Real-world experience with CDK4-6 inhibition in the old and oldest old with a diagnosis of breast cancer

This study describes characteristics, toxicity and survival in old patients with HR+/HER2-breast cancer (BC) treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors. Retrospective observational study that included patients ≥ 75 years with HR+/HER2-BC treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors between 2017 and 2021. Patients' general and cancer-related data were collected. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment scales were gathered. Adverse events reported before each cycle were included. At the end of the follow-up period, mortality was retrospectively registered from medical records. All 19 patients (94.7% women, median age 77.9 ± 10.1) were at risk of frailty (G8 ≤ 14) and malnutrition (MNA-SF ≤ 11). Most were independent (52.7% Lawton ≥ 6), had no cognitive impairment (89.5%, MMSE ≥ 24), poor physical performance (70%, SPPB < 8; 62.5% TUG ≥ 12'') and polypharmacy (72.2%). Almost half had stage IV disease (47.1%). Palbociclib+letrozole was the most frequently prescribed treatment (36.8%). All patients developed some toxicity (94.7% hematologic, 36.8% renal) but except one, grade ≤ 2. Over the 42-month follow-up period, 10 reported progression and 8 died. The median survival time was 19.9 ± 3.4 months. Five months after starting treatment, the probability of survival was 73%. At 30 months, 53% of patients survived. We found a high risk of frailty and drug toxicity in this small sample. Most patients presented hematologic toxicity but to a low degree. The probability of survival increases with treatment.

Cultural and Ethical Barriers to Cancer Treatment in Nursing Homes and Educational Strategies: A Scoping Review

(1) Background: The aging of the population, the increase in the incidence of cancer with age, and effective chronic oncological treatments all lead to an increased prevalence of cancer in nursing homes. The aim of the present study was to map the cultural and ethical barriers associated with the treatment of cancer and educational strategies in this setting. (2) Methods: A systematic scoping review was conducted until April 2021 in MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL. All articles assessing continuum of care, paramedical education, and continuing education in the context of older cancer patients in nursing homes were reviewed. (3) Results: A total of 666 articles were analyzed, of which 65 studies were included. Many factors interfering with the decision to investigate and treat, leading to late- or unstaged disease, palliative-oriented care instead of curative, and a higher risk of unjustified transfers to acute care settings, were identified. The educational strategies explored in this context were generally based on training programs. (4) Conclusions: These results will allow the co-construction of educational tools intended to develop knowledge and skills to improve diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making, the consistency of care, and, ultimately, the quality of life of older cancer patients in nursing homes.

Risk factors associated with day-30 mortality in patients over 60 years old admitted in ICU for severe COVID-19: the Senior-COVID-Rea Multicentre Survey protocol

INTRODUCTION

With the spread of COVID-19 epidemic, health plans must be adapted continuously. There is an urgent need to define the best care courses of patients with COVID-19, especially in intensive care units (ICUs), according to their individualised benefit/risk ratio. Since older age is associated with poorer short-term and long-term outcomes, prediction models are needed, that may assist clinicians in their ICU admission decision. Senior-COVID-Rea was designed to evaluate, in patients over 60 years old admitted in ICU for severe COVID-19 disease, the impact of age and geriatric and paraclinical parameters on their mortality 30 days after ICU admission.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is a multicentre survey protocol to be conducted in seven hospitals of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, France. All patients over 60 years old admitted in ICU for severe COVID-19 infection (or their legally acceptable representative) will be proposed to enter the study and to fill in a questionnaire regarding their functional and nutritional parameters 1 month before COVID-19 infection. Paraclinical parameters at ICU admission will be collected: lymphocytes and neutrophils counts, high-fluorescent lymphoid cells and immature granulocytes percentages (Sysmex data), D-dimers, C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatinine, CT scan for lung extension rate as well as clinical resuscitation scores, and the delay between the first signs of infection and ICU admission. The primary outcome will be the overall survival at day 30 post-ICU admission. The analysis of factors predicting mortality at day 30 will be carried out using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. Multivariate logistic regression will consider up to 15 factors.The ambition of this trial, which takes into account the different approaches of geriatric vulnerability, is to define the respective abilities of different operational criteria of frailty to predict patients' outcomes.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study protocol was ethically approved. The results of the primary and secondary objectives will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04422340.

Feasibility of a prehabilitation programme dedicated to older patients with cancer before complex medical-surgical procedures: the PROADAPT pilot study protocol

BACKGROUND

Ageing is associated with an increased prevalence of comorbidities and sarcopenia as well as a decline of functional reserve of multiple organ systems, which may lead, in the context of the disease-related and/or treatment-related stress, to functional deconditioning. The multicomponent 'Prehabilitation & Rehabilitation in Oncogeriatrics: Adaptation to Deconditioning risk and Accompaniment of Patients' Trajectories (PROADAPT)' intervention was developed multiprofessionally to implement prehabilitation in older patients with cancer.

METHODS

The PROADAPT pilot study is an interventional, non-comparative, prospective, multicentre study. It will include 122 patients oriented to complex medical-surgical curative procedures (major surgery or radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy). After informed consent, patients will undergo a comprehensive geriatric assessment and will be offered a prehabilitation kit that includes an advice booklet with personalised objectives and respiratory rehabilitation devices. Patients will then be called weekly and monitored for physical and respiratory rehabilitation, preoperative renutrition, motivational counselling and iatrogenic prevention. Six outpatient visits will be planned: at inclusion, a few days before the procedure and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the end of the procedure. The main outcome of the study is the feasibility of the intervention, defined as the ability to perform at least one of the components of the programme. Clinical data collected will include patient-specific and cancer-specific characteristics.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study protocol was approved by the Ile de France 8 ethics committee on 5 June 2018. The results of the primary and secondary objectives will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03659123. Pre-results of the trial.

Conditions for the Implementation of a Patient Education Program Dedicated to Cancer Patients Treated by Oral Anticancer Therapy

INTRODUCTION

A patient education program has been developed in the field of cancer for supporting cancer patients undergoing oral anticancer therapies. Its implementation was tested in 3 different settings. The objectives of this study were to 1) identify barriers and facilitators for implementing the patient education program, 2) identify practices encouraging or hindering implementation and 3) produce recommendations for its dissemination.

METHODS

Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with caregivers from all three establishments.

RESULTS

The main factors associated with successful implementation were as follows: prescribers' representations on patient education, considered of low value; on oral anticancer therapies, considered too dangerous to be handled by the patient him/herself, the indefinite legitimacy of certain professions in charge of patient education programs; patients' engagement in their care pathway and provision of caregivers.

CONCLUSION

Recommendations include developing patient education culture within the environment of the medical doctors' curriculum, to consider contextual, pre-existing cooperative units for implementing patient education, to systematically send patients to patient education programs without practicing triage. Successful implementation of patient education critically depends on the prescribing physicians' perceived value of patient education. Patient education should become mandatory, integrated as part of the cancer care pathway. Physicians lack the necessary time and/or means to assess patients' capacity for engagement, without adequate strategies for their support. Therefore, physicians should systematically refer all patients to patient education, where nurses can tailor their coaching of cancer patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study protocol was approved by the IRB SUD EST I (N° EudraCT: 2016-A00113-48). All participants were given written and verbal information about the study and gave informed consent to participate.

[Prehabilitation, therapeutic innovation]

The concept of prehabilitation emerged in the United States in the 1940s to maintain the performance of American soldiers notably through good nutrition and sport. It was then a question of optimising the patient's health status in a pre-treatment situation and reducing surgical stress. The specific collaborative programme Proadapt, comprising multiprofessional expertise, was put in place for elderly patients in 2016.

SFSPM 2018 — Congrès de la Société Française de Sénologie et de Pathologie Mammaire (Avignon, 7-9/11-2018)

Les 40es Journées de la SFSPM se sont tenues à Avignon du 7 au 9 novembre 2018. Le thème abordé—Cancer du sein : optimisation du parcours de soins — a réuni plus de 1 200 participants sous les voûtes du Palais des Papes. La fluidité de chaque segment du parcours a été analysée en termes de risques de rupture de continuité des soins tant au sein du segment lui-même qu’en amont et en aval. Dans un parcours par essence pluridisciplinaire et plurimétiers, la nécessité d’une réflexion globale et d’une coordination active réalisées par des professionnels formés a été rappelée à chaque session. Chacun des intervenants a esquissé de potentiels indicateurs de qualité tenant compte à la fois de son implication dans son segment d’intervention, mais tenant compte aussi d’une vision plus globale de ce que devrait être le parcours au travers de la maladie et des soins. La parole a été très largement partagée entre soignants et associations de malades, entre paramédicaux et acteurs en sciences humaines et sociales, entre responsables de la santé publique HAS, ARS, CNAM–CPAM 84 et représentants des différents modes d’hospitalisation publique/privée et ESPIC. La session grand public a été l’occasion d’échanges fructueux et instructifs sur la perception des difficultés comme des satisfactions rencontrées que nous ont fait partager les malades, leurs proches et les représentantes des associations. Au total, un congrès de réflexion partagé par de nombreux acteurs qui cherchent tous à améliorer le parcours de soins des malades atteintes de cancer du sein. La publication le 21 janvier par l’INCa de dix indicateurs de qualité du parcours de soins pour les malades atteints de cancer du sein est une étape importante qu’attendaient tous les participants d’Avignon — SFSPM 2018.

Systematic review of care needs for older patients treated with anticancer drugs

OBJECTIVE

When treated with anticancer therapies, a number of issues are raised for older patients such as physical needs (coping with symptoms and side-effects) or psychological needs. Geriatric tailored interventions addressing these needs may be effective in terms of improving quality of life of our patients.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed in September 2017 in MEDLINE. All reports assessing older patients with cancer care needs in the context of anticancer systemic therapy were reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 357 articles were analyzed. From these, 35 studies were included in the analysis. Compared to younger patients, the elderly had less supportive care needs. While older patients asked for less information than their younger counterparts, they still requested information on diagnosis, seriousness of the disease, chances of cure, spread of the disease, recovery, courses of illness, possible consequences, treatment procedures, treatment options, possible side effects and how to deal with them, and what they could do in daily life. When taking into consideration the various needs as assessed by the "Supportive Care Needs Survey", physical and daily living were the most frequently reported needs with emphasis on nutrition, coping with physical symptoms, dealing with side effects of treatment, and performing usual physical tasks and activities.

CONCLUSION

Information demand seemed moderate but a great deal of attention was paid to nutrition and well-being.