outcomes

Stress over medical finances tied to worse outcomes for some cancer patients, study finds

Source: www.beckershospitalreview.com Author: Erica Carbajal Head and neck cancer patients who reported high levels of financial worry, or financial toxicity, at the start of treatment were about twice as likely to have worse outcomes, according to research findings published in the April 2021 edition of Oral Oncology. Researchers from Buffalo, N.Y.-based Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center surveyed 284 patients with head and neck cancers to assess their quality of life before and after treatment. The responses were then evaluated in comparison with patients' clinical outcomes. "The association we found was very strong, very concerning," said Anurag Singh, MD, senior study author. "If you are worried about your finances, your risk of dying is roughly double." Researchers performed both multivariable and matched-pair analyses. Results showed those who reported the highest levels of financial toxicity at the start of treatment had worse outcomes in terms of both overall survival and cancer-specific survival. A matched-pair analysis of 66 patients found those with financial toxicity had worse overall survival outcomes, with a hazard ratio of 2.72 and worse cancer-specific survival, with a hazard ratio of 3.75. "We want everyone to be aware of these impacts," Dr. Singh said. "Doctors should consider how financial toxicity may be impacting their patients, and do everything we can to improve our patients' quality of life, and we want to encourage patients to take advantage of financial counseling and every other resource that can lessen their burden." Researchers chose to focus on those with head and neck cancers for [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2021-03-10T20:34:08-07:00March, 2021|Oral Cancer News|

Blood test for HPV may help predict risk in cancer patients

Source: www.newswise.com Author: University of North Carolina Health Care System A blood test for the human papillomavirus, or HPV, may help researchers forecast whether patients with throat cancer linked to the sexually transmitted virus will respond to treatment, according to preliminary findings from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. HPV can cause oropharyngeal cancer, which is a cancer of the throat behind the mouth, including the base of the tongue and tonsils. Studies have shown that patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer have better outcomes than patients whose cancer is not linked to the virus. Preliminary findings presented at this year’s American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting suggest a genetic test for HPV16 in the blood could be useful to help assess risk for patients, and could help identify patients suitable for lower treatment doses. “Our work on this blood test is ongoing, but we are optimistic that ‘liquid biopsy’ tests such as ours may be useful in the personalization of therapy for many patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer,” said the study’s senior author Gaorav P. Gupta, MD, PhD, UNC Lineberger member and assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology. To avoid over-treating patients and to spare them from toxic treatment side effects, UNC Lineberger’s Bhisham Chera, MD, an associate professor in the radiation oncology department, led studies testing whether favorable-risk patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer can be treated successfully with lower doses of radiation and chemotherapy. A phase II clinical trial [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-10-04T07:58:11-07:00October, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

UT MD Anderson article offers one roadmap for defining value in health care, earns national award from leading journal

Source: http://www.newswise.com Author: University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center A team from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is receiving a national award for a research article tackling a question vital to the future of health care with reform regulations looming, competition growing and costs rising. The MD Anderson study took on the complex question of defining value in health care and for its paper that outlines one approach, the team has been awarded the 2012 Edgar C. Hayhow Article of the Year Award. Presented by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the winning paper appeared in the organization's publication, the Journal of Healthcare Management, in the November/December 2010 issue. The Hayhow Award was created in 1959 as a tribute to the organization's 14th chair and the first practicing administrator to earn a doctoral degree. The award will be presented in March at the ACHE's annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Chicago. "The medical community understands how fundamental the concept of value is to improve the quality and delivery of care because it impacts patients, hospitals, physicians, insurance providers and regulators," said Thomas W. Feeley, M.D., professor and head of the Division of Anesthesiology and Critical Care and the corresponding author of the study. "We've been looking at this complex question for many years and our paper outlines an approach that has been successful at MD Anderson and one that, we believe, can be applied throughout our institution. While we don't assert that this approach [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-02-03T19:56:16-07:00February, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

The Australian PET Data Collection Project is amassing more evidence that shows that PET positively changes management plans for cancer patients

Source: Journal of Nuclear Medicine (October 2008, Vol. 49:10, pp. 1593-1599) Author: Dr. Andrew Scott et al. Led by Dr. Andrew Scott, director of the Centre for PET at Austin Hospital in Melbourne, the newest research shows that PET provides important prognostic information in a large proportion of patients with untreated head and neck cancer, and detects additional sites of disease. The prospective study, published in the October issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine (October 2008, Vol. 49:10, pp. 1593-1599), was conducted at three Australian PET centers between December 17, 2003, and June 3, 2005. The criteria for enrollment included patients who previously had untreated carcinoma of the nasal cavity, nasopharynx, oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx, or had metastatic disease involving cervical lymph nodes from an unknown primary. Patients underwent examination under anesthesia and biopsy to confirm their diagnosis of cancer. Contrast-enhanced CT of the neck was required within six weeks of the PET scan. Patients fasted for a minimum of six hours before the PET study and received a dose of 120-440 MBq FDG intravenously. After a minimum uptake period of 45 minutes, researchers acquired PET data from the skull vertex to at least the lower abdomen. Treatment plans Before receiving the results of the PET scans, researchers asked referring clinicians to document their management plan for the patient, as if PET findings were not available, but with access to all other clinical and conventional imaging results. The management plan provided information on options such as surgery, [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-10-10T03:50:59-07:00October, 2008|Oral Cancer News|