Advancing equity in cancer research through principled partnership: stakeholder engagement practices in The Social Interventions for Support during Treatment for Endometrial cancer and Recurrence (SISTER) Study.

Background: In cancer, lack of social support is associated with reduced survival. Peer support interventions have reduced social isolation among Black women with cancer but have yet to be adapted for Black people diagnosed with endometrial cancer - a growing, high-need demographic that has been historically excluded from community-engaged research. Our research team at the University of Washington addressed this gap by working within an established community partnership to develop a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to adapt and test social support interventions among Black women with EC - the Social Interventions for Support during Treatment of Endometrial Cancer and Recurrence (SISTER) Study.

Correction: Prevalence of comorbidities associated with sickle cell disease among non-elderly individuals with commercial insurance-A retrospective cohort study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Telehealth and Emergency Department Use Among Commercially Insured, Medicaid, and Medicare Patients Receiving Systemic Cancer Therapy in Washington State After COVID-19.

Purpose: In oncology, telehealth services were adopted as a means of mitigating the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We hypothesized that Medicaid enrollees would have less access to telehealth than commercially insured or Medicare enrollees during the pandemic, resulting in higher rates of emergency department (ED) visits during systemic cancer treatment.

Methods: Linking Washington State SEER records with commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare records, we evaluated adults with new solid tumor malignancies who received initial systemic treatment before the COVID-19 pandemic (January 1, 2017-December 31, 2019) and after the pandemic (March 1, 2020-November 30, 2021).

Addressing Challenges in Research Aimed at Reducing Financial Toxicity Among Cancer Patients and Caregivers: An Example From the CREDIT Study (SWOG S1912CD).

IntroductionCancer-related financial hardship is pervasive, impacting both patients and caregivers, making it crucial to address financial hardship at the household level. The CREDIT (S1912CD) study was designed to enroll and randomize cancer patients and spousal caregivers as dyads to proactive financial navigation compared to usual care. The study faced several challenges to recruitment.

The consequences of pharmaceutical tariffs in the United States.

The Trump Administration has threatened to impose tariffs on imported branded, generic, and biosimilar pharmaceutical products. Although specific details regarding the exact rates and implementation timeline remain unclear, the administration has indicated that these tariffs will be substantial. Tariffs can create supply chain disruptions, increase costs, limit patient access to essential medications, and negatively impact research and innovation.

Out-of-Pocket Expenditures and Financial Hardship Among Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome Undergoing Allogeneic Transplant or Hypomethylating Agent / Supportive Care (BMT CTN 1102).

Introduction: The Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) 1102 trial demonstrated that allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) was associated with superior overall survival compared to non-HCT approaches among elderly patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The trial included an ancillary cost diary component to assess the out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures and financial hardship in the post-HCT period through 3 phased surveys for up to 19 months after enrollment.

Objective: The purpose of the study is to assess the OOP costs and financial hardship experienced by participants of BMT CTN 1102.

Cost-Effectiveness of Reduced-Intensity Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Older Patients With High-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome: Analysis of BMT CTN 1102.

Purpose: BMT CTN 1102 was a phase III trial comparing reduced-intensity allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (RIC alloHCT) to standard of care for persons with intermediate- or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). We report results of a cost-effectiveness analysis conducted alongside the clinical trial.

Methods: Three hundred eighty-four patients received HCT (n = 260) or standard of care (n = 124) according to availability of a human leukocyte antigen-matched donor.

Interventions addressing health-related social needs among patients with cancer.

Health-related social needs are prevalent among cancer patients; associated with substantial negative health consequences; and drive pervasive inequities in cancer incidence, severity, treatment choices and decisions, and outcomes. To address the lack of clinical trial evidence to guide health-related social needs interventions among cancer patients, the National Cancer Institute Cancer Care Delivery Research Steering Committee convened experts to participate in a clinical trials planning meeting with the goal of designing studies to screen for and address health-related social needs among cancer patients. In this commentary, we discuss the rationale for, and challenges of, designing and testing health-related social needs interventions in alignment with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 5As framework.

Intervention Nonadherence in the TrACER (S1415CD) Study: A Pragmatic Randomized Trial of a Standardized Order Entry for CSF Prescribing.

Purpose: We conducted a pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial to test whether a guideline-based standing order entry (SOE) improves use of primary prophylactic CSF (PP-CSF) prescribing for patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy. We investigated variability in adherence to the intervention.

Methods: We conducted a cluster-randomized trial among 32 oncology clinics from the NCI Community Oncology Research Program.

Impact of treatment experience on patient knowledge of colony-stimulating factors among patients receiving cancer chemotherapy: evidence from S1415CD-a large pragmatic trial.

Purpose: Primary prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (PP-CSFs) are prescribed alongside chemotherapy regimens that carry a significant risk of febrile neutropenia (FN). As part of S1415CD, a prospective, pragmatic trial evaluating the impact of automated orders to improve PP-CSF prescribing, we evaluated patients' baseline knowledge of PP-CSF and whether that knowledge improved following the first cycle of chemotherapy.

Methods: Adult patients with breast, colorectal, or non-small-cell lung cancer initiating chemotherapy were enrolled in S1415CD between January 2016 and April 2020.

Universal Viral Screening of Patients with Newly Diagnosed Cancer in the United States: A Cost-efficiency Evaluation.

Unlabelled: Recommendations for universal screening of patients with cancer for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are inconsistent. A recent multisite screening study (S1204) from the SWOG Cancer Research Network found that a substantial number of patients with newly diagnosed cancer had previously unknown viral infections. The objective of this study was to determine the cost-efficiency of universal screening of patients with newly diagnosed cancer.

Assessment of financial screening and navigation capabilities at National Cancer Institute community oncology clinics.

Background: Cancer-related financial hardship is a side effect of cancer diagnosis and treatment, and affects both patients and caregivers. Although many oncology clinics have increased financial navigation services, few have resources to proactively provide financial counseling and assistance to families affected by cancer before financial hardship occurs. As part of an ongoing randomized study testing a proactive financial navigation intervention, S1912CD, among sites of the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), we conducted a baseline survey to learn more about existing financial resources available to patients and caregivers.

Association Between Patient-Level, Clinic-Level, and Geographical-Level Factors and 1-Year Surveillance Colonoscopy Adherence.

Introduction: Surveillance colonoscopy 1 year after surgical resection for patients with stages I-III colorectal cancer (CRC) is suboptimal, and data on factors associated with lack of adherence are limited. Using surveillance colonoscopy data from Washington state, we aimed to determine the patient, clinic, and geographical factors associated with adherence.

Methods: Using administrative insurance claims linked to Washington cancer registry data, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients diagnosed with stage I-III CRC between 2011 and 2018 with continuous insurance for at least 18 months after diagnosis.

Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and Network Meta-Analysis (NMA) of First-Line Therapies (1L) for Locally Advanced/Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma (la/mUC).

To compare efficacy outcomes for all approved and investigational first-line (1L) treatment regimens for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (la/mUC) with standard of care (SOC), a network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted. A systematic literature review (SLR) identified phase 2 and 3 randomized trials investigating 1L treatment regimens in la/mUC published January 2001-September 2021. Three networks were formed based on cisplatin (cis) eligibility: cis-eligible/mixed (cis-eligible patients and mixed populations of cis-eligible/ineligible patients), cis-ineligible (strict; exclusively cis-ineligible patients), and cis-ineligible (wide; including studies with investigator's choice of carbo).

Risk prediction of hepatitis B or C or HIV among newly diagnosed cancer patients.

Background: Screening for viral infection in cancer patients is inconsistent. A mechanism to readily identify cancer patients at increased risk of existing or prior viral infection could enhance screening efforts while reducing costs.

Methods: We identified factors associated with increased risk of past or chronic hepatitis virus B, hepatitis virus C, or HIV infection before initiation of systemic cancer therapy.

Long-term survival with sickle cell disease: a nationwide cohort study of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

To our knowledge, we report the first population-based period life table, the expected lifetime survival for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries with sickle cell disease (SCD), and the disparities in survival by insurance types in the United States. We constructed a retrospective cohort of individuals with diagnosed SCD receiving common care (any real-world patterns of care except transplant) based on nationwide Medicare and Medicaid claim data (2008-2016), covering beneficiaries in all 50 states. We analyzed lifetime survival probabilities using Kaplan-Meier curves and projected life expectancies at various ages for all, stratified by sex and insurance types.

Translating an Economic Analysis into a Tool for Public Health Resource Allocation in Cancer Survivorship.

Unlabelled: The complexity of decision science models may prevent their use to assist in decision making. User-centered design (UCD) principles provide an opportunity to engage end users in model development and refinement, potentially reducing complexity and increasing model utilization in a practical setting. We report our experiences with UCD to develop a modeling tool for cancer control planners evaluating cancer survivorship interventions.

A Framework for a Health Economic Evaluation Model for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease to Estimate the Value of New Treatments in the United States of America.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder associated with lifelong morbidity and increased risk of mortality that affects approximately 100,000 individuals in the United States (US), primarily of African-American descent. Due to these complications, individuals with SCD typically incur high healthcare costs. With a number of costly but potentially curative SCD therapies on the horizon, understanding the progression of SCD and economic burden to insurers and patients is vital.

Antiviral therapy use and related outcomes in patients with cancer and viral infections: results from SWOG S1204.

Purpose: Information is limited about adherence to practice guidelines in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), or HIV infection receiving anticancer treatment.

Methods: Newly diagnosed adult cancer patients were enrolled in a multicenter, prospective cohort study (SWOG S1204) during 2013-2017 to evaluate the prevalence of HBV, HCV, or HIV in patients initiating anticancer treatment. At 6 months, records of virus-positive patients were reviewed for antiviral therapy use; anticancer treatment dose reduction; and HBV reactivation (elevated viral load).

Prevalence of comorbidities associated with sickle cell disease among non-elderly individuals with commercial insurance-A retrospective cohort study.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a severe monogenic disease associated with high morbidity and mortality and a disproportionate burden on Black communities. Few population-based studies have examined the prevalence of comorbidities among persons with SCD. We estimated the prevalence of comorbidities experienced by individuals with SCD enrolled in employer-based health insurance plans in the US over their non-elderly lifetimes (0-64 years of age) with a retrospective cohort design using Truven Health MarketScan commercial claims data from 2007-2018.