Improving routine use of clinical pathway decision support through integration of an EHR with a clinical library resource designed to provide evidence-based guidance within oncology workflows

BACKGROUND

The rapid evolution, complexity, and specialization of oncology treatment makes it challenging for physicians to provide care based on the latest and best evidence. We hypothesized that physicians would use evidence-based trusted care pathways if they were easy to use and integrated into clinical workflow at the point of care.

METHODS

Within a large integrated care delivery system, we assembled clinical experts to define and update drug treatment pathways, encoded them as flowcharts in an online library integrated with the electronic medical record, communicated expectations that clinicians would use these pathways for every eligible patient, and combined data from multiple sources to understand usage over time.

RESULTS

We were able to achieve > 75% utilization of eligible protocols ordered through these pathways within two years, with > 90% of individual oncologists having consulted the pathway at least once, despite no requirements or external incentives associated with pathway usage. Feedback from users contributed to improvements and updates to the guidance.

CONCLUSIONS

By making our clinical decision support easily accessible and actionable, we find that we have made considerable progress toward our goal of having physicians consult the latest evidence in their treatment decisions.

Methodology for Using Real-World Data From Electronic Health Records to Assess Chemotherapy Administration in Women With Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

Identification of patients' intended chemotherapy regimens is critical to most research questions conducted in the real-world setting of cancer care. Yet, these data are not routinely available in electronic health records (EHRs) at the specificity required to address these questions. We developed a methodology to identify patients' intended regimens from EHR data in the Optimal Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Dosing (OBCD) study.

METHODS

In women older than 18 years, diagnosed with primary stage I-IIIA breast cancer at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (2006-2019), we categorized participants into 24 drug combinations described in National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for breast cancer treatment. Participants were categorized into 50 guideline chemotherapy administration schedules within these combinations using an iterative algorithm process, followed by chart abstraction where necessary. We also identified patients intended to receive nonguideline administration schedules within guideline drug combinations and nonguideline drug combinations. This process was adapted at Kaiser Permanente Washington using abstracted data (2004-2015).

RESULTS

In the OBCD cohort, 13,231 women received adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy, of whom 10,213 (77%) had their intended regimen identified via the algorithm, 2,416 (18%) had their intended regimen identified via abstraction, and 602 (4.5%) could not be identified. Across guideline drug combinations, 111 nonguideline dosing schedules were used, alongside 61 nonguideline drug combinations. A number of factors were associated with requiring abstraction for regimen determination, including: decreasing neighborhood household income, earlier diagnosis year, later stage, nodal status, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)+ status.

CONCLUSION

We describe the challenges and approaches to operationalize complex, real-world data to identify intended chemotherapy regimens in large, observational studies. This methodology can improve efficiency of use of large-scale clinical data in real-world populations, helping answer critical questions to improve care delivery and patient outcomes.

Pilot pragmatic randomized trial of mHealth mindfulness-based intervention for advanced cancer patients and their informal caregivers

OBJECTIVE

Assess the feasibility of conducting a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing technology-delivered mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) programs against a waitlist control arm targeting advanced cancer patients and their informal caregivers.

METHODS

Two-arm cluster RCT within Kaiser Permanente Northern California. We recruited patients with metastatic solid malignancies or hematological cancers and their informal caregivers. Intervention-group participants chose to use either a commercially available mindfulness app (10-20 min/day) or a webinar-based mindfulness course for 6 weeks. The waitlist control group received usual care. We assessed feasibility measures and obtained participant-reported data on quality of life (QoL; primary outcome) and distress outcomes (secondary) pre- and postintervention.

RESULTS

A hundred and three patients (median age 67 years; 70% female; 81% White) and 39 caregivers (median age 66 years; 79% female; 69% White) were enrolled. Nearly all participants chose the mindfulness app over the webinar-based program. Among the participants in the intervention arm who chose the mobile-app program and completed the postintervention (6-week) survey, 21 (68%) patients and 7 (47%) caregivers practiced mindfulness at least 50% of the days during the 6-week study period. Seventy-four percent of intervention participants were "very" or "extremely" satisfied with the mindfulness program. We observed improvements in anxiety, QoL, and mindfulness among patients in the intervention arm compared to those in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated the feasibility of conducting a cluster RCT of mHealth MBI for advanced cancer patients and their caregivers. Such remote interventions can be helpful particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessment of breast cancer chemotherapy dose reduction in an integrated healthcare delivery system

PURPOSE

Most cytotoxic drugs are dosed using body surface area (BSA), yet not all cancer patients receive the full BSA-determined dose. Prior work suggests that breast cancer patients who are obese are more likely to experience dose reduction than normal weight patients. However, the factors driving dose reduction remain unclear.

METHODS

In 452 women diagnosed with stage I-IIIA primary breast cancer at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, we evaluated the association between obesity and dose reduction, and further explored other factors in relation to dose reduction, including various sociodemographic characteristics, tumor characteristics, and comorbidities. Study participants were a part of the Pathways Study, diagnosed between 2006 and 2013 and treated with cyclophosphamide + doxorubicin, followed by paclitaxel (ACT). Dose reduction was assessed using first cycle dose proportion (FCDP) and average relative dose intensity (ARDI), a metric of dose intensity over the course of chemotherapy.

RESULTS

Overall, 8% of participants received a FCDP < 90% and 21.2% had an ARDI < 90%, with dose reduction increasing with body mass index. In adjusted logistic regression models, obese women had 4.1-fold higher odds of receiving an ARDI < 90% than normal weight women (95% CI: 1.9-8.9; p-trend = 0.0006). Increasing age was positively associated with an ADRI < 90%, as was the presence of comorbidity. Dose reduction was less common in later calendar years.

CONCLUSION

Results offer insight on factors associated with chemotherapy dosing for a common breast cancer regimen. Larger studies are required to evaluate relevance to other regimens, and further work will be needed to determine whether dose reductions impact outcomes in obese women.

Alcohol consumption and prognosis and survival in breast cancer survivors: The Pathways Study

BACKGROUND

The impact of alcohol consumption on breast cancer (BC) prognosis remains unclear.

METHODS

The authors examined short-term alcohol intake in relation to recurrence and mortality in 3659 women who were diagnosed with stage I-IV BC from 2003 to 2013 in the Pathways Study. Alcohol drinking in the past 6 months was assessed at cohort entry (mean, 2 months postdiagnosis) and 6 months later using a food-frequency questionnaire. Study end points were recurrence and death from BC, cardiovascular disease, and all causes. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

Over an average follow-up of 11.2 years, 524 recurrences and 834 deaths (369 BC-specific and 314 cardiovascular disease-specific) occurred. Compared with nondrinkers (36.9%), drinkers were more likely younger, more educated, and current or past smokers. Overall, alcohol consumption was not associated with recurrence or mortality. However, women with higher body mass index (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 ) had lower risk of overall mortality with increasing alcohol consumption for occasional drinking (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.54-0.94) and regular drinking (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.56-1.08) around the time of diagnosis, along with 6 months later, in a dose-response manner (p < .05). Women with lower BMI (<30 kg/m2 ) were not at higher risk of mortality but were at possibly higher, yet nonsignificant, risk of recurrence for occasional drinking (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.97-1.71) and regular drinking (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.88-1.62).

CONCLUSIONS

Alcohol drinking around the time of and up to 6 months after BC diagnosis was associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality in obese women. A possible higher risk of recurrence was observed in nonobese women.

Cancer Patients' Preferences and Perceptions of Advantages and Disadvantages of Telehealth Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic

PURPOSE

We aimed to ascertain oncology patients' perceptions of telehealth versus in-person (IP) visits for different types of clinical encounters.

METHODS

We surveyed adults undergoing cancer treatment at Kaiser Permanente Northern California infusion centers between November 2021 and May 2022 using a self-administered questionnaire. Patients were asked about visit modality preferences (video, phone, and IP) for six types of clinical discussions, overall advantages and disadvantages of telehealth (video or phone) versus IP modalities, and barriers to video visit use.

RESULTS

The 839 patients who completed surveys in English were 63% female; median age 63 years; 64% White; and 73% college-educated (45% ≥bachelor's degree). For the first postdiagnosis discussion visit, 83% of patients preferred IP, followed by video (27%) and phone (18%). For follow-up visits, 52% of patients preferred IP, 50% video, and 37% phone. For discussions of bad news and sensitive topics, respectively, 68% and 62% preferred IP, 44% and 48% video, and 32% and 41% phone visits. Delivery of good news was acceptable through IP (49%), video (52%), or phone (49%) visits. Perceived advantages of IP visits were greater feelings of connection with their doctor (58%), confidence in physical examinations (73%), and ease in showing things (67%) and talking (51%) to the doctor. Advantages of telehealth visits included saved time (72%) and money (38%), less infection exposure (64%), less travel concerns (45%), and ability to include more people (28%). Of 24% of patients who felt video visits would be hard, 51% cited poor internet, 41% lack of an adequate device, and 28% difficulty signing on.

CONCLUSION

Our results support continued use and reimbursement for telehealth visits with patients with cancer for most types of clinical encounters, including clinical trials.

Abstract P3-03-16: A methodology for using real-world data from electronic health records to assess chemotherapy administration in women with breast cancer

Introduction Chemotherapy administration in real-world cancer care can differ extensively from clinical trials. It is important to understand real-world practice to identify dose reductions, delays, regimen changes and early discontinuations that impact cancer outcomes. Such variables require knowledge of intended regimens, which may not be well-documented in structured data in electronic health records (EHRs). We examined EHR data from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) site of the Optimal Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Dosing (OBCD) study to develop a process to identify each patient’s intended regimen. Methods In this study of women diagnosed and treated with primary stage I-IIIA breast cancer at KPNC from 2006-2019, and ages 18+y at diagnosis, we analyzed treatment patterns using structured EHR data on the drugs, dosages, and dates at which they were administered (from which intervals and total length can be derived). Chemotherapy agents were identified using the NCI’s CANMED database augmented with other sources. We used these data to categorize patients into the 22 drug combinations described in the National Cancer Care Network (NCCN) guidelines for breast cancer treatment. Within these 22 drug combinations, women were then subcategorized into 45 distinct chemotherapy administration schedules, defined as NCCN guideline regimens (NGRs). For this step, algorithms were developed that categorized patients into NGRs if they received the exact regimen described in the guidelines. For the second step, we conducted a manual review of the EHR data for patients who were unable to be categorized. This enabled us to gradually loosen the criteria (in terms of cycle intervals or number of cycles) so patients whose chemotherapy administration aligned closely with NGRs were categorized into each of the 45 NGRs. Clear patterns emerged of regimens that were administered to multiple patients, despite being outside of the NCCN guidelines, which we have defined as non-standard NGRs. For example, in the drug combination TC (cyclophosphamide and docetaxel) the NGR was TC every 21 days for 4 cycles. We found approximately 1 in 10 patients received 6 cycles, which we defined as a non-NGR. For the remaining uncategorized patients, medical chart abstraction was undertaken as a third step, at which point patients were categorized into either existing regimens or new non-NGRs if their intended regimen had not been previously described in the guidelines. Results Among 31,418 women with breast cancer, 12,427 (39.6%) received chemotherapy. We determined the intended chemotherapy regimens for 6,559 (52.8%) receiving the 45 NGRs using EHR data. We further expanded the algorithms through a manual review of the EHR data, which enabled us to categorize 2,977 (24.0%) additional women into their intended regimens. Abstracted medical notes were reviewed for the remaining patients for whom we had not been able to identify the intended regimen. Across both the manual review and abstraction processes, we were able to identify additional non-standard NGR regimens. In total, 9,536 (76.7%) of women were categorized into their intended regimen through the algorithm/manual review process, while 2891 (23.3%) of women underwent medical chart abstraction to identify the intended regimen. Conclusion Here, we describe the challenges and approaches to operationalize complex, real-world data to identify intended chemotherapy regimens at a granularity and scale not seen previously. We are adapting this method at a second OBCD study site, Kaiser Permanente Washington, where all women have undergone medical chart abstraction. We hope this methodology leads to increased feasibility and efficiency of use of large-scale clinical data, in turn improving cancer care delivery, patient outcome evaluation, and other real-world questions.

Citation Format: Jenna Bhimani, Kelli O’Connell, Rachael P. Burganowski, Isaac J. Ergas, Marilyn J. Foley, Grace B. Gallagher, Jennifer J. Griggs, Narre Heon, Tatjana Kolevska, Yuriy Kotsurovskyy, Candyce H. Kroenke, Kanichi G. Nakata, Sonia Persaud, Donna R. Rivera, Janise M. Roh, Sara Tabatabai, Emily Valice, Erin J. Bowles, Elisa V. Bandera, Lawrence H. Kushi, Elizabeth D. Kantor. A methodology for using real-world data from electronic health records to assess chemotherapy administration in women with breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-03-16.

"The simple life experiences that every other human gets": Desire for normalcy among adolescents and young adults with advanced cancer

BACKGROUND

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with advanced cancer identify normalcy as an important component of quality end-of-life care. We sought to define domains of normalcy and identify ways in which clinicians facilitate or hinder normalcy during advanced cancer care.

PROCEDURE

This was a secondary analysis of a qualitative study that aimed to identify priority domains for end-of-life care. Content analysis of semi-structured interviews among AYAs aged 12-39 years with advanced cancer, caregivers, and clinicians was used to evaluate transcripts. Coded excerpts were reviewed to identify themes related to normalcy.

RESULTS

Participants included 23 AYAs with advanced cancer, 28 caregivers, and 29 clinicians. Participants identified five domains of normalcy including relationships, activities, career/school, milestones, and appearance. AYAs and caregivers identified that clinicians facilitate normalcy through exploration of these domains with AYAs, allowing flexibility in care plans, identification of short-term and long-term goals across normalcy domains, and recognizing losses of normalcy that occur during cancer care.

CONCLUSIONS

AYAs with cancer experience multiple threats to normalcy during advanced cancer care. Clinicians can attend to normalcy and improve AYA quality of life by acknowledging these losses through ongoing discussions on how best to support domains of normalcy and by reinforcing AYA identities beyond a cancer diagnosis.

Patient preferences for telehealth versus in-person oncology visits

386

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to rapid adoption of telehealth (video or phone) visit modalities for oncology encounters not requiring in-person visits. We surveyed oncology patients regarding preferences for in-person versus telehealth modalities for different types of clinical encounters. Methods: We surveyed adults who were undergoing treatment at Kaiser Permanente Northern California infusion centers between 11/2021 – 05/2022 using a self-administered questionnaire. Patients were asked about modality preferences for 6 types of clinical discussions, overall advantages and disadvantages of telehealth versus in-person encounters, and barriers to video visit use. Results: A total of 757 patients who completed surveys in English answered questions about visit modality preferences for different types of discussions with their oncologist. Respondents were 63% female, median age 63y, and majority White (61% White, 19% Asian, 11% Latino, 7% Black) and college-educated (28% some college, 45% ≥ bachelor’s degree). For the first post-diagnosis discussion, most patients preferred in-person (IP) visits (83%), followed by video visits (27%) and phone visits (18%). For follow-up visits during treatment, patients preferred IP (52%), video (50%) and phone (37%) visits. For discussions of bad news and sensitive topics, IP visits were preferred by 68% and 62%, video visits by 44% and 48%, and phone visits by 32% and 41%, respectively. Good news could come at IP (49%), video (52%) or phone (49%) visits. Approximately 20% of patients had no overall preference for IP versus telehealth visits. However, 58% of patients felt more personally connected with their doctor at IP visits. Patients also had more confidence in IP examinations (73%) and felt IP was easier for showing things (67%) and talking (51%) to the doctor. Patients felt telehealth visits saved them time (72%), reduced infection exposure (64%) and travel issues (45%), were cheaper (38%), and enabled inclusion of more people (28%). Of 24% of patients who felt video visits would be hard, 51% cited poor internet, 41% lack of an adequate device, and 28% difficulty signing on. Conclusions: The majority of oncology patients consider telehealth visits acceptable for most types of clinical discussions, with the exception of the first post-diagnosis visit. Only one-fourth of patients indicated potentially modifiable barriers to video visits. Our results support use of telehealth visits for most types of oncology encounters.

Benefits of a novel in-line decision support and ordering platform to support genomic test ordering

431

Background: For many cancer patients, identifying the best treatment options requires timely genomic and molecular testing. However, only a small fraction of eligible patients receive timely access to evidence-based testing. Testing barriers include the clinician efforts to stay abreast of the vast number of genomic tests, rapidly evolving recommendations, and the variety of vendors offering these costly tests. We piloted a genomic test ordering solution that is integrated directly with the EMR and evaluated its benefits. Methods: We worked with experts from multiple specialties to finalize simple, context-based decision support and used standard EMR functionality to enable providers to order appropriate tests directly from the decision support webpage, seamlessly queuing orders in the EMR. We evaluated a set of metrics based on expected benefits of this new solution. We focused our analysis on lung cancer patients, and on five genomic tests: blood-based NGS, tissue-based NGS, EGFR PCR, PDL1 28-8, PDL1 22C3. Regional oncologists and nurse navigators were surveyed before and after the pilot period to ascertain ordering length of time and experience. Aggregate claims data were reviewed to assess adherence rates to recommended testing guidance and the ordering tool. The pilot launched July 2021, and six-month pre- and post-pilot data were used to evaluate its impact. Results: We received 46 and 53 pre- and post-pilot survey responses, respectively. There was an increase in the proportion of respondents who reported that ordering took ‘Less than 5 minutes’ (39% (pre) to 72% (post)), and that the ordering process was ‘Easy’ (28% (pre) to 74% (post)). In pre-pilot survey comments, ‘knowing the right test’ and ‘how to order’ comprised 30% of 40 comments. These issues were not raised in the 37 post-pilot survey comments we received. Approximately 35% of post-pilot comments revealed no issues with the new process, though 24% of comments expressed issues finding test guidance and the order button. Adherence to recommended guidance and the ordering tool grew from 0% to 44% from July to November 2021 but maintained a steady pace since then to April 2022. Conclusions: Connecting genomic test decision support to ordering capability can lead to significant benefits for providers and patients. The pilot was successful in saving ordering time, improving the ordering experience, and improving adherence to guideline concordant treatments. Success factors include elimination of a cumbersome ordering interface, development of individually orderable tests, implementation of a central ordering location, and guidance to preferred vendors. There are opportunities to improve clinician onboarding, boost adherence rates, and assess other impacts to outcomes such as cost savings and time to treatment. Additional analyses are required to understand the broader impact to these measures.

Patient, Family, and Clinician Perspectives on Location of Death for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer

PURPOSE

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer have high rates of hospital deaths. It is not clear if this reflects their preferences or barriers to dying at home.

METHODS

Between December 2018 and January 2021, we conducted in-depth interviews with AYAs (age 12-39 years) with stage IV or recurrent cancer, family caregivers including bereaved caregivers, and clinicians of AYAs with cancer. Patients were asked about their priorities for care including location of death, caregivers were asked what was most important in the care of their AYA family member, and clinicians were asked to reflect on priorities identified through caring for AYAs. Directed content analysis was applied to interview data, and themes regarding location of death were developed.

RESULTS

Eighty individuals (23 AYAs, 28 caregivers, and 29 clinicians) participated in interviews. Most AYAs and caregivers preferred a home death. However, some AYAs and caregivers opted for a hospital death to alleviate caregiver burden or protect siblings from the perceived trauma of witnessing a home death. Lack of adequate services to manage intractable symptoms at home and insufficient caregiver support led some AYAs/caregivers to opt for hospital death despite a preference for home death. Participants acknowledged the value of hospice while also pointing out its limitations in attaining a home death.

CONCLUSION

Although most AYAs prefer to die at home, this preference is not always achieved. Robust home-based services for effective symptom management and caregiver support are needed to close the gap between preferred and actual location of death for AYAs.

Prevalence of social risks among oncology patients in an integrated health care delivery system

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Background: Social risks and needs can affect oncology treatment and outcomes, and some may be amenable to intervention before or during treatment. We surveyed Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) oncology patients to estimate prevalence of social risks among cancer patients. Methods: Adults undergoing treatment at KPNC infusion centers between 11/2021 – 05/2022 completed a print questionnaire that included questions about recent (past 3 month) financial strains, living, relationship, and transportation situation, and different aspects of social support. Results: A total of 767 patients completed surveys in English. Respondents were 63% female, median age 63y, and majority White (61% White, 19% Asian, 11% Latino, 7% Black) and college-educated (28% some college, 45% ≥ bachelor’s degree). About 20% lived alone, 35% were not in a committed relationship, 13% reported they did not usually get the social or emotional support they needed, and 3% often felt lonely or socially isolated. Approximately 24% said they had no one to help them with daily activities (shopping, cooking, transportation, etc.), 8% reported need for more help with daily activities, and 8% indicated that lack of transportation made it hard to get to medical appointments. Patients with no one to help them were more likely to indicate needing more help (14% vs. 6%). Additionally, while undergoing treatment, 6% were also acting as a primary caregiver to someone who was frail, chronically ill, or had a disability. Approximately 18% had experienced at last one recent financial strain, including trouble paying for medical/dental needs (9%), debts (8%), utilities (6%), food (5%), housing (3%), phone/internet (3%), or transportation (2%). Conclusions: Many patients lack adequate emotional and instrumental social support and may also be experiencing difficulties paying for recommended or essential medical and dental needs while undergoing cancer treatment. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating social risk screening into the oncology intake process so that this information is available to the oncology team for care planning and referral to institutional and community resources. In this way, the oncology care team may be able to improve social support and reduce financial and other barriers that may impact patient participation in treatment and treatment outcomes.

Improving routine use of clinical pathway decision support through EMR integration

432

Background: There has been an explosive growth in oncology with an evolution of precision oncology based on molecular profiling. Providing evidence-based, high quality, equitable care is a foundational mission for Kaiser Permanente (KP). Thus, KP created a systematic approach toward oncology care pathways that incorporated organizational leadership, structured participation and feedback, novel integration of clinical decision support (CDS) tools, and evaluation of efficacy, safety, and value. Our goal was to make it easy and preferable for physicians to access clinical decision support for every patient, every time. Methods: KP’s inter-regional oncology chiefs, supported by relevant teams in evidence analysis, pharmacy, and other clinical specialties, convened monthly meetings in 10 oncology sub-specialties to synthesize evidence and create care pathways for priority conditions. The pathways are published to KP’s Clinical Library (CL), a trusted, curated resource of clinical knowledge guidance and tools, available via KP’s Epic Systems electronic medical record (EMR). The pathways are represented as intuitive, graphical, clickable process diagrams, with additional clinical content available as hover text. CL uses standard Epic interfaces to receive contextual information when accessed from a patient encounter. When the physician browses the CL oncology pathway and selects a treatment recommendation, CL returns to the EMR with the specific treatment plan queued up for ordering. We began initial deployment of these inter-regional pathways in Feb 2020. We combined EMR data with CL data to understand the impact of this clinical decision support. Results: We experienced dramatic uptake of oncology clinical pathways despite offering minimal training and no external incentives. KP orders over Beacon treatment plans annually in the clinical conditions supported by our pathways. In the first quarter of deployment, clinicians ordered 9% of these protocols through clicking on CDS in CL. Over the course of 2 years, we saw pathway-based ordering grow to over 75% of eligible patients. Conclusions: We find that we have made considerable progress toward our goal of having physician users consult clinical pathways decision support before ordering oncology drug treatment protocols. As with all clinical guidance, we would not expect 100% of patients to follow the recommendation, due to clinical variation and co-morbidity, but we find that by making clinical pathways easily accessible and actionable within normal clinical workflow, physicians are consulting the latest evidence in their treatment.

NSABP FC-11: A phase II study of neratinib (N) plus trastuzumab (T) or N plus cetuximab (C) in patients (pts) with "quadruple wild-type" metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) based on HER2 status

3564

Background: Patients (pts) with KRAS wild-type (WT) mCRC treated with single agent anti-EGFR therapy (tx) have improved OS compared to BSC but only a 10-15% response rate. Prior EGFR tx may upregulate HER amplification. For pts with quadruple WT mCRC (KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, PIC3KA), data suggest that dual targeting of the MAPK pathway, specifically EGFR and HER2, may be more effective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the activity of dual MAPK pathway inhibition based on HER2 status: amplified (amp), non-amplified (non-amp), or mutated (mt). Methods: This 2-arm phase II trial enrolled pts with quad WT mCRC with ECOG PS 0-2, adequate organ function, prior oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based regimens, and known HER2 status. Arm 1: HER2 amp (confirmed as >2.14 copy number by Guardant 360) and prior anti-EGFR tx or HER2 mt (with qualifying mt) with or without prior anti-EGFR tx; Arm 2: HER2 non-amp or HER2 amp without prior anti-EGFR tx. Tx included T 4 mg/kg IV loading dose → 2 mg/kg/wk and N 240 mg po daily (Arm 1) or C 400 mg/m2 IV loading dose → 250 mg/m2/wk and N 240 mg po daily (Arm 2). Imaging was performed every 8 wks with response per RECIST 1.1. Primary end point (EP) of each arm was 6 mo PFS (PFS6). Secondary EPs: Response rate (ORR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), toxicity and exploratory assessments of N pharmacokinetics, genetic and molecular analyses, and evaluation of multiple drug combinations in PDX/PDXO models. We tested H0: PFS6 <0.13 v HA: PFS6 >0.47 (α=0.05; power=0.90 to reject HA). Treating 15 pts in each arm, if ≥5 pts are alive and progression free (PFS6 0.33), the arm is worth further testing. Results: From Jul 2018 - Mar 2021, 25 pts enrolled from 9 different centers. Arm 1 closed due to poor accrual (n=4). Those pts have been excluded from further analysis. Arm 2 enrolled 21 pts. with 15 evaluable for response by imaging. Early discontinuation occurred in 6 of 21 pts: 2 withdrew consent, 3 due to toxicity, and 1 physician withdrawal. Of the 15 evaluable pts, there were 6 PR, 5 of 13 HER2 non-amp, 1 of 2 HER2 amp, (duration 120-171 days; mean 140) and 5 SD (duration 59-231 days; mean 124). The ORR (CR/PR) in all pts who received at least one dose of tx is 33% (6/20). 8 of 15 evaluable pts (53%) were progression free at cycle 6. Common grade 3+ AEs (>5%) included diarrhea (24%), rash (8%), and abdominal pain/distension (8%), without any grade 5 AEs. Conclusions: The combination of C+N was reasonably well tolerated with expected toxicities of diarrhea and rash. The ORR, CBR, and PFS compare favorably to pts previously relapsed following oxaliplatin and irinotecan and treated with single-agent anti-EGFR tx. Upon entry, biopsies for PDX implantation had an engraftment success rate of ̃80%. We anticipate using these grafts to establish PDXO models for molecular analyses and further drug testing. Support: NSABP Foundation, Puma Biotechnology. Clinical trial information: NCT03457896.

Using G8 and carg toxicity score to predict emergency room (ER) visits, hospitalizations, and mortality in older patients with newly diagnosed cancer

12055

Background: ASCO and NCCN guidelines recommends Geriatric Screening (G8) and CARG chemotherapy toxicity tool assessment for all older patient before receiving chemotherapy as high risk G8 (< 14) and CARG (≥10) are associated with increased chemotherapy toxicities. We conducted a pilot to understand predictors of high risk G8/CARG and if high risk G8/CARG can predict ER/hospitalization and mortality in community-based Oncology clinics in Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Methods: G8 and CARG were administered to all patients ≥65 years with newly diagnosed cancer from 5/1/21 to 12/31/21. Patients were followed for at least 30 days after assessment for ER/hospitalization and mortality. The median follow-up days from referral to ER/hospitalization was 96 days (range 0-273 days). Chi-Square tests were applied for G8/CARG risk category with demographic and utilization variables. Cox proportional-hazards models were performed to see the association between G8/CARG score and days from referral to ER/hospitalization, and days from referral to death, adjusted for age, sex, race, and cancer type. Results: During this pilot 1082 patients (52% female) completed G8, and 516 patients (57% female) completed CARG. Percentage of patients with high risk G8/CARG increased with each decade (G8: < 70 yrs (58%), 70-79 (63%), 80-89 (90%), ≥ 90 (100%); p < 0.001); (CARG: < 70 yrs (19%), 70-79 (43%), 80-89 (65%), 90 and above (81%); p < 0.001). More men than women had high risk CARG (48% vs. 39%, p = 0.012). Ethnicity was not associated with high risk G8 / CARG. Upper GI cancers (UGI) were associated with highest proportion of patients with high risk G8 (88%) and CARG (58%) whereas breast cancer (BC) had the lowest proportion of patients with high risk G8 (46%) and CARG (14%); p < 0.001. In the adjusted G8 model for ER/hospitalization, high risk G8 vs low risk (HR 1.58, CI 1.23-2.03, p = 0.0003) was related to ER/hospitalization. In the adjusted CARG model for ER/ hospitalization, high risk CARG vs low risk (HR 2.42, CI 1.37-4.29, p = 0.0024) and medium risk CARG vs low risk (HR 2.17, CI 1.23-3.83, p = 0.0074) were related to ER/hospitalization. In the adjusted G8 model for mortality, high risk G8 vs low risk (HR 4.52, CI 2.28-8.97, p < 0.0001) were related to mortality. In the adjusted CARG model for mortality, high risk CARG vs low risk (HR 3.92, CI 1.21-12.74, p = 0.023) and medium risk CARG vs low risk (HR 1.59, CI 0.48-5.33, p = 0.45) were related to mortality. Conclusions: This community-based pilot shows that increasing age is associated with high risk G8 / CARG. G8 and CARG assessment at the time of initial cancer diagnosis can predict early ER/hospitalization and mortality in older adults with cancer and should be included as a part of initial assessment.

Nurse navigator–initiated geriatric assessments in hematology/oncology clinics

12051

Background: As the number of older adults with cancer continues to grow, there is an urgent and unmet need to implement geriatric assessments and toxicity screening tools (G8 and CARG toxicity tool) for patients 65 and older with a cancer diagnosis in real-world settings. Studies of these tools show completion rates of 20-35% when administered by a physician. To determine if nurse navigators could increase completion rates, we implemented a pilot in seven community cancer centers within an integrated health system. Methods: A pilot project of G8 and CARG toxicity tool implementation was completed at seven community cancer centers from May 1,2021 to December 31,2021 in patients age ≥ 65 years, with solid or malignant hematologic cancer diagnosis. G8 was administered at seven sites and CARG was assessed in addition to G8 on solid tumor patients undergoing chemotherapy at four of the seven sites. Referrals to nutrition, audiology, physical therapy, psychiatry, and neurology were sent by nurse navigators based on assessment results. Results: The total number of eligible patients for G8 was 1372, with 1082 (78.9 %) successfully completing assessment, and the total number of eligible patients for CARG toxicity tool was 563 with 516 (91.6%) successfully completing assessment. The median age of patients completing assessment was 74 years old (range 65-100) and 52% were female. The cohort included Asian / Pacific Islanders (23%), Black (15%), Hispanic White (8%), and Non-Hispanic Whites (51%). Most common cancers included genitourinary cancer (18%), breast cancer (17%), upper GI cancer (15%), and thoracic cancer (13%). The assessments resulted in referrals to multiple services including nutrition (193 referrals), audiology (30), physical therapy (18), psychiatry (5), and neurology (5). Conclusions: Nurse navigators can successfully implement G8 and CARG toxicity tool in hematology-oncology clinics in a broad range of cancer types at a high rate with resultant referrals to multiple supportive services in real-world settings.

Future of Teleoncology: Trends and Disparities in Telehealth and Secure Message Utilization in the COVID-19 Era

PURPOSE

The COVID-19 pandemic created an imperative to re-examine the role of telehealth in oncology. We studied trends and disparities in utilization of telehealth (video and telephone visits) and secure messaging (SM; ie, e-mail via portal/app), before and during the pandemic.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of hematology/oncology patient visits (telephone/video/office) and SM between January 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020, at Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

RESULTS

Among 334,666 visits and 1,161,239 SM, monthly average office visits decreased from 10,562 prepandemic to 1,769 during pandemic, telephone visits increased from 5,114 to 8,663, and video visits increased from 40 to 4,666. Monthly average SM increased from 50,788 to 64,315 since the pandemic began. Video visits were a significantly higher fraction of all visits (P < .01) in (1) younger patients (Generation Z 48%, Millennials 46%; Generation X 40%; Baby Boomers 34.4%; Silent Generation 24.5%); (2) patients with commercial insurance (39%) compared with Medicaid (32.7%) or Medicare (28.1%); (3) English speakers (33.7%) compared with those requiring an interpreter (24.5%); (4) patients who are Asian (35%) and non-Hispanic White (33.7%) compared with Black (30.1%) and Hispanic White (27.5%); (5) married/domestic partner patients (35%) compared with single/divorced/widowed (29.9%); (6) Charlson comorbidity index ≤ 3 (36.2%) compared with > 3 (31.3%); and (7) males (34.6%) compared with females (32.3%). Similar statistically significant SM utilization patterns were also seen.

CONCLUSION

In the pandemic era, hematology/oncology telehealth and SM use rapidly increased in a manner that is feasible and sustained. Possible disparities existed in video visit and SM use by age, insurance plan, language, race, ethnicity, marital status, comorbidities, and sex.

Care in the time of COVID-19: impact on the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in a large, integrated health care system

PURPOSES

To delineate operational changes in Kaiser Permanente Northern California breast care and evaluate the impact of these changes during the initial COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place period (SiP, 3/17/20-5/17/20).

METHODS

By extracting data from institutional databases and reviewing electronic medical charts, we compared clinical and treatment characteristics of breast cancer patients diagnosed 3/17/20-5/17/20 to those diagnosed 3/17/19-5/17/2019. Outcomes included time from biopsy to consultation and treatment. Comparisons were made using Chi-square or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests.

RESULTS

Fewer new breast cancers were diagnosed in 2020 during the SiP period than during a similar period in 2019 (n = 247 vs n = 703). A higher percentage presented with symptomatic disease in 2020 than 2019 (78% vs 37%, p < 0.001). Higher percentages of 2020 patients presented with grade 3 (37% vs 25%, p = 0.004) and triple-negative tumors (16% vs 10%, p = 0.04). A smaller percentage underwent surgery first in 2020 (71% vs 83%, p < 0.001) and a larger percentage had neoadjuvant chemotherapy (16% vs 11%, p < 0.001). Telehealth utilization increased from 0.8% in 2019 to 70.0% in 2020. Times to surgery and neoadjuvant chemotherapy were shorter in 2020 than 2019 (19 vs 26 days, p < 0.001, and 23 vs 28 days, p = 0.03, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

During SiP, fewer breast cancers were diagnosed than during a similar period in 2019, and a higher proportion presented with symptomatic disease. Early-stage breast cancer diagnoses decreased, while metastatic cancer diagnoses remained similar. Telehealth increased significantly, and times to treatment were shorter in 2020 than 2019. Our system continued to provide timely breast cancer treatment despite significant pandemic-driven disruption.

Attitudes and Perceptions of Multidisciplinary Cancer Care Clinicians Toward Telehealth and Secure Messages

Importance

Telehealth use including secure messages has rapidly expanded since the COVID-19 pandemic, including for multidisciplinary aspects of cancer care. Recent reports described rapid uptake and various benefits for patients and clinicians, suggesting that telehealth may be in standard use after the pandemic.

Objective

To examine attitudes and perceptions of multidisciplinary cancer care clinicians toward telehealth and secure messages.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Cross-sectional specialty-specific survey (ie, some questions appear only for relevant specialties) among multidisciplinary cancer care clinicians, collected from April 29, 2020, to June 5, 2020. Participants were all 285 clinicians in the fields of medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, survivorship, and oncology navigation from all 21 community cancer centers of Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Clinician satisfaction, perceived benefits and challenges of telehealth, perceived quality of telehealth and secure messaging, preferred visit and communication types for different clinical activities, and preferences regarding postpandemic telehealth use.

Results

A total of 202 clinicians (71%) responded (104 of 128 medical oncologists, 34 of 37 radiation oncologists, 16 of 62 breast surgeons, 18 of 28 navigators, and 30 of 30 survivorship experts; 57% (116 of 202) were women; 73% [147 of 202] between ages 36-55 years). Seventy-six percent (n = 154) were satisfied with telehealth without statistically significant variations based on clinician characteristics. In-person visits were thought to promote a strong patient-clinician connection by 99% (n = 137) of respondents compared with 77% (n = 106) for video visits, 43% (n = 59) for telephone, and 14% (n = 19) for secure messages. The most commonly cited benefits of telehealth to clinicians included reduced commute (79%; n = 160), working from home (74%; n = 149), and staying on time (65%; n = 132); the most commonly cited negative factors included internet connection (84%; n = 170) or equipment problems (72%; n = 146), or physical examination needed (64%; n = 131). Most respondents (59%; n = 120) thought that video is adequate to manage the greater part of patient care in general; and most deemed various telehealth modalities suitable for any of the queried types of patient-clinician activities. For some specific activities, less than half of respondents thought that only an in-person visit is acceptable (eg, 49%; n = 66 for end-of-life discussion, 35%; n = 58 for new diagnosis). Most clinicians (82%; n = 166) preferred to maintain or increase use of telehealth after the pandemic.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this survey of multidisciplinary cancer care clinicians in the COVID-19 era, telehealth was well received and often preferred by most cancer care clinicians, who deemed it appropriate to manage most aspects of cancer care. As telehealth use becomes routine in some cancer care settings, video and telephone visits and use of asynchronous secure messaging with patients in cancer care has clear potential to extend beyond the pandemic period.

Mobile app and wearable sensor-based patient and caregiver physical function and reported outcomes: A survey on oncologists’ current practices and preferences on data delivery

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Background: Patient-reported outcomes and wearable sensor measures of physical function can predict important outcomes in oncology. However, mobile and wearable-sensor apps collect vast information from patients and caregivers; indiscriminate reporting may increase provider burden and reduce data reliance. This study aimed to assess medical oncologists’ current practices in utilizing such information, and their data delivery preferences. Methods: Cross-sectional survey delivered by email to all Kaiser Permanente Northern California medical oncologists, February-March 2021. Results: Thirty-eight oncologists (30% of 127) responded to the survey. Most agreed that to reduce adverse events (AEs) it is important for the oncologist to know about the following measures: 1) patient/caregiver-reported physical symptoms (92% responded either very important or essential); 2) patient/caregiver-reported physical function (87%); and 3) objective measures of gait/balance (55%) and physical activity (50%) obtained from wearable sensors. Similarly, most respondents strongly consider these data when making decisions related to treatment intent, dosage, or visit frequency. All respondents routinely rely on information from caregivers, and in case of a discrepancy, more rely on the caregiver’s report (45%) than the patient’s report (8%), and some seek additional objective information (26%). Most respondents indicated that they prefer to receive electronic information on physical function and symptoms only for “critical values” and/or to have the information accessible “as needed” in the electronic chart, but not actively delivered to them (Table). Conclusions: Oncologists believe that patient/caregiver reports of symptoms and physical function can predict AEs, and strongly rely on them in clinical decision making. The majority of respondents would like to have access to physical function/symptoms data from mobile/wearable apps, with more providers wishing to receive information prior to a visit and/or in case of “critical values”. These findings may inform future implementations of mobile/wearable technologies to track symptoms and function of cancer patients.[Table: see text]

Patient, Family, and Clinician Perspectives on End-of-Life Care Quality Domains and Candidate Indicators for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer

IMPORTANCE

End-of-life care quality indicators specific to adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 12 to 39 years with cancer have not been developed.

OBJECTIVE

To identify priority domains for end-of-life care from the perspectives of AYAs, family caregivers, and clinicians, and to propose candidate quality indicators reflecting priorities.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This qualitative study was conducted from December 6, 2018, to January 5, 2021, with no additional follow-up. In-depth interviews were conducted with patients, family caregivers, and clinicians and included a content analysis of resulting transcripts. A multidisciplinary advisory group translated priorities into proposed quality indicators. Interviews were conducted at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, and an AYA cancer support community (lacunaloft.org). Participants included 23 AYAs, 28 caregivers, and 29 clinicians.

EXPOSURE

Stage IV or recurrent cancer.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Care priorities.

RESULTS

Interviews were conducted with 23 patients (mean [SD] age, 29.3 [7.3] years; 12 men [52%]; 18 White participants [78%]), 28 family caregivers (23 women [82%]; 14 White participants [50%]), and 29 clinicians (20 women [69%]; 13 White participants [45%]). Caregivers included 22 parents (79%), 5 spouses or partners (18%), and 1 other family member (4%); the 29 clinicians included 15 physicians (52%), 6 nurses or nurse practitioners (21%), and 8 social workers or psychologists (28%). Interviews identified 7 end-of-life priority domains: attention to physical symptoms, attention to quality of life, psychosocial and spiritual care, communication and decision-making, relationships with clinicians, care and treatment, and independence. Themes were consistent across the AYA age range and participant type. Although some domains were represented in quality indicators developed for adults, unique domains were identified, as well as AYA-specific manifestations of existing domains. For example, quality of life included global quality of life; attainment of life goals, legacy, and meaning; support of personal relationships; and normalcy. Within communication and decision-making, domains included communication early in the disease course, addressing prognosis and what to expect at the end of life, and opportunity for AYAs to hold desired roles in decision-making. Care and treatment domains relevant to cancer therapy, use of life-prolonging measures, and location of death emphasized the need for preference sensitivity rather than a standard path. This finding differs from existing adult indicators that propose that late-life chemotherapy, intensive measures, and hospital death should be rare.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The findings of this qualitative study suggest that AYAs with cancer have priorities for care at the end of life that are not fully encompassed in existing indicators for adults. Use of new indicators for this young population may better reflect patient- and family-centered experiences of quality care.

The future of tele-oncology: Trends and disparities in telehealth and secure message utilization in the COVID-19 era

1506

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created an imperative to re-examine the role of telehealth in oncology. Herein we report trends and demographic disparities in utilization of telehealth and secure messaging (SM; i.e., email via portal/app), before and during the pandemic, at a large integrated healthcare system. Methods: This population-based retrospective cohort study examines utilization of various patient-provider visit types (office, video, telephone) and SM from 1/1/2019-9/30/2020 at 22 Kaiser Permanente Northern California Hematology and Oncology practices. We explored changes associated with the pandemic (i.e., since 03/2020, when stay home orders were introduced) as well as demographic differences, using Chi-square for categorical and the Mann-Whitney U Test for non-parametric comparisons. Results: During the study period, there were 334,666 visits and 1,161,239 SM sent between patients and providers. Since the pandemic, total monthly average of visits declined only slightly by 4.1%, but monthly average office visits decreased by 80% from 11,001 to 2,170, monthly average video visits increased from 40 to 4,666, and monthly average telephone visits increased by 69% from 5,114 to 8,663. The monthly average SM increased by 26% from 50,788 to 64,315. The trend of increasing telehealth utilization was sustained and stabilized between 07-09/2020. New consultations initially decreased from a mean of 1,995 per month (12.4% of all visits) in 2019, to a minimum of 1,179 (8.6%) by 05/2020, returning to 1,619 (11.7%) by 09/2020. Pandemic era video visits were a significantly higher fraction of all visits (p < 0.01) in: (1) younger patients (Gen Z 48%, Gen Y/Millennials 46%; Gen X 40%; Baby Boomers 34.4%; Pre-Boomers 24.5%); (2) patients with commercial insurance (39%) compared to those with Medicaid (32.7%) or Medicare (28.1%); (3) Primary English speakers (33.7%) compared to those who require an interpreter (24.5%);(4) Asians (35%) and non-Hispanic Whites (33.7%) compared to Blacks (30.1%) and Hispanic Whites (27.5%); (5) married/ domestic partner patients (35%) compared to single/divorced/widowed patients (29.9%); (6) patients with a Charlson comorbidity index ≤3 (36.2%) compared to > 3 (31.3%); and (7) males (34.6%) compared to females (32.3%). Similar statistically significant SM utilization patterns were also seen. Conclusions: In the pandemic era, utilization of telehealth and SM rapidly increased in all demographic categories, shifting the landscape and resource allocation of hematology/oncology practices in a manner that is feasible and sustained. New consultations decreased early in pandemic with return to pre-pandemic levels by 09/2020. Utilization of video visits and SM significantly differ between various demographic populations with disparities seen by age, insurance plan, English proficiency, race/ethnicity, marital status, comorbidities, and gender.

Abstract P15: Treatment (TX) of advanced melanoma during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC)

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it TX changes for many patients (pts) with AMEL, as it did for other pts with cancer. The long-term impacts of mandated area lockdowns, social distancing, medical society guidelines, and patient preference will not be fully understood for some time. The first step to learning from the pandemic is to assess how AMEL care was rendered in 2020. We performed a retrospective analysis of systemic TX for AMEL in KPNC, an integrated community healthcare system with approximately 4 million pts and about 150 de novo diagnoses of AMEL annually. We performed a chart review of pts with AMEL who were treated with standard of care systemic therapy, either immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) or BRAF/MEK inhibitors (BRAF/MEKi), from January 1 to March 15, 2020, as a control group, and between March 15 and May 20, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in California with follow-up through November 4, 2020. Between January 1 and March 15, 26 pts started palliative ICI of whom 11 started combination PD1 (PD1i) and CTLA4 inhibitors. Among 15 pts who started on single-agent PD1i, 14 pts received short-interval TX (SIT), while 1 started long-interval TX (LIT). All 21 pts who started perioperative PD1i pre-pandemic, started on SIT. Between March 15 and May 20, 21 pts started palliative ICI, of whom only 3 started combination TX. Among pts who started palliative single-agent PD1i 40% started on LIT in this initial phase of the pandemic. 27 pts started perioperative ICI during this time. We found 3 started with neoadjuvant therapy and 78% started on LIT. Among 78 pts who were already on palliative single-agent ICI at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 15% remained on SIT and 24% changed to LIT. Sixteen pts (21%) also interrupted palliative ICI between March 15 and April 15 after a median time on TX of 45 weeks and for 63% the cited reason for interruption on chart review was the COVID 19 pandemic. Three of these pts who stopped ICI changed to BRAF/MEKi, the remainder continue in active follow-up as of November 2020. Among 72 pts already receiving perioperative ICI in March 2020, 19% remained on SIT, 35% changed to LIT, and 11% were already on LIT. 39% of pts interrupted perioperative ICI after a median time of 20 weeks on TX and 46% of these cited COVID 19 as the reason for interruption. Three pts have since resumed peri-operative TX, but the others remain in active follow-up off therapy. Between 3/15 and 5/30/2020, we noted a 325% increase in pts started on BRAF/MEKi; 69% of pts received therapy for palliative intent. The start of the COVID-19 pandemic saw many different changes in AMEL TX in KPNC, with increased use of single-agent ICI, LIT, and oral therapy, in line with public health guidance, oncology societal guidelines and patient preference. It will be important to assess the long-term outcomes relating to these changes, including the impact of early discontinuation of ICI, to help guide future Melanoma care during and after the pandemic.

Citation Format: Juraj Kavecansky, Nina Shah, Angeles Price, Frank Hsieh, Alice Kengla, Belinda Ark, Jahan Tavakoli, Christine Kaiser, Mingqing Li, Sejal Jhatakia, Mala Reddy, Dazhi Cen, Philip Sardar, Stephen Wang, Ashok Pai, Andrea Harzstark, Tatjana Kolevska, Thach-Giao Truong. Treatment (TX) of advanced melanoma during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2021 Feb 3-5. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(6_Suppl):Abstract nr P15.

Testicular cancer management: Population-wide, rapid case ascertainment to drive early expert engagement and reduced practice variation

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Background: Research priorities in germ cell tumor (GCT) management have moved sharply from therapeutic improvements to cancer care delivery research and biomarker-based decision making. Early intervention with centralized decision support and oversight by expert teams result in best therapeutic outcomes and survivorship with decreased resource utilization. We describe Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s (KPNC) re-organization of care delivery through rapid case ascertainment and early expert input, as well as early results of reduction in practice variation and system-wide practice change. Methods: In 2016, KPNC reorganized oncology from a distributed generalist model to a model led by a centralized multidisciplinary expert team to share in initial and ongoing care delivery for all GCT patients in the system. Central to the re-organization was rapid ascertainment of the entire population of patients with GCT within the system and early expert engagement in treatment decision-making. Results: Between May 2016 and June 2018, 274 GCT patients were recorded in the tumor registry, of whom 69% were < 40 years of age, 16% were non-white, 56% had seminoma and 63% had stage 1 disease. Rapid case ascertainment identified 89% (95% CI, 86-93%) of the cases, increasing from 79% in 2016 to 97% in 2018 as false negatives were identified and used to improve the case finding algorithm. The overall positive predictive value was 57% (52-62%) and number needed to detect was 1.75 (1.62-1.91). Of the 274 cases, 92% (89-95%) were engaged by the expert team. In addition, the team reviewed 61 testicular cancer patients who had recurrences or metastatic cancers. Among 177 patients with stage I seminoma, the preferred use of active surveillance over adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy rose from 48% (95% CI, 35-62%) in 2015 to 87% (75-99%) in 2018 (p = 0.0005). For patients with nonseminoma, the rate of the preferred option of retroperitoneal lymphadenectomies being performed by a high volume urologic surgeon increased markedly from 62% in 2015 to 95% in 2018. Conclusions: To our knowledge, the KPNC re-organization of GCT care delivery with comprehensive rapid case ascertainment is unique for integrated health care delivery systems in the USA. While early, KPNC has a working platform for early, expert multidisciplinary review and bidirectional communication with local care teams for population-based care. Early evidence points to system-wide reductions in practice variation and improvements in practice.

Abstract S06-03: Cancer care telehealth utilization rates and provider attitudes in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic: The Kaiser Permanente Northern California experience

Background: In response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the multidisciplinary care of cancer patients has rapidly evolved. This study aims to determine utilization trends of in-person, telephone, and video visits, before and after the California shelter-in-place (SIP) orders on 3/19/20, and assess perspectives of cancer care providers on telehealth.

Methods: This study was conducted in 22 medical centers of a large integrated health care system. Utilization of different visit types in medical oncology (excluding infusion visits) was collected between 12/1/2019–5/24/2020, for a total of 104,588 visits. Chi-square with Yates correction was used for p-values. Voluntary, anonymous electronic surveys were sent to 276 cancer care providers measuring attitudes and experiences with telehealth. Overall, 68.8% responded: 101/128 medical oncologists (MedOnc), 34/37 radiation oncologists (RadOnc), 16/62 breast surgeons (Brst Surg), 18/28 breast oncology nurse navigators (OncNav), and 21/21 cancer survivorship advanced practitioners (SurvOnc).

Results: Comparing visit types prior to and after SIP, in-person visits went from 55.3% to 3.3%, telephone visits went from 44.2% to 79%, and video visits went from 0.5% to 17.8% (p&lt;.0001). Between 12/2019 and 05/2020, video visits increased from 0.42% to 31.3%. Telephone visits increased from 39.3 to a peak of 86.6% in 04/2020 and then decreased to 63.7%. In-person visits dropped from 60.3% to 2.3% in 04/2020 and then increased to 5.0% (p&lt;.0001). Satisfaction with telehealth was high: 87.1% of MedOnc, 91.2% of RadOnc, 68.6% of BrstSurg, 72.2% of OncNav, and 90.4% SurvOnc providers were very or somewhat satisfied. Most providers preferred to increase or maintain telehealth utilization after the pandemic: 84% of MedOnc, 85% of RadOnc, 81% of BrstSurg, 51% of OncNav, and 90% of SurvOnc. Among most providers, highest cited benefits of telehealth included work from home, reduced commute, staying on time, flexible hours, and shorter visits. Commonly cited challenges included connection/equipment problems, need for physical exam, difficulty evaluating performance status, and in-person visit required anyway. Of MedOnc, 11.8% responded that a patient suffered an adverse effect that could have been prevented with in-person visit. In-person visits were thought to promote the strongest provider-patient connection, followed by video, telephone visits, and emails. MedOnc providers deemed in-person visits were needed for end-of-life discussion (49%), discussing a new diagnosis (47.1%), palliative care discussion (34.3%), and clinical trial enrollment (34.3%). Activities for which email or phone visits were most accepted included check-in pretreatment, survivorship planning/follow-up, and patient navigation.

Conclusion: Overall, telehealth utilization has rapidly increased and is well accepted by various cancer care providers. Addressing technical issues and tailoring visit type to specific activities may further promote telehealth adoption and satisfaction.

Citation Format: Elad Neeman, Tatjana Kolevska, Mary Reed, Tilak Sundaresan, Amit Arora, Yan Li, Samantha Seaward, Gillian Kuehner, Sharon Likely, Julia Trossman, Christine Weldon, Raymond Liu. Cancer care telehealth utilization rates and provider attitudes in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic: The Kaiser Permanente Northern California experience [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2020 Jul 20-22. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(18_Suppl):Abstract nr S06-03.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of mHealth Mindfulness Intervention for Cancer Patients and Informal Cancer Caregivers: A Feasibility Study Within an Integrated Health Care Delivery System

Purpose: To assess feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a mobile/online-based (mHealth) mindfulness intervention for cancer patients and their caregivers to reduce distress and improve quality of life (QoL). Material and Methods: Two-arm randomized controlled trial within Kaiser Permanente Northern California targeting cancer patients who received chemotherapy and their informal caregivers. The intervention group received a commercially available mindfulness program for 8 weeks. The wait-list control group received usual care. We assessed feasibility using retention and adherence rates and obtained participant-reported data on distress, QoL, sleep, mindfulness, and posttraumatic growth before and immediately after the intervention. Results: Ninety-seven patients (median age 59 years; female 69%; 65% whites) and 31 caregivers (median age 63 years; female 58%; 77% whites) were randomized. Among randomized participants, 74% of the patients and 84% of the caregivers completed the study. Among those in the intervention arm who initiated the mindfulness program, 65% practiced at least 50% of the days during the intervention period. We observed significantly greater improvement in QoL among patients in the intervention arm compared with controls. Caregivers in the intervention group experienced increased mindfulness compared with controls. Participants appreciated the convenience of the intervention and the mindfulness skills they obtained from the program. Conclusion: We demonstrated the feasibility of conducting a randomized trial of an mHealth mindfulness intervention for cancer patients and their informal caregivers. Results from fully powered efficacy trials would inform the potential for clinicians to use this scalable intervention to help improve QoL of those affected by cancer and their caregivers.

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants: An Underestimated Workforce for Older Adults with Cancer

OBJECTIVES

To describe the composition of the US provider workforce for adults with cancer older than 65 years and to determine whether there were differences in patients who received care from different providers (eg, nurse practitioners [NPs], physician assistants [PAs], and specialty physicians).

DESIGN

Observational, cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Adults within the 2013 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registries linked to the Medicare claims database.

PARTICIPANTS

Medicare beneficiaries who received ambulatory care for any solid or hematologic malignancies.

MEASUREMENTS

International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9), diagnosis codes were used to identify Medicare patient claims for malignancies in older adults. Providers for those ambulatory claims were identified using taxonomy codes associated with their National Provider Identifier number.

RESULTS

A total of 2.5 million malignancy claims were identified for 201, 237 patients, with 15, 227 providers linked to claims. NPs comprised the largest group (31.5%; n = 4,806), followed by hematology/oncology physicians (27.7%; n = 4,222), PAs (24.7%; n = 3767), medical oncologists (10.9%; n = 661), gynecological oncologists (2.6%; n = 403), and hematologists (2.4%; n = 368). Rural cancer patients were more likely to receive care from NPs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.84; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.65-2.05) or PAs (OR = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.40-1.77) than from physicians. Patients in the South were more likely to receive care from NPs (OR = 1.36; 95% CI = 1.24-1.49).

CONCLUSIONS

A large proportion of older adults with cancer receive care from NPs and PAs, particularly those who reside in rural settings and in the southern United States. Workforce strategies need to integrate these provider groups to effectively respond to the rising need for cancer care within the older adult population.

Early case ascertainment and prospective multidisciplinary review for management of new melanoma diagnoses within an integrated healthcare system: The Kaiser Permanente Northern California experience

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Background: Appropriate surgical treatment of early-stage melanoma yields a high cure rate, but this management can be nuanced. In particular, surgical management, including sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), of thin melanoma (≤1.0mm) is not well-defined. Methods: Biopsies with new melanoma diagnoses were identified electronically and manually reviewed. In a community oncology setting, we organized a review panel of physicians specialized in melanoma from dermatology, medical oncology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, and surgical subspecialties (oncology, plastics, head and neck). Patients were assigned to care pathways based on NCCN and ASCO guidelines, including guidance on SLNB for thin melanomas with high-risk features like lymphovascular invasion, high mitotic rate, positive deep margin, and ulceration. These recommendations were documented in the chart and communicated directly to the patient’s care team. Results: From 11/2016 through 10/2018, our multidisciplinary committee reviewed 3626 patients with new melanoma from 22 sites in our integrated, regional hospital system. Median age was 66 (range 19-99); 60% were male. cT2N0 tumors comprised 7%, cT3 3%, and cT4 2%. Thin melanomas ≤1.0mm represented 71% of cases, of which 34% were ≤0.5mm. SLNB was performed in 9.8% of thin melanomas, and 18% were positive, much higher than historical positive rates of 3-4%. Conclusions: Early case ascertainment and prospective multidisciplinary review in a community oncology setting resulted in increased identification of high-risk thin melanoma, and consequently increased identification of nodal disease through SLNB. Positive SLNB triggers important clinical decision-making regarding need for node dissection versus clinical surveillance, and need for adjuvant therapy, which have been shown to improve survival. This clinical practice structure improved risk-stratification and adherence to national guidelines. We plan to further study the impact of these improvements to melanoma care on disease-free survival and overall survival.

Patients preference in receiving phone call from oncologist after cancer diagnosis and before in person consultation

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Background: Diagnosis of cancer creates an emotionally challenging time for patients. Waiting period between receiving diagnosis, and formal consultation with an Oncologist is associated with fear, shock, and uncertainty. Understanding patients’ preferences during this sensitive period is essential in providing high quality care. We hypothesized that receiving a call from an Oncologist, while waiting for a formal consultation, would help patients cope with cancer diagnosis. Methods: To assess our hypothesis, we surveyed 171 patients across five Kaiser Permanente medical centers. All patients received a call from an Oncology navigator to onboard them, and assure completion of necessary tests before in-person consultation with Oncologist. Of the 171 patients surveyed, 61 patients received an additional call from their assigned Oncologist before a formal in-person consultation. To understand the impact of the call made by the Oncologist, a survey was administered to patients within a few weeks of consultation. The remaining 110 patients who only received a call from an Oncology navigator were also surveyed to determine if a call from an Oncologist before their consultation could have helped them cope better with their cancer diagnosis. Results: Approximately 45 % of surveyed patients (n = 171) preferred a call from an Oncologist before the formal consultation. Conclusions: Brief telephone contact by Oncologist before in-person consultation supports newly diagnosed cancer patients with high-levels of uncertainty and shock. A substantial portion of newly diagnosed cancer patients prefers to speak with an Oncologists in the days after receiving a cancer diagnosis, and those who do receive an Oncologist call, find it beneficial in coping with their diagnosis.[Table: see text]

Opportunities to Improve Detection and Treatment of Depression Among Patients With Breast Cancer Treated in an Integrated Delivery System

CONTEXT

Patients with cancer commonly experience depression. If not addressed, depression can lead to reduced quality of life and survival.

OBJECTIVE

Given the introduction of national initiatives to improve management of psychiatric symptoms among patients with cancer, we examined patterns of depression detection and treatment over time, and with respect to patient characteristics.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study linked data from the Pathways Study, a prospective cohort study of women diagnosed with breast cancer at Kaiser Permanente Northern California between 2005 and 2013, with data from Kaiser Permanente Northern California's electronic medical record. Pathways participants eligible for this analysis had no known prior depression but reported depressive symptoms at baseline. We used modified Poisson regression to assess the association of cancer diagnosis year and other patient characteristics with receipt of a documented clinician response to depressive symptoms (depression diagnosis, mental health referral, or antidepressant prescription).

RESULTS

Of the 725 women in our sample, 34% received a clinician response to depression. We observed no statistically significant association of breast cancer diagnosis year with clinician response. Characteristics associated with clinician response included Asian race (adjusted risk ratio, Asian vs. white: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.29-0.68) and depression severity (adjusted risk ratio, mild-moderate vs. severe depression: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.11-1.88).

CONCLUSION

Most patients in our sample did not receive a clinician response to their study-reported depression, and rates of response do not appear to have improved over time. Asian women, and those with less severe depression, appeared to be at increased risk of having unmet mental health care needs.

NSABP FC-11: A phase II study of neratinib (N) plus trastuzumab (T) or n plus cetuximab (C) in patients (pts) with "quadruple wild-type (WT)" (KRAS/NRAS/BRAF/PIK3CA WT) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) based on HER2 status—Amplified (amp), non-amplified (non-amp), WT, or mutated (mt)

TPS716

Background: HER2 has been shown to be a validated therapeutic target for the treatment of mCRC. Preclinical and clinical evidence supports the use of HER2-targeted agents in each of these mCRC cohorts. In HERACLES, treatment–refractory, KRAS exon 2 (codons 12 and 13) WT, HER2 amp mCRC pts were treated with T and lapatinib (L). Objective response rate (CR or PR) was 8/27 and disease control rate (CR, PR, and SD > 16 wks) was 16/27. Duration of response ranged from 24-94+ wks. Anecdotal reports have shown activity of N in HER2 mts from several cancer types. In mCRC PDX models with qualifying HER2 mts, T plus N is more active than either drug alone. In quad WT, HER2 non-amp PDX models, C plus TKI resulted in major tumor regressions not seen with C monotherapy. In NSABP FC-7, a trial of C + N in cetuximab refractory pts, HER2 amp was observed in 2/23 primary tissue samples; after C exposure, HER2 amp was seen in 5/17 samples, presumably signal upregulation under selective pressure of C. HER2 amp was concordant in tissue (CISH) and blood using cfDNA. Methods: This multi-center 3-cohort phase II trial is currently enrolling pts (total planned N = 35). Pts with quad WT, HER2 amp (n = 15) with prior anti-EGFR therapy and/or HER2 mt mCRC (n = 5) will receive T 4 mg/kg iv loading dose followed by 2 mg/kg/wk and N 240 mg po daily (Arm 1). Pts with quad WT, HER2 non-amp (n = 15) with no prior anti-EGFR therapy will receive C 400 mg/m2 iv loading dose followed by 250 mg/m2/wk, and N 240 mg (Arm 2). Specific pt eligibility for quad WT and HER2 status are defined below: Arm 1: HER2 amp confirmed in blood by Guardant360 assay, and prior treatment with C or panitumumab (P). HER2 mt (with qualifying mt) with or without prior treatment with C or P. Arm 2: HER2 non-amp or HER2 amp and no prior therapy with C or P. The primary aim is 6-mos progression-free survival for each cohort. Secondary aims: response rates and toxicity. Exploratory aims: genetic and molecular analyses. Specific drug combinations will be evaluated in PDX models. NCT03457896. Support: Puma Biotechnology, Inc.; NSABP Foundation, Inc. Clinical trial information: NCT03457896.

Feasibility of Implementing the Patient-Reported Outcomes Version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events in a Multicenter Trial: NCCTG N1048

Purpose The US National Cancer Institute (NCI) Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) was developed to enable patient reporting of symptomatic adverse events in oncology clinical research. This study was designed to assess the feasibility and resource requirements associated with implementing PRO-CTCAE in a multicenter trial. Methods Patients with locally advanced rectal cancer enrolled in the National Cancer Institute-sponsored North Central Cancer Treatment Group (Alliance) Preoperative Radiation or Selective Preoperative Radiation and Evaluation before Chemotherapy and Total Mesorectal Excision trial were asked to self-report 30 PRO-CTCAE items weekly from home during preoperative therapy, and every 6 months after surgery, via either the Web or an automated telephone system. If participants did not self-report within 3 days, a central coordinator called them to complete the items. Compliance was defined as the proportion of participants who completed PRO-CTCAE assessments at expected time points. Results The prespecified PRO-CTCAE analysis was conducted after the 500th patient completed the 6-month follow-up (median age, 56 years; 33% female; 12% nonwhite; 43% high school education or less; 5% Spanish speaking), across 165 sites. PRO-CTCAE was reported by participants at 4,491 of 4,882 expected preoperative time points (92.0% compliance), of which 3,771 (77.2%) were self-reported by participants and 720 (14.7%) were collected via central coordinator backup. Compliance at 6-month post-treatment follow-up was 333 of 468 (71.2%), with 122 (26.1%) via backup. Site research associates spent a median of 15 minutes on PRO-CTCAE work for each patient visit. Work by a central coordinator required a 50% time commitment. Conclusion Home-based reporting of PRO-CTCAE in a multicenter trial is feasible, with high patient compliance and low site administrative requirements. PRO-CTCAE data capture is improved through centralized backup calls.

Understanding racial/ethnic differences in breast cancer-related physical well-being: the role of patient-provider interactions

PURPOSE

Racial/ethnic differences in cancer symptom burden are well documented, but limited research has evaluated modifiable factors underlying these differences. Our objective was to examine the role of patient-provider interactions to help explain the relationship between race/ethnicity and cancer-specific physical well-being (PWB) among women with breast cancer.

METHODS

The Pathways Study is a prospective cohort study of 4505 women diagnosed with breast cancer at Kaiser Permanente Northern California between 2006 and 2013. Our analysis included white, black, Hispanic, and Asian participants who completed baseline assessments of PWB, measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for Breast Cancer, and patient-provider interactions, measured by the Interpersonal Processes of Care Survey (IPC) (N = 4002). Using step-wise linear regression, we examined associations of race/ethnicity with PWB, and changes in associations when IPC domains were added.

RESULTS

We observed racial/ethnic differences in PWB, with minorities reporting lower scores than whites (beta, black: - 1.79; beta, Hispanic: - 1.92; beta, Asian: - 1.68; p < 0.0001 for all comparisons). With the addition of health and demographic covariates to the model, associations between race/ethnicity and PWB score became attenuated for blacks and Asians (beta: - 0.63, p = 0.06; beta: - 0.68, p = 0.02, respectively) and, to a lesser extent, for Hispanic women (beta: - 1.06, p = 0.0003). Adjusting for IPC domains did not affect Hispanic-white differences (beta: - 1.08, p = 0.0002), and slightly attenuated black-white differences (beta: - 0.51, p = 0.14). Asian-white differences narrowed substantially (beta: - 0.31, p = 0.28).

CONCLUSIONS

IPC domains, including those capturing perceived discrimination, respect, and clarity of communication, appeared to partly explain PWB differences for black and Asian women. Results highlight opportunities to improve providers' interactions with minority patients, and communication with minority patients about their supportive care needs.

Testicular Cancer Review Panel: Multidisciplinary specialist review of a rare cancer at Kaiser Permanente, Northern California

561

Background: Testicular cancer is a rare disease; multidisciplinary management by experienced clinicians is recommended. Methods: Multidisciplinary specialized review of all new testicular cancer cases was established in a community setting by creating a twice monthly Testicular Cancer Review Panel, comprised of two subspecialized medical oncologists and two surgical urologic oncologists, at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. An early ascertainment list of new testicular cancer diagnoses was obtained and review of the history, labs, pathology reports, and all relevant imaging was performed via a web-based conference. Urologic cancer fellowship trained pathologists and body fellowship trained radiologists were available for secondary review when requested. All recommendations were documented in patient charts. Results: From June 2016 to June 2017, 131 cases were reviewed. Review by the panel resulted in significant changes in care in 19 of 131 patients (14.5%). Pathology and radiology re-reviews were the most common sources of changes in treatment recommendations. Embryonal predominant T1 disease was referred for GU pathology review in 14 cases; in 8, lymphovascular invasion was identified, upstaging 6.1% of patients from 1A to 1B, changing treatment from observation to chemotherapy. Radiology re-review changed the stage and treatment in 11 patients (8.4%), identifying lymphadenopathy not previously noted in 7 patients and reassessing previously identified lymphadenopathy as a non-pathologic finding in 4 patients. The percentage of patients with stage I seminoma observed rather than undergoing adjuvant therapy increased from 11/15 (73.3%) over the first six months of the panel to 18/20 (90%) over the second six months. Convening the panel also resulted in dissemination of oncologic knowledge among treating physicians. Conclusions: Multidisciplinary specialized case review for a rare disease is feasible in the community setting and frequently alters care.

Do differences in patient-provider relationships explain racial differences in side effect burden among women with breast cancer in the pathways study?

48

Background: Prior research suggests that black patients with cancer report a greater burden of symptoms compared to white patients. Differences in patient-provider relationships may be an underlying and modifiable factor in these observed disparities. We examined differences in side effect burden by race/ethnicity and tested the hypothesis that patient-provider communication and trust may partly explain differences in symptom burden among women with breast cancer (BC). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data collected from 4,505 women diagnosed with BC from 2005-2013 at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Women were asked two months post-diagnosis how much they were bothered by treatment side effects (FACT-B). Using modified Poisson regression, we assessed the association of race/ethnicity with side effect bother, adjusting for clinical characteristics, socioeconomic status (SES), and patient-provider communication and patients’ trust in providers in a step-wise fashion. Provider communication and trust were measured using the Interpersonal Processes of Care survey and a one-item assessment of patients’ trust in providers, respectively. Results: Before adjustment, Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients were at least 75% more likely than white patients to report high (vs. low) side effect bother (p < 0.0001). Bivariate associations of communication and trust with side effect bother and race/ethnicity were statistically significant. For example, patients with high (vs. low) scores for shared decision-making were more likely to be white than black (46% vs. 39%) and less likely to experience high vs. low side effect bother (10% vs. 14%, p < 0.0001 for both comparisons). However, after adjusting for clinical and SES characteristics in a multivariable analysis, the addition of patient-provider communication and trust to the model did not substantially alter disparity estimates. Conclusions: In our sample, patient-provider communication did not modify racial disparities in side effect bother. Further research is needed to explore additional modifiable factors underlying potential disparities in side effect management.

Randomized study of etirinotecan pegol versus irinotecan as second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer

PURPOSE

Etirinotecan pegol (EP) is a long-acting topoisomerase-I inhibitor designed to provide sustained exposure to SN-38 (active metabolite of irinotecan). This phase II study compared EP versus irinotecan as second-line treatment for KRAS-mutant, irinotecan-naïve, metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

METHODS

Patients were randomized to EP 145 mg/m² or irinotecan 350 mg/m² Q21d until disease progression/unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) with response determined by central radiologic review (RECIST version 1.1).

RESULTS

The study was terminated before completing accrual due to evolving standards of care. Eighty-three patients were randomized. Median PFS was longer with EP versus irinotecan (4.0 versus 2.8 months, respectively; HR 0.65; 95% CI 0.40-1.04; P = 0.07). Six-month PFS rates were 32.8 and 15.4%, respectively. Median OS was 9.6 and 8.4 months in EP and irinotecan arms, respectively (HR 0.91; 95% CI 0.56-1.49). ORRs were 10 and 5%, respectively (P = 0.676); median DOR was significantly longer in EP arm (7.9 versus 1.4 months; P = 0.018). The most common grade-3/4 adverse events for EP and irinotecan were diarrhea (21 vs 20%), neutropenia (10 vs 22%), abdominal pain (14 vs 5%), nausea (14 vs 2%), and vomiting (12 vs 7%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

EP is active and safe for second-line treatment of KRAS-mutant, irinotecan-naïve mCRC.

Randomized Phase II Study of R-CHOP With or Without Bortezomib in Previously Untreated Patients With Non-Germinal Center B-Cell-Like Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Purpose To evaluate the impact of the addition of bortezomib to rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) on outcomes in previously untreated patients with non-germinal center B-cell-like (non-GCB) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Patients and Methods After real-time determination of non-GCB DLBCL using the Hans immunohistochemistry algorithm, 206 patients were randomly assigned (1:1; stratified by International Prognostic Index [IPI] score) to six 21-day cycles of standard R-CHOP alone or R-CHOP plus bortezomib 1.3 mg/m² intravenously on days 1 and 4 (VR-CHOP). The primary end point, progression-free survival (PFS), was evaluated in 183 patients with centrally confirmed non-GCB DLBCL who received one or more doses of study drug (91 R-CHOP, 92 VR-CHOP). Results After a median follow-up of 34 months, with 25% (R-CHOP) and 18% (VR-CHOP) of patients having had PFS events, the hazard ratio (HR) for PFS was 0.73 (90% CI, 0.43 to 1.24) with VR-CHOP ( P = .611). Two-year PFS rates were 77.6% with R-CHOP and 82.0% with VR-CHOP; they were 65.1% versus 72.4% in patients with high-intermediate/high IPI (HR, 0.67; 90% CI, 0.34 to 1.29), and 90.0% versus 88.9% (HR, 0.85; 90% CI, 0.35 to 2.10) in patients with low/low-intermediate IPI. Overall response rate with R-CHOP and VR-CHOP was 98% and 96%, respectively. The overall survival HR was 0.75 (90% CI, 0.38 to 1.45); 2-year survival rates were 88.4% and 93.0%, respectively. In the safety population (100 R-CHOP and 101 VR-CHOP patients), grade ≥ 3 adverse events included neutropenia (53% v 49%), thrombocytopenia (13% v 29%), anemia (7% v 15%), leukopenia (26% v 25%), and neuropathy (1% v 5%). Conclusion Outcomes for newly diagnosed, prospectively enrolled patients with non-GCB DLBCL were more favorable than expected with R-CHOP and were not significantly improved by adding bortezomib.

A phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo- controlled study of chemo-immunotherapy combination using motolimod with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in recurrent or persistent ovarian cancer: a Gynecologic Oncology Group partners study

BACKGROUND

A phase 2, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in women with recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma to evaluate the efficacy and safety of motolimod-a Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8) agonist that stimulates robust innate immune responses-combined with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), a chemotherapeutic that induces immunogenic cell death.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Women with ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma were randomized 1 : 1 to receive PLD in combination with blinded motolimod or placebo. Randomization was stratified by platinum-free interval (≤6 versus >6-12 months) and Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) performance status (0 versus 1). Treatment cycles were repeated every 28 days until disease progression.

RESULTS

The addition of motolimod to PLD did not significantly improve overall survival (OS; log rank one-sided P = 0.923, HR = 1.22) or progression-free survival (PFS; log rank one-sided P = 0.943, HR = 1.21). The combination was well tolerated, with no synergistic or unexpected serious toxicity. Most patients experienced adverse events of fatigue, anemia, nausea, decreased white blood cells, and constipation. In pre-specified subgroup analyses, motolimod-treated patients who experienced injection site reactions (ISR) had a lower risk of death compared with those who did not experience ISR. Additionally, pre-treatment in vitro responses of immune biomarkers to TLR8 stimulation predicted OS outcomes in patients receiving motolimod on study. Immune score (tumor infiltrating lymphocytes; TIL), TLR8 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, mutational status in BRCA and other DNA repair genes, and autoantibody biomarkers did not correlate with OS or PFS.

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of motolimod to PLD did not improve clinical outcomes compared with placebo. However, subset analyses identified statistically significant differences in the OS of motolimod-treated patients on the basis of ISR and in vitro immune responses. Collectively, these data may provide important clues for identifying patients for treatment with immunomodulatory agents in novel combinations and/or delivery approaches.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT 01666444.

A randomized phase II study of the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat as maintenance therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Continuation or 'switch' maintenance therapy is commonly used in patients with advancd non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we evaluated the efficacy of the telomerase inhibitor, imetelstat, as switch maintenance therapy in patients with advanced NSCLC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The primary end point of this open-label, randomized phase II study was progression-free survival (PFS). Patients with non-progressive, advanced NSCLC after platinum-based doublet (first-line) chemotherapy (with or without bevacizumab), any histology, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1 were eligible. Randomization was 2 : 1 in favor of imetelstat, administered at 9.4 mg/kg on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle, or observation. Telomere length (TL) biomarker exploratory analysis was carried out in tumor tissue by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and telomerase fluorescence in situ hybridization.

RESULTS

Of 116 patients enrolled, 114 were evaluable. Grade 3/4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were more frequent with imetelstat. Median PFS was 2.8 and 2.6 months for imetelstat-treated versus control [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.844; 95% CI 0.54-1.31; P = 0.446]. Median survival time favored imetelstat (14.3 versus 11.5 months), although not significantly (HR = 0.68; 95% CI 0.41-1.12; P = 0.129). Exploratory analysis demonstrated a trend toward longer median PFS (HR = 0.43; 95% CI 0.14-1.3; P = 0.124) and overall survival (OS; HR = 0.41; 95% CI 0.11-1.46; P = 0.155) in imetelstat-treated patients with short TL, but no improvement in median PFS and OS in patients with long TL (HR = 0.86; 95% CI 0.39-1.88; and HR = 0.51; 95% CI 0.2-1.28; P = 0.145).

CONCLUSIONS

Maintenance imetelstat failed to improve PFS in advanced NSCLC patients responding to first-line therapy. There was a trend toward a improvement in median PFS and OS in patients with short TL. Short TL as a predictive biomarker will require further investigation for the clinical development of imetelstat.

Effect of medical oncologists' attitudes on accrual to clinical trials in a community setting

PURPOSE

Oncology clinical trials (OCTs) are crucial in evaluating new cancer treatments, but only 2% to 3% of US adult patients with cancer enter OCTs. This study assessed barriers to participation in clinical trials among oncologists in a large integrated health care delivery system with an active clinical trials program. Although many studies have identified major physician barriers to enrollment, few have examined how these barriers affect actual trial accrual.

METHODS

Using information from a mailed survey, we examined the effect of oncologists' attitudes, beliefs, experiences, sociodemographic factors, and practice characteristics on clinical trial accrual in the 2 years following the survey. We identified relationships between these variables and subsequent clinical trial accrual using correlations and mixed effects models.

RESULTS

A construct combining questions that assessed oncologist attitudes, beliefs, and experiences substantially influenced OCT enrollment (r = .51; P < .0001). This construct included awareness of open clinical trials and specific eligible patients, as well as the practice of initiating a discussion about OCTs with most eligible patients. This broad concept of awareness had the greatest correlation with enrollment and mediated the effect on enrollment of other values and beliefs, such as welcoming a patient's initiation of a trial discussion and valuing the support of research nurses and coordinators.

CONCLUSION

Even in a health care setting with an active clinical trials program, substantial research personnel, infrastructure support, and widespread access to trials among oncologists and patients, oncologists' participation remains quite variable. Oncologist values, beliefs, and awareness of clinical trials play an important role in OCT accrual.

Oncologists' attitudes toward KRAS testing: a multisite study

Recent discoveries promise increasingly to help oncologists individually tailor anticancer therapy to their patients’ molecular tumor characteristics. One such promising molecular diagnostic is Kirsten ras (KRAS) tumor mutation testing for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. In the current study, we examined how and why physicians adopt KRAS testing and how they subsequently utilize the information when discussing treatment strategies with patients. We conducted 34 semi-structured in-person or telephone interviews with oncologists from seven different health plans. Each interview was audiotaped, transcribed, and coded using qualitative research methods. Information and salient themes relating to the research questions were summarized for each interview. All of the oncologists in this study reported using the KRAS test at the time of the interview. Most appeared to have adopted the test rapidly, within 6 months of the publication of National Clinical Guidelines. Oncologists chose to administer the test at various time points, although the majority ordered the test at the time their patient was diagnosed with mCRC. While oncologists expressed a range of opinions about the KRAS test, there was a general consensus that the test was useful and provided benefits to mCRC patients. The rapid adoption and enthusiasm for KRAS suggests that these types of tests may be filling an important informational need for oncologists when making treatment decisions. Future research should focus on the informational needs of patients around this test and whether patients feel informed or confident with their physicians’ use of these tests to determine treatment access.

Certification and role of local pathologists for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) subtyping and eligibility determination in the phase II PYRAMID study

8559

Background: The role of local pathologists in promoting patient (pt) accrual and evaluating eligibility criteria involving a complicated immunohistochemical (IHC) algorithm has rarely been investigated. The phase II PYRAMID trial (NCT00931918) is assessing R-CHOP ± bortezomib for newly diagnosed pts with non-germinal-center B-cell (non-GCB) subtype DLBCL. In this trial, local pathologists were encouraged to perform DLBCL subtyping at the point of biopsy, identify suitable pts for the trial, and facilitate accrual. Methods: Determination of GCB vs non-GCB subtype is per the Hans method, an algorithm based on IHC for CD10, BCL-6, and IRF4/MUM1. In stage 1, pathologists demonstrated IHC subtyping proficiency by evaluating a tissue microarray (TMA) of 12 DLBCL cases; those with ≥80% of samples in agreement with central lab results were certified for determining trial eligibility. In stage 2, to broaden participation, pathologist certification occurred via teleconference outlining trial eligibility criteria, tissue subtyping requirements, and determining pathologists’ experience with the Hans method. Results: 182 pathologists have been certified for local subtyping, 50 via TMA and 132 by teleconference. 66/88 active study sites have ≥1 certified pathologist. Only 1 of the 10 top enrolling sites lacks a certified pathologist. 52% (84/162) of pts have been enrolled based on local pathologist subtyping prior to central lab confirmation. Discordance with central lab results occurred in 9/84 cases (11%). Enrollment rates pre- and post-local pathologist certification were 0.053 and 0.096 pts/site/month; an improvement of 81%. Trial accrual correlates with the presence of a certified local pathologist (p=0.0026). The rate of ineligible GCB cases sent for central lab testing was lower from sites with a certified pathologist (23% [69/299 cases] vs 38% [40/106 cases] for sites without). Conclusions: Engagement of local pathologists in trials requiring pathology selection can significantly improve accrual. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of various training modalities in improving selection by local pathologists using a complex IHC algorithm. Clinical trial information: NCT00931918.

Abstract 2376: Improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with short tumor telomere length: Subgroup analysis from a randomized phase II study of the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat as maintenance therapy for advanced NSCLC

Tumor regrowth after chemotherapy may be driven by growth of tumor ‘stem cells’. Telomerase, required for indefinite replication, is upregulated both in putative ‘stem cells’ and bulk tumor cells. Imetelstat, a lipidated 13-mer oligonucleotide, is a potent and specific inhibitor of telomerase. A randomized phase II study was conducted to assess whether imetelstat, given as maintenance therapy, prolongs PFS in advanced NSCLC: results for the primary and secondary endpoints are reported separately.

NSCLC cell lines and other tumor cells with short telomeres appear to be more sensitive to imetelstat in vitro than those with long telomeres. A planned exploratory analysis to determine PFS as a function of tumor telomere length (TL) was performed. Tumor TL was assessed in archival tumor specimens from pts by quantitative PCR (qPCR).

TL data were available for 57 of the 116 pts accrued in the clinical trial. PFS was evaluated in patients grouped into the shortest 1/2, shortest 1/3 and shortest 1/4 of TL. In 19 pts with the shortest 1/3 TL measured by qPCR, imetelstat maintenance increased PFS with a HR in favor of the imetelstat arm of 0.32 (95% CI 0.1 to 1.0), p=0.042 (un-stratified log rank). Median PFS was 4.0 months for the imetelstat-treated short TL sub-group and 1.5 months for the control short TL sub-group. In the 38 pts with the longest 2/3 TL HR was 0.83 (95% CI 0.36 to 1.9). Results in the group with the shortest 1/4 of TL were similar to the shortest 1/3 TL group, and in the shortest 1/2 group, results were consistent but attenuated, indicating that a smaller subset may contain patients with the most potential to benefit. In the control arm, short TL was associated with shorter median PFS (1.48 months) compared to patients with long TL (2.7 months), suggesting that short TL has a negative prognostic value.

These findings suggest that imetelstat given as maintenance therapy prolongs PFS in pts with advanced NSCLC whose tumors have short telomeres as measured by qPCR. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that clinical benefit from telomerase inhibition is greater in patients with tumors possessing short telomeres. Prospective confirmation of these results in solid tumors and hematologic neoplasms is planned.

Citation Format: Alberto Chiappori, Ekaterina Bassett, Bart Burington, Tatjana Kolevska, David R. Spigel, Steven Hager, Mark Rarick, Shirish Gadgeel, Normand Blais, Joachim Von Pawel, Lowell Hart, Hui Wang, Kevin Eng, Martin Reck, Joan Schiller. Improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with short tumor telomere length: Subgroup analysis from a randomized phase II study of the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat as maintenance therapy for advanced NSCLC . [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2376. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2376

Patterns and predictors of breast cancer chemotherapy use in Kaiser Permanente Northern California, 2004-2007

Chemotherapy regimens for early stage breast cancer have been tested by randomized clinical trials, and specified by evidence-based practice guidelines. However, little is known about the translation of trial results and guidelines to clinical practice. We extracted individual-level data on chemotherapy administration from the electronic medical records of Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), a pre-paid integrated healthcare system serving 29 % of the local population. We linked data to the California Cancer Registry, incorporating socio-demographic and tumor factors, and performed multivariable logistic regression analyses on the receipt of specific chemotherapy regimens. We identified 6,004 women diagnosed with Stage I-III breast cancer at KPNC during 2004-2007; 2,669 (44.5 %) received at least one chemotherapy infusion at KPNC within 12 months of diagnosis. Factors associated with receiving chemotherapy included <50 years of age [odds ratio (OR) 2.27, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.81-2.86], tumor >2 cm (OR 2.14, 95 % CI 1.75-2.61), involved lymph nodes (OR 11.3, 95 % CI 9.29-13.6), hormone receptor-negative (OR 6.94, 95 % CI 4.89-9.86), Her2/neu-positive (OR 2.71, 95 % CI 2.10-3.51), or high grade (OR 3.53, 95 % CI 2.77-4.49) tumors; comorbidities associated inversely with chemotherapy use [heart disease for anthracyclines (OR 0.24, 95 % CI 0.14-0.41), neuropathy for taxanes (OR 0.45, 95 % CI 0.22-0.89)]. Relative to high-socioeconomic status (SES) non-Hispanic Whites, we observed less anthracycline and taxane use by SES non-Hispanic Whites (OR 0.63, 95 % CI 0.49-0.82) and American Indians (OR 0.23, 95 % CI 0.06-0.93), and more anthracycline use by high-SES Asians/Pacific Islanders (OR 1.72, 95 % CI 1.02-2.90). In this equal-access healthcare system, chemotherapy use followed practice guidelines, but varied by race and socio-demographic factors. These findings may inform efforts to optimize quality in breast cancer care.