EMERALD: Emergency visit audit of patients treated under medical oncology in a tertiary cancer center: Logical steps to decrease the burden

Background:

We are a tertiary care cancer center and have approximately 1000–1500 emergency visits by cancer patients undergoing treatment under the adult medical oncology unit each month. However, due to the lack of a systematic audit, we are unable to plan steps toward the improvement in quality of emergency services, and hence the audit was planned.

Methods:

All emergency visits under the adult medical oncology department in the month of July 2015 were audited. The cause of visit, the demographic details, cancer details, and chemotherapy status were obtained from the electronic medical records. The emergency visits were classified as avoidable or unavoidable. Descriptive statistics were performed. Reasons for avoidable emergency visits were sought.

Results:

Out of 1199 visits, 1168 visits were classifiable. Six hundred and ninety-six visits were classified as unavoidable (59.6%, 95% CI: 56.7–62.4), 386 visits were classified as probably avoidable visit (33.0%, 95% CI: 30.4–35.8) whereas the remaining 86 (7.4%, 95% CI: 6.0–9.01) were classified as absolutely avoidable. Two hundred and ninety-seven visits happened on weekends (25.6%) and 138 visits converted into an inpatient admission (11.9%). The factors associated with avoidable visits were curative intention of treatment (odds ratio - 2.49), discontinued chemotherapy status (risk ratio [RR] - 8.28), and private category file status (RR – 1.89).

Conclusion:

A proportion of visits to emergency services can be curtailed. Approximately one-fourth of patients are seen on weekends, and only about one-tenth of patients get admitted.

Quality of life and quality-adjusted time without toxicity in palliatively treated head-and-neck cancer patients

Background:

Quality-adjusted time without toxicity (Q-TWiST) and quality of life (QOL) are indicators of benefit provided by different chemotherapy regimens.

Methods:

This was a prospective study, in which adult head-and-neck (H and N) cancer patients, treated with metronomic chemotherapy were enrolled. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General H and N (FACT-G and H and N) version 4 pro formas were self-administered before the start of chemotherapy and then at 2, 4, and 6 months. FACT QOL and Q-TWiST analysis were then performed.

Results:

There was an improvement in the social well-being (P = 0.370), emotional well-being (P = 0.000), functional well-being (P = 0.000), H and N cancer subscale (P = 0.001), FACT H and N trial outcome index (P = 0.000), FACT G-total score (P = 0.000), and FACT H and N total score (P = 0.000) with palliative chemotherapy. The QTWiST value for a utility score of 0.25 for toxicity and relapse state was 145.93 days.

Conclusion:

Metronomic chemotherapy is associated with improvement in QOL and has a low duration of time spent in toxicity state.

Ceritinib in anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive nonsmall cell lung cancer among patients who were previously exposed to crizotinib: Experience from the Indian subcontinent

Ceritinib is a novel ALK inhibitor approved for advanced stage NSCLC with ALK gene rearrangement, progressed and/or intolerant to crizotinib. 13 patients were included in our study who received ceritinib. Majority of them were women and never smokers with a median age of 47 yrs. Nearly half of them had a compromised performance status and received ceritinib in third line and beyond. Ceritinib showed nearly 50% response rates. With a median follow up of 9 months for the entire cohort, median PFS and OS were not reached. However, the mean values for PFS and OS were 10.9 and 14.8 months,with an estimated 1 year PFS and OS being 56% and 78% respectively.1/3 of the patients had gastrointestinal and liver toxicities. Metabolic abnormalities were seen in 1/4 th of them. ceritinib was permanently discontinued in one patient due to pneumonitis. In conclusion, ceritinib has a favorable efficacy and side effect profile in our patient population., similar to that reported in large clinical trials. It has shown promising efficacy even in patients with compromised performance status; presence of brain metastases and heavily pre-treated disease.