Oncology News Round-Up: Detecting High-Risk HPV; New EBRT Guidelines

Each week on DocWire News, editors bring you the latest in oncology news and cancer research. In case you missed it, here are this week’s top headlines:

• VIDEO: Dr. Carolyn Kay on Identifying HPV+ Patients at Higher Risk for Cervical Cancer
• ASTRO Guideline for EBRT in Liver Cancer: Key Takeaways
• Tailored Strategies Can Up Depression Referrals in Breast Cancer
• Psychological Distress More Likely in Young Adult Cancer Survivors

Keep reading for the breakdown on these top stories.

RELATED: Last Week’s Round-Up: Is Maternal Contraception Related to Pediatric CNS Tumors?

Dr. Carolyn Kay: Identifying High-Risk HPV

Editors sat down with Dr. Carolyn Kay, an OB/GYN physician, about results from the IMPACT trial, which demonstrated that Roche’s CINtec PLUS Cytology, when used as a triage test for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), showed significantly higher sensitivity in detecting cervical pre-cancers in HPV-positive women compared to Pap cytology.

“The objective of the study was to compare the diagnostic performance of the biomarker technology to Pap cytology for the triage of high-risk HPV positive results,” said Dr. Kay. “[These data] formed the basis of the FDA approval of our dual biomarker cytology test, commercially known as CINtec PLUS.”

https://www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/dr-carolyn-kay-on-the-importance-of-identifying-hpv-patients-at-higher-risk-for-cervical-cancer/

RELATED VIDEO: Women’s Health Expert on the Impact of Unplanned Pregnancy

ASTRO Guideline for EBRT in Liver Cancer

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) released a new guideline regarding external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for primary liver cancer. This is the first ASTRO guideline regarding primary liver cancers, and it was published in Practical Radiation Oncology.

• EBRT is strongly recommended as:

• a potential first-line treatment in liver-confined hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients ineligible for curative therapy
• consolidative therapy after incomplete response to previous liver-directed therapies
• a salvage option for local recurrence.

• EBRT is conditionally recommended:

• for patients with liver-confined multifocal or unresectable HCC
• for patients with macrovascular invasion, in sequence with systemic or catheter-based therapies
• as a palliative therapy for symptomatic primary HCC and/or macrovascular tumor thrombi
• as a bridge to transplant or before surgery in selected patients
• as an adjuvant therapy for resected intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHC) with high-risk features

https://www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/hem-onc-picks/astro-guidelines-for-ebrt-in-liver-cancer-key-takeaways/

RELATED: EBRT Underused in Liver Cancer Patients Awaiting Transplant

Tailored Strategies Can Up Depression Referrals in Breast Cancer

For patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer, tailored strategies for implementation of routine depression screening result in a greater proportion of referrals to behavioral care, according to a study published in JAMA.

Researchers examined the effectiveness of an implementation strategy-guided depression screening program in a trial conducted at six medical centers with 1,436 patients diagnosed with new primary breast cancer. The centers were randomly assigned to either tailored implementation strategies (three sites; 744 patients) or education-only (three sites; 692 patients). The program consisted of 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire screening and algorithm-based scoring and referral to behavioral health services; at tailored intervention sites, clinical teams received program education, audit, and feedback of performance data and implementation facilitation.

The researchers found that 7.9% and 0.1% of patients at tailored sites and education-only sites, respectively, were referred. Referrals to a behavioral health clinician were completed by 44 of 59 (75%) and one of one patient at the intervention and education-only sites, respectively. Patients at tailored sites had significantly fewer outpatient visits in medical oncology; no differences were seen in utilization of primary care, urgent care, or emergency department visits.

https://www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/hem-onc-picks/tailored-strategies-can-up-depression-referrals-in-breast-cancer/

RELATED: Psychological Distress More Likely in Young Adult Cancer Survivors

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Check out last week’s Round-Up, and be sure to keep up with the latest oncology news and cancer research here on DocWire, updated daily!