Timing and delay of radical prostatectomy do not lead to adverse oncologic outcomes: results from a large European cohort at the times of COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: The current COVID-19 pandemic is transforming our urologic practice and most urologic societies recommend to defer any surgical treatment for prostate cancer (PCa) patients. It is unclear whether a delay between diagnosis and surgical management (i.e., surgical delay) may have a detrimental effect on oncologic outcomes of PCa patients. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of surgical delay on oncologic outcomes. METHODS: Data of 926 men undergoing radical prostatectomy across Europe for intermediate and high-risk PCa according to EAU classification were identified. Multivariable analysis using binary logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard model tested association between surgical delay and upgrading on final pathology, lymph-node invasion (LNI), pathological locally advanced disease (pT3-4 and/or pN1), need for adjuvant therapy, and biochemical recurrence. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate BCR-free survival after surgery as a function of surgical delay using a 3 month cut-off. RESULTS: Median follow-up and surgical delay were 26 months (IQR 10-40) and 3 months (IQR 2-5), respectively. We did not find any significant association between surgical delay and oncologic outcomes when adjusted to pre- and post-operative variables. The lack of such association was observed across EAU risk categories. CONCLUSION: Delay of several months did not appear to adversely impact oncologic results for intermediate and high-risk PCa, and support an attitude of deferring surgery in line with the current recommendation of urologic societies.

Back to (new) normality-A CODRAL/AIRO-L survey on cancer radiotherapy in Lombardy during Italian COVID-19 phase 2.

BACKGROUND: Italy experienced one of the world's severest COVID-19 outbreak, with Lombardy being the most afflicted region. However, the imposed safety measures allowed to flatten the epidemic curve and hence to ease the restrictions and inaugurate, on the 4th of May 2020, the Italian phase (P) 2 of the pandemic. The present survey study, endorsed by CODRAL and AIRO-L, aimed to assess how radiotherapy (RT) departments in Lombardy have dealt with the recovery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire dealing with the management of pandemic was developed online and sent to all CODRAL Directors on the 10th of June 2020. Answers were collected in full anonymity one week after. RESULTS: All the 33 contacted RT facilities (100%) responded to the survey. Despite the scale of the pandemic, during P1 14 (42.4%) centres managed to safely continue the activity (≤ 10% reduction). During P2, 10 (30.3%) centres fully recovered and 14 (42.4%) reported an increase. Nonetheless, 6 (18.2%) declared no changes and, interestingly, 3 (9.1%) reduced activities. Overall, 21 centres (63.6%) reported suspected or positive cases within healthcare workforce since the beginning of the pandemic. Staff units were quarantined in 19 (57.6%) and 6 (18.2%) centres throughout P1 and P2, respectively. In the two phases, about two thirds centres registered positive or suspected cases amongst patients. CONCLUSION: The study revealed a particular attention to anti-contagion measures and a return to normal or even higher clinical workload in most RT centres in Lombardy, necessary to carry out current and previously deferred treatments.

Covid-19 in patients with hematological and solid cancers at a Comprehensive Cancer Center in Germany.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cancer are considered a high-risk group for viral pneumonia, with an increased probability of fatal outcome. Here, we investigated the clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with solid and hematological cancers and concomitant Covid-19 at a Comprehensive Cancer Center in a Covid-19 hotspot area in Germany. METHODS: We performed a retrospective single center cohort study of 39 patients with hematological and solid cancers who were hospitalized at the University Hospital Freiburg for Covid-19. Using univariate and multivariate Cox regression models we compared time to severe events and overall survival to an age-matched control cohort of 39 patients with confirmed Covid-19 without a cancer diagnosis. RESULTS: In the cancer cohort 29 patients had a diagnosis of a solid tumor, and 10 had a hematological malignancy. In total, eight patients (21%) in the cancer and 14 patients (36%) from the noncancer cohort died during the observation period. Presence of a malignancy was not significantly associated with survival or time to occurrence of severe events. Major influences on mortality were high IL-6 levels at Covid-19 diagnosis (HR = 6.95, P = .0121) and age ≥ 65 years (HR = 6.22, P = .0156). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to an age-matched noncancer cohort, we did not observe an association between a cancer diagnosis and a more severe disease course or higher fatality rate in patients with Covid-19. Patients with a hematological malignancy showed a trend towards a longer duration until clinical improvement and longer hospitalization time compared to patients with a solid cancer. Cancer per se does not seem to be a confounder for dismal outcome in Covid-19.

Managing Prostate Cancer Surgical Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Brief Report of the Duke Cancer Institute's Initial Experience.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has rapidly placed tremendous stress on health systems around the world. In response, multiple health systems have postponed elective surgeries in order to conserve hospital beds and personal protective equipment, minimize patient traffic, and prevent unnecessary utilization and exposure of healthcare workers. The American College of Surgeons released the following statement on March 13, 2020: "Each hospital, health system and surgeon should thoughtfully review all scheduled elective procedures with a plan to minimize, postpone, or cancel electively scheduled operations, endoscopes, or other invasive procedures until we have passed the predicted inflection point in the exposure graph and can be confident that our health care infrastructure can support a potentially rapid and overwhelming uptick in critical patient care needs." In our state, North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper requested that all hospitals postpone elective and non-urgent procedures and surgeries effective March 23, 2020.

First referral to an integrated onco-palliative care program: a retrospective analysis of its timing.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care (PC) referral is recommended early in the course of advanced cancer. This study aims to describe, in an integrated onco-palliative care program (IOPC), patient's profile when first referred to this program, timing of this referral and its impact on the trajectory of care at end-of-life. METHODS: The IOPC combined the weekly onco-palliative meeting (OPM) dedicated to patients with incurable cancer, and/or the clinical evaluation by the PC team. Oncologists can refer to the multidisciplinary board of the OPM the patients for whom goals and organization of care need to be discussed. We analyzed all patients first referred at OPM in 2011-2013. We defined the index of precocity (IP), as the ratio of the time from first referral to death by the time from diagnosis of incurability to death, ranging from 0 (late referral) to 1 (early referral). RESULTS: Of the 416 patients included, 57% presented with lung, urothelial cancers, or sarcoma. At first referral to IOPC, 76% were receiving antitumoral treatment, 63% were outpatients, 56% had a performance status ≤2 and 46% had a serum albumin level > 35 g/l. The median [1st-3rd quartile] IP was 0.39 [0.16-0.72], ranging between 0.53 [0.20-0.79] (earliest referral, i.e. close to diagnosis of incurability, for lung cancer) to 0.16 [0.07-0.56] (latest referral, i.e. close to death relatively to length of metastatic disease, for prostate cancer). Among 367 decedents, 42 (13%) received antitumoral treatment within 14 days before death, and 157 (43%) died in PC units. CONCLUSIONS: The IOPC is an effective organization to enable early integration of PC and decrease aggressiveness of care near the end-of life. The IP is a useful tool to model the timing of referral to IOPC, while taking into account each cancer types and therapeutic advances.

Current status of integrating oncology and palliative care in Japan: a nationwide survey.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care (PC) is increasingly recognized as essential for oncology care, and several academic societies strongly recommend integrating oncology and palliative care (IOP) in daily practice. Similarly, the Japanese government encouraged the implementation of IOP through the Cancer Control Act of 2007; however, its detailed progress remains unclear. Therefore, this cross-sectional nationwide survey was conducted to investigate the current status and hospital executive physicians' perception of IOP. METHODS: The questionnaire was developed based on IOP indicators with international consensus. It was distributed to executive physicians at all government-designated cancer hospitals (DCHs, n = 399) and matched non-DCHs (n = 478) in November 2017 and the results were compared. RESULTS: In total, 269 (67.4%) DCHs and 259 (54.2%) non-DCHs responded. The number of PC resources in DCHs was significantly higher than those in non-DCHs (e.g., full-time PC physicians and nurses, 52.8% vs. 14.0%, p < 0.001; availability of outpatient PC service ≥3 days per week, 47.6% vs. 20.7%, p < 0.001). Routine symptom screening was more frequently performed in DCHs than in non-DCHs (65.1% vs. 34.7%, p < 0.001). Automatic trigger for PC referral availability was limited (e.g., referral using time trigger, 14.9% vs. 15.3%, p = 0.700). Education and research opportunities were seriously limited in both types of hospitals. Most executive physicians regarded IOP as beneficial for their patients (95.9% vs. 94.7%, p = 0.163) and were willing to facilitate an early referral to PC services (54.7% vs. 60.0%, p < 0.569); however, the majority faced challenges to increase the number of full-time PC staff, and < 30% were planning to increase the staff members. CONCLUSIONS: This survey highlighted a considerable number of IOP indicators met, particularly in DCHs probably due to the government policy. Further efforts are needed to address the serious research/educational gaps.

Accuracy of the Surprise Question on an Inpatient Oncology Service: A Multidisciplinary Perspective.

The surprise question (SQ), "Would you be surprised if your patient died within a year?", has been studied in the cancer population as a prognostic prompt. Studies have almost exclusively directed the SQ to physicians, whereas perspectives of nurses remain underevaluated. We asked the SQ for patients admitted to an inpatient medical oncology service to medical oncology, palliative care, and hospital medicine teams and bedside nurses. We performed a 1-year retrospective chart review to identify how concordant various provider types were in their prognostic estimations and identified the missed opportunity rate (MOR) defined as the number of patients who died within a particular time frame but who the providers had predicted would be alive and may not have had a palliative approach. Oncologists had higher MORs for the 6-month and 1-year SQ when compared with hospital medicine providers. Bedside nurses were least concordant in their estimations of prognosis and had higher MORs for all time frames of the SQ. Missed opportunities might have significant implications for the end-of-life care for cancer patients, and continued research is needed to understand what influences provider prognostication and how this impacts palliative care utilization for patients with life-limiting disease.

Oncología intervencionista: ¿cuál es la situación actual y qué estrategia debemos seguir en el futuro? / Interventional Oncology - where are we now? - And where we should head for

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Occupational therapy practice in oncology care: Results from a survey.

The everyday landscape of occupational therapy (OT) in oncology is underexplored, hindering targeted improvements. The purpose of the present study was to identify the OT interventions commonly provided and reimbursed in oncology. A survey utilizing snowball sampling was disseminated online to OT working in oncology care; 167 surveys were received from 21 states in the United States. Results found that over 90% of therapists reported focusing on physical impairment, weakness, fatigue, and activities of daily living. Interventions for emotional/social support, self-advocacy, quality of life, lifestyle management, and cognitive impairment were not directly billed. More than 90% of therapists reported that, in the absence of barriers, they would address quality of life, emotional difficulties, lifestyle management, and home safety. Overall, the findings suggested that OT in the United States primarily provide physical interventions for oncology patients. However, they also provide psychosocial services and client/caregiver education, but often do not bill directly for this care. Reimbursement structures should be modified to allow for the direct billing of mental/psychosocial and educational interventions in OT for cancer care.

Integrating Palliative Care at the Point of Care: Development of Electronic Interdisciplinary Plans of Care for Oncology Inpatients.

Integration of palliative care (PC) in oncology requires changes in delivery and processes of care, such as implementation of comprehensive, evidence-based interdisciplinary plans of care (IPOCs). A multidisciplinary design team partnered with an electronic health record company and an information analytics company that specializes in online clinical practice guidelines. The team sought to develop electronic IPOCs that address the unique needs of oncology inpatients, attend to PC needs, and reflect the interdisciplinary team's contribution to quality patient outcomes. Our cancer center had paper-based care plans that were not well integrated into workflow, did not represent comprehensive PC, did not reflect interdisciplinary care, and did not guide evidence-based practice at point of care. The team designed IPOCs to be incorporated into each discipline's workflow and unique documentation and established clinical decision support tools to suggest appropriate IPOCs. Thirty-five IPOCs were developed and included all domains of quality PC. Evaluation of IPOC use indicated incomplete, but improving, adoption of PC-specific IPOCs with engagement in collaborative care planning by a variety of disciplines and across oncology nursing subspecialties.

Multiple case study applied in nursing research: a case report.

OBJECTIVE: To report the experience of using the method of multiple case study. METHOD: We used the method of multiple case study, conducted with children and adolescents assisted in the pediatric oncology inpatient unit. RESULTS: The steps used for the development of a multiple case study were: Step 1 - Define and design; Step 2 - Prepare, collect and analyze; Step 3 - Analyze and complete. The steps included the development of a research project with the definition of its components, preparation of protocol for the case study, data collection, individual report of cases, data analysis and final report with data cross-referencing. CONCLUSION: The case study method can be used by nurses and contribute to the advancement in knowledge of nursing as a science and therefore contribute to a full care practice in the context in which the phenomenon happens.

Multiple case study applied in nursing research: a case report / Estudio de casos múltiples aplicado en la investigación de enfermería: relato de experiencia / Estudo de casos múltiplos aplicado na pesquisa de enfermagem: relato de experiência

ABSTRACT Objective: To report the experience of using the method of multiple case study. Method: We used the method of multiple case study, conducted with children and adolescents assisted in the pediatric oncology inpatient unit. Results: The steps used for the development of a multiple case study were: Step 1 - Define and design; Step 2 - Prepare, collect and analyze; Step 3 - Analyze and complete. The steps included the development of a research project with the definition of its components, preparation of protocol for the case study, data collection, individual report of cases, data analysis and final report with data cross-referencing. Conclusion: The case study method can be used by nurses and contribute to the advancement in knowledge of nursing as a science and therefore contribute to a full care practice in the context in which the phenomenon happens.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Relatar la experiencia sobre la utilización del método de estudio de casos múltiples. Método: Se utilizó del método de estudio de casos múltiples, realizado junto a niños y adolescentes asistidos en la unidad de internación de la oncopediatría. Resultados: Las etapas utilizadas para el desarrollo de un estudio de casos múltiples fueron: Etapa 1 - Definir y proyectar; Etapa 2 - Preparar, recoger y analizar; Etapa 3 - Analizar y concluir. Las etapas contemplaron la elaboración del proyecto de investigación con la definición de sus componentes, la elaboración del protocolo para el estudio de caso, la recogida de datos, el informe individual de los casos, el análisis de los datos y el informe final con el cruce de los datos. Conclusión: El método de estudio de caso puede ser utilizado por los enfermeros y aportar para el avance en el conocimiento de la enfermería como ciencia y consecuentemente aportar para una práctica de cuidado integral en el contexto en que el fenómeno ocurre.

RESUMO Objetivo: Relatar a experiência sobre a utilização do método de estudo de casos múltiplos. Método: Utilizou-se do método de estudo de casos múltiplos, realizado junto a crianças e adolescentes assistidos na unidade de internação da oncopediatria. Resultados: As etapas utilizadas para o desenvolvimento de um estudo de casos múltiplos foram: Etapa 1 - Definir e projetar; Etapa 2 - Preparar, coletar e analisar; Etapa 3 - Analisar e concluir. As etapas contemplaram a elaboração do projeto de pesquisa com a definição dos seus componentes, elaboração do protocolo para o estudo de caso, coleta de dados, relatório individual dos casos, análise dos dados e relatório final com cruzamento dos dados. Conclusão: O método de estudo de caso pode ser utilizado por enfermeiros e contribuir para o avanço no conhecimento da enfermagem como ciência e consequentemente contribuir para uma prática de cuidado integral no contexto em que o fenômeno acontece.

Propuesta de desarrollo de una unidad de oncogeriatría. Tiempos de cambio: nuestra realidad / Proposed development of a geriatric oncology unit. Times of change: our reality

La edad es uno de los principales factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de cáncer. Se espera que el ritmo actual de envejecimiento poblacional tenga un impacto sin precedentes sobre la incidencia de diversos tumores. De hecho, el abordaje de los pacientes oncológicos de edad avanzada es ya un importante problema de salud pública en los países desarrollados. Sin embargo, estos pacientes han sido tradicionalmente excluidos de los ensayos clinicos, y están ausentes de los protocolos habituales de tratamiento oncológico. Por ello, los profesionales de salud se encuentran en territorio desconocido, sin herramientas con que enfrentarse a las múltiples dificultades que se plantean a diario en el tratamiento de estos pacientes. La valoración geriátrica integral se posiciona como una herramienta ideal para una correcta detección de problemas ocultos, facilitar la toma de decisiones sobre las opciones de tratamiento en pacientes complejos, y coordinar la asistencia de los pacientes ancianos con comorbilidad

Age is one of the main risk factors for the development of cancer. It is expected that the progressive aging of the population will have an unprecedented impact on the incidence of various tumours. In fact, the management of elderly cancer patients is already a major public health problem in developed countries. However, elderly patients have systematically been excluded from cancer drug studies or protocol development. This has left health professionals in uncharted territory, without proper tools to address the multiple difficulties that arise in the treatment of these patients. A comprehensive geriatric assessment may serve as an ideal tool for the correct detection of hidden problems, facilitating treatment decisions in these complex patients, and integrating the care of patients with comorbidities

Fundamentos de las unidades de cardio-oncología / Rationale for cardio-oncology units

Con el número cada vez mayor de supervivientes al cáncer, a menudo con enfermedades cardiovasculares o factores de riesgo preexistentes o nuevos, ha surgido la necesidad de una nueva especialidad en el ámbito de la atención cardiovascular que pueda evaluar y tratar a estos pacientes, conjuntamente con nuestros colegas de hematología y oncología. De la misma manera, todos los proveedores de atención médica que participan en el cuidado de pacientes con cáncer y enfermedad cardiaca deben ser plenamente conscientes del impacto adverso de la enfermedad cardiovascular en la supervivencia de estos pacientes. La colaboración es necesaria para mitigar el efecto de la toxicidad cardiovascular asociada con estas terapias anticancerosas que salvan vidas. Los cardio-oncólogos tienen un papel fundamental en la unión entre las dos especialidades creando un plan integral para abordar las comorbilidades y proporcionando orientación para la elección del tratamiento óptimo. En esta revisión de 3 partes se describen: a) el impacto significativo de las terapias anticancerosas en la salud cardiovascular de los pacientes con cáncer y los supervivientes a este; b) la ventaja de un equipo multidisciplinario para abordar estas complicaciones cardiovasculares, y c) la prestación de atención clínica a los pacientes con cáncer y enfermedad cardiaca (AU)

With the rapidly rising number of patients surviving cancer, often in the setting of new or pre-existing cardiovascular disease and risk factors, a need has arisen for a specialty within the realm of cardiovascular care that can evaluate and manage these patients along with our colleagues in oncology and hematology. By the same token, all health care providers involved in the care of cancer patients with heart disease must be fully aware of the impact of adverse cardiovascular effects on the survival of these patients. Collaboration is required to mitigate the effect of cardiovascular toxicity associated with these necessary life-saving cancer therapies. The cardio-oncologist plays a pivotal role in bridging the 2 specialties, by creating a comprehensive plan to address the comorbidities as well as to provide guidance on the optimal choice of therapy. In this 3-part review, we will outline: a) the significant impact of cancer therapies on the cardiovascular health of patients with cancer and cancer survivors, b) the advantage of a multidisciplinary team in addressing these cardiovascular complications, and c)the delivery of clinical care to patients with cancer and heart disease (AU)

Acute oncology: a developing sub-specialty.

Patients with cancer frequently present to hospital as an emergency admission acutely unwell. Patients can suffer from complications of the cancer itself, or significant adverse effects/toxicities related to their cancer therapy. Alternatively, the initial presentation of the malignancy may be through a hospital admission, and the cancer can frequently be widespread and with a poorer prognosis. Patients are often admitted under general physicians, away from their comprehensive cancer care centre or oncologists. Without specialist input or staff adhering to most appropriate pathways, the management of these complicated conditions may be difficult, with patients sometimes having unnecessary and painful investigations and prolonged hospital stays. To address these issues the concept of an acute oncology service has recently evolved. This is a developing sub-specialty that aims to improve the care of cancer patients presenting acutely to hospital at a devastating time in their lives. This article will explore the literature to describe the recent development of the acute oncology model, and consider different methods for the delivery of this service.

Ten trends transforming cancer care and their effects on space planning for academic medical centers.

OBJECTIVE: This article aims to define the major trends currently affecting space needs for academic medical center (AMC) cancer centers. It will distinguish between the trends that promote the concentration of services with those that promote decentralization as well as identify opportunities for achieving greater effectiveness in cancer care space planning. BACKGROUND: Changes in cancer care-higher survival rates, increased clinical trials, new technology, and changing practice models-increasingly fill hospitals' and clinicians' schedules and strain clinical space resources. Conflicts among these trends are concentrating some services and dispersing others. As a result, AMCs must expand and renovate intelligently to continue providing state-of-the-art, compassionate care. CONCLUSIONS: Although the typical AMC cancer center can expect to utilize more space than it would have 10 years ago, a deeper understanding of the cancer center enterprise can lead to opportunities for more effectively using available facility resources. Each AMC must determine for itself the appropriate balance of patient volume, clinical activity, and services between its main hospital campus and satellite branches. As well, space allocation should be flexible, as care trends, medical technology, and the provider's own priorities shift over time. The goal isn't necessarily more space-it's better space.

Outcomes of haematology/oncology patients admitted to intensive care unit at The Canberra Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Outcomes for haematology/oncology patients have improved; however, determining their suitability for intensive care unit (ICU) admission remains challenging and controversial. AIM: Examine outcomes of patients admitted to an Australian tertiary hospital ICU and explore potential prognostic factors. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients with haematological and solid tumour malignancies non-electively admitted to The Canberra Hospital (TCH) ICU, between January 2008 and December 2012. Patient demographics, cancer details, reasons for ICU admission and Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores were collected, and survival rates calculated and correlated with potential prognostic factors. RESULTS: Of 205 patients, 113 (55%) had haematological malignancies, and 92 (45%) had solid tumours: 58% male and mean age 60.3 years (standard deviation (SD) 13.4). Eighty-two per cent of solid tumour patients had metastatic disease and 55% received palliative chemotherapy. Primary reasons for ICU admission included sepsis (59%), respiratory distress (37%) and hypotension/shock (18%). Mean APACHE II score was 20.1(SD 0.55); mean length of stay in ICU, 4 days (SD 5.2); ICU survival was 76% with 62% and 41% alive at 30 days and 6 months respectively. Overall 1-year survival was 36%. High APACHE II scores and ≥2 organs failing were significant risk factors for 30-day mortality. CONCLUSION: Short-term outcomes were similar to contemporary studies from a general tertiary hospital setting and better than historical data. Sixty-two per cent of patients were alive 30 days post-ICU admission, with a significant minority alive at 12 months, confirming some patients achieved worthwhile outcomes. Further research is needed to ensure appropriate patient selection and to explore quality of life post ICU.