New horizons in systemic anti-cancer therapy in older people

A bibliometric study of the top 100 most cited papers on aging and cancer

Cancer has been the major and increasing cause of premature death and years of life lost. Various studies suggested the correlation between the aging process and cancer genesis. To evaluate the performance of the articles and to identify and compare the top-cited articles on aging and cancer, a cross-sectional bibliometric analysis was performed. Top-cited articles that were indexed in the Core databases in Web of Science were utilized to identify articles published from inception to September 3, 2022. The top 100 most-cited articles on aging and cancer were evaluated for their specific characteristics. Both Microsoft Office Excel and Visual Basic for Applications were used to analyze the number of publications and scientific cooperations among authors over time. The query identified the top 100 most-cited articles from the 368,504 articles. The top cited articles accumulated 308,106 citations. The citations per article ranged from 39,141 to 1040. Thirty journals published these 100 articles, with the Ca-A Cancer Journal for Clinicians publishing the largest number. Most articles have focused on the trend analysis of incidence, survival outcomes, and prognosis of cancer from different origins. Co-authorship analysis revealed intense collaborative activity between United States authoritative academic institutions and scholars. The present study is the first to analyze most cited papers in "aging and cancer." The historical trends, current status, and future direction in the field of older patients with cancer are systematically summarized. The occurrence and development of cancer is correlated with aging.

Geriatric assessment measures are predictive of outcomes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

INTRODUCTION

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) commonly affects older adults. However, few studies have examined the relationship between baseline geriatric domains and clinical outcomes in this population. Here, we aim to evaluate the use of a comprehensive geriatric assessment in older (>65 years) untreated patients with CLL to predict outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a planned analysis of 369 patients with CLL age 65 or older treated in a phase 3 randomized trial of bendamustine plus rituximab versus ibrutinib plus rituximab versus ibrutinib alone (A041202). Patients underwent evaluations of geriatric domains including functional status, psychological status, social activity, cognition, social support, and nutritional status. We examined associations among baseline geriatric domains with grade 3+ adverse events using multivariable logistic regression and overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using multivariable Cox regression models.

RESULTS

In this study, the median age was 71 years (range: 65-87). In the combined multivariable model, the following geriatric domains were significantly associated with PFS: Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) - social activities survey score (hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval (CI)] 0.974(0.961, 0.988), p = 0.0002) and nutritional status (≥5% weight loss in the preceding six months: (HR [95% CI] 2.717[1.696, 4.354], p < 0.001). MOS - social activities score [HR (95% CI) 0.978(0.958, 0.999), p = 0.038] was associated with OS. No geriatric domains were significantly associated with toxicity. There were no statistically significant interactions between geriatric domains and treatment.

DISCUSSION

Geriatric domains of social activity and nutritional status were associated with OS and/or PFS in older adults with CLL. These findings highlight the importance of assessing geriatric domains to identify high-risk patients with CLL who may benefit from additional support during treatment.

Challenges of cancer immunotherapy and chemotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic

People at high risk of morbidity and mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including patients dealing with malignancies and patients on immunosuppressive anticancer therapies, need to be followed carefully as the pandemic continues. Challenges in continuing cancer management and patient monitoring are of concern given the importance of timing in cancer therapy. Alternative treatment decisions and priorities are also important considerations. The efficacy and safety of various cancer treatments in patients with COVID-19 are other important considerations. In this systematic review, we summarize the potential risks and benefits of cancer treatments applied to patients with COVID-19 and malignant tumors. Using the PubMed and Scopus databases, we reviewed studies involving cancer therapy and COVID-19 to address the recent discoveries and related challenges of cancer therapy in patients with COVID-19 and cancer.