Newly diagnosed Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) during COVID-19 pandemic: changes in therapeutic approach to minimize in-hospital SARS-COV-2 contagion in pre-vaccine era.

COVID-19 pandemic revolutionized the way in which cancer patients are treated worldwide. Regarding neuro-oncological patients, usually considered frail and with lower life-expectancy in respect to other oncological patients, the international scientific community had to urgently reorganize the treatment approach in order to minimize the risk of in-hospital contagious. For GBM patients, adjuvant treatments have been evaluated with even much more attention with regard to the expected efficacy. As a consequence, an hypofractioned radiotherapy regimen has been preferred in order to reduce the daily hospital accesses and, especially in pMGMT unmethylated patients, chemotherapy with Temozolomide was avoided. Here, we made a comprehensive evaluation of the neurooncological community suggestions regarding GBM treatment in the pre-vaccine era of COVID-19 pandemic.

GU-CA-COVID: a clinical audit among Italian genitourinary oncologists during the first COVID-19 outbreak.

BACKGROUND: Considering the growing genitourinary (GU) cancer population undergoing systemic treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we planned a clinical audit in 24 Italian institutions treating GU malignancies. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was investigating the clinical impact of COVID-19 in GU cancer patients undergoing ICI-based therapy during the first outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 contagion in Italy. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The included centers were 24 Oncology Departments. Two online forms were completed by the responsible Oncology Consultants, respectively, for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) and metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) patients receiving at least one administration of ICIs between 31 January 2020 and 30 June 2020. RESULTS AND LIMITATION: In total, 287 mRCC patients and 130 mUC patients were included. The COVID-19 incidence was, respectively, 3.5%, with mortality 1%, in mRCC patients and 7.7%, with mortality 3.1%, in mUC patients. In both groups, 40% of patients developing COVID-19 permanently discontinued anticancer treatment. The pre-test SARS-CoV-2 probability in the subgroup of patients who underwent nasal/pharyngeal swab ranged from 14% in mRCC to 26% in mUC. The main limitation of the work was its nature of audit: data were not recorded at the single-patient level. CONCLUSION: GU cancer patients undergoing active treatment with ICIs have meaningful risk factors for developing severe events from COVID-19 and permanent discontinuation of therapy after the infection. Treatment delays due to organizational issues during the pandemic were unlikely to affect the treatment outcome in this population.

The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on patients with neuroendocrine tumors: Between resilience and vulnerability.

The COVID-19 pandemic has added another layer of complexity to the fears of patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Little is known regarding the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on patients with gastroenteropancreatic or bronchopulmonary (BP) NETs. We longitudinally surveyed the mental symptoms and concerns of NET patients during the plateau phase of the first (W1) and second epidemic waves (W2) in Italy. Seven specific constructs (depression, anxiety, stress, health-related quality of life, NET-related quality of life, patient-physician relationship, psychological distress) were investigated using validated screening instruments, including DASS-21, EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQ GI.NET21, PDRQ9 and IES-R. We enrolled 197 patients (98 males) with a median age of 62 years. The majority of the patients had G1/G2 neoplasms. Some 38% of the patients were on active treatment. At W1, the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was 32%, 36% and 26% respectively. The frequency of depression and anxiety increased to 38% and 41% at W2, whereas no modifications were recorded in the frequency of stress. Poor educational status was associated with higher levels of anxiety at both W1 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.33 ± 0.22; p = .07) and W2 (OR = 1.45 ± 0.26; p = .03). Notably, post-traumatic stress symptoms were observed in the 58% of the patients, and both single marital status (OR = 0.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.06-0.48; p = .0009) and low levels of formal education (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.23-0.99; p = .05) predicted their occurrence. No significant deteriorations of health-related quality of life domains were observed from W1 to W2. High patient care satisfaction was documented despite the changes in health systems resource allocation. NET patients have an increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress symptoms as result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific screening measures and psychological interventions should be implemented in NET clinics to prevent, recognize and treat mental distress in this vulnerable population.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on treatment patterns in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus pandemic has provoked discussions among healthcare providers how to manage cancer patients when faced with the threat of severe acute respiratory syndrome related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) containing regimens are standard of care in the majority of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC) patients. It remains unclear whether therapies should be modified in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We performed an online survey among physicians involved in the treatment of mccRCC, and 41 experts responded. Questions focused on criteria relevant for treatment decision outside the pandemic and the modifications of systemic therapy during COVID-19. FINDINGS: For the majority of experts (73%), the combination of International metastatic renal cell carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) risk category and patient fitness are two important factors for decision-making. The main treatment choice in fit, favourable risk patients outside the pandemic is pembrolizumab/axitinib for 53%, avelumab/axitinib, sunitinib or pazopanib for 13% of experts each. During the pandemic, ICI-containing regimens are chosen less often in favour of a tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) monotherapy, mainly sunitinib or pazopanib (35%).In fit, intermediate/poor-risk patients outside the pandemic, over 80% of experts choose ipilimumab/nivolumab, in contrast to only 41% of physicians during COVID-19, instead more TKI monotherapies are given. In patients responding to established therapies with ICI/ICI or ICI/TKI combinations, most participants modify treatment regimen by extending cycle length, holding one ICI or even both. CONCLUSION: mccRCC treatment modifications in light of the coronavirus pandemic are variable, with a shift from ICI/ICI to ICI/TKI or TKI monotherapy.