Early Integrated Palliative Care Within a Surgical Oncology Clinic.

Importance: Advance directive (AD) designation is an important component of advance care planning (ACP) that helps align care with patient goals. However, it is underutilized in high-risk surgical patients with cancer, and multiple barriers contribute to the low AD designation rates in this population. Objective: To assess the association of early palliative care integration with changes in AD designation among patients with cancer who underwent surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained registry of adult patients who underwent elective surgery for advanced abdominal and soft tissue malignant tumors at a surgical oncology clinic in a comprehensive cancer center with expertise in regional therapeutics between June 2016 and May 2022, with a median (IQR) postoperative follow-up duration of 27 (15-43) months. Data analysis was conducted from December 2022 to April 2023. Exposure: Integration of ACP recommendations and early palliative care consultations into the surgical workflow in 2020 using electronic health records (EHR), preoperative checklists, and resident education. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were AD designation and documentation. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess factors associated with AD designation and documentation. Results: Among the 326 patients (median [IQR] age 59 [51-67] years; 189 female patients [58.0%]; 243 non-Hispanic White patients [77.9%]) who underwent surgery, 254 patients (77.9%) designated ADs. The designation rate increased from 72.0% (131 of 182 patients) before workflow integration to 85.4% (123 of 144 patients) after workflow integration in 2020 (P = .004). The AD documentation rate did not increase significantly after workflow integration in 2020 (48.9% [89 of 182] ADs documented vs 56.3% [81 of 144] ADs documented; P = .19). AD designation was associated with palliative care consultation (odds ratio [OR], 41.48; 95% CI, 9.59-179.43; P < .001), palliative-intent treatment (OR, 5.12; 95% CI, 1.32-19.89; P = .02), highest age quartile (OR, 3.79; 95% CI, 1.32-10.89; P = .01), and workflow integration (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.01-4.18; P = .048). Patients who self-identified as a race or ethnicity other than non-Hispanic White were less likely to have designated ADs (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.17-0.76; P = .008). AD documentation was associated with palliative care consulation (OR, 4.17; 95% CI, 2.57- 6.77; P < .001) and the highest age quartile (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.21-4.79; P = .01). Conclusions and Relevance: An integrated ACP initiative was associated with increased AD designation rates among patients with advanced cancer who underwent surgery. These findings demonstrate the feasibility and importance of modifying clinical pathways, integrating EHR-based interventions, and cohabiting palliative care physicians in the surgical workflow for patients with advanced care.

Celecoxib and Myrtol: A Novel Therapy for Recurrent Appendiceal Mucinous Neoplasms With Extensive Peritoneal Dissemination.

BACKGROUND: Unresectable appendiceal mucinous neoplasms (AMNs) with extensive peritoneal dissemination cause significant morbidity and have limited treatment options. We evaluated a novel combination of Celecoxib and Myrtol in treating such AMNs. METHODS: Patients with recurrent AMNs with extensive peritoneal disease treated with a daily regimen of 200 mg Celecoxib and 1200 mg Myrtol Standardized were included. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated, and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) trends were compared pretreatment and post-treatment in terms of percentage change. RESULTS: Thirteen patients with extensive, recurrent disease (median peritoneal carcinomatosis index of 36) were included between 2017 and 2020. The median age was 63 years (interquartile range: 55 to 67) and 7 (54%) were male. A total of 85% had undergone prior cytoreductive surgery while 15% underwent cytoreductive surgery >2 times. 54% had received multiple cycles of systemic chemotherapy before starting Celecoxib-Myrtol. After a median follow-up of 8 months, median PFS and OS were 16 months (interquartile range: 5 to 17) and 27 months, respectively. Nine (69.2%) showed improvement in CEA values 3 months after treatment compared with 3-month pretreatment CEA trends. None had adverse events attributable to Celecoxib-Myrtol. CONCLUSIONS: Our feasibility study suggests that a regimen of Celecoxib-Myrtol is well tolerated and may prolong PFS and OS in patients with recurrent AMNs with peritoneal spread.