Patient-reported treatment toxicity and adverse events in Black and White women receiving chemotherapy for early breast cancer.

PURPOSE: It is not known whether chemotherapy-related symptom experiences differ between Black and White women with early breast cancer (Stage I-III) receiving current chemotherapy regimens and, in turn, influences dose delay, dose reduction, early treatment discontinuation, or hospitalization. METHODS: Patients self-reported their race and provided symptom reports for 17 major side effects throughout chemotherapy. Toxicity and adverse events were analyzed separately for anthracycline and non-anthracycline regimens. Fisher's exact tests and two-sample t-tests compared baseline patient characteristics. Modified Poisson regression estimated relative risks of moderate, severe, or very severe (MSVS) symptom severity, and chemotherapy-related adverse events.Please check and confirm that the authors and their respective affiliations have been correctly identified and amend if necessary.no changes RESULTS: In 294 patients accrued between 2014 and 2020, mean age was 58 (SD13) and 23% were Black. For anthracycline-based regimens, the only significant difference in MSVS symptoms was in lymphedema (41% Black vs 20% White, p = .04) after controlling for axillary surgery. For non-anthracycline regimens, the only significant difference was MSVS peripheral neuropathy (41% Blacks vs. 23% White) after controlling for taxane type (p = .05) and diabetes (p = .05). For all other symptoms, severity scores were similar. Dose reduction differed significantly for non-anthracycline regimens (49% Black vs. 25% White, p = .01), but not for anthracycline regimens or in dose delay, early treatment discontinuation, or hospitalization for either regimen. CONCLUSION: Except for lymphedema and peripheral neuropathy, Black and White patients reported similar symptom severity during adjuvant chemotherapy. Dose reductions in Black patients were more common for non-anthracycline regimens. In this sample, there were minimal differences in patient-reported symptoms and other adverse outcomes in Black versus White patients.

Correction to: Measuring and understanding adherence in a home-based exercise intervention during chemotherapy for early breast cancer.

In the original publication, the sixth author name was published incorrectly as A. Wood. The correct author name should read as W. A. Wood.

Measuring and understanding adherence in a home-based exercise intervention during chemotherapy for early breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Ensuring and measuring adherence to prescribed exercise regimens are fundamental challenges in intervention studies to promote exercise in adults with cancer. This study reports exercise adherence in women who were asked to walk 150 min/week throughout chemotherapy treatment for early breast cancer. Participants were asked to wear a FitbitTM throughout their waking hours, and Fitbit steps were uploaded directly into study computers. METHODS: Descriptive statistics are reported, and both unadjusted and multivariable linear regression models were used to assess associations between participant characteristics, breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, chemotherapy toxicities, and patient-reported symptoms with average Fitbit steps/week. RESULTS: Of 127 women consented to the study, 100 had analyzable Fitbit data (79%); mean age was 48 and 31% were non-white. Mean walking steps were 3956 per day. Nineteen percent were fully adherent with the target of 6686 steps/day and an additional 24% were moderately adherent. In unadjusted analysis, baseline variables associated with fewer Fitbit steps were: non-white race (p = 0.012), high school education or less (p = 0.0005), higher body mass index (p = 0.0024), and never/almost never drinking alcohol (p = 0.0048). Physical activity variables associated with greater Fitbit steps were: pre-chemotherapy history of vigorous physical activity (p = 0.0091) and higher self-reported walking minutes/week (p < 0.001), and higher outcome expectations from exercise (p = 0.014). Higher baseline anxiety (p = 0.03) and higher number of chemotherapy-related symptoms rates "severe/very severe" (p = 0.012) were associated with fewer steps. In multivariable analysis, white race was associated with 12,146 greater Fitbit steps per week (p = 0.004), as was self-reported walking minutes prior to start of chemotherapy (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Inexpensive commercial-grade activity trackers, with data uploaded directly into research computers, enable objective monitoring of home-based exercise interventions in adults diagnosed with cancer. Analysis of the association of walking steps with participant characteristics at baseline and toxicities during chemotherapy can identify reasons for low/non-adherence with prescribed exercise regimens.

Pre-Transplant Marital Status and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Outcomes

Background: Evidence about the impact of marital status before hematopoietic cell transplantation (hct) on outcomes after hct is conflicting. Methods: We identified patients 40 years of age and older within the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research registry who underwent hct between January 2008 and December 2015. Marital status before hct was declared as one of: married or living with a partner, single (never married), separated or divorced, and widowed. We performed a multivariable analysis to determine the association of marital status with outcomes after hct. Results: We identified 10,226 allogeneic and 5714 autologous hct cases with, respectively, a median follow-up of 37 months (range: 1-102 months) and 40 months (range: 1-106 months). No association between marital status and overall survival was observed in either the allogeneic (p = 0.58) or autologous (p = 0.17) setting. However, marital status was associated with grades 2-4 acute graft-versus-host disease (gvhd), p < 0.001, and chronic gvhd, p = 0.04. The risk of grades 2-4 acute gvhd was increased in separated compared with married patients [hazard ratio (hr): 1.13; 95% confidence interval (ci): 1.03 to 1.24], and single patients had a reduced risk of grades 2-4 acute gvhd (hr: 0.87; 95% ci: 0.77 to 0.98). The risk of chronic gvhd was lower in widowed compared with married patients (hr: 0.82; 95% ci: 0.67 to 0.99). Conclusions: Overall survival after hct is not influenced by marital status, but associations were evident between marital status and grades 2-4 acute and chronic gvhd. To better appreciate the effects of marital status and social support, future research should consider using validated scales to measure social support and patient and caregiver reports of caregiver commitment, and to assess health-related quality of life together with health care utilization.

Metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease following hematopoietic cell transplantation: screening and preventive practice recommendations from CIBMTR and EBMT.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of cardiovascular risk factors that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and all cause mortality. Long-term survivors of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) have a substantial risk of developing MetS and cardiovascular disease, with the estimated prevalence of MetS being 31-49% among HCT recipients. Although MetS has not yet been proven to impact cardiovascular risk after HCT, an understanding of the incidence and risk factors for MetS in HCT recipients can provide the foundation to evaluate screening guidelines and develop interventions that may mitigate cardiovascular-related mortality. A working group was established through the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research and the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation with the goal of reviewing literature and recommend practices appropriate to HCT recipients. Here we deliver consensus recommendations to help clinicians provide screening and preventive care for MetS and cardiovascular disease among HCT recipients. All HCT survivors should be advised of the risks of MetS and encouraged to undergo recommended screening based on their predisposition and ongoing risk factors.

Can we agree on patient-reported outcome measures for assessing hematopoietic cell transplantation patients? A study from the CIBMTR and BMT CTN.

Much research into the impact of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) on recipients' symptoms, functioning and health-related quality of life uses diverse patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures. Robust conclusions regarding PROs in HCT patients are constrained by methodological issues, including the use of multiple different and noncomparable assessment measures. We reviewed 114 publications addressing PROs in HCT patients. Although three multi-item measures were most frequently used (FACT-BMT, n=28; European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30, n=26; and SF-36, n=26), 25 additional measures were used in more than one study. Another 50 measures were used in single studies. Over 50% of studies used more than one measure. We recommend that the field agrees upon a set of measures to address the core domains important to patients, to reduce heterogeneity and allow comparisons across studies and between different populations. Measures should be available in a free and easily accessible manner internationally. We discuss the relative benefits of the National Institutes of Health-supported Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) system to achieve these goals. To further address these issues, the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network has recently created a task force to implement PROMIS measures alongside traditional PRO measures in future clinical trials. Robust comparisons between measures in this setting may allow for the development of a standard for HCT patients.

Personalized home-based interval exercise training may improve cardiorespiratory fitness in cancer patients preparing to undergo hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Impaired cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with inferior survival in patients preparing to undergo hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Exercise training based on short, higher intensity intervals has the potential to efficiently improve cardiorespiratory fitness. We studied home-based interval exercise training (IET) in 40 patients before autologous (N=20) or allogeneic (N=20) HCT. Each session consisted of five, 3 min intervals of walking, jogging or cycling at 65-95% maximal heart rate (MHR) with 3 min of low-intensity exercise (<65% MHR) between intervals. Participants were asked to perform sessions at least three times weekly. The duration of the intervention was at least 6 weeks, depending on each patient's scheduled transplantation date. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed from a peak oxygen consumption test (VO2peak) and a 6 min walk (6MWD) before and after the intervention period. For the autologous HCT cohort, improvements in VO2peak (P=0.12) and 6MWD (P=0.19) were not statistically significant. For the allogeneic cohort, the median VO2peak improvement was 3.7 ml/kg min (P=0.005) and the median 6MWD improvement was 34 m (P=0.006). Home-based IET can be performed before HCT and has the potential to improve cardiorespiratory fitness.

A prognostic model predicting autologous transplantation outcomes in children, adolescents and young adults with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AutoHCT) is a potentially curative treatment modality for relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). However, no large studies have evaluated pretransplant factors predictive of outcomes of AutoHCT in children, adolescents and young adults (CAYA, age <30 years). In a retrospective study, we analyzed 606 CAYA patients (median age 23 years) with relapsed/refractory HL who underwent AutoHCT between 1995 and 2010. The probabilities of PFS at 1, 5 and 10 years were 66% (95% confidence interval (CI): 62-70), 52% (95% CI: 48-57) and 47% (95% CI: 42-51), respectively. Multivariate analysis for PFS demonstrated that at the time of AutoHCT patients with Karnofsky/Lansky score ⩾90, no extranodal involvement and chemosensitive disease had significantly improved PFS. Patients with time from diagnosis to first relapse of <1 year had a significantly inferior PFS. A prognostic model for PFS was developed that stratified patients into low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups, predicting for 5-year PFS probabilities of 72% (95% CI: 64-80), 53% (95% CI: 47-59) and 23% (95% CI: 9-36), respectively. This large study identifies a group of CAYA patients with relapsed/refractory HL who are at high risk of progression after AutoHCT. Such patients should be targeted for novel therapeutic and/or maintenance approaches post-AutoHCT.

Secondary solid cancer screening following hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) recipients have a substantial risk of developing secondary solid cancers, particularly beyond 5 years after HCT and without reaching a plateau overtime. A working group was established through the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research and the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation with the goal to facilitate implementation of cancer screening appropriate to HCT recipients. The working group reviewed guidelines and methods for cancer screening applicable to the general population and reviewed the incidence and risk factors for secondary cancers after HCT. A consensus approach was used to establish recommendations for individual secondary cancers. The most common sites include oral cavity, skin, breast and thyroid. Risks of cancers are increased after HCT compared with the general population in skin, thyroid, oral cavity, esophagus, liver, nervous system, bone and connective tissues. Myeloablative TBI, young age at HCT, chronic GVHD and prolonged immunosuppressive treatment beyond 24 months were well-documented risk factors for many types of secondary cancers. All HCT recipients should be advised of the risks of secondary cancers annually and encouraged to undergo recommended screening based on their predisposition. Here we propose guidelines to help clinicians in providing screening and preventive care for secondary cancers among HCT recipients.

A small-scale controlled environment chamber for the investigation of the effects of pollutant gases on plants growing at cool or sub-zero temperature.

A new, small-scale controlled environment plant growth chamber is described, which permits accurately controlled temperatures from ambient (c. 20 degrees C) down to -5 degrees C in the day or -15 degrees C at night. The system also allows controlled injection of pollutant gases. The chamber is based on a modified commercial chest freezer with temperature control achieved through by-passing the cooling coils in the inner walls of the freezer. This by-pass is controlled by a BBC microcomputer which gives nominal temperature control to 0.1 degrees C over definable diurnal temperature profiles. Photoperiod is also controlled by the microcomputer. The chamber forms a virtually closed system to which pollutant gases are added by injection from low concentration cylinders, regulated using mass flow controllers. The accuracy with which pollutant concentrations are controlled is increased by filtration of the air-stream after passing over the experimental plants: i.e. a 'single-pass' system is adopted. In operation air temperatures across the chambers are controlled to within 1-1.5 degrees C of the pre-set value over the range 25 to -10 degrees C. Leaf temperatures are 2.5-3.0 degrees C above air temperatures during the day, with a total energy input of c. 180 Wm(-2) from two 400 W metal halide lamps. The lamps provide a photon fluence rate of 270+/-30 micromol quanta PAR m(-2) s(-1) at plant height. During the dark, leaf temperatures deviate less than 1.0 degrees C from air temperature. Soil temperatures are controlled separately from air temperature and are held above zero at all times. To date, fumigation, with NO(2) and SO(2) has been confined to the daytime. At pre-set concentrations of 20 nl litre(-1) variations during fumigation were less than 2.0-2.5 nl litre(-1) and 0.5 nl litre(-1), respectively.

Retroperitoneal transposition of rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps to the perineum and back.

Rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps may be transposed through the retroperitoneum to reconstruct defects of the back and perineum. Cadaver dissections and clinical cases are presented to demonstrate the surgical technique and reconstructive possibilities of this flap.

Investigator feedback about the 2005 NIH diagnostic and scoring criteria for chronic GVHD.

The 2005 National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus criteria for chronic GVHD have set standards for reporting. Many questions, however, have arisen regarding their implementation and utilization. To identify perceived areas of controversy, we conducted an international survey on diagnosis and scoring of chronic GVHD. Agreement was observed for 50-83% of the 72 questions in 7 topic areas. There was agreement on the need for modifying criteria in six situations: two or more distinctive manifestations should be enough to diagnose chronic GVHD; symptoms that are not due to chronic GVHD should be scored differently; active disease and fixed deficits should be distinguished; a minimum threshold body surface area of hidebound skin involvement should be required for a skin score of 3; asymptomatic oral lichenoid changes should be considered a score 1; and lung biopsy should be unnecessary to diagnose chronic GVHD in a patient with bronchiolitis obliterans as the only manifestation. The survey also identified 26 points of controversy. Whenever possible, studies should be conducted to confirm the appropriateness of any revisions. In cases where data are not available, clarification of the NIH recommendations by consensus is necessary. This survey should inform future research in the field and revisions of the current consensus criteria.

Cardiopulmonary fitness in patients undergoing hematopoietic SCT: a pilot study.

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a life-saving treatment for patients with high-risk hematological malignancies. Prognostic measures to determine fitness for HCT are needed to inform decision-making and interventions. VO(2peak) is obtained by measuring gas exchange during cycle ergometry and has not been studied as a prognostic factor in HCT. Thirty-two autologous and allogeneic HCT patients underwent VO(2peak) and 6 Minute Walk (6MW) testing before HCT, and provided weekly symptom and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessments before HCT and concluding at Day 100. Twenty-nine patients completed pre-HCT testing. Pre-HCT VO(2peak) was positively correlated with pre-HCT 6MW (r=0.65, P<0.001) and negatively correlated with number of chemotherapy regimens and months of chemotherapy. Patients with lower VO(2peak) reported higher symptom burden and inferior HRQOL at baseline and during early post-HCT period. Patients with pre-HCT VO(2peak) <16 mL/kg/min had higher risk of mortality post HCT (entire cohort: hazard ratio (HR) 9.1 (1.75-47.0), P=0.01; allogeneic HCT patients only: HR 6.70 (1.29-34.75), P=0.02) and more hospitalized days before Day 100 (entire cohort: median 33 vs 19, P=0.003; allogeneic HCT patients only: median 33 vs 21, P=0.004). VO(2peak) pre-HCT is feasible and might predict symptom severity, HRQOL and mortality. Additional studies are warranted.

Effectiveness of etoposide chemomobilization in lymphoma patients undergoing auto-SCT.

The effectiveness of stem cell mobilization with G-CSF in lymphoma patients is suboptimal. We reviewed our institutional experience using chemomobilization with etoposide (VP-16; 375 mg/m(2) on days +1 and +2) and G-CSF (5 µg/kg twice daily from day +3 through the final day of collection) in 159 patients with lymphoma. This approach resulted in successful mobilization (>2 × 10(6) CD34+ cells collected) in 94% of patients (83% within 4 apheresis sessions). Fifty-seven percent of patients yielded at least 5 × 10(6) cells in 2 days and were defined as good mobilizers. The regimen was safe with a low rate of rehospitalization. Average costs were $14 923 for good mobilizers and $27 044 for poor mobilizers (P<0.05). Using our data, we performed a 'break-even' analysis that demonstrated that adding two doses of Plerixafor to predicted poor mobilizers at the time of first CD34+ cell count would achieve cost neutrality if the frequency of good mobilizers were to increase by 21%, while the frequency of good mobilizers would need to increase by 25% if three doses of Plerixafor were used. We conclude that chemomobilization with etoposide and G-CSF in patients with lymphoma is effective, with future opportunities for cost-neutral improvement using novel agents.

Comorbidity burden in patients with chronic GVHD.

Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) is associated with mortality, disability and impaired quality of life. Understanding the role of comorbidity in patients with cGVHD is important both for prognostication and potentially for tailoring treatments based on mortality risks. In a prospective cohort study of patients with cGVHD (n=239), we examined the performance of two comorbidity scales, the Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) and the Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation-specific Comorbidity Index (HCT-CI). Both scales detected a higher number of comorbidities at cGVHD cohort enrollment than pre-hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) (P<0.001). Higher HCT-CI scores at the time of cGVHD cohort enrollment were associated with higher non-relapse mortality (HR: 1.21:1.04-1.42, P=0.01). For overall mortality, we detected an interaction with platelet count. Higher HCT-CI scores at enrollment were associated with an increased risk of overall mortality when the platelet count was ≤ 100,000/µL (HR: 2.01:1.20-3.35, P=0.01), but not when it was >100,000/µL (HR: 1.05:0.90-1.22, P=0.53). Comorbidity scoring may help better to predict survival outcomes in patients with cGVHD. Further studies to understand vulnerability unrelated to cGVHD activity in this patient population are needed.

Second malignancies after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation in children.

Childhood autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (auto-HCT) survivors can be at risk for secondary malignant neoplasms (SMNs). We assembled a cohort of 1487 pediatric auto-HCT recipients to investigate the incidence and risk factors for SMNs. Primary diagnoses included neuroblastoma (39%), lymphoma (26%), sarcoma (18%), central nervous system tumors (14%) and Wilms tumor (2%). Median follow-up was 8 years (range, <1-21 years). SMNs were reported in 35 patients (AML/myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)=13, solid cancers=20, subtype missing=2). The overall cumulative incidence of SMNs at 10 years from auto-HCT was 2.60% (AML/MDS=1.06%, solid tumors=1.30%). We found no association between SMNs risk and age, gender, diagnosis, disease status, time since diagnosis or use of TBI or etoposide as part of conditioning. OS at 5-years from diagnosis of SMNs was 33% (95% confidence interval (CI), 16-52%). When compared with age- and gender-matched general population, auto-HCT recipients had 24 times higher risks of developing SMNs (95% CI, 16.0-33.0). Notable SMN sites included bone (N=5 SMNs, observed (O)/expected (E)=81), thyroid (N=5, O/E=53), breast (N=2, O/E=93), soft tissue (N=2, O/E=34), AML (N=6, O/E=266) and MDS (N=7, O/E=6603). Risks of SMNs increased with longer follow-up from auto-HCT. Pediatric auto-HCT recipients are at considerably increased risk for SMNs and need life-long surveillance for SMNs.