This study aimed to examine the perceived challenges and attitudes toward home-based treatment for hematology and hemato-oncology patients among physicians and nurses.

A qualitative study was conducted based on 23 semistructured interviews with physicians (n = 11) and nurses (n = 12) from eight hospitals across Israel. The participants were recruited using opportunistic sampling, and the interviews were analyzed thematically using an inductive reflexive thematic analysis approach. Data saturation was achieved.

Three overarching themes emerged: (1) the hospital as a safe haven: the conflict between hospital safety and the benefits of home treatment; participants emphasized the importance of hospital-based monitoring and expressed concerns about patient safety in home settings; (2) building a well-functioning home treatment system vs. fearing loss of control; while envisioning an organized, hospital-led model, participants stressed the need for trained staff, dedicated coordination, and clinical oversight; and (3) balancing costs, risks, and institutional support; participants highlighted financial disincentives, infrastructure gaps, and the role of professional trust in promoting patient acceptance.

Although healthcare professionals recognize the potential benefits of home-based treatment, their support is contingent upon robust clinical protocols, institutional alignment, and clear coordination mechanisms. These findings underscore the central role of provider engagement in advancing safe and sustainable models of home care for hematology and hemato-oncology patients. The study offers practical insights that will assist in implementing health policies, developing clinical programs, and organizational planning for the safe and sustainable implementation of nonpalliative home care in hematology and hemato-oncology.

Spirituality is important in cancer care. Few studies have assessed the spiritual needs (SN) of cancer patients. The aim of this study was to assess the SN of cancer patients and evaluate its relationship with their health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

We conducted a unicenter cross-sectional study of patients undergoing cancer treatment. We used validated instruments (Duke University Religion Index-DUREL, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Spiritual Well Being-FACIT-SP, and Spiritual Needs Assessment for Patients-SNAP) and a questionnaire about the healthcare team's approach to spirituality.

From March to October/2022, 150 patients were included: 75 receiving curative-intent and 75 under palliative cancer-directed therapy. Patients who wished a spirituality approach by the healthcare team had higher SN than patients who did not want it (p < 0.0001), but lower HRQOL scores (p = 0.004). Neither SN nor HRQOL differed according to treatment intention (p = 0.444 and p = 0.159 respectively). There was a weak correlation between SN and HRQOL. The answers about the wish for a spirituality approach were grouped in four categories: (1) approach by the health team, (2) comprehension of spirituality/religiosity, (3) impact of the spirituality/religiosity approach, and (4) self-referential or other-referential responses. Participants perceived very few discussions on spirituality.

In our study, patients who wished a spiritual approach had higher SN and lower QOL. SN were not related to cancer treatment intentions. Further studies could evaluate screening and interventions in this area.

Black men experience the highest prostate cancer (CaP) burden among all racial and ethnic groups, underscoring the urgent need for research to guide the development and implementation of culturally tailored strategies aimed at reducing disparities and improving health outcomes. Survivorship care resources are recommended to educate patients and provide them with better information about their cancer diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care, thereby empowering them to be active participants in their own survivorship care for improved quality of life and well-being. Due to the lack of culturally relevant survivorship care, we aimed to develop a survivorship care toolkit (SCT) that includes a survivorship care roadmap template tailored to Black men to address the unique survivorship care needs of Black prostate cancer survivors (CaPS). Our approach is grounded in the science of survivorship and rooted in the science of community engagement, which requires a genuine, bidirectional relationship between scientists and survivor-advocates.

Following literature and guideline review of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) survivorship care template, we employed a three-pronged method to develop the toolkit that included a literature review, a consensus-building approach with diverse stakeholders, and in-depth interviews with Black prostate cancer survivors (CaPS).

Following community-engaged research, we included 22 diverse Black CaPS to review and tailor the SCT. Results supported the enhancement of the ASCO template by incorporating and expanding domains including family history, care team contacts, follow-up and surveillance, symptom management, quality of life, survivor-specific concerns, major comorbidities, health advisories, and culturally relevant resources.

Black CaPS expressed satisfaction with the tailored SCT as a tool and a credible, clinically, and community-responsive resource to improve follow-up and survivorship care, patient documentation, activation, and communication about their survivorship concerns and needs.

Bone marrow carcinomatosis (BMC) is a rare but clinically relevant manifestation of metastatic breast cancer (mBC), characterized by diffuse marrow infiltration and hematologic dysfunction. Evidence on epidemiology, clinical presentation, prognosis, and optimal treatment is limited. We performed a bicentric retrospective real-world analysis of patients diagnosed with BMC, representing the largest reported European cohort to date.

We retrospectively analyzed 37 patients diagnosed with BMC at two German university breast cancer centers between 2010 and 2023. Clinical characteristics, hematologic abnormalities, metastatic patterns, treatments, and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Incidence estimates were calculated based on institutional breast cancer and mBC populations. A systematic literature review contextualized the findings.

The estimated incidence of BMC was 2.6% among patients with mBC and 0.5% among all breast cancer cases. Most patients had HR-positive/HER2-negative disease (89%). Hematologic abnormalities were frequent, including anemia (84%), thrombocytopenia (76%), and pancytopenia (57%). Median OS after BMC diagnosis was 12 months (95% CI 6.0-38.0). Patients with bone-only metastases did not reach median OS, whereas those with additional metastatic sites had a median OS of 9 months (95% CI 5.0-12.0). Patients receiving endocrine therapy plus CDK4/6 inhibition showed numerically longer OS (34 months, 95% CI 5.0-NA) compared with chemotherapy alone (12 months, 95% CI 5.0-38.0).

BMC remains a rare but challenging complication of mBC. Endocrine-based targeted therapy may improve outcomes in selected HR-positive/HER2-negative patients. Larger multicenter studies are needed to optimize diagnosis and treatment strategies.

This study investigated variations in breast cancer mortality among women in San Luis Potosí, Mexico using an epidemiologicalspatial approach covering the period 2009-2019. Additionally, global and specific survival and its associations with clinical stage, age at diagnosis, marginalization index, recurrence and arsenic concentration in water were evaluated. We conducted a retrospective ecological, study involving1, 626 confirmed breast cancer cases and 264 related deaths registered at a public hospital. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log-Rank tests. Spatial distribution patterns of municipal average mortality were assessed using Moran's I and visualized in ArcMap 10.1. At the state-level the mean age at diagnosis among deceased patients was 53.49 years, with 84% presenting at advanced stages (IIB-IV). A progressively increased mortality, particularly in Health Jurisdiction IV and the municipality of Cerro de San Pedro, was observed, with peaks in 2016. The 5-year global survival rate was 83.78%. Factors significantly associated with reduced survival included advanced stage, older age, higher marginalization index and recurrence. Although arsenic exposure was not statistically significant, patients exposed to levels exceeding 0.025 mg/L exhibited longer survival times. The integration of spatial epidemiology with survival analysis underscored critical geographic and sociodemographic disparities and offer valuable insights for targeted healthcare planning and resource allocation, particularly in high-priority regions.

Post-transplant malignancy is a major determinant of long-term outcomes after solid organ transplantation. Whether simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplantation confers a differential post-transplant cancer risk compared With kidney transplantation alone (KA) remains uncertain.

We conducted a retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study of adult transplant recipients at three Mayo Clinic sites between 2001 and 2017. SPK recipients (n = 484) were matched 1:1 with KA recipients using propensity scores. The primary outcome was post-transplant cancer incidence analyzed using Fine-Gray competing risks regression with death as a competing event. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated relative to the US general population. Cox proportional hazards models with cancer modeled as a time-varying covariate evaluated associations with mortality and death-censored graft failure.

Over a median follow-up of 10 years, overall cancer incidence was similar between SPK and KA recipients (subdistribution hazard ratio [sHR] 0.80, 95% CI 0.63-1.02; p = 0.07). The observed trend toward lower cancer incidence in SPK recipients was driven by a lower incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) (sHR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53-0.97; p = 0.03), which was attenuated after age adjustment (sHR 0.76, p = 0.07). Incidence of other malignancies did not differ between groups. Compared with the US general population, cancer risk excluding NMSC was approximately twofold higher in both cohorts (SIR 2.18 for SPK vs. 2.23 for KA). Incident malignancy was strongly associated with increased mortality (HR 3.40 in KA and 2.07 in SPK) but not with a statistically significant increase in graft failure.

In this propensity score-matched cohort study, overall post-transplant malignancy incidence was comparable between SPK and KA recipients. Both groups experienced substantially elevated cancer risk relative to the general population, and incident malignancy was strongly associated with mortality. These findings suggest that malignancy risk is driven primarily by shared immunologic and demographic factors rather than transplant type.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is an aggressive peripheral T-cell lymphoma with poor outcomes, and the role of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) as consolidation after frontline therapy remains controversial. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the National Cancer Database, including adults diagnosed with AITL between 2004 and 2020 who received frontline systemic therapy. Patients were categorized as chemotherapy alone (Chemo) or chemotherapy followed by ASCT (Chemo + ASCT). To mitigate immortal time bias, prespecified landmark analyses were performed, with a 6-month landmark analysis as the primary approach and a 9-month landmark analysis as a sensitivity analysis. Multivariable Cox regression and propensity score weighting using inverse probability of treatment weighting for the average treatment effect were used to address measured confounding. Among 3996 patients receiving systemic therapy, 686 (17.2%) underwent ASCT. In the 6-month landmark analysis, ASCT was associated with improved overall survival (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.45-0.62; p < 0.001). Findings were consistent in the 9-month landmark analysis (HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.49-0.69; p < 0.001) and IPTW-adjusted model (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.44-0.60; p < 0.001). In this large real-world cohort, ASCT consolidation was consistently associated with improved survival in patients with AITL. Although treatment-response data were unavailable and residual confounding cannot be excluded, these findings provide supportive real-world evidence and warrant prospective studies with treatment-timing and response data to better define patient selection.

To evaluate pregnancy, peripartum, neonatal, and oncologic outcomes in pregnant patients with cervical cancer treated with neoadjuvant paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy followed by cesarean radical hysterectomy (CRH).

This retrospective single-center study included nine pregnant women diagnosed with histologically confirmed cervical cancer during pregnancy who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and subsequently underwent CRH between 2011 and 2023. Maternal clinical characteristics, chemotherapy-related toxicities, surgical outcomes, placental pathology, and neonatal outcomes were reviewed. Disease-free survival and overall survival were descriptively assessed.

The median gestational age at diagnosis was 14.1 weeks (range, 4.2-28.1 weeks). All patients received paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy after the first trimester (median, three cycles). The median gestational age at CRH was 33.5 weeks (range, 30.6-36.3 weeks). Median estimated blood loss was 1800 mL, and most patients required perioperative transfusion. Placental examination frequently demonstrated maternal underperfusion. One infant was small for gestational age, and most neonates were admitted to the NICU for prematurity-related monitoring; all complications resolved without long-term sequelae. During a median follow-up of 62 months, no recurrence or death was observed.

Neoadjuvant paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy followed by CRH allowed continuation of pregnancy until delivery in this small cohort of patients with cervical cancer during pregnancy. Despite frequent NICU admission, prematurity-related complications, and substantial surgical morbidity, neonatal complications were mostly transient and long-term oncologic outcomes appeared reassuring. These findings support the feasibility of this multidisciplinary treatment approach in carefully selected patients who wish to continue their pregnancy.

ObjectiveDifferentiation of simple and type 1 hepatic hydatid cysts is challenging because of their similar contents and radiological appearance. We aimed to compare the density values of simple and Type 1 hepatic hydatid cysts measured on computed tomography.MethodsPatients with histopathologically, serologically, or macroscopically confirmed Type 1 hydatid or simple hepatic cysts were included in the study. Mean density values, expressed in Hounsfield units, were measured on axial images of contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography scans. The results of the two groups were compared using statistical analysis, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsA total of 51 Type 1 hydatid and 36 simple cysts were included in the study. The mean age of patients with hydatid cysts was significantly lower than that of patients with simple cysts (p = 0.015). The mean diameter of lesions in the hydatid group was significantly larger than that in the simple cyst group (p < 0.001). Multiple-segment extension, as well as involvement of segments I, II, III, V, VI, and VII, was more common in the hydatid group, whereas involvement of segments IV and VIII was more frequent in the simple cyst group. The mean density of hydatid cysts (9.2 ± 8.8 Hounsfield units) was slightly higher than that of simple cysts (7.3 ± 6.5 Hounsfield units), but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.301). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 54.6%. Male gender (p = 0.026) and younger patient age (p = 0.002) were significantly associated with the presence of a hydatid cyst. Additionally, increasing lesion size positively correlated with the likelihood of a hydatid cyst diagnosis (p = 0.001).ConclusionComputed tomography densitometry is not a reliable tool for discriminating between Type 1 hydatid and simple hepatic cysts, consistent with previous findings for other quantitative measurements using magnetic resonance imaging and elastosonography. Additionally, younger male patients with larger cysts were more likely to have a diagnosis of hepatic hydatid cyst.

Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors are standard for treating hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer when combined with endocrine therapy. However, comparisons of first-line treatments are scarce.

In this retrospective study, we aimed to determine the effects and safety of ribociclib and palbociclib as first-line treatments for metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in real-world settings at two tertiary medical centers.

This retrospective observational study, conducted in two tertiary medical centers, included patients receiving palbociclib or ribociclib in combination with endocrine therapy. Treatment responses were assessed by imaging studies according to RECIST 1.1 criteria. The primary endpoint was 24-month progression-free survival (PFS). Safety outcomes were also recorded and compared between the treatment groups. The median follow-up times for the ribociclib and palbociclib groups were 19.7 and 24.6 months, respectively. The 24-month PFS rates were comparable between the ribociclib and palbociclib cohorts (55.4% vs. 55.2%, respectively; hazard ratio [HR] = 1.110, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.605-2.035; p = 0.736), but the objective response rate was significantly higher in the palbociclib group than in the ribociclib group (43.2% vs. 30.2%, p = 0.035). A high rate of dose reduction was observed in both cohorts due to treatment-related toxicities (41.2% in the palbociclib group vs. 47.2% in the ribociclib group). The adverse effect profiles were comparable, although the incidence of grade 1 fatigue was slightly higher in the ribociclib group than in the palbociclib group (p = 0.043).

In Taiwanese real-world practice, ribociclib and palbociclib demonstrated comparable 24-month efficacy. Our findings show that dose reductions do not compromise targeted treatment efficacy, supporting proactive toxicity-guided dose to optimize patient tolerability without sacrificing oncological outcomes in Asian populations.