Public awareness, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors regarding the role of pharmacists as immunizers.

Vaccine coverage is below desired levels in Canada, despite National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommendations. One solution to improve coverage is to offer vaccines in pharmacies. We explore the awareness, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of the general public in four communities in Nova Scotia (NS) and New Brunswick (NB) about the changing role of pharmacists as immunizers. Adult members of the public were invited to complete an online survey through advertisements in print and online, and through e-mail lists at local universities. Immunization status among participants (n = 985) varied across vaccines with slightly more than one-half of the participants (51.8%) reporting receipt of a seasonal influenza vaccine last year, 38.0% reporting receipt of the meningococcal C or ACWY vaccine, and 77.7% reporting receipt of the pertussis vaccine. Despite variable self-reported receipt of vaccines, the pervasive belief that participants were not at risk of getting vaccine-preventable diseases, and a lack of awareness about which vaccines are recommended for adults, participants in this study held vaccine-positive beliefs. Participants, especially those who had previously been vaccinated in a pharmacy (39.0%), were supportive of the inclusion of pharmacists as immunizers although nearly one-half of the participants would feel more comfortable getting vaccinated by a pharmacist if another practitioner recommended it to them. While cost threatens to be a barrier to pharmacists as immunizers, this study suggests that they are well-positioned to improve vaccine coverage and to communicate recommendations and other vaccine-related information to the public.

HEREDITARY ENDOCRINE TUMOURS: CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES: MEN1-related pancreatic NETs: identification of unmet clinical needs and future directives.

The PanNET Working Group of the 16th International Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Workshop (MEN2019) convened in Houston, TX, USA, 27-29 March 2019 to discuss key unmet clinical needs related to PanNET in the context of MEN1, with a special focus on non-functioning (nf)-PanNETs. The participants represented a broad range of medical scientists as well as representatives from patient organizations, pharmaceutical industry and research societies. In a case-based approach, participants addressed early detection, surveillance, prognostic factors and management of localized and advanced disease. For each topic, after a review of current evidence, key unmet clinical needs and future research directives to make meaningful progress for MEN1 patients with nf-PanNETs were identified. International multi-institutional collaboration is needed for adequately sized studies and validation of findings in independent datasets. Collaboration between basic, translational and clinical scientists is paramount to establishing a translational science approach. In addition, bringing clinicians, scientists and patients together improves the prioritization of research goals, assures a patient-centered approach and maximizes patient involvement. It was concluded that collaboration, research infrastructure, methodologic and reporting rigor are essential to any translational science effort. The highest priority for nf-PanNETs in MEN1 syndrome are (1) the development of a data and biospecimen collection architecture that is uniform across all MEN1 centers, (2) unified strategies for diagnosis and follow-up of incident and prevalent nf-PanNETs, (3) non-invasive detection of individual nf-PanNETs that have an increased risk of metastasis, (4) chemoprevention clinical trials driven by basic research studies and (5) therapeutic targets for advanced disease based on biologically plausible mechanisms.

Motivation for participating in phase 1 vaccine trials: Comparison of an influenza and an Ebola randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION/HYPOTHESIS: Recruitment of participants into phase 1 vaccine clinical trials can be challenging since these vaccines have not been used in humans and there is no perceived benefit to the participant. Occasionally, as was the case with a phase 1 clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine in Halifax, Canada, during the 2014-2016 West African Ebola virus outbreak, recruitment is less difficult. In this study, we explored the motivations of participants in two phase 1 vaccine trials that were concurrently enrolling at the same centre and compared the motivations of participants in a high-profile phase 1 Ebola vaccine trial to those in a less high-profile phase 1 adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine study. METHODS: An online survey which included participants' prior experience with clinical trials, motivations to participate (including financial incentives), and demographic information was developed to examine the motivations of healthy participants in two phase 1 clinical vaccine trials conducted at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Participants were invited via email to complete the online survey. Readability and clarity were assessed through pilot testing. RESULTS: A total of 49 (55.7%) of 88 participants of the two studies completed the survey (22 [55%] of 40 participants from the Ebola vaccine study and 27 [56.3%] of 48 from the adjuvanted influenza vaccine study). Motivations that were most frequently ranked among participants' top three in both trials were (1) wanting to contribute to the health of others, (2) wanting to participate in something important, (3) wanting to contribute to the advancement of science, and (4) wanting to receive an incentive such as money or a tablet. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS: Although media attention and financial compensation were more often cited by Ebola vaccine trial participants as a reason to participate, both altruistic and self-interested factors were important motivations for participants in their decision to participate in a phase 1 vaccine clinical trial.

Pre-existing Symptoms and Healthcare Utilization Prior to Diagnosis of Neuroendocrine Tumors: A SEER-Medicare Database Study.

The incidence and prevalence of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are continually increasing. While it is known that NET symptoms often predate diagnosis, their prevalence and impact on resource utilization and costs are largely unknown. We identified 9,319 elderly patients diagnosed with NETs between 1/2003 and 12/2011 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare. We examined the patients' conditions potentially associated with NET, resource utilization and costs during the year before diagnosis. We found that NET patients were more likely to have diagnoses of hypertension (63.8% vs. 53.3%), abdominal pain (22.2% vs. 7.6%), heart failure (11.7% vs. 8.0%), diarrhea (5.8% vs. 1.8%), peripheral edema (5.4% vs. 3.8%) and irritable bowel syndrome (1.2% vs. 0.5%) compared to the non-cancer control group. They also had much higher resource utilization including number of outpatient visits (mean: 22.1 vs. 17.2), percentage with ER visits (20.9% vs. 11.6%), and hospitalizations (28.4% vs. 17.0%). Similarly, NET patients incurred significantly higher total (mean: $14602 vs. $9464), outpatient (mean: $5987 vs. $4253), and inpatient costs (mean: $8615 vs. $5211). This first population-based study on the pre-diagnosis symptoms and healthcare utilization found that NET patients were more likely to have certain conditions and incur higher resource utilizations and costs.

Clinical, pathological, and demographic factors associated with development of recurrences after surgical resection in elderly patients with neuroendocrine tumors.

BACKGROUND: Incidence of locoregional neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) is rising. However, after curative resection, the patterns and risk factors associated with recurrence remain unknown. Consensus guidelines recommend surveillance every 6-12 months for up to 10 years after surgery for resected, well-differentiated NETs irrespective of patient demographics, site, grade or stage of tumor with few exceptions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database, we identified localized and regional stage NET patients who underwent surgical resection between January 2002 and December 2011. Development of recurrence was identified by capturing at least two claims indicative of metastatic disease until 31 December 2013. RESULTS: Of the 2366 identified patients (median age 73 years), 369 (16%) developed metastatic disease within 5 years and only an additional 1% developed metastases between years 5 and 10 with the majority dying due to unrelated causes. The 5-year risk of developing metastases (hazard ratio, HR) varied significantly (log-rank P < 0.001) by grade: 9.9% versus 25.9% (2.2) versus 48.1% (4.4) for grades 1, 2, and ≥ 3, respectively; stage: 10.3% versus 31.1% (2.8) for localized versus regional; primary tumor size: 7.6% versus 15% (1.3) versus 26.6% (1.5) for <1, 1-2, and > 2 cm, respectively; and site: ranging from 11.3% for colon to 23.9% for pancreas. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to current guidelines, our study suggests that surveillance recommendations should be tailored according to patient and tumor characteristics. Surveillance past 5 years may be avoided in elderly patients with competing morbidities or low risk of recurrence. Pancreatic, lung, higher grade, and regional NETs have a higher risk of recurrence and may be considered for future adjuvant trials.