Sedation for terminally ill cancer patients: A multicenter retrospective cohort study in South Korea

Sedation therapy is a potential solution to providing relief from refractory symptoms at end of life. The aim of this study was to investigate actual sedation practice and physician characteristics associated with the use of sedation for terminally ill cancer patients in South Korea.A retrospective review was conducted on consecutive patients who had died from cancer at seven tertiary medical centers between January 2010 and October 2015. The use of sedation was defined as the administration of sedative agents to relieve intolerable symptoms within the last 2 weeks preceding death. Patients and physician characteristics and information on the use of sedation were collected.A total of 8309 patients were included in the study. Sedatives were administered in 1334 patients (16.1%) for the following indications: delirium in 39.3%, intractable pain in 23.1%, and dyspnea in 21.9%. Median duration of sedation from initiation to death was 3 days. The use of sedation depended on physician specialty and experience. Family physicians used sedation most often (57.6%), followed by medical oncologists (13.9%), other internists (10.7%), and surgical oncologists (9.4%). The use of sedation was highest for physicians with >5 to 10 years practice experience (22.1%) and lowest for those in practice for 5 years or less (10.2%). The proportion of patients receiving sedation also varied markedly across participating institutions (range, 7.0%-49.7%).This large cohort study provides insight into sedation practice for terminally ill cancer patients in South Korea. Our study shows that the use of sedation depends on physician background and institution. A nation-wide guidelines and continued education on end-of-life sedation are required in South Korea.

Erratum: Correction of Ethics Statement: Discordance between Physician and the General Public Perceptions of Prognostic Disclosure to Children with Serious Illness: a Korean Nationwide Study

[This corrects the article e327 in vol. 33, PMID: 30505258.].

Prospective Validation of The Korean Cancer Study Group Geriatric Score (KG)-7, a Novel Geriatric Screening Tool, in Older Patients with Advanced Cancer Undergoing First-line Palliative Chemotherapy

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to prospectively validate the Korean Cancer Study Group Geriatric Score (KG)-7, a novel geriatric screening tool, in older patients with advanced cancer planned to undergo first-line palliative chemotherapy.

Materials and Methods

Participants answered the KG-7 questionnaire before undergoing geriatric assessment (GA) and first-line palliative chemotherapy. The performance of KG-7 was evaluated by calculating the sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), positive and negative predictive value (PPV and NPV), balanced accuracy (BA), and area under the curve (AUC).

Results

The baseline GA and KG-7 results were collected from 301 patients. The median age was 75 years (range, 70 to 93 years). Abnormal GA was documented in 222 patients (73.8%). Based on the ≤ 5 cut-off value of KG-7 for abnormal GA, abnormal KG-7 score was shown in 200 patients (66.4%). KG-7 showed SE, SP, PPV, NPV, and BA of 75.7%, 59.7%, 84.4%, 46.0%, and 67.7%, respectively; AUC was 0.745 (95% confidence interval, 0.687 to 0.803). Furthermore, patients with higher KG-7 scores showed significantly longer survival (p=0.006).

Conclusion

KG-7 appears to be adequate in identifying patients with abnormal GA prospectively. Hence, KG-7 can be a useful screening tool for Asian countries with limited resources and high patient volume.

Discordance between Physician and the General Public Perceptions of Prognostic Disclosure to Children with Serious Illness: a Korean Nationwide Study

BACKGROUND

It is difficult to decide whether to inform the child of the incurable illness. We investigated attitudes of the general population and physicians toward prognosis disclosure to children and associated factors in Korea.

METHODS

Physicians working in one of 13 university hospitals or the National Cancer Center and members of the general public responded to the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of the age appropriate for informing children about the prognosis and the reason why children should not be informed. This survey was conducted as part of research to identify perceptions of physicians and general public on the end-of-life care in Korea.

RESULTS

A total of 928 physicians and 1,241 members of the general public in Korea completed the questionnaire. Whereas 92.7% of physicians said that children should be informed of their incurable illness, only 50.7% of the general population agreed. Physicians were also more likely to think that younger children should know about their poor prognosis compared with the general population. Physicians who opposed incurable illness disclosure suggested that children might not understand the situation, whereas the general public was primarily concerned that disclosure would exacerbate the disease. Physicians who were women or religious were more likely to want to inform children of their poor prognosis. In the general population, gender, education, comorbidity, and caregiver experience were related to attitude toward poor prognosis disclosure to children.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that physicians and the general public in Korea differ in their perceptions about informing children of poor prognosis.

Spiritual Well-being Among Palliative Care Patients With Different Religious Affiliations: A Multicenter Korean Study

CONTEXT

Spiritual well-being (SWB) is very important in palliative care patients.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate the SWB among palliative care patients in Korea with different religious affiliations and to identify the correlates of SWB.

METHODS

This study is a cross-sectional, multicenter study involving hospitalized patients seen by palliative care teams. We collected data on basic clinicodemographic characteristics, factors related to religion (meaningful religious events, religious activities such as attending worship, individual spiritual activities such as prayer), overall quality of life, and SWB. SWB was measured using Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spirituality 12. We examined the differences in SWB among patients who reported themselves as Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists, and having no religious affiliations.

RESULTS

Among the 202 patients enrolled, 69 (34.2%), 48 (23.8%), 43 (21.3%), and 42 (20.8%) persons were Protestants, were Catholics, were Buddhists, and had no religious affiliation, respectively. The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spirituality 12 was highest among Protestants, followed by Catholics, Buddhists, and those without religious affiliation (29.8 vs. 27.0 vs. 23.2 vs. 16.3, P < 0.001). The faith subscale (12.4 vs. 10.4 vs. 7.7 vs. 2.5, P < 0.001) showed similar distributions. Christians reported higher SWB in the meaning and the peace subscale than patients without a religious affiliation. In the multivariate analysis, religious affiliation (P < 0.001), individual spiritual activities (P < 0.001), and quality of life (P < 0.001) were significantly related to a greater SWB. Age was inversely associated with the meaning subscale (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

Although faith practices may be particularly helpful to improve spiritual well-being among Christians, further research is needed to determine what individual spiritual activities can support non-Christians.

Prognostic Impact of TTF-1 Expression in Non-Squamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) is overexpressed in up to 95% of primary lung adenocarcinoma while negative for almost all squamous cell carcinomas. TTF-1 expression has been investigated as a prognostic factor in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with conflicting results. We conducted this meta-analysis to gain a better insight into the prognostic role of TTF-1 in patients only with non-squamous (non-SQ) NSCLC. A systematic computerized search of the electronic databases including PubMed, PMC, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library was performed. From 21 studies, 6,451 patients were included in the combined analysis of hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival. Compared with patients with non-SQ NSCLC showing negative TTF-1 expression, those with tumors harboring TTF-1 overexpression had significantly better survival (HR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.42-0.57, p < 0.00001). Subgroup analyses revealed that TTF-1 expression significantly correlated with a better prognosis in stage I (HR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.50-0.84, p = 0.0008) as well as stage III-IV non-SQ NSCLC (HR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.29-0.49, p < 0.00001). In conclusion, this meta-analysis demonstrates that TTF-1 overexpression is a favorable prognostic factor in patients with non-SQ NSCLC. The subgroup analyses indicate that TTF-1 is a good prognostic marker for survival not only in early-stage but also in advanced non-SQ NSCLC.

Early development of de novo hepatocellular carcinoma after direct-acting agent therapy: Comparison with pegylated interferon-based therapy in chronic hepatitis C patients

Patients with chronic hepatitis C who achieve a sustained viral response after pegylated interferon therapy have a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, but the risk after treatment with direct-acting antivirals is unclear. We compared the rates of early development of hepatocellular carcinoma after direct-acting antivirals and after pegylated interferon therapy. We retrospectively analysed 785 patients with chronic hepatitis C who had no history of hepatocellular carcinoma (211 treated with pegylated interferon, 574 with direct-acting antivirals) and were followed up for at least 24 weeks after antiviral treatment. De novo hepatocellular carcinoma developed in 6 of 574 patients receiving direct-acting antivirals and in 1 of 211 patients receiving pegylated interferon. The cumulative incidence of early hepatocellular carcinoma development did not differ between the treatment groups either for the whole cohort (1.05% vs 0.47%, P = .298) or for those patients with Child-Pugh Class A cirrhosis (3.73% vs 2.94%, P = .827). Multivariate analysis indicated that alpha-fetoprotein level >9.5 ng/mL at the time of end-of-treatment response was the only independent risk factor for early development of hepatocellular carcinoma in all patients (P < .0001, hazard ratio 176.174, 95% confidence interval 10.768-2882.473) and in patients treated with direct-acting agents (P < .0001, hazard ratio 128.402, 95% confidence interval 8.417-1958.680). In conclusion, the rate of early development of hepatocellular carcinoma did not differ between patients treated with pegylated interferon and those treated with direct-acting antivirals and was associated with the serum alpha-fetoprotein level at the time of end-of-treatment response.

Comparison of attitudes towards five end-of-life care interventions (active pain control, withdrawal of futile life-sustaining treatment, passive euthanasia, active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide): a multicentred cross-sectional survey of Korean patients with cancer, their family caregivers, physicians and the general Korean population

OBJECTIVES

This study determined attitudes of four groups-Korean patients with cancer, their family caregivers, physicians and the general Korean population-towards five critical end-of-life (EOL) interventions-active pain control, withdrawal of futile life-sustaining treatment (LST), passive euthanasia, active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.

DESIGN AND SETTING

We enrolled 1001 patients with cancer and 1006 caregivers from 12 large hospitals in Korea, 1241 members of the general population and 928 physicians from each of the 12 hospitals and the Korean Medical Association. We analysed the associations of demographic factors, attitudes towards death and the important components of a 'good death' with critical interventions at EoL care.

RESULTS

All participant groups strongly favoured active pain control and withdrawal of futile LST but differed in attitudes towards the other four EoL interventions. Physicians (98.9%) favoured passive euthanasia more than the other three groups. Lower proportions of the four groups favoured active euthanasia or PAS. Multiple logistic regression showed that education (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.77, 95% CI 1.33 to 2.36), caregiver role (aOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.34 to 2.08) and considering death as the ending of life (aOR 1.66, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.61) were associated with preference for active pain control. Attitudes towards death, including belief in being remembered (aOR 2.03, 95% CI 1.48 to 2.79) and feeling 'life was meaningful' (aOR 2.56, 95% CI 1.58 to 4.15) were both strong correlates of withdrawal of LST with the level of monthly income (aOR 2.56, 95% CI 1.58 to 4.15). Believing 'freedom from pain' negatively predicted preference for passive euthanasia (aOR 0.69, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.85). In addition, 'not being a burden to the family' was positively related to preferences for active euthanasia (aOR 1.62, 95% CI 1.39 to 1.90) and PAS (aOR 1.61, 95% CI 1.37 to 1.89).

CONCLUSION

Groups differed in their attitudes towards the five EoL interventions, and those attitudes were significantly associated with various attitudes towards death.

Investigating the Feasibility of Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing to Guide the Treatment of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Purpose

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a deadly disease in which precision medicine needs to be incorporated. We aimed to implement next-generation sequencing (NGS) in determining actionable targets to guide appropriate molecular targeted therapy in HNSCC patients.

Materials and Methods

Ninety-three tumors and matched blood samples underwent targeted sequencing of 244 genes using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform with an average depth of coverage of greater than 1,000×. Clinicopathological data from patients were obtained from 17 centers in Korea, and were analyzed in correlation with NGS data.

Results

Ninety-two of the 93 tumors were amenable to data analysis. TP53 was the most common mutation, occurring in 47 (51%) patients, followed by CDKN2A (n=23, 25%), CCND1 (n=22, 24%), and PIK3CA (n=19, 21%). The total mutational burden was similar between human papillomavirus (HPV)–negative vs. positive tumors, although TP53, CDKN2A and CCND1 gene alterations occurred more frequently in HPV-negative tumors. HPV-positive tumors were significantly associated with immune signature-related genes compared to HPV-negative tumors. Mutations of NOTCH1 (p=0.027), CDKN2A (p < 0.001), and TP53 (p=0.038) were significantly associated with poorer overall survival. FAT1 mutations were highly enriched in cisplatin responders, and potentially targetable alterations such as PIK3CA E545K and CDKN2A R58X were noted in 14 patients (15%).

Conclusion

We found several targetable genetic alterations, and our findings suggest that implementation of precision medicine in HNSCC is feasible. The predictive value of each targetable alteration should be assessed in a future umbrella trial using matched molecular targeted agents.

Priorities of a "good death" according to cancer patients, their family caregivers, physicians, and the general population: a nationwide survey

PURPOSE

Understanding the concept of a "good death" is crucial to end-of-life care, but our current understanding of what constitutes a good death is insufficient. Here, we investigated the components of a good death that are important to the general population, cancer patients, their families, and physicians.

METHODS

We conducted a stratified nationwide cross-sectional survey of cancer patients and their families from 12 hospitals, physicians from 12 hospitals and the Korean Medical Association, and the general population, investigating their attitudes toward 10 good-death components.

FINDINGS

Three components-"not be a burden to the family," "presence of family," and "resolve unfinished business"-were considered the most important components by more than 2/3 of each of the three groups, and an additional three components-"freedom from pain," "feel that life was meaningful," and "at peace with God"-were considered important by all but the physicians group. Physicians considered "feel life was meaningful," "presence of family," and "not be a burden to family" as the core components of a good death, with "freedom from pain" as an additional component. "Treatment choices' followed, "finances in order," "mentally aware," and "die at home" were found to be the least important components among all four groups.

CONCLUSION

While families strongly agreed that "presence of family" and "not be a burden to family" were important to a good death, the importance of other factors differed between the groups. Health care providers should attempt to discern each patient's view of a good death.

Predicting cumulative incidence of adverse events in older patients with cancer undergoing first-line palliative chemotherapy: Korean Cancer Study Group (KCSG) multicentre prospective study

Background

Older patients have increased risk of toxicity from chemotherapy. Current prediction tools do not provide information on cumulative risk.

Methods

Patients aged ≥ 70 years with solid cancer were prospectively enrolled. A prediction model was developed for adverse events (AEs) ≥ Grade 3 (G3), based on geriatric assessment (GA), laboratory, and clinical variables.

Results

301 patients were enrolled (median age, 75 years). Median number of chemotherapy cycles was 4. During first-line chemotherapy, 53.8% of patients experienced AEs ≥ G3. Serum protein < 6.7 g/dL, initial full-dose chemotherapy, psychological stress or acute disease in the past 3 months, water consumption < 3 cups/day, unable to obey a simple command, and self-perception of poor health were significantly related with AEs ≥ G3. A predicting model with these six variables ranging 0–8 points was selected with the highest discriminatory ability (c-statistic= 0.646), which could classify patients into four risk groups. Predicted cumulative incidence of AEs ≥ G3 was discriminated according to risk groups.

Conclusions

This prediction tool could identify the risk of AEs ≥ G3 after chemotherapy and provide information on the cumulative incidence of AEs in each cycle.

Clinical Trial Id

WHO ICTRP number, KCT0001071

Attitudes toward early palliative care in cancer patients and caregivers: a Korean nationwide survey

Integrated early palliative care (EPC) improves quality of life and reduces psychological distress in adult patients with cancer and caregivers, but attitudes toward EPC have been poorly studied. We aimed to investigate attitudes toward EPC in a nationwide survey of patients with cancer and caregivers. From July to October 2016, we administered nationwide questionnaires examining attitudes toward EPC in patients with cancer (n = 1001) and their families (n = 1006) from 12 Korean hospitals. When an individual considered EPC unnecessary, the reasons were collected and analyzed. Factors associated with perception of EPC were examined. A majority of patients (84.5%) and caregivers (89.5%) had positive attitudes toward EPC. The most common reasons for deeming EPC unnecessary were that EPC may be an obstacle to cancer treatment (patients: 37%; caregivers: 23%; respectively) or that they were not sure if EPC is beneficial (patients: 21%; caregivers: 24%; respectively). Financial burden as a reason was more evident in caregivers (23%) than in patients (17%). Male gender, age <50, early stage, intensive care unit admission, and not believing that dying people should prepare to practice charity were associated with patients’ negative attitudes. In caregivers, opposition to EPC was associated with not thinking death should be feared, not thinking people should be remembered, and lower educational level. Our findings showed that significant numbers of patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers showed positive attitudes toward EPC. However, more than 10% of participants did not consider EPC necessary. Physicians’ communication with patients and caregivers and financial support could help overcome the barriers of EPC.

Randomized Phase III Trial of Irinotecan Plus Cisplatin versus Etoposide Plus Cisplatin in Chemotherapy-Naïve Korean Patients with Extensive-Disease Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose

This randomized phase III study was designed to compare the efficacy and safety of irinotecan plus cisplatin (IP) over etoposide plus cisplatin (EP) in Korean patients with extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Materials and Methods

Patients were randomly assigned to receive IP, composed of irinotecan 65 mg/m² intravenously on days 1 and 8+cisplatin 70 mg/m² intravenously on day 1 every 3 weeks, or EP, composed of etoposide 100 mg/m² intravenously on days 1, 2, 3+cisplatin 70 mg/m² intravenously on day 1, every 3 weeks for a maximum of six cycles, until disease progression, or until unacceptable toxicity occurred. The primary endpoint was overall survival.

Results

A total of 362 patients were randomized to IP (n=173) and EP (n=189) arms. There were no significant differences between IP and EP arms for the median overall survival (10.9 months vs. 10.3 months, p=0.120) and the median progression-free survival (6.5 months vs. 5.8 months, p=0.115). However, there was a significant difference in response rate (62.4% vs. 48.2%, p=0.006). The pre-planned subgroup analyses showed that IP was associated with longer overall survival in male (11.3 months vs. 10.1 months, p=0.036), < 65 years old (12.7 months vs. 11.3 months, p=0.024), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0/1 (12.4 months vs. 10.9 months, p=0.040) patient groups. The severity of treatment-related adverse events such as grade 3/4 anemia, nausea and diarrhea was more frequent in patients treated with IP.

Conclusion

The IP chemotherapy did not significantly improve the survival compared with EP chemotherapy in Korean patients with extensive-disease SCLC.

Factors Associated With Attrition in a Multicenter Longitudinal Observational Study of Patients With Advanced Cancer

CONTEXT

Attrition is common in longitudinal observational studies in palliative care. Few studies have examined predictors of attrition.

OBJECTIVES

To identify patient characteristics at enrollment associated with attrition in palliative oncology outpatient setting.

METHODS

In this longitudinal observational study, advanced cancer patients enrolled in an outpatient multicenter study were assessed at baseline and two to five weeks later. We compared baseline characteristics between patients who returned for follow-up and those who dropped out.

RESULTS

Seven hundred forty-four patients were enrolled from Jordan, Brazil, Chile, Korea, and India. Attrition rate was 33%, with variation among countries (22%-39%; P = 0.023). In univariate analysis, baseline predictors for attrition were cognitive failure (odds ratio [OR] 1.23 per point in Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale; P < 0.01), functional status (OR 1.55 per 10-point decrease in Karnofsky Performance Status; P < 0.01), Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale [ESAS] physical score (OR 1.03 per point; P < 0.01), ESAS emotional score (OR 1.05 per point; P < 0.01), and shorter duration between cancer diagnosis and palliative care referral in months (OR 0.89 per log; P = 0.028). In multivariate analysis, cognitive failure (OR 1.12 per point; P = 0.007), ESAS physical score (OR 1.18 per point; P = 0.027), functional status (OR 1.35 per 10-point decrease; P < 0.001), and shorter duration from cancer diagnosis (OR 0.86 per log; P = 0.01) remained independent predictors of attrition.

CONCLUSION

Advanced cancer patients with cognitive failure, increased physical symptoms, poorer performance status, and shorter duration from cancer diagnosis were more likely to dropout. These results have implications for research design, patient selection, and data interpretation in longitudinal observational studies.

Dual-graft adult living donor liver transplantation with ABO-incompatible graft: short-term and long-term outcomes

ABO-incompatible (ABOi) dual-graft (DG) adult living donor liver transplantation (ALDLT) is not commonly performed due to its inherently intricate surgical technique and immunological complexity. Therefore, data are lacking on the short- and long-term clinical outcomes of ABOi DG ALDLT. We performed a retrospective study by reviewing the medical records of patients who underwent ABOi DG ALDLT between 2008 and 2014. Additionally, computed tomography volumetric analysis was conducted to assess the graft regeneration rate. The mean age of a total of 28 recipients was 50.2 ± 8.5 years, and the mean model for end-stage liver disease score was 12.2 ± 4.6. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival rate was 96.4% during the mean follow-up period of 57.0 ± 22.4 months. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year graft survival rate was 96.4%, 94.2%, and 92.0%, respectively, and no significant differences were observed between ABO-compatible (ABOc) and ABOi grafts (P = .145). The biliary complication rate showed no significant difference (P = .195) between ABOc and ABOi grafts. Regeneration rates of ABOi grafts were not significantly different from those of ABOc grafts. DG ALDLT with ABOi and ABOc graft combination seems to be a feasible option for expanding the donor pool without additional donor risks.

Efficacy and safety of oxycodone/naloxone as add-on therapy to gabapentin or pregabalin for the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in Korea

AIMS

To investigate the efficacy and safety of oxycodone/naloxone in patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) inadequately controlled with pregabalin or gabapentin.

METHODS

This 4-week, multicenter, interventional, single-arm phase IV study included 72 Korean patients with CIPN inadequately controlled with pregabalin or gabapentin (Numeric Rating Scale 0-10; NRS ≥4 at baseline). In addition to pregabalin or gabapentin at existing doses, patients received 20/10 mg/day oxycodone/naloxone (up-titrated to 80/40 mg/day as needed). The primary endpoint was change in NRS score after 4 weeks. Secondary endpoints included Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity (FACT/GOG-NTX) scores and safety assessments.

RESULTS

The mean ± standard deviation (SD) dose of oxycodone/naloxone was 23.3 ± 7.5 mg/day. At week 4, NRS score reduction was 1.29 ± 1.84 points (21.4% reduction; P < 0.0001). Patients on taxane-based chemotherapy experienced a significantly smaller mean change in NRS score at week 4 compared to patients on other chemotherapy (-0.63 ± 1.54 [n = 30] vs. -1.83 ± 1.00 [n = 36]; P = 0.0072). Although there were no significant changes in FACT/GOG-NTX total scores, improvements were observed in the neurotoxicity subscale measuring numbness/tingling of hands (mean ± SD change: -0.27 ± 1.04; P = 0.0427) and feet (-0.60 ± 1.09; P < 0.0001). Forty-two (58.3%) patients reported adverse events. There were no clinically significant changes in laboratory tests or vital signs.

CONCLUSION

Oxycodone/naloxone added to pregabalin or gabapentin provided additional pain relief and symptom control in Korean patients with CIPN, without clinically significant safety concerns.

Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Patients Older Than Age 70 Years: A Single-Center Experience

Over the past two decades, the age of liver transplantation (LT) recipients has been increasing. We reviewed our experience with LT for patients aged ≥70 years (range: 70-78 years) and investigated the feasibility of performing LT, especially living donor LT (LDLT), for older patients. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 25 patients (15 LDLT recipients, 10 deceased donor LT recipients) aged ≥70 years who underwent LT from January 2000 to April 2016. Their perioperative morbidity rate was 28.0%, and the in-hospital mortality rate was 16.0%; these results were comparable to those of matched patients in their 60s (n = 73; morbidity, p = 0.726; mortality, p = 0.816). For patients in their 70s, the 1- and 5-year patient survival rates were 84.0% and 69.8%, and the 1- and 5-year graft survival rates were 83.5% and 75.1%, respectively. Comparisons of patient and graft survival rates between matched patients in their 60s and 70s showed no statistically significant differences (patient survival, p = 0.372; graft survival, p = 0.183). Our experience suggests that patients aged ≥70 years should not be excluded from LT, or even LDLT, based solely on age and implies that careful selection of recipients and donors as well as meticulous surgical technique are necessary for successful results.

Improved prognostic stratification using NCCN- and GELTAMO-international prognostic index in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-International Prognostic Index (IPI) and GELTAMO (Grupo Español de Linfomas/Trasplante Autólogo de Médula Ósea)-IPI were developed to enable better risk prediction of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The present study compared the effectiveness of risk prediction between IPI, NCCN-IPI, and GELTAMO-IPI in patients with DLBCL particularly in terms of determining high-risk patients. Among 439 patients who were enrolled to a prospective DLBCL cohort treated with R-CHOP immunochemotherapy, risk groups were classified according to the three IPIs and the prognostic significance of individual IPI factors and IPI models were analyzed and compared. All three IPI effectively separated the analyzed patients into four risk groups according to overall survival (OS). Estimated 5-year OS of patients classified as high-risk according to the IPI was 45.7%, suggesting that the IPI is limited in the selection of patients who are expected to have a poor outcome. In contrast, the 5-year OS of patients stratified as high-risk according to NCCN- and GELTAMO-IPI was 31.4% and 21.9%, respectively. The results indicate that NCCN- and GELTAMO-IPI are better than the IPI in predicting patients with poor prognosis, suggesting the superiority of enhanced, next-generation IPIs for DLBCL.

Off-Label Medication Use in the Inpatient Palliative Care Unit

CONTEXT

Although off-label medications are frequently prescribed in palliative care, there are no published studies examining their use in the U.S.

OBJECTIVES

We examined the frequency of off-label medication use in cancer patients admitted to an acute palliative care unit (APCU).

METHODS

This prospective observational study enrolled consecutive patients with advanced cancer admitted to the APCU of a tertiary care cancer center. We collected data on all prescription events, including indications for use, from admission to discharge. Off-label use was checked against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved indications.

RESULTS

Among the 201 patients, median survival was 10 days (95% CI 7-13), and 85 (42%) patients died in the APCU. We documented 6276 prescription events, and 2199 (35%) were off-label. Among off-label prescriptions, central nervous system agents (n = 1606, 73%), hormones and synthetic substitutes (n = 302, 14%), and autonomic drugs (n = 183, 8%) were most commonly prescribed. Haloperidol (n = 720, 33%), chlorpromazine (n = 292, 13%), dexamethasone (n = 280, 13%), glycopyrrolate (n = 175, 8%), hydromorphone (n = 161, 7%), and morphine (n = 156, 7%) were most frequently prescribed off-label. The most common indications for off-label prescribing were delirium (n = 783, 36%) and dyspnea (n = 449, 20%). Seventy percent of all off-label prescription events had strong evidence supporting use, and 19% of prescription events had moderate or weak evidence for use.

CONCLUSION

One-third of prescription events in the APCU were off-label, with majority of off-label use having a strong level of supporting evidence. Our findings highlight the need for more research in key areas such as delirium and dyspnea management.

Multicenter Retrospective Analysis of Clinical Characteristics, Treatment Patterns, and Outcomes in Very Elderly Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: The Korean Cancer Study Group LY16-01

Purpose

The treatment strategy for elderly patients older than 80 years with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has not been established because of poor treatment tolerability and lack of data.

Materials and Methods

This multicenter retrospective study was conducted to investigate clinical characteristics, treatment patterns and outcomes of patients older than 80 years who were diagnosed with DLBCL at 19 institutions in Korea between 2005 and 2016.

Results

A total of 194 patients were identified (median age, 83.3 years). Of these, 114 patients had an age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (aaIPI) score of 2-3 and 48 had a Charlson index score of 4 or more. R-CHOP was given in 124 cases, R-CVP in 13 cases, other chemotherapy in 17 cases, radiation alone in nine cases, and surgery alone in two cases. Twenty-nine patients did not undergo any treatment. The median number of chemotherapy cycles was three. Only 37 patients completed the planned treatment cycles. The overall response rate from 105 evaluable patientswas 90.5% (complete response, 41.9%). Twentynine patients died due to treatment-related toxicities (TRT). Thirteen patients died due to TRT after the first cycle. Median overall survival was 14.0 months. The main causes of death were disease progression (30.8%) and TRT (27.1%). In multivariate analysis, overall survival was affected by aaIPI, hypoalbuminemia, elevated creatinine, and treatment.

Conclusion

Age itself should not be a contraindication to treatment. However, since elderly patients show higher rates of TRT due to infection, careful monitoring and dose modification of chemotherapeutic agents is needed.

Predicting cumulative incidence of chemotherapy toxicity in older patients with cancer: Korean Cancer Study Group prospective cohort study (KCSG) PC 13-09

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Background: Older adults have increased risk of developing chemotherapy toxicity. Currently available prediction tools do not provide information on cumulative risk and none are from Asia. Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed solid cancer aged ≥70 years were prospectively enrolled from 17 centers and underwent geriatric assessment before starting their 1st line chemotherapy. Chemotherapy toxicity prediction model was built for adverse events (AEs) ≥G3, among geriatric assessment, laboratory and clinical variables. Model discrimination values were evaluated using c-statistics compared with actual cumulative incidence of AE ≥G3 in each cycle. Results: 301 patients were enrolled with a median age of 75 years (range 70-93). Primary site included colorectal (28.9%), lung (24.6%), hepato-biliary-pancreatic (22.3%), stomach (10.6%) and others (13.6%). Median chemotherapy cycle was 4 (2-7 cycles). During first line chemotherapy, 53.8% of patients experienced AEs ≥G3. Six variables significantly associated with occurrence of AEs ≥ G3 were serum protein < 6.7 g/dL, no dose reduction at first cycle, suffering from psychological stress or acute disease in the past 3 months, water consumption of less than 3 cups per day, not being able to obey command of 'Grab a piece of paper in your hand', and self-perception of ‘not in good health’. Model with all six variables was selected with the highest mean value of c statistics (0.646) and prediction tool indicated score ranging from 0 to 8 points. Patients were classified to 4 risk groups; 61 (21.0%), 143 (49.3%), 66 (22.8%), and 20 (6.9%) in low (0, 1 point), medium-low (2, 3), medium-high (4, 5), and high risk group (6, 7, 8). Predicted cumulative incidence of AEs ≥G3 was discriminated according to risk groups; low risk group: 13%, 19%, 27%, 30%, 30% in cycle 1, cycle 2, cycle 3, cycle 4, cycle 5, medium-low risk: 17%, 37%, 48%, 56%, 60%, medium-high risk: 26%, 44%, 50%, 68%, 75%, and high risk: 45%, 62%, 87%, 94%, 94%. Conclusions: Novel prediction tool could identify those at high risk of developing AEs ≥G3 after chemotherapy, which provided information on cumulative incidence in each cycle.