Results from the Thinking and Living with Cancer Study (TLC) showed that the development of sleep disturbances during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic increased symptoms of depression and anxiety among older women, but the findings did not differ between women who survived breast cancer and women without cancer. It is the first study to assess sleep disturbances and mental health outcomes among cancer survivors during the pandemic.

, published in the journal Cancer Medicine, was led by researchers from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and included collaborators from Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC), a part of Georgetown Lombardi, along with other investigators.

“The pandemic has significantly changed our lives with many studies showing effects on sleep, which itself is related to a wide range of physical and mental health outcomes. Our findings show that breast cancer survivors did not experience worse effects of sleep disturbance on mental health during the early phase of the pandemic compared to others. It was unexpected, but welcome, news,” said lead author Traci N. Bethea, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Georgetown Lombardi.

"We were surprised but at the same time, we weren't surprised because someone who had been diagnosed with breast cancer may have learned coping mechanisms and received support that was already in place when the pandemic began," explained medical oncologist Deena M.A. Graham, MD, who led JTCC's participation in the study.

Breast cancer survivors tend to experience worse sleep than the general population, as well as reporting more depression and anxiety symptoms. TLC is a longitudinal study of breast cancer survivors aged 60 and older and matched controls without cancer who are completing annual assessments over a 5-year period. For this analysis, symptoms of depression and anxiety and reports of restless sleep were compared between 242 breast cancer survivors and 158 controls who were surveyed from May-September 2020.

There was an increase in sleep disturbances and symptoms of depression and anxiety during the pandemic, but survivors and controls did not differ in the magnitude of change. Nearly 1 in 4 participants (22.3%) reported experiencing sleep disturbances during this time, including new restless sleep in 10% of survivors and 13.5% of controls. Symptoms of depression and anxiety significantly increased during the pandemic among women reporting restless sleep, but there were no differences in these findings between survivors and controls.

"Many patients who have been affected by cancer came into the pandemic already having had their lives changed by the diagnosis of an illness," added Dr. Graham.

“Given how a cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment can disrupt a patient’s life and sometimes lead to social isolation, cancer survivors may have been more resilient or more prepared to adapt at the onset of the pandemic due to their cancer journey,” said Dr. Bethea.

The study's results may also inform the future care of patients. The investigators concluded that clinical and public health programs serving older adults should include surveillance of sleep disturbances during the pandemic to detect and treat worsening mental health. "This study provides a platform upon which we can examine new issues facing women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer," noted Dr. Graham. "The fact that our patients were able and willing to participate and provide us with this information will allow us to better meet the needs of all patients going forward."

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Results from the Thinking and Living with Cancer Study showed that the development of sleep disturbances during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic increased symptoms of depression and anxiety among older women, but the findings did not differ between women who survived breast cancer and women without cancer.

Study Shows Sleep Disturbances During the Pandemic Were Similar between Breast Cancer Survivors and Healthy Controls

 in Hackensack has treated the first patient in the country with an investigational new drug for relapsed glioblastoma and other anaplastic gliomas, according to a Monday announcement from the hospital.

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer, which often recurs despite standard treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Survival beyond five years is rare, and new treatments are gravely needed.

The new treatment, DSP-0390, has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, nor has its safety and efficacy been established. It is an investigational new agent developed by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based 

 that acts as an inhibitor of emopamil-binding protein, a molecule in cholesterol biosynthesis.

“Our bodies need cholesterol to build healthy cells and for those cells to signal one another,” said Dr. Samuel Goldlust, medical director of neuro-oncology. “But GBM cells can force the production of cholesterol into overdrive, leading to tumor growth and blocking EPB may inhibit this growth.”

This multicenter, global Phase 1/2 study is planned to enroll 70 patients at five brain tumor centers in the U.S. and Japan.

“Clinical trials in GBM have taught us that traditional treatments are not enough to defeat this challenging tumor,” said Dr. George Kaptain, director of neurosurgical oncology. “It is a privilege to be able to offer our patients streamlined access to novel, investigational molecularly targeted therapies like DSP-0390 in our ongoing pursuit of treatments to help maximize survival and minimize side effects.”

John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack has treated the first patient in the country with an investigational new drug for relapsed glioblastoma and other anaplastic gliomas.

John Theurer Cancer Center Treats First Patient in U.S. With Investigational Drug for Brain Cancer

Investigators from Hackensack University Medical Center’s John Theurer Cancer Center confirmed that cryopreserved stem cells collected before a first stem cell transplant to treat multiple myeloma are just as viable and potent for use in a second "salvage" transplant up to 20 years later when a patient experiences a relapse of the disease. The study, published in the Journal of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, is the first to compare outcomes of initial and salvage transplants in the same patients.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow, and autologous stem cell transplantation—the collection of a patient's own stem cells from their bloodstream before chemotherapy, which are given back after chemotherapy to rebuild the blood-forming system—is a commonly used treatment. Multiple myeloma often comes back despite initial treatment, but it may not be for several years. For this reason, treatment guidelines recommend that enough stem cells are collected before the first transplant to support two transplants. The cells are frozen and stored in a vapor-phase liquid nitrogen refrigerator for storage below -150°C.

The study investigators assessed outcomes in 89 patients who received an initial stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma as well as a salvage transplant for relapsed disease at John Theurer Cancer Center between 2000 and 2021. The median period of time between the initial collection of the cells and the salvage transplant was 5.4 years, with some patients not receiving the second transplant until up to 19.7 years later. The researchers found that the amount of time it took for patients' bodies to rebuild their levels of neutrophils (white blood cells) and platelets (blood-clotting cells) was not significantly different between the first and salvage transplants.

"This study shows, for the first time in the same group of patients from a single institution, that it is safe to store stem cells for a very prolonged period of time while maintaining their viability and potency," explained Ronit Slotky, PhD, director of the Cell Therapies Manufacturing Facility at John Theurer Cancer Center and one of the study's lead authors. "You can infuse them into a patient with relapsed multiple myeloma up to 20 years later and they are still effective."

"Until now, data on stem cell transplantation outcomes after long-term storage have been limited. Our long and distinguished history of leadership in the field of bone marrow and stem cell transplantation and our high volumes of multiple myeloma patients have enabled us to report the first study demonstrating these outcomes in the same group of patients," said André Goy, MD, MS, chairman and executive director of John Theurer Cancer Center. "We are very proud to give patients with multiple myeloma and their providers confidence in the effectiveness of this approach."

“This publication was the result of the hard work and dedication of Dr. Slotky and her team,” said Scott Rowley, MD, FACP, Member, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program and medical director, Cell Therapies Manufacturing Facility, John Theurer Cancer Center. “This manuscript is a great accomplishment for our department and we are very proud to receive this recognition by the publisher.”

“This research is immediately beneficial to patients in our network, and also those across the world,” said Ihor Sawczuk, M.D., FACS, the chief research officer and president of Hackensack Meridian 

’s Northern Region. “This kind of dedicated, thorough science saves and improves lives, and is an example of why we are always looking for ways to keep getting better.”

Investigators from Hackensack University Medical Center’s John Theurer Cancer Center confirm that cryopreserved stem cells collected before a first stem cell transplant to treat multiple myeloma are just as viable and potent for use in a second "salvage" transplant 20 years later.

Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center

Articles

Study Shows Sleep Disturbances During the Pandemic Were Similar between Breast Cancer Survivors and Healthy Controls

John Theurer Cancer Center Treats First Patient in U.S. With Investigational Drug for Brain Cancer

John Theurer Cancer Center Investigators Confirm that Preserved Stem Cells Are Safe and Effective for Multiple Myeloma Treatment Up to 20 Years Later