Sexual health and closeness in couples coping with advanced cancer: Results of a multicenter observational study (eQuiPe).

BACKGROUND: Cancer and its treatment can severely affect sexual health. It is unknown how this may relate to the feelings of closeness between patients and their partners. AIM: To assess the association between sexual health and closeness in the relationship in couples coping with advanced cancer. DESIGN: This study was part of a prospective multicentre longitudinal observational cohort study on experienced quality of care and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer and their relatives (eQuiPe). SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Baseline data regarding sexual health and closeness in people with advanced cancer and their partners. RESULTS: Out of the 566 dyads, 14 were same-sex couples. Especially male partners showed an interest in sex, but more than half of all patients and partners were not sexually active. Approximately one third experienced sexual dysfunction to be a problem but did not seek specialized support (<10%). There was a positive association between own sexual satisfaction and feelings of closeness in the relationship, which was stronger for partners compared to patients (p < 0.001). Sexual satisfaction of the other person was also related to own feelings of closeness (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Couples coping with advanced cancer clearly face challenges regarding sexual health but are not likely to seek specialized support. When discussing sexual health, it is crucial that health care professionals pay attention to the aspects of sexual health that may contribute to feeling close to each other and suggest specialized care if necessary. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The eQuiPe study is registered as NTR6584 in the Netherlands Trial Register.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Endoxifen for Tamoxifen Precision Dosing: Feasible in Patients with Hormone-Sensitive Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Endoxifen is the most important active metabolite of tamoxifen. Several retrospective studies have suggested a minimal or threshold endoxifen systemic concentration of 14-16 nM is required for a lower recurrence rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of reaching a predefined endoxifen level of ≥ 16 nM (5.97 ng/mL) over time using therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). METHODS: This prospective open-label intervention study enrolled patients who started treatment with a standard dose of tamoxifen 20 mg once daily for early breast cancer. An outpatient visit was combined with a TDM sample at 3, 4.5, and 6 months after initiation of the tamoxifen treatment. The tamoxifen dose was escalated to a maximum of 40 mg if patients had an endoxifen concentration < 16 nM. The primary endpoint of the study was the percentage of patients with an endoxifen level ≥ 16 nM at 6 months after the start of therapy compared with historical data, in other words, 80% of patients with endoxifen levels ≥ 16 nM with standard therapy. RESULTS: In total, 145 patients were included. After 6 months, 89% of the patients had endoxifen levels ≥ 16 nM, compared with a literature-based 80% of patients with endoxifen levels ≥ 16 nM at baseline (95% confidence interval 82-94; P = 0.007). In patients with an affected CYP2D6 allele, it was not always feasible to reach the predefined endoxifen level of ≥ 16 nM. No increase in tamoxifen-related adverse events was reported after dose escalation. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that it is feasible to increase the percentage of patients with endoxifen levels ≥ 16 nM using TDM. TDM is a safe strategy that offers the possibility of nearly halving the number of patients with endoxifen levels < 16 nM.

Influence of green tea consumption on endoxifen steady-state concentration in breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen.

BACKGROUND: Many cancer patients use additional herbs or supplements in combination with their anti-cancer therapy. Green tea-active ingredient epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)-is one of the most commonly used dietary supplements among breast cancer patients. EGCG may alter the metabolism of tamoxifen. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of green tea supplements on the pharmacokinetics of endoxifen; the most relevant active metabolite of tamoxifen. METHODS: In this single-center, randomized cross-over trial, effects of green tea capsules on endoxifen levels were evaluated. Patients treated with tamoxifen for at least 3 months were eligible for this study. After inclusion, patients were consecutively treated with tamoxifen monotherapy for 28 days and in combination with green tea supplements (1 g twice daily; containing 300 mg EGCG) for 14 days (or vice versa). Blood samples were collected on the last day of monotherapy or combination therapy. Area under the curve (AUC0-24h), maximum concentration (Cmax) and minimum concentration (Ctrough) were obtained from individual plasma concentration-time curves. RESULTS: No difference was found in geometric mean endoxifen AUC0-24h in the period with green tea versus tamoxifen monotherapy (- 0.4%; 95% CI - 8.6 to 8.5%; p = 0.92). Furthermore, no differences in Cmax (- 2.8%; - 10.6 to 5.6%; p = 0.47) nor Ctrough (1.2%; - 7.3 to 10.5%; p = 0.77) were found. Moreover, no severe toxicity was reported during the whole study period. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the absence of a pharmacokinetic interaction between green tea supplements and tamoxifen. Therefore, the use of green tea by patients with tamoxifen does not have to be discouraged.

Pharmacokinetics of Sublingually Delivered Fentanyl in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Treated with Curatively Aimed Chemo or Bioradiotherapy.

Over 90% of patients treated for head and neck cancer with curatively aimed chemo or bioradiotherapy will develop painful mucositis and xerostomia. Sublingually delivered fentanyl (SDL) is a rapid acting opioid to treat breakthrough pain. It is unclear how SDL is absorbed by the mucosa of these patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mucositis and xerostomia on the absorption of SDL. Thirteen patients who received chemo or bioradiotherapy (RT), were given a single dose of fentanyl: Before start of RT, 3 and 6 weeks after start of RT, and 6 weeks after finishing RT. Pharmacokinetic samples were taken. The primary endpoint was the relative difference (RD) between systemic exposure to fentanyl (area under the curve; AUC) at baseline (AUCbaseline) and fentanyl AUC in the presence of mucositis grade ≥2. The secondary endpoint was the RD between AUCbaseline and fentanyl AUC in the presence of xerostomia, which were analyzed by means of a paired t-test on log-transformed data. Mucositis resulted in a 12.7% higher AUC (n = 13; 95% CI: -10.7% to +42.2%, p = 0.29) compared to baseline levels and xerostomia resulted in a 22.4% lower AUC (n = 8; 95% CI: -51.9% to +25.3%, p = 0.25) compared to baseline levels. Mucositis grade ≥2 or xerostomia caused by chemo or bioradiotherapy does not significantly alter the systemic exposure to SDL. Patients with pain during and after chemo or bioradiotherapy may be safely treated with SDL.

Effects of smoking and body mass index on the exposure of fentanyl in patients with cancer.

The transdermal fentanyl patch is widely used to treat cancer-related pain despite its wide inter- and intrapatient variability in pharmacokinetics. The aim of this study was to investigate whether smoking and body size (i.e. body mass index) influence fentanyl exposure in patients with cancer. These are factors that typically change during treatment and disease trajectories. We performed an explorative cohort study in patients with cancer using transdermal fentanyl patches (Durogesic®), by taking a blood sample for pharmacokinetic analysis one day after applying a patch in patients with a stable fentanyl dose. A total of 88 patients were evaluable. Although no statistically significant difference was found, the plasma concentrations of non-smokers was 28% (95% CI [-14%; +89-%]) higher than those of smokers normalizing for a dose of 25µg/min. Patients with a low BMI (< 20 kg/m2) had almost similar (10% (95% CI [-39%; +97%]) higher) plasma concentrations compared to patients with a high BMI (> 25 kg/m2). A wider variation in fentanyl plasma concentrations was found in this study than anticipated. Due to this variation, studies in larger patient cohorts are needed to further investigate the effect of smoking on plasma concentration of fentanyl and thereby clarify the clinical significance of our findings.