Blog postings will resume week of August 8th

To all Grey Horizon readers, 

Please note that blog postings will resume the week of August 8, 2022. 

Thank you, take care, and stay well.  

Anticancer drugs in the adjuvant setting have considerable costs, raising questions of sustainability

A recently released cross-sectional analysis of approved anticancer drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over a 4 year period (January 2018 - March 2022), determined that "the price of anticancer drugs is on an upward trajectory" worldwide, "with forecasts of global oncology therapeutic sales reaching $250 billion U.S. by 2024."   The authors of this cross-sectional analysis further emphasis the importance of estimating the cost per event averted in adjuvant therapies.  While only 11 approvals were analyzed, "the median cost per event averted of drugs in the adjuvant setting was $1 610 000 US, with...the median cost of a complete adjuvant treatment" totaled $158 000 US per patient. 

To read more about this analysis, click here.  

Source mentioned: Mousavi I, Olivier T, Prasad V. Cost per Event Averted in Cancer Trials in the Adjuvant Setting From 2018 to 2022. JAMA Netw Open 2022;5(6):e2216058.

Only a quarter of phase III studies demonstrated improved quality of life in advanced cancer setting

 A recently completed retrospective cohort study published by the Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology at the Cancer Research Institute in Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario) indicated that nearly 50% of anticancer drug studies "demonstrated improved PFS [progression-free survival] (but) showed no improves in OS [overall survival] or QOL [quality of life]."  Led by Dr. Bishal Gyawali, the study authors further mentioned that studies with negative QOL results are either published after considerable delay or not at all, however "focusing on non-curative settings only is a strength rather than a limitation of the analysis because the risk-benefit thresholds are different in curative settings." 

To read more about this study, click here. 

Source mentioned: Samuel JN, Booth CM, Eisenhauer E, et al. Association of Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Cancer Drug Trials With Survival Outcomes and Drug Class. JAMA Oncol 2022;8(6):879-886.

Electronic symptom monitoring with PROs improves patient-reported physical function, symptom control and HRQOL

 Results from the PRO-TECT randomized controlled trial, conducted in 52 community oncology practices was recently published in JAMA.  The purpose of PRO-TECT was to "determine whether electronic monitoring of symptoms by patients undergoing treatment for metastatic cancer improves survival, quality of life outcomes and other outcomes compared with usual care."  Following enrollment of 1191 adult metastatic cancer patients, patients in the PRO group "had significantly greater odds of experiencing clinical meaningful benefits versus usual care for physical function", with an improvement of at least 5 points in 7.7% of patients studied. 

To read more about the PRO-TECT trial, click here. 

Source mentioned: Basch E, Schrag D, Henson S, et al. Effect of Electronic Symptom Monitoring on Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Patients With Metastatic Cancer A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2022;327(24):2413-2422.

Some patients with NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) may respond poorly to COVID-19 MRNA vaccines

 A recently completed study from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, determined that 25% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) experienced a negative antibody response after receiving COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.  Study lead Professor Rafi Ahmed further emphasized that his team "did not find a correlation with the type of cancer treatment and the magnitude of the antibody response."  In addition, further research is required as the Emory University study was small, comprised of 82 patients with NSCLC and 53 heathy volunteers.

To read more about this study click here.  

Source mentioned: Valanparambil RM, Carlisle J, Linderman SL, et al. Antibody Response to COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine in Patients With Lung Cancer After Primary Immunization and Booster: Reactivity to the SARS-CoV-2 WT Virus and Omicron Variant. JCO; Published online 27 June 2022. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.21.02986