Highlights From the 2016 ASCO Cancer Survivorship Symposium

Physical Exams Adequate to Detect Thyroid Cancer in Cancer Survivors: The use of a standard yearly physical examination to screen for thyroid cancer among high-risk survivors of childhood and young adult cancers resulted in a negative predictive value of 100% for clinically relevant thyroid cancer and a significant cost savings compared with regular ultrasound screening. At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, a long-term follow-up program has been established for high-risk survivors of cancer. Only if a physical exam is abnormal do patients get referred for a thyroid ultrasound. The study examined 585 survivors from 2005 to 2015. Among the 2,277 yearly visits, only 106 ultrasound examinations were ultimately performed. Using the Medicare cost of ultrasound this would amount to approximately $27,000, whereas yearly ultrasound screening would have cost nearly half a million dollars. Photo © ASCO/Todd Buchanan 2016. Read more.

Young Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors Often Don’t Receive Recommended Care: Most adolescent and young adult survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma did not receive the recommended care within the first year post-treatment, according to a study presented by Erin E. Hahn, PhD, MPH, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California. In terms of short-term care, most patients received recommended visits, lab tests, and imaging in the first year, while less than half of patients received the flu vaccine, a recommended preventive care treatment. Looking specifically at a high-risk group of patients who were initially treated with high-dose anthracyclines, cardiac screening more than 10 years out is recommended. Among 56 such patients, almost all underwent annual blood pressure screening, but only 30% received echocardiograms and other screening modalities. Photo © ASCO/Todd Buchanan 2016. Read more.

Cumulative Burden of Morbidity (CBM) in Survivors of Testicular Cancer Correlated With Worse Health: Survivorship care plans for patients treated for testicular cancer should take into account CBM, which appears relatively early following treatment, according to a study presented by Sarah L. Kerns, PhD, MPH, of the University of Rochester Medical Center. Due to the young age at diagnosis, homogeneous type of chemotherapy used (cisplatin-based), and high cure rates, survivors of testicular cancer provide a unique opportunity to study various health conditions. Among 751 patients studied (median time since chemotherapy, 4.6 years), the most common health conditions were obesity (74%), tinnitus (45%), peripheral sensory neuropathy (63%), peripheral motor neuropathy (45%), and hearing loss (44%). Medium and high CBM scores were observed in 69% and 20%, respectively. Photo © ASCO/Todd Buchanan 2016. Read more.

Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy Symptoms Persist Long After Treatment: A study of female cancer survivors found that almost half experience chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) symptoms years after completing their cancer treatment, according to data presented by Kerri M. Winters-Stone, PhD, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. The study included 462 women enrolled in exercise intervention trials. After an average of 5.8 years since diagnosis, 45% of the cohort still reported symptoms of CIPN. Self-reported measures were worse in those with CIPN symptoms, including measures of physical function and disability. Also, 31% of CIPN-positive patients reported experiencing a fall, compared with only 19% of CIPN-negative women (P < .01). Photo © ASCO/Todd Buchanan 2016. Read more.