Healthcare professionals' knowledge of and compliance with the ASCO/ESMO/GLIM guidelines for the diagnosis and management of cancer cachexia (CC): the ASSIST-CC baseline findings in Uganda.

Background: More than 50% of people with advanced cancer suffer from cancer-related cachexia (CC) - a major contributor to morbidity and mortality. Despite the lack of local guidelines on CC diagnosis and management in Uganda, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) developed guidelines on CC screening and management. However, the level of knowledge on CC and compliance with the available guidelines among Ugandan oncology health professionals is unknown. This study aimed to assess the level of awareness and knowledge of CC diagnosis and management and compliance with the ASCO/ESMO/GLIM guidelines on CC among healthcare professionals (HCPs) involved in the care of cancer patients. Methods: In this phase one, a self-administered structured questionnaire developed using the ASCO/ESMO and GLIM guidelines on diagnosis and management of CC was used to assess the level of awareness, and knowledge of 200 health professionals from three hospital settings on CC, and compliance with the ASCO/ESMO/GLIM guidelines on CC related core communication, barriers to communication, clinician training in communication, discussing goals of care, treatment options and meeting the needs of the underserved populations. The data were entered into Research Electronic Data Capture software analysed using STATA version 18.0 software. Results: The overall objectively correct knowledge score of CC diagnosis criteria was 67.5% (n = 135), yet there was a much lower level of awareness about ASCO/ESMO/GLIM guidelines on CC at 30% (n = 60) and only 21% (n = 42) of the HCPs have ever assessed Quality of life of CC patients. The compliance with ASCO/ESMO/GLIM guidelines on nutritional interventions for patients with CC varied across the variables markedly, ranging from 25.1% (n = 50) to 81% (n = 162) for the specific ASCO/ESMO/GLIM guidelines' recommendations. Whereas compliance with the guidelines on discussing goals of care, prognosis, treatment options and end-of-life care scored the highest in most variables, most HCPs exhibited low compliance with the discussion about patients' end-of-life preferences early in the course of incurable illness (49.8%, n = 99). There were statistically significant differences between the mean scores of only two variables among the three hospitals in compliance with ASCO/ESMO/GLIM guidelines on the provision. Conclusion: This study indicated that the overall objectively correct knowledge of CC diagnosis criteria was inadequate, with a much lower level of awareness about the ASCO/ESMO/GLIM guidelines on CC and a handful of the HCPs have ever assessed the quality of life of CC patients. Quality improvement interventions on CC diagnosis and management should prioritize improving the level of knowledge on CC, diagnostic criteria and patient-clinician communication, including discussion about patients' end-of-life care using standardised tools such as ASCO/ESMO or GLIM guidelines on CC using a multidisciplinary team approach.

A prospective study of clinical outcomes of HIV-associated and HIV-negative Kaposi sarcoma in Uganda.

OBJECTIVE: Improved understanding of the effect of HIV infection on Kaposi sarcoma (KS) presentation and outcomes will guide development of more effective KS staging and therapeutic approaches. We enrolled a prospective cohort of epidemic (HIV-positive; HIV + KS) and endemic (HIV-negative; HIV - KS) KS patients in Uganda to identify factors associated with survival and response. METHODS: Adults with newly diagnosed KS presenting for care at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) in Kampala, Uganda, between October 2012 and December 2019 were evaluated. Participants received chemotherapy per standard guidelines and were followed over 1 year to assess overall survival (OS) and treatment response. RESULTS: Two hundred participants were enrolled; 166 (83%) had HIV + KS, and 176 (88%) were poor-risk tumor (T1) stage. One-year OS was 64% (95% confidence interval [CI] 57-71%), with the hazard of death nearly threefold higher for HIV + KS (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.93; P  = 0.023). Among HIV + KS, abnormal chest X-ray (HR = 2.81; P  = 0.007), lower CD4 + T-cell count (HR = 0.68 per 100 cells/µl; P  = 0.027), higher HIV viral load (HR = 2.22 per log 10  copies/ml; P  = 0.026), and higher plasma Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) copy number (HR = 1.79 per log 10  copies/ml; P  = 0.028) were associated with increased mortality. Among HIV - KS, factors associated with mortality included Karnofsky score <70 (HR = 9.17; P  = 0.045), abnormal chest X-ray (HR = 8.41; P  = 0.025), and higher plasma KSHV copy number (HR = 6.21 per log 10  copies/ml; P  < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although survival rates were better for HIV - KS than HIV + KS, the high mortality rate seen in both groups underscores the urgent need to identify new staging and therapeutic approaches. Factors associated with mortality, including high plasma KSHV, may serve as important targets of therapy.