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Background: Although reports have described the perceptions of curability among patients with unresectable/recurrent cancer and the quality of death and dying, the association between patients' perceptions and physicians' disclosures of incurability remained unexplored. This survey aimed to evaluate the association between patients' perceptions of curability and physicians' disclosures of incurability., Methods: In this cross-sectional, multicenter, observational study in Japan, we asked outpatients with unresectable/recurrent solid cancers about their perceptions of incurability. The patient inclusion criteria were unresectable/recurrent solid cancer, failure of first-line chemotherapy and an age ≥ 20 years. Additionally, we surveyed their primary responsible physicians regarding disclosures to patients regarding incurability., Results: Although we estimated the necessary sample size as 250, we discontinued recruitment because the responsible researcher transferred to another hospital. Among the 135 included and surveyed patients, 39% responded that their cancer was incurable, 33% responded that their cancer was curable and 23% responded 'I don't know' or 'I don't wish to answer'. No significant association was observed between patients' perceptions of curability and physician-reported disclosures of incurability., Conclusion: In this Japanese population, 39% of patients with unresectable/recurrent solid cancers perceived that their cancers were incurable. However, such perceptions did not appear to be significantly affected by physician-reported disclosures. We recommend additional research to determine the best disclosure method to ensure that patients truly understand their disease status.

Background: Some elderly cancer patients, even with good Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS), have poor survival outcomes and cannot tolerate standard therapy. Few studies have detailed the associations between the G8 screening tool, ECOG-PS, and overall survival (OS) in such patients., Methods: Cancer patients, aged 70 years or older, were assessed for G8 and classified into three groups according to their G8 score: <11 as the low score group, 11-14 as the intermediate score group, and >14 as the high score group. We retrospectively analyzed the association between G8 score and OS in all patients and for each ECOG-PS-categorized group., Results: Out of 264 enrolled patients, most patients (87%) with solid tumor were categorized as TNM stage IV. ECOG-PS was 0 or 1 in 215 patients and ≥2 in 48; there was missing data for one patient. Among all patients, the low score group with a median OS of 7.7 months survived significantly less than both the high score group with a median OS of 25.6 months [Hazard ratio (HR) 3.48; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.96-6.63; p < 0.0001] and the intermediate score group with a median of 15.6 months (HR 1.83; 95% CI, 1.28-2.65; p < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, TNM stage and G8 score were independent prognostic factors for OS. When patients with an ECOG-PS of 0 or 1 were analyzed, patients with a lower G8 score showed significantly shorter OS than patients with a higher score when any two groups were compared., Conclusion: This novel classification of the G8 score contributes to prompt identification of patients with poor prognosis and improved the prognostic value of ECOG-PS. Using G8 with ECOG-PS may be helpful in deciding treatment for elderly patients with advanced cancer.

EGFR constitute an attractive target for tumor therapy, because it is a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase which is critically involved in tumorigenesis by stimulating cell proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis or other biological functions. The anti-tumor effects of targeted therapy by anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies are mainly based on direct inhibition of the EGFR signal transduction pathway. In addition, monoclonal antibody has the potential advantage of recruiting immune effect or mechanisms to kill tumor cells. The pre-clinical and clinical data indicated that antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) contributes to tumor cell lysis by anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies. Some polymorphisms in Fc gamma receptor genes have been shown to be a predictive marker for the efficacy of anti-EGFR antibodies. Continued research on the immunotherapeutic mechanisms of monoclonal antibodies will improve the efficacy of antibody-based targeted therapy for cancer.