Alex A. Francoeur

Association of Palliative Care With Readmission and Resource Utilization in Patients With Ovarian Cancer: A National Perspective

Objective Palliative care (PC) utilization in cancer care has been shown to alleviate symptoms, increase goals of care discussions, and reduce invasive end of life measures. This study examined the association of inpatient PC consultation with readmission and hospitalization costs among patients with ovarian cancer. Methods All records for women (≥18 years) hospitalized with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer were tabulated from the 2010-2020 Nationwide Readmissions Database. Multivariable logistic, Poisson, and linear regressions were used to evaluate the association of PC consultation during index hospitalization with length of stay, rates of 30-day non-elective readmission, time to readmission, as well as overall number of readmissions and hospitalization costs. Results Of an estimated 285,487 patients included, 25,957 (9.0%) received a PC consultation, with an increase from 5.1 to 11.7% ( P < 0.001) across the period. Factors associated with use of PC included: increasing age (AOR 1.03/yr, 95% CI 1.03-1.03, P < 0.001) and Elixhauser comorbidity index (AOR 1.19/point, 95% CI 1.17-1.21). PC was associated with lower risk adjusted rates of 30 day (11.63%, 95% CI 11.0-12.3 vs 20.25%, 95% CI 20.0-20.6) non-elective readmission ( P < 0.001). The adjusted incident rate ratio of readmission after PC consultation was 0.41 [0.38-0.43], P < 0.001. Patients receiving PC additionally had less cost associated with their index hospital stay; −$2,407 [−$2,669.86- −$2,144.43], P < 0.001). Conclusions Inpatient PC consults appear to be associated with reduced medical readmissions for patients with ovarian cancer, as well as decreased hospital resource use, however disparities exist. Continued increase in access and early PC referral should be considered.

Treatment advances across the cervical cancer spectrum

Cervical cancer is preventable with screening and vaccination approaches; however, access to these preventative measures is limited both nationally and globally and thus many women will still develop cervical cancer. Novel treatments and practice-changing research have improved cervical cancer outcomes over the past few decades. In this Review, we discuss clinical trials that have refined or redefined the treatment of cervical cancers across the early stage, locally advanced, persistent, recurrent and/or metastatic disease settings. Advances for patients with early stage disease have been achieved through trials evaluating less extensive and fertility-preserving surgeries, different surgical approaches (open versus minimally invasive), and sentinel versus full pelvic lymph node dissection. We also discuss results from trials testing the use of neoadjuvant, induction and adjuvant chemotherapy as well as immune-checkpoint inhibitors in patients with locally advanced disease. Finally, we review the progress made with systemic chemotherapy and novel therapeutics, including anti-angiogenic agents, immune-checkpoint inhibitors and antibody-drug conjugates, in the setting of metastatic and/or recurrent cervical cancer. The advances highlighted in this manuscript have reduced morbidity and improved overall survival for patients with this challenging-to-treat disease, while also inspiring additional research and trials in the field.

Trends in the incidence and mutational landscape of advanced uterine cancer.

The aim of this study was to examine disparities in 20-year incidence trends and mutations in advanced-stage uterine cancer in the United States, given poor survival rates. Data were obtained from the United States Cancer Statistics for patients from 2001 to 2019 with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2009 stage IVA and IVB uterine cancer. SEER∗Stat 8.3.9.2 and Joinpoint Regression Program 4.9.0.0 were used to calculate cancer incidence per 100,000 women, annual percentages, and average annual percent change (AAPC). The mutational landscape of advanced uterine cancer was explored using data from the Genomic Data Commons. In United States Cancer Statistics, 75,450 patients with advanced uterine cancer were identified with an annual percentage increase of 2.63% between 2001 and 2019 and significantly higher rates in Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients compared with White patients (AAPC Black: 3.56%, AAPC Hispanic: 3.12%, and AAPC Asian 3.06% vs AAPC White: 2.07%, each p < .001). AAPC in patients with serous carcinomas increased by 6.32% in Black vs 3.91% in White patients (p < .001). Furthermore, AAPC was 3.0% for Black patients vs 0.7% for White patients with leiomyosarcoma (p < .001). In the Genomic Data Commons, TP53 mutations were more common, and PTEN was less common in Black vs White patients, older vs younger patients, advanced vs early stage, or high- vs low-risk histologic subtypes (p < .05). Mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, POLE, and PMS2 were less common in high- vs low-risk histologic subtypes (p < .05). Advanced-stage uterine cancer rates are rising in the United States, particularly affecting Black and Hispanic women. Molecular differences exist by age, race, stage, and histology.

Percutaneous interstitial brachytherapy ablation for targeting oligometastatic gynecologic cancers

Treatment of recurrent oligometastatic gynecologic malignancy may involve targeted surgery, thermal ablation, or CT-guided high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy ablation (CT-HDR-IBTA). The purpose of this study was to describe the safety and efficacy of CT-HDR-IBTA for oligometastatic gynecologic malignancies. With institutional review board approval (IRB) approval and compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliance, we searched our database to assemble a single-arm study cohort of all patients with oligometastatic gynecologic cancers who underwent CT-HDR-IBTA from 2012-2022 with follow-up. The electronic record was reviewed to determine relevant clinicopathological variables including patient demographics, prior treatments, clinical course, local control, and local and distant recurrence with follow-up imaging. The study cohort comprised 37 lesions in 34 patients treated with CT-HDR-IBTA for recurrent oligometastatic uterine (n = 17), cervix (n = 1), or ovarian cancer (n = 16) with an average lesion size of 2.5 cm with an average patient age of 61.4 years. Each lesion was treated with an average radiation dose of 23.8 Gy in 1.8 fractions and a median follow-up time of 24.0 months. The primary efficacy of CT HDR ITBA was 73% with a median progression-free survival of 8.0 months (95% CI 3.6-12.8 months) and with 58% of patients still alive at 43 months with median overall survival not reached. The rate of Grade 1 adverse events was 22% without any Grade 2, 3 or 4 events. CT HDR IBTA was safe and effective for treating oligometastatic gynecologic cancers in a heavily pretreated cohort.