Maintenance strategies for relapse prevention and treatment.

Posttransplant relapse is the most significant challenge in allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). Posttransplant interventions, in conjunction with optimal conditioning regimens and donor selection, are increasingly supported by evidence for their potential to prolong patient survival by promoting antileukemia or graft-versus-leukemia effects. Our review begins by highlighting the current evidence supporting maintenance therapy for relapse prevention in acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Clinical outcomes of hypomethylating agents plus Venetoclax as frontline treatment in patients 75 years and older with acute myeloid leukemia: Real-world data from eight US academic centers.

Venetoclax (VEN) combined with hypomethylating agents (HMAs) is the standard of care for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) unfit for intensive chemotherapy. To date, real-world data published on HMAs plus VEN have been either single-center studies or using community-based electronic databases with limited details on mutational landscape, tolerability, and treatment patterns in elderly patients. Therefore, we conducted a multicenter retrospective study to assess the real-world experience of 204 elderly patients (≥75 years) with newly diagnosed AML treated with HMAs plus VEN from eight academic centers in the United States.

Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Older Adults.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is an aggressive myeloid malignancy predominantly affecting older adults. Despite the advancements in new therapies for AML, older and medically unfit patients continue to suffer from poor outcomes due to disease-related factors such as the mutational profile and patient-related factors such as comorbidities and performance status. In this review, we discuss a spectrum of therapeutic options for older patients with AML starting with a historical perspective and ending with therapies being investigated in clinical trials.

Institution of Standardized Consultation Criteria to Increase Early Palliative Care Utilization in Older Patients With Acute Leukemia.

Purpose: Older patients with acute leukemia (AL) have a high symptom burden and poor prognosis. Although integration of palliative care (PC) with oncologic care has been shown to improve quality-of-life and end-of-life care in patients with AL, the malignant hematologists at our tertiary care hospital make limited use of PC services and do so late in the disease course. Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) methodology, we aimed to increase early PC utilization by older patients with newly diagnosed AL.

Effects of a personal trainer-led exercise intervention on physical activity, physical function, and quality of life of breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: Exercise is important to address physical and emotional effects of breast cancer treatment. This study examines effects of a personal trainer led exercise intervention on physical activity levels, physical function and quality of life (QoL) in breast cancer survivors.

Methods: Women post active breast cancer treatment were recruited from 2015 to 2017, randomized to immediate exercise or wait-list control, and received three personal training sessions for up to 30 weeks.

Changes in Disparities in Stage of Breast Cancer Diagnosis in Pennsylvania After the Affordable Care Act.

This study sought to determine if increased access to health insurance following the Affordable Care Act (ACA) resulted in an increased proportion of early-stage breast cancer diagnosis among women in Pennsylvania, particularly minorities, rural residents, and those of lower socioeconomic status. Data on 35,735 breast cancer cases among women 50-64 and 68-74 years of age in Pennsylvania between 2010 and 2016 were extracted from the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry and analyzed in 2019. Women 50-64 years of age were subdivided by race/ethnicity, area of residence, and socioeconomic status as measured by area deprivation index (ADI).

Primary Care Providers' Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Practices Regarding Their Preparedness to Provide Cancer Survivorship Care.

Recent cancer care delivery models and clinical practice guidelines have expanded the role of primary care providers (PCPs) in routine follow-up of cancer survivors. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of PCPs affiliated with a large healthcare system to (1) examine practices, attitudes, and beliefs regarding preparedness to provide survivorship care and (2) explore predictors of confidence managing cancer survivors. We distributed a self-administered online survey to 1069 clinical affiliates providing primary care services within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center system.

Impact of a Mobile Health Intervention on Long-term Nonadherence After Lung Transplantation: Follow-up After a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: In a randomized controlled trial, lung transplant recipients (LTRs) using a mobile health intervention, Pocket Personal Assistant for Tracking Health (Pocket PATH), showed better adherence to the medical regimen than LTRs receiving usual care during the first year posttransplant. We examined whether these effects were maintained beyond the end of the trial and evaluated other potential risk factors for long-term nonadherence.

Methods: Adherence in 8 areas was evaluated at follow-up in separate LTR and family caregiver (collateral) assessments.

The Association Between Increased Levels of Patient Engagement With an Internet Support Group and Improved Mental Health Outcomes at 6-Month Follow-Up: Post-Hoc Analyses From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: We recently reported that depressed and anxious primary care patients randomized to a moderated internet support group (ISG) plus computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) did not experience improvements in depression and anxiety over cCBT alone at 6-month follow-up.

Objective: The 1% rule posits that 1% of participants in online communities generate approximately 90% of new user-created content. The aims of this study were to apply the 1% rule to categorize patient engagement with the ISG and identify whether any patient subgroups benefitted from ISG use.