Real-World Outcomes of Adolescents and Young Adults with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: Patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are typically treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). However, a standard of care for managing adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with DLBCL is lacking. We examine treatment approaches and outcomes of this population. Methods: We included 90 AYAs (15-39 years) diagnosed with DLBCL between 2008 and 2018 in three tertiary centers in Peru. Overall response rates (ORR) were available for all patients. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 33 years, 57% were males, 57% had good performance status (Lansky/Karnofsky ≥90), and 61% were diagnosed with early-stage disease (Ann Arbor stages I-II). R-CHOP (n = 69, 77%) was the most frequently used first-line regimen, with an ORR of 91%. With a median follow-up of 83 months, the 5-year OS and PFS among all patients were 79% and 67%, respectively. Among the patients who received R-CHOP, the 5-year OS and PFS were 77% and 66%, respectively. Of the 29 (32%) patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease, 83% received second-line treatment and only 14% underwent consolidation therapy with autologous transplantation. The 3-year OS for R/R DLBCL was 36%. Conclusion: Our data show that AYAs with DLBCL who received conventional therapy had comparable outcomes to those observed in studies conducted among the adult population. However, the prognosis for AYAs with R/R disease was dismal, indicating the unmet need for developing and increasing access to novel treatment modalities in AYAs.

ONCOPEDS: A mobile application to improve early diagnosis and timely referral in childhood cancer in a low- and middle-income country-A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis delay in children and adolescents with cancer is a public health problem in Peru that leads to high rates of advanced disease and mortality. We aimed to assess the implementation feasibility and potential utility of ONCOpeds®, a mobile application that provides consultations with pediatric oncologists, in reducing the latency to diagnosis (LD) and referral time (RT) among children and adolescents in Peru diagnosed with cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective pilot study was conducted in the region of Callao between November 2017 and April 2018. Primary and secondary care providers were trained on the use of ONCOpeds in five educational sessions. Patients younger than 18 years who resided in Callao and were diagnosed with cancer at four pediatric cancer units in Lima were analyzed by referral type: ONCOpeds facilitated or conventional. RESULTS: ONCOpeds was successfully installed in the smartphones of 78 primary and secondary care providers of Callao. During the study period, 23 new cases of cancer in children and adolescents from the region were diagnosed. Ten patients received ONCOpeds-facilitated referrals and 13 received conventional referrals. The RT decreased among those who received ONCOpeds-facilitated referrals by 66% (P = 0.02); however, the LD did not significantly decrease with the use of ONCOpeds. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of ONCOpeds was found to be feasible in this pilot study, having a potential utility in improving early diagnosis and referral in children and adolescents newly diagnosed with cancer. Directions for future research include multicenter studies with a larger population to further test the application's effectiveness.

First generation college students demographic, socio-economic status, academic experience, successes, and challenges at pharmacy schools in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Identify the demographic, socio-economic status, academic performance, and challenges of first generation college students (FGCS) enrolled in pharmacy schools. Investigate students' perception on the strengths of available resources to support FGCS during their tenure in pharmacy school. METHODS: About 342 FGCS and 248 non-FGCS (NFGCS) from 24 pharmacy schools participated in an online anonymous survey that evaluated students' demographics and socio-economic background, commitment to the pharmacy profession, strength of institutional support, and school experience. Students' responses were analyzed using t-tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical variables. RESULTS: FGCS in pharmacy school are predominantly Caucasians (57.9%) and female (69%). About 15.5% of them come from families living below the federal poverty level; 2.5 times higher than their NFGCS counterparts (6%). While 35.6% of NFGCS come from families earning more than $100,000 per year, only 9.1% of FGCS belong to this group. No statistical difference between the grade point average of FGCS and NFGCS was found. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Although most FGCS come from a lower socio-economic background and experience many challenges throughout their tenure in pharmacy school, they still achieve academically as well as their NFGCS counterpart. The United States is rapidly becoming a more racially and ethnically diverse nation, therefore, it is critical that new strategies be designed to bring a stronger representation of minority groups in the field of pharmacy for the years to come.