Philip R. Debruyne

Anglia Ruskin University | ARU · Department of Life Sciences

Depression is a common and disabling disorder in later life, particularly among people with poor physical health. There are many screening tools available that can be used to examine depressive symptoms; however, not all of them may be appropriate or accurate for older adults with cancer. This pilot study was designed to test the diagnostic perform...

Introduction: Geriatric screening and geriatric assessment (GS/GA) have proven their benefits in the care for older patients with cancer. However, less is known about the predictive value of GS/GA for outcomes. To research this, clinical data on GS/GA can be enriched with population-based data. In this article we describe the methods and feasibili...

Whilst cancer remains a very serious health problem at any stage, cancer combined with increasing age creates an even more challenging situation for health care providers [...]

Psychosocial oncology is coming of age [...]

Background Falls and fall-related injuries are a major public health problem. Data on falls in older persons with cancer is limited and robust data on falls within those with a frailty profile are missing. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence and predictive factors for falls and fall-related injuries in frail older persons with can...

Introduction/Background Single-agent chemotherapies, like doxorubicin, have very modest activity in recurrent cervical cancer (rCC). Recently, anti-programmed-death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) treatment has shown activity in randomized phase III studies in rCC. In the current study we investigated the combination of doxorubicin with an anti-PD-L1 inhibit...

Introduction/Background Despite therapeutic advances in ovarian cancer, platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer remains an area of high unmet clinical need and there is an urgent need for new treatments to further improve clinical outcomes. ENGOT-ov65/KEYNOTE-B96 (NCT05116189) compares the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab plus weekly paclit...

Introduction Functional status (FS) and frailty are significant concerns for older adults, especially those with cancer. Data on FS (Activities of Daily Living [ADL]; Instrumental Activities of Daily Living [IADL]) and its evolution during cancer treatment in older patients and a frailty risk profile are scarce. Therefore, this study examines FS an...

Background FDG-PET/CT has a high negative predictive value to detect residual nodal disease in patients with locally advanced squamous cell head and neck cancer after completing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). However, the positive predictive value remains suboptimal due to inflammation after radiotherapy, generating unnecessary further invest...

TPS5617 Background: Despite therapeutic advances in ovarian cancer, platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer (PROC) remains an area of high unmet clinical need and there is an urgent need for new treatments to further improve clinical outcomes. Addition of bevacizumab to non-platinum-based chemotherapy significantly improved PFS in patients with...

12041 Background: Long-term outcomes after cancer diagnosis in older persons are largely unexplored because of limited follow-up in clinical studies. By linking clinical data with population-based data, studying long-term outcomes in large cohorts becomes feasible. The current study aims to explore long-term outcomes in the care trajectory of older...

438 Background: HER2 overexpression has been found in invasive UC, suggesting a role for HER2 in disease progression and prognosis (Kruger Int J Oncol 2002). T-DXd is an antibody-drug conjugate comprising an anti-HER2 antibody, a cleavable linker, and a topoisomerase I inhibitor payload. Preclinical models showed that T-DXd combined with an anti-PD...

330 Background: Nemvaleukin alfa (nemvaleukin, ALKS 4230) is a novel engineered cytokine that selectively binds to the intermediate-affinity IL-2 receptor, preferentially activating and expanding antitumor CD8 ⁺ T and NK cells, with minimal expansion of T regs . Nemvaleukin is under investigation for the treatment of advanced solid tumors, includin...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop a European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Group (EORTC QLG) questionnaire that captures the full range of physical, mental, and social health-related quality of life (HRQOL) issues relevant to disease-free cancer survivors. In this phase III study, we pretested the p...

Background: Falls and fall-related injuries are a major public health problem. Data on falls in older persons with cancer is limited and robust data on falls within those with a frailty profile are missing. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence and predictive factors for falls and fall-related injuries in frail older persons with ca...

Background Only a few recent phase III trials with targeted therapies or immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (m-ccRCC) demonstrated an overall survival (OS) benefit compared to standard of care. We aimed to study the evolution of OS since the start of systemic therapy from 2000 to 2020. Patients and me...

Purpose: Monalizumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting the inhibitory natural killer group 2A (NKG2A) receptor localised on natural killer (NK) and T cells. Its ligand, the human leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E), is overexpressed in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). By targeting the HLA-E-NKG2A pathway, monalizumab may enhance NK a...

Introduction/Background* Platinum in combination with paclitaxel (P) and bevacizumab is the standard of care in first-line recurrent/advanced cervical cancer (Tewari, NEJM 2020). Nintedanib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting, among others, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor. Methodology Double-blind phase II randomised study i...

Background Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a prevalent source of comprised quality of life in cancer survivors. This study evaluated the efficacy of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) on self-reported CRCI (sr-CRCI). Methods In this prospective multicentre randomised wait-list controlled study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02771...

PURPOSE Given the increasing burden of cancer on patients, health care providers, and payers, the shift of certain outpatient procedures to the patients' homes (further indicated as oncologic home-hospitalization [OHH]) might be a high-quality, patient-centered, and cost-effective alternative to standard ambulatory cancer care (SOC). METHODS A ran...

In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPI) have become widely used for multiple solid malignancies. Reliable predictive biomarkers for selection of patients who would benefit most are lacking. Several tumor types with somatic or germline alterations in genes involved in the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway harbor a higher tumor mutationa...

Background: Acupuncture can effectively manage cancer-related side effects, for both patients undergoing treatment and for cancer survivors. It may also be effective in managing physiological and psychological symptoms common among informal caregivers of cancer patients. Objectives: The aim of this survey was to explore the acceptability and pre...

Background Everolimus in combination with exemestane is indicated for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive, HER 2-neg endocrine resistant advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women. This study investigated treatment adherence, tolerability, satisfaction and efficacy. MethodsA prospective, non-interventional, non-controlled, multicentric o...

Background T-DXd is a novel antibody-drug conjugate composed of an anti-HER2 antibody, cleavable tetrapeptide-based linker, and membrane-permeable topoisomerase I inhibitor payload. In a phase 2 study in patients (pts) with HER2+ (IHC 3+ or IHC 2+/ISH+), unresectable or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) previously treated with trastuzumab emtansine (T...

Objective Adherence to pain medication in patients with cancer is crucial for successful pain therapy. This review aimed to investigate: the rate of adherence, which factors influence adherence, whether adherence differs in diverse patient populations, whether there are methods to improve adherence, and the relationship between adherence and pain r...

Objective To evaluate the impact of markers of systemic inflammation such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on outcomes of metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (m-ccRCC) patients treated with nivolumab. Patients and methods We retrospectively evaluated m-ccRCC patients treated with nivolumab and collected know...

Background: This study aims to investigate the occurrence of unplanned hospitalizations in older patients with cancer and to determine predictive factors. Methods: A prospective Belgian multicentre (n = 22), observational cohort study was performed. Patients ≥70 years with a malignant tumor were included. Patients underwent G8 screening followed by...

The authors have withdrawn this preprint due to author disagreement.

Objectives Cancer patients, survivors and caregivers often encounter severe distress, having significant consequences to wellbeing, functionality and physical health. This study developed and evaluated a participatory arts programme to determine if such could help to improve the wellbeing of cancer patients and their caregivers. Methods To inform...

BACKGROUND: Previously, we have shown a correlation between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs307826 in vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR3) and outcome in metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (m-ccRCC) patients treated with sunitinib. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to validate this finding in an independent patient series. METHOD...

Background: The Hopkins criteria were introduced for nodal response evaluation after therapy in head and neck cancer, but its superiority over quantification is not yet confirmed. Methods: SUVbody weight thresholds and lesion-to-background ratios were explored in a prospective multicenter study of standardized FDG-PET/CT 12 weeks after CRT in ne...

Objective Papillary renal cell carcinoma (papRCC) is a rare (10%–15%) subtype of renal cancer. Few prognostic biomarkers have been described in metastatic papRCC (m-papRCC) patients treated with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs). We aimed to study the prognostic impact of bone metastases (BM) on res...

The use of prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) binding agents, labelled with diagnostic and therapeutic radio-isotopes is opening the potential for a new era of personalized management of prostate carcinoma. A wide variety of immunohistochemistry studies have shown PSMA also to be upregulated on the endothelial cells of the neovasculature of...

The aim of this exploratory clinical study was to evaluate whether the preanalytical quality of blood samples subjected to delayed centrifugation and transport – as a result of home-sampling – is affected in a way it alters the clinical decision-making for patients under systemic cancer therapy. This evaluation is part of a comprehensive investigat...

Objectives We aimed to determine the prognostic value of baseline Health-Related Quality Of Life (HRQOL) and geriatric assessment (GA) to predict three-month mortality in older patients with cancer undergoing treatment. Methods Logistic regressions analysed HRQOL, as measured with the EORTC Global Health Status (GHS) scale, and geriatric informati...

Objective: Our aim was to give an overview of the effectiveness of adjunctive analgesics in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients receiving (chemo-) radiotherapy. Design: Systematic review. Interventions: This systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed, Emba...

Introduction/Background Niraparib is a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) approved in the United States and Europe for maintenance treatment of patients with recurrent ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer (ROC) following complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy. Here, we present long-term safety data o...

Background Patients (pts) with RM SCCHN progressing after platinum have a median overall survival (OS) of 7-8 months with nivolumab or pembrolizumab. No other drug has shown meaningful activity in this setting. HLA-E is a non-classical MHC molecule that is highly expressed in 70% of SCCHN. By binding to the NKG2A receptor expressed on NK cells and...

Objectives: We aimed to determine the proportion of "fit" versus "vulnerable" older patients with cancer included in phase II and III oncology registration trials, as compared to the proportions in a real life oncology setting. Methods: Trial and patient characteristics of older (≥70years) patients treated at the OECI-designated clinical cancer...

Background Angiopoietin 1 and 2 regulate angiogenesis and vascular remodelling by interacting with the tyrosine kinase receptor Tie2, and inhibition of angiogenesis has shown promise in the treatment of ovarian cancer. We aimed to assess whether trebananib, a peptibody that inhibits binding of angiopoietin 1 and 2 to Tie2, improved progression-free...

Objectives: Oncological home-hospitalization (OHH) might be a patient-centred approach to deal with the increasing burden of cancer on health-care facilities and finances. Before implementation into practice, its feasibility, costs and support among stakeholders should be evaluated. The purpose of this trial was to explore patients’, specialists’ a...

Objectives: This study aims to investigate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) at baseline and at follow-up in older patients with cancer and to determine prognostic factors for HRQOL decline. Methods: A prospective Belgian multicentre (n = 22) study was performed. Patients ≥70 years with a malignant tumor and abnormal G8 (≤14/17) screening t...

Purpose: The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of oncological home-hospitalization and to compare its quality with standard ambulatory hospital care in terms of patient-reported quality of life and related endpoints by means of a set of validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Methods: An observational cohor...

Purpose Using the EORTC Global Health Status (GHS) scale, we aimed to determine minimal clinically important differences (MCID) in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) changes for older cancer patients with a geriatric risk profile, as defined by the geriatric 8 (G8) health screening tool, undergoing treatment. Simultaneously, we assessed baselin...

Objectives: Cognitive complaints, of objective or subjective nature, may negatively impact cancer patients’ quality of life (QoL). Further, the early detection of cognitive alterations may lead to an improved QoL. However, the content of such screening is yet unclear. This paper presents long-term QoL data of cancer patients treated with curative i...

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of implementing an alcohol screening questionnaire as part of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) by reporting the prevalence of alcohol abuse in a group of older patients with cancer in a Belgian cancer centre. Materials and methods: Patients were recruited at the Geriatric Oncology Clin...

Objectives: A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is the key treatment approach to guide decisions in older patients with cancer. In this paper, the added value of an assessment of the patient's hand grip strength to predict survival in patients with an abnormal G8-questionnaire (G8) score is investigated. Materials and methods: Patients we...

Background: There are no validated markers that predict response or resistance in patients with metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC) treated with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as sunitinib and pazopanib. Recently, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2981582 in Fibroblast Growth Factor...

As people grow older, they may experience loss in hearing sensitivity. Age-related hearing loss may negatively affect the patient’s quality of life as it may lead to social isolation. In older patients with cancer, hearing loss can seriously interfere with the patient’s ability to deal properly with all aspects of their disease, and may have a cumu...

Background: In the general older population, geriatric assessment (GA)-guided treatment plans can improve overall survival, quality of life and functional status (FS). In GA-related research in geriatric oncology, studies mainly focused on geriatric screening and GA but not on geriatric recommendations, interventions and follow-up. The aim of this...

Background and aim Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs) cause significant adverse events including thyroid dysfunction, mainly hypothyroidism, in a considerable proportion of patients. In a series of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients treated with sunitinib, we aimed to study the correlati...

Background: Home-hospitalization might be a patient-centred approach facing the increasing burden of cancer on societies. This systematic review assessed how oncological home-hospitalization has been organized and to what extend its quality and costs were evaluated. Results: Twenty-four papers describing parenteral cancer drug administration to adu...

Background Several case reports and small case series have suggested a higher incidence of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) in patients treated concomitantly with bone resorption inhibitors (BRIs) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs), as compared to patients treated with BRIs alo...

Background: Health related quality of life (HRQOL) was a secondary endpoint in AGO-OVAR 16, which randomized 940 patients with EOC after first-line chemotherapy to maintenance pazopanib (PZ) or placebo (P). Additional post hoc analyses were carried out to investigate additional patient centered endpoints. Patients and methods: HRQOL was measured...

Objective: We previously validated uHear™ to screen for hearing loss in older patients with cancer without a known hearing loss, as part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). In view of low specificity, we tested a new modified uHear™ scoring system as described by Handzel. Methods: Patients, aged ≥70 years, were evaluated by uHear™ and co...

A renal transplant recipient developed reddish purple papules on the abdomen one year after transplantation. Skin biopsy revealed Kaposi sarcoma. Immunosuppressive medication was switched to sirolimus with a good response. Because of intolerance to sirolimus the medication was stopped resulting in a relapse of the Kaposi sarcoma. The patient was th...

Purpose To assess the standardized implementation and reporting of surveillance [ ¹⁸ F]fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) scan of the neck in locoregionally advanced head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (LAHNSCC) after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Patients and Methods We performed a prospectiv...

Objectives: Research has indicated that cancer-related cognitive impairments (CRCI) may be influenced by psychosocial factors such as distress, worry and fatigue. Therefore, we aimed to validate the distress thermometer (DT) as a screening tool to detect CRCI six months post treatment initiation in a group of general cancer patients. Methods: Pa...

This chapter discusses: Current evidence in the field of aging and cancer The integration of geriatric principles in oncology The content of a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in routine practice Discussion of work performed by the authors International perspective

10010 Background: In the general older population, GA-guided treatment plans improve overall survival, quality of life and functional status. In geriatric oncology, studies mainly focused on screening and assessment but not on geriatric interventions and follow-up. The aim of this study was to investigate the adherence to recommendations and subseq...

Home-based cancer treatment offers an integrated and patient-centered approach to deal with the challenges oncological day (care) units are facing. Current cancer therapies require frequent hospital visits that are known to be stressful for the patient and generate a high workload for hospital staff. Furthermore, these hospital visits are associate...

Introduction: Recent research in the field of cancer-related cognitive impairments (CRCI) has shown CRCI presentation prior to treatment initiation. Some have attributed these problems to worry and fatigue whereas others have suggested an influence of age, IQ and other psychosocial and medical factors. Methods: Patients (≥18 years) with a histol...

Data S1. End point event definitions.

Objective: Validation of uHear™ as a screening tool to detect hearing loss in older patients with cancer without a known diagnosis of presbycusis, as part of a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). Materials and methods: Patients (≥70years) with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of cancer, were enrolled at the time of CGA screening. Patie...

Evidence-based guidelines concerning the older head and neck cancer (HNCA) patient are lacking. Accurate patient selection for optimal care management is therefore challenging. We examined if geriatric assessment is indicative of long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and overall survival in this unique population. Methods: All HNCA pati...

Background: About 40% of metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (m-ccRCC) patients receive a second-line targeted therapy after failure of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (anti-VEGFR-TKI). Efficacy of second-line therapy is usually limited and prognostic and predictive factors at the start of second-...