The CONFIRM trial protocol: the utility of prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography in active surveillance for prostate cancer.

Objectives: Primary objectives: To determine the additive value of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the risk stratification of men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PCa) who would have otherwise been deemed suitable for active surveillance (AS). Specifically, we aim to determine if PSMA PET/CT can detect a cohort of men on AS that are in fact high risk and likely to experience unfavourable outcomes should they remain on their current treatment pathway.

Secondary Objectives: to determine the additive value of PSMA PET/CT to repeat multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) of the prostate and explore whether a confirmatory biopsy may be avoided in men with a negative PSMA PET/CT and a negative repeat mpMRI of the prostate (Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System score of <3).

Improving Medication Safety in Cancer Services for Ethnic Minority Consumers: Protocol for a Pilot Feasibility and Acceptability Study of a Co-Designed Consumer Engagement Intervention.

Background: People from ethnic minorities are often exposed to unsafe care contributing to poorer health care outcomes. Medication safety is a high-risk area requiring intervention to improve care outcomes. Using an adapted, experience-based co-design process with cancer service staff and patients from ethnic minorities, a medication communication tool was created: Making it Meaningful (MiM).

Definitive Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Early-Stage Solitary Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Australian Multi-Institutional Review of Outcomes.

Aims: Standard curative options for early-stage, solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are often unsuitable due to liver dysfunction, comorbidities and/or tumour location. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has shown high rates of local control in HCC; however, limited data exist in the treatment-naïve, curative-intent setting. We report the outcomes of patients with solitary early-stage HCC treated with SBRT as first-line curative-intent therapy.

Treatment patterns and outcomes in older adults with castration-resistant prostate cancer: Analysis of an Australian real-world cohort.

Introduction: Prostate cancer (PC) is the second commonest malignancy and fifth leading cause of cancer death in men worldwide. Older men are more likely to develop PC but are underrepresented in pivotal clinical trials, leading to challenges in treatment selection in the real-world setting. We aimed to examine treatment patterns and outcomes in older Australians with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Spine Metastases-Findings from an Australian Population-Based Study.

To evaluate the use of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for spine metastases and the associated factors in Australia. The Victorian Radiotherapy Minimum Dataset, which captures all episodes of radiotherapy delivered in the state of Victoria, was accessed to evaluate the patterns and trends of SBRT for spine metastases. The primary outcome was SBRT use and associated factors.

Real-world challenges in undertaking fusion testing in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: We performed a retrospective analysis to determine the incidence of neurotrophic tropomyosin-receptor kinase ( fusion in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Archival NSCLC tissues between 2018-2020 were screened by immunohistochemistry (IHC) with IHC-positive cases undergoing confirmatory molecular analysis. Correlative clinicopathologic parameters were collected.

Measuring dose in lung identifies peripheral tumour dose inaccuracy in SBRT audit.

Purpose: Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung tumours has become a mainstay of clinical practice worldwide. Measurements in anthropomorphic phantoms enable verification of patient dose in clinically realistic scenarios. Correction factors for reporting dose to the tissue equivalent materials in a lung phantom are presented in the context of a national dosimetry audit for SBRT.

Artificial Intelligence in Head and Neck Cancer: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews.

Introduction: Several studies have emphasized the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and its subfields, such as machine learning (ML), as emerging and feasible approaches to optimize patient care in oncology. As a result, clinicians and decision-makers are faced with a plethora of reviews regarding the state of the art of applications of AI for head and neck cancer (HNC) management. This article provides an analysis of systematic reviews on the current status, and of the limitations of the application of AI/ML as adjunctive decision-making tools in HNC management.

Real-world data on patterns and outcomes of radiation therapy for brain metastases in a population-based cohort of lung cancer patients in Victoria.

Introduction: We evaluated real-world data on the patterns and outcomes of radiotherapy (RT) for brain metastases (BM) in a population-based cohort of patients with lung cancer (LC) in Victoria.

Methods: The Victorian Radiotherapy Minimum Data set (VRMDS) and the Victorian Cancer Registry (VCR) were linked to identify patients with LC who underwent RT for BM between 2013 and 2016. We determined: (i) proportion of patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS); (ii) overall survival (OS); and (iii) 30-day mortality (30M) following RT for BM.

Utilizing RE-AIM to scope potential for feasible immigrant cancer literacy education.

Disparities in cancer incidence and mortality exist between settled and newly-arrived immigrant communities in immigrant-nations, such as Australia, Canada and USA. This may be due to differences in the uptake of cancer prevention behaviours and services for early detection, and cultural, language or literacy barriers impacting understanding of mainstream health messages. Blending cancer-literacy with immigrant English language education presents a promising means to reach new immigrants attending language programs.

Development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Perceptions of Parental Illness Questionnaire for Cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Parental Illness Questionnaire for Cancer (PPIQ-C) among adolescents and young adults (AYAs).

Methods: A sample of 372 AYAs (aged 12-24 years) who had a parent diagnosed with cancer completed the PPIQ-C and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine the dimensional structure of the PPIQ-C.

Understanding the activity of antibody-drug conjugates in primary and secondary brain tumours.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), a class of targeted cancer therapeutics combining monoclonal antibodies with a cytotoxic payload via a chemical linker, have already been approved for the treatment of several cancer types, with extensive clinical development of novel constructs ongoing. Primary and secondary brain tumours are associated with high mortality and morbidity, necessitating novel treatment approaches. Pharmacotherapy of brain tumours can be limited by restricted drug delivery across the blood-brain or blood-tumour barrier, although data from phase II studies of the HER2-targeted ADC trastuzumab deruxtecan indicate clinically relevant intracranial activity in patients with brain metastases from HER2 breast cancer.

Evaluation of a safe neutrophil count for cessation of intravenous antibiotics and early hospital discharge in stable, afebrile patients recovering after acute myeloid leukemia therapy or an autograft.

Currently there are no guidelines on a safe neutrophil count(ANC) for intravenous antibiotic(IVAB) cessation and hospital discharge in patients recovering after febrile neutropenia(FN). We assessed the safety in selected patients after recent FN of prompt IVAB cessation and hospital discharge. Safety was defined as no fever recurrence after IVAB cessation and readmission in the 10-days post-discharge for infections.

ACPSEM position paper: the safety of magnetic resonance imaging linear accelerators.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging linear-accelerator (MRI-linac) equipment has recently been introduced to multiple centres in Australia and New Zealand. MRI equipment creates hazards for staff, patients and others in the MR environment; these hazards must be well understood, and risks managed by a system of environmental controls, written procedures and a trained workforce. While MRI-linac hazards are similar to the diagnostic paradigm, the equipment, workforce and environment are sufficiently different that additional safety guidance is warranted.

Efficacy of mindfulness and goal setting interventions for increasing resilience and reducing smoking in lower socio-economic groups: randomised controlled trial protocol.

Background: Smoking and resulting health problems disproportionately impact low socioeconomic status (SES) individuals. Building resilience presents an approach to 'closing the gap'. Mindfulness-based interventions and setting realistic goals are preferred in low socioeconomic communities.

A Phase Ib/II Trial of Combined BRAF and EGFR Inhibition in BRAF V600E Positive Metastatic Colorectal Cancer and Other Cancers: The EVICT (Erlotinib and Vemurafenib In Combination Trial) Study.

Purpose: BRAF V600E mutant metastatic colorectal cancer represents a significant clinical problem, with combination approaches being developed clinically with oral BRAF inhibitors combined with EGFR-targeting antibodies. While compelling preclinical data have highlighted the effectiveness of combination therapy with vemurafenib and small-molecule EGFR inhibitors, gefitinib or erlotinib, in colorectal cancer, this therapeutic strategy has not been investigated in clinical studies.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a phase Ib/II dose-escalation/expansion trial investigating the safety/efficacy of the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib and EGFR inhibitor erlotinib.

Pathologic Complete Response and Oncologic Outcomes in Locally Advanced Breast Cancers Treated With Neoadjuvant Radiation Therapy: An Australian Perspective.

Purpose: To assess the degree of pathologic complete response (pCR), postoperative surgical complication rates, and oncological outcomes in women with locally advanced breast cancer or high-risk breast cancers treated with neoadjuvant radiation therapy (NART).

Methods And Materials: This retrospective, multi-institutional review involved 138 clinically staged patients with 140 breast cancers treated with NART between January 2014 and February 2021. Treatments involved sequential neoadjuvant chemotherapy and NART, followed by mastectomy with or without axillary surgery and immediate autologous breast reconstruction.

Real-world clinical outcomes and cost estimates of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer treatment: does sequencing of taxanes and androgen receptor-targeted agents matter?

Introduction: Health economic outcomes of real-world treatment sequencing of androgen receptor-targeted agents (ARTA) and docetaxel (DOC) remain unclear.

Material And Methods: Data from the electronic Castration-resistant Prostate cancer Australian Database (ePAD) were analyzed including median overall survival (mOS) and median time-to-treatment failure (mTTF). Mean total costs (mTC) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) of treatment sequences were estimated using the average sample method and Zhao and Tian estimator.

Surgical management of breast cancer in Victoria: A state-wide audit.

Aim: The Victorian Tumour Summits are an initiative of the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services to engage clinicians and consumers in identifying unwarranted variations in cancer care across the state. From the analysis presented at the Victorian Breast Tumour Summit in 2021, this study provides a state-wide overview of epidemiology and surgical care of breast cancer in Victoria to outline any variations in care across the state, and limitations in data reporting, which impacts the understanding of breast cancer burden and service planning.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of Victorian breast cancer patients diagnosed between 2016 and 2018 was performed using a linked data set provided by the Department of Health.

Functional brain imaging interventions for radiation therapy planning in patients with glioblastoma: a systematic review.

Rationale: This systematic review aims to synthesise the outcomes of different strategies of incorporating functional biological markers in the radiation therapy plans of patients with glioblastoma to support clinicians and further research.

Methods: The systematic review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021221021). A structured search for publications was performed following PRISMA guidelines.

Assessing the environment for engagement in health services: The Audit for Consumer Engagement (ACE) tool.

Introduction: Although it is widely accepted that the physical environment can impact health quality and care outcomes, its impact on consumer engagement with health services has not been examined. Currently, no tools exist that assess the opportunities for consumer engagement offered within the physical environment. We aimed to develop and validate an environmental audit tool to assist health services and researchers to assess the extent to which the physical environment in health services creates and supports opportunities for consumer engagement.