Identifying the drivers of overall rating of cancer care: Insights from the second wave of the Swiss Cancer Patient Experiences study.

Background: Patient experience surveys gather information on various aspects of care via numerous survey items. Identifying the most critical areas of patient experience to prioritize for quality care improvement can be challenging. The objective of this study was to determine which care experience items are the drivers influencing patients' overall rating of cancer care.

Seroepidemiology of Human Tularemia-Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Seroprevalence Studies.

Background: Seroepidemiologic studies of human tularemia have been conducted throughout the northern hemisphere. The purposes of this study were (1) to provide an overview of seroprevalence data, and (2) to generate an estimate of the proportion of study participants whose infection remained subclinical.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of seroprevalence studies according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines.

Molecular characterization of breast cancer cell pools with normal or reduced ability to respond to progesterone: a study based on RNA-seq.

Background: About one-third of patients with estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-positive breast cancer have tumors which are progesterone receptor (PR) negative. PR is an important prognostic factor in breast cancer. Patients with ERα-positive/PR-negative tumors have shorter disease-free and overall survival than patients with ERα-positive/PR-positive tumors.

Eribulin as first-line treatment in older patients with advanced breast cancer: A multicenter phase II trial [SAKK 25/14].

Introduction: Standard-dose eribulin mesylate (1.4 mg/m d1 + 8) achieves clinical benefit rates of 26%-52% in patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC). <10% of patients in the registration trial were ≥ 70 years old; dose reductions were common in these older patients.

[Endocrine Treatments in Breast Cancer].

Endocrine Treatments in Breast Cancer Breast cancer, the most common cancer in women, expresses estrogen and/or progesterone receptors in about 75% of patients. This allows for the use of endocrine treatments. Adjuvant therapy with tamoxifen for 5 years reduces the mortality by about 33%; the residual risk can be lowered by using aromatase inhibitors and by prolonging the treatment.

Clinical Implementation of Pharmacogenetic Testing to Prevent Early-Onset Fluoropyrimidine-Related Toxicity in Cancer Patients in Switzerland.

The implementation of pharmacogenetic testing into clinical practice has been a slow process so far. Here, we review the implementation of pre-treatment testing of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase gene () risk variants to prevent early-onset fluoropyrimidine (FP)-related toxicity in cancer patients in Switzerland based on data of a large Swiss diagnostic center. In January 2017, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health introduced the reimbursement of testing by the compulsory health insurance in Switzerland based on evidence for the clinical relevance of -risk variants and the cost-effectiveness of pre-treatment testing, and on the availability of international guidelines.

Assessment of the management of carcinomatous meningitis from breast cancer globally: a study by the Breast International Group Brain Metastasis Task Force.

Background: Carcinomatous meningitis (CM) is a severe complication of breast cancer. The Breast International Group (BIG) carried out a survey to describe the approach to CM internationally.

Patients And Methods: A questionnaire on the management of CM was developed by the Brain Metastases Task Force of BIG and distributed to its groups, requesting one answer per group site.

Locally advanced breast cancer.

Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) is defined here as inoperable breast adenocarcinoma without distant metastases. Patients with LABC require a multidisciplinary approach. Given the risk of distant metastasis, staging exams are necessary.

Continuous versus intermittent extended adjuvant letrozole for breast cancer: final results of randomized phase III SOLE (Study of Letrozole Extension) and SOLE Estrogen Substudy.

Background: Late recurrences in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancers remain an important challenge. Avoidance or delayed development of resistance represents the main objective in extended endocrine therapy (ET). In animal models, resistance was reversed with restoration of circulating estrogen levels during interruption of letrozole treatment.

Evaluation of multiple transcriptomic gene risk signatures in male breast cancer.

Male breast cancer (BCa) is a rare disease accounting for less than 1% of all breast cancers and 1% of all cancers in males. The clinical management is largely extrapolated from female BCa. Several multigene assays are increasingly used to guide clinical treatment decisions in female BCa, however, there are limited data on the utility of these tests in male BCa.

Dynamics of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli in pig farms: A longitudinal study.

Objectives: Point prevalence estimates of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli (ESC-R-Ec) are important surveillance measures but may not uncover the ESC-R-Ec dynamics within pig farms. A longitudinal study was therefore performed by sampling individual pigs, pig farmers and the environment.

Methods: On average, 30 (range 10-46) piglets of 31 Swiss farms were sampled during the suckling, weaning and fattening stages (n= 2437 samples).

Influence of pig farming on human Gut Microbiota: role of airborne microbial communities.

It has been hypothesized that both genetics and diet influence the composition of the human cecal microbiota. However, it remains unclear whether and how occupational exposure to microbes impacts the microbial communities in human guts. Using a One Health approach, we visited pig farms (n = 26) and collected stool specimens from pig workers (n = 59), pig barn air samples (n = 19), and rectal swabs from pigs at three different growth stages (n = 144).

Nasal microbiota composition dynamics after occupational change in animal farmers suggest major shifts.

Previous studies have suggested a significantly higher diversity in the nasal microbiota of pig farmers compared to people having no contact with farm animals. However, the fate of this nasal microbiota specificity after farmers stop being in contact with the pig farm environment is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the change in the nasal microbiota of pig-farmers after the change of occupation.

Chronic cigarette smoke exposure and pneumococcal infection induce oropharyngeal microbiota dysbiosis and contribute to long-lasting lung damage in mice.

Environmental factors, such as cigarette smoking or lung infections, may influence chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) progression by modifying the respiratory tract microbiome. However, whether the disease itself induces or maintains dysbiosis remains undefined. In this longitudinal study, we investigated the oropharyngeal microbiota composition and disease progression of mice (in cages of 5-10 mice per cage) before, during and up to 3 months after chronic cigarette smoke exposure or exposure to room air for 6 months.

Fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy: recommendations for DPYD genotyping and therapeutic drug monitoring of the Swiss Group of Pharmacogenomics and Personalised Therapy.

Fluoropyrimidines (FPs), mainly 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and its oral prodrug capecitabine (Cap), remain the backbone of the treatment of many different solid tumors. Despite their broad use in clinical routine, 10–40% of patients experience severe, and in rare cases (0.2–0.

Genomic Aberrations and Late Recurrence in Postmenopausal Women with Hormone Receptor-positive Early Breast Cancer: Results from the SOLE Trial.

Purpose: Women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancers have a persistent risk of relapse and biomarkers for late recurrence are needed. We sought to identify tumor genomic aberrations associated with increased late-recurrence risk.

Experimental Design: In a secondary analysis of Study of Letrozole Extension trial, a case-cohort-like sampling selected 598 primary breast cancers for targeted next-generation sequencing analysis of gene mutations and copy-number gains (CNGs).

Pneumococcal serotype determines growth and capsule size in human cerebrospinal fluid.

Background: The polysaccharide capsule is a major virulence factor of S. pneumoniae in diseases such as meningitis. While some capsular serotypes are more often found in invasive disease, high case fatality rates are associated with those serotypes more commonly found in asymptomatic colonization.

Correction: Quality of life under extended continuous versus intermittent adjuvant letrozole in lymph node-positive, early breast cancer patients: the SOLE randomised phase 3 trial.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Evaluating the role of ENOSF1 and TYMS variants as predictors in fluoropyrimidine-related toxicities: An IPD meta-analysis.

To assess the proposed associations of the c.742-227G>A (rs2612091) polymorphism within the Enolase Superfamily Member 1 gene (ENOSF1) and two variants in the adjacent Thymidylate Synthase gene (TYMS): the 5'VNTR 28bp-repeat (rs45445694) and 3'UTR 6bp-indel (rs11280056) with severe toxicity in fluoropyrimidine-treated cancer patients, we performed an individual patient data meta-analysis. Only studies investigating all three-abovementioned variants with fluoropyrimidine-related toxicities were considered for meta-analysis.

Long-term responders to trastuzumab monotherapy in first-line HER-2+ advanced breast cancer: characteristics and survival data.

Background: The impact of HER2-targeted therapy alone followed by the addition of chemotherapy at disease progression (PD) versus upfront combination was investigated by the SAKK 22/99 trial. The aim of this exploratory analysis of the SAKK 22/99 trial was to characterize the specific subset of patients deriving long-term benefit from trastuzumab monotherapy alone and to identify potential predictive factors of long-term response.

Methods: This is an unplanned post-hoc analysis of patients randomized to Arm A (trastuzumab monotherapy).

Characterization of molecular scores and gene expression signatures in primary breast cancer, local recurrences and brain metastases.

Background: Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. Despite extensive studies in all areas of basic, clinical and applied research, accurate prognosis remains elusive, thus leading to overtreatment of many patients. Diagnosis could be improved by introducing multigene molecular scores in standard clinical practice.

Quality of life under extended continuous versus intermittent adjuvant letrozole in lymph node-positive, early breast cancer patients: the SOLE randomised phase 3 trial.

Background: In the phase III SOLE trial, the extended use of intermittent versus continuous letrozole for 5 years did not improve disease-free survival in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Intermittent therapy with 3-month breaks may be beneficial for patients' quality of life (QoL).

Methods: In the SOLE QoL sub-study, 956 patients completed the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (BCPT) symptom and further QoL scales up to 24 months after randomisation.

The Indoor-Air Microbiota of Pig Farms Drives the Composition of the Pig Farmers' Nasal Microbiota in a Season-Dependent and Farm-Specific Manner.

Prior studies have demonstrated an influence of the built environment on the human nasal microbiota. However, very little is known about the influences of working on a pig farm on the human nasal microbiota. We longitudinally collected samples from 30 pig farms (air and nasal swabs from humans and pigs) in Switzerland from 2014 to 2015.