Melanoma awareness and prevention among latinx and non-latinx white adults in urban and rural California: A qualitative exploration.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma mortality rates in the US are highest among older men, individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES), and people of color. To better understand these inequities, a qualitative exploratory study was conducted in Northern and Southern California to generate knowledge about barriers and facilitators of awareness, prevention, and early detection of melanoma in lower SES Latinx and non-Latinx White (NLW) individuals living in urban and semi-rural areas. METHODS: Nineteen focus groups were conducted (N = 176 adult participants), stratified by race/ethnicity (Latinx, low-income NLW), geography (semi-rural, urban), and language (English and Spanish). Inductive and deductive thematic analysis was conducted, and the findings were organized using the socioecological model framework: individual, interpersonal, community, and health system/policy levels. RESULTS: Four socioecological themes describe how key factors affect knowledge, perceived risk, preventive behaviors, and melanoma screening. Individual level findings revealed that many participants were not familiar with melanoma, yet were willing to learn through trusted sources. Having brown or darker skin tone was perceived as being associated with lower risk for skin cancer. Interpersonally, social relationships were important influences for skin cancer prevention practice. However, for several Latinx and semi-rural participants, conversations about melanoma prevention did not occur with family and peers. At the community level, semi-rural participants reported distance or lack of transportation to a clinic as challenges for accessing dermatology care. Healthcare systems barriers included burdens of additional healthcare costs for dermatology visits and obtaining referral. CONCLUSIONS: Varying factors influence the awareness levels, beliefs, and behaviors associated with knowledge, prevention, and early detection of melanoma among low-income Latinx and NLW individuals and in semi-rural areas. Results have implications for health education interventions. Navigation strategies that target individuals, families, and health care settings can promote improved prevention and early detection of melanoma in these communities.

Healthcare providers' promotion of physical activity among child and adolescent cancer survivors: strategies and challenges.

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate how healthcare providers (HCPs) promote physical activity (PA) to child and adolescent cancer survivors. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with HCPs (n = 16; women n = 12; men n = 4) who provide care for cancer survivor youth (age 3 to 18). Participants represented 7 professions, including child life specialists, oncologists, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, and social workers. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to explore the techniques that HCPs use to promote PA for this patient population and ways PA promotion can improve. RESULTS: HCPs use five strategies to promote PA to cancer survivor youth: (1) broadening the definition of PA, (2) tailoring PA recommendations, (3) including families, (4) connecting patients to programming, and (5) promoting patient motivation. CONCLUSIONS: This research highlights techniques that HCPs use to promote PA to young cancer survivors and reveals the need for additional ways to support HCPs to improve PA promotion for child and adolescent cancer survivors. While HCPs emphasized the importance of PA for this patient population, they navigate barriers that limit the quality of PA discussions. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Further research should explore interventions to improve PA promotion and PA participation among child and adolescent cancer survivors. By understanding the perspectives of HCPs, patients, and their families, PA promotion strategies can be improved, and more programs that support both patients and practitioners may be developed.

Addressing Health Disparities Across the Cancer Continuum-a Los Angeles Approach to Achieving Equity.

Introduction: Different models have been developed to address inequities across the cancer care continuum. However, there remains a scarcity of best practices on understanding and responding to the burden of cancer in a defined catchment area.As such, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently provided a framework to maximize the impact on cancer burden, including a greater focus on community outreach and engagement. In this paper, we describe how Cedars Sinai Cancer (CSC), a health system that serves one of the most diverse counties in the US, implemented the framework to define its catchment area, characterize its population, identify high risk priority groups, and make decisions to address health disparities. Methods: We provide a review of the methods used to assess socio-ecological levels of influence. Data were reviewed from numerous national, statewide, and county sources and supplemented by locally administered questionnaires, heat maps, and community profile summaries to gain more localized snapshots of cancer disparities in Los Angeles County. Lastly, feedback was solicited from external peer groups, community stakeholders, and key decision-makers, and the proposed catchment area was aligned with the State's Cancer Plan and the NCI Catchment Area and Community Outreach and Engagement Mandate. Results: The selected CSC catchment area meets NCI criteria and has potential to demonstrate impact both at the population level and within specialty populations. As a result, strategies are being developed to organize community outreach and engagement, as well as research across basic, clinical, and population sciences to guide cancer control and prevention efforts. Discussion: To maintain a high level of cultural inclusion and sensitivity, multiple layers of data are needed to understand localized pictures of cancer disparities and underlying causes. Community engagement remains essential to implementing policy, best practice, and translational science for broader impact. Impact: The clinical and translation work conducted at any cancer center requires an understanding of the determinants of health that contribute to the differences in cancer incidence and mortality among different groups. The NCI-aligned approach that we highlight is critical to support the design of future cancer control strategies that address and possibly reduce local health inequities.

Longitudinal SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine-Induced Humoral Immune Responses in Patients with Cancer.

Longitudinal studies of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine-induced immune responses in patients with cancer are needed to optimize clinical care. In a prospective cohort study of 366 (291 vaccinated) patients, we measured antibody levels [anti-spike (IgG-(S-RBD) and anti-nucleocapsid immunoglobulin] at three time points. Antibody level trajectories and frequency of breakthrough infections were evaluated by tumor type and timing of treatment relative to vaccination. IgG-(S-RBD) at peak response (median = 42 days after dose 2) was higher (P = 0.002) and remained higher after 4 to 6 months (P = 0.003) in patients receiving mRNA-1273 compared with BNT162b2. Patients with solid tumors attained higher peak levels (P = 0.001) and sustained levels after 4 to 6 months (P < 0.001) compared with those with hematologic malignancies. B-cell targeted treatment reduced peak (P = 0.001) and sustained antibody responses (P = 0.003). Solid tumor patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors before vaccination had lower sustained antibody levels than those who received treatment after vaccination (P = 0.043). Two (0.69%) vaccinated and one (1.9%) unvaccinated patient had severe COVID-19 illness during follow-up. Our study shows variation in sustained antibody responses across cancer populations receiving various therapeutic modalities, with important implications for vaccine booster timing and patient selection. SIGNIFICANCE: Long-term studies of immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients with cancer are needed to inform evidence-based guidelines for booster vaccinations and to tailor sequence and timing of vaccinations to elicit improved humoral responses.