Responses to a cancer diagnosis: a qualitative patient-centred interview study.

PURPOSE: A cancer diagnosis is an emotive and challenging time for patients. This study aimed to systematically explore patients' accounts of experiencing their cancer diagnosis. The purpose of this article is to offer a typology of patient responses to receiving a cancer diagnosis as a means through which to affirm the range of patients' experiences and to guide clinicians' practice. METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted between 2015 and 2017 with 80 patients living with cancer: 34 females and 46 males, aged between 31 and 85, diagnosed with a range of cancer types, stages and treatment trajectories, from two metropolitan hospitals on the east coast of Australia. Interview data were analysed thematically, using the framework approach. RESULTS: A typology of responses to the cancer diagnosis was derived from the analysis and included (1) the incongruent diagnosis, unexpected because it did not 'fit' with the patient's 'healthy' identity; (2) the incidental diagnosis, arising from seemingly unrelated or minor medical investigations; (3) the validating diagnosis, as explanation and confirmation of previously unexplained symptoms, pain or feelings; (4) the life context diagnosis, where the cancer diagnosis was positioned relative to other challenging life events, or as relatively inconsequential compared with the hardship of others. CONCLUSIONS: A diagnosis of cancer is not always (or only) experienced by patients with shock and despair. Diagnosis is perceived and experienced in diverse ways, shaped by broader social or life contexts, and with important implications for the clinical encounter and communication from an oncology perspective.

Perceptions of care and patient-reported outcomes in people living with neuroendocrine tumours.

BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare, and when metastatic NETs are incurable, the tumours are frequently slowly growing. Patients may be confronted with disease-specific problems and distinct issues when accessing health-care. We aimed to assess perceptions of care coordination, identify unmet needs, and examine if these varied by whether patients received specialist oncology care in a single hospital or shared between that and another hospital. We also quantified anxiety, depression, and NET-related physical symptoms. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 111 NET patients managed at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. Validated surveys measured care coordination (CCCQ), unmet needs (SCNS-SF34), anxiety and depression (HADS), and quality of life and symptoms (FACT). RESULTS: Participants were between 2 months and 27 years after diagnosis. The worst-ranked items on the CCCQ related to health professionals having a full case history, providing information about financial entitlements and asking about how well patients and their families were coping. People with shared care were significantly less satisfied with some aspects of care. One in three participants reported a moderate-to-high unmet need for help with fatigue and one in four with psychological concerns about their cancer spreading, uncertainty about their future, and about the worries of those close to them. Overall, 30% of participants had anxiety and 20% had depression and they had significantly lower physical and emotional well-being compared to the general population. CONCLUSIONS: NETs are experienced as a chronic illness. In addition to ongoing psychological and physical symptom management, improvements to case history documentation and discussions about coping and finance are recommended.

Association between pancreatic cancer patients' perception of their care coordination and patient-reported and survival outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: People with pancreatic cancer have poor survival, and management is challenging. Pancreatic cancer patients' perceptions of their care coordination and its association with their outcomes have not been well-studied. Our objective was to determine if perception of care coordination is associated with patient-reported outcomes or survival. METHODS: People with pancreatic cancer who were 1-8 months postdiagnosis (52 with completed resection and 58 with no resection) completed a patient-reported questionnaire that assessed their perceptions of care coordination, quality of life, anxiety, and depression using validated instruments. Mean scores for 15 care-coordination items were calculated and then ranked from highest (best experience) to lowest (worst experience). Associations between care-coordination scores (including communication and navigation domains) and patient-reported outcomes and survival were investigated using general linear regression and Cox regression, respectively. All analyses were stratified by whether or not the tumor had been resected. RESULTS: In both groups, the highest-ranked care-coordination items were: knowing who was responsible for coordinating care, health professionals being informed about their history, and waiting times. The worst-ranked items related to: how often patients were asked about visits with other health professionals and how well they and their family were coping, knowing the symptoms they should monitor, having sufficient emotional help from staff, and access to additional specialist services. For people who had a resection, better communication and navigation scores were significantly associated with higher quality of life and less anxiety and depression. However, these associations were not statistically significant for those with no resection. Perception of cancer care coordination was not associated with survival in either group. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Our results suggest that, while many core clinical aspects of care are perceived to be done well for pancreatic cancer patients, improvements in emotional support, referral to specialist services, and self-management education may improve patient-reported outcomes.

Anxiety, depression and quality of life in people with pancreatic cancer and their carers.

BACKGROUND: People with pancreatic cancer have high levels of anxiety and depression and reduced quality of life (QoL), but few studies have assessed these outcomes for patient-carer dyads. We therefore investigated these issues in an Australian population-based study. METHODS: Patients with pancreatic cancer (n = 136) and many of their carers (n = 84) completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy QoL questionnaire at a median of three months after diagnosis. Overall QoL and well-being subscales (physical, social, emotional, functional) were compared with general population norms. Intraclass correlation coefficients were used to compare anxiety, depression and QoL scores of patients and their respective carers. RESULTS: Fifteen percent of patients and 39% of carers had HADS scores indicative of anxiety and 15% of patients and 14% of carers of depression, respectively. Overall, 70% of patients and 58% of carers had QoL scores below the Queensland population average. Patients' anxiety, depression, overall QoL, social, emotional and functional wellbeing scores were significantly related to those scores in their carers. Among patients and carers, accessing psychological help was associated with elevated anxiety. Not receiving chemotherapy was associated with elevated depression among patients and younger age was associated with poorer outcomes in carers. CONCLUSIONS: More carers had symptoms of anxiety than patients with pancreatic cancer, but symptoms of depression were similarly common in patients and carers. Further research is needed to assess whether interventions to reduce patients' distress could also improve QoL among carers, or whether carer-focussed interventions are required.

The Social Reception of Women With Cancer.

Experiences of cancer are enmeshed with cultural understandings and social discourses around responsibility and causation. A cancer diagnosis can raise questions about its causation-including the role of the individual-whereas the disease and its treatment provide various social markers of illness. We present a sociological study of 81 women's accounts of living with cancer, with a focus on how women interpret their illness, in light of their interpersonal interactions and accounts of social relations. Our analysis reveals women's experiences of cancer diagnosis and treatment, the varied sociocultural meanings of cancer and the responses it elicits, the presence of moral assessments within everyday interactions, and the implications for the support and care they receive. We argue that the experience of cancer should be seen as intimately interwoven with its social reception and cultural sense-making practices, including normative constructs which promote ideas about (in)justice, responsibilization, and shame.

Factors associated with quality of care for patients with pancreatic cancer in Australia.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a composite score for the quality of care for patients with pancreatic cancer in Australia; to determine whether it was affected by patient and health service-related factors; to assess whether the score and survival were correlated. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: We reviewed medical records of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer during July 2009 - June 2011 and notified to the Queensland and New South Wales cancer registries. DESIGN AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were allocated proportional quality of care scores based on indicators derived from a Delphi process, ranging from 0 (lowest) to 1 (highest quality care). Associations between patient and health service-related factors and the score were tested by linear regression, and associations between the score and survival with Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards methods. RESULTS: Proportional quality of care scores were assigned to 1571 patients. Scores for patients living in rural areas were significantly lower than for those in major cities (adjusted difference, 11%; 95% CI, 8-13%); they were higher for patients in the least socio-economically disadvantaged areas (v most disadvantaged areas: 8% higher; 95% CI, 6-11%), who were younger, had better Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, or who first presented to a hospital with a high pancreatic case volume. Higher scores were associated with improved survival; after adjusting for patient-related factors, each 10 percentage point increase in the score reduced the risk of dying by 6% (hazard ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91-0.97). CONCLUSION: Geographic category of residence may influence the quality of care received by patients with pancreatic cancer, and survival could be improved if they received optimal care.

Risk factors for current and future unmet supportive care needs of people with pancreatic cancer. A longitudinal study.

PURPOSE: This study aims to determine if the supportive care needs of people with pancreatic cancer change over time and identify the factors associated with current and future unmet needs. METHODS: Australian pancreatic cancer patients completed a self-administered survey at 0-6 months post-diagnosis (n = 116) then follow-up surveys 2 (n = 82) and 4 months (n = 50) later. The validated survey measured 34 needs across five domains. Weighted generalised estimating equations were used to identify factors associated with having ≥1 current or future moderate-to-high unmet need. RESULTS: The overall proportion of patients reporting ≥1 moderate-or-high-level need did not significantly change over time (baseline = 70 % to 4 months = 75 %), although there was a non-significant reduction in needs for patients who had a complete resection (71 to 63 %) and an increase in patients with locally advanced (73 to 85 %) or metastatic (66 to 88 %) disease. Higher levels of pain (OR 6.1, CI 2.4-15.3), anxiety (OR 3.3, CI 1.5-7.3) and depression (OR 3.2, CI 1.7-6.0) were significantly associated with current needs. People with pain (OR 4.9, CI 1.5-15.4), metastatic disease (OR 2.7, CI 0.7-10.0) or anxiety (OR 2.5, CI 0.7-8.6) had substantially higher odds of reporting needs at their next survey. The prevalence of needs was highest in the physical/daily living and psychological domains (both 53 % at baseline). Pain and anxiety had respectively the strongest associations with these domains. CONCLUSIONS: Careful and continued attention to pain control and psychological morbidity is paramount in addressing significant unmet needs, particularly for people with metastatic disease. Research on how best to coordinate this is crucial.

Quality of life and treatment response among women with platinum-resistant versus platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer treated for progression: a prospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Most women with ovarian cancer relapse and undergo further chemotherapy however evidence regarding the benefits of this for women with platinum-resistant disease is limited. Our objective was to determine whether there was a quality of life improvement or treatment response among women treated for platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer. METHODS: We combined data from 2 studies where women treated with chemotherapy for recurrent ovarian cancer (n=172) completed a quality of life questionnaire every 3 months. Cancers were classified as platinum-resistant if they progressed within 6 months of completing first-line chemotherapy. Mixed effects models were used to analyze change in quality of life during the first 6 months after second-line chemotherapy. RESULTS: One-quarter of women (n=44) were classified as having platinum-resistant disease. Overall, their quality of life did not significantly increase or decrease, following commencement of second-line chemotherapy (least square mean scores=107, 105, 103 at chemotherapy start, 3 and 6 months later, respectively), although 26% of these women reported a meaningful increase and 31% reported a meaningful decline. One-third of the platinum-resistant group responded (11% complete and 21% partial response) to second-line chemotherapy, and this figure increased to 54% among the subset (36%) re-treated with platinum-based agents with or without other agents. Preliminary analyses suggest that quality of life may be higher at chemotherapy initiation in women whose disease responded (median score 121 vs 110). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, quality of life appears to be maintained in women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer who receive further chemotherapy and some women respond to re-treatment.

Preclinical Molecular PET-CT Imaging Targeting CDCP1 in Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy in the world, with 22% of patients presenting with metastatic disease and a further 50% destined to develop metastasis. Molecular imaging uses antigen-specific ligands conjugated to radionuclides to detect and characterise primary cancer and metastases. Expression of the cell surface protein CDCP1 is increased in CRC, and here we sought to assess whether it is a suitable molecular imaging target for the detection of this cancer. CDCP1 expression was assessed in CRC cell lines and a patient-derived xenograft to identify models suitable for evaluation of radio-labelled 10D7, a CDCP1-targeted, high-affinity monoclonal antibody, for preclinical molecular imaging. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography was used to compare zirconium-89 (89Zr)-10D7 avidity to a nonspecific, isotype control 89Zr-labelled IgGκ1 antibody. The specificity of CDCP1-avidity was further confirmed using CDCP1 silencing and blocking models. Our data indicate high avidity and specificity for of 89Zr-10D7 in CDCP1 expressing tumors at. Significantly higher levels than normal organs and blood, with greatest tumor avidity observed at late imaging time points. Furthermore, relatively high avidity is detected in high CDCP1 expressing tumors, with reduced avidity where CDCP1 expression was knocked down or blocked. The study supports CDCP1 as a molecular imaging target for CRC in preclinical PET-CT models using the radioligand 89Zr-10D7.

Ranked importance of outcomes of first-line versus repeated chemotherapy among ovarian cancer patients.

PURPOSE: To examine the importance of possible outcomes of first-line versus repeated chemotherapy to ovarian cancer patients and to compare doctors' treatment intentions with patients' beliefs about cure. METHODS: Women with newly diagnosed (74) or relapsed (48) ovarian cancer were prospectively followed over 2 years. The level of importance they ascribed to four chemotherapy outcomes and their beliefs about cure were assessed. Their doctors independently specified intent of successive treatments. RESULTS: Approximately half (54%) of newly diagnosed ovarian cancer patients (65% with residual disease >2 cm and 49% with no or < or =2 cm residual disease) ranked 'tumour shrinkage (or decrease in blood levels of CA125)' as 'most important' during first-line chemotherapy. Approximately two thirds (65-70%) of all women whose disease had relapsed also ranked 'tumour shrinkage' as 'most important' during repeated chemotherapy. Few women (<8%) rated symptom relief or absence of side-effects as most important. While both patients' and doctors' belief about cure decreased over successive treatments, patients grew more optimistic relative to doctors over time. Women's reports of advice by doctors about cure were consistent with doctors' stated intent for repeat chemotherapy. However, discordance between doctors' actual treatment intent and patients' beliefs about cure increased from 24% at first-line to 83% by fourth-line chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Women prioritise tumour response as the most important outcome of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. This priority predominates in women with residual and relapsed disease despite declining likelihood of cure. Women may still hope for a cure while acknowledging their doctor's advice that their disease is incurable.

Medical costs and outcomes for Australian women with ovarian cancer: a patient-level analysis over 2.5 years.

OBJECTIVE: As treatment costs for gynecological cancer escalate, real-world data on use of resources and costs becomes increasingly important. This study investigated medical costs, quality of life, and survival end points for women with ovarian cancer in Australia. METHODS: Women with primary epithelial ovarian cancer referred for chemotherapy (n =85) were recruited through 7 hospitals in Australia. Overall survival, progression-free interval, and quality-adjusted life years were assessed by stage using the Cox proportional hazards models. Direct medical costs, including those for surgeries, hospitalizations, supportive care, chemotherapy, and adverse effects (while on chemotherapy), were calculated over 2.5 years and assessed by nonparametric bootstrapping. RESULTS: Quality-adjusted life years decreased with increased disease stage at diagnosis and ranged from 2.3 for women with stage I or II disease to 1.3 for those with stage IV disease. A total of AU $4.1 million (2008) were spent on direct medical costs for 85 women over approximately 2.5 years. Medical costs were significantly higher for women with stage III or IV disease compared with that for women with stage I or II disease ($50,945 vs $31,958, P < 0.01) and/or women who experienced surgical complications and/or adverse effects requiring hospitalization while on chemotherapy ($57,821 vs $34,781, P < 0.01). Costs after first-line chemotherapy were significantly higher for women with advanced disease (mean, $20,744) compared with those for women with early disease (mean, $5525; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Whereas for women with early-stage ovarian cancer, costs are concentrated in the period of primary treatment, cumulated costs are especially high for women with recurrent disease rising rapidly after first-line therapy.

The Economic Impact on Australian Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumours.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the economic burden to patients and families with neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) for medical out-of-pocket expenses and employment decisions. This study was performed to determine the extent and factors influencing the financial consequences of living with NETs and their effect on quality of life. METHODS: We undertook an online cross-sectional survey using a targeted approach and collected Australian Medicare claims data. Validated surveys measured health-related quality of life (EuroQol 5-dimension 5-level [EuroQol-5D-5L]) and financial toxicity (COmprehenSive Financial Toxicity [COST]), supplemented with questions on employment and retirement, insurance and out-of-pocket medical expenses. Generalised linear models were performed to assess determinants of quality of life and out-of-pocket expenses recorded by Medicare. RESULTS: The survey was answered by 204 patients with a mean age of 59 years who were diagnosed on average 5.2 years ago. Self-reported mean costs were 1698 Australian dollars ($A) (standard deviation [SD] $A2132) over 3 months (median $A877) and were highest for medical tests (mean $A376 [17% of total costs], SD $A722), travel-related expenses (mean $A289 [13%], SD $A559), and specialist visits (mean $A225 [10%], SD $A342) ($A1 = $US0.69). Imaging scans, surgery and travel expenses were the most common cost burdens reported by patients. Having private health insurance was the key determinant of higher out-of-pocket costs. Poorer quality of life was significantly associated with higher financial toxicity, not working due to cancer, nausea/diarrhoea, two or more co-morbidities and younger age. CONCLUSIONS: Medical expenses are substantial for some patients with NETs. Quality of life is adversely affected for patients experiencing financial toxicity and avoiding early retirement is an important issue for supportive care services.

Supporting patients and carers affected by pancreatic cancer: A feasibility study of a counselling intervention.

PURPOSE: Patients with pancreatic cancer have extremely high unmet psychological and physical needs. Family carers of these patients have even higher levels of distress than patients. Our purpose was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a counselling intervention in patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and their carers. METHODS: We conducted a single-arm feasibility study of the PREPARES (Patients and RElatives affected by PAncreatic cancer: Referral, Education and Support) pilot intervention. Patient and carer participants received up to nine counselling sessions delivered by a trained nurse via telephone and/or telehealth technology. The intervention, informed by self-efficacy theory, involved components to assess and address care needs, and provide feedback to clinicians. Feasibility was measured using participation and retention rates. Participants completed semi-structured interviews at the end of the intervention about acceptability. These were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Twelve people participated: five patients and seven carers (38% and 50% participation rates respectively). Most participants (eight) completed all nine counselling sessions; two chose to receive fewer sessions and two were discontinued requiring more intensive psychiatric support. The intervention was highly acceptable. Participants unanimously preferred the telephone over video-conferencing and to receive counselling separately from their carer/patient. The main perceived benefits were emotional support, the nurse-counsellors' knowledge, care coordination and personalised care. Suggested improvements included a welcome pack about their nurse-counsellor and that sessions should continue beyond nine sessions if required. CONCLUSIONS: The PREPARES intervention was feasible and highly acceptable. This low-cost intervention provided much-needed support to people affected by this devastating disease.

The INTERNET STUDY: A phase II study of everolimus in patients with fluorodeoxyglucose (18 F) positron-emission tomography positive intermediate grade pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

AIMS: This multicenter phase II trial evaluates the efficacy of everolimus in poor prognosis grade 2 (G2) pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs), defined by 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET) avidity. FDG-PET avidity in NETs is associated with a significantly higher risk of death, outperforming Ki-67 index or liver metastases as a poor prognostic factor. We hypothesized that everolimus has efficacy in patients with FDG-PET-avid G2 PNETs and prospectively evaluated progression-free survival (PFS) and response in the first-line setting. METHODS: Patients with FDG-PET-avid G2 advanced PNET received everolimus 10 mg daily until disease progression. Patients were staged every 12 weeks with CT/MRI and FDG-PET and every 24 weeks with Gallium 68 (68Ga) 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA)-octreotate (DOTATATE, GaTate) PET. The primary endpoint was PFS at 6 months. Overall survival rate, PET/structural imaging response and toxicity were also measured. RESULTS: Nine patients were accrued from December 2012 to February 2015. Median treatment duration was 13.8 months. The estimated PFS rate at 6 months was 78%. The best response on CT/MRI was stable disease in nine patients (100%) and partial response on FDG-PET in five patients (55.5%). Treatment-related adverse effects were consistent with previous studies of everolimus. CONCLUSION: Everolimus is active with prolonged disease control in poor prognosis FDG-avid G2 PNETs. Treatment individualization based on functional imaging warrants further evaluation.

PET Imaging Quantifying 68Ga-PSMA-11 Uptake in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

At diagnosis, 22% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients have metastases, and 50% later develop metastasis. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), such as 177Lu-PSMA-617, is used to treat metastatic prostate cancer. 177Lu-PSMA-617 targets prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a cell-surface protein enriched in prostate cancer and the neovasculature of other solid tumors, including CRC. We performed 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT imaging of 10 patients with metastatic CRC to assess metastasis avidity. Eight patients had lesions lacking avidity, and 2 had solitary metastases exhibiting very low avidity. Despite expression of PSMA in CRC neovasculature, none of the patients exhibited tumor avidity sufficient to be considered for 177Lu-PSMA-617 PRRT.

Effective targeting of intact and proteolysed CDCP1 for imaging and treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Background: CUB domain-containing protein 1 (CDCP1) is a cell surface receptor regulating key signalling pathways in malignant cells. CDCP1 has been proposed as a molecular target to abrogate oncogenic signalling pathways and specifically deliver anti-cancer agents to tumors. However, the development of CDCP1-targeting agents has been questioned by its frequent proteolytic processing which was thought to result in shedding of the CDCP1 extracellular domain limiting its targetability. In this study, we investigated the relevance of targeting CDCP1 in the context of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and assess the impact of CDCP1 proteolysis on the effectiveness of CDCP1 targeting agents. Methods: The involvement of CDCP1 in PDAC progression was assessed by association analysis in several PDAC cohorts and the proteolytic processing of CDCP1 was evaluated in PDAC cell lines and patient-derived cells. The consequences of CDCP1 proteolysis on its targetability in PDAC cells was assessed using immunoprecipitation, immunostaining and biochemical assays. The involvement of CDCP1 in PDAC progression was examined by loss-of-function in vitro and in vivo experiments employing PDAC cells expressing intact or cleaved CDCP1. Finally, we generated antibody-based imaging and therapeutic agents targeting CDCP1 to demonstrate the feasibility of targeting this receptor for detection and treatment of PDAC tumors. Results: High CDCP1 expression in PDAC is significantly associated with poorer patient survival. In PDAC cells proteolysis of CDCP1 does not always result in the shedding of CDCP1-extracellular domain which can interact with membrane-bound CDCP1 allowing signal transduction between the different CDCP1-fragments. Targeting CDCP1 impairs PDAC cell functions and PDAC tumor growth independently of CDCP1 cleavage status. A CDCP1-targeting antibody is highly effective at delivering imaging radionuclides and cytotoxins to PDAC cells allowing specific detection of tumors by PET/CT imaging and superior anti-tumor effects compared to gemcitabine in in vivo models. Conclusion: Independent of its cleavage status, CDCP1 exerts oncogenic functions in PDAC and has significant potential to be targeted for improved radiological staging and treatment of this cancer. Its elevated expression by most PDAC tumors and lack of expression by normal pancreas and other major organs, suggest that targeting CDCP1 could benefit a significant proportion of PDAC patients. These data support the further development of CDCP1-targeting agents as personalizable tools for effective imaging and treatment of PDAC.

The median informs the message: accuracy of individualized scenarios for survival time based on oncologists' estimates.

PURPOSE: To determine the accuracy and usefulness of oncologists' estimates of survival time in individual patients with advanced cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-one oncologists estimated the "median survival of a group of identical patients" for each of 114 patients with advanced cancer. Accuracy was defined by the proportions of patients with an observed survival time bounded by prespecified multiples of their estimated survival time. We expected 50% to live longer (or shorter) than their oncologist's estimate (calibration), 50% to live from half to double their estimate (typical scenario), 5% to 10% to live ≤ one quarter of their estimate (worst-case scenario), and 5% to 10% to live three or more times their estimate (best-case scenario). Estimates within 0.67 to 1.33 times observed survival were deemed precise. Discriminative value was assessed with Harrell's C-statistic and prognostic significance with proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Median survival time was 11 months. Oncologists' estimates were relatively well-calibrated (61% shorter than observed), imprecise (29% from 0.67 to 1.33 times observed), and moderately discriminative (Harrell C-statistic 0.63; P = .001). The proportion of patients with an observed survival half to double their oncologist's estimate was 63%, ≤ one quarter of their oncologist's estimate was 6%, and three or more times their oncologist's estimate was 14%. Independent predictors of observed survival were oncologist's estimate (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.92; P = .004), dry mouth (HR = 5.1; P < .0001), alkaline phosphatase more than 101 U/L (HR = 2.8; P = .0002), Karnofsky performance status ≤ 70 (HR = 2.3; P = .007), prostate primary (HR = 0.23; P = .002), and steroid use (HR = 2.4; P = .02). CONCLUSION: Oncologists' estimates of survival time were relatively well-calibrated, moderately discriminative, independently associated with observed survival, and a reasonable basis for estimating worst-case, typical, and best-case scenarios for survival.

Carboplatin and etoposide combined with bevacizumab for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.

Relapsed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) responds poorly to standard therapies. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is implicated in the development of GBM and the anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody bevacizumab has shown early clinical promise against malignant glioma. We treated six patients with recurrent GBM using bevacizumab combined with carboplatin and etoposide chemotherapy (ACE regimen). Toxicity was that expected for carboplatin and etoposide alone, except for an ischemic stroke in one patient. We observed partial responses in five patients and one responding patient developed extensive tumour necrosis after 2 cycles of treatment. Median progression-free and overall survival was 19 and 29.9weeks, respectively. Four responding patients developed recurrence, which was characterized by markedly less peri-tumoral edema, mass effect and necrosis compared with tumours at baseline. Two patients developed local extracranial extension. In conclusion, ACE was active in recurrent GBM and was mostly well tolerated.

Nesidioblastosis as a cause of focal pancreatic 111In-pentetreotide uptake in a patient with putative VIPoma: another differential diagnosis.

In adults, nesidioblastosis is a very infrequent condition and a rare cause of symptomatic presentations. The diagnosis of nesidioblastosis may be difficult with functional and anatomical imaging modalities. "Slight focal" pancreatic abnormalities using (111)In-pentetreotide imaging has been reported in patients with hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia, confirmed histologically as nesidioblastosis. We describe a 60-year-old man who presented with a 1-year history of intermittent faecal urgency and refractory diarrhoea, non-specific laboratory results, negative imaging results (CT, MRI and EUS), a FNA biopsy that was inconclusive, but suggested an endocrine cell neoplasm, and a (111)In-pentetreotide scan that showed a moderately intense focal uptake clearly localised to the pancreatic head on a low-dose fusion CT. The histopathology of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of nesidioblastosis.