Clinical factors associated with outcome in solid tumor patients treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors: a single institution retrospective analysis.

Objectives: Response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) remains limited to a subset of patients and predictive biomarkers of response remains an unmet need, limiting our ability to provide precision medicine. Using real-world data, we aimed to identify potential clinical prognosticators of ICI response in solid tumor patients.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all solid tumor patients treated with ICIs at the Mount Sinai Hospital between January 2011 and April 2017.

Combining immune checkpoint inhibition plus tyrosine kinase inhibition as first and subsequent treatments for metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor/tyrosine kinase inhibitor (ICI/TKI) combinations are a new standard of care for the initial treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Their efficacy and toxicity beyond the first-line setting remain poorly defined.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed charts for 85 adults with mRCC of any histology receiving combination of ICI/TKI in any line of treatment at two academic centers as of 05/01/2020.

Salvage nivolumab and ipilimumab after prior anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: A meta-analysis.

Background: Salvage nivolumab and ipilimumab after prior anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy is frequently used off-label for clear cell metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). However, limited data are available to guide such therapy. We performed a meta-analysis to characterize further the safety and efficacy of salvage nivolumab and ipilimumab.

Predicting toxicity-related docetaxel discontinuation and overall survival in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a pooled analysis of open phase 3 clinical trial data.

Background: Docetaxel is widely used in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), however its optimal use remains unclear in the current treatment landscape. Biomarkers to predict Docetaxel toxicity may help optimize treatment selection. We aimed to create a predictive model for toxicity-related Docetaxel discontinuation (TRDD).

Risk Factors for Emergency Room and Hospital Care Among Patients With Solid Tumors on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy.

Objectives: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are being increasingly used across cancer types. Emergency room (ER) and inpatient (IP) care, common in patients with cancer, remain poorly defined in this specific population, and risk factors for such care are unknown.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed charts for patients with solid tumors who received >1 ICI dose at 1 of 2 sites from January 1, 2011 to April 28, 2017.

On the Transition to Attendinghood.

Medical education and training consists of a series of stepped transitions, each marked by increasing autonomy and responsibility. Perhaps the most formidable transition begins upon the completion of one's training and stretches well into the first year of "attendinghood." This period is often defined by colossal changes that can extend far beyond the workplace and that are largely inconceivable beforehand.

Estimating cost implications of potentially avoidable hospitalizations among Oncology Care Model patients with prostate cancer.

Purpose/objectives: We sought to estimate the expected cost savings generated if a set of potentially avoidable hospitalizations (PAHs) among oncology care model (OCM) patients with prostate cancer were shifted to an acute care model in the outpatient setting.

Methods: We previously identified a set of 28 PAHs among OCM prostate cancer patients. Outpatient management costs for a characteristically similar cohort of cancer patients were obtained from our institution's ambulatory acute-care Oncology Care Unit (OCU).

The Effect of Glucose Levels Prior to Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation on Post-Transplant Complications and Health Resource Utilization.

Abnormal blood glucose (BG) levels during hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are associated with increased infections, delayed engraftment, and prolonged hospitalization, though little is known about these associations. We retrospectively evaluated mean BG levels in the week prior to HCT and subsequent outcomes for 852 HCTs at our hospital from 1/2009 - 12/2013 pertaining to 745 patients. Outcomes included infections (pneumonia, , positive cultures, administration of antimicrobials, or neutropenic fever), time-to-engraftment (TTE), and quality indicators (30- and 90-day readmission rates [RR] and median length-of-stay [LOS]).

A pooled analysis of two phase II trials evaluating metformin plus platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Despite a wealth of preclinical and observational data, prospective data regarding the use of metformin in lung cancer is extremely limited.

Methods: We pooled individualized data from two prospective trials evaluating metformin plus platinum-based chemotherapy, with or without bevacizumab, in non-diabetic patients with untreated advanced NSCLC. In addition to reporting on clinical efficacy and safety endpoints, we also explored metformin's activity in key molecular cohorts.

Interpreting Oncology Care Model Data to Drive Value-Based Care: A Prostate Cancer Analysis.

Purpose:: The Oncology Care Model (OCM) must be clinically relevant, accurate, and comprehensible to drive value-based care.

Methods:: We studied OCM data detailing observed and expected expenses for 6-month-long episodes of care for patients with prostate cancer. We constructed seven disease state-treatment dyads into which we grouped each episode on the bases of diagnoses, procedures, and medications in OCM claims data.

Identifying Potentially Avoidable Hospitalizations in Medicare Patients With Prostate Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis.

Purpose:: If identifiable, potentially avoidable hospitalizations (PAHs) can serve as an important target for cost containment efforts in oncology.

Methods:: PAHs among a cohort of Medicare patients with prostate cancer were identified using a two-stage consensus-driven review process. In stage 1, two clinicians independently evaluated admissions records using a case review form, which we modified from a previous study to assess for PAHs.

Neoadjuvant Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition in Locally-advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Two Cases and a Brief Literature Review.

Background: Despite their remarkable efficacy in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), EGFR- and ALK-targeted therapies have not been shown to confer any survival benefit in stage III disease, even in subsets of patients with driver mutations.

Case Studies: Here, two patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC carrying mutations in the ALK (case 1) and EGFR (case 2) genes are presented. Treatment of the patient carrying an ALK mutation with an ALK inhibitor and the patient carrying an EGFR mutation with an EGFR inhibitor resulted in dramatic and durable responses.

Development and implementation of an academic cancer therapy stewardship program.

Objectives: Antibiotic stewardship is an integral aspect of hospital care, limiting the potential for resistance while working to minimize waste. A similar system is needed in oncology, given the rapid proliferation of new therapies and the challenges of navigating a complicated reimbursement environment. A "cancer therapy stewardship program" has never been described in the literature.

Metformin as a repurposed therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): results of a phase II trial.

Background Metformin has been shown to have anti-neoplastic activity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in both preclinical and observational studies, however this has never been prospectively evaluated. This single-arm phase II trial, while not fully accrued, is the first known prospective study evaluating the use of metformin with chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC. Methods Patients received carboplatin AUC 5 + pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 IV every 21 days for 4 cycles.