Association of Sarcopenia With Toxicity-Related Discontinuation of Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Women With Early-Stage Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Sarcopenia, an age-related decline in muscle mass and physical function, is associated with increased toxicity and worse outcomes in women with breast cancer (BC). Sarcopenia may contribute to toxicity-related early discontinuation of adjuvant endocrine  therapy (aET) in women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) BC but remains poorly characterized.

Methods And Materials: This multicenter, retrospective cohort study included consecutive women with stage 0-II HR+ BC who received breast conserving therapy (lumpectomy and radiation therapy) and aET from 2011 to 2017 with a 5-year follow-up.

Utilization of an Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Platform to Evaluate the Psychosocial and Quality-of-Life Experience Among a Community Sample of Ovarian Cancer Survivors.

Purpose: Novel distress screening approaches using electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) measurements are critical for the provision of comprehensive quality community cancer care. Using an ePRO platform, the prevalence of psychosocial factors (distress, post-traumatic growth, resilience, and financial stress) affecting quality of life in ovarian cancer survivors (OCSs) was examined.

Methods: A cross-sectional OCS sample from the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition-Illinois Chapter completed web-based clinical, sociodemographic, and psychosocial assessment using well-validated measures: Hospital Anxiety/Depression Scale-anxiety/depression, Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, Brief Resilience Scale, comprehensive score for financial toxicity, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Ovarian (FACT-O/health-related quality of life [HRQOL]).

Anxiety Shapes Expectations of Therapeutic Benefit in Phase I Trials for Patients With Advanced Cancer and Spousal Caregivers.

Purpose: Advanced cancer patients (ACP) hope to receive significant therapeutic benefit from phase I trials despite terminal disease and presumed symptom burdens. We examined associations between symptom burdens and expectations of therapeutic benefit for ACP and spousal caregivers (SC) during phase I trials.

Patients And Methods: A prospective cohort of ACP-SC enrolled in phase I trials was assessed at baseline and one month using symptom burden measures evaluating depression, state-trait anxiety, quality of life, global health, post-traumatic coping, and marital adjustment.

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising for Cancer Centers and Institutes: Ethical Dilemmas and Practical Implications.

In the United States, many cancer centers advertise their clinical services directly to the public. Although there are potential public benefits from such advertising, including increased patient awareness of treatment options and improved access to care and clinical trials, there is also potential for harm through misinformation, provision of false hope, inappropriate use of health care resources, and disruption in doctor-patient relationships. Although patient education through advertising is appropriate, misleading patients in the name of gaining market share, boosting profits, or even boosting trial accrual is not.

Do Patients With Advanced Cancer Have the Ability to Make Informed Decisions for Participation in Phase I Clinical Trials?

Purpose Patients with advanced cancer (ACPs) participating in phase I clinical trials inadequately understand many elements of informed consent (IC); however, the prevalence and impact of cognitive impairment has not been described. Patients and Methods ACPs enrolled onto phase I trials underwent neuropsychological assessment to evaluate cognitive functioning (CF) covering the following domains: memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test), executive functioning (Trail Making Test B), language (Boston Naming Test-Short Version and Controlled Oral Word Association Test), attention (Trail Making Test A and Wechsler Adult Intelligenence Scale-IV Digit Span), comprehension (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV), and quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function). Structured interviews evaluated IC and decisional capacity.

The utility of cost discussions between patients with cancer and oncologists.

Objectives: Patients with cancer can experience substantial financial burden. Little is known about patients' preferences for incorporating cost discussions into treatment decision making or about the ramifications of those discussions. The objective of this study was to determine patient preferences for and benefits of discussing costs with doctors.