Publications by authors named "Bianca Lewis"
Article Synopsis
- The study examines the psychosocial needs of older adults (65+) with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in community settings, highlighting how psychosocial distress impacts their overall quality of life.
- A secondary analysis of a previous study evaluated factors such as depression, perceived social support, and actual living situations, utilizing various statistical tests to understand these relationships.
- Results showed that many patients experienced significant social support deficits, particularly those with certain MBC types and those on advanced therapy lines, revealing a need for improved psychosocial support in this population.
Adults with diabetes frequently experience diabetes related distress, which is associated with negative health outcomes. Family members are commonly involved in patients' diabetes self-management. However, family involvement can have helpful and/or harmful effects on patients' diabetes outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The standard of care (SOC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) includes cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting followed by radical cystectomy. Older patients often do not receive SOC due to perceived toxicity concerns despite guideline-directed recommendations.
Objective: To characterize the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant accelerated methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin, and cisplatin (aMVAC) in MIBC patients as a function of age.
Background: Geriatric assessment (GA) is recommended for evaluating fitness of an older adult with cancer. Our objective was to prospectively evaluate the gaps that exist in the assessment of older adults with metastatic breast cancer (OA-MBC) in community practices (CP).
Methods: Self-administered GA was compared to provider's assessment (PA) of patients living with MBC aged ≥65 years treated in CP Providers were blinded to the GA results until PA was completed.
Objectives: To determine whether patients with carcinoma invading bladder muscle (MIBC) and ureteric obstruction can safely receive cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (C-NAC), and to determine whether such patients require relief of obstruction with a ureteric stent or percutaneous nephrostomy prior to beginning C-NAC.
Patients And Methods: We performed a single-institution retrospective analysis of MIBC patients receiving C-NAC and falling into three groups: no ureteric obstruction (NO); relieved ureteric obstruction (RO); and unrelieved ureteric obstruction (URO). To address whether patients with obstruction can safely receive C-NAC, we compared patients with NO to those with RO, with the primary outcome of premature chemotherapy discontinuation.
Background: While a number of landmark clinical trials have led to the approval of combination chemotherapy regimens for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPC), older patients are underrepresented in these studies. We evaluated changes in practice patterns in the management of mPC among medical oncologists in the combination chemotherapy era (CCE).
Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients treated at a tertiary cancer center between 2000 and 2015 was conducted.
Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy (NAC; 70 mg/m) is standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma (MIBC). Many patients (pts) cannot receive cisplatin because of renal impairment, and administration of cisplatin 35 mg/m on day 1 + 8 or 1 + 2 (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough financial distress is commonly recognized in patients with cancer, it may be more prevalent in younger adults. This study sought to evaluate disparities in overall and financial distress in patients with cancer as a function of age. This was a single-center cross-sectional study of patients with solid malignancies requiring cancer therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Recent studies have demonstrated increasing rates of financial toxicities and emotional distress related to cancer treatment. This study assessed and characterized the relationships among financial distress, emotional symptoms, and overall distress in patients with cancer.
Methods: A cross-sectional sample of patients with cancer who visited our outpatient medical oncology and psychiatry clinics completed a pen-and-paper survey.
Background: Older patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPC) are poorly represented in clinical trials. We compared patterns of care and outcomes of patients with mPC < and >65 yrs (Group 1 and Group 2, respectively) treated at Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) to identify predictors of survival and better understand the treatment approaches.
Methods: Charts of 579 patients with mPC treated at FCCC from 2000 to 2010 were reviewed.