Fatores de Risco para Câncer de Mama em Juiz de Fora (MG): um estudo caso-controle

O principal fator de risco (FR) para a ocorrência do câncer de mama (CM) é a idade avançada, porém fatores hormonais endógenos e exógenos, hereditariedade, fatores dietéticos e sociodemográficos se interagem na etiologia do CM. Nosso objetivo foi analisar os fatores de risco para câncer de mama em mulheres de nossa região. Foram entrevistados 80 casos e 76 controles, pareados por idade, consecutivos, de setembro de 2000 a maio de 2001. Os dados obtidos foram analisados pelo teste do qui-quadrado e posteriormente pelo modelo de regressão logística. Morar em zona rural foi a variável de risco mais significativa (p=0,0016) e ter tido quatro ou mais filhos mostrou-se como um fator de proteção (p=0,0094). Concluímos que entre as mulheres de nossa região, o fato de morar em zona rural está associado a maior risco de desenvolvimento de CM. Ter tido quatro ou mais filhos, por outro lado, é um fator de proteção.

A pilot study addressing the impact of religious practice on quality of life of breast cancer patients during chemotherapy

The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate whether religious practice can modify quality of life (QoL) in BC patients during chemotherapy. QoL and religion practice questionnaire (RPQ) scores were evaluated in a sample of BC patients in different moments. Before chemotherapy initiation, women with lower physical and social functional scores displayed higher RPQ scores. On the other hand, low RPQ patients worsened some QoL scores over time. Body image acceptance was positively correlated with religious practice and specifically praying activity. This preliminary study suggests the importance of religion in coping with cancer chemotherapy.

Missed Opportunities of Integration of Palliative Care: Frequency, Causes, and Profile of Missed Visits in an Oncologic Palliative Care Outpatient Unit

CONTEXT

Many patients with cancer are referred to palliative care (PC) outpatient clinics but do not attend consultations, which increases the difficultly of integrating PC in a timely manner.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the frequency, causes, and profile of missing first-time consultations in a PC outpatient clinic.

METHODS

Data from patients with advanced cancer who were scheduled for first-time visits to the PC outpatient clinic from September 2018 to August 2019 were analyzed. Missed consultation was defined as a nonperformed consultation with no prior notice of cancellation, and missed opportunity of palliative care (MOPC) was defined as a nonperformed consultation regardless of being notified in advance. The causes of the absence were identified by telephone using a standardized form. Logistic regression models were used to identify the profile of patients who have MOPC.

RESULTS

About 1468 patients were scheduled for first-time visits to the PC outpatient clinic; missed consultation = 21.7% (n = 275) and MOPC = 32.5% (n = 478). Of the total number of patients who had MOPC, 86 (18%) were later seen in a median time (percentile p25-p75) of 29.5 days (range 7.0-66.5). The most common cause of MOPC was death before consultation (n = 92; 29.8%). Referral to PC using a standardized protocol (odds ratio 0.787; P = 0.044) and residence in distant cities (odds ratio 2.394; P < 0.001) were independently associated with MOPC.

CONCLUSION

Approximately one-third of patients eligible for PC miss the opportunity to be included earlier; only 18% of them are consulted later. Use of standardized referral protocols may help to reduce these absence rates.

The palliative care triage system in advanced cancer emergency care: development and initial validation

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to develop and validate a new emergency triage tool for use on patients with cancer undergoing palliative care (PC).

METHODS

In phase I, the new tool was developed after literature review and expert committee meetings. A prospective longitudinal study in phase II assessed the interobserver reliability of the tool. In phase III, a retrospective study of administrative data, the feasibility of routine use of the new tool and the associations with hospitalisation and survival times were evaluated.

RESULTS

The palliative care triage system (PCTS) was composed of check-list items and four colour-coded categories for maximum response time. In phase II, the PCTS was independently evaluated by two nurses for 102 attendances in the emergency department of the PC unit. An absolute agreement of 87.3% and a weighted kappa of 0.81 were observed. In phase III, all 493 attendances had the PCTS assessment registered in the medical records. The PCTS categories were associated with hospital admission (p<0.001) and survival times (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

PCTS is a feasible tool to be used in routine ED triage of patients with advanced cancer undergoing PC. It is a valid instrument for predicting hospital admission rates and survival with high interobserver concordance rates.

The Magee 3 Equation Predicts Favorable Pathologic Response to Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer (BC) remains a significant health care challenge, and treatment approaches continue to evolve. Among these, neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) has gained prominence, particularly for postmenopausal, hormone-receptor positive, HER2-negative (HR+/HER2-) BC patients. Despite this, a significant gap exists in identifying patients who stand to benefit from NET. The objective of this study was to assess whether Magee equations (MEs) could serve as predictors of response to NET.

METHODS

This retrospective study included adult patients with invasive BC who underwent NET followed by curative surgery. Assessment of sociodemographic, clinical, and tumor-related variables was conducted. The ME1, ME2, ME3, and ME mean were analyzed to explore their predictive role for NET response. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed, along with the determination of optimal cutoff points. Logistic regression models were utilized to identify the most significant predictors of pathological response.

RESULTS

Among the 75 female participants, the mean age was 69.4 years, with the majority being postmenopausal (n = 72, 96%) and having an ECOG-PS of 0/1 (n = 63, 84%). Most patients were classified as luminal A (n = 41, 54.7%). ME3 emerged as a promising predictor, boasting an AUC of 0.734, with sensitivity of 90.62% and specificity of 57.50% when the threshold was ≤ 19.97. In univariate analysis, clinical staging (p = 0.002), molecular subtype (p = 0.001), and ME3 (continuous = 0.001, original 3-tier: p = 0.013, new 2-tier: <0.001) categories exhibited significant associations with pathological response. In the multivariate model, clinical staging and new 2-tier ME3 (<20 vs. ≥20) were included as significant variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with ME3 < 20 have a higher likelihood of presenting a pathological response, offering a cost-effective alternative tool to Oncotype DX. Larger future studies with a prospective design are awaited to confirm our findings.

Challenging Rationality: Examining the Belief in Cure Among Patients With Advanced Incurable Cancers

Citing a recently published study, this letter to the editor highlights again the critical role of prognostic awareness in the decision-making process for cancer therapeutics.

Absence of TGF-βRII predicts bone and lung metastasis and is associated with poor prognosis in stage III breast tumors

In the case of operated breast cancer (BC), prognostic markers help to determine if the patient needs additional treatment and predictive markers help the clinician to decide which treatment to use. Thus, a better knowledge of known predictive and prognostic markers and the identification of new markers, may improve the treatment of BC patients. The transforming growth factor-beta type II receptor (TGF-βRII), a main receptor of transforming growth factor beta pathway, is a potential new prognostic marker. The aims of the present study were to investigate both the predictive and prognostic impact of TGF-βRII in BC samples. TGF-βRII protein expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray containing 110 TNM stage III BC samples obtained prior to doxorubicin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Our results demonstrate that TGF-βRII did not predict the response to NAC. On the other hand, an association between TGF-βRII-negative tumor and higher risk of metastasis to lungs and bones was verified. TGF-βRII negativity was an independent prognostic factor for decreased disease-free and overall survival.

A Research Protocol for a Phase II Single-Arm Clinical Trial Assessing the Feasibility and Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Anastrozole in Patients With Luminal Breast Cancer and Low Proliferative Index: The ANNE Trial

INTRODUCTION

Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is recommended for the treatment of invasive breast cancer (BC), particularly luminal subtypes, in locally advanced stages. Previous randomized studies have demonstrated the benefits of aromatase inhibitors in this context. However, NET is typically reserved for elderly or frail patients who may not tolerate neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Identifying non-responsive patients early and extending treatment for responsive ones would be ideal, yet optimal strategies are awaited.

AIMS

This non-randomized phase 2 clinical trial aims to assess NET feasibility and efficacy in postmenopausal stage II and III luminal BC patients, identifying predictive therapeutic response biomarkers. Efficacy will be gauged by patients with Ki67 ≤ 10% after 4 weeks and Preoperative Endocrine Prognostic Index (PEPI) scores 0 post-surgery. Study feasibility will be determined by participation acceptance rate (recruitment rate ≥50%) and inclusion rate (>2 patients/month).

METHODS

Postmenopausal women with luminal, HER2-tumors in stages II and III undergo neoadjuvant anastrozole treatment, evaluating continuing NET or receiving chemotherapy through early Ki67 analysis after 2 to 4 weeks. The study assesses NET extension for up to 10 months, using serial follow-ups with standardized breast ultrasound and clinical criteria-based NET suspension. Clinical and pathological responses will be measured overall and in the luminal tumor A subgroup. Toxicity, health-related quality of life, and circulating biomarkers predicting early NET response will also be evaluated.

Tumor de células germinativas de testículo simulando câncer de pâncreas

Durante as últimas duas décadas, os tumores de células germinativas de origem gonadal ou extragonadal se transformaram no modelo de tumor sólido curável, principalmente em função da boa sensibilidade à quimioterapia baseada em cisplatina. Em cerca de 90% dos casos, se apresentam com sintomas testiculares e nos casos restantes em função de metástases. Apresentamos um caso atípico que simulou inicialmente um câncer de pâncreas, atrasando o diagnóstico. Salientamos a importância de se pensar em tumor de células germinativas, principalmente em homens jovens com icterícia obstrutiva e massa em topografia de pâncreas, já que um linfonodo retroperitoneal metastático pode simular um tumor primário em pâncreas, tanto clinicamente como aos exames de imagem. Sabendo ser um câncer com tendência a rápido crescimento, mas curável em grande parte dos casos, o atraso no diagnóstico pode dificultar o tratamento de um paciente em condições inadequadas.

The Barretos short instrument for assessment of quality of life (BSIqol): development and preliminary validation in a cohort of cancer patients undergoing antineoplastic treatment

BACKGROUND

To be clinically useful, an instrument assessing health-related quality of life (HRQOL) should be easy to understand and quick to answer. Few instruments have been designed to be short, simple, and easily understandable by patients from all educational levels. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a brief general instrument developed to assess HRQOL.

METHODS

Results from a preliminary study regarding the initial development of the Barretos Short Instrument for Assessment of Quality of Life (BSIqol) with 80 cancer patients are presented. Out of all the patients, 59 completed the BSIqol on two occasions in order to evaluate the reproducibility test-retest. Validity analyses were done comparing scores from BSIqol with EORTC QLQ-C30 and Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). In addition, BSIqol scores were analyzed in function of ECOG-PS, work activity, and financial income.

RESULTS

BSIqol demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.79) and adequate test-retest reliability, with intraclass coefficient correlation (ICC) varying from 0.736 to 0.946. There were adequate correlations between scores of BSIqol, EORTC QLQ-C30 and ESAS. The BSIqol was capable of discriminating between clinical subgroups, with different ECOG-PS and work activity. Patients completed the BSIqol in a median time <2 min. Only one patient reported some difficulty to answer the instrument.

CONCLUSIONS

BSIqol seems to be a straightforward and useful instrument for rapidly assessing HRQOL from cancer patients. Further studies are necessary to evaluate BSIqol in different populations and also to assess its responsiveness and define its minimal clinically important differences.

To Treat or Not to Treat? Dilemmas when Deciding on Antineoplastic Treatment in Patients With Far Advanced Cancers

Patients with advanced cancers and their oncologists are often faced with difficult treatment decisions, especially when there are borderline situations of expected benefit or increased risk of complications. In this narrative review, we will explore the decision-making process for patients with advanced cancers and provide insights on how to approach this complex task, while didactically dividing the oncologist's assessments according to a mnemonic rule of the ABCDE of therapeutic decision-making. Part A (advanced cancer) recalls that the rule is to be used specifically for advanced cancers. Parts B (potential benefits) and C (clinical conditions and risks) represents the traditional risk vs benefit scale. In Part D, we discuss ways to identify and understand patients' desires, values, preferences, and beliefs. The prognostic estimation, from Part E, may function as an "adjust" for the antineoplastic treatment decision-making. Treatment decisions need to be conducted by skilled oncologists, in a patient-centered care, aiming to promote valuable oncology with lower rates of aggressive care.

Navigating Endocrine Sensitivity Assessment in Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer Through Early On-Treatment Ki67 Understanding

In the landscape of breast cancer management, precise assessment of endocrine sensitivity significantly influences therapeutic strategies. The utilization of Ki67, an immunohistochemical marker of tumor proliferation, in tumor rebiopsy holds paramount importance in unraveling breast cancer's response to endocrine therapy. This narrative review aims to elucidate the pivotal role of Ki67 in endocrine sensitivity assessment. We explore the nuanced process of Ki67 evaluation, its timing, and its implications for clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients. From a clinical perspective to pathological response and risk of recurrence, we navigate the spectrum of Ki67's impact. By delving into these facets, we underscore Ki67's potential to guide personalized treatment strategies, shedding light on the intricate interplay between endocrine therapy and clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients.

The palliative care triage system in advanced cancer emergency care: development and initial validation

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to develop and validate a new emergency triage tool for use on patients with cancer undergoing palliative care (PC).

METHODS

In phase I, the new tool was developed after literature review and expert committee meetings. A prospective longitudinal study in phase II assessed the interobserver reliability of the tool. In phase III, a retrospective study of administrative data, the feasibility of routine use of the new tool and the associations with hospitalisation and survival times were evaluated.

RESULTS

The palliative care triage system (PCTS) was composed of check-list items and four colour-coded categories for maximum response time. In phase II, the PCTS was independently evaluated by two nurses for 102 attendances in the emergency department of the PC unit. An absolute agreement of 87.3% and a weighted kappa of 0.81 were observed. In phase III, all 493 attendances had the PCTS assessment registered in the medical records. The PCTS categories were associated with hospital admission (p<0.001) and survival times (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

PCTS is a feasible tool to be used in routine ED triage of patients with advanced cancer undergoing PC. It is a valid instrument for predicting hospital admission rates and survival with high interobserver concordance rates.