Barriers and facilitators to early initiation of palliative care as perceived by nurses working on pneumology and nephrology, a descriptive qualitative study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Initiation of palliative care early in the disease trajectory is beneficial for patients with a life-limiting disease. However, palliative care is still introduced rather late or not at all. Therefore, this study aims to explore barriers and facilitators to early initiation of palliative care as perceived by nurses working on pneumology and nephrology. METHODS: A descriptive interview-based study was conducted from a critical realist perspective until data sufficiency was reached. Fifteen nurses presented and discussed a patient for whom palliative care was initiated too late. Template analysis was conducted to develop themes and subthemes. RESULTS: Five key themes were extracted: (1) communication, (2) fear, (3) personal beliefs about life and death, (4) ambiguity in terminology and (5) workload and time pressure. Barriers related to poor interdisciplinary communication were therapeutic obstinance, hierarchy, unawareness of the patient's wishes and fear of saying something inappropriate. Other barriers were patients' religious beliefs which often hindered the use of sedatives or morphine and led to discomfort and time restraints. A palliative support team in hospital and advance care planning (ACP) were enablers for early palliative care. STUDY LIMITATIONS: This study started from a negative experience, leading to identification of a lot of barriers and only a few facilitators. The limited sample size and the restriction to two wards within one single hospital limit the diversity of perspectives and the generalisability of the findings. CONCLUSION: More attention is needed for ACP and interdisciplinary communication. Palliative care, including ACP, and interdisciplinary communication should be included in the basic curricula of all healthcare professional courses. Further research is needed to explore barriers and facilitators to early initiation of palliative care in other healthcare settings and patient populations. This is crucial in order to develop and implement sustainable interventions for specific groups of patients.

Colorectal cancer surgery in octogenarians: real-world long-term results.

AIMS: Colon cancer is the most common intra-abdominal cancer in older people. In the elderly with cancer, clinical decision making is often complicated by the effects of aging. However, as life expectancy continues to rise, more people aged 80 and older will present with colorectal cancer and may need major surgery. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2020 we operated on 352 patients aged 80 and older for colorectal cancer. We reviewed the case-notes of these patients and made a survival analysis for those patients who had a surgical resection of the tumor. RESULTS: In 20 patients a palliative procedure was performed. Three hundred and thirty-two (332) patients had a colorectal cancer resected. Of these, 57 patients died within 90 days postoperatively. Survival analysis was done for 275 patients who were alive longer than 90 days postoperatively. The overall 5-year survival in this group is 41.5%. There was no significant difference in postoperative survival between patients over the age of 85 and patients aged 80-84 at the time of operation. The survival of patients with stage IV colorectal adenocarcinoma is significantly worse than survival in stage I-III patients (Cox-Mantel log-rank test p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: After exclusion of the patients in the 90-day mortality group the overall 5-year survival in octogenarians who had a resection of a colorectal cancer was 41.5%. The most difficult problem is to choose the right treatment for the right patient. Optimal surgical and adjuvant treatment should not be denied to these older patients.

Patient outcome in the Belgian medical need program on bevacizumab for recurrent glioblastoma.

Bevacizumab (BEV) has demonstrated anti-tumor activity in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (rGB). Given the unmet need for active therapeutic options in rGB patients, a medical need program was initiated by the Belgian competent authorities. Between November 2010 and February 2013, a total of 313 patients with rGB initiated treatment with BEV administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. All patients had failed prior treatment with at least radiation therapy and temozolomide and the majority of patients (70 %) were treated with corticosteroids at baseline. Patients received a median of 6 BEV administrations (range 1-53). Overall, BEV was well tolerated. During BEV treatment the WHO-Performance Score (WHO-PS) improved in 59 patients (19 %) and stabilized for at least 6 weeks in an additional 139 (44 %) patients. Corticosteroid treatment could be stopped in 16 % or reduced in dose in 32 % of patients. The best objective tumor response rate using RANO criteria (investigator's assessment) was 3.5 % CR, 22 % PR, 38 % SD and 37 % PD. The median and 6-month PFS were 13 weeks (95 % CI 12.7-14) and 27.3 % (95 % CI 22.3-32.5), median and 6-month OS rates were 26 weeks (23-29) and 52 % (46.4-58.6), respectively. WHO-PS (0-1 vs. 2-3) and baseline steroid use were significantly correlated with PFS and OS. Our observations support the use of BEV as a monotherapy for patients with rGB who have no alternative treatment options. Optimal benefit from BEV treatment is likely to be obtained when treatment is initiated before the performance status deteriorates to two or less.

High-dose lanreotide in the treatment of poorly differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma: a case report.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), including poorly differentiated carcinomas (NECs), are rarely encountered. The majority of these tumors do not secrete excess hormones, but functioning NETs produce large amounts of vasoactive peptides and may cause carcinoid syndrome. Synthetic somatostatin analogs (SSAs) have been widely used in NETs for control of hormonal syndromes. Here, we present a case of poorly differentiated, grade 3 pancreatic NEC associated with carcinoid syndrome, for which adequate symptom control was achieved for 2 years and 4 months using the long-acting SSA lanreotide Autogel(®). In February 2009, a 55-year-old woman presented with episodes of flushing, diarrhea and epigastric pain. Imaging techniques revealed the presence of a metabolically active mass expressing somatostatin receptors in the hilar area of the liver. Histopathological examination confirmed the malignant nature of the mass, which was identified as a poorly differentiated grade 3 pancreatic NEC (TNM staging: T4NxM0). Therapeutic options were limited for the patient because of the extent of the primary mass involving the celiac axis, severe gastrointestinal toxicity experienced as a side effect of chemotherapy with cisplatin-etoposide and, later in the course of the disease, extensive liver metastases and carcinoid heart syndrome. Along with a palliative debulking surgery and right portal vein embolization, biotherapy with a high dose of lanreotide Autogel (120 mg/14 days) contributed to alleviation of symptoms caused by hormone overproduction, even after the development of liver metastases. These results suggest that patients with poorly differentiated NECs who exhibit signs of carcinoid syndrome can benefit from treatment with somatostatin analogs.

Geriatric screening results and the association with severe treatment toxicity after the first cycle of (radio)chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Screening tools are used in geriatric oncology to determine who should receive a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). However, in this prospective study, we evaluated the association between geriatric screening results, measured with the G8 and Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI), and severe treatment toxicity. METHODS: Patients over 65 years with various types and stages of cancer were screened with the G8 and the GFI prior to the start of treatment. The association between geriatric screening results and Serious Adverse Events (SAE) after the first cycle of (radio)chemotherapy were studied with bivariate analysis (normal versus abnormal screening test) and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: From 170 screened patients, 85 patients were eligible for this study. The median age was 76 years (range: 66-88 years). The treatment intent was curative in 46% and palliative in 54%. A SAE occurred in 15 patients (18%) of which three resulted in death. There was no significant association between the G8, as a dichotomous predictor (p = 0.376) or as a continuous predictor (p = 0.298), and risk of a SAE. We also found no significant association for the GFI analysed as a dichotomous predictor (cut-off ≥4: p = 0.384; cut-off ≥3: p = 0.773), nor as a continuous predictor (p = 0.734). All associations remained insignificant when adjusted for treatment type and comorbidity. CONCLUSION: The G8 and the GFI can be used to select patients for CGA, but they do not seem to be predictive for short-term severe treatment toxicity.

Evaluation of the Groningen Frailty Indicator and the G8 questionnaire as screening tools for frailty in older patients with cancer.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we evaluated the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI) and the G8 questionnaire as screening tools for a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) in older patients with cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients with various types and stages of cancer were evaluated for frailty before treatment. Patients were categorized as patients with a normal CGA and abnormal CGA (≥2 impaired tests). The diagnostic performance of the screening tools was evaluated against the CGA with Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis. RESULTS: In total, 170 patients (79 women) with median age 77years old (range 66-97years) were included. Sixty-four percent of patients had an abnormal CGA while according to the GFI (GFI≥4) and G8 questionnaire (G8≤14) 47% and 76% of patients had an abnormal screening test, respectively. Overall, there was no significant difference (p=0.97) in diagnostic performance between the two screening tools. The Area Under the Curve was 0.87 for both tools. For the GFI and G8 questionnaire the sensitivity was respectively 66% (95% CI: 56-75%), 92% (95% CI: 85-96%); the negative predictive value (NPV): 59% (95 CI%: 49-69%), 78% (95% CI: 63-88%); and the specificity: 87% (95% CI: 76-94%), 52% (95% CI: 39-65%). CONCLUSION: In this study, we showed that overall both the GFI and the G8 questionnaire were able to separate older patients with cancer with a normal and abnormal CGA. For the G8 questionnaire, an adequate sensitivity and NPV were demonstrated, however at the expense of the specificity. For the GFI, we suggest to lower the threshold with one point to GFI ≥3 to screen patients for a CGA.

Emergencies in palliative care.

Palliative care emergencies are emergencies in patients with an incurable disease that may lead to death or decreased quality of life. During the palliative care phase of a patient's life, they differ from other medical emergencies and are mainly focusing on symptom control, whereas disease-oriented treatments are less important. Palliative care emergencies can occur on the physical, emotional, and existential field. They involve not only the patient but also the family and sometimes the health care professional. Palliative care emergencies that are addressed are pain, acute dyspnea, major bleeding, acute function loss, acute anxiety, delirium, epileptic seizures, acute decompensation with aggressive behavior of the nonprofessional caregiver, and planning for predictable emergencies.