Improved health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) with use of an online mindfulness tool in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) receiving immunotherapy (IO)

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Background: Previous randomized studies have shown the benefit of interventions to increase mindfulness in multiple cancer types, including prostate cancer (Chambers et al JCO 2017), but limited data exists in mRCC. We sought to determine the effect of an app-based mindfulness intervention on anxiety, fear of cancer progression (FCR), fatigue and HR-QOL in this population. Methods: Eligible patients had mRCC, were receiving IO, had measurable symptoms of anxiety or FCR, had a smartphone with internet access and had not participated in a mindfulness program in the past 5 years. Patients were recruited in Brazil across 7 private centers and one academic center in the US. We evaluated the Mindfulness-Based Cancer Survivorship Journey, a program within the Am Mindfulness smartphone app (AmDTx). Patients used AmDTx for 20-30 minutes each day for a minimum of 4 days per week over a period of 4 weeks. Patients were assessed at baseline (T1) and at weeks 2 (T2), 4 (T3) and 12 (T4) using the PROMIS-Anxiety, FCR-7, Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-General (FACT-G). RM-ANOVA was used to test the effect of time on symptoms and on HR-QOL. Results: A total of 41 patients were recruited; median age was 59 (range, 36-79) and patients were predominantly male (70%), white (61%), married (75%) and well educated (65% had at least a college degree). Most patients were receiving nivolumab/ipilimumab (44%), nivolumab (22%) or axitinib/pembrolizumab (9%). Symptoms of anxiety significantly decreased from 21.6 + 4.8 to 12.5 + 5.1 (P=0.001). Similar findings were found for FCR (MT1=21.4 to MT4=13.5, P=0.001) and fatigue (MT1=32.0 to MT4=19.4, P=0.001). Notably, HR-QOL increased from 81.1 + 13.4 to 92.7 + 14.9 (P=0.001). No significant differences were identified based on disease characteristics or type of therapy. Conclusions: The current study suggests that smartphone-based mindfulness intervention could improve HR-QOL and decreased FCR, anxiety and fatigue. This low-cost, easily accessible intervention may provide an important alternative to in-person psychosocial support for patients with mRCC and should be assessed in randomized trials in this disease. Funding: Kure It Cancer Research: 2020 Barry Hoeven Memorial Kidney Cancer Research Grant (PI: C D Bergerot).

Remote geriatric assessment program for older patients starting new chemotherapy treatment in Brazil

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Background: Older cancer patients in developing countries face considerable challenges in obtaining access to specialized medical attention, often due to a lack of human resources and healthcare infrastructure. This study sought to explore the benefit of a remote, validated geriatric assessment (GA) program for older patients starting chemotherapy in Brazil. Methods: Older adults (65+ years) beginning a new chemotherapy treatment regimen in Brazil were recruited. Through telehealth, patients were assessed with GA before starting chemotherapy treatment for any type of solid cancer and at a follow-up visit (3 months after enrollment). GA results were discussed by a multidisciplinary team (e.g., geriatrician, psychologist, nutritionist) and recommendations were determined. Outcome measures included chemo toxicity scores (CARG, scale 0-19), physical symptoms (FACT-G, scale 0-108) and activities of daily living (IADL, scale 0-5 for men and 0-8 for women, or scale 0-1 for IADL ratio). Descriptive statistics were generated, and paired t-tests were used to evaluate the change in these measures over time. Results: A total of 51 older patients from 5 different Brazilian states (Amazonas, Distrito Federal, Espirito Santo, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Sul) have been enrolled to date. The mean distance from a patients’ home to their place of cancer treatment was 21 miles (range: 3-101 miles). Participants had a mean age of 76.5 years (SD = 7.6) and were predominantly female (57%), white (57%), married (61%), and had a high school degree or more (65%). Patients were mostly diagnosed with gastrointestinal (39%) or gynecological (20%) cancers; 55% of patients were diagnosed with a stage IV disease. The majority of patients (80%) were referred to appropriate remote services based on the GA; including geriatricians (41%), nutritionists (39%) and/or psychologist (16%). At the time of abstract submission, data from 34 complete cases were available for longitudinal analysis, in which we observed a decrease in chemo toxicity scores (M1= 6.65, M2= 5.88, p = 0.035) and an improvement in FACTG (M1= 92.94, M2= 98.53, p < 0.001). The improvement in IADL ratio was not significant (M1= 0.79, M2= 0.85, p = 0.069). Conclusions: This novel, ongoing study is, to our knowledge, the first to implement a remote GA program in Brazil. Our preliminary findings suggest that a remote GA program, with appropriate referrals to specialists, may increase the reach of supportive services and improve cancer care in developing countries.

Outcomes of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for anal cancer in Brazil

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Background: The incidence of anal cancer has increased in the last 30 years and concurrent chemoradiotherapy has been the standard treatment for anal cancer for many decades, since it is a curative treatment in most cases. Although, data from real life outcomes in brazilian patients is lacking. Methods: From October 2001 to November 2016, all the pacientes who were treated with concomitant 5-FU and mitomycin or more recently cisplatin plus radiation at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, an academic hospital from South Brazil were identified by electronic database. Medical records were reviewed and demographic data, tumor and treatment characteristics were collected. OS and PFS were estimated by Kaplan-Meier curves. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 22. Results: Fifty one patients were analysed for this review. Patient characteristics revealed a mean age of 53 ± 9.03 years, 69% female, with predominantly histology being squamous cell carcinoma (90%). 92% (47) received chemoradiotherapy as a definitive treatment. The chemoterapy regimen used was 5-FU and mitomycin in 69% (35) of the patients and 5-FU plus cisplatin was used in 16 patients (31%). The standard chemoterapy regimen was changed because of lack of supply of mitomycin in our country. Approximately 66% of the patients achieved a complete response while 4 patients (7%) had persistent disease after treatment and 7% had disease progression during treatment. On multivariable analysis, the lymph node status and the size of the tumor were independently associated with worst results. The estimated median PFS was 78 months and the median OS was 92 months. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report of patients from Brazil treated with concurrent chemoradiation for anal canal cancer. Although we have a delay in the diagnosis and many patients present with locally advanced disease, the CR rate and prognosis are consistent with data from previous studies. We need a longer follow-up to confirm these data and also verify if there will be different outcomes because of the change in the chemoterapy regimen.