underlies numerous age-related pathologies. In an effort to uncover how the detrimental effects of mitochondrial dysfunction might be alleviated, we examined how the nematode C. elegans not only adapts to disruption of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, but in many instances responds with extended lifespan. Studies have shown various retrograde responses are activated in these animals, including the well-studied ATFS-1-dependent mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt). Such processes fall under the greater rubric of cellular surveillance mechanisms. Here we identify a novel p38 signaling cascade that is required to extend life when the mitochondrial electron transport chain is disrupted in worms, and which is blocked by disruption of the Mitochondrial-associated Degradation (MAD) pathway. This novel cascade is defined by DLK-1 (MAP3K), SEK-3 (MAP2K), PMK-3 (MAPK) and the reporter gene Ptbb-6::GFP. Inhibition of known mitochondrial retrograde responses does not alter induction of Ptbb-6::GFP, instead induction of this reporter often occurs in counterpoint to activation of SKN-1, which we show is under the control of ATFS-1. In those mitochondrial bioenergetic mutants which activate Ptbb-6::GFP, we find that dlk-1, sek-3 and pmk-3 are all required for their life extension.

TATN-1 mutations reveal a novel role for tyrosine as a metabolic signal that influences developmental decisions and longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Recent work has identified changes in the metabolism of the aromatic amino acid tyrosine as a risk factor for diabetes and a contributor to the development of liver cancer. While these findings could suggest a role for tyrosine as a direct regulator of the behavior of cells and tissues, evidence for this model is currently lacking. Through the use of RNAi and genetic mutants, we identify tatn-1, which is the worm ortholog of tyrosine aminotransferase and catalyzes the first step of the conserved tyrosine degradation pathway, as a novel regulator of the dauer decision and modulator of the daf-2 insulin/IGF-1-like (IGFR) signaling pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mutations affecting tatn-1 elevate tyrosine levels in the animal, and enhance the effects of mutations in genes that lie within the daf-2/insulin signaling pathway or are otherwise upstream of daf-16/FOXO on both dauer formation and worm longevity. These effects are mediated by elevated tyrosine levels as supplemental dietary tyrosine mimics the phenotypes produced by a tatn-1 mutation, and the effects still occur when the enzymes needed to convert tyrosine into catecholamine neurotransmitters are missing. The effects on dauer formation and lifespan require the aak-2/AMPK gene, and tatn-1 mutations increase phospho-AAK-2 levels. In contrast, the daf-16/FOXO transcription factor is only partially required for the effects on dauer formation and not required for increased longevity. We also find that the controlled metabolism of tyrosine by tatn-1 may function normally in dauer formation because the expression of the TATN-1 protein is regulated both by daf-2/IGFR signaling and also by the same dietary and environmental cues which influence dauer formation. Our findings point to a novel role for tyrosine as a developmental regulator and modulator of longevity, and support a model where elevated tyrosine levels play a causal role in the development of diabetes and cancer in people.

Analyzing cell physiology in C. elegans with fluorescent ratiometric reporters.

Ratiometric fluorescent reporters have recently emerged a new technique to non-invasively measure aspects of cell physiology such as redox status, calcium levels, energy production, and NADH levels. These reporters consist of either a single or pair of fluorophores along with specific modifications, such as the addition of a protein domain which binds to a metabolite of interest, thereby producing gradual alterations in fluorescence in response to changes in the measured parameter. Measurement of the changes in fluorescence produces a quantitative read-out of the cellular environment. While these reporters were initially developed to easily visualize and track changes in cultured cells, several groups have adapted these reporters to use in Caenorhabditis elegans which opens a new avenue through which to explore cell physiology during development or aging, in response to changes in external environment, or in response to genetic manipulation. These reporters have the advantage of being easily targeted to any part of the worm, and because C. elegans is transparent both the reporters and changes in their fluorescence can be clearly observed in vivo. Here we discuss the application of ratiometric reporters to C. elegans, and outline a method to quantitatively measure changes in intracellular peroxide levels using the HyPer ratiometric reporter. However, these principles can be applied to alternate ratiometric reporters which are designed to measure either other chemical species or other cellular parameters.

Identification of a genetic interaction between the tumor suppressor EAF2 and the retinoblastoma protein (Rb) signaling pathway in C. elegans and prostate cancer cells.

The tumor suppressor EAF2 is regulated by androgen signaling and associated with prostate cancer. While EAF2 and its partner ELL have been shown to be members of protein complexes involved in RNA polymerase II transcriptional elongation, the biologic roles for EAF2 especially with regards to the development of cancer remains poorly understood. We have previously identified the eaf-1 gene in Caenorhabditiselegans as the ortholog of EAF2, and shown that eaf-1 interacts with the ELL ortholog ell-1 to control development and fertility in worms. To identify genetic pathways that interact with eaf-1, we screened RNAi libraries consisting of transcription factors, phosphatases, and chromatin-modifying factors to identify genes which enhance the effects of eaf-1(tm3976) on fertility. From this screen, we identified lin-53, hmg-1.2, pha-4, ruvb-2 and set-6 as hits. LIN-53 is the C. elegans ortholog of human retinoblastoma binding protein 4/7 (RBBP 4/7), which binds to the retinoblastoma protein and inhibits the Ras signaling pathway. We find that lin-53 showed a synthetic interaction with eaf-1(tm3976) where knockdown of lin-53 in an eaf-1(tm3976) mutant resulted in sterile worms. This phenotype may be due to cell death as the treated worms contain degenerated embryos with increased expression of the ced-1:GFP cell death marker. Further we find that the interaction between eaf-1 and lin-53/RBBP4/7 also exists in vertebrates, which is reflected by the formation of a protein complex between EAF2 and RBBP4/7. Finally, overexpression of either human EAF2 or RBBP4 in LNCaP cells induced the cell death while knockdown of EAF2 in LNCaP enhanced cell proliferation, indicating an important role of EAF2 in controlling the growth and survival of prostate cancer cells. Together these findings identify a novel physical and functional interaction between EAF2 and the Rb pathway.

DAF-12 regulates a connected network of genes to ensure robust developmental decisions.

The nuclear receptor DAF-12 has roles in normal development, the decision to pursue dauer development in unfavorable conditions, and the modulation of adult aging. Despite the biologic importance of DAF-12, target genes for this receptor are largely unknown. To identify DAF-12 targets, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by hybridization to whole-genome tiling arrays. We identified 1,175 genomic regions to be bound in vivo by DAF-12, and these regions are enriched in known DAF-12 binding motifs and act as DAF-12 response elements in transfected cells and in transgenic worms. The DAF-12 target genes near these binding sites include an extensive network of interconnected heterochronic and microRNA genes. We also identify the genes encoding components of the miRISC, which is required for the control of target genes by microRNA, as a target of DAF-12 regulation. During reproductive development, many of these target genes are misregulated in daf-12(0) mutants, but this only infrequently results in developmental phenotypes. In contrast, we and others have found that null daf-12 mutations enhance the phenotypes of many miRISC and heterochronic target genes. We also find that environmental fluctuations significantly strengthen the weak heterochronic phenotypes of null daf-12 alleles. During diapause, DAF-12 represses the expression of many heterochronic and miRISC target genes, and prior work has demonstrated that dauer formation can suppress the heterochronic phenotypes of many of these target genes in post-dauer development. Together these data are consistent with daf-12 acting to ensure developmental robustness by committing the animal to adult or dauer developmental programs despite variable internal or external conditions.

Longitudinal changes in cognitive and physical function and health-related quality of life in older adults with acute myeloid leukemia.

INTRODUCTION: Many older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) do not receive chemotherapy because of physicians' and patients' concern for toxicities and functional decline. This highlights the critical and urgent need to generate knowledge of functional changes following new treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As a part of a pragmatic single-center trial, 59 older adults ≥60 years with AML completed geriatric assessment and health-related quality of life measures before treatment and at one month and three months after chemotherapy initiation. Changes in scores of various geriatric assessment measures were computed by subtracting the baseline score from the one-month and three-month scores for each patient. Established cut-offs were used to determine a clinically meaningful change (improvement or worsening). This study provides results of descriptive exploratory analyses. RESULTS: Patients experienced significant comorbidity burden and a high prevalence of functional impairments before treatment, with 56% of patients having ≥2 comorbid conditions, 69% having abnormal cognitive function (using Montreal Cognitive Assessment), 69% having impaired objective physical function (using Short Physical Performance Battery), and 64% having a positive depression screen (Patient Health Questionnaire-9). Patients (n = 53) received treatment with predominantly low-intensity chemotherapy; six patients received intensive chemotherapy. Among those who completed some or all of the three-month evaluation (N = 43), from baseline before treatment to three months later, cognitive function improved (38.7%) or remained stable (38.7%), objective physical function improved (51.6%) or remained stable (22.6%), and depression scores improved (9.4%) or remained stable (53.1%). Global health status score and role functioning moderately improved by a score of >16. DISCUSSION: An exploratory analysis of our phase 2 trial demonstrated improvement or stabilization of cognitive and physical function and depression score at three months in a high proportion of older survivors of AML, despite a high prevalence of frailty and significant comorbidity burden at baseline. These results demonstrate success of treatment in improving cognitive and physical function and depression score, and, if confirmed in larger studies, should encourage oncologists to offer chemotherapy to older adults with AML. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study is registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03226418.

Preconditioning Frailty Phenotype Influences Survival and Relapse for Older Allogeneic Transplantation Recipients.

Hematologic malignancies disproportionately affect older adults. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is potentially curative, but poor overall survival (OS) has limited its use in older adults. Fried's frailty phenotype (FFP) is a geriatric assessment tool that combines objective and subjective performance measures: gait speed, grip strength, activity level, exhaustion, and weight loss. People meeting ≥3 criteria are classified as frail; 1 or 2 criteria, as pre-frail; and 0 criteria, as fit. To evaluate the association of pre-HCT FFP with post-HCT outcomes, we assessed FFP prior to conditioning for 280 HCT recipients age ≥60 years with acute leukemia or a myeloid neoplasm at 3 institutions. When analyzing survival by age group, patients age ≥70 years had inferior OS compared to patients age 60 to 69 years (P = .002), with corresponding OS estimates of 38.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 27.8% to 49.9%) and 59.3% (95% CI, 51.9% to 65.9%). Nonrelapse mortality (NRM) also was significantly higher in the older patients (P = .0005); the 2-year cumulative incidences of NRM were 38.5% (95% CI, 27.5% to 49.2%) and 17.2% (95% CI, 12.3% to 22.8%), for older and younger recipients, respectively. The cumulative incidences of relapse did not differ by age group (P = .3435). Roughly one-third (35.5%) of the patients were fit, 57.5% were pre-frail, and 7.5% were frail, with corresponding 2-year OS estimates of 68.4% (95% CI, 57.9% to 76.8%), 45.5% (95% CI, 37.4% to 53.2%), and 45.8% (95% CI, 23.4% to 65.8%) (P = .013). FFP was not significantly associated with NRM, but being frail or pre-frail was associated with a higher rate of disease-related deaths (33.3% and 27.3%, respectively, compared with 17.4% for fit patients; P = .043). In univariate modeling of restricted mean survival time with a 3-year horizon (RMST_3y), the factors that were significantly associated were FFP, age, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), Disease Risk Index (DRI), and HCT-specific Comorbidity Index (HCT-CI). Of those factors, only FFP (P = .006), age (P = .006), KPS (P = .004), and DRI (P = .005) were significantly associated in multivariate modeling of RMST_3y. Estimates of RMST_3y were computed and 5 risk-groups were created with survival ranging from 31.4 months for those who were age 60 to 69 years, fit, had KPS 90 to 100, and low/intermediate-risk DRI compared to 10.5 months for those who had high-risk features for all the evaluated factors. In univariate and multivariate analyses for restricted mean time to relapse with a 3-year horizon (RMRT_3y), FFP (pre-frail versus fit, P = .007; frail versus fit, P = .061) and DRI (P = .001) were the only significant factors. Predicted RMRT_3y was longest (30.6 months) for those who were fit and had low/intermediate-risk DRI scores and shortest (19.1 months) for those who were frail and had high-risk or very high-risk DRI scores. Both age and FFP impact survival after HCT. Incorporation of FFP into pre-HCT evaluations may improve decision-making and counseling regarding HCT risk for older adults. Our findings support future trials designed to reverse frailty, such as pre-HCT supervised exercise programs, and correlative analyses to unravel the connection of frailty and relapse to generate future targets for intervention. Finally, exploration of novel HCT platforms to reduce relapse in pre-frail and frail patients, as well as reduce NRM in adults age >70 years, are warranted.

A novel endoplasmic reticulum adaptation is critical for the long-lived Caenorhabditis elegans rpn-10 proteasomal mutant.

The loss of proteostasis due to reduced efficiency of protein degradation pathways plays a key role in multiple age-related diseases and is a hallmark of the aging process. Paradoxically, we have previously reported that the Caenorhabditis elegans rpn-10(ok1865) mutant, which lacks the RPN-10/RPN10/PSMD4 subunit of the 19S regulatory particle of the 26S proteasome, exhibits enhanced cytosolic proteostasis, elevated stress resistance and extended lifespan, despite possessing reduced proteasome function. However, the response of this mutant against threats to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis and proteostasis was unknown. Here, we find that the rpn-10 mutant is highly ER stress resistant compared to the wildtype. Under unstressed conditions, the ER unfolded protein response (UPR) is activated in the rpn-10 mutant as signified by increased xbp-1 splicing. This primed response appears to alter ER homeostasis through the upregulated expression of genes involved in ER protein quality control (ERQC), including those in the ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD) pathway. Pertinently, we find that ERQC is critical for the rpn-10 mutant longevity. These changes also alter ER proteostasis, as studied using the C. elegans alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency model, which comprises an intestinal ER-localised transgenic reporter of an aggregation-prone form of AAT called ATZ. The rpn-10 mutant shows a significant reduction in the accumulation of the ATZ reporter, thus indicating that its ER proteostasis is augmented. Via a genetic screen for suppressors of decreased ATZ aggregation in the rpn-10 mutant, we then identified ecps-2/H04D03.3, a novel ortholog of the proteasome-associated adaptor and scaffold protein ECM29/ECPAS. We further show that ecps-2 is required for improved ER proteostasis as well as lifespan extension of the rpn-10 mutant. Thus, we propose that ECPS-2-proteasome functional interactions, alongside additional putative molecular processes, contribute to a novel ERQC adaptation which underlies the superior proteostasis and longevity of the rpn-10 mutant.

Regulation of fertility, survival, and cuticle collagen function by the Caenorhabditis elegans eaf-1 and ell-1 genes.

EAF2, an androgen-regulated protein, interacts with members of the ELL (eleven-nineteen lysine-rich leukemia) transcription factor family and also acts as a tumor suppressor. Although these proteins control transcriptional elongation and perhaps modulate the effects of other transcription factors, the mechanisms of their actions remain largely unknown. To gain new insights into the biology of the EAF2 and ELL family proteins, we used Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to explore the in vivo roles of their worm orthologs. Through the use of transgenic worms, RNAi, and an eaf-1 mutant, we found that both genes are expressed in multiple cell types throughout the worm life cycle and that they play important roles in fertility, survival, and body size regulation. ELL-1 and EAF-1 likely contribute to these activities in part through modulating cuticle synthesis, given that we observed a disrupted cuticle structure in ell-1 RNAi-treated or eaf-1 mutant worms. Consistent with disruption of cuticle structure, loss of either ELL-1 or EAF-1 suppressed the rol phenotype of specific collagen mutants, possibly through the control of dpy-3, dpy-13, and sqt-3 collagen gene expression. Furthermore, we also noted the regulation of collagen expression by ELL overexpression in PC3 human prostate cancer cells. Together, these results reveal important roles for the eaf-1 and ell-1 genes in the regulation of extracellular matrix components.

Disparity in Utilization of Multiagent Therapy for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Despite high rate of cure in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in clinical trials, outcomes in real-world practice are dismal. We utilized National Cancer Database (NCDB) to explore utilization of multiagent therapy in APL and identify any disparities in treatment in real-world practices. PATIENTS AND METHODS: NCDB categorizes use of systemic chemotherapy into single agent versus multiagent therapy. Some patients received hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, and unknown therapy; details of these treatments could not be ascertained. We therefore used multiple logistic regression analysis to evaluate effects of covariates on the probability of multiagent therapy use in 6678 patients. RESULTS: Compared to patients >60 years, patients aged 0 to 18 years (hazard ratio[HR] 3.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8-5.5, P< .0001), 19 to 40 years (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.03-2.54, P= .03), and 41 to 60 years (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.3-1.9, P< .0001) were more likely to receive multiagent therapy. Patients with Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) of 0 (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.3, P= .001) and CCI of 1 (HR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0-1.9, P= .04) had a higher likelihood of receiving multiagent therapy than patients with CCI ≥ 3. Patients treated at academic cancer centers, compared to those treated at community cancer center (HR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.7, P= .001), comprehensive community cancer center (HR 0.7, 95% CI 0.6-0.8, P< .0001), and integrated network cancer center (HR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-0.9, P= .02) were more likely to be treated with multiagent therapy. Compared to the patients with private insurance, those with Medicaid had increased likelihood (HR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.4, P= .04) whereas uninsured patients had a lower likelihood of receiving multiagent therapy (HR 0.6, 95% CI 0.5-0.8, P= .0005). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this study is the first and the largest scale analysis of treatment practices in APL in real-world practices. Our findings highlight significant disparities in treatment of APL based on age, insurance, and health-system factors.

HspB1 Overexpression Improves Life Span and Stress Resistance in an Invertebrate Model.

To explore the role of the small heat shock protein beta 1 (HspB1, also known as Hsp25 in rodents and Hsp27 in humans) in longevity, we created a Caenorhabiditis elegans model with a high level of ubiquitous expression of the naked mole-rat HspB1 protein. The worms showed increased life span under multiple conditions and also increased resistance to heat stress. RNAi experiments suggest that HspB1-induced life extension is dependent on the transcription factors skn-1 (Nrf2) and hsf-1 (Hsf1). RNAseq from HspB1 worms showed an enrichment in several skn-1 target genes, including collagen proteins and lysosomal genes. Expression of HspB1 also improved functional outcomes regulated by SKN-1, specifically oxidative stress resistance and pharyngeal integrity. This work is the first to link a small heat shock protein with collagen function, suggesting a novel role for HspB1 as a hub between canonical heat response signaling and SKN-1 transcription.

Integrating geriatric assessment and genetic profiling to personalize therapy selection in older adults with acute myeloid leukemia.

INTRODUCTION: Survival benefit associated with intensive over low-intensity chemotherapy in older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is controversial. Geriatric assessment and genetic risk categories correlate with survival following intensive chemotherapy in older adults with AML and can guide treatment selection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a single-center trial, we integrated both geriatric assessment, and genetic risk categories to personalize selection of intensive versus low-intensity chemotherapy in older adults ≥60 years with AML (NCT03226418). In the present report, we demonstrate feasibility of this approach. RESULTS: Broad eligibility criteria and co-management of patients with community oncologists allowed enrollment of 45% of all patients with AML treated at our center during the study period. The median time from enrollment to therapy initiation was two days (range 0-9). Over half of the trial patients had a score of ≥3 on hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index, impairment in physical function (Short Physical Performance Battery), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Three fit patients received intensive chemotherapy, whereas other patients received low-intensity chemotherapy. Mortality at 30 days from diagnosis was 3.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7-18.3%) and at 90 days was 29.6% (95% CI 15.9-48.5%). One-year overall survival was 66% (95% CI 60-87%). DISCUSSION: Our data demonstrate the feasibility of integrating geriatric assessment in precision oncology trials to define fitness for intensive chemotherapy. Broad eligibility criteria and academic-community collaboration can expand access to clinical trials.

Human Connection and Technology Connectivity: A Systematic Review of Available Telehealth Survey Instruments.

CONTEXT: The current upsurge in telehealth use in palliative and hospice care warrants consideration of patient, family caregiver, and interdisciplinary palliative perspectives on telehealth modality and communication experiences. Currently, telehealth experiences and encounters are being described but not yet extensively evaluated by palliative care teams. OBJECTIVES: To locate survey instruments available to assess telehealth interactions, to determine the content and constructs covered by the available instruments, and to describe the patient populations previously surveyed by the existing instruments. METHODS: This study and its reporting followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines with the protocol registered in The International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. Three databases were searched with over 3100 articles analyzed for use of a telehealth survey instrument. RESULTS: Twelve telehealth communication assessment instruments were identified with a mean length of 20 questions, primarily Likert-scale responses with one inclusive of free text and one qualitative inquiry survey. Three inquired only into modality, four queried communication, and five studied both modality and communication experience. Existing telehealth survey instruments are unidirectional in exploring patient or family experience, with two inclusive of provider perspectives. Participant demographics are notably underreported in telehealth experience studies with a frank lack of diversity in ethnic/racial, geographic, age, educational, and income representativeness in current telehealth survey instrument respondents. CONCLUSION: Palliative care teams may consider familiarity with telehealth survey instrument as an essential component to progress from description of telehealth use to evaluation of telehealth encounters. Current survey instrument outcome reports do not represent inclusivity or diversity, although telehealth is now being clinically applied across settings.

Health-related and sociodemographic factors associated with physical frailty among older cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with frailty in older cancer survivors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study using data from the National Social Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) Wave 2, and includes an in-home, nationally representative sample of community-dwelling adults ≥50 years and older from the United States. Frailty score was computed for each individual using a modified 4-point scale based on the phenotypic frailty. Ordinal logistic regression was used to characterize the association between health-related, sociodemographic factors and frailty. RESULTS: Among the 3377 participants, 461 were cancer survivors (answered "yes" to "ever have cancer other than skin cancer"). A final sample of 394 cancer survivors were included: 59 participants (16.1%) were frail, 219 participants were pre-frail (59.8%), and 88 participants were non-frail (24.0%). The univariate analyses showed increasing age (OR 1.48; CI 1.29-1.72; p-value <.001), comorbidities (OR 1.43; CI 1.25-1.64; p-value <.001), depression (OR 1.27; CI 1.19-1.35; p-value <.001) and low mobility (OR 1.55; CI 1.37-1.78; p-value <.001) were associated with frailty. Participants with high self-rated (good/very good/ excellent) physical health (OR 0.18; CI 0.11-0.30; p < .001) and mental health (OR 0.27; CI 0.15-0.50; p < .001) were less likely to be frail. In a multivariate model, frailty was associated with age, self-rated physical health, depression, ability to perform activities of daily living, and mobility (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the importance of incorporating geriatric assessment into cancer survivorship to prevent and delay the progression of frailty.

Retrofitting ampicillin resistant vectors by recombination for use in generating C. elegans transgenic animals by bombardment.

Caenorhabditis elegans is an important model organism for modern biologic research. An essential aspect of C. elegans research is the production of transgenic animals for study. These are often generated via microinjection, but biolistic bombardment has become increasingly popular. However, many of the plasmids previously generated for use in microinjection are not readily used for bombardment due to the lack of a convenient marker. The unc-119 gene is often used as a marker since unc-119 rescue can be observed at low magnification, allowing rescued animals to be easily distinguished from the larger number of non-rescued animals. Here we report the use of homologous recombination in Escherichia coli as a method to insert a cassette containing the unc-119 gene into commonly used plasmids at the site of the ampicillin resistance gene which is simpler than other methods like subcloning. These cassettes are flanked by regions homologous to the 5' and 3' ends of the ampicillin resistance gene and contain either the unc-119 gene and the kanamycin resistance gene or a unc-119:mCherry fusion gene and the kanamycin resistance gene. The resulting plasmids may be used for biolistic bombardment to yield animals that display unc-119 rescue, and also express the recipient plasmid transgene.

Cell-autonomous and non-autonomous roles of daf-16 in muscle function and mitochondrial capacity in aging C. elegans.

Sarcopenia, defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, contributes to disability and health-related conditions with aging. In vitro studies indicate that age-related mitochondrial dysfunction could play a central role in the development and progression of sarcopenia, but because of limitations in the methods employed, how aging affects muscle mitochondrial function in vivo is not fully understood. We use muscle-targeted fluorescent proteins and the ratiometric ATP reporter, ATeam, to examine changes in muscle mitochondrial mass and morphology, and intracellular ATP levels in C. elegans. We find that the preserved muscle function in aging daf-2 mutants is associated with higher muscle mitochondrial mass, preserved mitochondrial morphology, and higher levels of intracellular ATP. These phenotypes require the daf-16/FOXO transcription factor. Via the tissue-specific rescue of daf-16, we find that daf-16 activity in either muscle or neurons is sufficient to enhance muscle mitochondrial mass, whereas daf-16 activity in the muscle is required for the enhanced muscle function and mobility of the daf-2 mutants. Finally, we show through the use of drugs known to enhance mitochondrial activity that augmenting mitochondrial function leads to improved mobility during aging. These results suggest an important role for mitochondrial function in muscle aging.

Microtubule regulators act in the nervous system to modulate fat metabolism and longevity through DAF-16 in C. elegans.

Microtubule (MT) regulation is involved in both neuronal function and the maintenance of neuronal structure, and MT dysregulation appears to be a general downstream indicator and effector of age-related neurodegeneration. But the role of MTs in natural aging is largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate a role of MT regulators in regulating longevity. We find that loss of EFA-6, a modulator of MT dynamics, can delay both neuronal aging and extend the lifespan of C. elegans. Through the use of genetic mutants affecting other MT-regulating genes in C. elegans, we find that loss of MT stabilizing genes (including ptrn-1 and ptl-1) shortens lifespan, while loss of MT destabilizing gene hdac-6 extends lifespan. Via the use of tissue-specific transgenes, we further show that these MT regulators can act in the nervous system to modulate lifespan. Through RNA-seq analyses, we found that genes involved in lipid metabolism were differentially expressed in MT regulator mutants, and via the use of Nile Red and Oil Red O staining, we show that the MT regulator mutants have altered fat storage. We further find that the increased fat storage and extended lifespan of the long-lived MT regulator mutants are dependent on the DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor. Our results suggest that neuronal MT status might affect organismal aging through DAF-16-regulated changes in fat metabolism, and therefore, MT-based therapies might represent a novel intervention to promote healthy aging.