Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Mainehealth Cancer Care Network Ticket Intake Process, Lauren Couture, Brett Cropp, Gavin Carr, Ashok Kunche, Heather Boulier, Evelyn Taylor

Operations Transformation

The MaineHealth Cancer Care Network informatics team is manually submitting most reporting tickets for oncology customers. The current intake ticket process includes various communication channels to the business intelligence developers [BID] when a reporting need is identified resulting in workflow deficiencies and redundancies. As of FY23, MaineHealth has moved to a new ticket reporting system called ServiceHub which includes new customer self-service tools that have not yet been utilized.

Temporal Considerations In Brain Metastases Radiation Therapy: The Intersection Of Chronobiology And Patient Profiles, Nicolas Nelson, Sara Burke, Louis Cappelli, Lauren Matlack, Alexandria Smith, Noelle Francois, Joseph Lombardo, Yash Shah, Kuang-Yi Wen, Ayesha A Shafi, Nicole Simone

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

The circadian system, a vital temporal regulator influencing physiological processes, has implications for cancer development and treatment response. Our study assessed circadian timing’s impact on whole-brain radiotherapy outcomes in brain metastases for personalized cancer therapy insights. The aim of the study was to evaluate circadian influence on radiation treatment timing and its correlation with clinical outcomes and to identify patient populations benefiting from interventions synchronizing circadian rhythms, considering subgroup differences and potential disparities. An IRB-approved retrospective analysis of 237 patients undergoing whole-brain radiotherapy for brain metastases (2017–2021), receiving over 80% of treatments in the morning or afternoon, was performed. Survival …

Flash Radiation Ultra-High Dose Rate Radiation With Potential For Sensitization By Platinum, Abigail A. Jaczkowski, Stephen Brown Ph.D.

Medical Student Research Symposium

External beam radiation therapy, a cornerstone in cancer treatment for 50% of patients, poses challenges due to its toxicity to both cancer and healthy cells. Seeking to mitigate side effects, the emerging FLASH radiation technology employs ultra-high dose rates, promising quicker treatments with reduced impact on surrounding normal tissue. Platinum, recognized as a radiation sensitizer, enhances the effectiveness of radiation therapy by increasing sensitization at higher energy levels through pair-production.

This study explores the hypothesis that Cisplatin, a platinum-based chemotherapy agent, will exhibit a synergistic effect when combined with FLASH radiation. Using A549 cells from non-small cell lung cancer, the …

Integrating Primary Care, Shared Decision Making, And Community Engagement To Facilitate Equitable Access To Multi-Cancer Early Detection Clinical Trials, Cheryl L. Thompson, Adam H. Buchanan, Ronald E. Myers, David S. Weinberg

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Effective implementation of cancer screening programs can reduce disease-specific incidence and mortality. Screening is currently recommended for breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancer. However, initial and repeat adherence to screening tests in accordance with current guidelines is sub-optimal, with the lowest rates observed in historically underserved groups. If used in concert with recommended cancer screening tests, new biospecimen-based multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests could help to identify more cancers that may be amendable to effective treatment. Clinical trials designed to assess the safety and efficacy of MCED tests to assess their potential for reducing cancer mortality are needed and many …

Quality Of Life Among Cancer Survivors: Comparison Of Multiple Cancers Using Icare2, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Rachael L. Schmidt, Kendra Ratnapradipa, Kristin Dickinson, Abbey Fingeret, Whitney Goldner

Manuscripts: Epidemiology

Background: The number of cancer survivors continues to increase due to dramatic improvements in cancer treatment, accounting for approximately 5% of the entire population. As cancer survivors continue to live longer, it is important to understand their quality of life (QoL) in order to maximize supportive care efforts.

Objectives: In this study, the quality of life (QoL) among patients with different types of cancer was examined. The objectives were to: 1) compare patient-reported outcome measures of QoL using the Short-Form (SF-36) Health Survey scores among patients of different cancer types and 2) identify demographic, oncologic, and clinical factors that are …