Publications by authors named "Leonie Mekenkamp"

Objective: To improve sustainability of a patient decision aid for systemic treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, we evaluated real-world experiences and identified ways to optimize decision aid content and future implementation.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews with patients and medical oncologists addressed two main subjects: user experience and decision aid content. Content analysis was applied.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study highlights the slow implementation of cancer treatment guidelines in the Netherlands, specifically for pancreatic cancer, aiming to improve survival rates through better adherence to best practices.
  • It involved a multicenter trial with 5887 patients, comparing enhanced treatment strategies against usual care from May 2018 to July 2020.
  • Results showed that one-year survival rates were similar between both groups (24% vs 23%) and there wasn't a significant increase in adherence to the recommended treatment practices post-implementation.
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Introduction: Physical activity (PA) is associated with higher quality of life and probably better prognosis among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. This study focuses on determinants of PA among CRC patients from diagnosis until 5 yr postdiagnosis.

Methods: Sociodemographic and disease-related factors of participants of two large CRC cohort studies were combined.

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Background: Biomarkers predicting treatment response may be used to stratify patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) for available therapies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of circulating cytokines with FOLFIRINOX response and with overall survival (OS).

Methods: Serum samples were collected before start and after the first cycle of FOLFIRINOX from patients with PDAC (=83) of all disease stages.

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Regular physical activity (PA) is associated with improved overall survival (OS) in stage I-III colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. This association is less defined in patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC). We therefore conducted a study in mCRC patients participating in the Prospective Dutch Colorectal Cancer cohort.

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In this study, we explored the predictive value of serum microRNA (miRNA) expression for early tumor progression during FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy and its association with overall survival (OS) in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). A total of 132 PDAC patients of all disease stages were included in this study, of whom 25% showed progressive disease during FOLFIRINOX according to the RECIST criteria. MiRNA expression was analyzed in serum collected before the start and after one cycle of chemotherapy.

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Importance: Triplet chemotherapy with fluorouracil, folinic acid, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan plus bevacizumab (FOLFOXIRI-B) is an effective first-line treatment option for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, the degree of implementation of FOLFOXIRI-B in daily practice is unknown.

Objectives: To evaluate the current adoption rate of FOLFOXIRI-B in patients with mCRC and investigate the perspectives of medical oncologists toward this treatment option.

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Background: Biomarkers predicting treatment response may be used to stratify pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients for therapy. The aim of this study was to identify circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) mutations that associate with tumor progression during FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy, and overall survival (OS).

Methods: Circulating cell-free DNA was analyzed with a 57 gene next-generation sequencing panel using plasma samples of 48 PDAC patients of all disease stages.

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Introduction: Since current studies on locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) mainly report from single, high-volume centers, it is unclear if outcomes can be translated to daily clinical practice. This study provides treatment strategies and clinical outcomes within a multicenter cohort of unselected patients with LAPC.

Materials And Methods: Consecutive patients with LAPC according to Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Group criteria, were prospectively included in 14 centers from April 2015 until December 2017.

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Background: Upfront cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC (CRS-HIPEC) is the standard treatment for isolated resectable colorectal peritoneal metastases (PM) in the Netherlands. This study investigates whether addition of perioperative systemic therapy to CRS-HIPEC improves oncological outcomes.

Methods: This open-label, parallel-group, phase II-III, randomised, superiority study is performed in nine Dutch tertiary referral centres.

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Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) of the ampulla of Vater is an extremely rare tumor. Our case describes a 45-year-old female presenting with jaundice and pruritus. Computed tomography, endoscopy, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed a tumor of the ampulla of Vater without distant metastasis.

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Objective: To evaluate and compare the overall survival (OS) in case-matched patient groups treated either with systemic therapy or surgery for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM).

Methods: Patients with CRLM, without extra-hepatic disease, treated with chemotherapy with or without targeted therapy in two phase III studies (n = 480) were selected and case-matched to patients who underwent liver resection (n = 632). Matching criteria were sex, age, established prognostic factors for survival (clinical risk score).

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Approximately half of the colorectal cancer (CRC) patients develop metastatic disease. Fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy forms the backbone of treatment in these patients. However, the response to this therapy varies between individuals.

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Background: Mucinous carcinoma (MC) is found in 10%-15% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. It differs from the common adenocarcinoma (AC) in histopathological appearance and clinical behavior.

Methods: Genome-wide DNA copy number and survival data from MC and AC primary CRC samples from patients from two phase III trials (CAIRO and CAIRO2) was compared.

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Response to drug therapy in individual colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is associated with tumour biology. Here we describe the genomic landscape of tumour samples of a homogeneous well-annotated series of patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC) of two phase III clinical trials, CAIRO and CAIRO2. DNA copy number aberrations of 349 patients are determined.

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The metastatic process is complex and remains a major obstacle in the management of colorectal cancer. To gain a better insight into the pathology of metastasis, we investigated genomic aberrations in a large cohort of matched colorectal cancer primaries and distant metastases from various sites by high resolution array comparative genomic hybridization. In total, 62 primary colorectal cancers, and 68 matched metastases (22 liver, 11 lung, 12 ovary, 12 omentum, and 11 distant lymph nodes) were analyzed.

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Background: KRAS mutation is a negative predictive factor for treatment with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Novel predictive markers are required to further improve the selection of patients for this treatment. We assessed the influence of modification of KRAS by gene copy number aberration (CNA) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in correlation to clinical outcome in mCRC patients treated with cetuximab in combination with chemotherapy and bevacizumab.

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Objective: Metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) cells have a selective preference for certain target organs that cannot be explained by circulatory patterns alone. This study aimed to identify clinicopathological features and chromosomal aberrations of primary tumours associated with organ-specific CRC metastasis.

Design: Clinicopathological features were investigated in patients with CRC who had exclusively hepatic (n=182) versus exclusively extrahepatic (n=139) metastases.

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Purpose: Mucinous histology of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) has been associated with poor prognosis, however this has never been assessed in large well-defined study populations treated with the current used systemic agents. We investigated the prognostic value of mucinous histology in two large phase III studies in metastatic CRC.

Patients And Methods: The study population included 1010 metastatic CRC patients who were treated with chemotherapy and targeted therapies in two phase III studies.

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Metastatic disease is the major cause of death in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The metastatic process is highly inefficient and comprises multiple sequential steps. While many genetic factors relevant in this process have already been identified, the epigenetic factors underlying each step still remain obscure.

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Lymph node status is the strongest prognostic factor for survival in colorectal cancer. There are several guidelines concerning the minimum numbers of lymph nodes that need to be examined to make reliable staging possible, but there is no consensus in the available literature. In this study, we determine in patients with rectal cancer factors that relate to the number of lymph nodes found and the presence of lymph node metastasis.

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