Prof Bogda Koczwara

April is Youth Cancer Awareness Month.

Younger people face unique challenges when it comes to cancer that are often inadequately addressed. And the rates of early onset cancers are rising.

But there is much to be done! And we can do it!

Look what arrived today!

Take home message for me:
✅management of CVD risk factors important in cancer
✅general population risk calculators can be used in people with cancer
✅we may be getting better at managing risk in those who receive cardiotoxic treatment 🤔

The relationship between cardiometabolic abnormalities and mortality in the Women's Health Initiative: A comparison of associations among women with cancer to women without cancer - PubMed Preexisting cardiovascular abnormalities are an important predictor of adverse health outcomes among women with and without cancer in the WHI.

👇👇study of women with obesity related cancers vs controls.
- ⬆️risk of mortality with more CVD abnormalities for cases and controls
-CVD abnormalities NOT associated with ⬆️all‐ cause mortality risk in those receiving cardiotoxic treatment.
tinyurl.com/2p2afxzr

🌟Share your insights on strategies for implementing PROMs in clinical practice - participate in 4 online survey rounds (15-20 mins each)
Sign up now at ugent.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Your input is invaluable in improving patient outcomes. 💪

Our paper on experiences of managing lymphoedema risk after cancer is out highlighting main barriers and potential solutions. See tinyurl.com/yc4xaz4k

NEW PODCAST: Fear of cancer recurrence is a major concern for survivors—how can we better support them?

Hosted by @bogda-koczwara.bsky.social with Prof Sophie Lebel + A/Prof Ben Smith

🔗 Listen now: t.ly/L5qvM

#CancerSurvivorship #FearOfCancerRecurrence #FCR #OncologyCare #CanSky #OncSky #MedSky

The first edition of series 2 of the podcast is out!
Check it out here
tinyurl.com/c5v3x75z

International cancer expert to lead Australia's first survivorship research centre Professor Bogda Koczwara AM will drive innovation at UNSW Sydney and Cancer Council NSW’s Australian Research Centre for Cancer Survivorship.

I am humbled and honoured to be appointed as the inaugural Director of the Australian Research Centre for Cancer Survivorship. There is so much we can do! tinyurl.com/yp8857r6

This World Cancer Day I think of all the patients whose journeys I shared over the past 30 years (yes, 30). This photo of one of my patients, who in between chemotherapies found time to be a clown doctor brings back so many emotions. Never forgotten!

Business of Health Care and the Personal Cost of Cancer Care | JCO Oncology Practice

Must read 👇👇👇

"diagnosis of cancer marks the beginning of two fights: one against the disease and the other against financial ruin. Sadly, the term financial toxicity connotes benignity in its clinical detachment"
tinyurl.com/2asbwv9k

A case-control study showing an association between CVD and advanced stage of breast cancer at diagnosis, independent of delayed diagnosis and shared risk.
Time to focus on the crosstalk between CVD and cancer!
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

A new dawn to mark the start of 2025. Happy New Year friends!

Population-health impact of new drugs recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in England during 2000–20: a retrospective analysis During 2000–20, NHS coverage of new drugs displaced more population health than it generated. Our results highlight the inherent trade-offs between individuals who directly benefit from new drugs and those who forgo health due to the reallocation of resources towards new drugs.

Amazing paper in @thelancet.bsky.social evidencing something we argue in #publichealth the whole time: the opportunity cost of increasingly expensive medications

'During 2000–20, NHS coverage of new drugs displaced more population health than it generated.'

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

The Wellness Women Are on the March Behind MAHA, RFK Jr.’s alternative-health movement, is a legion of Instagram influencers with millions of followers.

On the commercial-political-emotional success of the alternative, evidence-free wellness movement:
"You can look like us, feel like us, their chorus goes, if you follow our rules and purchase our powders"
from @elainegodfrey.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Hot of the press from @proteuspros - an infographic explaining the value of PROs!
Note - they need to start as parr of the clinical encounter to benefit patients and society.
tinyurl.com/3m594fhk

Two weeks until the #MASCC25 Conference Scholarship deadline on December 18!

All other abstracts (including other award/scholarship applications) are due by January 8, 2025.

mascc.org/annualmeetin...

#SuppOnc #SurvOnc #GlobOnc #PallOnc #Oncology @oncoalert.bsky.social

Looking after ourselves at work: the importance of being hydrated and fed Hospitals should remove any barriers to doctors eating and drinking during the working day As healthcare providers, it’s easy to forget to look after ourselves at work. We know that taking breaks and...

I hope you get a chance to look after yourself soon Eric. And by extension, the patients 🤗🙏
www.bmj.com/content/364/...

The Care That Saved Me | NEJM When a pediatric psychologist’s young child becomes seriously ill, she learns unsought lessons about better ways of caring for children and their caregivers in devastating circumstances.

If there is only one thing you will read today - make it this one! So many lessons on how to care:
-illuminate the personhood
-understand life outside the hospital
-practical compassion
-sit with darkness
tinyurl.com/4h2u476m

Another great starter pack to follow: go.bsky.app/PowhjKD
#CanSky
#MedSky
#OncoSky
#advocates

Early versus deferred use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in advanced breast cancer - Nature The phase 3 SONIA trial challenges the benefits of using cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors as a first-line compared with second-line treatment.

SONIA trial - Pts with ER+ breast cancer beginning treatment in the metastatic setting randomized to 1st line vs 2nd line use of CDK4/6 inhibitor (+ endocrine therapy). No sig difference in PFS.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

De-escalated neoadjuvant weekly nab-paclitaxel with trastuzumab and pertuzumab versus docetaxel, carboplatin, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer (HELEN-006)... These findings might suggest a potential advantage of nab-paclitaxel combined with trastuzumab and pertuzumab compared with the standard regimen in neoadjuvant therapy for patients with HER2-positive ...

Very good to see more de-escalation trials publishing in HER2 positive early breast cancer. Here the HELEN-006 trial. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Early versus deferred use of CDK4/6 inhibitors in advanced breast cancer - Nature The phase 3 SONIA trial challenges the benefits of using cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors as a first-line compared with second-line treatment.

This is how we should be doing Oncology trials - the Dutch SONIA trial looking at treatment sequencing of CDK 4/6 inhibitors in advanced breast cancer. A self funding efficiency trial! #oncsky www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Cervical cancer mortality in US women younger than 25 years significantly declined between 2016 and 2021, likely due to the widespread adoption of HPV vaccination.

ja.ma/4i9ghPC

Overall Survival with Pembrolizumab in Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer | NEJM In patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, the phase 3 KEYNOTE-522 trial showed significant improvements in pathological complete response and event-free survival with the addition...

Improved survival with neoadjuvant therapy for #TNBC KEYNOTE-522
at med follow-up of 75.1 mo 60 mo OS: 86.6% for pembro-chemo vs 81.7% placebo-chemo

tinyurl.com/nhb7ze3v

First Cycle Toxicity and Survival in Patients with Rare Cancers Treated with Checkpoint Inhibitors AbstractBackground. Associations between immune-related adverse events (irAEs) from checkpoint inhibitor therapy and outcomes have been previously evaluate

Grade 1-2 treatment-related irAEs in the first cycle of therapy were associated with longer overall survival compared to no irAEs from checkpoint inhibitors. #survonc #supponc

doi.org/10.1093/jnci...

When Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Intersect The annual Global Cardio-Oncology Summit brings together health-care professionals from diverse disciplines including members of the International Cardio-Oncology Society, the only multidisciplinary p...

Our summary of emerging challenges in cardio-oncology. If you are interested in this field join GCOS. Post behind paywall but you can join for free. tinyurl.com/25wf9utu

A moment of pure joy in my work as the Editor of a journal. The feedback from a reviewer taken not as a hassle but an opportunity to spark curiosity and doing something about it

Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis Dysfunction in People With Cancer: A Systematic Review This systematic review of 17 studies comparing HPA axis function in individuals with cancer as compared to controls suggests that HPA dysregulation is common in people with cancer. There was signific...

Out now - our systematic review on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal dysfunction in people with cancer doi.org/10.1002/cam4...

-17 case control studies
-16 showing alteration
- 6 looked at outcomes & showed correlation with fatigue, stress, sleep and memory changes.