PurposeAs the burden of cancer on the population and the health care system continues to increase with more complicated treatment options, the need for multidisciplinary teams to be as efficient as possible becomes more vital. Our study aimed to evaluate the consistency of GI Tumor Board (GI TB) recommendations with international guidelines, the adherence of physicians involved in patient care to TB recommendations, and the impact on the management of patients.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted from January to June 2016 at our institution, which is a major tertiary hospital that provides comprehensive cancer care. All cases presented at the GI TB during this period were included. Data regarding adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, adherence to TB recommendations, and changes made to the management of patients were collected weekly from the GI TB in a data collection form.ResultsOf the 104 patients included, 57 (55%) were males and the median age was 58 (16 to 85) years. Colorectal cancer was the most common diagnosis, in 65 patients (63%). Nearly one-half of cases (45%) were stage IV cancers. Starting new treatment was recommended for 72 patients (69%). Further investigations were requested for 15 patients (14%). For imaging, 24 recommendations (23%) were made. Adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines was observed in 97% of total recommendations. New findings were found in pathology (11%), radiology (13%), and staging (4%). Management plans were changed in 37 cases (36%). Over a 3-month period after presentation to the GI TB, most of the recommendations (87%) were performed.ConclusionA multidisciplinary tumor board enhances the adherence to guidelines and has an impact on patient management in approximately one-third of patients. Among physicians, adherence to recommendations of the TB was high.
e16186 Background: Nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, has improved the outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is approved for HCC patients previously treated with sorafenib. Outcomes have been reported in previous studies, in malignancies other than HCC, to be worse when patients have been exposed to antibiotics while receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. We aimed to evaluate the effects of antibiotics on survival in HCC patients treated with nivolumab. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 59 patients with advanced HCC that have been treated with nivolumab in two academic centers in Saudi Arabia. Patient characteristics, tumor data, antibiotic use (2 weeks prior, during, and 4 weeks after nivolumab therapy), survival data, and other factors were collected. Log-rank test analysis was performed to test the difference in overall survival (OS) time with and without antibiotics use. Results: The majority of patients were males (n=51, 85%), and 38 were Child-Pugh A (64%). A large number of patients had Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C tumors (n=42, 71%), and 20 patients (34%) used antibiotics. Most patients received nivolumab as second-line therapy after exposure to sorafenib (n=49, 83%). In patients who received nivolumab as first- or second-line therapy (n=57) and did not receive antibiotics, the median OS was double that of patients who received antibiotics (10 vs. 4.5 months, P=0.04). In child A patients who received nivolumab as second-line therapy (n=32), those who were exposed to antibiotics had a statistically significant shorter median OS compared to those who did not (5.5 vs. 20 months, P=0.04). More patients achieved partial response, or complete response (as per modified RECIST criteria) in the cohort that did not receive antibiotics compared to patients who received antibiotics (21% vs. 15%) but that was not statistically significant (P=0.6). Conclusions: This study shows that HCC patients receiving nivolumab have worse survival if they received antibiotics. Antibiotic mediated alteration of the gut microbiome may impact nivolumab response and shorten patient survival. Although this finding may warrant a prospective larger study but it is consistent with other previous studies. Antibiotics should be used very cautiously when treatment with checkpoint inhibitors is considered.
PURPOSE: Patients with terminal diseases frequently undergo interventions that are futile and may be detrimental to their quality of life. We conducted a quality improvement project aimed to reduce the utilization of futile acute care services (ACSs) for patients with cancer treated with a palliative intent. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team reviewed the records of terminally ill patients with cancer who died between November 2017 and May 2018, during their admission at our institution. The review aimed to assess the magnitude of improper utilization of ACSs and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Lack of timely documentation of the goals of care (GOCs) was the main reason for this problem. We defined timely documentation as the availability of electronic documentation of patients' GOC before the need for ACSs. Interventions were implemented to improve the process; postintervention data were captured and compared with the baseline data. RESULTS: After the delivery of staff education and the implementation of mandatory documentation of the GOCs in the healthcare electronic record system, the timely documentation of the GOCs for patients with a palliative intent increased significantly from 59% at baseline to 83% in the postintervention phase. The impact of this intervention led to a decrease in admissions to the ICU from 26% to 12% and an estimated annual cost saving of $777,600 in US dollars. CONCLUSION: Our interventions resulted in improved documentation of the GOCs and decrease in the utilization of ACSs including ICU admissions and the associated cost.
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