Registry of gastric cancer treatment evaluation (REGATE): II treatment practice

A multidimensional assessment of payback: Evaluating the impact of Breast Cancer Trials

AIM

This study evaluates the impact created by clinical trial investment and research undertaken by Breast Cancer Trials (BCT).

METHODS

The approach involved using the Payback Framework, and included a review of BCT archival information, public health data, a questionnaire sent to BCT members, individual interviews with key informants, a focus group with members of the organization's Consumer Advisory Panel, and case studies of select BCT trials. The evaluation assessed the evidence against the Payback Framework criteria: informing policy and product development, knowledge production, the research system, health and health sector benefits, and broader economic benefits.

RESULTS

Analysis using the Payback Framework revealed impact was created in each category and a range of positive outcomes were identified for various stakeholder groups. BCT is maximizing the impact of its research and contributing to a global pool of scientific knowledge by collaborating with over 100 institutions and 820 researchers, yet its benefits go beyond research contributions. Findings highlight strong financial returns from BCT's research program and that BCT has played an important role in enhancing the public perception of clinical trials by promoting participation in trials, educating and empowering participants, and communicating trial outcomes.

CONCLUSION

BCT's clinical trials have had a significant impact on the prevention, detection, treatment, and management of breast cancer. Measuring and reporting impact can be resource intensive but support BCT in remaining accountable to all those invested in the organization and in breast cancer clinical trials, evidencing the multiple dimensions of payback resulting from the organization's research.

Treatment of Gastric Cancer Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic: The West is More Vulnerable

The outbreak of the COVID-19 is currently the biggest international concern. Treatment of gastric cancer (GC) patients in the pandemic era with high hospital burden and under severe oncological/surgical resource constraints should implicate a need for resource re-allocation with a new "pandemic" GC treatment algorithm. The neoadjuvant/perioperative (radio-)chemotherapy is applied in the majority of advanced GC cases with poor postoperative therapy compliance. In the East, radical surgery is frequently used in the first instance, with adjuvant chemotherapy reserved for patients with a high risk of recurrence. Moreover, the elderly population might be effectively treated by surgery alone, thus saving oncological resources for younger people who need a more aggressive approach. In this framework, prioritization is a key concept based on the severity of symptoms and the need for urgent (surgical) intervention. High-risk and marginally effective surgery should be replaced with definitive radio- and/or chemotherapy. The pandemic framework to provide optimal care for GC patients must be based on multidisciplinary decision-making and include all anti-cancer treatment options: surgery, systemic therapy, and radiotherapy. The priority and staffing dictate adherence to the new algorithm. We believe that these priorities may improve the delivery of care to all, including elderly GC patients.

Retrospective analysis of gastric cancer management in a real-world setting: a single-institution experience

INTRODUCTION

In a gastric cancer (GC) setting, phase II and III studies refer to an ideal patient population and only describe a specific category of patients. Older patients or those in poorer clinical condition are generally excluded from clinical trials. We aimed to evaluate therapeutic approaches to GC in a real-world setting at our institute (Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori [IRST] IRCCS) over a 10-year period.

METHODS

A total of 621 consecutive patients with GC diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2009 were considered retrospectively. Among these, 573 with available information on stage of disease were included in the analysis. Demographic and clinical data were collected from paper or electronic medical records.

RESULTS

During the study period, 343 (59.8%) patients were diagnosed with GC stage 0 to IIIC (M0): of these, 118 patients had a relapse of disease. A total of 230 patients (40.2%) presented with metastatic disease at diagnosis. Older age was associated with less frequent administration of adjuvant chemotherapy (odds ratio [OR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-0.91); interaction between age and period (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03) and stage of disease at diagnosis (OR, 7.95; 95% CI, 3.71-17.1) were positively associated with administration of adjuvant chemotherapy. Older age (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.84-0.90) and presence of comorbidity (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.26-0.83) were associated with less frequent administration of palliative chemotherapy, whereas from 2000-2004 to 2005-2009, patients were more frequently treated with palliative chemotherapy overall (OR, 3.70; 95% CI, 2.01-6.81).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results confirm that resection is the standard surgical approach to GC, and that chemotherapy is not widely used in adjuvant and metastatic settings. Older age and comorbidities are associated with nontreatment.

Real-world treatment patterns among patients with advanced gastric cancer in Russia: a chart review study

Objective: Little evidence is available on the management of patients with metastatic and/or unresectable gastric cancer (mGC) after the failure of first-line treatment. This study presents real-world data on characteristics and treatment patterns of patients with mGC in Russia.

Methods: Eligible patients were ≥18 years old, diagnosed with mGC ≥ January 1, 2012, received first-line chemotherapy followed by second-line chemotherapy or best supportive care (BSC), had ≥3 months of follow-up after the start of second-line chemotherapy or BSC (except in cases of death), and had not participated in a clinical trial. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics.

Results: A total of 88 physicians provided data from 202 charts. Mean age at mGC diagnosis was 53.7 (standard deviation: 11.2) years; 70.8% of patients were male. Reasons for first-line treatment discontinuation included disease progression (50.5%) and adverse events/toxicity (39.1%). There were 52 unique treatment regimens prescribed in second-line; capecitabine (14.5%), paclitaxel (9.3%), and capecitabine + oxaliplatin (8.7%) were the most frequent. Reasons for second-line treatment discontinuation included disease progression (39.8%) and patient refusal to continue (37.5%). During 2nd-line treatment, the most common treatment-related symptoms were nausea/vomiting (75.0%), while pain (73.8%) was the most common disease-related symptom. Antiemetics (63.4%), chemotherapy (61.6%), non-narcotic analgesics (48.3%), endoscopy (45.9%), and nutritional support (35.5%) were most frequently used as supportive care.

Conclusions: Second-line treatment patterns for patients with mGC in Russia are heterogeneous. Results of this study indicate the need for more intensive implementation of the most active regimens in second-line treatment of mGC according to international and national guidelines.

Treatment Patterns and Changes in Quality of Life during First-Line Palliative Chemotherapy in Korean Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate chemotherapy patterns and changes in quality of life (QOL) during first-line palliative chemotherapy for Korean patients with unresectable or metastatic/recurrent gastric cancer (GC).

Materials and Methods

Thiswas a non-interventional, multi-center, prospective, observational study of 527 patients in Korea. QOL assessments were conducted using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaires (QLQ)-C30 and QLQ-STO22 every 3 months over a 12-month period during first-line palliative chemotherapy. The specific chemotherapy regimens were selected by individual clinicians.

Results

Most patients (93.2%) received combination chemotherapy (mainly fluoropyrimidine plus platinum) as their first-line palliative chemotherapy. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 8.2 and 14.8 months, respectively. Overall, “a little” changes (differences of 5-10 points from baseline)were observed in some of the functioning or symptom scales; none of the QOL scales showed either “moderate” or “very much” change (i.e., ≥ 11 point difference from baseline). When examining the best change in each QOL domain from baseline, scales related to some aspects of functioning, global health status/QOL, and most symptoms revealed significant improvements (p < 0.05). Throughout the course of first-line palliative chemotherapy, most patients’ QOL was maintained to a similar degree, regardless of their actual response to chemotherapy.

Conclusion

This observational study provides important information on the chemotherapy patterns and QOL changes in Korean patientswith advanced GC. Overall, first-line palliative chemotherapy was found to maintain QOL, and most parameters showed an improvement compared with the baseline at some point during the course.

Real-World Treatment Patterns among Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer in South Korea

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to understand patient treatment patterns, outcomes, and healthcare resource use in cases of metastatic and/or locally recurrent, unresectable gastric cancer (MGC) in South Korea.

Materials and Methods

Thirty physicians reviewed charts of eligible patients to collect de-identified data. Patients must have received platinum/fluoropyrimidine first-line therapy followed by second-line therapy or best supportive care, had no other primary cancer, and not participated in a clinical trial following MGC diagnosis. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to describe survival.

Results

Of 198 patients, 73.7% were male, 78.3% were diagnosed with MGC after age 55 (mean, 61.3 years), and 47.0% were current or former smokers. The majority of tumorswere located in the antrum/pylorus (51.5%). Metastatic sites most often occurred in the peritoneum (53.5%), lymph nodes (47.5%), and liver (38.9%). At diagnosis, the mean Charlson comorbidity indexwas 0.4 (standard deviation, 0.6). The most common comorbidities were chronic gastritis (22.7%) and cardiovascular disease (18.7%). Most patients (80.3%) received second-line treatment. Single-agent fluoropyrimidine was reported for 22.0% of patients, while 19.5% were treated with irinotecan and a fluoropyrimidine or platinum agent. The most common physician-reported symptoms during second-line treatment were nausea/vomiting (44.7%) and pain (11.3%), with antiemetics (44.7%), analgesics (36.5%), and nutritional support (11.3%) most often used as supportive care. Two-thirds of inpatient hospitalizations were for chemotherapy infusion. Outpatient hospitalization (31.6%) and visits to the oncologist (58.8%) were common among second-line patients.

Conclusion

Most patients received second-line treatment, although regimens varied. Understanding MGC patient characteristics and treatment patterns in South Korea will help address unmet needs.

Long-term Quality of Life After Distal Subtotal and Total Gastrectomy: Symptom- and Behavior-oriented Consequences

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed long-term quality of life (QoL) after subtotal gastrectomy (STG) and total gastrectomy (TG) by comparing groups matched by a set of patient factors at and beyond postoperative 5 years. The cause of QoL gaps based on symptomatic and behavioral consequences of surgery were investigated.

BACKGROUND

Survivors after STG and TG were matched by a set of patient factors (age, sex, stage, chemotherapy, and postoperative period). QoL data were obtained from 53 and 36 pairs of survivors at and beyond postoperative 5 years, respectively.

METHODS

The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Questionnaire (QLQ)-C30 and QLQ-STO22 were used to assess QoL. QoL comparisons between STG and TG groups were made for 5-year survivors and long-term survivors.

RESULTS

Five-year survivors after TG showed significantly worse QoL in social functioning, nausea and vomiting, eating restrictions, and taste. For long-term survivors, QoL inferiority of the TG group was observed only in eating restrictions. Among 4 items constituting eating restrictions, the TG group tended to exhibit worse QoL in 2 items (enjoyable meals and social meals).

CONCLUSIONS

Although 5-year survivors after TG still suffer from QoL inferiority from symptomatic and behavioral consequences of surgery, inferiority from behavioral consequences will persist even after symptomatic inferiority to STG survivors is no longer valid. Efforts to ameliorate persistent QoL inferiority in TG survivors should be directed toward restoring dietary behaviors, where TG survivors are prevented from enjoyable meals and social meals.

Registry of gastric cancer treatment evaluation (REGATE): I baseline disease characteristics

AIMS

A better understanding of treatment patterns and outcomes in different countries should improve the management of patients with gastric cancer globally. The REgistry of GAstric Cancer Treatment Evaluation (REGATE) study was established to evaluate variations in gastric cancer disease characteristics and treatment patterns in different parts of the world.

METHODS

REGATE was a prospective international registry enrolling patients with newly diagnosed gastric cancer at any stage of the disease.

RESULTS

A total of 10 299 patients (65% male; mean age 59 years) were recruited in 22 countries between 2004 and 2008. Tumor location at a proximal site was more common in Europe, Latin America and North Africa (approximately 20%) than in Asia-Pacific, where antral location predominated. Signet-ring cell histology predominated except in Europe, where adenocarcinoma was most prevalent. Stage I cancers were more frequent in Asia-Pacific (39%) versus other regions (6-18%), whereas stage IV cancers were more frequent outside Asia-Pacific. Surgery was planned for most patients, although in general fewer patients actually received surgery than originally planned. Adjuvant therapy and palliative care were generally used more frequently than originally planned. Overall, 15% of patients received no treatment (Asia-Pacific 8%; Indian subcontinent 25%).

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide a comprehensive database representative of gastric cancer disease characteristics and treatment patterns across the world.