Top advances of the year: Immunotherapy in endometrial cancer.

In the past year, notable advances were achieved toward improving oncological outcomes in patients with advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer because of reporting of high-level results of several phase 3 clinical trial combining an immune checkpoint inhibitor with chemotherapy in the first-line setting. For the first time, patients with recurrent or advanced endometrial cancer have options for treatment that are superior to traditional chemotherapy alone. What remains to be determined is population specificity of these recommendations. All four major studies were in agreement that patients with endometrial cancer with deficient mismatch repair markedly benefited from addition of an immune checkpoint inhibitor for progression-free survival; some showed preliminary results demonstrating a potential overall survival. Molecular characterization details are needed to determine if and which patients with tumors that are mismatch proficient should receive this new combination approach. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Combining an immune checkpoint inhibitor with chemotherapy in the first-line setting treatment of patients with advanced endometrial cancer improved progression-free survival, especially in patients with mismatch repair deficiency. Improving patient selection with potential biomarkers of sensitivity and biomarkers of resistance is key in developing the next clinical trials and will assist in directing therapy to the correct patients and minimize toxicity.

Left Atrial Strain changes in patients with breast cancer during anthracycline therapy.

BACKGROUND: Cardiotoxicity has become a significant adverse effect of cancer therapy, with Anthracyclines (ANT) in particular. There is a crucial need for new imaging techniques for the early subclinical detection of cardiotoxic effect. We aimed to evaluate left atrial strain (LAS) changes during ANT therapy and to assess the correlation between LAS and the routine echocardiographic diastolic parameters. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were prospectively collected as part of the Israel Cardio-Oncology Registry (ICOR). All female patients with breast cancer, planned for ANT therapy were included. All patients underwent serial echocardiography exams including baseline LAS (before chemotherapy, T1) and shortly after the completion of ANT therapy (T3). LAS was assessed in 3 phases: Reservoir (LASr), Conduit (LASc) and Pump (LASp). Significant reduction in LASr was determined by either a relative reduction of >10% or an absolute value of <35%. From September 2016 to June 2019, 40 patients were evaluated with a mean Doxorubicin (type of ANT) dose of 237±13.24mg/m2. At T3, significant reduction in LASr was observed among 50% of the patients with a mean LASr reduction from 40.15 ± 6.83% to 36.04 ± 7.73% (p < 0.001). LASc showed significant reduction as well (p < 0.004) as opposed to LASp (p=0.076). Both LASr and LASc showed significant correlation to the routine diastolic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: LASr and LASc reduction are frequent and occur early in the course of ANT therapy, showing significant correlation to the routine echocardiographic diastolic parameters, which may imply a role in the detection of early cardiotoxicity.

Rapid Implementation of Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives and Preferences of Patients with Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: The use of telemedicine in oncology practice is rapidly expanding and is considered safe and cost effective. However, the implications of telemedicine on patient-physician interaction, patient satisfaction, and absence of the personal touch have not been studied to date. Following the spread of COVID-19, telemedicine services were rapidly incorporated at the Oncology Division of Tel Aviv Medical Center. We aimed to evaluate patients' perspectives and preferences regarding telemedicine and to assess whether this virtual communication platform affects the patient-physician relationship. METHODS: Between March 2020 and May 2020, adult cancer patients who conducted at least one successful telemedicine meeting were interviewed by trained medical personnel. The interview was based on validated patient satisfaction questionnaires and focused on patient-physician interaction in relation to the last in-patient visit. RESULTS: Of 236 patients, 172 (74%) patients agreed to participate. The study population comprised mainly patients with gastrointestinal malignancies (n = 79, 46%) with a median age of 63 years (range 21-88). The majority of patients were male (n = 93, 54%). Eighty-nine (51.7%) patients were receiving active oncologic treatment, and 58 (33.7%) were under routine surveillance following completion of active therapy. Almost all had a sense of secured privacy (n = 171, 96%), the majority of patients affirmed that their concerns were met (n = 166, 93%) and perceived that eye contact with the treating physician was perceived (n = 156, 87%). Only a minority felt that the absence of physical clinic visits harmed their treatment (n = 36, 20%). Most patients (n = 146, 84.9%) wished to continue telemedicine services. A multivariate analysis revealed that higher satisfaction and visits for routine surveillance were both predictors of willingness to continue future telemedicine meetings over physical encounters (odds ratio [OR] = 2.41, p = .01; OR = 3.34, p = .03, respectively). CONCLUSION: Telemedicine is perceived as safe and effective, and patients did not feel that it compromised medical care or the patient-physician relationship. Integration of telemedicine is ideal for patients under surveillance after completion of active oncologic treatment. Physician communication skills workshops are warranted with implementing this platform. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine was rapidly implemented worldwide to facilitate continuity of quality care and treatment. Despite many potential setbacks, telemedicine has become a useful and safe tool for oncology practitioners to care for their patients. The use of telemedicine regarding patients' perspectives, emotions, and patient-physician communication in daily oncology practice has not been studied to date. This study demonstrated telemedicine is perceived as safe and effective and does not compromise medical care or the patient-physician relationship. Its use is ideal for surveillance after completion of active oncologic treatment. Physician communication skills workshops are warranted with implementing this platform.

Endocrine resistance in breast cancer: focus on the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Up to 75% of breast cancers express the estrogen receptor (ER)α and/or the progesterone receptor (PR). Patients with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer are typically treated with endocrine therapy. Yet, not all patients with metastatic breast cancer respond to endocrine treatments and are considered to have primary (de novo) resistance. Furthermore, all patients who initially respond to endocrine treatment will eventually develop acquired resistance. Several mechanisms have been linked to the development of endocrine resistance, including reduced expression of ERα, altered regulation of the ER pathway, and activation of various growth factor signaling pathways, among them the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. This pathway is involved in critical processes including cell survival, proliferation, and angiogenesis, and plays a central role in breast cancer development. Recent laboratory and clinical data implicate this pathway as mediating endocrine resistance, and agents directed against critical components of this pathway are either already approved for clinical use in breast cancer patients or are currently being tested in clinical trials. In this review, we describe the interaction between the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and the ER cascade, its role in mediating endocrine resistance, and the clinical implications of this interaction.