Challenges in assessing national radiotherapy costs: application of the ESTRO-HERO model in Spain.

Background And Purpose: The aim was to estimate the cost of the external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in public health care centers in Catalonia (Spain), according to the ESTRO-HERO costing model for 2018.

Materials And Methods: Personnel, equipment, and activity data from 2018 from the 11 RT centers were used, incorporating European mean values adapted to the Catalan context. Secondly, EBRT costs were estimated, incorporating 2023 fractionation technique and scheme usage percentages.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adherence to Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer in Catalonia (Spain).

. To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adherence to oral endocrine therapy in patients diagnosed with breast cancer in the public healthcare system in Catalonia (Spain). .

Management, Survival, and Costs of Pancreatic Cancer: Population-Based Observational Study in Catalonia.

Aim: Few published studies comprehensively describe the characteristics of patients with pancreatic cancer and their treatment in clinical practice. This study aimed to describe the current clinical practice for treating pancreatic cancer in Catalonia, along with the associated survival and treatment costs.

Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study in patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer from 2014 to 2018, using data from the healthcare records of the Public Health System of Catalonia, was conducted.

Self-assessment of a breast care nursing model within a Breast Unit: learning process and keys to improving breast care.

Aim And Objectives: To assess the adherence of a nursing care model in a multidisciplinary breast cancer unit in a tertiary hospital to the recommended competencies and quality indicators.

Background: Aligning the competencies of the breast care nurse with international recommendations for this role helps better fulfil patient needs, increases satisfaction and ensures continuity of care.

Design: Cohort study.

Ten-Year Probabilities of Death Due to Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease among Breast Cancer Patients Diagnosed in North-Eastern Spain.

Mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD), second tumours, and other causes is of clinical interest in the long-term follow-up of breast cancer (BC) patients. Using a cohort of BC patients (N = 6758) from the cancer registries of Girona and Tarragona (north-eastern Spain), we studied the 10-year probabilities of death due to BC, other cancers, and CVD according to stage at diagnosis and hormone receptor (HR) status. Among the non-BC causes of death (N = 720), CVD (N = 218) surpassed other cancers (N = 196).

Changes in Treatment Patterns and Costs for Lung Cancer Have Not Resulted in Relevant Improvements in Survival: A Population-Based Observational Study in Catalonia.

Objective: Few published studies have described multidisciplinary therapeutic strategies for lung cancer. This study aims to describe the different approaches used for treating lung cancer in Catalonia in 2014 and 2018 and to assess the associated cost and impact on patient survival.

Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study using data of patients with lung cancer from health care registries in Catalonia was carried out.

No Excess Mortality up to 10 Years in Early Stages of Breast Cancer in Women Adherent to Oral Endocrine Therapy: A Probabilistic Graphical Modeling Approach.

Breast cancer (BC) is globally the most frequent cancer in women. Adherence to endocrine therapy (ET) in hormone-receptor-positive BC patients is active and voluntary for the first five years after diagnosis. This study examines the impact of adherence to ET on 10-year excess mortality (EM) in patients diagnosed with Stages I to III BC (N = 2297).

Trends in lung cancer incidence by age, sex and histology from 2012 to 2025 in Catalonia (Spain).

Lung cancer remains one the most common cancers in Europe and ranks first in terms of cancer mortality in both sexes. Incidence rates vary by region and depend above all on the prevalence of tobacco consumption. In this study we describe recent trends in lung cancer incidence by sex, age and histological type in Catalonia and project changes according to histology by 2025.

Public Perceptions of the Role of Lifestyle Factors in Cancer Development: Results from the Spanish Onco-Barometer 2020.

The European Code against Cancer recommends not to smoke, to avoid alcohol consumption, to eat a healthy diet, and maintain a healthy weight to prevent cancer. To what extent is the public aware of the influence of these lifestyle factors on cancer development? The goal of the current study was to describe the perceived influence of four lifestyle factors (tobacco, alcohol, diet, and weight) on cancer development in the general population and identify factors related to low perceptions of influence. We analyzed data from the 2020 Onco-barometer (n = 4769), a representative population-based survey conducted in Spain.

Value-based radiotherapy: A new chapter of the ESTRO-HERO project.

Radiotherapy interventions are rapidly evolving and improving, holding promise for better patient outcomes, yet at the possible detriment of higher societal costs. The ESTRO-HERO value-based radiotherapy project aims to develop a framework defining and assessing the value of radiotherapy innovations, to support clinical implementation and equitable access, within a sustainable healthcare system.

Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines and Colorectal Cancer Survival: A Retrospective High-Resolution Population-Based Study in Spain.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. Population-based, high-resolution studies are essential for the continuous evaluation and updating of diagnosis and treatment standards. This study aimed to assess adherence to clinical practice guidelines and investigate its relationship with survival.

How public health services pay for radiotherapy in Europe: an ESTRO-HERO analysis of reimbursement.

Reimbursement is a key factor in defining which resources are made available to ensure quality, efficiency, availability, and access to specific health-care interventions. This Policy Review assesses publicly funded radiotherapy reimbursement systems in Europe. We did a survey of the national societies of radiation oncology in Europe, focusing on the general features and global structure of the reimbursement system, the coverage scope, and level for typical indications.

Quality of Care Indicators for Head and Neck Cancers: The Experience of the European Project RARECAREnet.

Monitoring and improving quality of cancer care has become pivotal today. This is especially relevant for head and neck cancers since the disease is complex, it needs multi therapy, patients tend to be older, they tend to have comorbidities and limited social support. However, information on quality of care for head and neck cancers is scarce.

National costs and resource requirements of external beam radiotherapy: A time-driven activity-based costing model from the ESTRO-HERO project.

Background: The Health Economics in Radiation Oncology (ESTRO-HERO) project aims to provide a knowledge base for health economics in European radiotherapy. A cost-accounting model, providing data on national resource requirements and costs of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), was developed.

Materials And Methods: Time-driven activity-based costing (TD-ABC) was applied from the healthcare provider perspective at national level.

Budget Impact Analysis of Molecular Lymph Node Staging Versus Conventional Histopathology Staging in Colorectal Carcinoma.

Background: The presence of lymph node (LN) metastasis is a critical prognostic factor in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and is also an indicator for adjuvant chemotherapy. The gold standard (GS) technique for LN diagnosis and staging is based on the analysis of haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides, but its sensitivity is low. As a result, patients may not be properly diagnosed and some may have local recurrence or distant metastases after curative-intent surgery.

[Participation of the immigrant population in breast cancer screening in Tarragona, Spain].

Objective: To evaluate the differences between autochthonous and allochthonous women's participation in a breast cancer screening programme.

Method: Retrospective study based on data from the Breast Cancer Screening Programme of the province of Tarragona (2008-2015). The sample is the target population of the programme with known country of origin.

The economic burden of disease of epithelial ovarian cancer in Spain: the OvarCost study.

Objective: To assess the economic burden of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in incident patients and the burden by disease stage in Spain.

Methods: We developed a Markov model from a social perspective simulating the natural history of EOC and its four stages, with a 10-year time horizon, 3-week cycles, 3% discount rate, and 2016 euros. Healthcare resource utilization and costs were estimated by disease stage.

Geriatric assessment may help decision-making in elderly patients with inoperable, locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Background: Although concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) increases survival in patients with inoperable, locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there is no consensus on the treatment of elderly patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and its ability to predict toxicity in this setting.

Methods: We enrolled 85 consecutive elderly (⩾75 years) participants, who underwent CGA and the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13).

Definition of a SNOMED CT pathology subset and microglossary, based on 1.17 million biological samples from the Catalan Pathology Registry.

SNOMED CT terminology is not backed by standard norms of encoding among pathologists. The vast number of concepts ordered in hierarchies and axes, together with the lack of rules of use, complicates the functionality of SNOMED CT for coding, extracting, and analyzing the data. Defining subgroups of SNOMED CT by discipline could increase its functionality.

Factors Predicting Adherence to a Tailored-Dose Adjuvant Treatment on the Basis of Geriatric Assessment in Elderly People With Colorectal Cancer: A Prospective Study.

Background: Selecting elderly people with colorectal cancer (CRC) for adjuvant chemotherapy is challenging. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) can help by classifying them according to their frailty profile. The supposed benefit of chemotherapy is on the basis of the rate of treatment adherence.

Improving radiation oncology through clinical audits: Introducing the IROCA project.

As radiotherapy practice and processes become more complex, the need to assure quality control becomes ever greater. At present, no international consensus exists with regards to the optimal quality control indicators for radiotherapy; moreover, few clinical audits have been conducted in the field of radiotherapy. The present article describes the aims and current status of the international IROCA "Improving Radiation Oncology Through Clinical Audits" project.

Towards the centralization of digestive oncologic surgery: changes in activity, techniques and outcome.

Aim: The objective of the present study was to examine changes in the activity, surgical techniques and results from the process of centralization of complex digestive oncologic surgery in 2005-2012 as compared to 1996-2000.

Material And Methods: A retrospective cohort study employing the minimum basic data set of hospital discharge (MBDSHD 1996-2012) from public centers in Catalonia (Spain) was performed. The population consisted of individuals aged > 18 who underwent digestive oncologic surgery (esophagus, pancreas, liver, stomach or rectum).

Geriatric Assessment Predicts Survival and Competing Mortality in Elderly Patients with Early Colorectal Cancer: Can It Help in Adjuvant Therapy Decision-Making?

Background: The challenge when selecting elderly patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) for adjuvant therapy is to estimate the likelihood that death from other causes will preclude cancer events from occurring. The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) can predict survival and cancer-specific mortality in elderly CRC patients candidates for adjuvant therapy.

Material And Methods: One hundred ninety-five consecutive patients aged ≥75 with high-risk stage II and stage III CRC were prospectively included from May 2008 to May 2015.

Positive psychotherapy for distressed cancer survivors: Posttraumatic growth facilitation reduces posttraumatic stress.

There is increasing evidence that positive life changes, such as posttraumatic growth (PTG), can result from the experience of coping with cancer. However, no interventions have been specifically designed to facilitate the development of PTG in cancer. In this article, we describe and assess the results of Positive Psychotherapy for Cancer (PPC) survivors.

Long-term costs of colorectal cancer treatment in Spain.

Background: Assessing the long-term cost of colorectal cancer (CRC) increases our understanding of the disease burden. The aim of this paper is to estimate the long-term costs of CRC care by stage at diagnosis and phase of care in the Spanish National Health Service.

Methods: Retrospective study on resource use and direct medical cost of a cohort of 699 patients diagnosed and treated for CRC in 2000-2006, with follow-up until 30 June 2011, at Hospital del Mar (Barcelona).