Patient-reported outcomes during first-line palliative systemic therapy alternated with pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy for unresectable colorectal peritoneal metastases: a single-arm phase II trial (CRC-PIPAC-II).

Background: The CRC-PIPAC-II study prospectively assessed bidirectional therapy (BT) consisting of first-line palliative systemic therapy and electrostatic precipitation oxaliplatin-based pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (ePIPAC-OX) in patients with unresectable colorectal peritoneal metastases (CPM). This study describes the exploration of patient-reported outcomes (PROs).

Methods: In this phase II trial, 20 patients with isolated CPM were treated with up to three cycles of BT, each cycle consisting of two to three courses of systemic therapy, followed by ePIPAC-OX (92 mg/m).

Tumor immune microenvironmental characteristics in Human Epidermal Growth Factor-2 (HER2) positive esophageal adenocarcinoma: A comparative analysis and biomarker study.

Background: HER2 targeting in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has shown potential, but often fails to show durable response. Given the contributions of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) to therapeutic responses, we aimed to chart the TIME characteristics of HER2 positive tumors.

Methods: 84 biopsies were taken from the TRAP cohort (neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) according to CROSS with trastuzumab and pertuzumab; n = 40; HER2n = 40) and a control cohort with nCRT only (n = 44; HER2- n = 40, HER2n = 4) before treatment.

Discovering novel germline genetic variants linked to severe fluoropyrimidine-related toxicity in- and outside DPYD.

Background: The Alpe-DPD study (NCT02324452) demonstrated that prospective genotyping and dose-individualization using four alleles in DPYD (DPYD*2A/rs3918290, c.1236G > A/rs75017182, c.2846A > T/rs67376798 and c.

Systemic Treatment Strategies and Outcomes of Patients With Synchronous Peritoneal Metastases of Gastric Origin: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Background: Palliative systemic treatment is currently standard of care for metastatic gastric cancer. However, patients with peritoneal metastases of gastric origin are often underrepresented in clinical studies due to unmeasurable radiologic disease. This study describes the systemic treatment strategies and outcomes in patients with peritoneal metastases in a nationwide real-world setting.

First-line palliative systemic therapy alternated with oxaliplatin-based pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy for unresectable colorectal peritoneal metastases: A single-arm phase II trial (CRC-PIPAC-II).

Background: Palliative systemic therapy alternated with electrostatic precipitation oxaliplatin-based pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (ePIPAC) has never been prospectively investigated in patients with unresectable colorectal peritoneal metastases (CPM). The CRC-PIPAC-II study aimed to assess safety, feasibility and efficacy of such bidirectional therapy.

Methods: This two-center, single-arm, phase II trial enrolled chemotherapy-naïve patients to undergo three treatment cycles, consisting of systemic therapy (CAPOX, FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, or FOLFOXIRI, all with bevacizumab) and oxaliplatin-based ePIPAC (92 mg/m) with intravenous leucovorin (20 mg/m) and 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m).

European clinical practice guidelines for the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of oligometastatic esophagogastric cancer (OMEC-4).

Introduction: The OligoMetastatic Esophagogastric Cancer (OMEC) project aims to provide clinical practice guidelines for the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of esophagogastric oligometastatic disease (OMD).

Methods: Guidelines were developed according to AGREE II and GRADE principles. Guidelines were based on a systematic review (OMEC-1), clinical case discussions (OMEC-2), and a Delphi consensus study (OMEC-3) by 49 European expert centers for esophagogastric cancer.

Intraperitoneal irinotecan with concomitant FOLFOX and bevacizumab for patients with unresectable colorectal peritoneal metastases: protocol of the multicentre, open-label, phase II, INTERACT-II trial.

Introduction: The peritoneum is the second most affected organ for the dissemination of colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases (CPM) face a poor prognosis, despite the majority of patients being treated with palliative systemic therapy. The efficacy of palliative systemic therapy is limited due to the plasma-peritoneum barrier.

Trajectories of emotional functioning and experienced care of relatives in the last year of life of patients with advanced cancer: A longitudinal analysis of the eQuiPe study.

Objective: Advanced cancer has a major impact on both patients and their relatives. To allow for personalized support, it is important to recognize which relatives will experience a decline in emotional functioning during the patient's last year of life, when this decline will occur, and what factors are associated with it. This study aimed to examine the trajectory of emotional functioning of relatives during that time and the characteristics associated with changes in this trajectory.

Survival of Patients With Cancer With Variant Alleles and Dose-Individualized Fluoropyrimidine Therapy-A Matched-Pair Analysis.

Purpose: -guided fluoropyrimidine dosing improves patient safety in carriers of variant alleles. However, the impact on treatment outcome in these patients is largely unknown. Therefore, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between variant carriers treated with a reduced dose and wild-type controls receiving a full fluoropyrimidine dose in a retrospective matched-pair survival analysis.

Gender differences in tumor characteristics, treatment and survival of colorectal cancer: A population-based study.

Background: The importance of sex and gender as modifiers of health and disease is increasingly recognized. The aim of this study was to analyze gender differences in incidence, tumor characteristics, treatment and relative survival (RS) in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Observational population-based study including patients diagnosed with CRC in the Netherlands between 2010 and 2020.

Phase I study of intraperitoneal irinotecan combined with palliative systemic chemotherapy in patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases.

Background: Patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases who are not eligible for cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) owing to extensive peritoneal disease have a poor prognosis. It was hypothesized that these patients may benefit from the addition of intraperitoneal irinotecan to standard palliative systemic chemotherapy.

Methods: This was a classical 3 + 3 phase I dose-escalation trial in patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases who were not eligible for CRS-HIPEC.

Fecal levels of SCFA and BCFA during capecitabine in patients with metastatic or unresectable colorectal cancer.

Background: Gut bacteria-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) are considered to have beneficial metabolic, anti-inflammatory as well as anti-carcinogenic effects. Previous preclinical studies indicated bidirectional interactions between gut bacteria and the chemotherapeutic capecitabine or its metabolite 5-FU. This study investigated the effect of three cycles of capecitabine on fecal SCFA and BCFA levels and their associations with tumor response, nutritional status, physical performance, chemotherapy-induced toxicity, systemic inflammation and bacterial abundances in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Definition, diagnosis and treatment of oligometastatic oesophagogastric cancer: A Delphi consensus study in Europe.

Background: Local treatment improves the outcomes for oligometastatic disease (OMD, i.e. an intermediate state between locoregional and widespread disseminated disease).

The Impact of Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) versus Conventional Surgery on Patient-Reported Outcomes: A Comparative Cohort Study between the CAIRO6 Trial and the PROCORE Study.

Purpose-To compare patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) for colorectal peritoneal metastases to PROs of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing conventional surgery. Methods-Data were extracted from the CAIRO6 trial (CRS-HIPEC group) and the PROCORE study (conventional surgery group). Nine predefined PROs (derived from the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire) were compared at baseline, in the early postoperative period and one year postoperatively, with correction for treatment with systemic therapy using linear mixed modeling.

Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Unresectable Peritoneal Surface Malignancies.

Malignancies of the peritoneal cavity are associated with a dismal prognosis. Systemic chemotherapy is the gold standard for patients with unresectable peritoneal disease, but its intraperitoneal effect is hampered by the peritoneal-plasma barrier. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy, which is administered repeatedly into the peritoneal cavity through a peritoneal implanted port, could provide a novel treatment modality for this patient population.

Beyond Median Overall Survival: Estimating Trends for Multiple Survival Scenarios in Patients With Metastatic Esophagogastric Cancer.

Background: In recent years, clinical trials have shown improved survival of patients with metastatic esophageal or gastric cancer. The number of patients participating in clinical trials is limited, and survival improvements observed from clinical trials are unrepresentative for the full population. The aim of our study was to assess trends in survival for the best-case, typical, and worst-case scenarios in patients with metastatic esophageal or gastric cancer.

Attitudes Toward Striving for Quality and Length of Life Among Patients With Advanced Cancer and a Poor Prognosis.

Purpose: When deliberating palliative cancer treatment, insight into patients' attitudes toward striving for quality of life (QL) and length of life (LL) may facilitate goal-concordant care. We investigated the (1) attitudes of patients with advanced cancer toward striving for QL and/or LL and whether these change over time, and (2) characteristics associated with these attitudes (over time).

Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial on improving shared decision making (SDM), without differentiation between intervention arms.

Emotional functioning during bereavement after the death of patients with advanced cancer and associated factors.

Objective: The death of a loved one is considered to be the most stressful of all life events. However, the impact of bereavement on quality of life varies between individuals. The aim of our study was to assess emotional functioning (EF), which is a domain of quality of life, of bereaved relatives after the death of their loved one and its associated factors.