Plasma arginine as a predictive biomarker for outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibition in metastatic colorectal cancer: a correlative analysis of the CCTG CO.26 trial.

Background: Nutritional stress is a mechanism that allows tumor cells to evade the immune system. Arginine (ARG), an amino acid involved in immunomodulation, aids in regulating T-lymphocyte cell activity and the antitumor response. ARG deficiency in the tumor microenvironment can impair T-cell response while ARG supplementation may promote antitumor immune activity.

Vaccine spillover effects in Africa: A cross-national study of vaccine spillover and confidence in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy and a distrust of the COVID-19 vaccine is widespread in many African nations, stemming from historic medical abuses and low confidence in governments. While studies have examined drivers of vaccine hesitancy in Africa, little is known about vaccine spillover effects: how prior experiences with vaccines influence individuals' confidence in vaccines and future vaccination behaviors.

Methods: In a large online survey conducted across three African countries (Kenya, N = 1545; Nigeria, N = 1557; South Africa, N = 1588), we examined five measures of vaccine spillover: how experiences with the COVID-19 vaccination process influenced respondents' confidence in the safety, efficacy, and importance of all vaccines approved for use in their country, and the likelihood of vaccinating themselves or their children in the future.

Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant and post-partum women: A mixed-method study.

Background: This study aims to understand factors contributing to pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant and postpartum adults.

Method: The study used targeted intercept advertising on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to recruit a panel of 3600 pregnant and postpartum US adults. Data were collected between December 2021 and April 2022 (i.

Real-world effectiveness of fidaxomicin in patients at high risk of recurrence.

Objective: Compare the real-world impact of fidaxomicin (FDX) and vancomycin (VAN) on infection (CDI) recurrence in a high-risk patient population.

Design: A retrospective, matched-cohort study evaluating hospitalized patients with CDI from January 1, 2016, to November 1, 2022, within a tertiary academic medical center.

Patients: Adult patients with at least 1 prior CDI case who received either FDX or VAN for non-fulminant CDI while admitted, and had at least 1 additional risk factor for recurrence.

The Role of Denosumab Treatment in Recurrent Giant Cell Bone Tumor of the Orbit.

Giant cell tumor of the bone (GCTB) is a rare primary bone neoplasm, representing about 5% of all primary bone tumors. Most GCTBs are found in the epiphysis of long bones, with only 2% of GCTBs involving the skull. In recent years, the receptor activator of nuclear factor Kappa ligand monoclonal antibody denosumab has been demonstrated as a promising therapeutic option for GCTB; however, this is an evolving field.

The association of health-care contact days with physical function and survival in CCTG/AGITG CO.17.

Introduction: Although contact days-days with health-care contact outside home-are increasingly adopted as a measure of time toxicity and treatment burden, they could also serve as a surrogate of treatment-related harm. We sought to assess the association between contact days and patient-reported outcomes and the prognostic ability of contact days.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of CO.

Liver Metastases and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Efficacy in Patients With Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have limited activity in microsatellite-stable (MSS) or mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) colorectal cancer. Recent findings suggest the efficacy of ICIs may be modulated by the presence of liver metastases (LM).

Objective: To investigate the association between the presence of LM and ICI activity in advanced MSS colorectal cancer.

Real-World Safety and Effectiveness of a Bevacizumab Biosimilar (ABP 215) in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients in Canada.

Background: ABP 215 is a biosimilar to the reference product, bevacizumab, and was one of the first biosimilars approved by Health Canada for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This study aimed to address gaps in real-world evidence (RWE) including patient characteristics, treatment safety (primary objective), and effectiveness (secondary objective) for first-line ABP 215 therapy in Canadian patients with mCRC.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective data were collected in 2 waves, at least 1 year (Wave 1) or 2 years (Wave 2) after commercial availability of ABP 215 at each participating site.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Oncology Workload: A Provincial Review.

(1) Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, with significant resource limitation impacting the delivery of cancer care nationwide. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced additional resource restriction and diversion, further impacting care delivery. Our intention is to analyze the impact COVID-19 on a provincial medical oncology workload and bring attention to the limitations of the current workload metric for oncologists.

Evaluating the Time Toxicity of Cancer Treatment in the CCTG CO.17 Trial.

Purpose: The time spent in pursuing treatments for advanced cancer can be substantial. We have previously proposed a pragmatic and patient-centered metric of these time costs-which we term time toxicity-as any day with physical health care system contact. This includes outpatient visits (eg, bloodwork, scans, etc), emergency department visits, and overnight stays in a health care facility.

Protocol-Driven Initiation and Weaning of High-Flow Nasal Cannula for Patients With Bronchiolitis: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

Objectives: Bronchiolitis is the most common cause for nonelective infant hospitalization in the United States with increasing utilization of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC). We standardized initiation and weaning of HFNC for bronchiolitis and quantified the impact on outcomes. Our specific aim was to reduce hospital and ICU length of stay (LOS) by 10% between two bronchiolitis seasons after implementation.

Creation of a Global Vaccine Risk Index.

The World Health Organization has identified vaccine hesitancy as one of its top ten global health threats for 2019. Efforts are underway to define the factors responsible for reductions in vaccine confidence. However, as global measles cases accelerated beginning in 2018, it became evident that additional factors were promoting measles re-emergence, including war, political and socio-economic collapse, shifting poverty, and vulnerability to weather events and climate change.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors caused by novel germline variants in SDHB and KIT: a report of two cases and literature review.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are usually caused by somatic mutations, but there are rare germline variants that predispose patients to the development of one or, more commonly, multiple GISTs. We present 2 cases of multifocal GISTs related to previously unreported germline variants. The first case is a 28-year-old female who developed multiple gastric GISTs with widespread abdominal metastases that were resistant to imatinib.

Determinants of HIV Testing Uptake among Women (aged 15-49 years) in the Philippines, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

Background: Many countries have been trying to eliminate Mother-to-Child transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and achieve the 90-90-90 target goals. The targets mean that 90% of People Living with HIV (PLWHIV) know their HIV status, 90% of those who are infected receive Antiretroviral treatment (ART), and 90% of those achieve viral suppression. Despite some progress, the goals have not been met in the Philippines, Myanmar, and Cambodia, countries with relatively high or growing HIV prevalence.

The gut microbiome in konzo.

Konzo, a distinct upper motor neuron disease associated with a cyanogenic diet and chronic malnutrition, predominately affects children and women of childbearing age in sub-Saharan Africa. While the exact biological mechanisms that cause this disease have largely remained elusive, host-genetics and environmental components such as the gut microbiome have been implicated. Using a large study population of 180 individuals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where konzo is most frequent, we investigate how the structure of the gut microbiome varied across geographical contexts, as well as provide the first insight into the gut flora of children affected with this debilitating disease using shotgun metagenomic sequencing.

Abstracts of the 2021 Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists Annual Meeting.

On behalf of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists, we are pleased to present the Abstracts of the 2021 Annual Meeting. The National CAMO Residents Research Day was held virtually on 1 April 2021 and the CAMO Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) & Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place on 22 April 2021. Twenty (20) abstracts were selected for presentation as oral presentations and rapid-fire presentations.

Eastern Canadian Gastrointestinal Cancer Consensus Conference 2019.

The annual Eastern Canadian Gastrointestinal Cancer Consensus Conference 2019 was held in Morell, Prince Edward Island, 19-21 September 2019. Experts in medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgical oncology who are involved in the management of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies participated in presentations and discussion sessions for the purpose of developing the recommendations presented here. This consensus statement addresses multiple topics in the management of anal, colorectal, biliary tract, and gastric cancers, including: radiotherapy and systemic therapy for localized and advanced anal cancer; watch and wait strategy for the management of rectal cancer; role of testing for dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency prior to commencement of fluoropyrimidine therapy; radiotherapy and systemic therapy in the adjuvant and unresectable settings for biliary tract cancer; and radiotherapy and systemic therapy in the perioperative setting for early-stage gastric cancer.

Childhood immunization during the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas.

In 2020, the state of Texas implemented coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) social distancing guidelines in order to prevent surges at Texas hospital emergency rooms and in intensive care units. As noted in other states, an unintended consequence of these activities was significant declines in childhood immunizations. After analyzing state-wide immunization register data for Texas, we observed a 47% relative decline in immunization rates between 2019 and 2020 among 5-month-olds and a 58% decline among 16-month-olds.

COVID-19 vaccine decisions: considering the choices and opportunities.

In the coming months, most American adults will have the opportunity to receive at least one of up to five different COVID-19 vaccines produced by Operation Warp Speed and released through emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Comparisons of social and demographic determinants of tobacco use in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: Worldwide, tobacco use has caused over 100 million deaths in the twentieth century and is projected to cause death in up to one billion people in the twenty-first century. It is a leading cause of early death and disability in over 100 countries and accounts for over 11% of global deaths, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of the study was to examine a variety of social determinants of tobacco use in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including region, sex, ethnicity, education, literacy, wealth index and place of residence, to gain insights with regard to tobacco use among sub-national groups.

Impact of COVID-19 on Canadian medical oncologists and cancer care: Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists survey report.

Background: The covid-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented professional and personal challenges for the oncology community. Under the auspices of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists, we conducted an online national survey to better understand the impact of the pandemic on the medical oncology community in Canada.

Methods: An English-language multiple-choice survey, including questions about demographics, covid-19 risk, use of personal protective equipment (ppe), personal challenges, and chemotherapy management was distributed to Canadian medical oncologists.

Effect of Combined Immune Checkpoint Inhibition vs Best Supportive Care Alone in Patients With Advanced Colorectal Cancer: The Canadian Cancer Trials Group CO.26 Study.

Importance: Single-agent immune checkpoint inhibition has not shown activities in advanced refractory colorectal cancer (CRC), other than in those patients who are microsatellite-instability high (MSI-H).

Objective: To evaluate whether combining programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) inhibition improved patient survival in metastatic refractory CRC.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A randomized phase 2 study was conducted in 27 cancer centers across Canada between August 2016 and June 2017, and data were analyzed on October 18, 2018.