Improving Rates of Germline Mutation Testing for Patients With Ovarian Cancer in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Purpose: Despite more than a decade of endorsement from multiple international cancer authorities advocating all women with ovarian cancer be offered germline breast cancer () gene testing, British Columbia Cancer Victoria was not meeting this target. A quality improvement project was undertaken with the aim of increasing completed testing rates for all eligible patients seen at British Columbia Cancer Victoria to > 90% by 1 year from April 2016.

Methods: A current state analysis was completed, and multiple change ideas were developed, including education of medical oncologists, referral process update, initiating a group consenting seminar, and engagement of a nurse practitioner to lead the seminar.

Immune Modulation by Androgen Deprivation and Radiation Therapy: Implications for Prostate Cancer Immunotherapy.

Prostate cancer patients often receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in combination with radiation therapy (RT). Recent evidence suggests that both ADT and RT have immune modulatory properties. First, ADT can cause infiltration of lymphocytes into the prostate, although it remains unclear whether the influx of lymphocytes is beneficial, particularly with the advent of new classes of androgen blockers.