Multidisciplinary analysis of cancer-related fatigue at the time of diagnosis: preliminary results of the BIOCARE FActory cohort

PURPOSE

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common side effect of cancer and cancer treatment that significantly impairs the quality of life and can persist for years after treatment completion. Although fatigue is often associated with cancer treatment, it is also a result of the disease itself, even before intervention. CRF at the time of diagnosis may affect treatment timing or completion and is a consistent predictor of post-treatment fatigue at any time. The mechanisms underlying CRF are multidimensional and not well understood, particularly at the time of diagnosis.

METHODS

Sixty-five breast cancer patients at the time of diagnosis were included. The participants completed self-assessment questionnaires about CRF, sleep disturbances, and emotional symptoms and wore an accelerometer to assess levels of spontaneous physical activity and sleep quality. During the experimental session, the participants underwent cognitive, neuromuscular, and exercise metabolism evaluations.

RESULTS

Using augmented backward elimination regression, this study found that emotional symptoms and perceived sleep disturbances were the strongest predictors of CRF (adjusted r2 = 0.51). Neuromuscular fatigability and sleep disturbance were also associated with physical dimensions, whereas cognitive performance was associated with cognitive dimensions.

CONCLUSION

At the time of diagnosis, emotional and cognitive dimensions are over-represented compared to the general population, and specific subdimensions have specific predictors that support the idea of distinct mechanisms. Evaluating CRF subdimensions and their potential mechanisms at the time of diagnosis would be particularly relevant for identifying high-risk patients and offering them appropriate interventions.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04391543) in May, 2020.

Building a biopsychosocial model of cancer-related fatigue: the BIOCARE FActory cohort study protocol

Background

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common side effect of cancer and cancer treatment. CRF prevalence is up to 50% in breast cancer patients and can continue several years after cancer remission. This persistent subjective sense of exhaustion is multifactorial. Numerous parameters have been evidenced to be related to CRF across biological, physical, psychological, social and/or behavioral dimensions. Although CRF has been studied for many years, the majority of previous studies focused on only one dimension, i.e., physical function. Moreover, few studies investigated CRF longitudinally with repeated measures. These are the two main obstacles that limit the understanding of CRF mechanisms. The purpose of this study is to create a biopsychosocial model of CRF with simultaneous and longitudinal anthropometric, clinical, biological, physical, psychological and sociological parameters.

Methods

BIOCARE FActory is a multicentric prospective study that will consist of an 18-month follow-up of 200 women diagnosed with breast cancer. Four visits will be scheduled at diagnosis, after treatments, and 12 and 18 months after diagnosis. The same procedure will be followed for each visit. Each session will be composed of anthropometric data collection, a semi-structured interview, cognitive tests, postural control tests, neuromuscular fatigability tests and a cardiorespiratory fitness test. Clinical and biological data will be collected during medical follow-ups. Participants will also complete questionnaires to assess psychological aspects and quality of life and wear an actigraphy device. Using a structural equation modeling analysis (SEM), collected data will build a biopsychosocial model of CRF, including the physiological, biological, psychological, behavioral and social dimensions of CRF.

Discussion

This study aims to highlight the dynamics of CRF and its correlates from diagnosis to post treatment. SEM analysis could examine some relations between potential mechanisms and CRF. Thus, the biopsychosocial model will contribute to a better understanding of CRF and its underlying mechanisms from diagnosis to the aftermaths of cancer and its treatments.

Trial registration

This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04391543), May 2020.

Evaluation in usual practice of the bevacizumab-FOLFIRI combination for the first-line treatment of patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer treated in 2006: focus on resected patients and oncogeriatrics: AVASTIN OUEST cohort of the Observatory of Cancer of the Brittany and Pays de la Loire Areas (Observatoire dédié au Cancer Bretagne / Pays de la Loire)

BACKGROUND

In 2006, bevacizumab, a targeted therapy agent was combined with FOLFIRI for the firstline treatment of patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer.

METHODS/RESULTS

A study on a homogenous series of 111 patients from the Brittany and Pays de la Loire areas who received bevacizumab-FOLFIRI as first-line treatment in 2006 showed the following results: 51 responses, 29 stabilisations, 21 progressions and 10 cases of toxicity prior to assessment. Median overall survival (OS) was 25.1 months and median progression-free survival was 10.2 months. Surgery secondary to treatment tripled median OS which reached 59.2 months in resected patients versus 18.8 months in unresected patients. Comparison of patients aged more or less than 70 years showed no differences in terms of benefits or risks.

CONCLUSION

Bevacizumab-FOLFIRI could be administered as part of a routine care protocol to elderly patients previously evaluated by a geriatric assessment and validated by a multidisciplinary staff.

What is the place of clinical variables in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with chemotherapy?

18197

Background: Chemotherapy (CT) has shown its effectiveness in symptom control and quality of life improvement in advanced NSCLC patients. The therapeutic strategy and some clinical variables could have a major impact on outcome. Methods: Our retrospective analysis evaluated the impact on overall survival (OS) of the clinical benefit (CB), ECOG performance status (PS) and toxicity, function of treatment. CB was defined as disease-related symptoms improvement according to hospitalization report. Only grade III-IV CTC-NCI version 2 toxicities have been considered. OS was calculated between start of CT and death or last follow-up. Multivariate Cox regression analysis including CB, PS, toxicity and age, stratified by AJCC initial stage was used. Results: Data of 68 consecutive stage IIIB-IV patients treated in a single French centre were analyzed. Chemotherapy was platinum-salt based in 88, 45 and 25% of pts for the first, second and third-line, respectively. Median age was 61 years, 37% were women. More than half (66%) were metastatic and 14% were previously irradiated. Median survival was 14 months (95% CI, 6.1–21.8), 53 % of patients are dead. The risk of death PS-related was multiplied by 2.3, 2.4 and 5.3 for the first, second and third-line of CT, respectively. PS and CB were initially associated with OS (first and second-line CT), but after the third-line of CT only PS was significantly related with OS. The risk of death reduction induced by a CB was 59, 82 and 29%, respectively. Less toxicities during CT were associated with a better OS (an unsignificant 20- 30% risk of death reduction), independently of the chronology of CT. Older pts >70 years have a higher risk of death (HR=1.87), independently of the CB and treatment-related toxicities in the multivariate analysis (P=0.18), sex-adjusted. Conclusions: No matter how many lines of CT are used for a specified patient, the ECOG PS was a patient-related variable with a dominant impact on the outcome. CT must be less toxic in order to achieve a CB and ameliorate the PS.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

What is the real impact of bone pain on survival of hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) patients treated with docetaxel?

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Background: Docetaxel is currently the standard of care for HRPC patients (pts). The moment of docetaxel initiation according to the presence or absence of the bone pain was less explored. Methods: Eligible HRPC pts were required to have a baseline bone pain evaluation using the rank-scores as follows: no pain or minimal pain (0), mild (1), moderate and severe pain (2), respectively. The main endpoint was to explore the overall survival (OS) impact of the bone pain (presence and intensity) using the Cox regression analysis, stratified by chemotherapy regimen. OS was calculated between start of chemotherapy and death or last follow-up for censored pts. Secondary endpoint was to evaluate the relationship between PSA doubling time (DT) and survival of pts with minimal or no pain. Results: Data of 145 consecutive HRPC pts treated in a single French center were analyzed. Chemotherapy was docetaxel (67%) or mitoxantrone-based. The median age was 68 years and 93% of pts had bone metastases, 55% with minimal or no pain at baseline. Median OS was 17.3 months (95% CI, 14.6–20) and 93% of pts died. There were OS differences between pain categories ( Table ). Pain intensity was significantly related with OS: hazard ratio=1.50 (95% CI, 1.20–1.88), P=0.0001 at the univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis adjusted by ECOG PS, hemoglobin and number of metastatic sites showed a 16% rise of the risk of death for pts with severe and mild pain. Pts with minimal or no pain at baseline have a different outcome depending of PSA DT (≥ 45 and < 45 days): median OS 32.4 months (95% CI, 16.2–48.7) and 16.5 months (95% CI, 10–22.9), respectively. Conclusions: Our results suggest that HRPC pts with minimal or without bone pain can experience a better OS with docetaxel-based therapy. This motivates the use of docetaxel early, before bone pain apparition. The OS benefit was even higher for asymptomatic pts with a longer PSA DT.

[Table: see text]

No significant financial relationships to disclose.