Publications by authors named "Szmit S"

Background: Data on risks and benefits of long-term anticoagulants in patients with a life-limiting disease are limited. This cohort study aims to describe (dis)continuation of anticoagulants and incidences of bleeding and thromboembolic events in vitamin K antagonist (VKA) users with a life-limiting disease.

Methods: Data from five Dutch anticoagulation clinics were linked to data from Statistics Netherlands and the Netherlands Cancer registry.

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Background: Even though antithrombotic therapy (ATT) probably has little or even negative effect on the well-being of patients with cancer near the end of life, it is often continued until death, possibly leading to excess bleeding complications, increased disease burden, reduced quality of life and higher healthcare costs.

Aim: To explore and describe European practice patterns and perspectives of healthcare professionals from different disciplines and specialties on ATT in the end-of-life care (EOLC) of patients with cancer.

Methods: We performed a two-week international cross-sectional survey study using flash-mob research methodology.

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  • The study investigated the impact of venous thromboembolic events (VTE) on overall survival in patients with ALK-positive lung cancer who received treatment with ALK inhibitors.
  • A total of 54 patients were analyzed, finding that 22.2% experienced VTE, which significantly reduced their overall survival compared to those without VTE (median of 11.7 vs. 37.4 months).
  • The findings highlighted that active treatment with certain ALK inhibitors, as well as specific clinical factors like liver metastases and higher leukocyte counts, increased the risk of VTE and negatively affected patient survival.
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  • The POL-MOL study aimed to assess the use of molecular testing in Polish patients diagnosed with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as its extent was previously unknown.
  • Oncologists completed questionnaires about molecular testing for various genetic mutations and PD-L1 assessment, collecting data from 1001 patients receiving systemic treatment.
  • Results indicated that molecular tests were conducted in 78% of NSCLC patients, with higher testing rates in more advanced disease stages, and about 30% of tests in squamous cell carcinoma patients were positive for specific mutations.
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  • The study investigated how physician recommendations and self-monitoring using pedometers affected physical activity levels in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) over 12 weeks.
  • A total of 41 PAH patients participated, with initial activity levels categorized into inactive (less than 5,000 steps/day) and active (5,000 or more steps/day) groups.
  • Results indicated no significant overall change in physical activity levels or improvements in health metrics like walking distance, quality of life, or mental health among participants over the study period.
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Objectives: Venous and arterial thromboembolism (VTE/ATE) often coexist with onco-hematologic diagnosis. This study aimed to assess the time relationship between the diagnosis of VTE/ATE and blood cancers. The second aim was to identify VTE/ATE risk factors related to the type of hematology disease and cardiac history.

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There was increased risk of mental disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients with chronic diseases, including pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), were particularly vulnerable. Our previous study showed high levels of fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S), anxiety (HADS-A), and depression (HADS-D) in the second year of the pandemic among PAH/CTEPH patients.

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The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the oncology population is significantly higher than in non-cancer patients. Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters may, therefore, be an important part of VTE treatment. In this study, we address the outcomes of placing IVC filters in the oncology population.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigated how arterial hypertension (AH) affects long-term outcomes in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), using data from the Polish Lymphoma Research Group.
  • - Findings showed that 28% of patients had pre-existing AH, which significantly lowered overall survival rates and led to much higher cardiovascular deaths compared to those without AH.
  • - The results suggest that AH is a strong, independent predictor of premature cardiovascular mortality, indicating the need for increased monitoring in cardio-oncology practices.
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The hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) procedure is considered a cardiovascular burden. This is due to the potentially cardiotoxic cytostatic agents used before and the risks associated with peri-transplant procedures. We designed a pilot study to determine the clinical utility of the new ST2 marker; furthermore, we routinely assessed cardiac parameters in HSCT recipients.

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Objective: The importance of cardio-hemato-oncology programs is increasing. The main aim of the study was to identify all coexisting cardiovascular disorders in patients with new hematological malignancies referred for echocardiography during baseline evaluation before anticancer therapy.

Material And Methods: The study was based on 900 echocardiographic examinations performed within 12 months at the Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine in Poland: 669 tests (74.

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Article Synopsis
  • Global collaboration is essential in cardio-oncology to study cardiovascular toxicity from cancer treatments across various demographics and settings, as socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities affect care access and outcomes.
  • The Global Cardio-Oncology Registry was created with input from cardiologists and oncologists from both academic and community practices, utilizing an online platform to gather data from international sites.
  • The registry received responses from 119 sites, predominantly led by cardiologists and located in university settings, focusing on key cancer priorities such as breast cancer and patients undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor treatments, with a pilot phase for enrollment already underway.
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Purpose Of Review: To provide an update on epidemiology, risk factors, and management of cardiac arrhythmias in oncological patients within the context of the new European Society of Cardiology 2022 guidelines on cardio-oncology.

Recent Findings: One of the side effects of different chemotherapeutics is their pro-arrhythmic activity. Both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias may be induced by cancer itself or by anticancer treatment.

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Background: Even though antithrombotic therapy has probably little or even negative effects on the well-being of people with cancer during their last year of life, deprescribing antithrombotic therapy at the end of life is rare in practice. It is often continued until death, possibly resulting in excess bleeding, an increased disease burden and higher healthcare costs.

Methods: The SERENITY consortium comprises researchers and clinicians from eight European countries with specialties in different clinical fields, epidemiology and psychology.

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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) patients have a more severe COVID-19 course than the general population. Many patients report different persistent symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of our study is to analyze the prevalence of long COVID-19 symptoms and assess if COVID-19 affects pulmonary hypertension (PH) prognosis.

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The study was conducted in the era when maintenance immunotherapy with durvalumab was not available in clinical practice after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The main aim of the study was to check whether the presence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and their pharmacotherapy affects the overall survival (OS) in such NSCLC patients undergoing sequential CRT. The group of 196 patients were analyzed: 101 patients with CVD (51.

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The role of sequential chemoradiotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who are not eligible for concurrent therapy has not been clearly defined. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of Karnofsky performance status (KPS) monitoring and to define the factors determining clinical deterioration during sequential chemoradiotherapy in patients treated from July 2009 to October 2014. The study included 196 patients.

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Savolitinib is a highly selective MET tyrosine kinase inhibitor. MET is involved in numerous cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation and the formation of distant metastases. MET amplification and MET overexpression are quite common in many cancers, but MET exon 14 skipping alteration is most common in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

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Introduction: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) lead to progressive right heart failure. The mortality rates in PAH and CTEPH patients due to COVID‑19 are high, and vaccination against COVID‑19 is recommended in this group.

Objectives: We analyzed the incidence and outcomes of COVID‑19in the PAH/CTEPH patients for 2 years of the pandemic, as well as the predictors of worse outcomes of COVID‑19 in this group.

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Background: Abiraterone acetate (AA) is a drug used in advanced prostate cancer. However, known clinical factors with predictive and prognostic value are scarce. This study evaluated cardiovascular (CV) factors and geriatric scales as potential markers of superior response during AA therapy.

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Aims: To develop quality indicators (QIs) for the evaluation of the prevention and management of cancer therapy-related cardiovascular toxicity.

Methods And Results: We followed the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) methodology for QI development which comprises (i) identifying the key domains of care for the prevention and management of cancer therapy-related cardiovascular toxicity in patients on cancer treatment, (ii) performing a systematic review of the literature to develop candidate QIs, and (iii) selecting of the final set of QIs using a modified Delphi process. Work was undertaken in parallel with the writing of the 2022 ESC Guidelines on Cardio-Oncology and in collaboration with the European Haematology Association, the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and the International Cardio-Oncology Society.

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Advanced lung cancer causes damage to lung tissue and the alveolar−capillary barrier, leading to changes in pulmonary circulation and cardiac function. This observational study included 75 patients with inoperable lung cancer. Two echocardiographic assessments were performed: one before the initiation of systemic anticancer therapy and another after the first radiological evaluation of the efficacy of anticancer treatment.

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Many factors contribute to mortality in lung cancer, including the presence of concomitant cardiovascular disease. In the treatment of early stage of lung cancer, the presence of comorbidities and occurence of cardiotoxicity may be prognostic. The effect of cardiotoxicity of radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy on overall survival has been documented.

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