Publications by authors named "S Tabatabai"
Background: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) financial conflict of interest (FCOI) policy sets dollar maximums for panelists, but violations may occur.
Methods: We studied NCCN Guidelines panelists for the 20 most prevalent cancers, 2013-2022. We included panelists with at least 1 full calendar year of service ("current panelists") and those who began service during the study period ("new panelists"); NCCN FCOI policy limits ($20 000 from any single company or $50 000 across all companies) apply to both groups.
Article Synopsis
- The Medicare part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) helps with oral cancer drugs but doesn't support clinician-administered drugs, highlighting a gap in cancer treatment assistance.
- An analysis using SEER-Medicare data from 2015-2017 found that LIS participants had lower odds of receiving any systemic therapy and tended to receive less effective treatments compared to non-LIS participants.
- Overall, the study suggests that LIS may negatively impact access to optimal cancer treatment, leading to worse outcomes for certain patients.
Purpose: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend a variety of drug combinations with specific administration schedules for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer, allowing physicians to deliver treatments recognizing individual patient complexities, including comorbidities, and patient-physician preference. While use of guideline regimens has shifted over time, there is little data to describe changes in how treatment for early-stage breast cancer has evolved over time.
Methods: In a cohort of 34,109 women treated for stage I-IIIA breast cancer between 2006-2019 at Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Kaiser Permanente Washington, we present the changes in chemotherapy regimens over time, and explore use of NCCN-guideline regimens (GR), guideline regimens used when said regimens were not included in guidelines, referred to as time-discordant regimens (TDR), and non-guideline regimens (NGR).
Background: Guidelines informing chemotherapy regimen selection are based on clinical trials with participants who do not necessarily represent general populations with breast cancer. Understanding who receives nonguideline regimens is important for understanding real-world chemotherapy administration and how it relates to patient outcomes.
Methods: Using data from the Optimal Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Dosing (OBCD) study, based at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (2006-2019) and Kaiser Permanente Washington (2004-2015), we use logistic regression to examine the associations between patient characteristics and receipt of nonguideline chemotherapy regimens among 11,293 women with primary stage I to IIIA breast cancer receiving chemotherapy.
Article Synopsis
- * A study analyzed 34,109 women with early-stage breast cancer to identify factors causing delays in chemotherapy initiation post-diagnosis and surgery, finding that about 21% of patients faced such delays.
- * Factors linked to increased delays included older age and being non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic, while those diagnosed more recently or with larger tumors were less likely to experience delays, indicating various influences beyond patient demographics that need to be addressed.