Lidia Schapira

All Publications

• Identifying the Financial Toxicity Experiences of Childhood Cancer Survivors Through Partnership With a Community Organization Serving Rural and Minoritized Families. Psycho-oncology Benedict, C., Bloomer, K., Billman, E., Smith, M., Boynton, H., Schapira, L., Smith, S. M. 2025; 34 (3): e70120

  Abstract

  Financial toxicity (FT) refers to cancer-related economic distress and hardship, and disproportionately affects adolescent/young adult (AYA) survivors and minoritized groups. This study explored the FT experiences of AYA survivors of childhood cancer and their parents, and the perspective of staff members of a community-based cancer support organization in a rural region with majority Hispanic/Latino (H/L) residents and high rates of non-English language preference.A needs assessment study was conducted in partnership with Jacob's Heart, a nonprofit organization that serves predominantly H/L families of childhood cancer in a rural region in California. English- and Spanish-speaking AYA survivors, parents, and Jacob's Heart staff members completed semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed using an applied thematic analysis approach.Participants included 12 AYAs, 11 parents, and 7 organization staff. Material hardship was characterized by direct and indirect medical costs (e.g., time, transportation), which impacted parents' employment, required balancing caregiving and financial needs, and caused economic strain. Behavioral effects of FT included adaptations to meet basic needs; cost-coping behaviors included skipping medical visits. Parents and survivors experienced financial stress and worry, exacerbated by disruption in parents' employment and income, transportation pressures of living in a rural area, challenges obtaining or maintaining insurance coverage, and lack of a safety net. Support needs and resources were described.AYA survivors of childhood cancer and their parents experience long-lasting FT across multiple domains, which is exacerbated by socioeconomic and structural factors. Interventions targeting FT should partner with community-based organizations to reach vulnerable populations.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.70120

  View details for PubMedID 40097346

• Endocrine Therapy Interruption, Resumption, and Outcomes Associated With Pregnancy After Breast Cancer. JAMA oncology Ransohoff, J. D., Lewinsohn, R. M., Dickerson, J., Luo, I., Satoyoshi, M., Ritter, V., Chavez, R., Wheeler, A. J., Liang, S. Y., Kenkare, P., Gomez, S. L., Schapira, L., John, E. M., Han, S. S., Kurian, A. W. 2025

  View details for DOI 10.1001/jamaoncol.2024.6868

  View details for PubMedID 39946107

• Scanxiety and Fear of Recurrence in Young Adult Female Breast and Gynaecological Cancer Survivors: Investigating Shared Mechanisms. Psycho-oncology Patel, D. S., Webster, S. N., Dowling, E. J., Knowles, C. R., Lockwood-Taylor, G., Coutts-Bain, D., Simons, L. E., Diver, E. J., Chilcot, J., Schapira, L., Heathcote, L. C. 2024; 33 (12): e70050

  Abstract

  Adolescent and young adult (AYA) females are vulnerable to psychological sequelae following cancer diagnosis and treatment. Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is well-documented in cancer survivors, however AYA survivors of breast and gynaecological cancers are less well-studied. Moreover, little is known about scan-related fears and anxiety ('scanxiety') in survivors of any age group.This study aimed to assess demographic, medical, and quality-of-life correlates of FCR and scanxiety in AYA female breast and gynaecological cancer survivors post-treatment. Additionally, we explored potential shared mechanisms of FCR and scanxiety, including intolerance of uncertainty, bodily threat monitoring, and perceived stress.AYA breast and gynaecological cancer survivors (N = 115) completed measures of FCR, scanxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, bodily threat monitoring, perceived stress, and quality of life. Bivariate associations and a structural equation model explored relationships between these variables.Both FCR and scanxiety were prevalent, with 84% reporting clinically meaningful FCR and 38% reporting severe FCR. Higher FCR and scanxiety were both associated with poorer quality of life. FCR and scanxiety were moderately associated but not entirely overlapping. Intolerance of uncertainty, bodily threat monitoring, and perceived stress were significantly correlated with both FCR and scanxiety. The structural equation model indicated that bodily threat monitoring is a plausible intermediate variable linking intolerance of uncertainty and FCR, but not scanxiety.FCR and scanxiety are common in AYA survivors of breast and gynaecological cancers, with potentially distinct underlying mechanisms. Interventions targeting intolerance of uncertainty and bodily threat monitoring may reduce FCR, while further research is needed to identify therapeutic targets for scanxiety.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.70050

  View details for PubMedID 39694862

• NCCN Guidelines Insights: Survivorship, Version 2.2024. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN Sanft, T., Day, A. T., Goldman, M., Ansbaugh, S., Armenian, S., Baker, K. S., Ballinger, T. J., Demark-Wahnefried, W., Fairman, N. P., Feliciano, J., Flores, T. F., Friedman, D. L., Gabel, N., Hill-Kayser, C., Koura, D., Lee, K., Lee, N., McDonough, A. L., Melisko, M., Mooney, K., Moore, H. C., Moryl, N., Neuman, H., Overholser, L., Patel, C., Peterson, L., Pirl, W., Porpiglia, A., Schapira, L., Schwartz, A., Smith, S., Tevaarwerk, A., Von Ah, D., Wake, R., Yang, E., Zee, P., McMillian, N., Freedman-Cass, D. 2024; 22 (10): 648-658

  Abstract

  The NCCN Guidelines for Survivorship include recommendations for screening, evaluation, and treatment of psychosocial and physical problems resulting from adult-onset cancer and its treatment. They also include recommendations to promote healthy behaviors and immunizations in survivors and provide a framework for care coordination. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the panel's current recommendations regarding sexual health and fertility.

  View details for DOI 10.6004/jnccn.2024.0062

  View details for PubMedID 39689426

• Understanding Hope and Debunking Its Myths Forge a Valuable Tool for Clinicians. JCO oncology practice Corn, B. W., Feldman, D. B., Schapira, L. 2024: OP2400847

  View details for DOI 10.1200/OP-24-00847

  View details for PubMedID 39602655

• "Treatable not curable": trade-offs in the use of treatment-oriented language with patients who have incurable cancer. The oncologist Batten, J. N., Kennedy, K. M., Wong, B. O., Kraft, S. A., Hanks, W., Magnus, D., Schapira, L. 2024

  Abstract

  Treatment-oriented language is used by physicians to convey to patients that treatment is available for their cancer (eg, "our usual treatment for this is," "we can treat this," "your cancer is still treatable"). For patients who have incurable cancer, especially for patients with a poor prognosis or who are at the end of life, it is important to understand how physicians conceptualize and use this "everyday" clinical language. We conducted a qualitative interview study with a multidisciplinary group of physicians (n = 30) who may care for patients with cancer at different points in their clinical course, from diagnosis to end of life. Physicians report a wide range of reasons for using treatment-oriented language in conversations with patients who have incurable cancer. However, physicians also reported concerns that this language can be ambiguous, can convey unintended positive prognostic information, and can shift attention away from important matters such as the non-curative nature of treatment or the inevitability of death. On the basis of these concerns, physicians should (1) consider whether their aims in using treatment-oriented language can be better achieved using other evidence-based communication strategies, and (2) recognize and proactively mitigate potential adverse effects of treatment-oriented language, which may manifest much later in the patient's clinical course.

  View details for DOI 10.1093/oncolo/oyae296

  View details for PubMedID 39541263

• Financial Difficulty Over Time in Young Adults With Breast Cancer. JAMA network open Myers, S. P., Zheng, Y., Dibble, K., Mittendorf, E. A., King, T. A., Ruddy, K. J., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Rosenberg, S. M., Partridge, A. H. 2024; 7 (11): e2446091

  Abstract

  Young adults aged 18 to 39 years represent the minority of breast cancer diagnoses but are particularly vulnerable to financial hardship. Factors contributing to sustained financial hardship are unknown.To identify financial hardship patterns over time and characterize factors associated with discrete trajectories; it was hypothesized that treatment-related arm morbidity, a key source of expense, would be associated with long-term financial difficulty.This cohort study included US young adults aged 40 years or younger treated between 2006 and 2016. Eligible patients were treated for stage 0 to stage III breast cancer at institutions participating in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, which included a specialized cancer institute and 12 other academic and community hospitals. Patients who responded at baseline and returned a 1-year survey were included in analysis. Data were analyzed in March 2024.Trajectory modeling classified patterns of financial difficulty from baseline through 10 years postdiagnosis using the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System (CARES) scale. Multinomial regression examined characteristics, including treatment-related arm morbidity, associated with each trajectory.A total 1008 patients were included (median [IQR] age at diagnosis, 36 [33-39] years; 60 Asian [6.0%], 35 Black [3.5%], 47 Hispanic [4.7%], 884 White [87.7%]); 840 patients were college graduates (83.3%), 764 were partnered at baseline (75.8%), 649 were nulliparous (64.4%), and 908 were without comorbidities at enrollment (90.1%). Patients' tumors were primarily stage I-II (778 [77.2%]), estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor-positive (754 [74.8%]), and ERBB2-negative (formerly HER2) (686 [68.1%]). Patients were more frequently treated with mastectomy than breast conservation (771 [76.5%] vs 297 [29.5%]; P < .001). A majority of patients received radiation therapy (627 [62.2%]), chemotherapy (760 [75.4%]), and endocrine therapy (610 [60.6%]). A total of 727 patients (72.1%) reported arm symptoms within 2 years of surgery. Three distinct trajectories of experiences with finances emerged: 551 patients (54.7%) had low financial difficulty (trajectory 1), 293 (29.1%) had mild difficulty that improved (trajectory 2), and 164 (16.3%) had moderate to severe difficulty peaking several years after diagnosis before improving (trajectory 3). Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 3.71; 95% CI, 1.47-9.36), unemployment at baseline and 1 year (OR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.63-4.33), and arm symptoms (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.06-2.96) were associated with increased odds of experiencing trajectory 3. Having a college degree (OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.12-0.34) or being partnered (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.15-0.38) were associated with increased odds of experiencing trajectory 1.In this cohort study of young adults with breast cancer, we identified a subset of patients who experienced a high degree of financial difficulty persisting into early survivorship. Targeted interventions to mitigate financial toxicity-modifiable factors that include support for the employability or return to work support for those experiencing arm symptoms after treatment-are needed.

  View details for DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.46091

  View details for PubMedID 39535790

• USE OF FERTILITY PRESERVATION AND ARTIFICIAL REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY AMONG YOUNG WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A MULTI-CENTRE, PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY. Sorouri, K., Zheng, Y., Sella, T., Rosenberg, S. M., Loucks, M., Kirkner, G. J., Snow, C., Ruddy, K. J., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, M. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Ginsburg, E. S., Partridge, A. H. ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2024: E306

  View details for Web of Science ID 001342686801399

• Breastfeeding experiences among young breast cancer survivors: A survey study. Cancer Sella, T., Sorouri, K., Rosenberg, S. M., Loucks, M., Kirkner, G., Snow, C., Ruddy, K. J., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Partridge, A. H. 2024

  Abstract

  Following breast cancer (BC), many young women are interested in future childbearing and some may wish to breastfeed. However, limited information is available regarding their lactation experiences.Participants in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, a multicenter, prospective cohort study of women ≤40 years diagnosed with stage 0-III BC between 2006-2016 and who reported one or more live births following diagnosis, were surveyed about pregnancy and breastfeeding after BC treatment, including reasons for attempting and stopping breastfeeding, satisfaction, and supports.Of 143 eligible women sent a survey, 115 responded and 94 were included in the analytic cohort. Breastfeeding was attempted by 55% of women (52 of 94). Among those who had not attempted, 93% noted prior bilateral mastectomies (39 of 42). Among those who attempted breastfeeding, 69% had undergone lumpectomy and radiotherapy (36 of 52), 83% of whom reported no milk production from their treated breast (30 of 36). Most (65%, 34 of 52) were at least somewhat satisfied with their ability to breastfeed. Reasons for stopping breastfeeding included: having completed the planned duration (36%, 19 of 52); to start/resume endocrine therapy (21%, 11 of 52); and to resume breast imaging (8%, 4 of 52). Approximately half (27 of 55) of women who had not undergone bilateral mastectomies recalled receiving specific information about breastfeeding after BC, mostly from the oncology team (59%, 16 of 27), online resources (48%, 13 of 27), or a lactation consultant (44%, 12 of 27).Most young BC survivors who attempted to breastfeed were able to and were satisfied with the experience, despite challenges. Specific resources to support BC survivors who wish to breastfeed are needed.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/cncr.35585

  View details for PubMedID 39342485

• Impact of a Cancer Survivorship Continuing Medical Education Course on Learners' Attitudes and Intention to Change Practice. Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education Jackson, K. K., Alberto, J., Kim, J., Smith, S. M., Schapira, L. 2024

  Abstract

  An innovative, case-based continuing medical education course, Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care, was developed to engage clinicians in cancer survivorship care. A post-course survey measured the educational impact of the course on learners' intentions to change practice and changes in attitudes related to interprofessional collaborative practice. Qualitative analysis of free text responses was performed using the immersion-crystallization method. Learners earning continuing education credit (N = 1202) completed the post-course evaluation survey: 17.4% physicians, 8.0% advanced practice providers, 56.7% nurses, 2.2% pharmacists, 15.7% other health professionals. Learners' intended practice changes included improving communication (N = 438), incorporating knowledge into practice (N = 282), prioritizing survivorship clinical care (N = 167), and increasing oncology-primary care collaboration for patients (N = 53). Responses frequently involved more than one theme. Specific actions or knowledge that learners intended to incorporate into practice included improving their assessment of cancer survivor's risk and concerns (N = 128), incorporating knowledge of late effects of cancer treatment into practice (N = 122), educating patients about survivorship topics (N = 117), increasing empathy and understanding of survivors' experiences (N = 94), improving listening skills (N = 70), and dedicating more time to survivorship care (N = 63). Learners' changes in attitudes reflected an increased appreciation for collaboration, especially between oncology and primary care clinicians. A continuing medical education course designed to drive interest in engaging with cancer survivorship topics was effective at shaping learners' attitudes and intent to change practice, and has the potential to improve communication, care coordination, and healthcare experiences of cancer survivors.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s13187-024-02497-8

  View details for PubMedID 39235548

  View details for PubMedCentralID 5553291

• Estrogen levels in young women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer on ovarian function suppression therapy. NPJ breast cancer Tesch, M. E., Zheng, Y., Rosenberg, S. M., Poorvu, P. D., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R., Schapira, L., Peppercorn, J., Borges, V., Come, S. E., Snow, C., Bhasin, S., Partridge, A. H. 2024; 10 (1): 67

  Abstract

  Ovarian function suppression (OFS) benefits young women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer but they are at risk for ovarian function breakthrough. We assessed endocrine effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) treatment in a prospective cohort of patients aged ≤40 years with HR-positive breast cancer. Plasma estradiol (E2), estrone, and follicule-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were measured from blood samples drawn 1 and 4 years after diagnosis. Patient characteristics, invasive breast cancer-free survival (iBCFS), and overall survival (OS) were compared between those with and without E2>2.72pg/mL during GnRHa treatment. Among eligible patients, 54.7% (46/84) and 60% (15/25) had E2>2.72pg/mL at 1 and 4 years, respectively. Factors associated with E2>2.72pg/mL at 1 year were no prior chemotherapy (P=0.045) and tamoxifen use (P=0.009). After a median follow-up of 7 years, among patients with stage I-III breast cancer (N=74), iBCFS events were seen in 6 (8.1%) with E2>2.72pg/mL and 5 (6.8%) with E2≤2.72pg/mL (P=0.893). Among patients with de novo metastatic breast cancer (N=12), 6 (50%) with E2>2.72pg/mL and 3 (25%) with E2≤2.72pg/mL died during follow-up (P=0.052). Larger studies exploring the clinical implications of incomplete E2 suppression by GnRHa are needed to ensure optimal OFS treatment strategies are being employed for this population.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41523-024-00680-0

  View details for PubMedID 39090124

• Association of cancer treatment with excess heart age among five-year young breast cancer survivors. Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice Vo, J. B., Rosenberg, S., Zhang, B. X., Snow, C., Kirkner, G., Poorvu, P. D., Gaither, R., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Nohria, A., Partridge, A. H. 2024

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: Data evaluating cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk by cancer treatment among young women (≤40years) with breast cancer are limited.METHODS: Among 372 five-year breast cancer survivors aged 30-40years from the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, we assessed the association of cancer treatments (anthracyclines, trastuzumab, radiation/laterality, endocrine therapy) and excess heart age (difference between predicted 10-year CVD risk as assessed by adapted Framingham Risk Score and chronological age), prevalent elevated excess heart age (≥2years), and worsening excess heart age (change of≥2 excess heart age years) at breast cancer diagnosis and two- and five-year follow-up using multivariable linear and logistic regressions.RESULTS: Most women had stage I or II (79%), ER+(71%), or PR+(65%) breast cancer. At diagnosis, women had little excess heart age by treatment receipt (range of means=-0.52,0.91years). Left-sided radiation (beta=2.49,SE=0.96,p=0.01) was associated with higher excess heart age at five-year follow-up. For prevalent elevated excess heart age (two-year=26%;five-year=27%), women treated with right-sided radiation had increased risk at two-years (OR=2.17,95%CI=1.12-4.19), yet at five-years, associations were observed after any radiation (OR=1.92,95%CI=1.09-3.41), especially after left-sided (OR=2.13,95%CI=1.09-3.41) radiation. No associations were observed between systemic treatments and prevalent elevated excess heart age or any treatments with worsening excess heart age.CONCLUSIONS: Among young breast cancer survivors, radiation, but not other cancer treatments, was associated with elevated excess heart age.IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: CVD risk tools that incorporate cancer treatment, such as radiation, are needed to identify high risk young breast cancer survivors given the long survivorship and long latency of cardiovascular disease.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11764-024-01645-9

  View details for PubMedID 39008138

• Using Patient-Related Outcomes Data to Inform About a Novel Exercise Program in Oncology Patients. Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education Sibley, A., Schapira, L., Ramchandran, K. 2024

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s13187-024-02470-5

  View details for PubMedID 38954163

• Helping ourselves, helping others: the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study (YWS) - a multisite prospective cohort study to advance the understanding of breast cancer diagnosed in women aged 40 years and younger. BMJ open Rosenberg, S. M., Zheng, Y., Ruddy, K., Poorvu, P. D., Snow, C., Kirkner, G. J., Meyer, M. E., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Peppercorn, J., Come, S., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Gelber, S., Collins, L., Winer, E. P., Partridge, A. H. 2024; 14 (6): e081157

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: Compared with older women diagnosed with breast cancer, younger women are more likely to die of breast cancer and more likely to suffer psychosocially in both the short-term and long term. The Young Women's Breast Cancer Study (YWS) is a multisite prospective cohort study established to address gaps in our knowledge about this vulnerable and understudied population.PARTICIPANTS: The YWS enrolled 1302 women newly diagnosed with stages 0-IV breast cancer at age 40 years or younger at 13 academic and community sites in North America between 2006 and 2016. Longitudinal patient-reported outcome data are complemented by clinical data abstraction and biospecimen collection at multiple timepoints.FINDINGS TO DATE: Key findings related to fertility include that nearly 40% of participants were interested in pregnancy following diagnosis; of those who reported interest, 10% pursued fertility preservation. Overall, approximately 10% of YWS participants became pregnant in the first 5 years after diagnosis; follow-up is ongoing for pregnancies after 5 years. Studies focused on psychosocial outcomes have characterised quality of life, post-traumatic stress and fear of recurrence, with findings detailing the factors associated with the substantial psychosocial burden many young women face during and following active treatment. Multiple studies have leveraged YWS biospecimens, including whole-exome sequencing of tumour analyses that revealed that select somatic alterations occur at different frequencies in young (age≤35) versus older women with luminal A breast cancer, and a study that explored clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential found it to be rare in young survivors.FUTURE PLANS: With a median follow-up of approximately 10 years, the cohort is just maturing for many relevant long-term outcomes and provides outstanding opportunities to further study and build collaborations to address gaps in our knowledge, with the ultimate objective to improve care and outcomes for young women with breast cancer.TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01468246.

  View details for DOI 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081157

  View details for PubMedID 38951008

• Cancer and Fertility: Exploring Uncertainty Management Strategies of Young Adult Female Survivors. Journal of adolescent and young adult oncology Jagielo, A. D., Davis, A. M., Pons, D., Diefenbach, M. A., Ford, J. S., Schapira, L., Benedict, C. 2024

  Abstract

  This study describes young adult female (YA-F) cancer survivors' uncertainty management strategies related to fertility/family building. Cross-sectional data were analyzed (n = 98). Participants reported higher rates of seeking information to reduce fertility-related uncertainty (M = 5.48, ±1.03), than avoiding information (M = 4.77, ±1.29). Controlling for relevant covariates (i.e., reproductive distress, household income, and health literacy), greater avoidance was related to higher reproductive distress (β = 0.293, p = 0.011) and lower household income (β = -0.281, p = 0.047). Evidence suggests that some survivors may avoid fertility-related information to manage uncertainty and distress, which may impact family-building success. Fertility avoidance may be an important target of intervention.

  View details for DOI 10.1089/jayao.2024.0015

  View details for PubMedID 38904117

• Second primary non-breast cancers in young breast cancer survivors. Breast cancer research and treatment Zhang, B. X., Brantley, K. D., Rosenberg, S. M., Kirkner, G. J., Collins, L. C., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Come, S. E., Winer, E. P., Bellon, J. R., Partridge, A. H. 2024

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: We evaluated the incidence, timing, and risk factors for second primary non-breast cancers (SPNBC) among young breast cancer (BC) survivors.METHODS: This study included participants of the Young Women's BC Study (YWS) who were diagnosed with stage 0-III BC between 2006 and 2016 and age 40 or younger at diagnosis (N=1,230). Patient characteristics, treatment information, and clinical events were collected via serial surveys. Tumor and treatment data were obtained from medical record review. Five- and 10-year risks of SPNBCs were estimated via the cumulative incidence function, considering death, metastasis, or second primary BC as competing events. Fine and Gray subdistribution hazard models estimated subdistribution hazard ratios (sHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for SPNBC risk based on risk factors including demographics, germline genetics, primary BC characteristics, and treatments.RESULTS: Among 1,230 women, over a median follow-up of 10.1years, 47 patients (4%) developed an SPNBC. Types of malignancy included melanoma (n=10), thyroid (n=10), ovarian (n=4), sarcoma (n=4), uterine (n=3), rectal (n=3), bladder (n=2), cervical (n=2), head/neck (n=2), lung (n=2), lymphoma (n=2), pancreatic (n=2), and renal (n=1). Five and 10-year cumulative incidence were 1.4% and 3.2%, respectively. Median time between primary BC and SPNBC was 7.3years. No patient factors, primary tumor characteristics, or treatments were statistically significantly associated with SPNBC in univariable or multivariable models.CONCLUSION: In this population, five-year cumulative incidence was higher than that reported among healthy women under 50years of age, highlighting the importance of long-term surveillance for new non-breast cancers in young adult BC survivors.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10549-024-07400-z

  View details for PubMedID 38858235

• Addressing cancer survivorship needs in geriatric survivors: Feasibility of a primary care-based survivorship clinic. Ramachandran, M., Steele, N., Kim, J., Schapira, L., Yurkiewicz, I. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2024

  View details for Web of Science ID 001275557403539

• Social support dynamics within parent-AYA cancer survivor dyads in a rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged, majority Hispanic/Latino region. Lewinsohn, R. M., Benedict, C., Smith, M., Boynton, H., Schapira, L., Smith, S. M. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2024

  View details for Web of Science ID 001275557402353

• Real-world duration of interruptions in imaging and endocrine therapy (ET) after pregnancy in early-stage estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer (BC) Lewinsohn, R. M., Dickerson, J., Ransohoff, J., Luo, I., Satoyoshi, M., Ritter, V., Schapira, L., Kurian, A. W. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2024

  View details for Web of Science ID 001275557402627

• Fertility among young breast cancer survivors attempting pregnancy: A prospective, multicentre cohort study Sorouri, K., Zheng, Y., Niman, S. M., Dibble, K., Rosenberg, S. M., Kirkner, G. J., Ruddy, K., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Lambertini, M., Ginsburg, E. S., Partridge, A. H. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2024

  View details for Web of Science ID 001275557400246

• Understanding the Supportive Needs of South Asian Breast Cancer Survivors and their Family Caregivers Trivedi, R., Desai, S., Jain, A., Singh, N., Manja, V., Schapira, L., Gallagher-Thompson, D., Lorenz, K. ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2024: E524

  View details for Web of Science ID 001282805300036

• "Like not having an arm": a qualitative study of the impact of visitor restrictions on cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Holdsworth, L. M., Siden, R., Wong, B. O., Verano, M., Lessios, A. S., Tabor, H. K., Schapira, L., Aslakson, R. 2024; 32 (5): 288

  Abstract

  Visitor restriction policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among patients and clinicians were widespread during the pandemic, resulting in the exclusion of caregivers at key points of cancer care and treatment decision-making. The aim of this study was to explore how visitor restrictions impacted cancer treatment decision-making and care from patient and physician perspectives.Sixty-seven interviews, including 48 cancer patients and 19 cancer and palliative care physicians from four academic cancer centers in the USA between August 2020 and July 2021.Visitor restrictions that prevented caregivers from participating in clinic appointments and perioperative hospital care created challenges in cancer care that spanned three domains: practical, social, and informational. We identified eight themes that characterized challenges within the three domains across all three groups, and that these challenges had negative emotional and psychological consequences for both groups. Physicians perceived that patients' negative experiences due to lack of support through the physical presence of caregivers may have worsened patient outcomes.Our data demonstrate the tripartite structure of the therapeutic relationship in cancer care with caregivers providing critical support in the decision-making and care process to both patients and physicians. Caregiver absences led to practical, psychosocial, and informational burdens on both groups, and likely increased the risk of burnout among physicians. Our findings suggest that the quality of cancer care can be enhanced by engaging caregivers and promoting their physical presence during clinical encounters.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00520-024-08473-8

  View details for PubMedID 38622350

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC11018646

• Second Primary Breast Cancer in Young Breast Cancer Survivors. JAMA oncology Brantley, K. D., Rosenberg, S. M., Collins, L. C., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Come, S. E., Zheng, Y., Kirkner, G. J., Snow, C., Winer, E. P., Partridge, A. H. 2024

  Abstract

  Importance: Among women diagnosed with primary breast cancer (BC) at or younger than age 40 years, prior data suggest that their risk of a second primary BC (SPBC) is higher than that of women who are older when they develop a first primary BC.Objective: To estimate cumulative incidence and characterize risk factors of SPBC among young patients with BC.Design, Setting, and Participants: Participants were enrolled in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, a prospective study of 1297 women aged 40 years or younger who were diagnosed with stage 0 to III BC from August 2006 to June 2015. Demographic, genetic testing, treatment, and outcome data were collected by patient surveys and medical record review. A time-to-event analysis was used to account for competing risks when determining cumulative incidence of SPBC, and Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard models were used to evaluate associations between clinical factors and SPBC risk. Data were analyzed from January to May 2023.Main Outcomes and Measures: The 5- and 10- year cumulative incidence of SPBC.Results: In all, 685 women with stage 0 to III BC (mean [SD] age at primary BC diagnosis, 36 [4] years) who underwent unilateral mastectomy or lumpectomy as the primary surgery for BC were included in the analysis. Over a median (IQR) follow-up of 10.0 (7.4-12.1) years, 17 patients (2.5%) developed an SPBC; 2 of these patients had cancer in the ipsilateral breast after lumpectomy. The median (IQR) time from primary BC diagnosis to SPBC was 4.2 (3.3-5.6) years. Among 577 women who underwent genetic testing, the 10-year risk of SPBC was 2.2% for women who did not carry a pathogenic variant (12 of 544) and 8.9% for carriers of a pathogenic variant (3 of 33). In multivariate analyses, the risk of SPBC was higher among PV carriers vs noncarriers (subdistribution hazard ratio [sHR], 5.27; 95% CI, 1.43-19.43) and women with primary in situ BC vs invasive BC (sHR, 5.61; 95% CI, 1.52-20.70).Conclusions: Findings of this cohort study suggest that young BC survivors without a germline pathogenic variant have a low risk of developing a SPBC in the first 10 years after diagnosis. Findings from germline genetic testing may inform treatment decision-making and follow-up care considerations in this population.

  View details for DOI 10.1001/jamaoncol.2024.0286

  View details for PubMedID 38602683

• Preliminary testing of "roadmap to parenthood" decision aid and planning tool for family building after cancer: Results of a single-arm pilot study. Psycho-oncology Benedict, C., Ford, J. S., Schapira, L., Davis, A., Simon, P., Spiegel, D., Diefenbach, M. 2024; 33 (4): e6323

  Abstract

  Many young adult female cancer survivors need to use reproductive medicine, surrogacy, or adoption to have a child. This study pilot tested Roadmap to Parenthood, a web-based, self-guided decision aid and planning tool for family building after cancer (disease agnostic).A single-arm pilot study tested feasibility, acceptability, and obtained effect size estimates of the Roadmap tool. Participants, recruited via hospital-based and social media strategies, completed a baseline survey (T1), accessed the Roadmap tool (website), then completed surveys at one- and 3-months (T2 and T3, respectively). Feasibility and acceptability were evaluated with rates of eligibility, enrollment, and survey completion, and feedback. Pairwise t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA evaluated usage effects. Effect size estimates were calculated.Participants (N = 98) averaged 31 years old (SD = 5.61); 71% were nulliparous. Enrollment rate was 73%, T1-T2 completion rate was 80%, and 93% accessed the website. From T1-T2, participants reported improvements in decisional conflict (p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 0.85), unmet information needs (p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 0.70), self-efficacy (p = 0.003; Cohen's d = 0.40), and self-efficacy for managing negative emotions (p = 0.03; Cohen's d = 0.29); effects were sustained at T3. There was no change in reproductive distress (p = 0.22). By T3, 94% reported increased consideration of preparatory actions and 20%-61% completed such actions.The Roadmap intervention was feasible to conduct, acceptable to users, and led to improvements in key psychosocial outcomes. Future directions will test intervention efficacy in a randomized controlled trial with a larger sample and over a longer period. A web-based tool may help women make decisions about family building after cancer and prepare for potential challenges.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.6323

  View details for PubMedID 38629761

• A MIXED METHODS APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE EXPERIENCES OF SOUTH ASIAN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS Trivedi, R., Singh, N., Desai, S., Jain, A., Schapira, L., Lorenz, K., Gallagher-Thompson, D. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2024: S112

  View details for Web of Science ID 001271352800225

• ROADMAP TO PARENTHOOD' DECISION AID AND PLANNING TOOL FOR FAMILY BUILDING AFTER CANCER: RESULTS OF A SINGLE-ARM PILOT STUDY Benedict, C., Ford, J. S., Schapira, L., Davis, A. M., Simon, P., Spiegel, D., Diefenbach, M. A. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2024: S153

  View details for Web of Science ID 001271352800306

• CANCER AND FERTILITY: EXPLORING UNCERTAINTY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES OFYOUNG ADULT FEMALE SURVIVORS Jagielo, A. D., Davis, A. M., Diefenbach, M. A., Ford, J. S., Schapira, L., Benedict, C. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2024: S25

  View details for Web of Science ID 001271352800051

• Developing "The Health After Cancer Podcast" to amplify cancer survivors' voices through digital storytelling. Patient education and counseling Billman, E., Steele, N., Servino, K., Bumgardner, D., Walker, K., Smith, S. M., Schapira, L. 2024; 123: 108194

  Abstract

  Cancer survivors experience complex medical and psychosocial challenges after a cancer diagnosis, leading to unmet informational and emotional needs. There is a paucity of cancer survivorship educational resources co-created by survivors and medical professionals.Our aim was to create an educational resource for cancer survivors, caregivers, and medical professionals that would leverage digital storytelling to address survivorship topics.Our content and production team included cancer survivors, clinicians, educators, and design experts. All content was co-created by cancer survivors and medical experts.We conducted an environmental scan of existing cancer survivorship educational resources in academic and public domains. Applying human-centered design principles, we incorporated patient perspectives through advisory board meetings and focus groups and identified a podcast as the preferred medium. We selected content and speakers, produced the podcast, and developed a corresponding website.Based on patient recommendations, podcast episodes address mental health, fear of cancer recurrence, relationships, parenting, relating to a new body, care transitions for adult survivors of childhood cancer, disclosing health information, and financial burden of cancer. Podcast guests were invited based on lived or learned experience in these domains. Thirteen guests (survivors, experts) and four hosts (two cancer survivors, two oncologists) co-created 15 podcast episodes. Podcast guests found the storytelling experience to be powerful and therapeutic.Digital storytelling is a scalable and accessible educational tool for communicating complex survivorship concepts that can amplify survivors' voices and increase awareness among survivors and clinicians. Co-creation of educational resources for cancer survivorship by survivors and professionals is a feasible and innovative educational strategy.A podcast created by and for cancer survivors in partnership with medical experts highlights opportunities for peer-to-peer digital storytelling to foster community among survivors and caregivers.Podcast production was supported by the Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108194

  View details for PubMedID 38350208

• Cancer Survivorship at Stanford Cancer Institute. Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice Smith, S. M., Steele, N., Kim, J., Yurkiewicz, I. R., Benedict, C., Trivedi, R., Heathcote, L. C., Simon, P. J., Bugos, K., Clayton, A., Palesh, O., Schapira, L. 2024

  Abstract

  The Stanford Cancer Survivorship Program is a key initiative of Stanford Cancer Institute. The program's mission is to improve the experience and outcomes of patients and family caregivers throughout all phases of the cancer trajectory by advancing survivorship research, clinical care, and education. The four pillars of the program include clinical care delivery with a focus on primary care-survivorship collaboration and expanding specialty services, education and training of healthcare professionals, transdisciplinary patient-oriented research, and community engagement. Cross-cutting areas of expertise include the following: (a) adolescents and young adults (AYAs), (b) mental health and patient self-management, (c) integration of primary care, and (d) postgraduate medical education. The clinical care model includes embedded survivorship clinics within disease groups in outpatient clinics, novel clinics designed to address unmet needs such as sexual health for women, and primary care-based faculty-led survivorship clinics for patients undergoing active cancer care requiring co-management, those who have completed active therapy and those at high risk for cancer due to genetic risk. Educational initiatives developed to date include an online course and medical textbook for primary care clinicians, a lecture series, monthly research team meetings, and rotations for medical trainees. Patient-facing activities include webinars and a podcast series designed to promote awareness, thus expanding the provision of expert-vetted information. Ongoing research focuses on oncofertility and family building after cancer, improving communication for AYAs, changing mindsets to improve quality of life through targeted digital interventions, increasing capacity to care for cancer survivors, and strengthening collaboration with community partners. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Stanford's Cancer Survivorship Program includes a robust transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, training and clinical platform that is committed to advancing access and improving care for people living with and beyond cancer, through innovation in design and care delivery.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11764-023-01523-w

  View details for PubMedID 38183579

  View details for PubMedCentralID 9545782

• A qualitative study of childhood cancer families' post-treatment needs and the impact of a community-based organization in a rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged, majority Hispanic/Latino region. Pediatric blood & cancer Smith, S. M., Teer, A., Tolamatl Ariceaga, E., Billman, E., Benedict, C., Goyal, A., Pang, E. M., Pecos-Duarte, C., Lewinsohn, R., Smith, M., Boynton, H., Montes, S., Rivera, E., Ramirez, D., Schapira, L. 2023: e30798

  Abstract

  Individual- and population-level socioeconomic disadvantages contribute to unequal outcomes among childhood cancer survivors. Reducing health disparities requires understanding experiences of survivors from historically marginalized communities, including those with non-English language preference.We partnered with a community-based organization (CBO) serving families of children with cancer in a rural region in California with low socioeconomic status and majority Hispanic/Latino (H/L) residents. We interviewed English- and Spanish-speaking adolescent/young adult (AYA) childhood cancer survivors (≥15 years old, ≥5 years from diagnosis), parents, and CBO staff to evaluate post-treatment needs and impact of CBO support. Data were analyzed qualitatively using applied thematic analysis. Themes were refined through team discussions with our community partners.Twelve AYAs (11 H/L, 11 bilingual), 11 parents (eight H/L, seven non-English preferred), and seven CBO staff (five H/L, five bilingual) participated. AYAs (five female, seven male) were of median (min-max) age 20 (16-32) and 9 (5-19) years post diagnosis; parents (nine female, two male) were age 48 (40-60) and 14 (6-23) years post child's diagnosis. Themes included challenges navigating healthcare, communication barriers among the parent-AYA-clinician triad, and lasting effects of childhood cancer on family dynamics and mental health. Subthemes illustrated that language and rurality may contribute to health disparities. CBO support impacted families by serving as a safety-net, fostering community, and facilitating H/L families' communication.Childhood cancer has long-lasting effects on families, and those with non-English language preference face additional burdens. Community-based support buffers some of the negative effects of childhood cancer and may reduce disparities.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pbc.30798

  View details for PubMedID 38053230

• Conception and pregnancy among women with a live birth after breast cancer treatment: A survey study of young breast cancer survivors. Cancer Sorouri, K., Sella, T., Rosenberg, S. M., Loucks, M., Kirkner, G., Snow, C., Ruddy, K. J., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Partridge, A. H. 2023

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women of reproductive age. This study sought to explore the postcancer conception and pregnancy experience of young BC survivors to inform counseling.METHODS: In the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study (NCT01468246), a multicenter, prospective cohort, participants diagnosed at age ≤40years with stage 0-III BC who reported ≥1 postdiagnosis live birth were sent an investigator-developed survey.RESULTS: Of 119 eligible women, 94 (79%) completed the survey. Median age at diagnosis was 32years (range, 17-40) and at first postdiagnosis delivery was 38years (range, 29-47). Most had stage I or II (77%) and HR+ (78%) BC; 51% were nulligravida at diagnosis. After BC treatment, most (62%) conceived naturally, though 38% used assisted reproductive technology, 74% of whom first attempted natural conception for a median of 9months (range, 2-48). Among women with a known inherited pathogenic variant (n=20), two underwent preimplantation genetic testing. Of 59 women on endocrine therapy before pregnancy, 26% did not resume treatment. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (20%) was the most common obstetrical condition. Nine percent of newborns required neonatal intensive care unit admission and 9% had low birth weight.CONCLUSION: Among women with live births after BC treatment, most conceived naturally and having a history of BC did not appear to negatively impact pregnancy complications, though the high rate of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy warrants further investigation. The prolonged period of attempting natural conception for some survivors suggests the potential need for improved understanding and counseling surrounding family planning goals after BC.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/cncr.35066

  View details for PubMedID 37880931

• Clinical characteristics, racial inequities, and outcomes in patients with breast cancer and COVID-19: a COVID-19 and cancer consortium (CCC19) cohort study. eLife Nagaraj, G., Vinayak, S., Khaki, A. R., Sun, T., Kuderer, N. M., Aboulafia, D. M., Acoba, J. D., Awosika, J., Bakouny, Z., Balmaceda, N. B., Bao, T., Bashir, B., Berg, S., Bilen, M. A., Bindal, P., Blau, S., Bodin, B. E., Borno, H. T., Castellano, C., Choi, H., Deeken, J., Desai, A., Edwin, N., Feldman, L. E., Flora, D. B., Friese, C. R., Galsky, M. D., Gonzalez, C. J., Grivas, P., Gupta, S., Haynam, M., Heilman, H., Hershman, D. L., Hwang, C., Jani, C., Jhawar, S. R., Joshi, M., Kaklamani, V., Klein, E. J., Knox, N., Koshkin, V. S., Kulkarni, A. A., Kwon, D. H., Labaki, C., Lammers, P. E., Lathrop, K. I., Lewis, M. A., Li, X., Lopes, G. d., Lyman, G. H., Makower, D. F., Mansoor, A. H., Markham, M. J., Mashru, S. H., McKay, R. R., Messing, I., Mico, V., Nadkarni, R., Namburi, S., Nguyen, R. H., Nonato, T. K., O'Connor, T. L., Panagiotou, O. A., Park, K., Patel, J. M., Patel, K. G., Peppercorn, J., Polimera, H., Puc, M., Rao, Y. J., Razavi, P., Reid, S. A., Riess, J. W., Rivera, D. R., Robson, M., Rose, S. J., Russ, A. D., Schapira, L., Shah, P. K., Shanahan, M. K., Shapiro, L. C., Smits, M., Stover, D. G., Streckfuss, M., Tachiki, L., Thompson, M. A., Tolaney, S. M., Weissmann, L. B., Wilson, G., Wotman, M. T., Wulff-Burchfield, E. M., Mishra, S., French, B., Warner, J. L., Lustberg, M. B., Accordino, M. K., Shah, D. P. 2023; 12

  Abstract

  Background: Limited information is available for patients with breast cancer (BC) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), especially among underrepresented racial/ethnic populations. Methods: This is a COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry-based retrospective cohort study of females with active or history of BC and laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection diagnosed between March 2020 and June 2021 in the US. Primary outcome was COVID-19 severity measured on a five-level ordinal scale, including none of the following complications, hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, and all-cause mortality. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression model identified characteristics associated with COVID-19 severity. Results: 1,383 female patient records with BC and COVID-19 were included in the analysis, the median age was 61 years, and median follow-up was 90 days. Multivariable analysis revealed higher odds of COVID-19 severity for older age (aOR per decade, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.32 -1.67]); Black patients (aOR 1.74; 95 CI 1.24-2.45), Asian Americans and Pacific Islander patients (aOR 3.40; 95 CI 1.70 - 6.79) and Other (aOR 2.97; 95 CI 1.71-5.17) racial/ethnic groups; worse ECOG performance status (ECOG PS ≥2: aOR, 7.78 [95% CI, 4.83 - 12.5]); pre-existing cardiovascular (aOR, 2.26 [95% CI, 1.63 - 3.15])/pulmonary comorbidities (aOR, 1.65 [95% CI, 1.20 - 2.29]); diabetes mellitus (aOR, 2.25 [95% CI, 1.66 - 3.04]); and active and progressing cancer (aOR, 12.5 [95% CI, 6.89 - 22.6]). Hispanic ethnicity, timing and type of anti-cancer therapy modalities were not significantly associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. The total all-cause mortality and hospitalization rate for the entire cohort was 9% and 37%, respectively however, it varied according to the BC disease status. Conclusions: Using one of the largest registries on cancer and COVID-19, we identified patient and BC related factors associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, underrepresented racial/ethnic patients experienced worse outcomes compared to Non-Hispanic White patients. Funding: This study was partly supported by National Cancer Institute grant number P30 CA068485 to Tianyi Sun, Sanjay Mishra, Benjamin French, Jeremy L. Warner; P30-CA046592 to Christopher R. Friese; P30 CA023100 for Rana R McKay; P30-CA054174 for Pankil K. Shah and Dimpy P. Shah; and the American Cancer Society and Hope Foundation for Cancer Research (MRSG-16-152-01 -CCE) and P30-CA054174 for Dimpy P. Shah. REDCap is developed and supported by Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research grant support (UL1 TR000445 from NCATS/NIH). The funding sources had no role in the writing of the manuscript or the decision to submit it for publication. Clinical Trial Number: CCC19 registry is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04354701.

  View details for DOI 10.7554/eLife.82618

  View details for PubMedID 37846664

• Art of Oncology Special Edition: Twenty Plus Years of Art of Oncology. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Schapira, L. 2023: JCO2301837

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.23.01837

  View details for PubMedID 37812753

• Cancer center-based follow-up among pediatric and adolescent/young adult cancer survivors: the role of a community-based organization and the social determinants of health. Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice Pang, E. M., Saynina, O., Schapira, L., Wise, P. H., Boynton, H., Smith, M., Chamberlain, L. J., Smith, S. M. 2023

  Abstract

  Adherence to survivorship care is suboptimal among pediatric and adolescent/young adult (AYA) cancer survivors. We evaluated predictors of cancer center-based follow-up among pediatric/AYA cancer survivors, with an emphasis on social determinants of health (SDOH).This retrospective cohort study used electronic health record data at an academic medical center to identify patients aged 0-29 years at last cancer treatment who completed treatment 2010-2019. Cancer center-based follow-up was defined by oncology or survivorship clinic visits through 12/31/2022. Multivariate logistic regression models (overall, ages 0-19 [pediatric], 20-29 [YA]) evaluated the association of demographics, clinical/treatment characteristics, and SDOH (insurance type, distance to cancer center, area deprivation index) with clinic attendance. Further modeling accounted for the service area of a community-based organization (CBO) that supports families of children with cancer.A total of 2210 survivors were included (56% pediatric, 44% YA; 66% non-White). Cancer center-based follow-up decreased from 94% 1-year post-treatment to 35% at > 5-7 years. In adjusted analysis, AYAs had the lowest follow-up (5-7 years post-treatment: OR 0.25 [0.15-0.41] for age 25-29; OR 0.25 [0.16-0.41] for age 20-24; OR 0.32 [0.20-0.52] for age 15-19). Survivors residing within the CBO service area were twice as likely to follow-up (OR 2.10 [1.34-3.29]).Among a diverse population, AYA survivors were vulnerable to loss to follow-up. Other SDOH were not consistently associated with follow-up. Support from a CBO may partly explain these findings.CBOs may strengthen survivorship follow-up within medically underserved communities. More research is needed to understand community support in survivorship.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11764-023-01463-5

  View details for PubMedID 37792162

  View details for PubMedCentralID 6804892

• Crucial Role of Effective Communication in Recruiting Immigrant Patients Into Cancer Clinical Trials. JCO oncology practice Schapira, L., Smith, S. M. 2023: OP2300522

  View details for DOI 10.1200/OP.23.00522

  View details for PubMedID 37782883

• Clinic-based Assessment and Support for Family Caregivers of Patients With Cancer: Results of a Feasibility Study. Cancer care research online Suresh, M., Risbud, R., Patel, M. I., Lorenz, K. A., Schapira, L., Gallagher-Thompson, D., Trivedi, R. 2023; 3 (4)

  Abstract

  Cancer caregiving is burdensome with unique needs, highlighting the importance of assessing caregivers' distress. Caregivers often accompany patients to healthcare visits, presenting an opportunity to complete distress screening at patients' point-of-care.To evaluate the feasibility of caregiver distress screening at patients' point-of-care and implementing a caregiver psychoeducational session.We approached caregivers in outpatient cancer clinic waiting rooms. Participants completed depression, burden, anxiety, quality of life, and stress measures. A psychoeducational session with a psychologist was offered to those meeting clinical cutoffs for depression and/or burden. Fifty caregivers completed 1+ measure; however, due to incomplete consent documentation, findings from 23 caregivers are reported.22% of caregivers screened positive for depression, 30% burden, and 70% anxiety. More than half rated stress as moderate or higher. Mental wellbeing was slightly below that of the general population. More than 75% screened positive on 1+ distress measure. Of the 9 caregivers who met cutoffs for depression and/or burden, two (22%) accepted the psychoeducational session.Caregivers were moderately receptive to distress screening during patients' visits, but were less receptive to engaging in the psychoeducational session due to time constraints and privacy concerns.Assessing caregivers' distress can facilitate referrals for supportive services. Offering caregivers psychoeducational intervention outside of patient care may not be acceptable. Future research may evaluate the integration of routine caregiver screening within patient care to promote engagement with mental health services.This research offers a unique method of assessing cancer caregivers' distress.

  View details for DOI 10.1097/cr9.0000000000000047

  View details for PubMedID 38328267

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10846853

• Greater fertility distress and avoidance relate to poorer decision making about family building after cancer among adolescent and young adult female survivors. Psycho-oncology Benedict, C., Stal, J., Davis, A., Zeidman, A., Pons, D., Schapira, L., Diefenbach, M., Ford, J. S. 2023

  Abstract

  Many adolescent and young adult female (AYA-F) cancer survivors face decisions about family building using reproductive medicine or adoption to achieve parenthood. This study evaluated associations among reproductive distress, avoidance, and family-building decision making and identified sociodemographic and clinical characteristics related to high distress and avoidance.A cross-sectional survey assessed AYA-F survivors' oncofertility experiences. Measures included an investigator-designed Unmet Information Needs scale, Reproductive Concerns After Cancer Scale, Impact of Events Scale-Avoidance subscale, Decision Self-Efficacy scale, and Decision Conflict Scale. Two linear regression models evaluated correlates of decision self-efficacy and decisional conflict about family building after cancer. Bivariate analyses evaluated correlates of avoidance using Pearson's correlation, t-test, and ANOVA.AYA-Fs (N = 111) averaged 31-years-old (SD = 5.49) and 3 years post-treatment (range: 1-23 years); 90% were nulliparous. Most common diagnoses were leukemia (24%) and breast cancer (22%). Average decisional conflict was 52.12 (SD = 23.87, range: 0-100); 74% of the sample reported DCS scores within the clinically significant range. Higher levels of reproductive distress (B = -0.23, p = 0.04) and avoidance (B = -0.24, p = 0.02) related to lower decision self-efficacy. Younger age (B = -0.18, p = 0.03), greater unmet information needs (B = 0.33, p < 0.001), and higher levels of reproductive distress (B = 0.34, p = 0.001) related to worse decisional conflict. Predictors of distress and avoidance were identified.After cancer treatment, high fertility distress and avoidant coping were associated with poorer quality decision making about family building after cancer. Fertility counseling post-treatment should support self-efficacy and constructive coping skills to counteract high distress, maladaptive coping, and facilitate values-based decision making.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.6212

  View details for PubMedID 37695291

• Implementation of a Pilot Clinic for Pediatric to Adult Cancer Survivorship Transitions. Journal of adolescent and young adult oncology Jin, A. H., Simon, P. J., Clayton, A., Benedict, C., Liedtke, M., Muffly, L., Schapira, L., Smith, S. M. 2023

  Abstract

  Childhood cancer survivors are recommended to have lifelong survivorship care, yet many become disengaged during pediatric to adult care transitions. We implemented a pilot clinic for adult survivors of pediatric or adolescent and young adult (AYA) leukemia transitioning to adult-focused survivorship care. The clinic featured AYA-specific care, bidirectional communication with primary care, and a quality improvement (QI) cycle. During the 1-year QI period, 27 patients were seen and 21 completed postvisit interviews. The clinic was positively received by patients and primary care providers, showed promise for improving self-management and care coordination, and highlighted the need for novel approaches to connect survivors with primary care.

  View details for DOI 10.1089/jayao.2023.0041

  View details for PubMedID 37615593

• Systemic Anticancer Therapy and Thromboembolic Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients With Cancer and COVID-19. JAMA oncology Gulati, S., Hsu, C., Shah, S., Shah, P. K., Zon, R., Alsamarai, S., Awosika, J., El-Bakouny, Z., Bashir, B., Beeghly, A., Berg, S., de-la-Rosa-Martinez, D., Doroshow, D. B., Egan, P. C., Fein, J., Flora, D. B., Friese, C. R., Fromowitz, A., Griffiths, E. A., Hwang, C., Jani, C., Joshi, M., Khan, H., Klein, E. J., Heater, N. K., Koshkin, V. S., Kwon, D. H., Labaki, C., Latif, T., McKay, R. R., Nagaraj, G., Nakasone, E. S., Nonato, T., Polimera, H. V., Puc, M., Razavi, P., Ruiz-Garcia, E., Saliby, R. M., Shastri, A., Singh, S. R., Tagalakis, V., Vilar-Compte, D., Weissmann, L. B., Wilkins, C. R., Wise-Draper, T. M., Wotman, M. T., Yoon, J. J., Mishra, S., Grivas, P., Shyr, Y., Warner, J. L., Connors, J. M., Shah, D. P., Rosovsky, R. P., COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium, Gandhi, R., Gartrell, B. A., Goel, S., Halmos, B., Makower, D. F., O' Sullivan, D., Ohri, N., Sica, R. A., Verma, A. K., Butt, O., Fiala, M. A., Henderson, J. P., Monahan, R. S., Stockerl-Goldstein, K. E., Zhou, A. Y., Bitran, J. D., Hallmeyer, S., Mundt, D., Pandravada, S., Papaioannou, P. V., Patel, M., Streckfuss, M., Tadesse, E., Thompson, M. A., Lammers, P. E., Loree, J. M., Yu, I. S., Bindal, P., Lam, B., Peters, M. L., Piper-Vallillo, A. J., Arvanitis, P., Egan, P. C., Farmakiotis, D., Olszewski, A. J., Vieira, K., Angevine, A. H., Bar, M. H., Del Prete, S. A., Fiebach, M. Z., Gulati, A. P., Hatton, E., Houston, K., Rose, S. J., Steve Lo, K. M., Stratton, J., Weinstein, P. L., Garcia, J. A., Routy, B., Hoyo-Ulloa, I., Gupta, S., Nizam, A., Pennell, N. A., Sharifi, N., Hoppenot, C., Li, A., Bitterman, D. S., Choueiri, T. K., Connors, J. M., Demetri, G. D., El Zarif, T., Florez, N., Freeman, D. A., Giordano, A., Morgans, A. K., Nohria, A., Tolaney, S. M., Van Allen, E. M., Xu, W. V., Halabi, S., Zhang, T., Dzimitrowicz, H., Leighton, J. C., Graber, J. J., Hawley, J. E., Loggers, E. T., Lyman, G. H., Lynch, R. C., Portuguese, A. J., Schweizer, M. T., Su, C. T., Tachiki, L., Vinayak, S., Wagner, M. J., Yeh, A., Dansoa, Y., Gatson, N. T., Makary, M., Manikowski, J. J., Vadakara, J., Yossef, K., Beckerman, J., Goyal, S., Messing, I., Provenzano, D., Rao, Y. J., Rosenstein, L. J., Steffes, D. R., Clement, J. M., Cosin, J. A., Daher, A., Dailey, M. E., Elias, R., Eton, O. E., Hosmer, W., Hsu, E., Jayaraj, A., Mather, J., Menendez, A. G., Nadkarni, R., Serrano, O. K., Yu, P. P., Gadgeel, S. M., Tejwani, S., Accordino, M. K., Bhutani, D., Bodin, B. E., Hershman, D. L., Ingham, M., Khan, S. A., Masson, C., Schwartz, G. K., Alexander, M., Matar, S., Reuben, D. Y., Bernicker, E. H., Deeken, J. F., Jeffords, K. J., Shafer, D., Cardenas-Delgado, A. I., Cuervo Campos, R., De-la-Rosa-Martinez, D., Ramirez, A., Valdez-Reyes, N. M., Gill, D. M., Lewis, M. A., Low, C. A., Rhodes, T. D., Jones, M. M., Mansoor, A., Mashru, S. H., Werner, M. A., Cohen, A. M., Hayes-Lattin, B. M., McWeeney, S., Nemecek, E. R., Williamson, S. P., Lewis, G. C., Smith, S. J., Akhtari, M., Castillo, D. R., Cortez, K., Park, K., Reeves, M. E., Berg, S., O'Connor, T. E., Altman, J., Gurley, M., Mulcahy, M. F., Wehbe, F. H., Durbin, E. B., Kulkarni, A. A., Nelson, H. H., Ramesh, V., Sachs, Z., Wilson, G., Bardia, A., Boland, G., Gainor, J. F., Peppercorn, J., Reynolds, K. L., Zubiri, L., Campian, J. L., Smith, K. E., Bekaii-Saab, T. S., Desai, A., Halfdanarson, T. R., Joyner, M. J., Riaz, I. B., Senefeld, J. W., Williams, C., Bonnen, M., Mahadevan, D., Ramirez, A. G., Salazar, M., Wang, C., Mesa, R. A., Bouganim, N., Elkrief, A., Moria, F., Panasci, J., Papenburg, J., Vinh, D. C., Nanchal, R., Singh, H., Bahadur, N., Bao, T., Nambiar, P. H., O'Cearbhaill, R. E., Papadopoulos, E. B., Philip, J., Riely, G. J., Robson, M., Rosenberg, J. E., Schoenfeld, A. J., Tamimi, R., Cerrone, K., Dill, J., Faller, B. A., Ajmera, A., Brouha, S. S., Choi, S., Hsiao, A., Reid, E. G., Bhatt, P. S., Mariano, M. G., Thomson, C. C., Glace, M. G., Knoble, J. L., Rink, C., Zacks, R., Blau, S. H., Brown, C., Namburi, S., Pomerantz, L. D., Rovito, M. A., Advani, P. E., Cronin, T., Fleissner, B., Goel, S., Gopalakrishnan, D., Hernandez-Ilizaliturri, F., Jain, P., Kariapper, A., Levine, E., Moffitt, M., O'Connor, T. L., Puzanov, I., Smith, L. J., Wicher, C. P., Zsiros, E., Jabbour, S. K., Misdary, C. F., Shah, M. R., Batist, G., Cook, E., Esfahani, K., Ferrario, C., Lau, S., Ma, K., Miller, W. H., Rudski, L., Santos Dutra, M., Wilchesky, M., Mahmood, S. Z., McNair, C., Mico, V., Rivera, A. V., Dixon, B., Heilman, H., Logan, B. B., Mandapakala, C., Cabebe, E. C., Glover, M. J., Jha, A., Khaki, A. R., Nagpal, S., Schapira, L., Shah, S. A., Wu, J. T., Subbiah, S., Whaley, D., Lopes, G. d., de Cardenas, K., Russell, K., Stith, B., Taylor, S., Klamerus, J. F., Revankar, S. G., Addison, D., Chen, J. L., Gatti-Mays, M. E., Jhawar, S. R., Palmer, J. D., Pillainayagam, C., Stover, D. G., Wall, S., Williams, N. O., Abbasi, S. H., Annis, S., Greenland, S., Jones, R., Kasi, A., Rock, C. D., Wulff-Burchfield, E. M., Smits, M., Weiss, M., Chism, D. D., Owenby, S., Ang, C., Galsky, M. D., Metzger, M., Berenberg, J., Uyehara, C., Fazio, A., Huber, K. E., Lashley, L. N., Sueyoshi, M. H., Patel, K. G., Riess, J. W., Borno, H. T., Small, E. J., Zhang, S., Andermann, T. M., Jensen, C. E., Rubinstein, S. M., Wood, W. A., Ahmad, S. A., Grover, P., Jandarov, R., Kharofa, J., Li, N., Marcum, M., Sohal, D. P., Zamulko, O., Abidi, M., Balmaceda, N. B., Bowles, D. W., Geiger, C. L., Markham, M., Russ, A. D., Saker, H., Acoba, J. D., Choi, H., Rho, Y. S., Feldman, L. E., Gantt, G., Hoskins, K. F., Khan, M., Liu, L. C., Nguyen, R. H., Pasquinelli, M. M., Schwartz, C., Venepalli, N. K., Vikas, P., Zakharia, Y., Boldt, A. M., Fecher, L. A., Su, C., Bijjula, R., Mavromatis, B. H., Seletyn, M. E., Wood, B. R., Zaman, Q. U., Kaklamani, V., Brown, A. J., Charles, L. J., Cheng, A., Crispens, M. A., Croessmann, S., Davis, E. J., Ding, T., Duda, S. N., Enriquez, K. T., French, B., Gillaspie, E. A., Hausrath, D. J., Hennessy, C., Johnson, D. B., Lewis, J. T., Li, X. L., Prescott, L. S., Reid, S. A., Saif, S., Shyr, Y., Slosky, D. A., Solorzano, C. C., Sun, T., Wang, L. L., Yang, Y. J., Aboulafia, D. M., Carducci, T. M., Goldsmith, K. J., Van Loon, S., Topaloglu, U., Moore, J., Cabalona, W. D., Shisler, E., Barrow McCollough, B., Peddi, P., Rosen, L. R., Bilen, M. A., Castellano, C. A., Ravindranathan, D., Hafez, N., Herbst, R. S., LoRusso, P., Lustberg, M. B., Masters, T., Stratton, C., Painter, C. A., Peters, S. 2023

  Abstract

  Importance: Systematic data on the association between anticancer therapies and thromboembolic events (TEEs) in patients with COVID-19 are lacking.Objective: To assess the association between anticancer therapy exposure within 3 months prior to COVID-19 and TEEs following COVID-19 diagnosis in patients with cancer.Design, Setting, and Participants: This registry-based retrospective cohort study included patients who were hospitalized and had active cancer and laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data were accrued from March 2020 to December 2021 and analyzed from December 2021 to October 2022.Exposure: Treatments of interest (TOIs) (endocrine therapy, vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors/tyrosine kinase inhibitors [VEGFis/TKIs], immunomodulators [IMiDs], immune checkpoint inhibitors [ICIs], chemotherapy) vs reference (no systemic therapy) in 3 months prior to COVID-19.Main Outcomes and Measures: Main outcomes were (1) venous thromboembolism (VTE) and (2) arterial thromboembolism (ATE). Secondary outcome was severity of COVID-19 (rates of intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, 30-day all-cause mortality following TEEs in TOI vs reference group) at 30-day follow-up.Results: Of 4988 hospitalized patients with cancer (median [IQR] age, 69 [59-78] years; 2608 [52%] male), 1869 had received 1 or more TOIs. Incidence of VTE was higher in all TOI groups: endocrine therapy, 7%; VEGFis/TKIs, 10%; IMiDs, 8%; ICIs, 12%; and chemotherapy, 10%, compared with patients not receiving systemic therapies (6%). In multivariable log-binomial regression analyses, relative risk of VTE (adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.33; 95% CI, 1.04-1.69) but not ATE (aRR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.56-1.16) was significantly higher in those exposed to all TOIs pooled together vs those with no exposure. Among individual drugs, ICIs were significantly associated with VTE (aRR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.01-2.07). Also noted were significant associations between VTE and active and progressing cancer (aRR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.01-2.03), history of VTE (aRR, 3.10; 95% CI, 2.38-4.04), and high-risk site of cancer (aRR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.14-1.75). Black patients had a higher risk of TEEs (aRR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03-1.50) than White patients. Patients with TEEs had high intensive care unit admission (46%) and mechanical ventilation (31%) rates. Relative risk of death in patients with TEEs was higher in those exposed to TOIs vs not (aRR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.91-1.38) and was significantly associated with poor performance status (aRR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.30-2.40) and active/progressing cancer (aRR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.13-2.13).Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, relative risk of developing VTE was high among patients receiving TOIs and varied by the type of therapy, underlying risk factors, and demographics, such as race and ethnicity. These findings highlight the need for close monitoring and perhaps personalized thromboprophylaxis to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19-related thromboembolism in patients with cancer.

  View details for DOI 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.2934

  View details for PubMedID 37589970

• Changing cancer mindsets: A randomized controlled feasibility and efficacy trial. Psycho-oncology Zion, S. R., Schapira, L., Berek, J. S., Spiegel, D., Dweck, C. S., Crum, A. J. 2023

  Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: A cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment can disrupt the full spectrum of physical, social, emotional, and functional quality of life. But existing psychological treatments are focused primarily on specific psychological symptoms as opposed to improving the overall patient experience. We studied the feasibility and efficacy of a novel digital intervention targeting patient mindsets-core assumptions about the nature and meaning of illness-designed to improve overall health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in newly diagnosed cancer patients undergoing treatment with curative intent.METHODS: Recently diagnosed (≤150days) adult patients with non-metastatic cancers undergoing systemic treatment (N=361) were recruited from across the United States to participate in this decentralized clinical trial. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive the Cancer Mindset Intervention (CMI) or Treatment as Usual (TAU). Participants in the CMI group completed seven online modules over 10weeks (2.5h total) targeting mindsets about cancer and the body. The primary outcome was overall HRQoL, and secondary outcomes were coping behaviors and symptom distress.RESULTS: Patients in the CMI group reported significant (p<0.001) improvements in adaptive mindsets about cancer and the body over time. Compared with the TAU condition, the CMI group reported significant improvements in overall HRQoL (B=0.60; 95% CI 0.34-0.85; p<0.001), increased engagement in adaptive coping behaviors (B=0.03; 95% CI 0.02-0.04; p<0.001), and reduced distress from physical symptoms (B=-0.29; 95% CI -0.44 to -0.14; p<0.01). Effect sizes of these changes ranged from d=0.42-d=0.54.CONCLUSION: A brief mindset-focused digital intervention was effective at improving physical, social, emotional, and functional HRQoL. increasing adaptive coping behaviors, and reducing physical symptom distress in newly diagnosed cancer patients.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.6194

  View details for PubMedID 37529924

• Racism and health among cancer survivors. Cancer Smith, S. M., Schapira, L. 2023

  View details for DOI 10.1002/cncr.34963

  View details for PubMedID 37489767

• HEALTH AFTER CANCER: A CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION COURSE TO PREPARE CLINICIANS TO CARE FOR CANCER SURVIVORS Jackson, K., Alberto, J., Smith, S. M., Schapira, L., Kim, J. SPRINGER. 2023: S712

  View details for Web of Science ID 001043057203031

• Predictors of cancer center-based follow-up among pediatric and adolescent/young adult cancer survivors Pang, E., Smith, S. M., Saynina, O., Schapira, L., Chamberlain, L. J. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2023

  View details for Web of Science ID 001053772002620

• Association of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) with clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis in young women with HR+/HER2-breast cancer (BC). Tesch, M. E., Arocho, Y., Collins, L. C., Heng, J., Zheng, Y., Tayob, N., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K., Tamimi, R., Schapira, L., Peppercorn, J. M., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Snow, C., Mittendorf, E. A., Partridge, A. H. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2023

  View details for Web of Science ID 001053772000010

• Second primary breast cancer in young breast cancer survivors Brantley, K. D., Rosenberg, S. M., Collins, L. C., Ruddy, K., Tamimi, R., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Come, S. E., Kirkner, G. J., Snow, C., Partridge, A. H. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2023

  View details for Web of Science ID 001053772002633

• Leveraging a community-academic partnership to evaluate the needs of Latinx AYA cancer survivors Smith, S. M., Teer, A., Ariceaga, E., Billman, E., Goyal, A., Benedict, C., Pecos-Duarte, C., Smith, M., Montes, S., Luna, E., Ramirez, D., Boynton, H., Schapira, L. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2023

  View details for Web of Science ID 001053772002624

• Genomics of ERBB2-Positive Breast Cancer in Young Women Before and After Exposure to Chemotherapy Plus Trastuzumab. JCO precision oncology Lipsyc-Sharf, M., Jain, E., Collins, L. C., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Come, S. E., Peppercorn, J. M., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Snow, C., Krop, I. E., Kim, D., Weiss, J., Zanudo, J. G., Partridge, A. H., Wagle, N., Waks, A. G. 2023; 7: e2300076

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (ERBB2)-positive breast cancer (BC) is particularly common in young women. Genomic features of ERBB2-positive tumors before and after chemotherapy and trastuzumab (chemo + H) have not been described in young women and are important for guiding study of therapeutic resistance in this population.METHODS: From a large prospective cohort of women age 40 years or younger with BC, we identified patients with ERBB2-positive BC and tumor tissue available before and after chemo + H. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed on each tumor and on germline DNA from blood. Tumor-normal pairs were analyzed for mutations and copy number (CN) changes.RESULTS: Twenty-two women had successful WES on samples from at least one time point; 12 of these had paired sequencing results from before and after chemo + H and 10 had successful sequencing from either time point. TP53 was the only significantly recurrently mutated gene in both pre- and post-treatment samples. MYC gene amplification was observed in four post-treatment tumors. Seven of 12 patients with paired samples showed acquired and/or clonally enriched alterations in cancer-related genes. One patient had an increased clonality putative activating mutation in ERBB2. Another patient acquired a clonal hotspot mutation in TP53. Other genomic changes acquired in post-treatment specimens included alterations in NOTCH2, STIL, PIK3CA, and GATA3. There was no significant change in median ERBB2 CN (20.3 v 22.6; Wilcoxon P = .79) between paired samples.CONCLUSION: ERBB2-positive BCs in young women displayed substantial genomic evolution after treatment with chemo + H. Approximately half of patients with paired samples demonstrated acquired and/or clonally enriched genomic changes in cancer genes. ERBB2 CN changes were uncommon. We identified several genes warranting exploration as potential mechanisms of resistance to therapy in this population.

  View details for DOI 10.1200/PO.23.00076

  View details for PubMedID 37364233

• Extended adjuvant endocrine therapy in a longitudinal cohort of young breast cancer survivors. NPJ breast cancer Sella, T., Zheng, Y., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K. J., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Carey, L. A., Winer, E. P., Partridge, A. H. 2023; 9 (1): 31

  Abstract

  Extended adjuvant endocrine therapy (eET) improves outcomes in breast cancer survivors. Most studies however have been limited to postmenopausal women, and optimal eET for young survivors is uncertain. We report eET use among participants in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study (YWS), a multicenter prospective cohort of women age ≤40 newly diagnosed with breast cancer enrolled between 2006-2016. Women with stage I-III hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, ≥6 years from diagnosis without recurrence were considered eET candidates. Use of eET was elicited from annual surveys sent years 6-8 after diagnosis, censoring for recurrence/death. 663 women were identified as eET candidates with 73.9% (490/663) having surveys eligible for analysis. Among eligible participants, mean age was 35.5 (±3.9), 85.9% were non-Hispanic white, and 59.6% reported eET use. Tamoxifen monotherapy was the most reported eET (77.4%), followed by aromatase inhibitor (AI) monotherapy (21.9%), AI-ovarian function suppression (AI-OFS) (6.8%) and tamoxifen-OFS (3.1%). In multivariable analysis, increasing age (per year odds ratio [OR]: 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-1.16), stage (II v. I: OR: 2.86, 95% CI: 1.81-4.51; III v. I: OR: 3.73, 95%CI: 1.87-7.44) and receipt of chemotherapy (OR: 3.66, 95% CI: 2.16-6.21) were significantly associated with eET use. Many young breast cancer survivors receive eET despite limited data regarding utility in this population. While some factors associated with eET use reflect appropriate risk-based care, potential sociodemographic disparities in uptake warrants further investigation in more diverse populations.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41523-023-00529-y

  View details for PubMedID 37185922

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10130172

• Extended adjuvant endocrine therapy in a longitudinal cohort of young breast cancer survivors NPJ BREAST CANCER Sella, T., Zheng, Y., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K. J., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Carey, L. A., Winer, E. P., Partridge, A. H. 2023; 9 (1)

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41523-023-00529-y

  View details for Web of Science ID 000976084000001

• Antimicrobial exposure is associated with decreased survival in triple-negative breast cancer. Nature communications Ransohoff, J. D., Ritter, V., Purington, N., Andrade, K., Han, S., Liu, M., Liang, S. Y., John, E. M., Gomez, S. L., Telli, M. L., Schapira, L., Itakura, H., Sledge, G. W., Bhatt, A. S., Kurian, A. W. 2023; 14 (1): 2053

  Abstract

  Antimicrobial exposure during curative-intent treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) may lead to gut microbiome dysbiosis, decreased circulating and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and inferior outcomes. Here, we investigate the association of antimicrobial exposure and peripheral lymphocyte count during TNBC treatment with survival, using integrated electronic medical record and California Cancer Registry data in the Oncoshare database. Of 772 women with stage I-III TNBC treated with and without standard cytotoxic chemotherapy - prior to the immune checkpoint inhibitor era - most (654, 85%) used antimicrobials. Applying multivariate analyses, we show that each additional total or unique monthly antimicrobial prescription is associated with inferior overall and breast cancer-specific survival. This antimicrobial-mortality association is independent of changes in neutrophil count, is unrelated to disease severity, and is sustained through year three following diagnosis, suggesting antimicrobial exposure negatively impacts TNBC survival. These results may inform mechanistic studies and antimicrobial prescribing decisions in TNBC and other hormone receptor-independent cancers.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-37636-0

  View details for PubMedID 37045824

  View details for PubMedCentralID 5625777

• POSTER SESSION D: PILOT STUDY OF 'ROADMAP TO PARENTHOOD' DECISION AID AND PLANNING TOOL FOR FAMILY BUILDING AFTER CANCER Benedict, C., Simon, P., Spiegel, D., Kurian, A. W., Alvero, R., Berek, J. S., Philip, E. J., Schapira, L. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2023: S533

  View details for Web of Science ID 001042977901464

• NAVIGATING COMPLEX FAMILY DYNAMICS WHILE CARING FOR SOUTH ASIAN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: PROVIDER AND SURVIVOR PERSPECTIVES Jain, A., Singh, N., Manja, V., Desai, S., Pukhraj, A., Risbud, R. D., Schapira, L., Thompson, D., Lorenz, K., Trivedi, R. B. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2023: S278

  View details for Web of Science ID 001042977900554

• POSTER SESSION E: CULTURAL DISSONANCE AND MORAL DISTRESS AMONG MULTICULTURAL PRACTITIONERS CARING FOR SOUTH ASIAN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS Manja, V., Singh, N., Pukhraj, A., Desai, S., Jain, A., Schapira, L., Thompson, D., Lorenz, K., Trivedi, R. B. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2023: S582

  View details for Web of Science ID 001042977901562

• Impact of COVID-19 in patients on active melanoma therapy and with history of melanoma. BMC cancer Johnson, D. B., Atkins, M. B., Hennessy, C., Wise-Draper, T., Heilman, H., Awosika, J., Bakouny, Z., Labaki, C., Saliby, R. M., Hwang, C., Singh, S. R., Balanchivadze, N., Friese, C. R., Fecher, L. A., Yoon, J. J., Hayes-Lattin, B., Bilen, M. A., Castellano, C. A., Lyman, G. H., Tachiki, L., Shah, S. A., Glover, M. J., Flora, D. B., Wulff-Burchfield, E., Kasi, A., Abbasi, S. H., Farmakiotis, D., Viera, K., Klein, E. J., Weissman, L. B., Jani, C., Puc, M., Fahey, C. C., Reuben, D. Y., Mishra, S., Beeghly-Fadiel, A., French, B., Warner, J. L., COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium, Reid, S. A., Brown, A. J., Cheng, A., Croessmann, S., Davis, E. J., Enriquez, K. T., Gillaspie, E. A., Hausrath, D., Li, X., Slosky, D. A., Solorzano, C. C., Tucker, M. D., Vega-Luna, K., Wang, L. L., Wise-Draper, T. M., Ahmad, S. A., Grover, P., Gulati, S., Kharofa, J., Latif, T., Marcum, M., Sohal, D. P., Zamulko, O., Choueiri, T. K., Connors, J. M., Demetri, G. D., Duma, N., Freeman, D. A., Giordano, A., Morgans, A. K., Nohria, A., Saliby, R., Schmidt, A. L., Van Allen, E. M., Xu, W., Zon, R. L., Gadgeel, S. M., Tejwani, S., Boldt, A., Cohen, A. M., McWeeney, S., Nemecek, E. R., Williamson, S. P., Ravindranathan, D., Graber, J. J., Grivas, P., Hawley, J. E., Loggers, E. T., Lynch, R. C., Nakasone, E. S., Schweizer, M. T., Vinayak, S., Wagner, M. J., Yeh, A., Cabebe, E. C., Glover, M. J., Jha, A., Khaki, A. R., Schapira, L., Wu, J. T., Kloecker, G., Logan, B. B., Mandapakala, C., Rock, C. D., Arvanitis, P., Egan, P. C., Khan, H., Olszewski, A. J., Vieira, K., Weissmann, L. B., Bhatt, P. S., Mariano, M. G., Thomson, C. C., Carducci, T. M., Goldsmith, K. J., Van Loon, S., Alexander, M., Matar, S., Mushtaq, S., Stockerl-Goldstein, K. E., Butt, O., Fiala, M. A., Henderson, J. P., Monahan, R. S., Zhou, A. Y., Lammers, P. E., Revankar, S. G., Del Prete, S. A., Bar, M. H., Gulati, A. P., Lo, K. M., Rose, S. J., Stratton, J., Weinstein, P. L., Gupta, S., Pennell, N. A., Ahluwalia, M. S., Dawsey, S. J., Lemmon, C. A., Nizam, A., Sharifi, N., Hoppenot, C., Li, A., Halabi, S., Dzimitrowicz, H., Zhang, T., Goyal, S., Huynh-Le, M., Yu, P. P., Clement, J. M., Daher, A., Dailey, M. E., Elias, R., Jayaraj, A., Hsu, E., Menendez, A. G., Serrano, O. K., Accordino, M. K., Bhutani, D., Hershman, D., Ingham, M. A., Schwartz, G. K., Bernicker, E. H., Deeken, J. F., Shafer, D., Ruiz-Garcia, E., Ramirez, A., Vilar-Compte, D., Lewis, M. A., Rhodes, T. D., Gill, D. M., Low, C. A., Mashru, S. H., Mansoor, A., Lewis, G. C., Smith, S. J., Zaren, H. A., Nagaraj, G., Akhtari, M., Castillo, D. R., Lau, E., Reeves, M. E., Berg, S., Knox, N., O'Connor, T. E., Durbin, E. B., Kulkarni, A. A., Nelson, H. H., Sachs, Z., Rosovsky, R. P., Reynolds, K. L., Bardia, A., Boland, G., Gainor, J. F., Zubiri, L., Halfdanarson, T. R., Bekaii-Saab, T. S., Desai, A., Riaz, I. B., Shah, S., Smith, K. E., Williams, C., Bouganim, N., Elkrief, A., Panasci, J., Vinh, D. C., Riely, G. J., Belenkaya, R., Philip, J., Faller, B., McKay, R. R., Ajmera, A., Brouha, S. S., Choi, S., Hsiao, A., Kligerman, S., Nonato, T. K., Blau, E. G., Jhawar, S. R., Addison, D., Chen, J. L., Gatti-Mays, M. E., Karivedu, V., Karivedu, V., Palmer, J. D., Stover, D. G., Wall, S., Williams, N. O., Joshi, M., Polimera, H. V., Pomerantz, L. D., Rovito, M. A., Griffiths, E. A., Advani, P. G., Puzanov, I., Jabbour, S. K., Misdary, C. F., Shah, M. R., Batist, G., Cook, E., Dutra, M. S., Ferrario, C., Miller, W. H., Bashir, B., McNair, C., Mahmood, S. Z., Mico, V., Rivera, A. V., Edwin, N. C., Smits, M., Doroshow, D. B., Galsky, M. D., Wotman, M., Fazio, A., Fu, J. C., Huber, K. E., Sueyoshi, M. H., Koshkin, V. S., Borno, H. T., Kwon, D. H., Small, E. J., Zhang, S., Rubinstein, S. M., Wood, W. A., Andermann, T. M., Jensen, C., Bowles, D. W., Geiger, C. L., Feldman, L. E., Hoskins, K. F., Gantt, G. J., Liu, L. C., Khan, M., Nguyen, R. H., Pasquinelli, M., Schwartz, C., Venepalli, N. K., Mavromatis, B. H., Bijjula, R. R., Zaman, Q. U., Aboulafiam, D. M., Schroeder, B. A., Topaloglu, U., Alimohamed, S. I., Moore, J. K., Peddi, P., Rosen, L. R., McCollough, B. B., Hafez, N., Herbst, R., LoRusso, P., Lustberg, M. B., Masters, T., Stratton, C. 2023; 23 (1): 265

  Abstract

  INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 particularly impacted patients with co-morbid conditions, including cancer. Patients with melanoma have not been specifically studied in large numbers. Here, we sought to identify factors that associated with COVID-19 severity among patients with melanoma, particularly assessing outcomes of patients on active targeted or immune therapy.METHODS: Using the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry, we identified 307 patients with melanoma diagnosed with COVID-19. We used multivariable models to assess demographic, cancer-related, and treatment-related factors associated with COVID-19 severity on a 6-level ordinal severity scale. We assessed whether treatment was associated with increased cardiac or pulmonary dysfunction among hospitalized patients and assessed mortality among patients with a history of melanoma compared with other cancer survivors.RESULTS: Of 307 patients, 52 received immunotherapy (17%), and 32 targeted therapy (10%) in the previous 3months. Using multivariable analyses, these treatments were not associated with COVID-19 severity (immunotherapy OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.19 - 1.39; targeted therapy OR 1.89, 95% CI 0.64 - 5.55). Among hospitalized patients, no signals of increased cardiac or pulmonary organ dysfunction, as measured by troponin, brain natriuretic peptide, and oxygenation were noted. Patients with a history of melanoma had similar 90-day mortality compared with other cancer survivors (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.62 - 2.35).CONCLUSIONS: Melanoma therapies did not appear to be associated with increased severity of COVID-19 or worsening organ dysfunction. Patients with history of melanoma had similar 90-day survival following COVID-19 compared with other cancer survivors.

  View details for DOI 10.1186/s12885-023-10708-6

  View details for PubMedID 36949413

• Clinical Characteristics, Racial Inequities, and Outcomes in Patients with Breast Cancer and COVID-19: A COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) Cohort Study. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences Nagaraj, G., Vinayak, S., Khaki, A. R., Sun, T., Kuderer, N. M., Aboulafia, D. M., Acoba, J. D., Awosika, J., Bakouny, Z., Balmaceda, N. B., Bao, T., Bashir, B., Berg, S., Bilen, M. A., Bindal, P., Blau, S., Bodin, B. E., Borno, H. T., Castellano, C., Choi, H., Deeken, J., Desai, A., Edwin, N., Feldman, L. E., Flora, D. B., Friese, C. R., Galsky, M. D., Gonzalez, C. J., Grivas, P., Gupta, S., Haynam, M., Heilman, H., Hershman, D. L., Hwang, C., Jani, C., Jhawar, S. R., Joshi, M., Kaklamani, V., Klein, E. J., Knox, N., Koshkin, V. S., Kulkarni, A. A., Kwon, D. H., Labaki, C., Lammers, P. E., Lathrop, K. I., Lewis, M. A., Li, X., de Lima Lopes, G., Lyman, G. H., Makower, D. F., Mansoor, A. H., Markham, M. J., Mashru, S. H., McKay, R. R., Messing, I., Mico, V., Nadkarni, R., Namburi, S., Nguyen, R. H., Nonato, T. K., O'Connor, T. L., Panagiotou, O. A., Park, K., Patel, J. M., Patel, K. G., Peppercorn, J., Polimera, H., Puc, M., Rao, Y. J., Razavi, P., Reid, S. A., Riess, J. W., Rivera, D. R., Robson, M., Rose, S. J., Russ, A. D., Schapira, L., Shah, P. K., Shanahan, M. K., Shapiro, L. C., Smits, M., Stover, D. G., Streckfuss, M., Tachiki, L., Thompson, M. A., Tolaney, S. M., Weissmann, L. B., Wilson, G., Wotman, M. T., Wulff-Burchfield, E. M., Mishra, S., French, B., Warner, J. L., Lustberg, M. B., Accordino, M. K., Shah, D. P. 2023

  Abstract

  Limited information is available for patients with breast cancer (BC) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), especially among underrepresented racial/ethnic populations.This is a COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry-based retrospective cohort study of females with active or history of BC and laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection diagnosed between March 2020 and June 2021 in the US. Primary outcome was COVID-19 severity measured on a five-level ordinal scale, including none of the following complications, hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, and all-cause mortality. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression model identified characteristics associated with COVID-19 severity.1,383 female patient records with BC and COVID-19 were included in the analysis, the median age was 61 years, and median follow-up was 90 days. Multivariable analysis revealed higher odds of COVID-19 severity for older age (aOR per decade, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.32 - 1.67]); Black patients (aOR 1.74; 95 CI 1.24-2.45), Asian Americans and Pacific Islander patients (aOR 3.40; 95 CI 1.70 - 6.79) and Other (aOR 2.97; 95 CI 1.71-5.17) racial/ethnic groups; worse ECOG performance status (ECOG PS ≥2: aOR, 7.78 [95% CI, 4.83 - 12.5]); pre-existing cardiovascular (aOR, 2.26 [95% CI, 1.63 - 3.15])/pulmonary comorbidities (aOR, 1.65 [95% CI, 1.20 - 2.29]); diabetes mellitus (aOR, 2.25 [95% CI, 1.66 - 3.04]); and active and progressing cancer (aOR, 12.5 [95% CI, 6.89 - 22.6]). Hispanic ethnicity, timing and type of anti-cancer therapy modalities were not significantly associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. The total all-cause mortality and hospitalization rate for the entire cohort was 9% and 37%, respectively however, it varied according to the BC disease status.Using one of the largest registries on cancer and COVID-19, we identified patient and BC related factors associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, underrepresented racial/ethnic patients experienced worse outcomes compared to Non-Hispanic White patients.

  View details for DOI 10.1101/2023.03.09.23287038

  View details for PubMedID 37205429

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10187350

• Changing Cancer Mindsets: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility and Efficacy Trial Zion, S., Schapira, L., Berek, J., Spiegel, D., Dweck, C., Crum, A. WILEY. 2023: 17

  View details for Web of Science ID 000947888900033

• Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment, and Outcomes of Patients From Sex and Gender Minority Groups. JAMA oncology Eckhert, E., Lansinger, O., Ritter, V., Liu, M., Han, S., Schapira, L., John, E. M., Gomez, S., Sledge, G., Kurian, A. W. 2023

  Abstract

  Sexual orientation and gender identity data are not collected by most hospitals or cancer registries; thus, little is known about the quality of breast cancer treatment for patients from sex and gender minority (SGM) groups.To evaluate the quality of breast cancer treatment and recurrence outcomes for patients from SGM groups compared with cisgender heterosexual patients.Exposure-matched retrospective case-control study of 92 patients from SGM groups treated at an academic medical center from January 1, 2008, to January 1, 2022, matched to cisgender heterosexual patients with breast cancer by year of diagnosis, age, tumor stage, estrogen receptor status, and ERBB2 (HER2) status.Patient demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as treatment quality, as measured by missed guideline-based breast cancer screening, appropriate referral for genetic counseling and testing, mastectomy vs lumpectomy, receipt of chest reconstruction, adjuvant radiation therapy after lumpectomy, neoadjuvant chemotherapy for stage III disease, antiestrogen therapy for at least 5 years for estrogen receptor-positive disease, ERBB2-directed therapy for ERBB2-positive disease, patient refusal of an oncologist-recommended treatment, time from symptom onset to tissue diagnosis, time from diagnosis to first treatment, and time from breast cancer diagnosis to first recurrence. Results were adjusted for multiple hypothesis testing. Compared with cisgender heterosexual patients, those from SGM groups were hypothesized to have disparities in 1 or more of these quality metrics.Ninety-two patients from SGM groups were matched to 92 cisgender heterosexual patients (n = 184). The median age at diagnosis for all patients was 49 years (IQR, 43-56 years); 74 were lesbian (80%), 12 were bisexual (13%), and 6 were transgender (6%). Compared with cisgender heterosexual patients, those from SGM groups experienced a delay in time from symptom onset to diagnosis (median time to diagnosis, 34 vs 64 days; multivariable adjusted hazard ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.42-0.99; P = .04), were more likely to decline an oncologist-recommended treatment modality (35 [38%] vs 18 [20%]; multivariable adjusted odds ratio, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.09-4.74; P = .03), and were more likely to experience a breast cancer recurrence (multivariable adjusted hazard ratio, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.56-6.03; P = .001).This study found that among patients with breast cancer, those from SGM groups experienced delayed diagnosis, with faster recurrence at a 3-fold higher rate compared with cisgender heterosexual patients. These results suggest disparities in the care of patients from SGM groups and warrant further study to inform interventions.

  View details for DOI 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.7146

  View details for PubMedID 36729432

• Risk factors for second primary lung cancer among breast cancer survivors Choi, E., Lee, J., Wu, J. T., Wakelee, H. A., Schapira, L., Kurian, A. W., Han, S. S. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2023

  View details for Web of Science ID 001057852300067

• NCCN Guidelines Insights: Survivorship, Version 1.2023. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN Sanft, T., Day, A., Ansbaugh, S., Armenian, S., Baker, K. S., Ballinger, T., Demark-Wahnefried, W., Dickinson, K., Fairman, N. P., Felciano, J., Flores, T. F., Friedman, D. L., Gabel, N. M., Goldman, M., Henry, N. L., Hill-Kayser, C., Hudson, M., Koura, D., Lee, K., McDonough, A. L., Melisko, M., Mooney, K., Moore, H. C., Moryl, N., Neuman, H., O'Connor, T., Overholser, L., Paskett, E. D., Patel, C., Peterson, L., Pirl, W., Porpiglia, A., Rodriguez, M. A., Schapira, L., Schwartz, A. L., Smith, S., Tevaarwerk, A., Yang, E., Zee, P., McMillian, N. R., Freedman-Cass, D. A. 2023; 21 (8): 792-803

  Abstract

  The NCCN Guidelines for Survivorship are intended to help healthcare professionals address the complex and varied needs of cancer survivors. The NCCN Guidelines provide screening, evaluation, and treatment recommendations for psychosocial and physical problems resulting from adult-onset cancer and its treatment; recommendations to help promote healthy behaviors and immunizations in survivors; and a framework for care coordination. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize recent guideline updates and panel discussions pertaining to sleep disorders, fatigue, and cognitive function in cancer survivors.

  View details for DOI 10.6004/jnccn.2023.0041

  View details for PubMedID 37549906

• Understanding unmet needs of adult survivors of childhood cancer in California's Salinas Valley: A community-academic partnership to develop programs for families after cancer treatment Smith, S. M., Pecos-Duarte, C., Ariceaga, E., Billman, E., Teer, A., Benedict, C., Smith, M., Montes, S., Rivera, E., Ramirez, D., Boynton, H., Schapira, L. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2023: 144-145

  View details for Web of Science ID 000916472900194

• Fertility Preferences and Practices Among Young Women With Breast Cancer: Germline Genetic Carriers Versus Noncarriers. Clinical breast cancer Lewinsohn, R., Zheng, Y., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Peppercorn, J., Borges, V. F., Come, S., Snow, C., Ginsburg, E. S., Partridge, A. H. 2022

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Young women with breast cancer who carry germline genetic pathogenic variants may face distinct fertility concerns, yet limited data exist comparing fertility preferences and practices between carriers and noncarriers.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study (NCT01468246), a prospective cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer at ≤40 years, who completed a modified Fertility Issues Survey were included in this analysis.RESULTS: Of 1052 eligible participants, 118 (11%) tested positive for a pathogenic variant. Similar proportions (P=.23) of carriers (46%, [54/118]) and noncarriers (37%, [346/934]) desired more biologic children prediagnosis, and desire decreased similarly postdiagnosis (carriers, 30% [35/118] vs. noncarriers, 26% [244/934], P=.35). Among those desiring children postdiagnosis (n=279), concern about cancer risk heritability was more common among carriers (74% [26/35] vs. noncarriers, 36% [88/244], P < .01). Carriers were more likely to report that concern about cancer risk heritability contributed to a lack of certainty or interest in future pregnancies (20% [16/81] vs. noncarriers, 7% [49/674], P=.001). Similar proportions (P=.65) of carriers (36% [43/118]) and noncarriers (38% [351/934]) were somewhat or very concerned about infertility post-treatment; utilization of fertility preservation strategies was also similar (carriers, 14% [17/118] vs. noncarriers, 12% [113/934], P=.78).CONCLUSION: Carriers were similarly concerned about future fertility and as likely to pursue fertility preservation as noncarriers. Concern about cancer risk heritability was more frequent among carriers and impacted decisions not to pursue future pregnancies for some, underscoring the importance of counseling regarding strategies to prevent transmission to offspring, including preimplantation genetic testing.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.clbc.2022.12.012

  View details for PubMedID 36628811

• Risk of primary haematologic cancers following incident non-metastatic breast cancer: A Danish population-based cohort study. Cancer epidemiology Hjorth, C. F., Farkas, D. K., Schapira, L., Cullen, M. R., Sørensen, H. T., Cronin-Fenton, D. 2022; 82: 102311

  Abstract

  Breast cancer survivors may have increased risk of subsequent haematologic cancer. We compared their risk of haematologic cancers with the general population during 38 years of follow-up.Using population-based Danish medical registries, we assembled a nationwide cohort of women diagnosed with incident non-metastatic breast cancer during 1980-2017, with follow-up through 2018. We compared breast cancer survivors with the general population by computing standardised incidence ratios (SIR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).Among 101,117 breast cancer survivors, we observed 815 incident haematologic cancers (median follow-up: 7.9 years). We observed excess risk of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) (SIR: 1.65, 95%CI: 1.33-2.01), particularly in women who received chemotherapy (SIR: 3.33, 95%CI: 2.24-4.75) and premenopausal women (SIR: 3.23, 95%CI: 2.41-4.25). The risk of acute lymphoid leukaemia (ALL) was increased (SIR: 2.25, 95%CI: 1.29-3.66), whereas the risk of chronic lymphoid leukaemia (CLL) was decreased (SIR: 0.66, 95%CI: 0.53-0.82). An additional analysis showed elevated risk of CLL 0-6 months after breast cancer diagnosis (SIR: 3.00 95%CI: 1.75-4.80).Compared to the general population, breast cancer survivors had elevated risk of AML, particularly when treated with chemotherapy. The risk of ALL was elevated, whereas the risk of CLL was lower. The higher risk of CLL in the first six months after diagnosis likely reflects surveillance bias-due to intensified diagnostic efforts at breast cancer diagnosis and treatment-prompting earlier detection. This has likely reduced the long-term risk of CLL in breast cancer survivors.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.canep.2022.102311

  View details for PubMedID 36508968

• Breast cancer (BC) risk reduction in young women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) Tesch, M. E., Wong, J. S., Dominici, L., Ruddy, K. J., Tamini, R., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Come, S. E., Sepucha, K., Collins, L. C., Partridge, A. H., Rosenberg, S. M. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2022

  View details for Web of Science ID 000896891900063

• Duration of endocrine treatment for DCIS impacts second events: Insights from a large registry of cases at two academic medical centers. Tesch, M. E., Wong, J. S., Dominici, L., Ruddy, K. J., Tamini, R., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Come, S. E., Sepucha, K., Collins, L. C., Partridge, A. H., Rosenberg, S. M. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2022: 7-8

  View details for Web of Science ID 000920264100021

• Breast cancer (BC) risk reduction in young women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) Tesch, M. E., Wong, J. S., Dominici, L., Ruddy, K. J., Tamini, R., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Come, S. E., Sepucha, K., Collins, L. C., Partridge, A. H., Rosenberg, S. M. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2022

  View details for Web of Science ID 000896891900038

• Adjuvant endocrine therapy non-initiation and non-persistence in young women with early-stage breast cancer. Breast cancer research and treatment Rosenberg, S. M., Zheng, Y., Gelber, S., Ruddy, K. J., Poorvu, P., Sella, T., Tamimi, R. M., Wassermann, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S., Peppercorn, J., Sepucha, K. R., Partridge, A. H. 2022

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: Characterizing oral adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) non-initiation and non-persistence in young women with breast cancer can inform strategies to improve overall adherence in this population.METHODS: We identified 693 women with hormone receptor-positive, stage I-III breast cancer enrolled in a cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer at age≤40years. Women were classified as non-initiators if they did not report taking ET in the 18months after diagnosis. Women who initiated but did not report taking ET subsequently (through 5-year post-diagnosis) were categorized as non-persistent. We assessed ET decision-making and used logistic regression to identify factors associated with non-initiation/non-persistence and to evaluate the association between non-persistence and recurrence.RESULTS: By 18months, 9% had not initiated ET. Black women had higher odds and women with a college degree had lower odds of non-initiation. Among 607 women who initiated, 20% were non-persistent. Younger age, being married/partnered, and reporting more weight problems were associated with higher odds of non-persistence; receipt of chemotherapy and greater hot flash and vaginal symptom burden were associated with lower odds of non-persistence. Adjusting for age and clinical characteristics, non-persistence was associated with lower odds of recurrence. Women who initiated were more likely to report shared decision-making than non-initiators (57% vs. 38%, p=0.049), while women who were non-persistent were less likely to indicate high confidence with the decision than women who were persistent (40% vs. 63%, p<0.001).CONCLUSION: Interventions to improve ET decision-making may facilitate initiation and address barriers to adherence in young breast cancer survivors.TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.CLINICALTRIALS: gov , NCT01468246.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10549-022-06810-1

  View details for PubMedID 36436128

• Interplay of Immunosuppression and Immunotherapy Among Patients With Cancer and COVID-19. JAMA oncology Bakouny, Z., Labaki, C., Grover, P., Awosika, J., Gulati, S., Hsu, C. Y., Alimohamed, S. I., Bashir, B., Berg, S., Bilen, M. A., Bowles, D., Castellano, C., Desai, A., Elkrief, A., Eton, O. E., Fecher, L. A., Flora, D., Galsky, M. D., Gatti-Mays, M. E., Gesenhues, A., Glover, M. J., Gopalakrishnan, D., Gupta, S., Halfdanarson, T. R., Hayes-Lattin, B., Hendawi, M., Hsu, E., Hwang, C., Jandarov, R., Jani, C., Johnson, D. B., Joshi, M., Khan, H., Khan, S. A., Knox, N., Koshkin, V. S., Kulkarni, A. A., Kwon, D. H., Matar, S., McKay, R. R., Mishra, S., Moria, F. A., Nizam, A., Nock, N. L., Nonato, T. K., Panasci, J., Pomerantz, L., Portuguese, A. J., Provenzano, D., Puc, M., Rao, Y. J., Rhodes, T. D., Riely, G. J., Ripp, J. J., Rivera, A. V., Ruiz-Garcia, E., Schmidt, A. L., Schoenfeld, A. J., Schwartz, G. K., Shah, S. A., Shaya, J., Subbiah, S., Tachiki, L. M., Tucker, M. D., Valdez-Reyes, M., Weissmann, L. B., Wotman, M. T., Wulff-Burchfield, E. M., Xie, Z., Yang, Y. J., Thompson, M. A., Shah, D. P., Warner, J. L., Shyr, Y., Choueiri, T. K., Wise-Draper, T. M. 2022

  Abstract

  Cytokine storm due to COVID-19 can cause high morbidity and mortality and may be more common in patients with cancer treated with immunotherapy (IO) due to immune system activation.To determine the association of baseline immunosuppression and/or IO-based therapies with COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm in patients with cancer.This registry-based retrospective cohort study included 12 046 patients reported to the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry from March 2020 to May 2022. The CCC19 registry is a centralized international multi-institutional registry of patients with COVID-19 with a current or past diagnosis of cancer. Records analyzed included patients with active or previous cancer who had a laboratory-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction and/or serologic findings.Immunosuppression due to therapy; systemic anticancer therapy (IO or non-IO).The primary outcome was a 5-level ordinal scale of COVID-19 severity: no complications; hospitalized without requiring oxygen; hospitalized and required oxygen; intensive care unit admission and/or mechanical ventilation; death. The secondary outcome was the occurrence of cytokine storm.The median age of the entire cohort was 65 years (interquartile range [IQR], 54-74) years and 6359 patients were female (52.8%) and 6598 (54.8%) were non-Hispanic White. A total of 599 (5.0%) patients received IO, whereas 4327 (35.9%) received non-IO systemic anticancer therapies, and 7120 (59.1%) did not receive any antineoplastic regimen within 3 months prior to COVID-19 diagnosis. Although no difference in COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm was found in the IO group compared with the untreated group in the total cohort (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.80; 95% CI, 0.56-1.13, and aOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.41-1.93, respectively), patients with baseline immunosuppression treated with IO (vs untreated) had worse COVID-19 severity and cytokine storm (aOR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.38-8.01, and aOR, 4.41; 95% CI, 1.71-11.38, respectively). Patients with immunosuppression receiving non-IO therapies (vs untreated) also had worse COVID-19 severity (aOR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.36-2.35) and cytokine storm (aOR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.42-3.79).This cohort study found that in patients with cancer and COVID-19, administration of systemic anticancer therapies, especially IO, in the context of baseline immunosuppression was associated with severe clinical outcomes and the development of cytokine storm.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04354701.

  View details for DOI 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.5357

  View details for PubMedID 36326731

• SOCIAL SUPPORT DYNAMICS FOR SOUTH ASIAN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: AN ANALYSIS CONDUCTED USING ATLAS CAREMAPS Trivedi, R., Pukhraj, A., Desai, S., Shah, R., Risbud, R., Schapira, L., Gallagher-Thompson, D., Lorenz, K. OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2022: 599

  View details for Web of Science ID 000913044003014

• CULTURALLY CONCORDANT CARE: CLINICIAN PERSPECTIVES ON PROVIDING CANCER CARE TO SOUTH ASIANS Singh, N., Manja, V., Pukhraj, A., Risbud, R., Desai, S., Schapira, L., Lorenz, K., Trivedi, R. OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2022: 636

  View details for Web of Science ID 000913044003133

• UNDERSTANDING THE CARE NETWORKS OF INFORMAL CAREGIVERS OF SOUTH ASIANS WITH BREAST CANCER USING ATLAS CAREMAPS Trivedi, R., Pukhraj, A., Desai, S., Jain, A., Risbud, R., Schapira, L., Gallagher-Thompson, D., Lorenz, K. OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2022: 599

  View details for Web of Science ID 000913044003015

• The Impact of Cancer-Related Financial Toxicity on Reproductive Concerns and Family-Building Decision-Making in Post-Treatment Survivorship. Journal of adolescent and young adult oncology Benedict, C., Thom, B., Diefenbach, M., Schapira, L., Simon, P., Ford, J. S. 2022

  Abstract

  Purpose: Adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors are at-risk for cancer-related financial difficulties (i.e., financial toxicity [FT]). Family building after cancer often requires reproductive medicine or adoption with high costs; AYAs experience financial barriers to family building. This study evaluated the relationships among cancer FT, reproductive concerns, and decision-making processes about family building after cancer. Methods: AYA female (AYA-F) cancer survivors completed a cross-sectional survey including measures of FT, reproductive concerns, decisional conflict about family building, and decision-making self-efficacy. Differences across FT subgroups (i.e., no/mild, moderate, and severe FT) were tested. Linear regression evaluated the relationships between FT and reproductive concerns and decision-making processes. Results: Participants (N = 111) averaged 31.0 years (standard deviation [SD] = 5.49), 90% were nulliparous, and 84% were employed full/part-time. The overall FT levels were in the "moderate" range (M = 20.44, SD = 9.83); 48% worried quite a bit or very much about financial problems because of cancer. AYA-Fs reporting severe FT (24% of sample) experienced higher levels of reproductive concerns compared with those reporting no/mild and moderate FT. Those reporting moderate FT (46% of sample) reported greater decisional conflict about family-building options, compared with the no/mild FT subgroup. Both moderate and severe FT subgroups reported lower decision-making self-efficacy compared with the no/mild FT subgroup. In separate models controlling for covariates, greater FT related to higher levels of reproductive concerns (B = -0.39, p < 0.001), greater decisional conflict about family building (B = -0.56, p = 0.02), and lower decision-making self-efficacy (B = 0.60, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Given the high costs of reproductive medicine and adoption, fertility counseling pre- and post-treatment must address survivors' financial concerns and barriers.

  View details for DOI 10.1089/jayao.2022.0088

  View details for PubMedID 36169520

• Patient perspectives on testing for clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential. Blood advances Sella, T., Fell, G. G., Miller, P. G., Gibson, C. J., Rosenberg, S. M., Snow, C., Stover, D. G., Ruddy, K. J., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Frank, E., Neuberg, D., Ebert, B. L., Partridge, A. H. 2022

  Abstract

  Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), an emerging biomarker for personalized risk-directed interventions, has increased prevalence in cancer survivors. Little is known about patients' preferences regarding CHIP testing. We surveyed participants in an ongoing prospective cohort study of young women with breast cancer (BC). The emailed survey included an introduction to CHIP and a clinical vignette eliciting participants' preferences for CHIP testing considering sequentially: 1) population-based 10-year risk of BC recurrence, hematological malignancy and heart disease; 2) increased CHIP-associated risks; 3) current CHIP management; 4) dedicated CHIP clinic; 5) hypothetical CHIP treatment. Preference changes were evaluated with McNemar's test. Survey response rate was 82.2%(528/642). Median age at survey was 46 years (range: 31-54), time from diagnosis 108 months (range: 60-168). Only 5.9% had prior knowledge of CHIP. After vignette presentation, most survivors (87.1%) recommended CHIP testing for the vignette patient. Presented next with CHIP-independent, population-based risks, 11.1% shifted their preference from testing to not testing (p<0.001). After information about CHIP-associated risks, an additional 10.1% shifted preference to testing (p<0.001). Preference for testing (p<0.001) increased if vignette patient was offered a CHIP clinic or hypothetical CHIP treatment, with 7.2% and 14.1% switching preferences towards testing, respectively. Finally, 75.8% desired CHIP testing for themselves. 28.2% reported learning about CHIP caused at least moderate anxiety. Most young survivors favored CHIP testing with preferences influenced by risk presentation and potential management strategies. Our findings highlight the importance of effective risk communication and adequate psychosocial support when considering biomarkers of future risks in cancer survivors. This trial is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01468246.

  View details for DOI 10.1182/bloodadvances.2022008376

  View details for PubMedID 36129839

• ASO Visual Abstract: Clinicopathologic Features, Treatment Patterns, and Disease Outcomes in a Modern, Prospective Cohort of Young Women Diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. Annals of surgical oncology Tesch, M. E., Rosenberg, S. M., Collins, L. C., Wong, J. S., Dominici, L., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Come, S. E., Partridge, A. H. 2022

  View details for DOI 10.1245/s10434-022-12421-3

  View details for PubMedID 36038744

• Incident comorbidities after tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitor therapy in a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of women with breast cancer. Breast cancer research and treatment Gupta, T., Purington, N., Liu, M., Han, S., Sledge, G., Schapira, L., Kurian, A. W. 2022

  Abstract

  As survival with early-stage, hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast has improved, it is essential to understand the long-term risks of incident comorbidities with different adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) options.Women treated with tamoxifen and/or an aromatase inhibitor (AI) for stages 1-3, HR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer from 2000 to 2016 in either of two healthcare systems in the San Francisco Bay Area were included. We considered the following comorbidities: cerebrovascular accidents, congestive heart failure, dementia, depression/anxiety, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, myocardial infarction, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, osteoporosis/fracture, peripheral vascular disease, and venous thromboembolism. Cause-specific Cox proportional hazards models were fit to time-to-new-diagnosis for each comorbidity, accounting for death as a competing risk. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for tamoxifen versus AI were reported.Among 2,902 analyzed patients, the median age at diagnosis was 58.3 years; 67.6% were non-Hispanic white, 22.3% Asian, 7.5% Hispanic, and 1.7% non-Hispanic Black. Half (54.7%) used AIs only, 27.6% used tamoxifen only and 17.7% used both tamoxifen and AIs sequentially. Tamoxifen was associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis than AI (multivariable HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.32-0.62). No other incident comorbidity risk varied between users of tamoxifen versus AIs.In a diverse, multi-institutional, contemporary breast cancer cohort, the only incident comorbidity that differed between ET options was osteoporosis, a known side effect of AIs. These results may inform clinical decision-making about ET, and reassure patients who have bothersome symptoms on AIs that they are unlikely to develop worse comorbidities if they switch to tamoxifen.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10549-022-06716-y

  View details for PubMedID 36030472

• Coping strategies and anxiety in young breast cancer survivors. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Krasne, M., Ruddy, K. J., Poorvu, P. D., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Peppercorn, J., Come, S. E., Borges, V. F., Partridge, A. H., Rosenberg, S. M. 2022

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: We sought to describe coping strategies reported by young breast cancer survivors and evaluate the relationship between utilization of specific coping strategies and anxiety in survivorship.METHODS: Participants enrolled in The Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, a multi-center, cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer at age≤40years, completed surveys that assessed demographics, coping strategies (reported at 6-month post-enrollment and 18-month post-diagnosis), and anxiety (2years post-diagnosis). We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression to examine the relationship between coping strategies and anxiety.RESULTS: A total of 833 women with stage 0-3 breast cancer were included in the analysis; median age at diagnosis was 37 (range: 17-40) years. Social supports were the most commonly reported coping strategies, with the majority reporting moderate or greater use of emotional support from a partner (90%), parents (78%), other family (79%), and reliance on friends (88%) at both 6 and 18months. In multivariable analyses, those with moderate or greater reliance on emotional support from other family (odds ratio (OR): 0.37, 95% confidence ratio (CI): 0.22-0.63) at 18months were less likely to have anxiety at 2years, while those with moderate or greater reliance on alcohol/drug use (OR: 1.83, 95%CI: 1.12-3.00) and taking care of others (OR: 1.90, 95%CI: 1.04-3.45) to cope were more likely to have anxiety.CONCLUSION: Young breast cancer survivors rely heavily on support from family and friends. Our findings underscore the importance of considering patients' social networks when developing interventions targeting coping in survivorship.CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01468246 (first posted November 9, 2011).

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00520-022-07325-7

  View details for PubMedID 35986100

• Clinicopathologic Features, Treatment Patterns, and Disease Outcomes in a Modern, Prospective Cohort of Young Women Diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. Annals of surgical oncology Tesch, M. E., Rosenberg, S. M., Collins, L. C., Wong, J. S., Dominici, L., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Come, S. E., Partridge, A. H. 2022

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is uncommon and understudied in young women. The objective of this study is to describe clinicopathologic features, treatment, and oncologic outcomes in a modern cohort of women aged ≤40 years with DCIS.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with DCIS were identified from the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, a multisite prospective cohort of women diagnosed with stage 0-IV breast cancer at age ≤40 years, enrolled from 2006 to 2016. Clinical data were collected from patient surveys and medical records. Pathologic features were examined by central review. Data were summarized with descriptive statistics and groups were compared with chi2 and Fisher's exact tests.RESULTS: Among the 98 patients included, median age of diagnosis was 38 years; 36 (37%) patients were symptomatic on presentation. DCIS nuclear grade was high in 35%, intermediate in 50%, and low in 15% of lesions; 36% of lesions had comedonecrosis. The majority of patients underwent bilateral mastectomy (57%), 16 (16%) underwent unilateral mastectomy, and 26 (27%) underwent lumpectomy, most of whom received radiation. Few (13%) patients were receiving tamoxifen therapy 1 year postdiagnosis. Over a median follow-up of 8.4 years, six patients (6%) had disease recurrence, including five locoregional and one distant event.CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of young women with DCIS underwent mastectomy with or without contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. Although DCIS was frequently symptomatic on presentation and exhibited unfavorable pathologic factors, clinicopathologic features were overall heterogeneous and few recurrences occurred. This underscores the need for careful consideration of treatment options in young women with DCIS.

  View details for DOI 10.1245/s10434-022-12361-y

  View details for PubMedID 35960452

• Examining Associations Among Sexual Health, Unmet Care Needs, and Distress in Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Survivors. Seminars in oncology nursing Benedict, C., Fisher, S., Kumar, D., Pollom, E., Schapira, L., Kurian, A. W., Berek, J. S., Palesh, O. 2022: 151316

  Abstract

  This study evaluated breast and gynecologic cancer patients' sexual function, unmet needs related to sexuality, and distress.Secondary analyses of a cross-sectional survey study evaluated measures of sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI]), unmet needs (Supportive Care Needs Scale), and distress (Patient Health Questionnaire). χ2 test, t tests, and analysis of variances (ANOVAs) tested bivariate relationships. Subgroup comparisons were made based on the Female Sexual Function Index sexual dysfunction diagnostic cut-off score (<26.55; lower scores indicate greater dysfunction). A regression model tested associations between sexual function and unmet needs with distress as the outcome variable.Clinically significant sexual dysfunction was common in this cohort of women. In multivariate modeling, worse sexual function and greater unmet sexuality needs related to greater distress. Future work should explore reasons behind the high levels of sexual dysfunction and unmet needs in female survivors.It is important to routinely screen for sexual health concerns among female cancer survivors at all phases of the cancer trajectory including years posttreatment.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.soncn.2022.151316

  View details for PubMedID 35902337

• Body weight changes and associated predictors in a prospective cohort of young breast cancer survivors. Cancer Sella, T., Zheng, Y., Tan-Wasielewski, Z., Rosenberg, S. M., Poorvu, P. D., Tayob, N., Ruddy, K. J., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Come, S. E., Peppercorn, J. M., Borges, V. F., Partridge, A. H., Ligibel, J. A. 2022

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Weight gain after a breast cancer diagnosis is common and is associated with inferior outcomes. Young survivors may be especially susceptible to weight changes given the impact of treatment on menopausal status.METHODS: The authors identified women who were diagnosed with stage 0 to III breast cancer at age 40years or younger between 2006 and 2016 from a multicenter prospective cohort. Self-reported weight was collected at diagnosis and at 1year and 3years postdiagnosis. Tumor and treatment data were obtained from medical records and patient surveys. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with weight gain (≥5%) or weight loss (≥5%) versus stable weight at 1year and 3years postdiagnosis.RESULTS: The cohort included 956 women with a median age of 37years at diagnosis. Mean weight significantly increased over time from 66.54±14.85kg at baseline to 67.33±15.53 and 67.77±14.65kg at 1year and 3years, respectively (p≤.001 for both comparisons). The proportion of women experiencing ≥5% weight gain increased from 24.8% at 1year to 33.9% at 3years. At 1year, less self-perceived financial comfort, Black race, and stage III disease were significantly associated with weight gain; at 3years, only less self-perceived financial comfort remained significant. Baseline overweight or obesity was significantly associated with weight loss at both time points. Chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and treatment-related menopause were not associated with weight change.CONCLUSIONS: One third of young breast cancer survivors experienced clinically significant weight gain 3years after diagnosis; however, treatment-related associations were not observed. Age-appropriate lifestyle interventions, including the reduction of financial barriers, are needed to prevent weight gain in this high-risk population.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/cncr.34342

  View details for PubMedID 35775874

• Association of illness mindsets with health-related quality of life in cancer survivors. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association Zeidman, A., Benedict, C., Zion, S. R., Fisher, S., Tolby, L., Kurian, A. W., Berek, J. S., Woldeamanuel, Y. W., Schapira, L., Palesh, O. 2022; 41 (6): 389-395

  Abstract

  This study aimed to examine the association between mindsets-established, but mutable beliefs that a person holds-and health-related quality of life in survivors of breast and gynecologic cancer.A cross-sectional survey study was conducted with breast and gynecologic cancer survivors. Measures included the Illness Mindset Questionnaire and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G).Two hundred seventy-three survivors (74% breast/26% gynecologic) who were on average 3.9 years post-diagnosis (SD = 4.2), Mage 55 (SD = 12) completed the survey (response rate 80%). Of the survivors, 20.1% (N = 55) endorsed ("agree" or "strongly agree") that Cancer is a Catastrophe, 52.4% (N = 143) endorsed that Cancer is Manageable, and 65.9% (N = 180) endorsed that Cancer can be an Opportunity (not mutually exclusive). Those who endorsed a maladaptive mindset (Cancer is a Catastrophe) reported lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL) compared with those who did not hold this belief (p < .001). Alternatively, those who endorsed more adaptive mindsets (Cancer is Manageable or Cancer can be an Opportunity) reported better HRQOL compared with those who disagreed (all p-values < .05). All three mindsets were independent correlates of HRQOL, explaining 6-15% unique variance in HRQOL, even after accounting for demographic and medical factors.Mindsets about illness are significantly associated with HRQOL in cancer survivors. Our data come from a one-time evaluation of cancer survivors at a single clinic and provide a foundation for future longitudinal studies and RCTs on the relationship between mindsets and psychosocial outcomes in cancer survivors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

  View details for DOI 10.1037/hea0001186

  View details for PubMedID 35604702

• A Tale of Two Pandemics: Cancer Coping and Care Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic Aslakson, R., Siden, R., Verano, M., Holdsworth, L., Braun, N., Tabor, H., Wong, B., Colborn, K., Smith, S., Lira, I., Hallahan, C., Nudotor, R., Siddiqi, A., Harris, E., Days-Yancey, K., Nasso, S., Rickerson, E., Fahy, B., Waterman, B., Johnston, F., Smith, T., Schapira, L. ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2022: 1082-1083

  View details for Web of Science ID 000802790300089

• A case-control study of healthcare disparities in sex and gender minority patients with breast cancer. Eckhert, E., Lansinger, O., Liu, M., Purington, N., Han, S. S., Schapira, L., Sledge, G. W., Kurian, A. W. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2022

  View details for Web of Science ID 000863680301817

• Estradiol (E2) levels in premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR plus ) breast cancer (BC) on ovarian function suppression (OFS) with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa). Tesch, M., Zheng, Y., Rosenberg, S. M., Poorvu, P., Ruddy, K., Tamimi, R., Schapira, L., Peppercorn, J. M., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Snow, C., Partridge, A. H. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2022

  View details for Web of Science ID 000863680301529

• Fertility preferences, concerns, and preservation among young women with breast cancer who carry germline genetic pathogenic variants compared with non-carriers. Lewinsohn, R. M., Zheng, Y., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K., Tamimi, R., Schapira, L., Peppercorn, J. M., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Snow, C., Partridge, A. H. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2022

  View details for Web of Science ID 000863680300226

• Development of a Web-Based Decision Aid and Planning Tool for Family Building After Cancer (Roadmap to Parenthood): Usability Testing. JMIR cancer Benedict, C., Dauber-Decker, K. L., Ford, J. S., King, D., Spiegel, D., Schapira, L., Simon, P., Diefenbach, M. 2022; 8 (2): e33304

  Abstract

  Owing to gonadotoxic cancer treatments, young adult female survivors often report uncertainty about their fertility, reproductive potential, and family-building options after treatment. Roadmap to Parenthood is a web-based decision aid and planning tool for family building after cancer.As part of a patient-centered development process, this study evaluated the usability of the decision aid website to inform design modifications and improve user experience.In total, 2 rounds of usability testing were conducted with the target population of young adult female cancer survivors. During the testing sessions, participants viewed the website twice; first, as a think-aloud exercise, and second, while a researcher interrupted at key points to obtain user feedback. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to assess website usability. Quantitative measures included the System Usability Scale, WebQual, and eHealth Impact Questionnaire. An exit interview with open-ended questions gathered feedback on likes and dislikes and suggestions for improvement.Participants (N=10) were young adult women, with average age of 30.9 (SD 4.51) years, and average time since treatment was 4.44 (SD 3.56) years. Website usability scores improved on the System Usability Scale from "acceptable" in round 1 to "excellent" in round 2 after making design changes based on user feedback (scores of 68 and 89.4, respectively). WebQual scores showed similar improvement from round 1 to round 2 of testing (mean 5.6 to 6.25; range 1-7). On the eHealth Impact Questionnaire, the information and presentation of the website was perceived as comprehensive, easy to understand, and trustworthy. Participants also reported improved confidence to discuss and manage fertility and family-building issues and felt encouraged to play a more active role in managing their fertility. In all, 3 usability themes were identified from the qualitative feedback: ease of use, visibility and navigation, and informational content and usefulness. Overall feedback was positive, and participants reported intentions to use the decision aid website in the future. In total, 10% (1/10) of the participants reported negative emotions when learning about infertility risks and potential family-building challenges.Website usability improved after design changes were made in response to user feedback. Young adult female survivors reported positive views about the website and indicated that the decision aid would be useful in decision-making about family building after cancer. Future studies will include further design modifications to consider the emotional experiences of users and any additional navigational features or content to optimize the ease of use and support provided by the tool.

  View details for DOI 10.2196/33304

  View details for PubMedID 35639461

• Patient-reported outcome measurement implementation in cancer survivors: a systematic review. Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice Singhal, S., Dickerson, J., Glover, M. J., Roy, M., Chiu, M., Ellis-Caleo, T., Hui, G., Tamayo, C., Loecher, N., Wong, H. N., Heathcote, L. C., Schapira, L. 2022

  Abstract

  Patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) are increasingly used for cancer patients receiving active treatment, but little is known about the implementation and usefulness of PROMs in cancer survivorship care. This systematic review evaluates how cancer survivors and healthcare providers (HCPs) perceive PROM implementation in survivorship care, and how PROM implementation impacts cancer survivors' health outcomes.We systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from database inception to February 2022 to identify randomized and nonrandomized studies of PROM implementation in cancer survivors.Based on prespecified eligibility criteria, we included 29 studies that reported on 26 unique PROMs. The studies were heterogeneous in study design, PROM instrument, patient demographics, and outcomes. Several studies found that cancer survivors and HCPs had favorable impressions of the utility of PROMs, and a few studies demonstrated that PROM implementation led to improvements in patient quality of life (QoL), with small to moderate effect sizes.We found implementation of PROMs in cancer survivorship care improved health outcomes for select patient populations. Future research is needed to assess the real-world utility of PROM integration into clinical workflows and the impact of PROMs on measurable health outcomes.Cancer survivors accepted PROMs. When successfully implemented, PROMs can improve health outcomes after completion of active treatment. We identify multiple avenues to strengthen PROM implementation to support cancer survivors.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11764-022-01216-w

  View details for PubMedID 35599269

• ASSESSING THE NEED FOR CULTURALLY TAILORED CARE AMONG SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER AND THEIR CAREGIVERS Trivedi, R. B., Pukhraj, A., Desai, S., Risbud, R. D., Lee, T., Schapira, L., Gallagher-Thompson, D., Lorenz, K. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2022: S113

  View details for Web of Science ID 000788118600244

• Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment to Study "Scanxiety" among Adolescent and Young Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Feasibility Study. Psycho-oncology Heathcote, L. C., Cunningham, S. J., Webster, S. N., Tanna, V., Mattke, E., Loecher, N., Spunt, S. L., Simon, P., Dahl, G., Walentynowicz, M., Murnane, E., Tutelman, P. R., Schapira, L., Simons, L. E., Mueller, C. 2022

  Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: Scan-related anxiety ("scanxiety") refers to the fear, stress, and anxiety in anticipation of tests and scans in follow-up cancer care. This study assessed the feasibility of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) for real-world, real-time capture of scanxiety using patients' personal smartphone.METHODS: Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer were prompted to complete EMA surveys on a smartphone app three times per day for 11 days (33 surveys total) around their routine surveillance scans. Participants provided structured feedback on the EMA protocol.RESULTS: Thirty out of 46 contacted survivors (65%) enrolled, exceeding the preregistered feasibility cutoff of 55%. The survey completion rate (83%) greatly exceeded the preregistered feasibility cutoff of 65%. Participants generally found the smartphone app easy and enjoyable to use and reported low levels of distress from answering surveys. Participants reported significantly more daily fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) and negative affect in the days before compared to the days after surveillance scans, aligning with the expected trajectory of scanxiety. Participants who reported greater FCR and scanxiety using comprehensive measures at baseline also reported significantly more daily FCR around their surveillance scans, indicating validity of EMA items. Bodily threat monitoring was prospectively and concurrently associated with daily FCR, thus warranting further investigation as a risk factor for scanxiety.CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of EMA as a research tool to capture the dynamics and potential risk factors for scanxiety. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.5935

  View details for PubMedID 35411626

• Emotional distress among survivors of Adolescent and Young Adult cancer or adult cancer. Annals of epidemiology Boakye, E. A., Polednik, K. M., Deshields, T. L., Sharma, A., Molina, Y., Schapira, L., Barnes, J. M., Osazuwa-Peters, N. 2022

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: We examined emotional distress in cancer survivors diagnosed as adolescents or young adults (AYAs) vs. cancer survivors diagnosed as middle/older adults and vs. the general population without a history of cancer.METHODS: Using the 2014-2017 National Health Interview Surveys, 2,500 AYA survivors (initial cancer diagnosed between aged 15-39 years) were matched with 2,500 middle/older adult survivors (initial cancer diagnosed at aged ≥40 years) as well as with 1,609 from the general population without a history of cancer. Multinomial logistic regression models estimated the risk of emotional distress (measured using the validated Kessler distress (K6) scale) in the study population (AYA vs. middle/older adult cancer survivors and vs. general population without cancer), adjusting for known covariates.RESULTS: Emotional distress was more prevalent among AYAs (average age 52.8 ± 19.1 years) than middle/older adult (average age 67.4 ± 14.0 years) cancer survivors (moderate: 25.5% vs. 19.4%; and severe: 6.4% vs. 4.4% [P<.0001]); however, there was no difference in emotional distress between AYA cancer survivors (moderate: 26.8% and severe: 7.5%) vs. general population without cancer (moderate: 23.7% and severe: 6.2%). In the multivariable multinomial analyses, AYA cancer survivors had higher risk of reporting emotional distress (aRR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.13, 1.86) than middle/older adult cancer survivors.CONCLUSION: Psychosocial support may be especially needed for cancer survivors diagnosed as adolescents or young adults to mitigate adverse psychosocial outcomes.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.03.014

  View details for PubMedID 35405345

• Online Medical Misinformation in Cancer: Distinguishing Fact From Fiction. JCO oncology practice Teplinsky, E., Ponce, S. B., Drake, E. K., Garcia, A. M., Loeb, S., van Londen, G. J., Teoh, D., Thompson, M., Schapira, L. 2022: OP2100764

  Abstract

  It is without question that the Internet has democratized access to medical information, with estimates that 70% of the American population use it as a resource, particularly for cancer-related information. Such unfettered access to information has led to an increase in health misinformation. Fortunately, the data indicate that health care professionals remain among the most trusted information resources. Therefore, understanding how the Internet has changed engagement with health information and facilitated the spread of misinformation is an important task and challenge for cancer clinicians. In this review, we perform a meta-synthesis of qualitative data and point toward empirical evidence that characterizes misinformation in medicine, specifically in oncology. We present this as a call to action for all clinicians to become more active in ongoing efforts to combat misinformation in oncology.

  View details for DOI 10.1200/OP.21.00764

  View details for PubMedID 35357887

• Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Outcomes Among Black and White Patients With Cancer. JAMA network open Fu, J., Reid, S. A., French, B., Hennessy, C., Hwang, C., Gatson, N. T., Duma, N., Mishra, S., Nguyen, R., Hawley, J. E., Singh, S. R., Chism, D. D., Venepalli, N. K., Warner, J. L., Choueiri, T. K., Schmidt, A. L., Fecher, L. A., Girard, J. E., Bilen, M. A., Ravindranathan, D., Goyal, S., Wise-Draper, T. M., Park, C., Painter, C. A., McGlown, S. M., de Lima Lopes, G. J., Serrano, O. K., Shah, D. P., COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19), Halmos, B., Verma, A. K., Gartrell, B. A., Goel, S., Ohri, N., Sica, R. A., Thakkar, A., Stockerl-Goldstein, K. E., Butt, O., Campian, J. L., Fiala, M. A., Monahan, R., Zhou, A. Y., Patel, J. M., Piper-Vallillo, A. J., Bindal, P., Thompson, M. A., Bohachek, P., Mundt, D., Streckfuss, M., Tadesse, E., Lammers, P. E., Panagiotou, O. A., Egan, P. C., Farmakiotis, D., Khan, H., Olszewski, A. J., Loaiza-Bonilla, A., Del Prete, S. A., Angevine, A. H., Bar, M. H., Gulati, A. P., Steve Lo, K. M., Stratton, J., Weinstein, P. L., Caimi, P. F., Barnholtz-Sloan, J. S., Garcia, J. A., Nakayama, J. M., Gupta, S., Pennell, N. A., Ahluwalia, M. S., Dawsey, S. J., Lemmon, C. A., Nizam, A., Hoppenot, C., Li, A., Bakouny, Z., Bouchard, G., Busser, F. J., Connors, J. M., Curran, C. R., Demetri, G. D., Giordano, A., Kelleher, K., Nohria, A., Shaw, G., Van Allen, E., Vitale, P., Xu, V., Zon, R. L., Zhang, T., Halabi, S., Leighton, J. C., Lyman, G. H., Graber, J. J., Grivas, P., Khaki, A. R., Loggers, E. T., Lynch, R. C., Nakasone, E. S., Schweizer, M. T., Tachiki, L., Vinayak, S., Wagner, M. J., Yeh, A., Huynh-Le, M., Rosenstein, L. J., Yu, P. P., Clement, J. M., Daher, A., Dailey, M., Elias, R., Jayaraj, A., Hsu, E., Menendez, A. G., Rathmann, J., Gadgeel, S. M., Hershman, D., Accordino, M. K., Bhutani, D., Schwartz, G. K., Reuben, D. Y., Mushtaq, S., Bernicker, E. H., Deeken, J., Shafer, D., Lewis, M. A., Rhodes, T. D., Gill, D. M., Low, C. A., Mashru, S. H., Mansoor, A., Zaren, H. A., Smith, S. J., Nagaraj, G., Akhtari, M., Lau, E., Reeves, M. E., Berg, S., Elms, D., Morgans, A. K., Wehbe, F. H., Altman, J., Gurley, M., Mulcahy, M. F., Durbin, E. B., Kulkarni, A. A., Nelson, H. H., Shah, S., Rosovsky, R. P., Reynolds, K., Bardia, A., Boland, G., Gainor, J., Zubiri, L., Halfdanarson, T. R., Bekaii-Saab, T., Desai, A., Xie, Z., Mesa, R. A., Bonnen, M., Mahadevan, D., Ramirez, A. G., Salazar, M., Shah, P. K., Faller, B., McKay, R. R., Ajmera, A., Cabal, A., Shaya, J. A., Weissmann, L. B., Jani, C., Knoble, J., Glace, M. G., Rink, C., Stauffer, K., Zacks, R., Joshi, M., Menon, H., Rovito, M. A., Griffiths, E. A., Elshoury, A., Jabbour, S. K., Shah, M. R., Bashir, B., McNair, C., Mahmood, S. Z., Mico, V., Miller, C., Rivera, A. V., Flora, D. B., Logan, B. B., Kloecker, G., Mandapakala, C., Shah, S. A., Cabebe, E. C., Glover, M. J., Jha, A., Schapira, L., Wu, J. T., Subbiah, S., Revankar, S. G., Stover, D. G., Addison, D., Chen, J. L., Gatti-Mays, M. E., Jhawar, S. R., Karivedu, V., Lustberg, M. B., Palmer, J. D., Pillainayagam, C., Wall, S., Williams, N., Wulff-Burchfield, E., Kasi, A., Edwin, N., Smits, M., Owenby, S., Doroshow, D. B., Galsky, M. D., Wotman, M., Zhu, H., Fazio, A., Riess, J., Patel, K. G., Rubinstein, S. M., Wood, W. A., Islam, J. Y., Kumar, V., Ahmad, S. A., Grover, P., Gulati, S., Kharofa, J., Marcum, M., Bowles, D. W., Geiger, C. L., Markham, M., Bishnoi, R., Russ, A. D., Shah, C., Acoba, J. D., Rho, Y. S., Feldman, L. E., Hoskins, K. F., Gantt, G. J., Khan, M., Pasquinelli, M., Schwartz, C., Vikas, P., Friese, C. R., Mavromatis, B. H., Bijjula, R. R., Zaman, Q. U., Cheng, A., Davis, E. J., Duda, S. N., Enriquez, K. T., Gillaspie, E. A., Hausrath, D., Hsu, C., Johnson, D. B., Li, X., Rini, B. I., Slosky, D. A., Shyr, Y., Solorzano, C. C., Sun, T., Tucker, M. D., Vega-Luna, K., Wang, L. L., Puc, M., Carducci, T. M., Goldsmith, K. J., Van Loon, S., Topaloglu, U., Alimohamed, S. I., Rice, R. L., Cabalona, W. D., Pilar, C., Peddi, P., Rosen, L. R., McCollough, B. B., Hafez, N., Herbst, R., LoRusso, P., Masters, T., Stratton, C., Koshkin, V. S., Kwon, D. H., Peters, S. 2022; 5 (3): e224304

  Abstract

  Importance: Non-Hispanic Black individuals experience a higher burden of COVID-19 than the general population; hence, there is an urgent need to characterize the unique clinical course and outcomes of COVID-19 in Black patients with cancer.Objective: To investigate racial disparities in severity of COVID-19 presentation, clinical complications, and outcomes between Black patients and non-Hispanic White patients with cancer and COVID-19.Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study used data from the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium registry from March 17, 2020, to November 18, 2020, to examine the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in Black patients with cancer. Data analysis was performed from December 2020 to February 2021.Exposures: Black and White race recorded in patient's electronic health record.Main Outcomes and Measures: An a priori 5-level ordinal scale including hospitalization intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, and all-cause death.Results: Among 3506 included patients (1768 women [50%]; median [IQR] age, 67 [58-77] years), 1068 (30%) were Black and 2438 (70%) were White. Black patients had higher rates of preexisting comorbidities compared with White patients, including obesity (480 Black patients [45%] vs 925 White patients [38%]), diabetes (411 Black patients [38%] vs 574 White patients [24%]), and kidney disease (248 Black patients [23%] vs 392 White patients [16%]). Despite the similar distribution of cancer type, cancer status, and anticancer therapy at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis, Black patients presented with worse illness and had significantly worse COVID-19 severity (unweighted odds ratio, 1.34 [95% CI, 1.15-1.58]; weighted odds ratio, 1.21 [95% CI, 1.11-1.33]).Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that Black patients with cancer experience worse COVID-19 outcomes compared with White patients. Understanding and addressing racial inequities within the causal framework of structural racism is essential to reduce the disproportionate burden of diseases, such as COVID-19 and cancer, in Black patients.

  View details for DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.4304

  View details for PubMedID 35344045

• Educational innovation to integrate cancer survivorship in primary care: course evaluation and learner outcomes. Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice Alberto, J., Smith, S. M., Kim, J., Schapira, L. 1800

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcomes of an online cancer survivorship course designed to influence practice change in primary care clinicians through asynchronous education that incorporates emotionally sensitive patient stories and practical resources to prepare clinicians to care for cancer survivors.METHODS: The Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care continuing medical education (CME) course launched in April 2020. Learners who earned CME credit for the course (n=288) completed a survey that assessed satisfaction, engagement, and intent to change practice. A follow-up survey was completed by a subset of learners (n=47) and evaluated impact on clinical practice. Metrics representing learners' interaction with the course were collected automatically. Quantitative survey data and learner metrics were analyzed descriptively, and qualitative survey data were coded to generate latent themes relevant to learning outcomes.RESULTS: The course reached a global audience of learners from the USA and 40 countries. Each patient case had slight drop-offs in viewership over video play time. Learners reported high satisfaction and relevance to practice. Three latent themes were generated from the qualitative data: improve patient communication, utilize course materials, enhance collaboration with multidisciplinary team.CONCLUSIONS: The course achieved its purpose of educating learners through an asynchronous format that showcased the value of using patient-centered stories to close a knowledge gap related to cancer survivorship care. Learners self-reported changes in practice; however, further assessment needs to be conducted to measure long-term impact to clinical practice.IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Educational approaches that prepare generalists and specialists to care for cancer survivors are essential to optimize health outcomes for cancer survivors. Ongoing efforts are needed to increase use of these resources throughout medical training and within the primary care community.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11764-021-01131-6

  View details for PubMedID 35107793

• Somatic and germline genomic alterations in very young women with breast cancer. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research Waks, A. G., Kim, D., Jain, E., Snow, C., Kirkner, G. J., Rosenberg, S. M., Oh, C., Poorvu, P. D., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Brachtel, E. F., Warner, E., Collins, L. C., Partridge, A. H., Wagle, N. 1800

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: Young age at breast cancer diagnosis correlates with unfavorable clinicopathologic features and worse outcomes compared to older women. Understanding biological differences between breast tumors in young versus older women may lead to better therapeutic approaches for younger patients.EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We identified 100 patients {less than or equal to}35 years old at non-metastatic breast cancer diagnosis who participated in the prospective Young Women's Breast Cancer Study cohort. Tumors were assigned a surrogate intrinsic subtype based on receptor status and grade. Whole exome sequencing of tumor and germline samples was performed. Genomic alterations were compared to older women ({greater than or equal to}45 years old) in The Cancer Genome Atlas, according to intrinsic subtype.RESULTS: 93 tumors from 92 patients were successfully sequenced. Median age was 32.5 years. 52.7% of tumors were hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative, 28.0% HER2-positive, and 16.1% triple-negative. Comparison of young to older women (median age 61 years) with luminal A tumors (N=28 young women) revealed three significant differences: PIK3CA alterations were more common in older patients, while GATA3 and ARID1A alterations were more common in young patients. No significant genomic differences were found comparing age groups in other intrinsic subtypes. 22 patients (23.9%) in the Young Women's Study cohort carried a pathogenic germline variant, most commonly (13 patients, 14.1%) in BRCA1/2. Conclusions: Somatic alterations in three genes (PIK3CA, GATA3, and ARID1A) occur at different frequencies in young versus older women with luminal A breast cancer. Additional investigation of these genes and associated pathways could delineate biological susceptibilities and improve treatment options for young breast cancer patients.

  View details for DOI 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-2572

  View details for PubMedID 35101884

• Psychosocial issues and quality of life of parenting partners of young women with breast cancer. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Borstelmann, N. A., Gray, T. F., Gelber, S., Rosenberg, S., Zheng, Y., Meyer, M., Ruddy, K. J., Schapira, L., Come, S., Borges, V., Cadet, T., Maramaldi, P., Partridge, A. H. 1800

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: Data are lacking about the association between quality of life (QOL) and psychosocial issues of partners of young women with breast cancer who co-parent dependent children.METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of partners of women with breast cancer diagnosed at age≤40. Among those partners reporting at least one dependent child under 18years old at the time of diagnosis, we used multiple linear regression to examine associations between partner QOL and sociodemographic and psychosocial factors, and the patient's cancer stage and time since diagnosis.RESULTS: Of the 219 parenting partners, all identified as male with a median age of 44years; 96% (204/213) reported working full-time at the time of the survey. Fifty-four percent endorsed behaviors indicating maladaptive coping. In adjusted analyses, less than full-time employment (beta=-8.76; 95% CI=-17.37,-0.14), younger age (beta=-0.35; 95% CI=-0.069,-0.02), greater parenting concerns (beta=0.56; 95% CI=0.36, 0.75), clinically relevant anxiety symptoms (beta=13.79; 95% CI=10.24, 17.35), lower post-traumatic growth score (beta=-0.33; 95% CI=-0.51,-0.16), lower social support (beta=-0.21; 95% CI=-0.29,-0.12), lower sexual satisfaction (beta=-0.40; 95% CI=-0.62,-0.19), and breast cancer stages 3 (beta=7.61; 95% CI=0.19, 15.02) and 4 (beta=12.63; 95% CI=1.91, 23.34), when compared to stage 0, were associated with lower partner QOL.CONCLUSION: Parenting partners of young women with breast cancer have substantial unmet psychosocial needs. Interventions are needed to enhance QOL and promote adaptive coping for this population.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00520-022-06852-7

  View details for PubMedID 35091846

• Assessment of Regional Variability in COVID-19 Outcomes Among Patients With Cancer in the United States. JAMA network open Hawley, J. E., Sun, T., Chism, D. D., Duma, N., Fu, J. C., Gatson, N. T., Mishra, S., Nguyen, R. H., Reid, S. A., Serrano, O. K., Singh, S. R., Venepalli, N. K., Bakouny, Z., Bashir, B., Bilen, M. A., Caimi, P. F., Choueiri, T. K., Dawsey, S. J., Fecher, L. A., Flora, D. B., Friese, C. R., Glover, M. J., Gonzalez, C. J., Goyal, S., Halfdanarson, T. R., Hershman, D. L., Khan, H., Labaki, C., Lewis, M. A., McKay, R. R., Messing, I., Pennell, N. A., Puc, M., Ravindranathan, D., Rhodes, T. D., Rivera, A. V., Roller, J., Schwartz, G. K., Shah, S. A., Shaya, J. A., Streckfuss, M., Thompson, M. A., Wulff-Burchfield, E. M., Xie, Z., Yu, P. P., Warner, J. L., Shah, D. P., French, B., Hwang, C., COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19), Halmos, B., Verma, A. K., Gartrell, B. A., Goel, S., Ohri, N., Sica, R. A., Thakkar, A., Stockerl-Goldstein, K. E., Butt, O., Campian, J. L., Fiala, M. A., Henderson, J. P., Monahan, R., Zhou, A. Y., Thompson, M. A., Bohachek, P., Mundt, D., Streckfuss, M., Tadesse, E., Lammers, P. E., Panagiotou, O. A., Egan, P. C., Farmakiotis, D., Khan, H., Olszewski, A. J., Loaiza-Bonilla, A., Del Prete, S. A., Bar, M. H., Gulati, A. P., Steve Lo, K. M., Rose, S. J., Stratton, J., Weinstein, P. L., Caimi, P. F., Barnholtz-Sloan, J. S., Garcia, J. A., Nakayama, J. M., Gupta, S., Pennell, N. A., Ahluwalia, M. S., Dawsey, S. J., Lemmon, C. A., Nizam, A., Hoppenot, C., Li, A., Choueiri, T. K., Bakouny, Z., Bouchard, G., Busser, F. J., Connors, J. M., Curran, C. R., Demetri, G. D., Giordano, A., Kelleher, K., Nohria, A., Schmidt, A., Shaw, G., Van Allen, E., Vitale, P., Xu, V., Zon, R. L., Zhang, T., Halabi, S., Leighton, J. C., Lyman, G. H., Graber, J. J., Grivas, P., Khaki, A. R., Loggers, E. T., Lynch, R. C., Nakasone, E. S., Schweizer, M. T., Tachiki, L., Vinayak, S., Wagner, M. J., Yeh, A., Gatson, N. T., Goyal, S., Huynh-Le, M., Rosenstein, L. J., Yu, P. P., Clement, J. M., Daher, A., Dailey, M., Elias, R., Jayaraj, A., Hsu, E., Menendez, A. G., Rathmann, J., Serrano, O., Hwang, C., Gadgeel, S. M., Singh, S. R., Hawley, J. E., Hershman, D., Accordino, M. K., Bhutani, D., Schwartz, G. K., Reuben, D. Y., Alexander, M., Mushtaq, S., Bernicker, E. H., Deeken, J., Shafer, D., Lewis, M. A., Rhodes, T. D., Gill, D. M., Low, C. A., Mashru, S. H., Mansoor, A., Zaren, H. A., Smith, S. J., Nagaraj, G., Akhtari, M., Lau, E., Reeves, M. E., Berg, S., Elms, D., Morgans, A. K., Wehbe, F. H., Altman, J., Gurley, M., Mulcahy, M. F., Durbin, E. B., Kulkarni, A. A., Nelson, H. H., Sachs, Z., Shah, S., Rosovsky, R. P., Reynolds, K., Bardia, A., Boland, G., Gainor, J., Zubiri, L., Halfdanarson, T. R., Bekaii-Saab, T., Desai, A., Xie, Z., Mesa, R. A., Bonnen, M., Mahadevan, D., Ramirez, A. G., Salazar, M., Shah, D. P., Shah, P. K., Faller, B., McKay, R. R., Ajmera, A., Brouha, S. S., Cabal, A., Hsiao, A., Kligerman, S., Shaya, J. A., Weissmann, L. B., Jani, C., Thomson, C. C., Knoble, J., Glace, M. G., Rink, C., Stauffer, K., Zacks, R., Blau, S., Joshi, M., Menon, H., Rovito, M. A., Griffiths, E. A., Elshoury, A., Jabbour, S. K., Misdary, C. F., Shah, M. R., Bashir, B., McNair, C., Mahmood, S. Z., Mico, V., Rivera, A. V., Flora, D. B., Logan, B. B., Kloecker, G., Mandapakala, C., Shah, S. A., Cabebe, E. C., Glover, M. J., Jha, A., Schapira, L., Wu, J. T., Subbiah, S., Lopes, G. d., Revankar, S. G., Stover, D. G., Addison, D., Chen, J. L., Gatti-Mays, M. E., Jhawar, S. R., Karivedu, V., Lustberg, M. B., Palmer, J. D., Wall, S., Williams, N., Wulff-Burchfield, E., Kasi, A., Edwin, N., Smits, M., Chism, D. D., Owenby, S., Doroshow, D. B., Galsky, M. D., Wotman, M., Zhu, H., Fu, J. C., Fazio, A., Sueyoshi, M. H., Huber, K. E., Riess, J., Patel, K. G., Rubinstein, S. M., Wood, W. A., Jensen, C., Kumar, V., Wise-Draper, T. M., Ahmad, S. A., Grover, P., Gulati, S., Kharofa, J., Latif, T., Marcum, M., Park, C., Shaikh, H. G., Bowles, D. W., Geiger, C. L., Markham, M., Bishnoi, R., Russ, A. D., Shah, C., Acoba, J. D., Rho, Y. S., Feldman, L. E., Hoskins, K. F., Gantt, G. J., Liu, L. C., Khan, M., Nguyen, R. H., Pasquinelli, M., Schwartz, C., Venepalli, N. K., Vikas, P., Friese, C. R., Fecher, L. A., Mavromatis, B. H., Bijjula, R. R., Zaman, Q. U., Warner, J. L., Cheng, A., Davis, E. J., Duda, S. N., Enriquez, K. T., French, B., Gillaspie, E. A., Hennessy, C., Hausrath, D., Hsu, C., Johnson, D. B., Li, X., Mishra, S., Reid, S. A., Rini, B. I., Slosky, D. A., Shyr, Y., Solorzano, C. C., Sun, T., Tucker, M. D., Vega-Luna, K., Wang, L. L., Kennecke, H. F., Aboulafia, D. M., Schroeder, B. A., Puc, M., Carducci, T. M., Goldsmith, K. J., Van Loon, S., Topaloglu, U., Alimohamed, S. I., Rice, R. L., Cabalona, W. D., Pilar, C., Peddi, P., Rosen, L. R., McCollough, B. B., Bilen, M. A., Ravindranathan, D., Hafez, N., Herbst, R., LoRusso, P., Masters, T., Stratton, C. 1800; 5 (1): e2142046

  Abstract

  Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a distinct spatiotemporal pattern in the United States. Patients with cancer are at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19, but it is not well known whether COVID-19 outcomes in this patient population were associated with geography.Objective: To quantify spatiotemporal variation in COVID-19 outcomes among patients with cancer.Design, Setting, and Participants: This registry-based retrospective cohort study included patients with a historical diagnosis of invasive malignant neoplasm and laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between March and November 2020. Data were collected from cancer care delivery centers in the United States.Exposures: Patient residence was categorized into 9 US census divisions. Cancer center characteristics included academic or community classification, rural-urban continuum code (RUCC), and social vulnerability index.Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality. The secondary composite outcome consisted of receipt of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit admission, and all-cause death. Multilevel mixed-effects models estimated associations of center-level and census division-level exposures with outcomes after adjustment for patient-level risk factors and quantified variation in adjusted outcomes across centers, census divisions, and calendar time.Results: Data for 4749 patients (median [IQR] age, 66 [56-76] years; 2439 [51.4%] female individuals, 1079 [22.7%] non-Hispanic Black individuals, and 690 [14.5%] Hispanic individuals) were reported from 83 centers in the Northeast (1564 patients [32.9%]), Midwest (1638 [34.5%]), South (894 [18.8%]), and West (653 [13.8%]). After adjustment for patient characteristics, including month of COVID-19 diagnosis, estimated 30-day mortality rates ranged from 5.2% to 26.6% across centers. Patients from centers located in metropolitan areas with population less than 250 000 (RUCC 3) had lower odds of 30-day mortality compared with patients from centers in metropolitan areas with population at least 1 million (RUCC 1) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.31; 95% CI, 0.11-0.84). The type of center was not significantly associated with primary or secondary outcomes. There were no statistically significant differences in outcome rates across the 9 census divisions, but adjusted mortality rates significantly improved over time (eg, September to November vs March to May: aOR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.17-0.58).Conclusions and Relevance: In this registry-based cohort study, significant differences in COVID-19 outcomes across US census divisions were not observed. However, substantial heterogeneity in COVID-19 outcomes across cancer care delivery centers was found. Attention to implementing standardized guidelines for the care of patients with cancer and COVID-19 could improve outcomes for these vulnerable patients.

  View details for DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.42046

  View details for PubMedID 34982158

• NCCN Guidelines Insights: Survivorship, Version 1.2022. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN Sanft, T., Day, A., Peterson, L., Rodriguez, M. A., Ansbaugh, S., Armenian, S., Baker, K. S., Ballinger, T., Broderick, G., Demark-Wahnefried, W., Dickinson, K., Fairman, N. P., Friedman, D. L., Goldman, M., Henry, N. L., Hill-Kayser, C., Hudson, M., Khakpour, N., Koura, D., McDonough, A. L., Melisko, M., Mooney, K., Moore, H. C., Moryl, N., Neuman, H., O'Connor, T., Overholser, L., Paskett, E. D., Patel, C., Pirl, W., Porpiglia, A., Ruddy, K. J., Schapira, L., Shockney, L., Smith, S., Syrjala, K. L., Tevaarwerk, A., Yang, E. H., Zee, P., McMillian, N. R., Freedman-Cass, D. A. 2022; 20 (10): 1080-1090

  Abstract

  The NCCN Guidelines for Survivorship are intended to help healthcare professionals who work with survivors to ensure that the survivors' complex and varied needs are addressed. The NCCN Guidelines provide screening, evaluation, and treatment recommendations for the consequences of adult-onset cancer and its treatment; recommendations to help promote physical activity, weight management, and immunizations in survivors; and a framework for care coordination. This article summarizes updates to the NCCN Guidelines pertaining to preventive health for cancer survivors, including recommendations about alcohol consumption and vaccinations.

  View details for DOI 10.6004/jnccn.2022.0052

  View details for PubMedID 36240847

• Symptoms and survivorship needs differences between “good sleepers” and “bad sleepers” in survivors of breast and gynecologic cancers Sleep Medicine Palesh, O., Tolby, L. T., Hofmeister, E., Fisher, S., Solomon, N. L., Sackeyfio, S., Berek, J. S., Kurian, A. W., Cassidy-Eagle, E., Schapira, L. 2022

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.sleep.2022.07.002

• Physician risk perceptions and surveillance practices for tyrosine kinase inhibitor long-term effects in pediatric CML. Pediatric hematology and oncology Smith, S. M., Zhang, S., Sundaram, V., Roth, M., Andolina, J. R., Schapira, L., Sakamoto, K. M., Kolb, E. A., Hijiya, N., Chaudhury, S. 1800: 1-15

  Abstract

  Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is effectively treated with long-term tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, yet little is known about risks of prolonged TKI exposure in young patients, and long-term effect monitoring is not standardized. We surveyed North American pediatric oncologists (n=119) to evaluate perceived risk of and surveillance practices for potential toxicities associated with prolonged TKI exposure in children and adolescents/young adults (AYAs) with CML. Survey domains included general and specific risk perceptions and surveillance practices for asymptomatic patients on chronic TKI therapy. We analyzed data descriptively and explored relationships between risk perceptions and surveillance. Risk perceptions varied among oncologists but were similar across six categories (thyroid, cardiac, vascular, metabolic, fertility, psychologic), with less than one-third rating each risk as moderate or high in pediatric and AYA patients. More oncologists perceived moderate or high risk of growth abnormalities in children (62% pediatric, 14% AYA) and financial toxicity in all patients (60% pediatric, 64% AYA). A greater proportion of oncologists with moderate or high perceived risk of thyroid abnormalities reported testing thyroid function compared to those with lower perceived risk; patterns for metabolic risk/lipid tests and cardiac risk/tests were similar. In summary, we found that pediatric oncologists had variable risk perceptions and surveillance practices for potential toxicities associated with prolonged TKI exposure. Standardizing surveillance would help quantify risks and refine recommendations.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08880018.2021.2017085 .

  View details for DOI 10.1080/08880018.2021.2017085

  View details for PubMedID 34918996

• Clinicopathological features and BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation status in a prospective cohort of young women with breast cancer. British journal of cancer Guzman-Arocho, Y. D., Rosenberg, S. M., Garber, J. E., Vardeh, H., Poorvu, P. D., Ruddy, K. J., Kirkner, G., Snow, C., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Brachtel, E. F., Marotti, J. D., Warner, E., Partridge, A. H., Collins, L. C. 2021

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Breast cancer in young women is more likely to have higher risk features and be associated with germline BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations. We present the clinicopathologic features of breast cancers in a prospective cohort of young women, and associations between surrogate molecular subtype and BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation status.METHODS: Histopathological features, biomarker status, tumour stage and BRCA status were collected. Invasive tumours were categorised as luminal A-like (ER+and/or PR+, HER2-, grade 1/2), luminal B-like (ER+and/or PR+, HER2+, or ER+and/or PR+, HER2-, and grade 3), HER2-enriched (ER/PR-, HER2+) or triple-negative.RESULTS: In all, 57.3% (654/1143) of invasive tumours were high grade. In total, 32.9% were luminal A-like, 42.4% luminal B-like, 8.3% HER2-enriched, and 16.4% triple-negative. Among different age groups, there were no differences in molecular phenotype, stage, grade or histopathology. 11% (131) of tumours were from BRCA mutation carriers; 64.1% BRCA1 (63.1% triple-negative), and 35.9% BRCA2 (55.3% luminal B-like).DISCUSSION: The opportunity to provide comparisons across young age groups, BRCA mutation status, surrogate molecular phenotype, and the identification of more aggressive hormone receptor-positive phenotypes in this population provides direction for future work to further understand and improve disparate outcomes for young women with luminal B-like cancers, particularly BRCA2-associated cancers, with potential implications for tailored prevention and treatment.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41416-021-01597-2

  View details for PubMedID 34703009

• Trajectories of fear of cancer recurrence in young breast cancer survivors. Cancer Schapira, L., Zheng, Y., Gelber, S. I., Poorvu, P., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J., Come, S. E., Borges, V. F., Partridge, A. H., Rosenberg, S. M. 2021

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is more intense in younger women. Because FCR is a powerful determinant of quality of life, identifying those at risk for persistently elevated FCR can inform timing of interventions.METHODS: A total of 965 women with stage 0 to stage III breast cancer enrolled in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, a prospective cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer at age ≤40 years, completed the 3-item Lasry Fear of Recurrence Index. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to classify distinct FCR patterns from baseline through 5 years post-diagnosis. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify patient, disease, and treatment characteristics associated with each trajectory.RESULTS: Five FCR trajectories were identified with the majority of participants having moderate (33.1%) or high FCR (27.6%) that improved over time. A total of 6.9% participants had moderate FCR that worsened, whereas 21.7% had high FCR at baseline that remained high throughout. In the fully adjusted multinomial model, stages II and III (vs stage I) were associated with higher odds of being in the high/stable trajectory, whereas stage 0 (vs stage I), being financially comfortable (vs. not comfortable), and White (vs non-White) were associated with higher odds of being in a trajectory that improved over time.CONCLUSIONS: Although FCR improves over time for many young women with breast cancer, approximately one-third had FCR that was severe and did not improve or worsened over 5 years after diagnosis. Ongoing monitoring is warranted, with early referral to mental health professionals indicated for those at highest risk for unresolved FCR.LAY SUMMARY: Fear of recurrence is common among young women with breast cancer. The authors followed a large cohort of young women diagnosed with breast cancer when they were 40 years of age and younger, and found 5 distinct trajectories that show moderate and severe fears do not always improve over time and may require targeted mental health intervention.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/cncr.33921

  View details for PubMedID 34614212

• Association of Local Therapy With Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Young Women With Breast Cancer. JAMA surgery Dominici, L., Hu, J., Zheng, Y., Kim, H. J., King, T. A., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Wong, J. S., Partridge, A. H., Rosenberg, S. M. 2021: e213758

  Abstract

  Importance: Increasing rates of bilateral mastectomy have been most pronounced in young women with breast cancer, but the association of surgery with long-term quality of life (QOL) remains largely unknown.Objective: To examine the association of surgery with longer-term satisfaction and QOL in young breast cancer survivors.Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter cross-sectional study of a prospective cohort was conducted from October 2016 to November 2017, at academic and community hospitals in North America. Women 40 years or older enrolled in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study were assessed. Data analysis was performed from during a 1- to 2-year period after conclusion of the study.Exposures: Primary breast surgery, reconstruction, and radiotherapy.Main Outcomes and Measures: Mean BREAST-Q breast satisfaction and physical, psychosocial, and sexual well-being scores were compared by type of surgery; higher BREAST-Q scores (range, 0-100) indicate better QOL. Linear regression was used to identify demographic and clinical factors associated with BREAST-Q scores for each domain.Results: A total of 560 women with stage 0 to III breast cancer (median age at diagnosis, 36 years; range, 17-40 years; 484 [86%] with stage 0-II disease) completed the BREAST-Q a median of 5.8 years (range, 1.9-10.4 years) from diagnosis. A total of 290 patients (52%) of patients underwent bilateral mastectomy, 110 patients (20%) underwent unilateral mastectomy, and 160 patients (28%) received breast-conserving therapy. Among mastectomy patients, 357 (89%) had reconstruction and 181 (45%) received radiotherapy. In multivariate analyses, implant-based reconstruction (vs autologous) was associated with decreased breast satisfaction (beta=-7.4; 95% CI, -12.8 to -2.1; P=.007) and complex reconstruction (vs autologous) with worse physical well-being (beta=-14.0; 95% CI, -22.2 to -5.7; P<.001).Conclusions and Relevance: These results suggest that local therapy in young breast cancer survivors is persistently associated with poorer scores in multiple QOL domains, particularly among those treated with mastectomy and radiotherapy, irrespective of breast reconstruction. Socioeconomic stressors also appear to play a role.

  View details for DOI 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.3758

  View details for PubMedID 34468718

• Evaluation of the Novel 4R Oncology Care Planning Model in Breast Cancer: Impact on Patient Self-Management and Care Delivery in Safety-Net and Non-Safety-Net Centers. JCO oncology practice Trosman, J. R., Weldon, C. B., Rapkin, B. D., Benson, A. B., Makower, D. F., Liang, S., Kulkarni, S. A., Perez, C. B., Lo, S. S., Krueger, E. A., Throckmorton, A. D., Gallagher, C., Hoskins, K., Schaeffer, C. M., Van Horn, J., Schapira, L., Ravelo, A., Yu, E., Gradishar, W. J. 2021; 17 (8): e1202-e1214

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: Optimal cancer care requires patient self-management and coordinated timing and sequence of interdependent care. These are challenging, especially in safety-net settings treating underserved populations. We evaluated the 4R Oncology model (4R) of patient-facing care planning for impact on self-management and delivery of interdependent care at safety-net and non-safety-net institutions.METHODS: Ten institutions (five safety-net and five non-safety-net) evaluated the 4R intervention from 2017 to 2020 with patients with stage 0-III breast cancer. Data on self-management and care delivery were collected via surveys and compared between the intervention cohort and the historical cohort (diagnosed before 4R launch). 4R usefulness was assessed within the intervention cohort.RESULTS: Survey response rate was 63% (422/670) in intervention and 47% (466/992) in historical cohort. 4R usefulness was reported by 79.9% of patients receiving 4R and was higher for patients in safety-net than in non-safety-net centers (87.6%, 74.2%, P = .001). The intervention cohort measured significantly higher than historical cohort in five of seven self-management metrics, including clarity of care timing and sequence (71.3%, 55%, P < .001) and ability to manage care (78.9%, 72.1%, P = .02). Referrals to interdependent care were significantly higher in the intervention than in the historical cohort along all six metrics, including primary care consult (33.9%, 27.7%, P = .045) and flu vaccination (38.6%, 27.9%, P = .001). Referral completions were significantly higher in four of six metrics. For safety-net patients, improvements in most self-management and care delivery metrics were similar or higher than for non-safety-net patients, even after controlling for all other variables.CONCLUSION: 4R Oncology was useful to patients and significantly improved self-management and delivery of interdependent care, but gaps remain. Model enhancements and further evaluations are needed for broad adoption. Patients in safety-net settings benefited from 4R at similar or higher rates than non-safety-net patients, indicating that 4R may reduce care disparities.

  View details for DOI 10.1200/OP.21.00161

  View details for PubMedID 34375560

• Treatment-related amenorrhea in a modern, prospective cohort study of young women with breast cancer. NPJ breast cancer Poorvu, P. D., Hu, J., Zheng, Y., Gelber, S. I., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Lambertini, M., Rosenberg, S. M., Partridge, A. H. 2021; 7 (1): 99

  Abstract

  Young women with breast cancer experience unique treatment and survivorship issues centering on treatment-related amenorrhea (TRA), including fertility preservation and management of ovarian function as endocrine therapy. The Young Women's Breast Cancer Study (YWS) is a multi-center, prospective cohort study of women diagnosed at age ≤40, enrolled from 2006 to 2016. Menstrual outcomes were self-reported on serial surveys. We evaluated factors associated with TRA using logistic regression. One year post-diagnosis, 286/789 (36.2%) experienced TRA, yet most resumed menses (2-year TRA: 120/699; 17.2%). Features associated with 1-year TRA included older age (OR≤30vs36-40=0.29 (0.17-0.48), OR31-35vs36-40=0.67 (0.46-0.94), p=0.02); normal body mass index (BMI) (OR≥25vs18.5-24. =0.59 (0.41-0.83), p<0.01); chemotherapy (ORchemo vs no chemo=5.55 (3.60-8.82), p<0.01); and tamoxifen (OR=1.55 (1.11-2.16), p=0.01). TRA rates were similar across most standard regimens (docetaxel/carboplatin/trastuzumab+/-pertuzumab: 55.6%; docetaxel/cyclophosphamide+/-trastuzumab/pertuzumab: 41.8%; doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide/paclitaxel+/-trastuzumab/pertuzumab: 44.1%; but numerically lower with AC alone (25%) or paclitaxel/trastuzumab (11.1%). Among young women with breast cancer, lower BMI appears to be an independent predictor of TRA. This finding has important implications for interpretation of prior studies, future research, and patient care in our increasingly obese population. Additionally, these data describe TRA associated with use of docetaxel/cyclophosphamide, which is increasingly being used in lieu of anthracycline-containing regimens. Collectively, these data can be used to inform use of fertility preservation strategies for women who need to undergo treatment as well as the potential need for ovarian suppression following modern chemotherapy for young women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer.Clinical trial registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01468246.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41523-021-00307-8

  View details for PubMedID 34315890

• Early Medicaid Expansion and Cancer Mortality. Journal of the National Cancer Institute Barnes, J. M., Johnson, K. J., Boakye, E. A., Schapira, L., Akinyemiju, T., Park, E. M., Graboyes, E. M., Osazuwa-Peters, N. 2021

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: While Medicaid expansion is associated with decreased uninsured rates and earlier cancer diagnoses, no study has demonstrated an association between Medicaid expansion and cancer mortality. Our primary objective was to quantify the relationship between early Medicaid expansion and changes in cancer mortality rates.METHODS: We obtained county-level data from the National Center for Health Statistics for adults ages 20-64 who died from cancer from 2007-2009 (pre-expansion) and 2012-2016 (post-expansion). We compared changes in cancer mortality rates in early Medicaid expansion states (CA, CT, DC, MN, NJ, and WA) vs. non-expansion states through a difference-in-differences (DID) analysis using hierarchical Bayesian regression. An exploratory analysis of cancer mortality changes associated with the larger-scale 2014 Medicaid expansions was also performed.RESULTS: In adjusted DID analyses, we observed a statistically significant decrease of 3.07 (95% credible interval = 2.19 to 3.95) cancer deaths per 100,000 in early expansion vs. non-expansion states, which translates to an estimated decrease of 5,276 cancer deaths in the early expansion states during the study period. Expansion-associated decreases in cancer mortality were observed for pancreatic cancer. Exploratory analyses of the 2014 Medicaid expansions showed a decrease in pancreatic cancer mortality (-0.18 deaths per 100,000, 95% confidence interval = -0.32 to -0.05) in states that expanded Medicaid by 2014 compared to non-expansion states.CONCLUSION(S): Early Medicaid expansion was associated with reduced cancer mortality rates, especially for pancreatic cancer, a cancer with short median survival where changes in prognosis would be most visible with limited follow-up.

  View details for DOI 10.1093/jnci/djab135

  View details for PubMedID 34259321

• FINDINGS FROM A NOVEL CANCER SURVIVORSHIP CLINIC EMBEDDED IN PRIMARY CARE: HIGH SATISFACTION AND IMPROVED PATIENT SELF-EFFICACY Chiu, M., Mai, A., Schapira, L., Kim, J. SPRINGER. 2021: S388-S389

  View details for Web of Science ID 000679443300965

• Survivorship, Version 1.2021 Featured Updates to the NCCN Guidelines JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE CANCER NETWORK Tevaarwerk, A., Denlinger, C. S., Sanft, T., Ansbaugh, S. M., Armenian, S., Baker, K., Broderick, G., Day, A., Demark-Wahnefried, W., Dickinson, K., Friedman, D. L., Ganz, P., Goldman, M., Henry, N., Hill-Kayser, C., Hudson, M., Khakpour, N., Koura, D., McDonough, A. L., Melisko, M., Mooney, K., Moore, H. F., Moryl, N., Moslehi, J. J., O'Connor, T., Overholser, L., Paskett, E. D., Patel, C., Peterson, L., Pirl, W., Rodriguez, M., Ruddy, K. J., Schapira, L., Shockney, L., Smith, S., Syrjala, K. L., Zee, P., McMillian, N. R., Freedman-Cass, D. A. 2021; 19 (6): 676-685

  Abstract

  The NCCN Guidelines for Survivorship are intended to help healthcare professionals working with cancer survivors to ensure that each survivor's complex and varied needs are addressed. The Guidelines provide screening, evaluation, and treatment recommendations for consequences of adult-onset cancer and its treatment; recommendations to help promote healthful lifestyle behaviors, weight management, and immunizations in survivors; and a framework for care coordination. This article summarizes the recommendations regarding employment and return to work for cancer survivors that were added in the 2021 version of the NCCN Guidelines.

  View details for DOI 10.6004/jnccn.2021.0028

  View details for Web of Science ID 000672859700006

  View details for PubMedID 34214969

• Patterns in cancer management changes for patients with COVID-19 in northern California. Glover, M., Wu, J., Kwon, D. H., Zhang, S., Henry, S., Wood, D., Rubin, D., Borno, H., Small, E., Schapira, L., Koshkin, V. S., Shah, S. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2021

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.1535

  View details for Web of Science ID 000708120600235

• Testing for clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential in breast cancer survivors. Sella, T., Fell, G., Miller, P., Gibson, C., Rosenberg, S. M., Snow, C., Stover, D. G., Ruddy, K., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Neuberg, D. S., Ebert, B., Partridge, A. H. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2021

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.e24108

  View details for Web of Science ID 000708120306128

• Cancer Care during Covid-19: A multi-institutional qualitative study on physician and patient perspectives on telemedicine. Wong, B. O., Aslakson, R., Holdsworth, L. M., Siden, R., Tabor, H., Verano, M., Schapira, L. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2021

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.e13611

  View details for Web of Science ID 000708120300274

• Implementation of a clinic to facilitate the transition from pediatric to adult cancer survivorship care. Smith, S. M., Jin, A., Simon, P., Clayton, A., Benedict, C., Liedtke, M., Muffly, L. S., Schapira, L. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2021

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.e13519

  View details for Web of Science ID 000708120300199

• People with cancer are likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccine, but politics tracks with attitudes: An inspire and COSMO survey. Dizon, D. S., Hoffman, K. D., Gentile, D., Tsai, R., Novack, J., Attai, D. J., Markham, M., Hylton, H., Schapira, L., Graham, D. L., Thompson, M. A., Collaboration Outcomes Using Socia LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2021

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.1531

  View details for Web of Science ID 000708120600231

• Association of cancer treatment with excess heart age among young breast cancer survivors. Vo, J. B., Rosenberg, S. M., Poorvu, P., Ruddy, K., Tamimi, R., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Nohria, A., Partridge, A. H. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2021

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.12081

  View details for Web of Science ID 000708120606190

• Psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on young adult cancer survivors and parents of children with cancer. Smith, S. M., Kumar, D., Benedict, C., Heathcote, L. C., Aftandilian, C., Bondy, M., Schapira, L. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2021

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2021.39.15_suppl.10050

  View details for Web of Science ID 000708120605237

• Pain and Intolerance of Uncertainty among Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors Tanna, V., Cunningham, S. J., Simon, P., Spunt, S. L., Schapira, L., Simons, L. E., Heathcote, L. C. CHURCHILL LIVINGSTONE. 2021: 611

  View details for Web of Science ID 000661623200140

• Patterns of surveillance for late effects of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors in survivors of pediatric Philadelphia chromosome positive leukemias. BMC cancer Smith, S. M., Sabnis, H. S., Lewis, R. W., Effinger, K. E., Bergsagel, J., Patterson, B., Mertens, A., Sakamoto, K. M., Schapira, L., Castellino, S. M. 2021; 21 (1): 474

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Targeted anticancer therapies such as BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have improved outcomes for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ALL). However, little is known about long-term risks of TKIs in children. Exposure-based survivorship guidelines do not include TKIs, thus surveillance practices may be variable.METHODS: We retrospectively examined surveillance for cardiac and endocrine late effects in children receiving TKIs for Ph+leukemias, diagnosed at <21years between 2000 and 2018. Frequency of echocardiogram (ECHO), electrocardiogram (EKG), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and bone age testing were abstracted. Descriptive statistics were stratified by leukemia type.RESULTS: 66 patients (CML n=44; Ph+ALL n=22) met inclusion criteria. Among patients with CML, ≥1 evaluation was done: ECHO (50.0%), EKG (48.8%), TSH (43.9%), DXA (2.6%), bone age (7.4%). Among patients with Ph+ALL, ≥1 evaluation was done: ECHO (86.4%), EKG (68.2%), TSH (59.1%), DXA (63.6%), bone age (44.4%). Over a median 6.3 and 5.7years of observation, respectively, 2% of patients with CML and 57% with Ph+ALL attended a survivorship clinic.CONCLUSIONS: Despite common exposure to TKIs in survivors of Ph+leukemias, patterns of surveillance for late effects differed in CML and Ph+ALL, with the latter receiving more surveillance likely due to concomitant chemotherapy exposures. Targeted therapies such as TKIs are revolutionizing cancer treatment, but surveillance for late effects and referral to survivorship clinics are variable despite the chronicity of exposure. Evidence based guidelines and longer follow-up are needed.

  View details for DOI 10.1186/s12885-021-08182-z

  View details for PubMedID 33926411

• Impact of fertility concerns on endocrine therapy decisions in young breast cancer survivors. Cancer Sella, T., Poorvu, P. D., Ruddy, K. J., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Partridge, A. H., Rosenberg, S. M. 2021

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer can have profound effects on a young woman's family planning and fertility, particularly among women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.METHODS: The Young Women's Breast Cancer Study was a multicenter cohort of women aged 40 years or younger and newly diagnosed with breast cancer from 2006 to 2016. Surveys included assessments of fertility concerns, endocrine therapy (ET) preferences, and use. Characteristics were compared between women who reported that fertility concerns affected ET decisions and those who did not. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with having an ET decision affected by fertility concerns.RESULTS: Of 643 eligible women with hormone receptor-positive, stage I to III breast cancer, one-third (213 of 643) indicated that fertility concerns affected ET decisions. In a multivariable analysis, only parity at diagnosis was significantly associated with fertility concerns affecting ET decisions (odds ratio for nulliparous vs ≥2 children, 6.96; 95% confidence interval, 4.09-11.83; odds ratio for 1 vs ≥2 children, 5.30; 95% confidence interval, 3.03-9.87). Noninitiation/nonpersistence was higher among women with fertility concerns versus those without fertility concerns (40% vs 20%; P < .0001). Among women with fertility-related ET concerns, 7% (15 of 213) did not initiate ET, and 33% (70 of 213) were nonpersistent over 5 years of follow-up. Of these women, 66% (56 of 85) reported 1 or more pregnancies or pregnancy attempts; 27% (15 of 56) had resumed ET at the last available follow-up through 5 years.CONCLUSIONS: Concern about fertility is a contributor to adjuvant ET decisions among a substantial proportion of young breast cancer survivors. Ensuring family planning is addressed in the setting of ET recommendations should be a priority throughout the cancer care continuum.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/cncr.33596

  View details for PubMedID 33886123

• Reply to R. Kebudi et al. JCO oncology practice Tsu-Yu Wu, J., Kwon, D. H., Glover, M., Henry, S., Wood, D., Rubin, D., Koshkin, V., Schapira, L., Shah, S. A. 2021: OP2100105

  View details for DOI 10.1200/OP.21.00105

  View details for PubMedID 33881937

• Arm Morbidity After Local Therapy for Young Breast Cancer Patients. Annals of surgical oncology Kuijer, A., Dominici, L. S., Rosenberg, S. M., Hu, J., Gelber, S., Di Lascio, S., Wong, J. S., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Sprunck-Harrild, K., Partridge, A. H., King, T. A. 2021

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: The impact of patient demographics and local therapy choice on arm morbidity in young breast cancer patients is understudied despite its importance given the long survivorship period. This study assessed patient-reported arm morbidity in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study (YWS), a prospective cohort study.METHODS: From 2006 to 2016, 1302 women with breast cancer diagnosed at the age of 40 years or younger enrolled in the YWS. The participants regularly complete surveys. The response rates are higher than 86%. Using the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial Checklist, this study examined the prevalence of patient-reported postoperative arm swelling and decreased range of motion (ROM) 1 year after diagnosis, stratified by local therapy strategy, in patients who had surgery for stages 1 to 3 disease. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for arm morbidity.RESULTS: Among 888 eligible participants (median age, 37 years), 14% reported arm swelling and 34% reported decreased ROM at 1 year. Arm swelling was reported by 23.6% of the patients who had axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) and 24.6% of the patients who received ALND and post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT). In the multivariable analysis, the patients who reported being financially uncomfortable or who had ALND were at higher risk of arm swelling at 1 year. Being overweight, receiving ALND after sentinel lymph node biopsy, and receiving PMRT were associated with decreased ROM at 1 year.CONCLUSION: High rates of self-reported arm morbidity in young breast cancer survivors were reported, particularly in patients receiving ALND and PMRT. Attention to the risks and benefits of differing local therapy strategies for ALND and PMRT patients is warranted.

  View details for DOI 10.1245/s10434-021-09947-3

  View details for PubMedID 33881656

• EXAMINING ASSOCIATIONS AMONG SEXUAL HEALTH, UNMET CARE NEEDS RELATED TO SEXUALITY, AND DISTRESS IN BREAST AND GYNECOLOGIC CANCER SURVIVORS Benedict, C., Fisher, S., Kuma, D., Pollom, E., Schapira, L., Kurian, A., Berek, J. S., Palesh, O. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2021: S605

  View details for Web of Science ID 000648922701433

• ILLNESS MINDSETS, DEMOGRAPHIC AND MEDICAL FACTORS, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN BREAST & GYNECOLOGIC CANCER SURVIVORS Zeidman, A., Benedict, C., Tolby, L., Zion, S., Fisher, S., Kurian, A. W., Berek, J. S., Woldeamanuel, Y., Schapira, L., Palesh, O. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2021: S266

  View details for Web of Science ID 000648922700539

• Incident comorbidities in a diverse cohort of women treated for early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer Gupta, T., Purington, N., Liu, M., Han, S., Sledge, G., Schapira, L., Kurian, A. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2021

  View details for Web of Science ID 000618737701241

• Endocrine therapy non-persistence and recurrence in young women with early stage breast cancer Rosenberg, S. M., Zheng, Y., Poorvu, P., Ruddy, K., Gaither, R., Tamimi, R., Schapira, L., Peppercorn, J., Come, S., Borges, V., Partridge, A. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2021

  View details for Web of Science ID 000618737700187

• The psychosocial impact of caregiving on partners of young women with breast cancer in treatment Gray, T. F., Borstelmann, N., Rosenberg, S., Gelber, S., Meyer, M. E., Ruddy, K. J., Schapira, L., Come, S., Borges, V., Cadet, T., Maramaldi, P., Partridge, A. H. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2021

  View details for Web of Science ID 000618737701225

• Health After Cancer: An Innovative Continuing Medical Education Course Integrating Cancer Survivorship Into Primary Care. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges Smith, S. M., Williams, P., Kim, J., Alberto, J., Schapira, L. 2021

  Abstract

  PROBLEM: The transition from oncology care back to primary care after cancer therapy is challenging for cancer survivors who seek services that address the effect of their cancer history on their present health. Lack of knowledge about the health needs of cancer survivors is a barrier to incorporating survivorship care into primary care practice. Formal training in cancer survivorship is rarely included in medical education and presents an opportunity for intervention.APPROACH: The authors developed (January 2019 - March 2020) an online continuing medical education (CME) course for primary care physicians (PCPs) that launched in April 2020. Course design and content were informed by critically reviewing cancer survivorship CME courses and understanding cancer survivors' clinical experiences in a primary care setting. The course aims to pique learners' interest through a concise, practical educational experience using peer-to-peer primary care-focused instruction in a case-based, multimedia-enriched format. In the course, 4 patient cases illustrate the physical and psychological effects of cancer treatment, and a primary care narrator demonstrates ways to approach these concerns during a clinic visit, providing tips for empathic communication with cancer survivors. The course development team-including a PCP, medical and pediatric oncologists, and medical educators with expertise in instructional design-used an iterative process to review and revise the content. PCPs and specialists reviewed the script and provided constructive feedback that was incorporated into revisions.OUTCOMES: The authors will evaluate course effectiveness based upon user experience and perceived effect on clinical practice and professional growth. A follow-up survey will assess barriers to course completion and durability of effect.NEXT STEPS: Future directions include dissemination of the course to a broader audience including medical trainees, evaluation of higher-level learning outcomes (e.g., effect on PCPs' clinical practice), and adaptation of the course for patients with a focus on self-management.

  View details for DOI 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003935

  View details for PubMedID 33496435

• Limited English Proficiency and Disparities in Health Care Engagement Among Patients With Breast Cancer. JCO oncology practice Roy, M. n., Purington, N. n., Liu, M. n., Blayney, D. W., Kurian, A. W., Schapira, L. n. 2021: OP2001093

  Abstract

  Race and ethnicity have been shown to affect quality of cancer care, and patients with low English proficiency (LEP) have increased risk for serious adverse events. We sought to assess the impact of primary language on health care engagement as indicated by clinical trial screening and engagement, use of genetic counseling, and communication via an electronic patient portal.Clinical and demographic data on patients with breast cancer diagnosed and treated from 2013 to 2018 within the Stanford University Health Care system were compiled via linkage of electronic health records, an internal clinical trial database, and the California Cancer Registry. Logistic and linear regression models were used to evaluate for association of clinical trial engagement and patient portal message rates with primary language group.Patients with LEP had significantly lower rates of clinical trial engagement compared with their English-speaking counterparts (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.29; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.51). Use of genetic counseling was similar between language groups. Rates of patient portal messaging did not differ between English-speaking and LEP groups on multivariable analysis; however, patients with LEP were less likely to have a portal account (adjusted OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.96). Among LEP subgroups, Spanish speakers were significantly less likely to engage with the patient portal compared with English speakers (estimated difference in monthly rate: OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24 to 0.77).We found that patients with LEP had lower rates of clinical trial engagement and odds of electronic patient portal enrollment. Interventions designed to overcome language and cultural barriers are essential to optimize the experience of patients with LEP.

  View details for DOI 10.1200/OP.20.01093

  View details for PubMedID 33844591

• Greater Financial Toxicity Relates to Greater Distress and Worse Quality of Life Among Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Survivors. Psycho-oncology Benedict, C., Fisher, S., Schapira, L., Chao, S., Sackeyfio, S., Sullivan, T., Pollom, E., Berek, J. S., Kurian, A. W., Palesh, O. 2021

  Abstract

  Financial toxicity includes distress and burden from cancer-related costs. Women are more likely to experience worse cancer-related financial outcomes than men. This study evaluated breast and gynecologic cancer patients' subjective experiences of financial toxicity and associations with distress and quality of life (QOL).A cross-sectional survey study included measures of financial toxicity (Comprehensive Score for financial Toxicity [COST] Version 2), distress (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-4]), and QOL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy [FACT-G]). Chi-square, t-tests, and ANOVAs examined bivariate relationships. Two regression models tested associations between financial toxicity and distress and QOL, controlling for covariates. Financial toxicity subgroups were compared based on a validated grading system.Participants (N=273; 74% breast cancer) averaged 54.65 years (SD=12.08), were 3.42 years (SD=4.20) post-diagnosis, and 33% reported cancer-related change in employment status. Financial toxicity was "mild" overall (COST M=26.11, SD=11.14); 32% worried about cancer-related financial problems (quite a bit/very much; item-level analysis). Worse financial toxicity related to younger age (p<.001), identifying as a non-Asian minority (p=.03) or Hispanic (p=.01), being single (p<.001), lower education (p=.004), lower income (p<.001), late-stage disease (p=.001), recurrent disease (p=.004), and active treatment (p<.001). In separate multivariable models, greater financial toxicity related to greater distress (β=-.45 p<.001) and worse QOL (β=.58, p<.001). Financial toxicity subgroups reported clinically significant differences in distress and QOL (p's<.05).Cancer-related financial burden is associated with pervasive negative effects and may impact subgroups differently. Future research should explore financial experiences across subgroups, aiming to better identify those at risk and build targeted interventions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.5763

  View details for PubMedID 34224603

• Pregnancy after breast cancer: Results from a prospective cohort of young women with breast cancer. Cancer Poorvu, P. D., Gelber, S. I., Zheng, Y., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Lambertini, M., Rosenberg, S. M., Partridge, A. H. 2020

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Many young women with newly diagnosed breast cancer are interested in future pregnancies. Prospective data regarding fertility interest and reproductive patterns after diagnosis are needed to counsel patients.METHODS: The Young Women's Breast Cancer Study is a multicenter, prospective cohort of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer at age ≤40 years between 2006 and 2016. Women complete surveys at baseline, every 6 months for 3 years, then annually. Here, the authors describe fertility interest and pregnancies within 5 years of diagnosis for women with stage 0 through III breast cancer.RESULTS: Of 1026 eligible participants, 368 (36%) reported interest in future biologic children at least once within 5 years after diagnosis, including 16% at 5 years after diagnosis. Among 130 women who attempted to become pregnant, 90 (69.2%) conceived; and, among 896 women who did not attempt to conceive, 18 (2.0%) became pregnant, with a total of 152 pregnancies resulting in 91 live births. Factors associated with pregnancy included younger versus older age at diagnosis (aged ≤30 vs 36-40 years: odds ratio [OR], 6.63; 95% CI, 3.18-13.83; P < .0001; aged 31-35 vs 36-40 years: OR, 5.86; 95% CI, 3.37-10.17; P < .0001) and being nulliparous versus parous (OR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.56-4.53; P = .001). The receipt of endocrine therapy versus no endocrine therapy (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.20-0.59; P = .001) was inversely associated with pregnancy.CONCLUSIONS: Many women remain interested in future fertility in the 4 years after a breast cancer diagnosis, indicating that longitudinal fertility discussions are needed. Although a minority of those interested in having children attempted to become pregnant in the first 5 years, most who attempted to conceive did so and had live births.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/cncr.33342

  View details for PubMedID 33259061

• Oncologists' Reluctance to Use the Terms Hope and Cure: A Bibliometric Analysis of Articles From Two High-Impact Oncology Journals. JNCI cancer spectrum Corn, B. W., Feldman, D., Schapira, L., Steensma, D. P., Loprinzi, C. L., Bian, J. 2020; 4 (6): pkaa065

  Abstract

  The words cure and hope are important terms in oncology, reflecting a balance of aspirations and realism for physicians and patients. Yet, some have suggested that oncologists are reluctant to use these terms. We tested this hypothesis by performing a bibliometric analysis of the frequency of use of these words in JAMA Oncology (JAMA Oncol) and the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO). The text of all articles in 3 categories-primary research, editorials, and narrative essays-appearing in JCO from 2000 to 2018 and in JAMA Oncol from 2015 to 2019 was analyzed. These analyses compared, across these categories, the proportion of articles containing the words cure and hope, as well as the proportion of total sentences containing these words. There were statistically significant differences in frequency of the use of the terms cure and hope as a function of the type of article published in the JCO and JAMA Oncol (2-sided P values ranging from .005 to <.001). Results were similar for both journals, with minor exceptions. Both hope and cure were used in a greater number of articles and sentences in the narrative and editorial categories than in primary research. Moreover, hope was used more often in narrative essays than in editorials. The relative reluctance to use these terms in more scientifically oriented original reports, despite concomitant improvements in oncologic outcomes, may reflect a bias worthy of future exploration.

  View details for DOI 10.1093/jncics/pkaa065

  View details for PubMedID 33225209

• Tumor phenotype and concordance in synchronous bilateral breast cancer in young women. Breast cancer research and treatment Pak, L. M., Gaither, R., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Snow, C., Collins, L. C., King, T. A., Partridge, A. H. 2020

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: Synchronous bilateral breast cancer is uncommon, and its pattern and incidence among younger women is unknown. Here we report the incidence, phenotypes, and long-term oncologic outcomes of bilateral breast cancer in women enrolled in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study (YWS).METHODS: The YWS is a multi-center, prospective cohort study of women with breast cancer diagnosed at age≤40years. Those with synchronous bilateral breast cancer formed our study cohort. Tumor phenotypes were categorized as luminal A (hormone receptor (HR)+/HER2-/grade 1/2), luminal B (HR+/HER2+or HER2- and grade 3), HER2-enriched (HR-/HER2+), or basal-like (HR-/HER2-). Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate tumor phenotypes of bilateral cancers for concordance.RESULTS: Among 1302 patients enrolled in the YWS, 21 (1.6%) patients had synchronous bilateral disease. The median age of diagnosis was 38years (range 18-40years). Seventeen (81.0%) underwent genetic testing with 6 found to have pathogenic germline mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, or TP53. The majority of patients (76.2%) underwent bilateral mastectomy. On pathology, 2 patients had bilateral in-situ disease, 6 had unilateral invasive and contralateral in-situ disease, and 13 had bilateral invasive disease. Of those with bilateral invasive disease, 10 (76.9%) had bilateral luminal tumors and, when fully characterized, 6 were of the same luminal subtype. Only 1 patient had bilateral basal-like breast cancer. At median follow-up of 8.2years, 14 patients are alive with no recurrent disease.CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral breast cancer is uncommon among young women diagnosed with breast cancer at age≤40. In our cohort, the majority of invasive tumors were of the luminal phenotype, though some differed by grade or HER2 status. These findings support the need for thorough pathologic workup of bilateral disease when it is found in young women with breast cancer to determine risk and tailor treatment.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10549-020-06027-0

  View details for PubMedID 33242164

• Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the 21-gene Breast Recurrence Score test in young women with estrogen receptor-positive early breast cancer. Breast cancer research and treatment Sella, T., Gelber, S. I., Poorvu, P. D., Kim, H., Dominici, L., Guzman-Arocho, Y. D., Collins, L., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Snow, C., Jakubowski, D. M., Russell, C. A., Winer, E. P., Rosenberg, S. M., Partridge, A. H. 2020

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: The 21-gene Breast Recurrence Score test predicts benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy in estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative (ER+/HER2-) breast cancer (BC). We examined whether the 21-gene assay predicts response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT).METHODS: We identified patients with stage I-III ER+/HER2- BC treated with NCT from the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, a prospective cohort of women diagnosed with BC at age ≤40 years. The 21-gene assay was performed on tumor specimens removed prior to NCT either as part of clinical care or retrospectively for research. Pathological complete response (pCR) was defined as ypT0/is ypN0. The relationship between Recurrence Score result and pCR was evaluated using logistic regression modeling.RESULTS: 76 women received NCT for ER+/HER2- BC and were eligible for this analysis. Median age at diagnosis was 37 years (range 24-40). Scores ranged between 5 and 77 with 50% >25 and 5% <11. Median Recurrence Score result was significantly higher among tumors achieving pCR vs. non-pCR response (61.5 vs. 23, pwilcoxon=0.0005). pCR rate in patients with scores >25 was 21% (8/38) vs. 5% in patients with scores <25 (2/38) (p=0.09), with both pCRs in the <25 group in patients with scores between 21 and 25. In multivariable analysis, only Recurrence Score result was significantly associated with pCR (OR: 1.07, 95%CI 1.01-1.12, p=0.01).CONCLUSIONS: In young women with ER+/HER2- BC who received NCT, higher pretreatment Recurrence Score result was associated with an increased likelihood of pCR. Gene expression profile assays may have a role in decision making in young women in need of neoadjuvant therapy.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10549-020-05989-5

  View details for PubMedID 33150547

• Symptom appraisal in uncertainty: a theory-driven thematic analysis with survivors of childhood cancer. Psychology & health Heathcote, L. C., Loecher, N., Simon, P., Spunt, S. L., Jordan, A., Tutelman, P. R., Cunningham, S., Schapira, L., Simons, L. E. 2020: 1–18

  Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: Somatic symptoms capture attention, demand interpretation, and promote health behaviors. Symptom appraisal is particularly impactful within uncertain health contexts such as cancer survivorship. Yet, little is known about how individuals make sense of somatic symptoms within uncertain health contexts, nor how this process guides health behaviors.DESIGN: 25 adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer completed semi-structured interviews regarding how they appraise and respond to changing somatic sensations within the uncertain context of survivorship.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis, guided by the Cancer Threat Interpretation model.RESULTS: We constructed three themes. Symptoms as signals of bodily threat (theme 1) captured that participants described commonly interpreting and worrying about everyday sensations as indicating cancer recurrence or new illness. Playing detective with bodily signals (theme 2) captured participants' felt need to employ cognitive and behavioral strategies to determine whether somatic sensations indicated a credible health threat. These two themes are qualified by the final theme, Living with symptom-related uncertainty (theme 3), which captured participants' recognition that post-cancer symptoms are wily and influenced by psychological factors such as anxiety.CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight that making sense of everday somatic sensations can be particularly challenging following an experience of cancer. There is a need for novel symptom management approaches that target how somatic sensations are appraised and responded to as signals of bodily threat.

  View details for DOI 10.1080/08870446.2020.1836180

  View details for PubMedID 33073604

• 4R program results: What is the impact of 4R care delivery model on patient self-management and which patients benefited? Trosman, J., Weldon, C. B., Makower, D. F., Rapkin, B. D., Bozier, M., Perez, C., Kulkarni, S., Schaeffer, C. M., Hoskins, K., Gallagher, C., Lo, S. S., Grace-Louthen, C., Throckmorton, A., Krueger, E. A., Van Horn, J., Ravelo, A., Yu, E., Schapira, L., Benson, A., Gradishar, W. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000607202800139

• 4R program results in breast cancer: The impact of 4R Care Delivery Model on timing and sequence of guideline recommended care. Weldon, C. B., Trosman, J., Makower, D. F., Rapkin, B. D., Perez, C., Kulkarni, S., Schaeffer, C. M., Hoskins, K., Gallagher, C., Lo, S. S., Grace-Louthen, C., Throckmorton, A., Krueger, E. A., Van Horn, J., Reaves, B., Ravelo, A., Yu, E., Benson, A., Schapira, L., Gradishar, W. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000607202800017

• 4R Care Delivery Program results: Impact of implementation metrics on patient self-management and 4R usefulness. Trosman, J., Weldon, C. B., Makower, D. F., Rapkin, B. D., Perez, C., Kulkarni, S., Schaeffer, C. M., Hoskins, K., Gallagher, C., Lo, S. S., Grace-Louthen, C., Throckmorton, A., Krueger, E. A., Van Horn, J., Reaves, B., Ravelo, A., Yu, E., Schapira, L., Benson, A., Gradishar, W. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000607202800224

• Risk of primary urological and genital cancers following incident breast cancer: a Danish population-based cohort study. Breast cancer research and treatment Sundboll, J., Farkas, D. K., Adelborg, K., Schapira, L., Tamang, S., Norgaard, M., Cullen, M. R., Cronin-Fenton, D., Sorensen, H. T. 2020

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: The prevalence of breast cancer survivors has increased due to dissemination of population-based mammographic screening and improved treatments. Recent changes in anti-hormonal therapies for breast cancer may have modified the risks of subsequent urological and genital cancers. We examine the risk of subsequent primary urological and genital cancers in patients with incident breast cancer compared with risks in the general population.METHODS: Using population-based Danish medical registries, we identified a cohort of women with primary breast cancer (1990-2017). We followed them from one year after their breast cancer diagnosis until any subsequent urological or genital cancer diagnosis. We computed incidence rates and standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as the observed number of cancers relative to the expected number based on national incidence rates (by sex, age, and calendar year).RESULTS: Among 84,972 patients with breast cancer (median age 61years), we observed 623 urological cancers and 1397 genital cancers during a median follow-up of 7.4years. The incidence rate per 100,000 person-years was stable during follow-up (83 for urological cancers and 176 for genital cancers). The SIR was increased for ovarian cancer (1.37, 95% CI 1.23-1.52) and uterine cancer (1.37, 95% CI 1.25-1.50), but only during the pre-aromatase inhibitor era (before 2007). Moreover, the SIR of kidney cancer was increased (1.52, 95% CI 1.15-1.97), but only during 2007-2017. The SIR for urinary bladder cancer was marginally increased (1.15, 95% CI 1.04-1.28) with no temporal effects. No associations were observed for cervical cancer.CONCLUSION: Breast cancer survivors had higher risks of uterine and ovarian cancer than expected, but only before 2007, and of kidney cancer, but only after 2007. The risk of urinary bladder cancer was moderately increased without temporal effects, and we observed no association with cervical cancer.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10549-020-05879-w

  View details for PubMedID 32845432

• ASCO Voices 2020. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Rayson, D., Bufill, J. A., Close, J., Cyusa, A., Oettel, K., Okolo, O., Parikh, A., Schapira, L. 2020: JCO2001584

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.20.01584

  View details for PubMedID 32772763

• Utilization of COVID-19 treatments and clinical outcomes among patients with cancer: A COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) cohort study. Cancer discovery Rivera, D. R., Peters, S., Panagiotou, O. A., Shah, D. P., Kuderer, N. M., Hsu, C., Rubinstein, S. M., Lee, B. J., Choueiri, T. K., de Lima Lopes, G., Grivas, P., Painter, C. A., Rini, B. I., Thompson, M. A., Arcobello, J., Bakouny, Z., Doroshow, D. B., Egan, P. C., Farmakiotis, D., Fecher, L. A., Friese, C. R., Galsky, M. D., Goel, S., Gupta, S., Halfdanarson, T. R., Halmos, B., Hawley, J. E., Khaki, A. R., Lemmon, C. A., Mishra, S., Olszewski, A. J., Pennell, N. A., Puc, M. M., Revankar, S. G., Schapira, L., Schmidt, A., Schwartz, G. K., Shah, S. A., Wu, J. T., Xie, Z., Yeh, A. C., Zhu, H., Shyr, Y., Lyman, G. H., Warner, J. L. 2020

  Abstract

  Among 2,186 US adults with invasive cancer and laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, we examined the association of COVID-19 treatments with 30-day all-cause mortality, and factors associated with treatment. Logistic regression with multiple adjustments (e.g., comorbidities, cancer status, baseline COVID-19 severity) was performed. Hydroxychloroquine with any other drug was associated with increased mortality versus treatment with any COVID-19 treatment other than hydroxychloroquine or untreated controls; this association was not present with hydroxychloroquine alone. Remdesivir had numerically reduced mortality versus untreated controls that did not reach statistical significance. Baseline COVID-19 severity was strongly associated with receipt of any treatment. Black patients were approximately half as likely to receive remdesivir as white patients. While observational studies can be limited by potential unmeasured confounding, our findings add to the emerging understanding of patterns of care for patients with cancer and COVID-19 and support evaluation of emerging treatments through prospective controlled trials inclusive of this population.

  View details for DOI 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-0941

  View details for PubMedID 32699031

• Uncertainty upon uncertainty: supportive Care for Cancer and COVID-19. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Young, A. M., Ashbury, F. D., Schapira, L., Scotte, F., Ripamonti, C. I., Olver, I. N. 2020

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00520-020-05604-9

  View details for PubMedID 32613372

• The Effects of Tai Chi and Qigong on Immune Responses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) Oh, B., Bae, K., Lamoury, G., Eade, T., Boyle, F., Corless, B., Clarke, S., Yeung, A., Rosenthal, D., Schapira, L., Back, M. 2020; 7 (7)

  Abstract

  Background: Effective preventative health interventions are essential to maintain well-being among healthcare professionals and the public, especially during times of health crises. Several studies have suggested that Tai Chi and Qigong (TQ) have positive impacts on the immune system and its response to inflammation. The aim of this review is to evaluate the current evidence of the effects of TQ on these parameters. Methods: Electronic searches were conducted on databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase and ScienceDirect). Searches were performed using the following keywords: "Tai Chi or Qigong" and "immune system, immune function, immunity, Immun*, inflammation and cytokines". Studies published as full-text randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in English were included. Estimates of change in the levels of immune cells and inflammatory biomarkers were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis where randomised comparisons were available for TQ versus active controls and TQ versus non-active controls. Results: Nineteen RCTs were selected for review with a total of 1686 participants and a range of 32 to 252 participants within the studies. Overall, a random-effects meta-analysis found that, compared with control conditions, TQ has a significant small effect of increasing the levels of immune cells (SMD, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.43, p = 0.00), I2 = 45%, but not a significant effect on reducing the levels of inflammation (SMD, -0.15; 95% CI, -0.39 to 0.09, p = 0.21), I2 = 85%, as measured by the systemic inflammation biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) and cell mediated biomarker cytokines. This difference in results is due to the bidirectional regulation of cytokines. An overall risk of bias assessment found three RCTs with a low risk of bias, six RCTs with some concerns of bias, and ten RCTs with a high risk of bias. Conclusions: Current evidence indicates that practising TQ has a physiologic impact on immune system functioning and inflammatory responses. Rigorous studies are needed to guide clinical guidelines and harness the power of TQ to promote health and wellbeing.

  View details for DOI 10.3390/medicines7070039

  View details for PubMedID 32629903

• Management of cancer and health after the clinic visit: A call to action for self-management in cancer care. Journal of the National Cancer Institute Howell, D., Mayer, D. K., Fielding, R., Eicher, M., Verdonck-de Leeuw, I. M., Johansen, C., Soto-Perez-de-Celis, E., Foster, C., Chan, R., Alfano, C. M., Hudson, S. V., Jefford, M., Lam, W. W., Loerzel, V., Pravettoni, G., Rammant, E., Schapira, L., Stein, K. D., Kocswara, B., Global Partners for Self-Management in Cancer 2020

  Abstract

  Individuals with cancer and their families assume responsibility for management of cancer as an acute and chronic disease. Yet, cancer lags other chronic diseases in its provision of proactive self-management support (SMS) in routine 'everyday' care leaving this population vulnerable to worse health status, long-term disability and poorer survival. Enabling cancer patients to manage the medical, emotional consequences, and lifestyle/work changes due to cancer and treatment is essential to optimizing health and recovery across the continuum of cancer. In this paper, the Global Partners on Self-Management in Cancer (GPS) puts forth six priority areas for action. Action 1: Prepare patients/survivors for active involvement in care. Action 2: Shift the care culture to support patients as partners in co-creating health and embed self-management support in everyday health care provider practices and in care pathways. Action 3: Prepare the workforce in the knowledge and skills necessary to enable patients in effective self-management and reach consensus on core curricula. Action 4: Establish and reach consensus on a patient reported outcome system for measuring the effects of self-management support and performance accountability. Action 5: Advance the evidence and stimulate research on self-management and self-management support in cancer populations. Action 6: Expand reach and access to self-management support programs across care sectors and tailored to diversity of need, and stimulation of research to advance knowledge. It's time for a revolution to better integrate self-management support as part of high quality, person-centered support and precision medicine in cancer care to optimize health outcomes, accelerate recovery and possibly improve survival.

  View details for DOI 10.1093/jnci/djaa083

  View details for PubMedID 32525530

• Posttraumatic Stress in Breast Cancer Survivors Diagnosed at a Young Age. Psycho-oncology Vazquez, D., Rosenberg, S., Gelber, S., Ruddy, K. J., Morgan, E., Recklitis, C., Come, S., Schapira, L., Partridge, A. H. 2020

  Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: Young breast cancer patients experience greater psychosocial distress compared with older patients, which raises concern for their risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We sought to characterize the prevalence of clinically significant symptoms of PTSD and associated factors among breast cancer survivors diagnosed at a young age.METHODS: The Young Women's Breast Cancer Study, an ongoing prospective cohort study, enrolled 1302 women diagnosed with breast cancer at age≤40 between 2006 and 2016. Participants complete serial surveys, and we obtained additional information from medical record review. Socio-demographics, anxiety and depression, social support, and psychiatric co-morbidities and medications were assessed at study baseline (median, 5months post-diagnosis). We defined a participant as having clinically significant posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) by scoring ≥50 on the PTSD Checklist-Specific Version, administered on the 30-month survey.RESULTS: Among 700 women with stage 1-3 disease, the prevalence of PTSS was 6.3% (95%CI = 4.5-8.1). In multivariable analyses, PTSS was significantly associated with anxiety (OR 12.43, 95%CI = 5.81-26.59, P <0.0001) and stage 2 vs 1 disease (OR 2.26, 95%CI = 1.04-4.93, P =0.04). PTSS was inversely associated with having a college degree (OR 0.29, 95%CI = 0.13-0.62, P =0.002) and greater social support (OR 0.44, 95%CI = 0.21-0.94, P =0.03).CONCLUSION: We found similar rates of cancer-related PTSS in breast cancer survivors diagnosed at a young age compared with the general breast cancer population despite their well-documented increased risk of overall distress. Nevertheless, factors associated with posttraumatic stress should be considered at diagnosis and in survivorship to identify young patients who may benefit from psychosocial resources.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.5438

  View details for PubMedID 32515073

• Risk of primary gastrointestinal cancers following incident non-metastatic breast cancer: a Danish population-based cohort study. BMJ open gastroenterology Adelborg, K., Farkas, D. K., Sundboll, J., Schapira, L., Tamang, S., Cullen, M. R., Cronin-Fenton, D., Sorensen, H. T. 2020; 7 (1)

  Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: We examined the risk of primary gastrointestinal cancers in women with breast cancer and compared this risk with that of the general population.DESIGN: Using population-based Danish registries, we conducted a cohort study of women with incident non-metastatic breast cancer (1990-2017). We computed cumulative cancer incidences and standardised incidence ratios (SIRs).RESULTS: Among 84972 patients with breast cancer, we observed 2340 gastrointestinal cancers. After 20 years of follow-up, the cumulative incidence of gastrointestinal cancers was 4%, driven mainly by colon cancers. Only risk of stomach cancer was continually increased beyond 1year following breast cancer. The SIR for colon cancer was neutral during 2-5 years of follow-up and approximately 1.2-fold increased thereafter. For cancer of the oesophagus, the SIR was increased only during 6-10 years. There was a weak association with pancreas cancer beyond 10 years. Between 1990-2006 and 2007-2017, the 1-10 years SIR estimate decreased and reached unity for upper gastrointestinal cancers (oesophagus, stomach, and small intestine). For lower gastrointestinal cancers (colon, rectum, and anal canal), the SIR estimate was increased only after 2007. No temporal effects were observed for the remaining gastrointestinal cancers. Treatment effects were negligible.CONCLUSION: Breast cancer survivors were at increased risk of oesophagus and stomach cancer, but only before 2007. The risk of colon cancer was increased, but only after 2007.

  View details for DOI 10.1136/bmjgast-2020-000413

  View details for PubMedID 32611556

• Screening practices for late effects in pediatric patients on tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Smith, S. M., Sabnis, H. S., Lewis, R., Effinger, K., Bergsagel, D., Patterson, B., Mertens, A. C., Sakamoto, K., Schapira, L., Castellino, S. M. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000560368308361

• 4R Program results in breast cancer: the impact of 4R Care Delivery Model on timing and sequence of guideline recommended care. Weldon, C. B., Trosman, J., Makower, D. F., Rapkin, B. D., Perez, C., Kulkarni, S., Schaeffer, C. M., Hoskins, K., Gallagher, C., Lo, S. S., Grace-Louthen, C., Throckmorton, A., Krueger, E., Van Horn, J., Reaves, B., Ravelo, A., Yu, E., Benson, A., Schapira, L., Gradishar, W. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000560368300080

• Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the 21-gene breast recurrence score in young women with estrogen receptor-positive early breast cancer. Sella, T., Gelber, S. I., Poorvu, P., Kim, H., Arocho, Y., Collins, L. C., Ruddy, K., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Snow, C., Jakubowski, D. M., Russell, C., Winer, E. P., Rosenberg, S. M., Partridge, A. H. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000560368300026

• 4R Care Delivery Program results: Impact of implementation metrics on patient self-management and 4R usefulness. Trosman, J., Weldon, C. B., Makower, D. F., Rapkin, B. D., Perez, C. B., Kulkarni, S., Schaeffer, C. M., Hoskins, K., Gallagher, C., Lo, S. S., Grace-Louthen, C., Throckmorton, A., Krueger, E., Van Horn, J., Reaves, B., Ravelo, A., Yu, E., Schapira, L., Benson, A., Gradishar, W. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000560368304457

• Cancer clinical trial consent forms: A readability analysis. Roy, M., Schapira, L. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000560368307053

• 4R Program results: What is the impact of 4R care delivery model on patient self-management and which patients benefited? Trosman, J., Weldon, C. B., Makower, D. F., Rapkin, B. D., Bozier, M., Perez, C., Kulkarni, S., Schaeffer, C. M., Hoskins, K., Gallagher, C., Lo, S. S., Grace-Louthen, C., Throckmorton, A., Krueger, E., Van Horn, J., Ravelo, A., Yu, E., Schapira, L., Benson, A., Gradishar, W. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2020

  View details for Web of Science ID 000560368307163

• FINANCIAL TOXICITY RELATES TO GREATER DISTRESS AND WORSE QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG BREAST AND GYNECOLOGIC CANCER SURVIVORS Benedict, C., Fisher, S., Schapira, L., Chao, S., Sackeyfio, S., Sullivan, T., Palesh, O. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2020: S549

  View details for Web of Science ID 000546262401320

• CLINICIAN AWARENESS OF PARENTING CONCERNS IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER Williams, P., Artusio, D. A., Haruno, L. S., Benedict, C., Shaw, R., Ach, E. L., Rauch, P. K., Schapira, L. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2020: S29

  View details for Web of Science ID 000546262400062

• BREAST-Q satisfaction and quality of life outcomes in young women undergoing mastectomy and reconstruction for breast cancer Dominici, L., Hu, J., Kim, H., King, T., Ruddy, K., Tamimi, R., Peppercorn, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V., Come, S., Warner, E., Wong, J., Partridge, A., Rosenberg, S. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2020

  View details for DOI 10.1158/1538-7445.SABCS19-PD6-1

  View details for Web of Science ID 000527012503317

• Clinicopathological features and BRCA 1/2 status in a large prospective cohort of young women with breast cancer Guzman-Arocho, Y. D., Rosenberg, S. M., Poorvu, P., Ruddy, K. J., Kirkner, G., Snow, C., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Brachtel, E. F., Warner, E., Partridge, A. H., Collins, L. C. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2020

  View details for DOI 10.1158/1538-7445.SABCS19-P4-07-02

  View details for Web of Science ID 000527012502114

• Trajectories of fear of cancer recurrence in young breast cancer survivors Schapira, L., Zheng, Y., Gelber, S., Poorvu, P., Ruddy, K. J., Tamini, R., Peppercorn, J., Come, S., Borges, V., Partridge, A., Rosenberg, S. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2020

  View details for DOI 10.1158/1538-7445.SABCS19-P2-13-09

  View details for Web of Science ID 000527012501130

• Partners of young breast cancer survivors: a cross-sectional evaluation of psychosocial concerns, coping, and mental health. Journal of psychosocial oncology Borstelmann, N. A., Rosenberg, S. n., Gelber, S. n., Zheng, Y. n., Meyer, M. n., Ruddy, K. J., Schapira, L. n., Come, S. n., Borges, V. n., Cadet, T. n., Maramaldi, P. n., Partridge, A. H. 2020: 1–17

  Abstract

  Evaluation of psychosocial concerns, coping style, and mental health in partners of young (diagnosed at ≤40 years) survivors of early-stage breast cancer (BC).Cross-sectional; partners participated in a one-time survey.289 participants; most were male, white, working full-time, college educated, with median age of 43 years, parenting children <18 years old.Logistic regression was used to explore associations with anxiety and depression (≥8 on Hospital Anxiety and Depression sub-scales).Overall, 41% reported symptoms of anxiety, 18% reported symptoms of depression, and 44% identified maladaptive coping. Multivariable regression analyses revealed: lower social support and poorer quality of life significantly associated with depression (p < .05); maladaptive coping, fulltime employment, poorer caregiver QOL, and less education significantly associated with anxiety.Partners of young BC survivors who use more maladaptive coping strategies, report less social support, work fulltime, and/or who have lower education levels experience negative mental health outcomes.Enhancing constructive coping and ensuring all partners have access to supportive resources may improve partners' emotional adjustment.

  View details for DOI 10.1080/07347332.2020.1823546

  View details for PubMedID 33000705

• Association of Breast Cancer Surgery With Quality of Life and Psychosocial Well-being in Young Breast Cancer Survivors. JAMA surgery Rosenberg, S. M., Dominici, L. S., Gelber, S. n., Poorvu, P. D., Ruddy, K. J., Wong, J. S., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L. n., Come, S. n., Peppercorn, J. M., Borges, V. F., Partridge, A. H. 2020

  Abstract

  Young women with breast cancer are increasingly choosing bilateral mastectomy (BM), yet little is known about short-term and long-term physical and psychosocial well-being following surgery in this population.To evaluate the differential associations of surgery with quality of life (QOL) and psychosocial outcomes from 1 to 5 years following diagnosis.Cohort study.Multicenter, including academic and community hospitals in North America.Women age ≤40 when diagnosed with Stage 0-3 with unilateral breast cancer between 2006 and 2016 who had surgery and completed QOL and psychosocial assessments.Primary breast surgery including breast-conserving surgery (BCS), unilateral mastectomy (UM), and BM.Physical functioning, body image, sexual health, anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed in follow-up.Of 826 women, mean age at diagnosis was 36.1 years; most women were White non-Hispanic (86.7%). Regarding surgery, 45% had BM, 31% BCS, and 24% UM. Of women who had BM/UM, 84% had reconstruction. While physical functioning, sexuality, and body image improved over time, sexuality and body image were consistently worse (higher adjusted mean scores) among women who had BM vs BCS (body image: year 1, 1.32 vs 0.64; P < .001; year 5, 1.19 vs 0.48; P < .001; sexuality: year 1, 1.66 vs 1.20, P < .001; year 5, 1.43 vs 0.96; P < .001) or UM (body image: year 1, 1.32 vs 1.15; P = .06; year 5, 1.19 vs 0.96; P = .02; sexuality: year 1, 1.66 vs 1.41; P = .02; year 5, 1.43 vs 1.09; P = .002). Anxiety improved across groups, but adjusted mean scores remained higher among women who had BM vs BCS/UM at 1 year (BM, 7.75 vs BCS, 6.94; P = .005; BM, 7.75 vs UM, 6.58; P = .005), 2 years (BM, 7.47 vs BCS, 6.18; P < .001; BM, 7.47 vs UM, 6.07; P < .001) and 5 years (BM, 6.67 vs BCS, 5.91; P = .05; BM, 6.67 vs UM, 5.79; P = .05). There were minimal between-group differences in depression levels in follow-up.While QOL improves over time, young breast cancer survivors who undergo more extensive surgery have worse body image, sexual health, and anxiety compared with women undergoing less extensive surgery. Ensuring young women are aware of the short-term and long-term effects of surgery and receive support when making surgical decisions is warranted.

  View details for DOI 10.1001/jamasurg.2020.3325

  View details for PubMedID 32936216

• Perceptions of time spent pursuing cancer care among patients, caregivers, and oncology professionals. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Hall, E. T., Sridhar, D. n., Singhal, S. n., Fardeen, T. n., Lahijani, S. n., Trivedi, R. n., Gray, C. n., Schapira, L. n. 2020

  Abstract

  Patients with cancer spend significant time receiving treatment and recovering from side effects. Little is known about how patients and their caregivers perceive time spent receiving cancer treatment and how this impacts health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Our study aims to characterize perceptions of time invested in receiving cancer therapy as experienced by patients, caregivers, and oncology professionals.We conducted semi-structured interviews with patients undergoing treatment for advanced lung cancer and melanoma, their informal caregivers, and oncology professionals (physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains). Participants received and provided care at a tertiary cancer center. Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed qualitatively using predominantly inductive coding to identify themes relating to time perception and cancer care.We interviewed 29 participants (11 patients, 7 informal caregivers, and 11 oncology professionals) and found they consistently differentiated between time remaining in life ("existential time") and time required to manage cancer treatment and symptoms ("chronological time"). Patients and caregivers reported distress around the mechanics of oncologic care that interrupted their daily lives (hobbies, activities). Participants described the impact of time invested in cancer care on dimensions of quality of life, ranging from minimal to substantial negative impact.We found that the time spent undergoing cancer treatment affects well-being and often prevents patients and caregivers from participating in meaningful activities. The investment of personal time undergoing cancer therapy for patients with advanced solid tumors merits further study and can enhance communication between patients, caregivers, and their oncologists.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00520-020-05763-9

  View details for PubMedID 32935204

• Changes in Cancer Management due to COVID-19 Illness in Patients with Cancer in Northern California. JCO oncology practice Wu, J. T., Kwon, D. H., Glover, M. J., Henry, S. n., Wood, D. n., Rubin, D. L., Koshkin, V. S., Schapira, L. n., Shah, S. A. 2020: OP2000790

  Abstract

  The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the management of patients with cancer. In this pooled retrospective analysis, we describe changes in management patterns for patients with cancer diagnosed with COVID-19 in two academic institutions in the San Francisco Bay Area.Adult and pediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 with a current or historical diagnosis of malignancy were identified from the electronic medical record at the University of California, San Francisco, and Stanford University. The proportion of patients undergoing active cancer management whose care was affected was quantified and analyzed for significant differences with regard to management type, treatment intent, and the time of COVID-19 diagnosis. The duration and characteristics of such changes were compared across subgroups.A total of 131 patients were included, of whom 55 were undergoing active cancer management. Of these, 35 of 55 (64%) had significant changes in management that consisted primarily of delays. An additional three patients not undergoing active cancer management experienced a delay in management after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The decision to change management was correlated with the time of COVID-19 diagnosis, with more delays identified in patients treated with palliative intent earlier in the course of the pandemic (March/April 2020) compared with later (May/June 2020) (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.03 to 17.3; P = .0497). This difference was not seen among patients treated with curative intent during the same timeframe.We found significant changes in the management of cancer patients with COVID-19 treated with curative and palliative intent that evolved over time. Future studies are needed to determine the impact of changes in management and treatment on cancer outcomes for patients with cancer and COVID-19.

  View details for DOI 10.1200/OP.20.00790

  View details for PubMedID 33332170

• Do qualitative interviews cause distress in adolescents and young adults asked to discuss fears of cancer recurrence? Psycho-oncology Heathcote, L. C., Loecher, N. n., Spunt, S. L., Simon, P. n., Tutelman, P. R., Wakefield, C. E., Ach, E. n., Schapira, L. n. 2020

  Abstract

  This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.5544

  View details for PubMedID 32909342

• Clinical impact of COVID-19 on patients with cancer (CCC19): a cohort study. Lancet (London, England) Kuderer, N. M., Choueiri, T. K., Shah, D. P., Shyr, Y. n., Rubinstein, S. M., Rivera, D. R., Shete, S. n., Hsu, C. Y., Desai, A. n., de Lima Lopes, G. n., Grivas, P. n., Painter, C. A., Peters, S. n., Thompson, M. A., Bakouny, Z. n., Batist, G. n., Bekaii-Saab, T. n., Bilen, M. A., Bouganim, N. n., Larroya, M. B., Castellano, D. n., Del Prete, S. A., Doroshow, D. B., Egan, P. C., Elkrief, A. n., Farmakiotis, D. n., Flora, D. n., Galsky, M. D., Glover, M. J., Griffiths, E. A., Gulati, A. P., Gupta, S. n., Hafez, N. n., Halfdanarson, T. R., Hawley, J. E., Hsu, E. n., Kasi, A. n., Khaki, A. R., Lemmon, C. A., Lewis, C. n., Logan, B. n., Masters, T. n., McKay, R. R., Mesa, R. A., Morgans, A. K., Mulcahy, M. F., Panagiotou, O. A., Peddi, P. n., Pennell, N. A., Reynolds, K. n., Rosen, L. R., Rosovsky, R. n., Salazar, M. n., Schmidt, A. n., Shah, S. A., Shaya, J. A., Steinharter, J. n., Stockerl-Goldstein, K. E., Subbiah, S. n., Vinh, D. C., Wehbe, F. H., Weissmann, L. B., Wu, J. T., Wulff-Burchfield, E. n., Xie, Z. n., Yeh, A. n., Yu, P. P., Zhou, A. Y., Zubiri, L. n., Mishra, S. n., Lyman, G. H., Rini, B. I., Warner, J. L. 2020

  Abstract

  Data on patients with COVID-19 who have cancer are lacking. Here we characterise the outcomes of a cohort of patients with cancer and COVID-19 and identify potential prognostic factors for mortality and severe illness.In this cohort study, we collected de-identified data on patients with active or previous malignancy, aged 18 years and older, with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection from the USA, Canada, and Spain from the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) database for whom baseline data were added between March 17 and April 16, 2020. We collected data on baseline clinical conditions, medications, cancer diagnosis and treatment, and COVID-19 disease course. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality within 30 days of diagnosis of COVID-19. We assessed the association between the outcome and potential prognostic variables using logistic regression analyses, partially adjusted for age, sex, smoking status, and obesity. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04354701, and is ongoing.Of 1035 records entered into the CCC19 database during the study period, 928 patients met inclusion criteria for our analysis. Median age was 66 years (IQR 57-76), 279 (30%) were aged 75 years or older, and 468 (50%) patients were male. The most prevalent malignancies were breast (191 [21%]) and prostate (152 [16%]). 366 (39%) patients were on active anticancer treatment, and 396 (43%) had active (measurable) cancer. At analysis (May 7, 2020), 121 (13%) patients had died. In logistic regression analysis, independent factors associated with increased 30-day mortality, after partial adjustment, were: increased age (per 10 years; partially adjusted odds ratio 1·84, 95% CI 1·53-2·21), male sex (1·63, 1·07-2·48), smoking status (former smoker vs never smoked: 1·60, 1·03-2·47), number of comorbidities (two vs none: 4·50, 1·33-15·28), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 2 or higher (status of 2 vs 0 or 1: 3·89, 2·11-7·18), active cancer (progressing vs remission: 5·20, 2·77-9·77), and receipt of azithromycin plus hydroxychloroquine (vs treatment with neither: 2·93, 1·79-4·79; confounding by indication cannot be excluded). Compared with residence in the US-Northeast, residence in Canada (0·24, 0·07-0·84) or the US-Midwest (0·50, 0·28-0·90) were associated with decreased 30-day all-cause mortality. Race and ethnicity, obesity status, cancer type, type of anticancer therapy, and recent surgery were not associated with mortality.Among patients with cancer and COVID-19, 30-day all-cause mortality was high and associated with general risk factors and risk factors unique to patients with cancer. Longer follow-up is needed to better understand the effect of COVID-19 on outcomes in patients with cancer, including the ability to continue specific cancer treatments.American Cancer Society, National Institutes of Health, and Hope Foundation for Cancer Research.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31187-9

  View details for PubMedID 32473681

• Patterns of social media use and associations with psychosocial outcomes among breast and gynecologic cancer survivors. Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice Tolby, L. T., Hofmeister, E. N., Fisher, S. n., Chao, S. n., Benedict, C. n., Kurian, A. W., Berek, J. S., Schapira, L. n., Palesh, O. G. 2020

  Abstract

  We sought to characterize the use of social media (SM) among breast and gynecologic cancer survivors, as well as associations between patterns of SM use and psychosocial outcomes.Two hundred seventy-three breast and gynecologic cancer survivors recruited at the Stanford Women's Cancer Center completed the study. Participants completed questionnaires to measure quality of life (FACT-G), functional social support (Duke-UNC FSSQ), distress (PHQ-4), decision regret (DRS), and SM use.In total, 75.8% of the sample reported using SM. There was no difference in quality of life (QOL), functional social support (FSS), distress, or decision regret between SM users and non-users. SM users indicated using SM for social support (34.3%) and loneliness (24.6%) more than for information-seeking (15.9%), coping (18.8%), or self-disclosure (14%). SM use for coping was associated with lower QOL (p < .001), lower FSS (p < .001), and higher decision regret (p = .029). Use for social support was associated with lower FSS (p = .029). Use for information seeking was associated with lower QOL (p = .012). Use of SM when lonely was associated with lower QOL (p < .001), higher distress (p = .007), lower FSS (p < .001), and higher decision regret (p = .020).Associations between SM use and psychosocial outcomes are nuanced and dependent on motivation for use. Further research is needed to better characterize SM use and associations with psychosocial outcomes among cancer survivors.SM is an important potential avenue for understanding and addressing the psychosocial effects associated with cancer survivorship.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s11764-020-00959-8

  View details for PubMedID 33161562

• Surgical Treatment after Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy in Young Women with Breast Cancer: Results from a Prospective Cohort Study. Annals of surgery Kim, H. J., Dominici, L. n., Rosenberg, S. M., Zheng, Y. n., Pak, L. M., Poorvu, P. D., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. n., Schapira, L. n., Come, S. E., Peppercorn, J. n., Borges, V. F., Warner, E. n., Vardeh, H. n., Collins, L. C., Gaither, R. n., King, T. A., Partridge, A. H. 2020; Publish Ahead of Print

  Abstract

  We aimed to investigate eligibility for breast-conserving surgery (BCS) pre- and post-neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST), and trends in the surgical treatment of young breast cancer patients.Young women with breast cancer are more likely to present with larger tumors and aggressive phenotypes, and may benefit from NST. Little is known about how response to NAC influences surgical decisions in young women.The Young Women's Breast Cancer Study (YWS), a multicenter prospective cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer at age ≤40, enrolled 1302 patients from 2006 to 2016. Disease characteristics, surgical recommendations, and reasons for choosing mastectomy among BCS-eligible patients were obtained through the medical record. Trends in use of NST, rate of clinical and pathologic complete response (cCR and pCR), and surgery were also assessed.Of 1117 women with unilateral stage I-III breast cancer, 315 (28%) received NST. Pre-NST, 26% were BCS eligible, 17% were borderline eligible, and 55% were ineligible. After NST, BCS eligibility increased from 26% to 42% (p < 0.0001). Among BCS-eligible patients after NST (n = 133), 41% chose mastectomy with reasons being patient preference (53%), BRCA or TP53 mutation (35%) and family history (5%). From 2006 to 2016, the rates of NST (p = 0.0012), cCR (p < 0.0001) and bilateral mastectomy (p < 0.0001) increased, but the rate of BCS did not increase (p = 0.34).While the proportion of young women eligible for BCS increased after NST, many patients choose mastectomy, suggesting that surgical decisions are often driven by factors beyond extent of disease and treatment response.

  View details for DOI 10.1097/SLA.0000000000004296

  View details for PubMedID 33378304

• Symptom monitoring and the uncertain threat of disease recurrence: A deductive thematic analysis with adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors. Heathcote, L. C., Loecher, N., Spunt, S. L., Simon, P., Dahl, G., Moiceanu, S., Cruanes, G., Tutelman, P., Schapira, L., Mueller, C., Chiu, B., Simons, L. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2019.37.31_suppl.147

  View details for Web of Science ID 000518224200145

• Does the innovative 4R Cancer Care Delivery Model improve patient self-management in safety net and non-safety net centers? Trosman, J., Gradishar, W., Makower, D. F., Rapkin, B. D., Bozier, M., Knightly, E., Schaeffer, C. M., Hoskins, K., Gallagher, C., Lo, S. S., Grace-Louthen, C., Throckmorton, A., Vanderwalde, L., Krueger, E. A., Van Horn, J., Ravelo, A., Schapira, L., Santa-Maria, C., Benson, A., Weldon, C. B. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2019.37.27_suppl.172

  View details for Web of Science ID 000518223100169

• Does the innovative 4R Care Delivery Model improve timing and sequencing of guideline recommended breast cancer care in safety net and non-safety net centers? Weldon, C. B., Trosman, J., Makower, D. F., Rapkin, B. D., Bozier, M., Knightly, E., Schaeffer, C. M., Hoskins, K., Gallagher, C., Lo, S. S., Grace-Louthen, C., Throckmorton, A., Vanderwalde, L., Krueger, E. A., Van Horn, J., Schapira, L., Santa-Maria, C., Ravelo, A., Benson, A., Gradishar, W. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2019.37.27_suppl.36

  View details for Web of Science ID 000518223100035

• The incidence of hematologic cancers after breast cancer. A 35-year population-based cohort study in Denmark Hjorth, C., Farkas, D., Schapira, L., Tamang, S., Cullen, M., Sorensen, H., Cronin-Fenton, D. WILEY. 2019: 75

  View details for Web of Science ID 000481785600147

• Risk of primary urological and genital cancers following incident breast cancer: A Danish population-based cohort study Sundboll, J., Farkas, D., Schapira, L., Tamang, S., Norgaard, M., Cullen, M., Cronin-Fenton, D., Sorensen, H. T. WILEY. 2019: 79

  View details for Web of Science ID 000481785600155

• Risk of primary gastrointestinal cancers following incident breast cancer: A Danish population-based cohort study Adelborg, K., Farkas, D. K., Schapira, L., Tamang, S., Fenton, D. C., Cullen, M., Sorensen, H. T. WILEY. 2019: 81

  View details for Web of Science ID 000481785600159

• Contemporary management of breast cancer during pregnancy and subsequent lactation in a multicenter cohort of young women with breast cancer. The breast journal Lee, G. E., Rosenberg, S. M., Mayer, E. L., Borges, V., Meyer, M. E., Schapira, L., Come, S. E., Partridge, A. H. 2019

  Abstract

  The incidence of breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy is increasing. We sought to characterize patient, treatment, pregnancy and lactation factors among young women with newly diagnosed breast cancer during pregnancy in a prospective cohort study. We identified all women who were pregnant when diagnosed with invasive breast cancer among those enrolled in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study (NCT01468246), and collected details on pregnancy, birth and lactation from surveys, and treatment information medical record review. Of 1302 enrolled participants, 976 women with invasive breast cancer completed full baseline surveys, among whom 39 (4.0%) patients reported being pregnant at diagnosis. Median age at diagnosis was 34years (range: 25-40), with stage distribution: I, 28%; II, 44%; III, 23%; and IV, 5%. 74% of patients (29/39) had grade 3 tumors, 59% (23/39) ER-positive, and 31% (12/39) HER2-positive disease. 23 (59%) had surgery during pregnancy, 4 (17%) during the first trimester. Among the women who had surgery during pregnancy, 61% (14/23) underwent lumpectomy, 35% (8/23) unilateral, and 4% (1/23) bilateral mastectomy. All patients who had chemotherapy (51%, 20/39) received it in second and third trimesters, and had ACx4. There were 31 live births, 2 spontaneous, and 5 therapeutic abortions. Among live births, 16 (41%) were before 37weeks of gestation. Three women reported breastfeeding. Within 6months after delivery, comprehensive staging in 13 patients showed upstaging in four patients. In a contemporary cohort of young women with breast cancer, pregnancy at diagnosis is relatively uncommon. Treatment during pregnancy can generally be consistent with standard surgical and chemotherapy approaches, with attention to timing of therapies. Longer-term outcomes including effects of some timing issues including delayed use of anti-HER2 therapy on patient outcomes warrant further research.

  View details for DOI 10.1111/tbj.13431

  View details for PubMedID 31318125

• Patient-Reported Outcomes for Cancer Patients Receiving Checkpoint Inhibitors: Opportunities for Palliative Care-A Systematic Review JOURNAL OF PAIN AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT Hall, E. T., Singhal, S., Dickerson, J., Gabster, B., Wong, H., Aslakson, R. A., Schapira, L., Ast, K., Carroll, T., Dzeng, E., Harrison, K. L., Kaye, E. C., LeBlanc, T. W., Lo, S. S., McKenna, K., Nageswaran, S., Powers, J., Rotella, J., Ullrich, C., Vickey, T., AAHPM Res Comm Writing Grp 2019; 58 (1): 137-+

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.03.015

  View details for Web of Science ID 000472494200024

• Nonadherent behaviors among young women on adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer. Cancer Wassermann, J., Gelber, S. I., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Meyer, M. E., Partridge, A. H. 2019

  Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Young age is a known factor associated with suboptimal adherence to endocrine therapy (ET) for adjuvant breast cancer (BC) treatment. This study was aimed at assessing nonadherent behaviors and associated factors among young women with early-stage hormone receptor-positive BC.METHODS: As part of a multicenter, prospective cohort of women with a diagnosis of BC at or under the age of 40years, participants were surveyed 30months after their diagnosis about adherent behaviors. Among those who reported taking ET, adherence was measured with a 3-item Likert-type scale: Do you ever forget to take your ET? If you feel worse when you take your ET, do you stop taking it? Did you take your ET exactly as directed by your doctor over the last 3months? Women reporting at least 1 nonadherent behavior were classified as nonadherers. Variables with a P value<.20 were included in a multivariable logistic model.RESULTS: Among 384 women, 194 (51%) were classified as nonadherers. Univariate factors that retained significance in the multivariable model included educational level (odds ratio [OR], 0.50 for high vs low; P=.04), level of social support according to the Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey (OR, 0.98 per 1 point; P=.01), and confidence with the decision regarding ET measured on a 0 to 10 numerical scale (OR, 0.63 for high vs low; P=.04).CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study could help to identify young patients at higher risk for nonadherence. Interventions adapted to the level of education and aimed at reinforcing support and patients' confidence in their decision to take ET could improve adherence and associated outcomes in this population.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/cncr.32192

  View details for PubMedID 31120571

• Body weight changes in young breast cancer survivors and associated predictors. Sella, T., Tan-Wasielewski, Z., Rosenberg, S. M., Poorvu, P., Ruddy, K., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Come, S. E., Peppercorn, J. M., Borges, V. F., Partridge, A. H., Ligibel, J. A. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for Web of Science ID 000487345804243

• Differences among Asian/Asian American, and Caucasian breast and gynecologic cancer patient reported survivorship needs, symptoms, and illness mindsets (N=220). Schapira, L., Hofmeister, E., Kurian, A. W., Zion, S., Shen, H., Torres, T., Berek, J. S., Palesh, O. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for Web of Science ID 000487345804287

• "If you don't ask, you won't know": Do patient reported outcome (PRO) instruments capture the symptom experience of patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)? Gabster, B., Hall, E., Singhal, S., Dickerson, J., Schapira, L. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for Web of Science ID 000487345804248

• The impact of blinding on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in randomized controlled trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors versus traditional chemotherapies. Dickerson, J., Hall, E., Singhal, S., Gabster, B., Schapira, L. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for Web of Science ID 000487345803187

• Variations in patient-reported outcome (PRO) collection and reporting in novel FDA approved anticancer therapies. Singhal, S., Hall, E., Gabster, B., Dickerson, J., Schapira, L. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2019.37.15_suppl.e18202

  View details for Web of Science ID 000487345802165

• Diagnostic and treatment delays in young women with breast cancer. Poorvu, P. D., Zheng, Y., Sella, T., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J. M., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E., Partridge, A. H. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2019.37.15_suppl.6575

  View details for Web of Science ID 000487345806129

• Does the innovative 4R Care Delivery Model improve timing and sequencing of guideline recommended breast cancer care in safety net and non-safety net centers? Weldon, C. B., Trosman, J., Makower, D. F., Rapkin, B. D., Bozier, M., Knightly, E., Schaeffer, C. M., Hoskins, K., Gallagher, C., Lo, S. S., Grace-Louthen, C., Throckmorton, A., Vanderwalde, L., Krueger, E. A., Van Horn, J., Schapira, L., Santa-Maria, C., Ravelo, A., Benson, A., Gradishar, W. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2019.37.15_suppl.562

  View details for Web of Science ID 000487345803555

• Does the innovative 4R Cancer Care Delivery Model improve patient self-management in safety net and non-safety net centers? Trosman, J., Weldon, C. B., Makower, D. F., Rapkin, B. D., Bozier, M., Knightly, E., Schaeffer, C. M., Hoskins, K., Gallagher, C., Lo, S. S., Grace-Louthen, C., Throckmorton, A., Vanderwalde, L., Krueger, E. A., Van Horn, J., Schapira, L., Santa-Maria, C., Ravelo, A., Benson, A., Gradishar, W. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2019.37.15_suppl.6601

  View details for Web of Science ID 000487345806155

• Genomics of HER2+breast cancer in young women before and after exposure to chemotherapy (chemo) plus trastuzumab (H). Waks, A., Jain, E., Collins, L. C., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L., Come, S. E., Peppercorn, J. M., Borges, V. F., Warner, E., Snow, C., Partridge, A. H., Wagle, N. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2019.37.15_suppl.554

  View details for Web of Science ID 000487345803547

• Identifying distinct trajectories of change in young breast cancer survivors' sexual functioning PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY von Hippel, C., Rosenberg, S. M., Austin, S., Sprunck-Harrild, K., Ruddy, K. J., Schapira, L., Come, S., Borges, V. F., Partridge, A. H. 2019; 28 (5): 1033–40

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.5047

  View details for Web of Science ID 000467279600012

• Patient reported outcomes for cancer patients receiving immunotherapy: opportunities for palliative care - A Systematic Review. Journal of pain and symptom management Hall, E. T., Singhal, S., Dickerson, J., Gabster, B., Wong, H., Aslakson, R. A., Schapira, L. 2019

  Abstract

  CONTEXT: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are increasingly used to treat a variety of cancers, but comparatively little is known about patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients receiving these novel therapies.OBJECTIVES: We performed a systematic review to examine PROs and HRQoL among cancer patients receiving ICIs as compared to other anticancer therapies.METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus, using search terms representing ICIs, PROs and HRQoL on August 10, 2018. Eligible articles were required to involve cancer patients treated with ICIs and to report PROs and/or HRQoL data.RESULTS: We screened 1,453 references and included 15 publications representing 15 randomized controlled trials in our analysis. Studies included several cancer types (melanoma, lung cancer, genitourinary cancer, and head/neck cancer), utilized four different ICIs (nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, and ipilimumab), and compared ICIs to a wide range of therapies (chemotherapy, targeted therapies, other immunotherapy strategies, and placebo). Studies utilized a total of seven different PROs to measure HRQOL, most commonly the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer core quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) (n = 12, 80%). PRO data were reported in a variety of formats and at a variety of time points throughout treatment which made direct comparison challenging. Some trials (n=11, 73%) reported PROs on specific symptoms. In general, patients receiving ICIs had similar to improved HRQoL and experiences when compared to other therapies.CONCLUSION: Despite the broad clinical trials experience of ICI therapies across cancer types, relatively few randomized studies reported patient PROs and HRQoL data. Available data suggest that ICIs are well-tolerated in terms of HRQoL compared to other anticancer therapies although the conclusions are limited by the heterogeneity of trial designs and outcomes. Currently used instruments may fail to capture important symptomatology unique to ICIs, underscoring a need for PROs designed specifically for ICIs.

  View details for PubMedID 30905677

• "DID YOU FEEL THE EARTH SHAKE?" AN ONLINE CANCER COMMUNITY INTERPRETS RESULTS OF A PRACTICE-CHANGING TRIAL Hall, E., Schapira, L., Zeiger, R., Blayney, D. W., Trivedi, R. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC. 2019: S39

  View details for Web of Science ID 000473349400080

• Identifying Distinct Trajectories of Change in Young Breast Cancer Survivors' Sexual Functioning. Psycho-oncology von Hippel, C., Rosenberg, S. M., Austin, S. B., Sprunck-Harrild, K., Ruddy, K. J., Schapira, L., Come, S., Borges, V. F., Partridge, A. H. 2019

  Abstract

  OBJECTIVES: To identify and characterize distinct trajectories of change in young women's sexual functioning over five years following breast cancer diagnosis.METHODS: Group-based trajectory modeling was applied to the sexual functioning of 896 women diagnosed with stage I-IV breast cancer at age ≤40 years. The Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System was used to evaluate women's symptoms of sexual dysfunction annually for five years.RESULTS: Five distinct trajectories of sexual functioning were identified: one asymptomatic, one minimally symptomatic, two moderately symptomatic, and one severely symptomatic trajectory. 12% of women were asymptomatic throughout follow-up. The plurality of women experienced stable mild symptoms (42%). Amongst those with moderate symptoms, some experienced improvement over time (22%) while others experienced deterioration (13%). 11% experienced stable severe symptoms that did not remit over time. Independent predictors of experiencing a symptomatic rather than asymptomatic trajectory (p<0.05, two-sided) included diagnosis with stage 2 versus 1 disease, ER+ disease treated with oophorectomy or ovarian suppression, being partnered, having anxiety, poorer body image, and greater musculoskeletal pain.CONCLUSIONS: We identified distinct trajectories that describe the reported sexual symptoms in this cohort of young breast cancer survivors. The majority of women reported various degrees of sexual dysfunction that remained stable over the study period. There is, however, potential for improvement of moderate and severe symptoms of sexual dysfunction in early survivorship.

  View details for PubMedID 30817075

• Family-building decision aid and planning tool for young adult women after cancer treatment: protocol for preliminary testing of a web-based decision support intervention in a single-arm pilot study. BMJ open Benedict, C. n., Ford, J. S., Schapira, L. n., Simon, P. n., Spiegel, D. n., Diefenbach, M. n. 2019; 9 (12): e033630

  Abstract

  Many young adult female (YA-F) cancer survivors who received gonadotoxic therapy will experience fertility problems. After cancer, having a child will often require assisted reproductive technology (ART), surrogacy or adoption. However, there are significant informational, psychosocial, financial and logistical barriers to pursuing these options. Survivors report high rates of decision uncertainty and distress related to family-building decisions. The aim of this study is to pilot test a web-based decision aid and planning tool for family-building after cancer.The pilot study will use a single-arm trial design to test the feasibility and acceptability (aim 1) and obtain effect size estimates of the decision support intervention (aim 2). The target sample size is 100. Participants will include YA-F survivors (aged 18-45 years) who are post-treatment and have not completed desired family-building. A longitudinal prepost design will be conducted. Participants will complete three psychosocial assessment surveys over a 3-month time period to track decisional conflict (primary outcome) and cognitive, emotional, and behavioural functioning (secondary outcomes). After completing the baseline survey (T1; pre-intervention), participants will have access to the decision aid website. Postintervention surveys will be administered at 1-month (T2) and 3-month (T3) follow-up time points. Feasibility and acceptability metrics will be analysed. Pairwise t-tests will test mean scores of outcome variables from T1 to T2. Effect size estimates (Cohen's d) will be calculated. Google analytics will evaluate user engagement with the website over the study period. Baseline and follow-up data will examine measures of feasibility, acceptability and intervention effect size.This will be the first test of a supportive intervention to guide YA-F cancer survivors in family-building decisions and early planning. Study findings will inform intervention development. Future directions will include a randomised controlled trial to test intervention efficacy over a longer time period.NCT04059237; Pre-results.

  View details for DOI 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033630

  View details for PubMedID 31888941

• Prognostic Impact of the 21-Gene Recurrence Score Assay Among Young Women With Node-Negative and Node-Positive ER-Positive/HER2-Negative Breast Cancer. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Poorvu, P. D., Gelber, S. I., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Collins, L. C., Peppercorn, J. n., Schapira, L. n., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Warner, E. n., Jakubowski, D. M., Russell, C. n., Winer, E. P., Partridge, A. H. 2019: JCO1901959

  Abstract

  The 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay is prognostic among women with early-stage estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer and is used to inform recommendations for chemotherapy. Women ≤ 40 years of age represent a minority of patients studied using gene expression profiles.The Young Women's Breast Cancer Study is a prospective cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer at age ≤ 40 years and enrolled patients between 2006 and 2016 (N = 1,302). We identified patients with stage I-III ER+/HER2- breast cancer. The RS assay was performed on banked specimens for patients who had not been tested clinically. Distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS) was assessed by TAILORx and traditional RS risk groups among patients with axillary node-negative (N0) and limited node-positive (N1) breast cancer.Among eligible women (N = 577), 189 (33%) had undergone RS testing, and 320 (56%) had banked specimens sufficient for testing. Median follow-up was 6.0 years. Median age at diagnosis was 37.2 years; 300 of 509 patients (59%) had N0 breast cancer, of whom 195 (65%) had an RS of 11-25 and fewer than half (86 of 195; 44%) received chemotherapy. Six-year DRFS rates were 94.4% and 92.3% (RS < 11), 96.9% and 85.2% (RS 11-25), and 85.1% and 71.3% (RS ≥ 26) among women with N0 and N1 disease, respectively.The RS assay is prognostic among young women with node-negative and limited node-positive breast cancer, representing a valuable tool for risk stratification. Disease outcomes with a median follow-up of 6 years among young women with N0 disease and an RS of 0-25, a minority of whom received chemotherapy, and node-positive disease with an RS < 11 were very good, whereas those with N0 disease and an RS ≥ 26 or N1 disease with an RS ≥ 11 experienced substantial risk of early distant recurrence.

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.19.01959

  View details for PubMedID 31809240

• Targeting Mindsets, Not Just Tumors Trends in Cancer Zion, S. R., Schapira, L., Crum, A. J. 2019

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.trecan.2019.08.001

• Employment trends in young women following a breast cancer diagnosis. Breast cancer research and treatment Rosenberg, S. M., Vaz-Luis, I. n., Gong, J. n., Rajagopal, P. S., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Schapira, L. n., Come, S. n., Borges, V. n., de Moor, J. S., Partridge, A. H. 2019

  Abstract

  Little is known about how a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment affects job-related outcomes in young women with breast cancer, who are an integral part of the workforce. We sought to describe employment trends among young breast cancer survivors.911 women with non-metastatic breast cancer were surveyed about employment-related outcomes 1 year post-diagnosis. Participants were enrolled in the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study an ongoing, multi-center cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer at age ≤ 40.Among 911 women, median age at diagnosis was 36 years (range 17-40). Most women (80%, n = 729) were employed 1 year post-diagnosis. Among the 7% (n = 62) employed before diagnosis but who reported unemployment at 1 year, approximately half reported they were unemployed for health reasons. Among employed women, 7% said treatment affected their ability to perform their job. Women with stage-three disease (vs. stage 1 disease, odds ratio (OR): 3.73, 95% CI 1.39-9.97) and those who reported having money to pay bills after cutting back or difficulty paying bills at baseline (vs. having enough money for special things, OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.32-5.52) at baseline were more likely to have transitioned out of the workforce.Our results suggest an impact of disease burden and socioeconomic status on employment in young breast cancer survivors. There is a need to ensure young survivors who leave the workforce following diagnosis are sufficiently supported given the potential adverse psychosocial and financial impacts of unemployment on survivors, their families, communities, and society.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s10549-019-05293-x

  View details for PubMedID 31147983

• Evaluation of significant genome-wide association studies risk - SNPs in young breast cancer patients. PloS one Rath, M., Li, Q., Li, H., Lindstrom, S., Miron, A., Miron, P., Dowton, A. E., Meyer, M. E., Larson, B. G., Pomerantz, M., Seo, J., Collins, L. C., Vardeh, H., Brachtel, E., Come, S. E., Borges, V., Schapira, L., Tamimi, R. M., Partridge, A. H., Freedman, M., Ruddy, K. J. 2019; 14 (5): e0216997

  Abstract

  PURPOSE: Genome-wide-association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Most of these studies were conducted primarily in postmenopausal breast cancer patients. Therefore, we set out to assess whether or not these breast cancer variants are also associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer in young premenopausal patients.METHODS: In 451 women of European ancestry who had prospectively enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study for women diagnosed with breast cancer at or under age 40, we genotyped 44 SNPs that were previously associated with breast cancer risk. A control group was comprised of 1142 postmenopausal healthy women from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS). We assessed if the frequencies of the adequately genotyped SNPs differed significantly (p≤0.05) between the cohort of young breast cancer patients and postmenopausal controls, and then we corrected for multiple testing.RESULTS: Genotyping of the controls or cases was inadequate for comparisons between the groups for seven of the 44 SNPs. 9 of the remaining 37 were associated with breast cancer risk in young women with a p-value <0.05: rs10510102, rs1219648, rs13387042, rs1876206, rs2936870, rs2981579, rs3734805, rs3803662 and rs4973768. The directions of these associations were consistent with those in postmenopausal women. However, after correction for multiple testing (Benjamini Hochberg) none of the results remained statistically significant.CONCLUSION: After correction for multiple testing, none of the alleles for postmenopausal breast cancer were clearly associated with risk of premenopausal breast cancer in this relatively small study.

  View details for DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0216997

  View details for PubMedID 31125336

• Health after cancer: Early patient experience in a pilot survivorship clinic embedded in primary care. Schapira, L., Winget, M., Wu, S., Kim, J., Brown-Johnson, C. AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2018

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2018.36.34_suppl.180

  View details for Web of Science ID 000464876100171

• Online Communities as Sources of Peer Support for People Living With Cancer: A Commentary. Journal of oncology practice Gupta, T., Schapira, L. 2018: JOP1800261

  Abstract

  Online communities are virtual spaces dedicated to hosting conversations between individuals with a common interest. Information can be shared and obtained incrementally, as users can periodically post both questions and responses to other users' questions. Although online communities have been used frequently by patients for a myriad of health issues, much remains to be learned about these resources. In this commentary, we explore the emerging role of online communities as forums for information exchange and sources of support for patients with cancer and caregivers. We discuss selected examples of online communities launched by research institutions, advocacy groups, philanthropic organizations, start-ups, and novel enterprises featuring collaborations between industry, health care professionals, and advocates. We explore the risks and benefits of online communities as perceived by oncology clinicians and provide practical recommendations for improving communication between clinicians and patients about the use of online resources.

  View details for PubMedID 30335558

• MODERN CHEMOTHERAPY USE AMONG YOUNG WOMEN WITH EARLYSTAGE ER+/HER2-BREAST CANCER Poorvu, P., Gelber, S., Rosenberg, S., Ruddy, K., Tamimi, R., Peppercorn, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V., Come, S., Collins, L., Warner, E., Partridge, A. CHURCHILL LIVINGSTONE. 2018: S18

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.breast.2018.08.052

  View details for Web of Science ID 000446462300049

• Anxiety and Depression in Young Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study PSYCHOSOMATICS Park, E. M., Gelber, S., Rosenberg, S. M., Seah, D. E., Schapira, L., Come, S. E., Partridge, A. H. 2018; 59 (3): 251–58

  Abstract

  Young adults with cancer experience disruptions in their normal developmental trajectories and commonly experience psychologic distress related to their diagnoses. Young women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) are at particular risk of adverse mental health outcomes.We sought to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms in young women with newly diagnosed de novo MBC.A total of 54 women with newly diagnosed de novo MBC were identified from an ongoing, prospective, multicenter cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer at age <40. Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Items assessing socio-demographics, physical symptom burden, social support, and disease and treatment history, with complementary medical record review, were used to assess variables potentially associated with anxiety and depression symptoms.Mean HADS Depression score was 4.4 (standard deviation = 3.7) and mean HADS Anxiety score was 7.9 (standard deviation = 5.0). Eleven (20%) women scored ≥8 on the HADS Depression subscale, the suggested threshold for depression/anxiety screening, and 24 (44%) women scored ≥8 on the HADS Anxiety subscale. In a multivariable model of anxiety, higher physical symptom scores (odds ratio = 4.41, p = 0.005) was significantly associated with higher anxiety scores. None of the other variables improved the model fit.In this study, a considerable proportion of young women with newly diagnosed MBC experienced anxiety symptoms, although depression was less common. Future strategies focused on distress reduction in young MBC patients should focus on physical symptom management as well as anxiety identification and management.

  View details for PubMedID 29525523

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC5935568

• The Power of Trust. JAMA oncology Mou, E., Schapira, L., Kunz, P. 2018

  View details for PubMedID 29710067

• Management of side effects during and post-treatment in breast cancer survivors BREAST JOURNAL Palesh, O., Scheiber, C., Kesler, S., Mustian, K., Koopman, C., Schapira, L. 2018; 24 (2): 167–75

  Abstract

  Cancer-related fatigue, insomnia, and cancer-related cognitive impairment are commonly experienced symptoms that share psychological and physical manifestations. One or more of these symptoms will affect nearly all patients at some point during their course of treatment or survivorship. These side effects are burdensome and reduce patients' quality of life well beyond their cancer diagnosis and associated care treatments. Cancer-related fatigue, insomnia, and cancer-related cognitive impairment are likely to have multiple etiologies that make it difficult to identify the most effective method to manage them. In this review, we summarized the information on cancer-related fatigue, insomnia, and cancer-related cognitive impairment incidence and prevalence among breast cancer patients and survivors as well as recent research findings on pharmaceutical, psychological, and exercise interventions that have shown effectiveness in the treatment of these side effects. Our review revealed that most current pharmaceutical interventions tend to ameliorate symptoms only temporarily without addressing the underlying causes. Exercise and behavioral interventions are consistently more effective at managing chronic symptoms and possibly address an underlying etiology. Future research is needed to investigate effective interventions that can be delivered directly in clinic to a large portion of patients and survivors.

  View details for PubMedID 28845551

• Bridging gaps in breast cancer care: A pilot forum for mental health professionals Yang, R., Rabinowitz, B., Frank, M., Schapira, L., Wapnir, I. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2018

  View details for Web of Science ID 000425489402012

• Fertility interest, management and outcomes in young BRCA plus breast cancer survivors Poorvu, P. D., Gelber, S. I., Ruddy, K. J., Seiger, K., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Partridge, A. H., Rosenberg, S. M. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2018

  View details for Web of Science ID 000425489402194

• Fertility concerns and their impact on hormonal therapy decisions in young breast cancer survivors Poorvu, P. D., Ruddy, K. J., Gelber, S. I., Tamimi, R. M., Peppercorn, J., Schapira, L., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Partridge, A. H., Rosenberg, S. M. AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH. 2018

  View details for Web of Science ID 000425489401105

• Amani's Silence. oncologist Baider, L., Schapira, L. 2017

  View details for DOI 10.1634/theoncologist.2017-0207

  View details for PubMedID 28592623

• Normalization of compression-induced hemodynamics in patients responding to neoadjuvant chemotherapy monitored by dynamic tomographic optical breast imaging (DTOBI). Biomedical optics express Sajjadi, A. Y., Isakoff, S. J., Deng, B., Singh, B., Wanyo, C. M., Fang, Q., Specht, M. C., Schapira, L., Moy, B., Bardia, A., Boas, D. A., Carp, S. A. 2017; 8 (2): 555-569

  Abstract

  We characterize novel breast cancer imaging biomarkers for monitoring neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and predicting outcome. Specifically, we recruited 30 patients for a pilot study in which NACT patients were imaged using dynamic tomographic optical breast imaging (DTOBI) to quantify the hemodynamic changes due to partial mammographic compression. DTOBI scans were obtained pre-treatment (referred to as day 0), as well as 7 and 30 days into therapy on female patients undergoing NACT. We present data for the 13 patients who participated in both day 0 and 7 measurements and had evaluable data, of which 7 also returned for day 30 measurements. We acquired optical images over 2 minutes following 4-8 lbs (18-36 N) of compression. The timecourses of tissue-volume averaged total hemoglobin (HbT), as well as hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SO2) in the tumor vs. surrounding tissues were compared. Outcome prediction metrics based on the differential behavior in tumor vs. normal areas for responders (>50% reduction in maximum diameter) vs. non-responders were analyzed for statistical significance. At baseline, all patients exhibit an initial decrease followed by delayed recovery in HbT, and SO2 in the tumor area, in contrast to almost immediate recovery in surrounding tissue. At day 7 and 30, this contrast is maintained in non-responders; however, in responders, the contrast in hemodynamic time-courses between tumor and normal tissue starts decreasing at day 7 and substantially disappears at day 30. At day 30 into NACT, responding tumors demonstrate "normalization" of compression induced hemodynamics vs. surrounding normal tissue whereas non-responding tumors did not. This data suggests that DTOBI imaging biomarkers, which are governed by the interplay between tissue biomechanics and oxygen metabolism, may be suitable for guiding NACT by offering early predictions of treatment outcome.

  View details for DOI 10.1364/BOE.8.000555

  View details for PubMedID 28270967

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC5330555

• For Our Patients, for Ourselves: The Value of Personal Reflection in Oncology. American Society of Clinical Oncology educational book. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Meeting Schapira, L., Meisel, J. L., Srivastava, R. 2017; 37: 765-770

  Abstract

  Caring for patients with cancer is a great privilege as well as an emotionally and intellectually challenging task. Stress and burnout are prevalent among oncology clinicians, with serious repercussions for the care of patients. Professional societies must provide guidance for trainees and practicing physicians to mitigate the negative consequences of stress on their personal lives and medical practice. Reflection, reading, and writing about personal experiences provide outlets for fortifying personal reserves and promoting resilience to allow us to recognize the joy and meaning of our work and to forge connections with our peers. Herein, we present some of our own reflections on how and why one might take time to write, and about the power of the written word in oncology and medicine.

  View details for DOI 10.14694/EDBK_175520

  View details for PubMedID 28561701

• ESMO / ASCO Recommendations for a Global Curriculum in Medical Oncology Edition 2016. ESMO open Dittrich, C. n., Kosty, M. n., Jezdic, S. n., Pyle, D. n., Berardi, R. n., Bergh, J. n., El-Saghir, N. n., Lotz, J. P., Österlund, P. n., Pavlidis, N. n., Purkalne, G. n., Awada, A. n., Banerjee, S. n., Bhatia, S. n., Bogaerts, J. n., Buckner, J. n., Cardoso, F. n., Casali, P. n., Chu, E. n., Close, J. L., Coiffier, B. n., Connolly, R. n., Coupland, S. n., De Petris, L. n., De Santis, M. n., de Vries, E. G., Dizon, D. S., Duff, J. n., Duska, L. R., Eniu, A. n., Ernstoff, M. n., Felip, E. n., Fey, M. F., Gilbert, J. n., Girard, N. n., Glaudemans, A. W., Gopalan, P. K., Grothey, A. n., Hahn, S. M., Hanna, D. n., Herold, C. n., Herrstedt, J. n., Homicsko, K. n., Jones, D. V., Jost, L. n., Keilholz, U. n., Khan, S. n., Kiss, A. n., Köhne, C. H., Kunstfeld, R. n., Lenz, H. J., Lichtman, S. n., Licitra, L. n., Lion, T. n., Litière, S. n., Liu, L. n., Loehrer, P. J., Markham, M. J., Markman, B. n., Mayerhoefer, M. n., Meran, J. G., Michielin, O. n., Moser, E. C., Mountzios, G. n., Moynihan, T. n., Nielsen, T. n., Ohe, Y. n., Öberg, K. n., Palumbo, A. n., Peccatori, F. A., Pfeilstöcker, M. n., Raut, C. n., Remick, S. C., Robson, M. n., Rutkowski, P. n., Salgado, R. n., Schapira, L. n., Schernhammer, E. n., Schlumberger, M. n., Schmoll, H. J., Schnipper, L. n., Sessa, C. n., Shapiro, C. L., Steele, J. n., Sternberg, C. N., Stiefel, F. n., Strasser, F. n., Stupp, R. n., Sullivan, R. n., Tabernero, J. n., Travado, L. n., Verheij, M. n., Voest, E. n., Vokes, E. n., Von Roenn, J. n., Weber, J. S., Wildiers, H. n., Yarden, Y. n. 2016; 1 (5): e000097

  Abstract

  The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) are publishing a new edition of the ESMO/ASCO Global Curriculum (GC) thanks to contribution of 64 ESMO-appointed and 32 ASCO-appointed authors. First published in 2004 and updated in 2010, the GC edition 2016 answers to the need for updated recommendations for the training of physicians in medical oncology by defining the standard to be fulfilled to qualify as medical oncologists. At times of internationalisation of healthcare and increased mobility of patients and physicians, the GC aims to provide state-of-the-art cancer care to all patients wherever they live. Recent progress in the field of cancer research has indeed resulted in diagnostic and therapeutic innovations such as targeted therapies as a standard therapeutic approach or personalised cancer medicine apart from the revival of immunotherapy, requiring specialised training for medical oncology trainees. Thus, several new chapters on technical contents such as molecular pathology, translational research or molecular imaging and on conceptual attitudes towards human principles like genetic counselling or survivorship have been integrated in the GC. The GC edition 2016 consists of 12 sections with 17 subsections, 44 chapters and 35 subchapters, respectively. Besides renewal in its contents, the GC underwent a principal formal change taking into consideration modern didactic principles. It is presented in a template-based format that subcategorises the detailed outcome requirements into learning objectives, awareness, knowledge and skills. Consecutive steps will be those of harmonising and implementing teaching and assessment strategies.

  View details for DOI 10.1136/esmoopen-2016-000097

  View details for PubMedID 27843641

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC5070299

• Partner support and anxiety in young women with breast cancer. Psycho-oncology Borstelmann, N. A., Rosenberg, S. M., Ruddy, K. J., Tamimi, R. M., Gelber, S., Schapira, L., Come, S., Borges, V., Morgan, E., Partridge, A. H. 2015; 24 (12): 1679-85

  Abstract

  Using a large prospective cohort of women age 40 or younger diagnosed with breast cancer, we examined the relationship between perceived partner support and anxiety.Six hundred seventy-five young women with breast cancer Stages I-III, median age 36, completed a self-report baseline questionnaire. Perceived partner support was assessed using items extracted from the marital subscale of the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System; generalized social support was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey. Anxiety was measured using the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Multivariable logistic regression analyses evaluated the association between partner support, other sociodemographic factors, and anxiety.Mean age at diagnosis was 35.4 years. Fourteen percent of the women were not partnered, and among those who were partnered or in a significant relationship, 20% were categorized as unsupported. In univariate and multivariable analysis adjusting for sociodemographic factors, women in an unsupported-partnered relationship had higher odds of anxiety symptoms compared with women in a supported-partnered relationship. Young age and being financially insecure were also both independently associated with anxiety.Our findings suggest that partner support may play a key role in a young woman's adjustment to a serious stressor such as breast cancer. In addition, younger age increases vulnerability to anxiety as does struggling with finances. Because supportive efforts of a partner have potential to protect against the impact of stress, interventions to enhance partner support and reduce anxiety might be beneficial to address challenges experienced as a couple in this setting.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.3780

  View details for PubMedID 25765893

• Molecular Phenotype of Breast Cancer According to Time Since Last Pregnancy in a Large Cohort of Young Women. The oncologist Collins, L. C., Gelber, S., Marotti, J. D., White, S., Ruddy, K., Brachtel, E. F., Schapira, L., Come, S. E., Borges, V. F., Schedin, P., Warner, E., Wensley, T., Tamimi, R. M., Winer, E. P., Partridge, A. H. 2015; 20 (7): 713-8

  Abstract

  The increase in breast cancer risk during pregnancy and postpartum is well known; however, the molecular phenotype of breast cancers occurring shortly after pregnancy has not been well studied. Given this, we investigated whether nulliparity and the time interval since pregnancy among parous women affects the breast cancer phenotype in young women.We examined molecular phenotype in relation to time since pregnancy in a prospective cohort of 707 young women (aged ≤40 years) with breast cancer. Parity was ascertained from study questionnaires. Using tumor histologic grade on central review and biomarker expression, cancers were categorized as luminal A- or B-like, HER2 enriched, and triple negative.Overall, 32% were luminal A-like, 41% were luminal B-like, 9% were HER2 enriched, and 18% were triple negative. Although, numerically, patients diagnosed >5 years after pregnancy had more luminal A-like subtypes than women with shorter intervals since pregnancy, there was no evidence of a relationship between these intervals and molecular subtypes once family history of breast cancer and age at diagnosis were considered.Distribution of breast cancer molecular phenotype did not differ significantly among young women by parity or time interval since parturition when important predictors of tumor phenotype such as age and family history were considered.Distribution of breast cancer molecular phenotype did not differ among parous young women by time interval since pregnancy. The implication of these findings for clinical practice suggests that pregnancy-associated breast cancers may be seen up to 5 years beyond parturition.

  View details for DOI 10.1634/theoncologist.2014-0412

  View details for PubMedID 26025931

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4492229

• Treatment-related amenorrhea and sexual functioning in young breast cancer survivors. Cancer Rosenberg, S. M., Tamimi, R. M., Gelber, S., Ruddy, K. J., Bober, S. L., Kereakoglow, S., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Schapira, L., Partridge, A. H. 2014; 120 (15): 2264-71

  Abstract

  Sexual dysfunction is a known complication of adjuvant therapy for breast cancer and an important determinant of quality of life. However, few studies have explored how treatment and other factors affect sexual functioning in young breast cancer survivors.Four hundred sixty-one premenopausal women with stage 0 through III breast cancer were surveyed an average of 1 year after diagnosis as part of a prospective cohort study of women who were aged ≤40 years at diagnosis. Sexual interest and dysfunction were assessed using the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System (CARES). Mean CARES scores were compared and multiple regression models were fit to assess treatment and a range of menopausal and somatic symptoms in relation to sexual functioning.Mean CARES sexual interest and dysfunction scores were both highest (indicating poorer functioning) among women who received chemotherapy and were amenorrheic from treatment. After accounting for menopausal and somatic symptoms, treatment-associated amenorrhea remained associated with decreased interest but was no longer an independent predictor of dysfunction. In the multivariable analysis, independent predictors of dysfunction included vaginal pain symptoms, poorer body image, and fatigue. Sexual interest was associated with vaginal pain symptoms, body image, and weight problems.Factors associated with decreased sexual functioning in young breast cancer survivors can often be ameliorated. The current findings have implications for premenopausal women with other types of cancer who might be experiencing amenorrhea because of chemotherapy or surgery. Increased awareness and early intervention is essential to help improve sexual functioning and associated quality of life for all young cancer survivors.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/cncr.28738

  View details for PubMedID 24891236

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4116329

• The influence of the patient-clinician relationship on healthcare outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PloS one Kelley, J. M., Kraft-Todd, G., Schapira, L., Kossowsky, J., Riess, H. 2014; 9 (4): e94207

  Abstract

  To determine whether the patient-clinician relationship has a beneficial effect on either objective or validated subjective healthcare outcomes.Systematic review and meta-analysis.Electronic databases EMBASE and MEDLINE and the reference sections of previous reviews.Included studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in adult patients in which the patient-clinician relationship was systematically manipulated and healthcare outcomes were either objective (e.g., blood pressure) or validated subjective measures (e.g., pain scores). Studies were excluded if the encounter was a routine physical, or a mental health or substance abuse visit; if the outcome was an intermediate outcome such as patient satisfaction or adherence to treatment; if the patient-clinician relationship was manipulated solely by intervening with patients; or if the duration of the clinical encounter was unequal across conditions.Thirteen RCTs met eligibility criteria. Observed effect sizes for the individual studies ranged from d = -.23 to .66. Using a random-effects model, the estimate of the overall effect size was small (d = .11), but statistically significant (p = .02).This systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs suggests that the patient-clinician relationship has a small, but statistically significant effect on healthcare outcomes. Given that relatively few RCTs met our eligibility criteria, and that the majority of these trials were not specifically designed to test the effect of the patient-clinician relationship on healthcare outcomes, we conclude with a call for more research on this important topic.

  View details for DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0094207

  View details for PubMedID 24718585

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3981763

• Handling uncertainty. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer Schapira, L. 2014; 22 (3): 859-61

  Abstract

  Uncertainty is triggered by many events during the experience of illness - from hearing bad news to meeting a new doctor. Oncology professionals need to recognize the intense feelings associated with uncertainty and respond empathically to patients. This article describes opportunities to strengthen the therapeutic connection and minimize uncertainty.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s00520-013-2086-y

  View details for PubMedID 24337763

• Hemodynamic signature of breast cancer under fractional mammographic compression using a dynamic diffuse optical tomography system. Biomedical optics express Carp, S. A., Sajjadi, A. Y., Wanyo, C. M., Fang, Q., Specht, M. C., Schapira, L., Moy, B., Bardia, A., Boas, D. A., Isakoff, S. J. 2013; 4 (12): 2911-24

  Abstract

  Near infrared dynamic diffuse optical tomography measurements of breast hemodynamics during fractional mammographic compression offer a novel contrast mechanism for detecting breast cancer and monitoring chemotherapy. Tissue viscoelastic relaxation during the compression period leads to a slow reduction in the compression force and reveals biomechanical and metabolic differences between healthy and lesion tissue. We measured both the absolute values and the temporal evolution of hemoglobin concentration during 25-35 N of compression for 22 stage II and III breast cancer patients scheduled to undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy. 17 patients were included in the group analysis (average tumor size 3.2 cm, range: 1.3-5.7 cm). We observed a statistically significant differential decrease in total and oxy-hemoglobin, as well as in hemoglobin oxygen saturation in tumor areas vs. healthy tissue, as early as 30 seconds into the compression period. The hemodynamic contrast is likely driven by the higher tumor stiffness and different viscoelastic relaxation rate, as well as the higher tumor oxygen metabolism rate.

  View details for DOI 10.1364/BOE.4.002911

  View details for PubMedID 24409390

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3862147

• Body image in recently diagnosed young women with early breast cancer. Psycho-oncology Rosenberg, S. M., Tamimi, R. M., Gelber, S., Ruddy, K. J., Kereakoglow, S., Borges, V. F., Come, S. E., Schapira, L., Winer, E. P., Partridge, A. H. 2013; 22 (8): 1849-55

  Abstract

  To assess body image concerns among young women following a breast cancer diagnosis.A total of 419 women with recently diagnosed stage 0-III breast cancer were surveyed following enrollment as part of a prospective cohort study of women age 40 or younger at diagnosis. Body image was assessed using three items from the psycho-social scale of the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System (CARES). CARES scores range from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicative of greater image concerns. Mean CARES scores were calculated and compared between treatment groups using t-tests and analysis of variance. Multiple linear regression models were fit to evaluate the relationship between physical and psychological factors and body image.Mean time from diagnosis to completion of the baseline survey was 5.2 months. The mean CARES score for all women was 1.28. Mean CARES scores in the mastectomy-only group (1.87) and in the mastectomy with reconstruction group (1.52) were significantly higher (p < 0.0001) compared with the scores in the lumpectomy group (0.85), indicating that radical surgery was associated with more body image concerns. Radiation (p = 0.01), anxiety (p = 0.0001), depression (p < 0.0001), fatigue (p = 0.04), musculoskeletal pain symptoms (p < 0.0001), weight gain (p = 0.01), and weight loss (p = 0.02), in addition to surgery type (p < 0.0001), were all associated with more body image concerns in the multi-variable analysis.This analysis highlights the impact of treatment, along with physical and psychological factors, on body image early in the survivorship period. Our findings provide targets for potential future intervention and may aid young women in the surgical decision-making process.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.3221

  View details for PubMedID 23132765

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3594059

• The impact of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community factors on the identity formation of young adults with cancer: a qualitative study. Psycho-oncology Kumar, A. R., Schapira, L. 2013; 22 (8): 1753-8

  Abstract

  The purpose of this study was to examine how young adult cancer patients make sense of their experiences with cancer.Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients at an urban tertiary care centerThe sample for this study included 15 young adult cancer survivors. The ages of the participants ranged from 18 to 30 years. The sample was 67% female (n = 10) and 33% male (n = 5). The sample was 87% Caucasian (n = 13) and 13% Hispanic (n = 2). Fifty-three percent of the participants were between ages 18 and 23 years (n = 8), and 47% of the participants were between ages 24 and 30 years (n = 7). Three themes emerged from the data: intrapersonal change, interpersonal interactions, and role and identity in the hospital and the community. As they inevitably lose control in their lives, young adult patients seek to return to a familiar lifestyle that they consider as 'normal'. The formation of a revised identity and redefined set of norms allows the patients to regain control and express their individualism.This study contributes to our knowledge of the experiences of young adult cancer patients and survivors. The findings serve to inform young adults, caregivers, and health professionals on coping with illness and its aftermath.

  View details for DOI 10.1002/pon.3207

  View details for PubMedID 23080480

• Engaging referring physicians in the clinical trial process. Journal of oncology practice Baer, A. R., Michaels, M., Good, M. J., Schapira, L. 2012; 8 (1): e8-e10

  Abstract

  By building relationships with referring physicians and educating them about the clinical trial process, oncologists can help increase trial accrual among patients with cancer.

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JOP.2011.000476

  View details for PubMedID 22548019

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3266325

• A new look at informed consent for cancer clinical trials. Journal of oncology practice Baer, A. R., Good, M., Schapira, L. 2011; 7 (4): 267-70

  Abstract

  Informed consent is fundamental to the conduct of clinical trials. Prospective participants need to be adequately informed and given the opportunity to ask questions and consult with relatives or friends without feeling pressured or rushed.

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JOP.2011.000347

  View details for PubMedID 22043194

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC3140452

• Passing those endless hours. The journal of supportive oncology Schapira, L. 2010; 8 (3): 137-8

  View details for PubMedID 20552928

• Hospice by another name... It's still hard to talk about dying. The journal of supportive oncology Schapira, L. 2008; 6 (7): 323

  View details for PubMedID 18847076

• Patients as real time teachers. Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education Bandman, B. M., Bandman, C. E., Pennell, N., Schapira, L. 2007; 22 (2): 131-3

  View details for DOI 10.1007/BF03174363

  View details for PubMedID 17605630

• Palpable right breast mass in a pregnant woman. Nature clinical practice. Oncology Katz, M. S., Schapira, L., Harisinghani, M. G., Hughes, K. S. 2005; 2 (4): 218-21; quiz 1 p following 222

  Abstract

  A 29-year-old female presented with a palpable right breast mass at a 12-week prenatal visit. She had no family history of breast or ovarian cancer. Ultrasound revealed a 3 cm lobulated mass, which was confirmed to be malignant by a core biopsy. Postmastectomy pathology at 15 weeks' gestation demonstrated this mass to be a stage T2N0M0 high-grade invasive ductal carcinoma with 0/20 axillary nodes involved. A staging CT scan postpartum showed an enlarged right internal mammary lymph node, confirmed by MRI as suspicious for malignancy.Physical examination, breast ultrasound, core biopsy, mastectomy, CT scan, MRI.Pregnancy-associated breast carcinoma.Mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/ncponc0135

  View details for PubMedID 16264937

• Shared uncertainty. The journal of supportive oncology Schapira, L. 2004; 2 (1): 14, 18

  View details for PubMedID 15330368

• An existential oncologist. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Schapira, L. 2003; 21 (9 Suppl): 77s-78s

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2003.01.179

  View details for PubMedID 12743202

• A revisitation of "doc, how much time do I have?". Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Schapira, L., Eisenberg, P. D., MacDonald, N., Mumber, M. P., Loprinzi, C. 2003; 21 (9 Suppl): 8s-11s

  View details for DOI 10.1200/JCO.2003.01.156

  View details for PubMedID 12743179