From decision to reflection: understanding the experiences and unmet care needs of patients treated with immunotherapy for melanoma in the adjuvant or metastatic setting.

BACKGROUND: Despite increased use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with advanced melanoma, little is known about patient experiences during this treatment. This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of experiences and unmet care needs of patients treated in the adjuvant or metastatic setting for advanced melanoma regarding their ICI treatment trajectory. METHODS: Interviews and focus groups were conducted among 35 patients treated with ICIs in the adjuvant setting for completely resected stage III (n = 14), or in the metastatic setting for irresectable stage IV (n = 21) melanoma. A thorough thematic content analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Three main themes were identified. When (1) dealing with uncertainty in the decision-making process, adjuvant patients explored the pros and cons, whereas metastatic patients considered immunotherapy their only viable option. Both groups expressed the need for additional guidance. In (2) navigating the immunotherapy course, both perceived the trajectory as intense, experienced a major impact on their and their (close) relatives' lives, and felt the need to (re)gain control. When (3) looking back on the immunotherapy experience, metastatic patients generally felt relieved, while among adjuvant patients, feelings of doubt regarding their choice for ICIs were also reported. CONCLUSIONS: ICI treatment is perceived as intensive for both patient groups, facing both comparable and distinct challenges throughout the treatment trajectory, underscoring the need for stage-specific, individualised guidance. Options regarding flexible follow-ups, low-threshold contact and psychosocial support throughout the treatment trajectory should be explored.

Early Clinical Impact of Cerebral Embolic Protection in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background We aimed to compare the rate of neurological events in patients with or without cerebral embolic protection (CEP) during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Methods and Results Data on clinical end points including neurological events ≤30 days post-TAVR were collected for all patients who underwent transfemoral TAVR in 2 academic tertiary care institutions. Patients were matched through propensity scoring, which resulted in 333 pairs of patients with versus without CEP out of a total of 831 consecutive patients. The median age was 81 (76-85) years, and the median logistic EuroScore was 14% (9%-20%). The CEP group experienced less neurological events at 24 hours (1% versus 4%; P=0.035) and at 30 days (3% versus 7%; P=0.029). There were significantly more disabling strokes in unprotected patients at 30 days (1% versus 4%; P=0.039). CEP was associated with significantly fewer neurological events at 24 hours after TAVR (odds ratio, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06-0.73; P=0.015) by multiple regression analysis, while age and valve type did not contribute significantly. Overall, 67% (2 of 3) in the CEP versus 83% (10 of 12) in the non-CEP cohort experienced neurological events in protected areas (ie, not dependent on the left vertebral artery). Conclusions The use of filter-based CEP during TAVR was associated with less neurological events, especially in CEP-protected brain territories.