Real-World, Observational, Retrospective Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness and Safety of Treatment with Sorafenib in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for approximately 90% of liver cancer cases. Sorafenib, the first drug to demonstrate survival benefits for advanced HCC, was validated through the SHARP randomized clinical trial (RCT). While RCTs are essential for assessing new therapies, real-world studies provide additional insights into their effectiveness in routine clinical practice.

Unplanned Hospital Admissions in Patients With Solid Tumors in Brazil: Causes and Progressive Disease's Impact on Outcomes.

Purpose: Most patients with cancer will be hospitalized throughout the disease course. However, most evidence on the causes and outcomes of these hospitalizations comes from administrative data or small retrospective studies from high-income countries.

Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort of patients with solid tumors hospitalized from February 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, in a tertiary cancer center in São Paulo, Brazil.

Glomerular Filtration Rate Estimation Using β-Microglobulin and β-Trace Protein in Adults With Solid Tumors: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Rationale & Objective: β-Microglobulin (B2M) and β-trace protein (BTP) are novel endogenous filtration markers that may improve the accuracy of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) beyond creatinine and cystatin C (eGFR), but they have not been assessed in patients with cancer.

Study Design: Cross-sectional analysis.

Setting & Participants: Prospective cohort of 1,200 patients with active solid tumors recruited between April 2015 and September 2017.

Oncology and Palliative Care Integration Model: A Cost Analysis Study in a Brazilian Hospital Setting.

In 2019, the São Paulo State Cancer Institute (ICESP) implemented a novel model integrating Oncology with Palliative Care specialists. We evaluated the impact of this model on healthcare resource utilization and costs. We analyzed data from all patients who passed away in February (1 month prior to implementation) and November (8 months after model implementation group) at ICESP, Brazil.

A matched case-control study of the prognosis of early breast cancer in patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (BREAST TP53).

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer in premenopausal women with germline TP53 pathogenic variants (mTP53) (Li Fraumeni syndrome - LFS). However, little is known about the BC prognosis in these patients. This study analyzed the BC-related oncologic outcomes of patients with LFS.

Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for evaluating cancer treatments in hospital-based health technology assessment: The Paraconsistent Value Framework.

Background: In recent years, the potential of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in the health field has been discussed widely. However, most MCDA methodologies have given little attention to the aggregation of different stakeholder individual perspectives.

Objective: To illustrate how a paraconsistent theory-based MCDA reusable framework, designed to aid hospital-based Health Technology Assessment (HTA), could be used to aggregate individual expert perspectives when valuing cancer treatments.

Perspectives on PARP Inhibitor Combinations for Ovarian Cancer.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors constitute an important treatment option for ovarian cancer nowadays. The magnitude of benefit from PARP inhibitors is influenced by the homologous recombination status, with greater benefit observed in patients with BRCA mutated or BRCA wild-type homologous recombination deficient (HRD) tumors. Although some PARP inhibitor activity has been shown in homologous recombination proficient (HRP) ovarian tumors, its clinical relevance as a single agent is unsatisfactory in this population.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast and cervical cancer stage at diagnosis in Brazil.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the need for health services adjustments, which may have compromised management of other diseases. For cancer patients, delays may significantly impair outcomes in some situations. We aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in breast and cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment compared to the same period prior to the pandemic.

Phase II study of the safety and efficacy of the anti-PD-1 antibody balstilimab in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic cervical cancer.

Objective: This phase II clinical trial evaluated the safety and antitumor activity of balstilimab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, in patients with previously-treated, recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer.

Methods: Eligible patients were 18 years or older with recurrent and/or metastatic cervical cancer and who had relapsed after a prior platinum-based treatment regimen for advanced disease. Balstilimab was administered intravenously at 3 mg/kg once every two weeks, for up to 24 months.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of trastuzumab for early breast cancer in Brazil.

Background: Adjuvant chemotherapy with trastuzumab for HER2 positive breast cancers has brought considerable benefits to disease-free survival and overall survival.

Objective: To conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of the treatment of patients with early and locally advanced HER2 positive breast cancer, within the scope of the Brazilian public health system, comparing adjuvant chemotherapy with and without trastuzumab, for 1 year of treatment.

Methods: A 4-state Markov model was developed to estimate strategy costs and outcomes.

Challenge of Incorporating New Drugs for Breast Cancer in Brazil: A Proposed Framework for Improving Access to Innovative Therapies.

Purpose: The objective of this review is to address the barriers limiting access to treatment of advanced metastatic breast cancer (mBC) in Brazil, specifically for patients in the public health care system, arguably those with the least access to innovation.

Materials And Methods: A selected panel of Brazilian experts in BC were provided with a series of relevant questions to address in a multiday conference. During the conference, responses were discussed and edited by the entire group through numerous drafts and rounds of discussion until a consensus was achieved.

Ovarian cancer risk assessment in the era of next-generation sequencing.

Ovarian cancer is one of the cancers most influenced by hereditary factors. Testing for hereditary susceptibility genes is recommended for every woman with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Pathogenic germline variants in and genes are responsible for a substantial fraction of hereditary ovarian cancer.

Pregnancy After Breast Cancer in Patients With Germline Mutations.

Purpose: Young women with germline mutations have unique reproductive challenges. Pregnancy after breast cancer does not increase the risk of recurrence; however, very limited data are available in patients with mutations. This study investigated the impact of pregnancy on breast cancer outcomes in patients with germline mutations.

Radiotherapy-induced malignancies in breast cancer patients with TP53 pathogenic germline variants (Li-Fraumeni syndrome).

The risk of radiotherapy-induced malignancies (RIMs) is a concern when treating Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) or Li-Fraumeni Like (LFL) patients. However, the type of TP53 pathogenic germline variant may possibly influence this risk. TP53 p.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy With Cisplatin and Gemcitabine Followed by Chemoradiation Versus Chemoradiation for Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer: A Randomized Phase II Trial.

Purpose: Although chemoradiation therapy (CRT) with cisplatin remains the standard treatment of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC), 40% of patients present with disease recurrence. Additional treatment strategies are required to improve outcomes. We conducted a trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with cisplatin and gemcitabine followed by CRT.