Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of Pembrolizumab Following Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The PETAL Phase Ib Study.

PURPOSE: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) may prime adaptive immunity and enhance immunotherapy efficacy. PETAL evaluated safety, preliminary activity of TACE plus pembrolizumab and explored mechanisms of efficacy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with liver-confined hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were planned to receive up to two rounds of TACE followed by pembrolizumab 200 mg every 21 days commencing 30 days post-TACE until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity for up to 1 year. Primary endpoint was safety, with assessment window of 21 days from pembrolizumab initiation. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) and evaluation of tumor and host determinants of response. RESULTS: Fifteen patients were included in the safety and efficacy population: 73% had nonviral cirrhosis; median age was 72 years. Child-Pugh class was A in 14 patients. Median tumor size was 4 cm. Ten patients (67%) received pembrolizumab after one TACE; 5 patients after two (33%). Pembrolizumab yielded no synergistic toxicity nor dose-limiting toxicities post-TACE. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 93% of patients, most commonly skin rash (40%), fatigue, and diarrhea (27%). After a median follow-up of 38.5 months, objective response rate 12 weeks post-TACE was 53%. PFS rate at 12 weeks was 93% and median PFS was 8.95 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 7.30-NE (not estimable)]. Median duration of response was 7.3 months (95% CI: 6.3-8.3). Median overall survival was 33.5 months (95% CI: 11.6-NE). Dynamic changes in peripheral T-cell subsets, circulating tumor DNA, serum metabolites, and in stool bacterial profiles highlight potential mechanisms of action of multimodal therapy. CONCLUSIONS: TACE plus pembrolizumab was tolerable with no evidence of synergistic toxicity, encouraging further clinical development of immunotherapy alongside TACE.

Emerging health and social policy considerations for safe and quality end-of-life care in Australia - the evidence, gaps and challenges.

Recognition of the importance of end-of-life care will enable improvements in the quality of care delivered to patients and their families. Australia is experiencing an increasing number of deaths, (many expected), with an aging population who are living longer, often with multimorbidity. This makes end of life care a priority. The last year of someone's life takes place in a complex healthcare system, with increasing pressures on care delivery, placing the spotlight on health service providers to ensure that teams and individuals are supported and enabled to provide such care. Two rapid literature reviews identified best practice principles and processes for delivering safe and high-quality end-of-life care in acute care, aged care and community settings. The reviews identified that end-of-life care is experienced within the whole health and social care system, including hospital admissions interspersed with care in the community, outpatient and emergency department visits and potentially admission to a hospice. Much of this last year of life is spent at home, which may be a personal residence, an aged care facility, prison, supported accommodation or even on the streets. Transitions across settings requires seamless care, as well as organisational readiness to deliver safe and culturally appropriate care. This is more important now with end-of-life care subject to quality assurance mechanisms within the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (2nd edn): Comprehensive care. This requires all sectors to work collaboratively when caring for someone at the end of their life in order to see positive changes in care outcomes.

PETAL protocol: a phase Ib study of pembrolizumab after transarterial chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the treatment of choice for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recent data suggest that TACE may boost the efficacy of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. The authors present the trial protocol for PETAL, a phase Ib study, which will assess the safety and bioactivity of pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, following TACE in HCC. After a run-in phase evaluating six patients to establish preliminary safety, up to 26 additional participants will be enrolled. Pembrolizumab will be administered three-times weekly for 1 year or until progression, starting 30-45 days after TACE. The primary objective is to determine safety and the secondary objective is to preliminarily evaluate efficacy. Radiological responses will be evaluated every four cycles. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03397654 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

What Is the Community Pharmacists' Role in Supporting Older Australians with Palliative Care Needs?

As the population ages, the number of older populations globally requiring palliative care is rapidly growing, requiring services of multidisciplinary teams-including community pharmacists. The aim of this study is to describe the community pharmacists' perceived role in providing services to community dwelling older Australians receiving palliative care. Utilising an eight-domain End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) care model, a national cross-sectional questionnaire was designed and undertaken online with Australian community pharmacists. Respondents were asked questions relating to socio-demographic characteristics, practice characteristics, and scope of services provided. Of the 62 pharmacists who responded to the questionnaire, 51 were included in the final data analysis and reporting. Pharmacists working in dispensing roles made up about half of the respondents, while the remainder worked in settings such as general practice, residential aged care, or providing medication review services. Pharmacists can identify patients with indicators of poor life expectancy and mostly work with older Australians daily. Dispensing and non-dispensing pharmacists offer a range of services that complement each other. Organisations caring for the aged should consider the role of the pharmacist, in caring for people with palliative care needs, along with their carers.

PRIME-HCC: phase Ib study of neoadjuvant ipilimumab and nivolumab prior to liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: After liver resection (LR), patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC) are at high risk of recurrence. There are no approved anti-cancer therapies known to affect such risk, highlighting the acute need for novel systemic therapies to control the probability of disease relapse. Immunotherapy is expanding as a novel treatment option for HCC. Emerging data from cohort 4 of the CA209-040 study, which investigated the safety and preliminary efficacy of nivolumab/ipilimumab co-administration in advanced HCC, suggest that the combination can be delivered safely with an acceptable proportion of reversible grade 3-4 toxicities (27.1%) and a low discontinuation rate (2%) in patients with HCC. Here, we describe the design and rationale of PRIME-HCC, a two-part, multi-centre, phase Ib study to assess safety and bioactivity of the nivolumab/ipilimumab combination prior to LR in early-stage HCC. METHODS: The study involves an initial safety run-in phase (Part 1) to allow for preliminary safety characterisation within the first 6 patients enrolled and a subsequent expansion (Part 2). Ipilimumab will be administered once only on Day 1. Nivolumab will be administered on Day 1 and Day 22 (± 3 days) for a total of two 21-day cycles (i.e. 6 weeks of treatment). The primary objective of the study is to determine the safety and tolerability of the nivolumab/ipilimumab combination prior to LR. The secondary objective is to preliminarily characterize the efficacy of the combination prior to LR, including objective response rate (ORR) and pathologic response rates. Additional exploratory objectives include preliminary evidence of long-term disease control and to identify predictive correlates of response to the nivolumab/ipilimumab combination in HCC. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will help define the positioning of neoadjuvant nivolumab/ipilimumab combination in the perioperative management of HCC, with potential to improve survival outcomes in this patient population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT Number: 2018-000987-27 Clinical trial registry & ID: ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT03682276 .

The Roles and Responsibilities of Community Pharmacists Supporting Older People with Palliative Care Needs: A Rapid Review of the Literature.

Globally, the number of older people requiring appropriate and safe management of medicines is growing. This review aimed to identify the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists supporting older people living in a community setting with their palliative care needs and to synthesise key themes emerging from the data, as well as any gaps in knowledge. The literature search included Medline (Ovid), Scopus, and Cinahl (Ebsco) databases. An English language limit was applied. The search included all international articles and any date of publication. Data were synthesised utilizing a systematic text condensation technique and presented according to Theme, Domain, and Meaning Units. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Selected papers predominantly focused on care provided by the pharmacists supporting people receiving residential aged care services. Clinical review, supply of medicines, and clinical governance were identified as key pharmacist roles. Pharmacists' communication skills, personal behavioural approach, and positive attitude emerged as supportive characteristics for effective person-centered care. Minimal, or no information, were available related to pharmacists located in general medical practices and in Aboriginal health services sector, respectively. The multifaceted role of pharmacists presents an opportunity to provide comprehensive health care for older populations at the end of their life.

Monitoring Response to Transarterial Chemoembolization in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using 18F-Fluorothymidine PET.

Accurate disease monitoring is essential after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) because of the potential for profound adverse events and large variations in survival outcome. Posttreatment changes on conventional imaging can confound determination of residual or recurrent disease, magnifying the clinical challenge. On the basis of increased expression of thymidylate synthase (TYMS), thymidine kinase 1 (TK-1), and equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (SLC29A1) in HCC compared with liver tissue, we conducted a proof-of-concept study evaluating the efficacy of 3'-deoxy-3'-18F-fluorothymidine (18F-FLT) PET to assess response to TACE. Because previous PET studies in HCC have been hampered by high background liver signal, we investigated whether a temporal-intensity voxel clustering (kinetic spatial filtering, or KSF) improved lesion detection. Methods: A tissue microarray was built from 36 HCC samples and from matching surrounding cirrhotic tissue and was stained for TK-1 A prospective study was conducted; 18 patients with a diagnosis of HCC by the criteria of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases who were eligible for treatment with TACE were enrolled. The patients underwent baseline conventional imaging and dynamic 18F-FLT PET with KSF followed by TACE. Imaging was repeated 6-8 wk after TACE. The PET parameters were compared with modified enhancement-based RECIST. Results: Cancer Genome Atlas analysis revealed increased RNA expression of TYMS, TK-1, and SLC29A1 in HCC. TK-1 protein expression was significantly higher in HCC (P < 0.05). The sensitivity of 18F-FLT PET for baseline HCC detection was 73% (SUVmax, 9.7 ± 3.0; tumor to liver ratio, 1.2 ± 0.3). Application of KSF did not improve lesion detection. Lesion response after TACE by modified RECIST was 58% (14 patients with 24 lesions). A 30% reduction in mean 18F-FLT PET uptake was observed after TACE, correlating with an observed PET response of 60% (15/25). A significant and profound reduction in the radiotracer delivery parameter K1 after TACE was observed. Conclusion:18F-FLT PET can differentiate HCC from surrounding cirrhotic tissue, with PET parameters correlating with TACE response. KSF did not improve visualization of tumor lesions. These findings warrant further investigation.

What Are the Factors Identifying Caregivers Who Need Help in Managing Medications for Palliative Care Patients at Home? A Population Survey.

Background: For most people, the last 12 months of life are spent living in the community, with the support of family and friends for a number of caregiving functions. Previous research has found that managing medicines is challenging for caregivers. Currently there is little information describing which caregivers may struggle with tasks associated with managing a loved one's medicines. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify factors that flag caregivers who are likely to experience problems when managing someone else's medications. Setting/Participants: The annual South Australian Health Omnibus Survey provides a face-to-face, cross-sectional, whole-of-population view of health care. Structured interviews, including questions covering palliative care and end-of-life care, were conducted with 14,625 residents in their own homes. Results: Of the 1068 respondents who had provided care for someone who died of a terminal illness in the last five years, 7.4% identified that additional support with medicine management would have been beneficial. In addition, three factors were predictive of the need for additional support in managing medicines: aged <65 years; lower household income; and living in a metropolitan region. Conclusion: The findings of this study provide insights to inform the development of palliative care service models to support informal caregivers in the management of medications for people with a life-limiting illness.

Improving community access to terminal phase medicines through the implementation of a 'Core Medicines List' in South Australian community pharmacies.

OBJECTIVES: Difficulties accessing medicines in the terminal phase hamper the ability of patients to die at home. The aim of this study was to identify changes in community access to medicines for managing symptoms in the terminal phase throughout South Australia (SA), following the development of a 'Core Medicines List' (the List) while exploring factors predictive of pharmacies carrying a broad range of useful medicines. METHODS: In 2015, SA community pharmacies were invited to participate in a repeat survey exploring the availability of specific medicines. Comparisons were made between 2012 and 2015. A 'preparedness score' was calculated for each pharmacy, scoring 1 point for each medicine held from the following 5 classes: opioid, benzodiazepine, antiemetic, anticholinergic and antipsychotic. RESULTS: The proportion of pharmacies carrying all items from the List rose from 7% in 2012 to 18% in 2015 (p=0.01). Multiple linear regression demonstrated that a monthly online newsletter subscription (p=0.04) and provision of a clinical service to aged care facilities (p=0.02) were predictors of pharmacies carrying all items on the List. Furthermore, multiple linear regression demonstrated that the provision of an afterhours service (p=0.02) and clinical services to aged care facilities (p=0.04) were predictors of pharmacies with a high 'preparedness score'. In responding to issues with supply of medicines at end of life, respondents were more likely to contact the prescriber if aware of palliative patients (p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that there is value in developing and promoting a standardised list of medicines, ensuring that community palliative patients have timely access to medicines in the terminal phase.

Palliative sedation: A safety net for the relief of refractory and intolerable symptoms at the end of life.

BACKGROUND: Evidence exists for the use of palliative sedation for people approaching the last days of life with refractory and intolerable symptoms. It is a third-line intervention that deliberately lowers the conscious state to relieve intolerable and refractory symptoms. This level of intervention is not routinely used in primary care, and there is a lack of guidelines for palliative sedation in this context. OBJECTIVE: This article provides some key information about palliative sedation and global issues faced by all individuals involved. A tertiary centre case study is used to illustrate the key points. Given this form of therapy may be required for palliative patients in the community, another aim of this article is to provide an overview for primary care practitioners to raise their awareness of such therapy and the issues related to it. DISCUSSION: While palliative sedation has been regarded as 'controversial' in early palliative care literature, there has been an increased effort to formulate standardised guidelines to define and ethically justify this procedure.

Rapid Induction of Liver Regeneration for Major Hepatectomy (REBIRTH): A Randomized Controlled Trial of Portal Vein Embolisation versus ALPPS Assisted with Radiofrequency.

To avoid liver insufficiency following major hepatic resection, portal vein embolisation (PVE) is used to induce liver hypertrophy pre-operatively. Associating liver partition with portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy assisted with radiofrequency (RALPPS) was introduced as an alternative method. A randomized controlled trial comparing PVE with RALPPS for the pre-operative manipulation of liver volume in patients with a future liver remnant volume (FLRV) ≤25% (or ≤35% if receiving preoperative chemotherapy) was conducted. The primary endpoint was increase in size of the FLRV. The secondary endpoints were length of time taken for the volume gain, morbidity, operation length and post-operative liver function. Between July 2015 and October 2017, 57 patients were randomised to RALPPS (n = 29) and PVE (n = 28). The mean percentage of increase in the FLRV was 80.7 ± 13.7% after a median 20 days following RALPPS compared to 18.4 ± 9.8% after 35 days (p < 0.001) following PVE. Twenty-four patients after RALPPS and 21 after PVE underwent stage-2 operation. Final resection was achieved in 92.3% and 66.6% patients in RALPPS and PVE, respectively (p = 0.007). There was no difference in morbidity, and one 30-day mortality after RALPPS (p = 0.991) was reported. RALPPS is more effective than PVE in increasing FLRV and the number of patients for surgical resection.

Radioembolisation with 90Y microspheres for neuroendocrine liver metastases: an institutional case series, systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine liver metastases are clinically challenging due to their frequent disseminated distribution. This study aims to present a British experience with an emerging modality, radioembolisation with yttrium-90 labelled microspheres, and embed this within a meta-analysis of response and survival outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective case series of patients treated with SIR-Spheres (radiolabelled resin microspheres) was performed. Results were included in a systematic review and meta-analysis of published results with glass or resin microspheres. Objective response rate (ORR) was defined as complete or partial response. Disease control rate (DCR) was defined as complete/partial response or stable disease. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were identified. ORR and DCR in the institutional series was 14/24 and 21/24 at 3 months. Overall survival and progression-free survival at 3-years was 77.6% and 50.4%, respectively. There were no grade 3/4 toxicities post-procedure. A fixed-effects pooled estimate of ORR of 51% (95% CI: 47%-54%) was identified from meta-analysis of 27 studies. The fixed-effects weighted average DCR was 88% (95% CI: 85%-90%, 27 studies). CONCLUSION: Current data demonstrate evidence of the clinical effectiveness and safety of radioembolisation for neuroendocrine liver metastases. Prospective randomised studies to compare radioembolisation with other liver directed treatment modalities are needed.

Preliminary qualification of a novel, hypoxic-based radiologic signature for trans-arterial chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Survival advantage following trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is variable in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We combined pre-TACE radiologic features to derive a novel prognostic signature in HCC. METHODS: A multi-institutional dataset of 98 patients was generated from two retrospective cohorts from United Kingdom (65%) and Italy (36%). The prognostic impact of a number baseline imaging parameters was assessed and factors significant on univariate analysis were combined to create a novel radiologic signature on multivariable analyses predictive of overall survival (OS) following TACE. RESULTS: Median OS was 15.4 months. Tumour size > 7 cm (p < 0.001), intra-tumour necrosis (ITN) (p = 0.02) and arterial ectatic neovascularisation (AEN) (p = 0.03) emerged as individual prognostic factors together with radiologic response (p < 0.001) and elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (p = 0.01). Combination of tumour size > 7 cm, ITN and AEN identified patients with poor prognosis (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We identified a coherent signature based on commonly available imaging biomarkers likely to be reflective of differential patterns of relative hypoxia and neovascularisation. Large tumours displaying AEN and ITN are characterised by a shorter survival after TACE.

Case conferencing for palliative care patients - a survey of South Australian general practitioners.

Benefits of case conferencing for people with palliative care needs between a general practitioner, the person and other key participants include improving communication, advance care planning, coordination of care, clarifying goals of care and support for patient, families and carers. Despite a growing evidence base for the benefits, the uptake of case conferencing has been limited in South Australia. The aim of this study is to explore the beliefs and practice of South Australian general practitioners towards case conferencing for people with palliative care needs. Using an online survey, participants were asked about demographics, attitudes towards case conferencing and details about their most recent case conference for a person with palliative care needs. Responses were received from 134 general practitioners (response rate 11%). In total, 80% valued case conferencing for people with palliative care needs; however, <25% had been involved in case conferencing in the previous 2years. The major barrier was time to organise and coordinate case conferences. Enablers included general practitioner willingness or interest, strong relationship with patient, specialist palliative care involvement and assistance with organisation. Despite GPs' beliefs of the benefits of case conferencing, the barriers remain significant. Enabling case conferencing will require support for organisation of case conferences and review of Medicare Benefits Schedule criteria for reimbursement.

Improving community access to terminal phase medicines in Australia: identification of the key considerations for the implementation of a 'core medicines list'.

During the terminal phase, access to medicines is critical for people wishing to spend their last days of life at home. Yet, access to medicines can be problematic. The aim of this study was to report the perspectives of specialist and generalist health professionals (HPs) on the issues of community access to medicines for this vulnerable group. A qualitative descriptive study design investigated the views of HPs working in palliative care roles in South Australia. Nurses, doctors and pharmacists described their experiences of accessing medicines for management of terminal phase symptoms during semi-structured focus group discussions. Content analysis identified six themes including: 'Medication Supply', 'Education and Training', 'Caregiver Burden', 'Safety', 'Funding' and 'Clinical Governance'. Future projects should aim to address these themes when developing strategies for the management of people wishing to die at home.

Oncological Outcomes of Major Liver Resection Following Portal Vein Embolization: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative portal vein occlusion with either percutaneous portal vein embolization (PVE) or portal vein ligation is routinely used to induce liver hypertrophy prior to major liver resection in patients with hepatic malignancy. While this increases the future liver remnant, and hence the number of patients suitable for resection, recent evidence suggests that induction of liver hypertrophy preoperatively may promote tumor growth and increase recurrence rates. The aims of this current study were to evaluate the impact of PVE on hepatic recurrence rate and survival in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). METHODS: The MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were searched to identify studies assessing the oncological outcomes of patients undergoing major liver resection for CRLM following PVE. Studies comparing patients undergoing one-stage liver resection with or without preoperative PVE were included. The primary outcome was postoperative hepatic recurrence (PHR), while secondary outcomes were 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Of the 2131 studies identified, six non-randomized studies (n = 668) met the eligibility criteria, comparing outcomes of patients undergoing major liver resection with or without PVE (n = 182 and n = 486, respectively). No significant difference was observed in PHR (odds ratio [OR] 0.78; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.42-1.44), 3-year OS (OR 0.80; 95 % CI 0.56-1.14) or 5-year OS (OR 1.12; 95 % CI 0.40-3.11). CONCLUSIONS: PVE does not have any adverse effect on PHR or OS in patients undergoing major liver resection for CRLM. Further studies based on individual patient data are needed to provide definitive answers.

Combined sequential use of HAP and ART scores to predict survival outcome and treatment failure following chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma: a multi-center comparative study.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is variable, despite a myriad of prognostic markers. We compared and integrated the established prognostic models, HAP and ART scores, for their accuracy of overall survival (OS) prediction. RESULTS: In both training and validation sets, HAP and ART scores emerged as independent predictors of OS (p<0.01) with HAP achieving better prognostic accuracy (c-index: 0.68) over ART (0.57). We tested both scores in combination to evaluate their combined ability to predict OS. Subgroup analysis of BCLC-C patients revealed favorable HAP stage (p<0.001) and radiological response after initial TACE (p<0.001) as positive prognostic factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prognostic scores were studied using multivariable Cox regression and c-index analysis in 83 subjects with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) A/B stage from UK and Italy (training set), and 660 from Korea and Japan (validation set), all treated with conventional TACE. Scores were further validated in an separate analysis of patients with BCLC-C stage disease (n=63) receiving initial TACE. CONCLUSION: ART and HAP scores are validated indices in patients with intermediate stage HCC undergoing TACE. The HAP score is best suited for screening patients prior to initial TACE, whilst sequential ART assessment improves early detection of chemoembolization failure. BCLC-C patients with low HAP stage may be a subgroup where TACE should be explored in clinical studies.

Core palliative medicines: meeting the needs of non-complex community patients.

BACKGROUND: There are a number of challenges facing people in the last days of life who wish to receive care in their home environment. This includes timely access to medicines for symptom control. OBJECTIVE: This article outlines the development of a concise list of core medicines that can provide symptom control in non-complex patients in the last days of life. The list is based on practical criteria including evidence of efficacy, affordability, the option for parenteral administration, availability on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the doctors' emergency drug supply list. DISCUSSION: A list of core medicines can facilitate timely prescribing and supply of essential medicines for end-of-life symptom management. However, the development of this list should not replace planning and routine involvement of community resources. Multidisciplinary education strategies are needed to ensure that the core medicines list is utilised effectively by doctors, pharmacists and community nurses.