Analysis of travel burden and travel support among patients treated at a comprehensive cancer center in the Southeastern United States.

Introduction: Travel burden leads to worse cancer outcomes. Understanding travel burden and the level and types of travel support provided at large cancer centers is critical for developing systematic programs to alleviate travel burden. This study analyzed patients who received travel assistance, including their travel burden, types and amount of travel support received, and factors that influenced these outcomes.

Associations of the gut microbiome with psychoneurological symptom cluster in women with gynecologic cancers: a longitudinal study.

Purpose: The present study aimed to evaluate the associations between the gut microbiome and psychoneurological symptoms (PNS) cluster in women with gynecologic cancers over time.

Methods: In this secondary data analysis, 19 women with cervical and endometrial cancers treated with radiotherapy were followed at pre-treatment, 6-8 weeks, and 6 months post-treatment. To measure symptoms, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used.

Associations Between Social Determinants of Health and Psychoneurologic Symptom Clusters in Women With Gynecologic Cancers: A Longitudinal Study.

Objectives: To evaluate the associations between social determinants of health (SDOH) and psychoneurologic symptom (PNS) clusters in women with gynecologic cancers during cancer treatment.

Sample & Setting: 67 women with gynecologic cancers who received radiation therapy were assessed at baseline, six to eight weeks after treatment, and six months after treatment at oncology clinics in Georgia.

Methods & Variables: Fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment, and depressive symptoms were measured to determine a PNS cluster score.

Dose-Escalated Radiotherapy Alone or in Combination With Short-Term Androgen Deprivation for Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer: Results of a Phase III Multi-Institutional Trial.

Purpose: It remains unknown whether or not short-term androgen deprivation (STAD) improves survival among men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer (IRPC) treated with dose-escalated radiotherapy (RT).

Methods: The NRG Oncology/Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0815 study randomly assigned 1,492 patients with stage T2b-T2c, Gleason score 7, or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value >10 and ≤20 ng/mL to dose-escalated RT alone (arm 1) or with STAD (arm 2). STAD was 6 months of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist/antagonist therapy plus antiandrogen.

A Qualitative Study of the Pain Experience of Black Individuals With Cancer Taking Long-Acting Opioids.

Background: Little is known about the experience of Black individuals with cancer taking long-acting opioids for cancer pain.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the day-to-day experience of living with pain and the experiences of taking opioids for pain management among Black individuals with cancer prescribed with long-acting opioids.

Methods: This qualitative descriptive study was part of a larger investigation focused on opioid adherence.

Long-Term Results of a Phase 3 Randomized Prospective Trial of Erectile Tissue-Sparing Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy for Men With Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine whether limiting the doses delivered to the penile bulb (PB) and corporal bodies with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) preserves erectile function compared with standard IMRT in men with prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: A total of 117 patients with low- to intermediate-risk, clinical T1a-T2c prostate adenocarcinoma were enrolled in a single-institution, prospective, single-blind, phase 3 randomized trial. All received definitive IMRT to 74 to 80 Gy in 37 to 40 fractions and standard IMRT (s-IMRT) or erectile tissue-sparing IMRT (ETS-IMRT), which placed additional planning constraints that limited the D90 to the penile bulb and corporal bodies to ≤15 Gy and ≤7 Gy, respectively.

Integrative Medicine for Pain Management in Oncology: Society for Integrative Oncology-ASCO Guideline.

Purpose: The aim of this joint guideline is to provide evidence-based recommendations to practicing physicians and other health care providers on integrative approaches to managing pain in patients with cancer.

Methods: The Society for Integrative Oncology and ASCO convened an expert panel of integrative oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, palliative oncology, social sciences, mind-body medicine, nursing, and patient advocacy representatives. The literature search included systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials published from 1990 through 2021.

Follow-Up to High-Resolution Anoscopy After Abnormal Anal Cytology in People Living with HIV.

Current expert recommendations suggest anal cytology followed by high-resolution anoscopy (HRA) for biopsy and histological confirmation may be beneficial in cancer prevention, especially in people living with HIV (PLWH). Guided by the social ecological model, the purpose of this study was to examine sociodemographic and clinical variables, individual-level factors (depression, HIV/AIDS-related stigma, and health beliefs) and interpersonal-level factors (social support) related to time to HRA follow-up after abnormal anal cytology. We enrolled 150 PLWH from a large HIV community clinic, with on-site HRA availability, in Atlanta, GA.

Exploring the links among inflammation and gut microbiome with psychoneurological symptoms and gastrointestinal toxicities in gynecologic cancers: a systematic review.

Introduction: Emerging evidence highlights the roles the gut microbiome and the immune system, integral parts of the gut-brain axis, play in developing various symptoms in cancer patients. The purpose of this systematic review was to describe the roles of inflammatory markers and the gut microbiome, as well as to describe their associations with psychoneurological symptoms and gastrointestinal toxicities in women with gynecologic cancers.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from January 2000 to February 2021.

Exploring the Anal Microbiome in HIV Positive and High-Risk HIV Negative Women.

This exploratory study sought to characterize the anal microbiome and explore associations among the anal microbiome, risk factors for anal cancer, and clinical factors. A pilot sample of 50 HIV infected and high-risk HIV negative women were recruited from the former Women's Interagency HIV Study. Microbiome characterization by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and datasets were analyzed using QIIME 2™.

Gut Microbiome and Its Associations With Acute and Chronic Gastrointestinal Toxicities in Cancer Patients With Pelvic Radiation Therapy: A Systematic Review.

Aim: Pelvic radiation therapy (RT) can impact the gut microbiome in patients with cancer and result in gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities. The purpose of this systematic review was to describe the effects of RT on the gut microbiome and the associations between the gut microbiome and GI toxicities in patients treated with pelvic RT.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched from their earliest records to August 2020.

Psychological Treatment for Patients Receiving Radiation: Results of NRG Oncology/RTOG 0841.

Purpose: NRG/RTOG 0841 assessed the feasibility of a depression screening procedure in patients receiving radiation therapy (RT). As a secondary endpoint, availability and barriers to psychosocial care data were collected in hopes of providing recommendations for improved psychosocial care among patients receiving RT.

Methods And Materials: Patients starting RT were prospectively recruited and assessed with self-reported distress screening tools.

Composite grading algorithm for the National Cancer Institute's Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE).

Background: The Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events is an item library designed for eliciting patient-reported adverse events in oncology. For each adverse event, up to three individual items are scored for frequency, severity, and interference with daily activities. To align the Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events with other standardized tools for adverse event assessment including the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, an algorithm for mapping individual items for any given adverse event to a single composite numerical grade was developed and tested.

Characterizing Pain Experiences: African American Patients With Multiple Myeloma Taking Around-the-Clock Opioids.

Background: Despite known disparities by race, studies to date have not focused on pain characterization among African American patients with multiple myeloma.

Objectives: This study aimed to characterize the pain experience, beliefs about pain and pain control, and additional symptoms among African American patients with multiple myeloma taking around-the-clock opioids.

Methods: This study employed secondary analysis of baseline data from a completed longitudinal study of opioid adherence.

Gut Microbiome Associated with the Psychoneurological Symptom Cluster in Patients with Head and Neck Cancers.

Cancer patients experience a cluster of co-occurring psychoneurological symptoms (PNS) related to cancer treatments. The gut microbiome may affect severity of the PNS via neural, immune, and endocrine signaling pathways. However, the link between the gut microbiome and PNS has not been well investigated in cancer patients, including those with head and neck cancers (HNCs).

Adherence trajectories in oral therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia: Overview of a research protocol.

Over a quarter of chemotherapy regimens now include oral agents. Individuals living with cancer are now responsible for administering this lifesaving therapy at home by taking every dose as prescribed. One type of oral chemotherapy, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), is the current recommended treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia.

Research Agenda of the Oncology Nursing Society: 2019-2022.

Problem Statement: To define the Oncology Nursing Society Research Agenda for 2019-2022.

Design: Multimethod, consensus-building approach by members of the Research Agenda Project Team.

Data Sources: Expert opinion, literature review, surveys, interviews, focus groups, town hall, and review of research priorities from other cancer care organizations and funding agencies.

Comparisons of Depression, Sexual Function, and Quality of Life Between Women With Gynecological Cancers and Race-Matched Healthy Controls.

Background: Although higher incidence and mortality of gynecological cancer (GynCa) are documented in black compared with white women, few studies have documented quality of life (QOL) or healthy control comparisons.

Objective: This study compared depression, sexual function, and QOL between patients with GynCa and race-matched healthy controls.

Methods: Patients with GynCa and healthy controls completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Female Sexual Function Index, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General measures at baseline; GynCa patients were assessed again at 6 months post-radiation therapy (RT).

Pilot Study of Vaginal Microbiome Using QIIME 2™ in Women With Gynecologic Cancer Before and After Radiation Therapy.

Objectives: To characterize the vaginal microbiome using QIIME 2™ (Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology 2) in women with gynecologic cancer.

Sample & Setting: 19 women with gynecologic cancer before and after radiation therapy at a comprehensive cancer center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Methods & Variables: This pilot study analyzed vaginal microbiome communities using a microbiome analysis pipeline, beginning with 16S rRNA gene sequencing and processing through use of a bioinformatics pipeline to downstream microbial statistical analysis.

An Economic Analysis of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 94-10: Cost-Efficacy of Concurrent vs. Sequential Chemoradiotherapy.

Background: Cost can be a major issue in therapeutic decision-making, and in particular for patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC).

Methods: The specific aim of this analysis was to evaluate the costs and outcomes of patients treated on Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 94-10, Medicare Part A and Part B costs from all for patients treated from 1991 to 1996 on RTOG 94-10, a phase III trial showing a survival benefit for concurrent chemoradiation (STD RT) over sequential (RT day 50) chemoradiation in LA-NSCLC with intermediate outcome for concurrent twice daily radiation and chemotherapy (HFX RT). 26-month expected costs for each arm of the trial in 1996 dollars were determined, with Kaplan Meier sampling average estimates of survival probabilities for each month and mean monthly costs.

Feasibility of Implementing the Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events in a Multicenter Trial: NCCTG N1048.

Purpose The US National Cancer Institute (NCI) Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) was developed to enable patient reporting of symptomatic adverse events in oncology clinical research. This study was designed to assess the feasibility and resource requirements associated with implementing PRO-CTCAE in a multicenter trial. Methods Patients with locally advanced rectal cancer enrolled in the National Cancer Institute-sponsored North Central Cancer Treatment Group (Alliance) Preoperative Radiation or Selective Preoperative Radiation and Evaluation before Chemotherapy and Total Mesorectal Excision trial were asked to self-report 30 PRO-CTCAE items weekly from home during preoperative therapy, and every 6 months after surgery, via either the Web or an automated telephone system.

Attrition in NRG Oncology's Radiation-Based Clinical Trials.

Purpose: To determine individual, organizational, and protocol-specific factors associated with attrition in NRG Oncology's radiation-based clinical trials.

Methods And Materials: This retrospective analysis included 27,443 patients representing 134 NRG Oncology's radiation-based clinical trials .trials with primary efficacy results published from 1985-2011.