Suneel D Kamath, Angela J Fought, Melissa M Shaw, Andrew A Davis
{"title":"Association of Financial Conflicts of Interest With Academic Productivity Among Junior Faculty in Hematology and Oncology","authors":"Suneel D Kamath, Angela J Fought, Melissa M Shaw, Andrew A Davis","doi":"10.46883.2022.25920948","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46883.2022.25920948","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Financial conflicts of interest (COIs) represent a common and complex issue in hematology and oncology. However, little is known about the timing of when COIs begin to develop during a career trajectory. We evaluated self-reported COIs for junior faculty members at top cancer centers to determine how these financial relationships correlated with measures of academic career productivity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed data from 230 assistant professors at 10 academic cancer centers. Financial COIs were identified from the CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act dollars) database. Self-reported COIs were obtained from American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and American Society of Hematology (ASH) disclosures, and from disclosures in recent publications. Number of publications and h-index (defined as the largest number of publications [h] such that h publications each have at least h citations) were used as measures of academic productivity. Scatter plots and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationship between COIs or Sunshine Act dollars with number of publications and h-index. Linear regression modeling was used to analyze the relationships between COIs or Sunshine Act dollars with number of publications and h-index, adjusting for years of experience since completing fellowship (YSF).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 46% of junior faculty had at least 1 COI. Number of COIs reported to ASCO/ASH was positively correlated with total Sunshine Act dollars (Spearman correlation, 0.53; <i>P</i> <.01). The number of COIs and the number of Sunshine Act dollars increased with years in practice (Spearman correlation, 0.38 and 0.25, respectively; P <.01 for both). COIs and Sunshine Act dollars correlated with h-index (Spearman correlation, 0.41 and 0.37, respectively; both <i>P</i> <.01). After adjusting for YSF, linear regression demonstrated that log-transformed h-index and number of publications were associated with Sunshine Act dollars (both <i>P</i> <.01) and COIs (ASCO/ASH) (both <i>P</i> = .01).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Financial COIs increased with number of YSF. Measures of academic productivity were positively correlated with COIs (ASCO/ASH) and Sunshine Act dollars. These data suggest that the cultivation of industry relationships is associated with the early academic productivity of junior faculty.</p>","PeriodicalId":520728,"journal":{"name":"Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"84-91"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39934490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mehmet Sitki Copur, Caleb W Schroeder, Quan Ly, Whitney Wedel, Jacqueline R Kelly, Paul Rodriguez, Soe Min Tun, Nicholas Lintel, Adam J Horn, Bronson Riley
{"title":"Complete Pathologic Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy and Oxaliplatin-Induced Fever Associated With IL-6 Release in a Patient With Locally Advanced Colon Cancer","authors":"Mehmet Sitki Copur, Caleb W Schroeder, Quan Ly, Whitney Wedel, Jacqueline R Kelly, Paul Rodriguez, Soe Min Tun, Nicholas Lintel, Adam J Horn, Bronson Riley","doi":"10.46883.2022.25920944","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46883.2022.25920944","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neoadjuvant systemic therapy is a preferred treatment approach for a number of tumor types due to many potential advantages over upfront surgery, including tumor downstaging, early treatment of micrometastatic disease, and providing an in vivo test of tumor biology. For colon cancer, current standard of care is upfront surgery followed by adjuvant systemic therapy in high-risk patients. Concerns about inaccurate radiological staging and tumor progression during preoperative treatment, as well the lack of randomized data demonstrating benefit, are among the reasons for the limited use of neoadjuvant therapy in this disease. Locally advanced colon cancer, defined as primary colon cancer with direct invasion into the adjacent structures or extensive regional lymph node involvement, is not always amenable to pathological complete resection, and when attempted it comes with high incidence of postoperative morbidity and mortality because of the required multivisceral resection. Clinical trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer to date have been promising with downstaging of disease and higher rates of R0 resection. Here, we report a case of a patient with locally advanced, unresectable, mismatch repair deficient sigmoid colon cancer who was treated with neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy followed by surgical resection leading to a complete pathologic response after preoperative systemic chemoimmunotherapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":520728,"journal":{"name":"Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"115-119"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39934489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Follicular Lymphoma: a Focus on Current and Emerging Therapies","authors":"Kirk E Cahill, Sonali M Smith","doi":"10.46883.2022.25920946","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46883.2022.25920946","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common indolent lymphoma and is characterized by a relapsing and remitting course. In addition to significant biologic heterogeneity, the clinical trajectory for patients is variable, with some being observed for many years, and others having aggressive disease requiring multiple treatment courses. Unfortunately, FL remains incurable, and continues to cause early mortality. Improved understanding of the genetic and immune biology of FL has led to several FDA-approved therapies in the relapsed and refractory setting, including PI3K inhibitors; immunomodulatory agents; the EZH2 inhibitor, tazemetostat; and anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, axicabtagene ciloleucel. This review outlines the current approach to the diagnosis and treatment of FL with a focus on emerging investigational therapies, including targeted protein inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates, monoclonal antibodies, bispecific antibodies, and novel combination strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":520728,"journal":{"name":"Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"97-106"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9329020/pdf/nihms-1817137.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39934488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Academic Promotion and Oncology Drug Development: Role, Responsibilities, and Integrity","authors":"Nora Janjan","doi":"10.46883.2022.25920949","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46883.2022.25920949","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nora Janjan, MD, MPSA, MBA, gives her perspective on oncology drug development through academic promotion.</p>","PeriodicalId":520728,"journal":{"name":"Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"90"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39632372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mane Gizhlaryan, Tigran Aghabekyan, Tatev Arakelyan, Meri Petrosyan, Samvel Iskanyan, Gevorg Tamamyan, Lilit Sargsyan, Ruzanna Papyan
{"title":"Opsoclonus-Myoclonus-Associated Neuroblastoma With Bone Marrow Metastases: What Would Be the Best Treatment Option?","authors":"Mane Gizhlaryan, Tigran Aghabekyan, Tatev Arakelyan, Meri Petrosyan, Samvel Iskanyan, Gevorg Tamamyan, Lilit Sargsyan, Ruzanna Papyan","doi":"10.46883/ONC.2021.3510.0665","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46883/ONC.2021.3510.0665","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A 1.9-year-old girl was presented to the hospital with dancing eye movements, ataxia, and behavioral disorders. The MRI showed a retroperitoneal tumor (transversal size: 3.9 x 2.5 cm, craniocaudal size: 4.6 cm) extending from T12 to L3 vertebral bodies (Figure), which was suspicious for neuroblastoma. Afterwards, biopsy of the lesion and bone marrow was performed. The initial pathological evaluation (CD56+, PHOX2B+, NKX2-, Ki67 50%-55%, NSE+, CD99-) of the tumor and bone marrow confirmed the diagnosis of poorly differentiated, high-risk neuroblastoma.</p>","PeriodicalId":520728,"journal":{"name":"Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"665-667"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39540423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jeremy Jones, Kristen Ciombor, Christina Wu, Tanios Bekaii-Saab, John Strickler
{"title":"Addressing Resistance to Targeted Therapies in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.","authors":"Jeremy Jones, Kristen Ciombor, Christina Wu, Tanios Bekaii-Saab, John Strickler","doi":"10.46883/ONC.2021.3510.0654","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46883/ONC.2021.3510.0654","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In the mid-1980s, the median overall survival (OS) for patients with mCRC ranged from 10 to 12 months from the time of initial diagnosis. In more recent studies, this median has more than doubled and is commonly reported at more than 25 to 30 months. These improvements are due, in large part, to the introduction of multiple novel agents during the last 3 decades. Despite these improvements, however, nearly all patients treated with palliative chemotherapy will eventually develop resistance and ultimately succumb to progression of metastatic disease. Understanding the mechanisms by which malignant cells evade treatment could unlock novel therapeutic strategies that overcome resistance and improve survival. In this review, we will discuss some of the drivers of therapeutic resistance in patients with mCRC and present some novel strategies to overcome resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":520728,"journal":{"name":"Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"654-660"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39540421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"COLOMATE challenge to overcome resistance in metastatic colorectal cancer.","authors":"Takayuki Yoshino","doi":"10.46883/ONC.2021.3510.0656","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46883/ONC.2021.3510.0656","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520728,"journal":{"name":"Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"656"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39540422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Evolving Relationship Between Medical Oncologists and Genetic Counselors in Prostate Cancer.","authors":"Jun Gong","doi":"10.46883/ONC.2021.3510.0650","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46883/ONC.2021.3510.0650","url":null,"abstract":"Important to the success of this model would likely be the degree of clinician experience (ie, how comprehensive their genetic counseling training has been), the clinician's comfort level, and the supporting staff or resources available to the clinician to operate a provider-led germline testing model.4 Members of a consensus panel discussing germline testing have pointed out that clinicians who lack genetics training may experience numerous obstacles when counseling patients, in particular obstacles related to limited knowledge of the downstream impact of genetic testing, such as health insurance coverage, implications for life insurance, and protections afforded by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.5 Discussions about the importance and management of variants of unknown significance could be confusing for the patient even in the posttesting stage without appropriate knowledge and training on the clinician's part. Mauer et al have described the value of virtual counseling and technological adaptations, including billing practices and coordination of education and outreach opportunities, that have been made during the pandemic and have helped genetic counselors.6 Such adaptations represent only a few of the evolving strategies that we as medical oncologists, in conjunction with our health care team, must seek out and implement to help our genetic counseling colleagues reach an expanding population of prostate cancer patients in need of evidence-based germline testing. Inherited DNA-repair gene mutations in men with metastatic prostate cancer.","PeriodicalId":520728,"journal":{"name":"Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"650"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39533431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Clinically Meaningful Outcome Measures: A Role for Geriatric Assessment.","authors":"Nora Kovar, Melissa Teply","doi":"10.46883/ONC.2021.3510.0624","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46883/ONC.2021.3510.0624","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520728,"journal":{"name":"Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"624"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39533433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rachael Galvin, Christine Chung, Ella Achenbach, Oliwier Dziadkowiec, Shiraj Sen
{"title":"Barriers to Clinical Trial Enrollment in Patients With Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Eligible for Early-Phase Clinical Trials.","authors":"Rachael Galvin, Christine Chung, Ella Achenbach, Oliwier Dziadkowiec, Shiraj Sen","doi":"10.46883/ONC.2020.3410.0407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.46883/ONC.2020.3410.0407","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Early-phase clinical trials are critical to the advancement of cancer care, especially in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, given its aggressive nature and limited available therapeutic options.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective chart review of all patients with refractory or metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, referred to the Sarah Cannon Research Institute at HealthONE between 2014 and 2019, were reviewed. Patients who completed genomic profiling and qualified for a phase 1 trial (primarily 1a but some 1b) were identified to assess barriers to trial enrollment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 74 identified patients, 54 patients (73%) qualified for at least 1 clinical trial based on eligibility criteria and alterations detected via molecular profiling. Up to 40 industry-sponsored clinical trials were available during this time for consideration. Of the 54, 28 patients (52%) enrolled in a clinical trial, while 26 (48%) did not enroll. The most frequently cited barriers to enrollment were concerns regarding time commitment (12%), prolonged wait time for enrollment (12%), and fear of adverse events (8%). Seven of the 26 patients (27%) were lost to follow-up or had no stated reason for declining enrollment; others did not go on trial due to death/transition to hospice (n=5; 19%) or progression of disease/declining functional status (n=4; 15%). There were few statistically significant differences between patients who chose to go on trial and those who declined.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>An understanding of why eligible patients elect not to participate in early-phase clinical trials provides insight into the patient experience and can help identify misperceptions and areas for improvement in education and the clinical trial enrollment process.</p>","PeriodicalId":520728,"journal":{"name":"Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"407-412"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"38492803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}