Pembrolizumab 400 mg every 6 weeks as first-line therapy for advanced melanoma (KEYNOTE-555): Results from cohort B of an open-label, phase 1 study.

Intravenous pembrolizumab 400 mg every 6 weeks was approved across tumor types based on pharmacokinetic modeling, which showed exposures consistent with previous standard dosing of 200 mg or 2 mg/kg every 3 weeks, and early results of cohort B of the phase 1 KEYNOTE-555 study. Results after ≥1 year of potential follow-up for all patients in cohort B of KEYNOTE-555 are presented. Patients aged ≥18 years with previously untreated stage III/IV melanoma received pembrolizumab 400 mg every 6 weeks for ≤18 cycles.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in Australia: a retrospective real world cohort study.

Objectives: To review the outcomes of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) outside clinical trials.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study; review of patient records in fifteen Australian institutions.

Setting, Participants: All Australian adults with locally advanced or metastatic CSCC not amenable to curative surgery or radiotherapy treated with ICIs, 5 May 2017 - 23 May 2022, through a cemiplimab compassionate access scheme (Therapeutic Goods Administration Special Access Scheme) or who personally covered the cost of pembrolizumab prior to the start of the access scheme.

Feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of virtual reality as a patient education tool for people with cancer undergoing immunotherapy: a protocol for a randomised controlled pilot study in a regional setting.

Introduction: Patient education is a critical component of healthcare delivery. However, medical information and knowledge are complex and can be difficult for patients and families to comprehend when delivered verbally. The use of virtual reality (VR) to convey medical information to patients may bridge this communication gap and lead to more effective patient education.

Interactions between Australian cancer physicians and the pharmaceutical industry: a qualitative study.

Objectives: To understand how and why Australian cancer physicians interact with the pharmaceutical industry.

Design: Qualitative study using semistructured interviews, performed by a medical oncologist. Thematic analysis using a combination of deductive and inductive codes.

Testosterone suppression plus enzalutamide versus testosterone suppression plus standard antiandrogen therapy for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (ENZAMET): an international, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial.

Background: The interim analysis of the ENZAMET trial of testosterone suppression plus either enzalutamide or standard nonsteroidal antiandrogen therapy showed an early overall survival benefit with enzalutamide. Here, we report the planned primary overall survival analysis, with the aim of defining the benefit of enzalutamide treatment in different prognostic subgroups (synchronous and metachronous high-volume or low-volume disease) and in those who received concurrent docetaxel.

Methods: ENZAMET is an international, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial conducted at 83 sites (including clinics, hospitals, and university centres) in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA.

Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Position Statement: 2022 update to the safe handling of monoclonal antibodies in healthcare settings.

Aim: The aims were to (a) review the scientific literature on occupational risk, including exposure mechanisms and risk assessment, with regards to handling monoclonal antibodies (mABs) in healthcare settings; and (b) update the recommendations in the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) safe handling of monoclonal antibodies in healthcare settings position statement, published in 2013.

Methods: A literature search was conducted between April 24, 2022, and July 3, 2022, to identify evidence relating to occupational exposure and handling of mABs in healthcare settings. Evidence in the literature was compared to the Position Statement published in 2013, and any potential additions, deletions, or revisions were discussed by the authors, and then agreed changes were made.

An anthropomorphic 3D printed inhomogeneity thorax phantom slab for SBRT commissioning and quality assurance.

Anthropomorphic phantoms with tissue equivalency are required in radiotherapy for quality assurance of imaging and dosimetric processes used in radiotherapy treatments. Commercial phantoms are expensive and provide limited approximation to patient geometry and tissue equivalency. In this study, a 5 cm thick anthropomorphic thoracic slab phantom was designed and 3D printed using models exported from a CT dataset to demonstrate the feasibility of manufacturing anthropomorphic 3D printed phantoms onsite in a clinical radiotherapy department.

A comparison of in-house and shared RapidPlan models for prostate radiation therapy planning.

Knowledge-based planning (KBP) can increase plan quality, consistency and efficiency. In this study, we assess the success of a using a publicly available KBP model compared with developing an in-house model for prostate cancer radiotherapy using a single, commercially available treatment planning system based on the ability of the model to achieve the centre's planning goals. Two radiation oncology centres each created a prostate cancer KBP model using the Eclipse RapidPlan software.

TROG 14.04: Multicentre Study of Feasibility and Impact on Anxiety of DIBH in Breast Cancer Patients.

Aims: The aim of TROG 14.04 was to assess the feasibility of deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) and its impact on radiation dose to the heart in patients with left-sided breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy. Secondary end points pertained to patient anxiety and cost of delivering a DIBH programme.

Using three scenarios to explain life expectancy in advanced cancer: attitudes of patients, family members, and other healthcare professionals.

Aim: To evaluate a web-based tool for estimating and explaining three scenarios for expected survival time to people with advanced cancer (patients), their family members (FMs), and other healthcare professionals (HCPs).

Methods: Thirty-three oncologists estimated the "median survival of a group of similar patients" for patients seeking quantitative prognostic information. The web-based tool generated worst-case, most likely, and best-case scenarios for survival based on the oncologist's estimate.

Australian Cancer Physicians and the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Survey of Attitudes and Interactions.

Purpose: Interactions between cancer physicians and the pharmaceutical industry may create conflicts of interest that can adversely affect patient care. We aimed to survey cancer physicians regarding their attitudes toward and interactions with industry.

Methods: We surveyed Australian cancer physicians between December 2020 and February 2021, questioning how often they interacted with industry and their attitudes toward this.

Virtual reality as a patient education tool in healthcare: A scoping review.

Objective: To explore what is currently known about the use of virtual reality (VR) as a patient education tool in healthcare.

Methods: Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review method and the PRISMA-ScR Checklist were employed. Four peer-reviewed databases were searched (Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, the Cochrane library).

Adjuvant Palbociclib for Early Breast Cancer: The PALLAS Trial Results (ABCSG-42/AFT-05/BIG-14-03).

Purpose: Palbociclib is a cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitor approved for advanced breast cancer. In the adjuvant setting, the potential value of adding palbociclib to endocrine therapy for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer has not been confirmed.

Patients And Methods: In the prospective, randomized, phase III PALLAS trial, patients with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative early breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive 2 years of palbociclib (125 mg orally once daily, days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle) with adjuvant endocrine therapy or adjuvant endocrine therapy alone (for at least 5 years).

Psychosocial well-being and supportive care needs of cancer patients and survivors living in rural or regional areas: a systematic review from 2010 to 2021.

Purpose: To summarise what is currently known about the psychosocial morbidity, experiences, and needs of people with cancer and their informal caregivers, who live in rural or regional areas of developed countries.

Methods: Eligible studies dating from August 2010 until May 2021 were identified through several online databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and RURAL (Rural and Remote Health Database). Results were reported according to the PRISMA guidelines and the protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020171764).

Overall Survival of Men with Metachronous Metastatic Hormone-sensitive Prostate Cancer Treated with Enzalutamide and Androgen Deprivation Therapy.

Men who initially present with localized prostate cancer and later develop metachronous metastases have a better prognosis than men with de novo metastatic disease and often have a low burden of disease on conventional imaging. Some have disease amenable to metastasis-directed therapy for lymph node or bone metastases, a strategy used by some because no documented overall survival (OS) benefit of combination systemic therapy in this setting. We report data for patients prospectively classified as "M0" at initial diagnosis from the interim analysis of the ENZAMET trial, with 34 mo of median follow-up for survivors.

Systematic Review of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy for Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

There is a paucity of robust clinical evidence for the role of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer. The primary aim of the study was to identify the available data on the feasibility, safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant immunotherapy. A systematic review was conducted using electronic databases.

Oral THC:CBD cannabis extract for refractory chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase II crossover trial.

Background: This multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase II/III trial aimed to evaluate an oral THC:CBD (tetrahydrocannabinol:cannabidiol) cannabis extract for prevention of refractory chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Here we report the phase II component results.

Patients And Methods: Eligible patients experienced CINV during moderate-to-high emetogenic intravenous chemotherapy despite guideline-consistent antiemetic prophylaxis.

Retrospective Evaluation of the Use of Pembrolizumab in Malignant Mesothelioma in a Real-World Australian Population.

Introduction: We investigated the efficacy and toxicity of pembrolizumab in patients with mesothelioma from a real-world Australian population. We aimed to determine clinical factors and predictive biomarkers that could help select patients who are likely to benefit from pembrolizumab.

Method: Patients with mesothelioma who were treated with pembrolizumab as part of the Insurance and Care New South Wales compensation scheme were included.

Implementation of advanced radiotherapy technology to improve clinical outcomes in rural NSW.

Problem: Availability of advanced radiotherapy technology to treat cancer is limited in regional Australia. At Central West Cancer Care Centre, the utilisation rate of intensity-modulated radiotherapy and volumetric modulated arc therapy was significantly lower compared to other NSW public health services. Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy treatment was not available at Central West Cancer Care Centre.

Effects of a Laxation and Probiotic Bowel Preparation Regimen: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Patients Undergoing Prostate Radiation Therapy.

: To determine the effect of bulking and osmotic laxation regimens on reducing rectal gas in patients receiving external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer. A single blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted. Participants assigned to the intervention group (IG) were instructed to consume a bulking laxative and probiotic and the standard care group (SC) instructed to consume an osmotic laxative.

Older adults' preferred and perceived roles in decision-making about palliative chemotherapy, decision priorities and information preferences.

Aim: Patients with cancer have varied preferences for involvement in decision-making. We sought older adults' preferred and perceived roles in decision-making about palliative chemotherapy; priorities; and information received and desired.

Methods: Patients ≥65y who had made a decision about palliative chemotherapy with an oncologist completed a written questionnaire.