Using the Healthy Days Measure to Assess Factors Associated with Poor Health-Related Quality of Life for Patients with Metastatic Breast, Lung, or Colorectal Cancer Enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Health Plan.

This study investigated factors associated with patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Days tool for patients with Medicare Advantage undergoing treatment for metastatic breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. In 2015, a total of 6390 patients were mailed surveys regarding factors that may influence their HRQoL, including cancer-related symptoms. HRQoL was measured as the number of physically and mentally unhealthy days experienced in the past 30 days and summed for the total number of unhealthy days. Frequent unhealthy days was defined as ≥14 total unhealthy days in the prior month. Of 1567 respondents, the mean number of total unhealthy days (standard deviation) was 14.0 (11.9) with 46.2% experiencing frequent unhealthy days. On average, patients reported 10.5 (10.5) physically and 6.7 (9.4) mentally unhealthy days. Cancer-related symptoms, particularly pain and fatigue, were significantly associated with increased unhealthy days. In adjusted models, patients with pain had 83% more unhealthy days than patients without pain; patients with fatigue had 104% more unhealthy days than patients without fatigue. Diarrhea/constipation and shortness of breath also were associated with more unhealthy days. Cancer-related symptoms, most notably pain and fatigue, were associated with worse HRQoL for patients with metastatic cancer. Interventions aimed at ameliorating symptoms may improve quality of life for patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Retracted: Using the Healthy Days Measure to Assess Factors Associated with Poor Health-Related Quality of Life for Patients with Metastatic Breast, Lung, or Colorectal Cancer Enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Health Plan.

The article entitled, "Using the Healthy Days Measure to Assess Factors Associated with Poor Health-Related Quality of Life for Patients with Metastatic Breast, Lung, or Colorectal Cancer Enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Health Plan," by Casebeer AW et al, which published online ahead of print in Population Health Management [doi: 10.1089/pop.2018.0024], is being retracted by the authors so that they can remove references to the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) and republish the article without such references. Dr. Casebeer's team obtained a license to use the MMAS-8 scale from Dr. Morisky prior to conducting the study. Nevertheless, after publication of a separate article in the Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes that also cited the MMAS-8, as the lead author, Dr. Casebeer was contacted by Dr. Morisky who requested that a number of changes be made to the article. Dr. Casebeer and her team have no desire to engage in a dispute with Dr. Morisky and therefore proactively contacted the Editor of Population Health Management and requested that the scale be removed from her published paper. After assessing all of the provided information, the Editor agreed to the authors' request. It is important to note that the retraction of Dr. Casebeer's article is not the result of any misconduct on her part or that of her team. The retraction serves to remove the published version of the article that contains the MMAS-8 scale and a revised version that does not contain the tool or any references to it will be published. The elimination of the scale does not alter the results or conclusions of the study. Population Health Management is committed to upholding the highest standards of peer review and the community it serves.

The relationship between comorbidity medication adherence and health related quality of life among patients with cancer.

BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated that comorbidities compound the adverse influence of cancer on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Comorbidities adversely impact adherence to cancer treatment. Additionally, adherence to medications for comorbidities is positively associated with HRQoL for various diseases. This study used the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Days measure of HRQoL to explore the association between HRQoL and adherence to comorbidity medication for elderly patients with cancer and at least one comorbid condition. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey combined with retrospective claims data. Patients with metastatic breast, lung or colorectal cancer were surveyed regarding their HRQoL, comorbidity medication adherence and cancer-related symptoms. Patients reported the number of physical, mental and total unhealthy days in the prior month. The Morisky Medication Adherence 8-point scale was differentiated into moderate/high (> 6) and low (≤ 6) comorbidity medication adherence. RESULTS: Of the 1847 respondents, the mean age was 69.2 years, most were female (66.8%) and the majority of the sample had Medicare coverage (88.2%). Low comorbidity medication adherence was associated with significantly more total, mental and physical unhealthy days. Low comorbidity medication adherence was associated with the presence of patient-reported cancer-related symptoms. Patients reporting low, as compared to moderate/high, comorbidity medication adherence had 23.4% more unhealthy days in adjusted analysis, P = 0.007. CONCLUSION: The positive association between low comorbidity medication adherence and the number of unhealthy days suggests that addressing barriers to comorbidity medication adherence during cancer treatment may be an avenue for improving or maintaining HRQoL for older patients with cancer and comorbid conditions.

Targeted Therapy for Advanced Solid Tumors on the Basis of Molecular Profiles: Results From MyPathway, an Open-Label, Phase IIa Multiple Basket Study.

Purpose Detection of specific molecular alterations in tumors guides the selection of effective targeted treatment of patients with several types of cancer. These molecular alterations may occur in other tumor types for which the efficacy of targeted therapy remains unclear. The MyPathway study evaluates the efficacy and safety of selected targeted therapies in tumor types that harbor relevant genetic alterations but are outside of current labeling for these treatments. Methods MyPathway ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02091141) is a multicenter, nonrandomized, phase IIa multiple basket study. Patients with advanced refractory solid tumors harboring molecular alterations in human epidermal growth factor receptor-2, epidermal growth factor receptor, v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1, or the Hedgehog pathway are treated with pertuzumab plus trastuzumab, erlotinib, vemurafenib, or vismodegib, respectively. The primary end point is investigator-assessed objective response rate within each tumor-pathway cohort. Results Between April 1, 2014 and November 1, 2016, 251 patients with 35 different tumor types received study treatment. The efficacy population contains 230 treated patients who were evaluated for response or discontinued treatment before evaluation. Fifty-two patients (23%) with 14 different tumor types had objective responses (complete, n = 4; partial, n = 48). Tumor-pathway cohorts with notable objective response rates included human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-amplified/overexpressing colorectal (38% [14 of 37]; 95% CI, 23% to 55%) and v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 V600-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (43% [six of 14]; 95% CI, 18% to 71%). Conclusion The four currently approved targeted therapy regimens in the MyPathway study produced meaningful responses when administered without chemotherapy in several refractory solid tumor types not currently labeled for these agents.

Ixabepilone.

Patterns of breast cancer care continue to be amended because of the more frequent use of anthracyclines and taxanes in earlier lines of therapy (particularly in the adjuvant setting) and the emergence of multidrug resistance. When treating women with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer that is resistant to anthracyclines and taxanes, nurses have a unique opportunity to foster a sense of hope by helping patients understand available treatment options and what to expect during therapy. This article presents information on the use of an epothilone agent, ixabepilone (Ixempra, Bristol-Myers Squibb), a new treatment option for metastatic breast cancer after anthracycline and taxane failure. The information will allow nurses and their patients to collaborate as a team to help prevent or effectively manage side effects. In addition, nurses can take a proactive approach in educating patients about treatment options to enhance their quality of life.

High-dose estrogen as salvage hormonal therapy for highly refractory metastatic breast cancer: a retrospective chart review.

BACKGROUND: High-dose estrogens (HDEs) are an efficacious but widely overlooked treatment option for patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This is due in part to the introduction of tamoxifen in the 1970s, which was proven to be equivalent in efficacy and associated with fewer adverse events (AEs). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to report our experience with the use of HDE in postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer. METHODS: Local institutional review board approval was obtained to conduct a retrospective chart review of patients with MBC treated with HDEs at the Boca Raton Comprehensive Cancer Center, Boca Raton, Florida, from 2001 through March 2009. Demographic information, response rates, and tolerability profiles were collected. RESULTS: Of the 426 patients with MBC identified, we found 26 patients with MBC who were prescribed HDEs as a treatment in any line of therapy for advanced breast cancer. The median age at the start of HDE therapy was 59 years (range, 42-92 years). Three of the 26 patients (11.5%) were human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive determined via fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis. With the exception of 1 patient who had received no prior systemic treatment for metastatic disease, all patients received multiple lines of treatment (both chemotherapy and hormonal treatments) in the advanced setting (median, 7 lines; range, 0-12) prior to the initiation of HDE. Five of 20 patients (25%) with measurable metastatic disease (visceral and/or soft tissue metastases) had objective antitumor responses defined as either a partial response (PR) or a complete response (CR). Four additional patients (20%) had prolonged stable disease (SD) for > or =6 months. Three of 6 patients (50%) with nonmeasurable metastatic disease (bone-only) had prolonged SD for > or =6 months. Clinical benefit rate (defined as CR + PR + SD > or =6 months) for all patients was 46% (12/26), with a median duration of 10 months. Overall median progression-free survival for the 26 subjects was 5 months. Median survival from the start of HDE was 17 months (range, 3-54 months). AEs included fluid retention (8 [31%]), vaginal bleeding (7 [27%]), and nausea (4 [15%]). Two patients discontinued therapy after 1 month. Three of the remaining 24 patients discontinued estrogen therapy due to AEs. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective chart review details our facility's experience with the use of HDE in patients with advanced breast cancer, most of whom had received multiple prior treatments. Our data suggest that this treatment is another option for heavily-treated patients in whom further endocrine manipulation might still be appropriate.