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Aim: The Victorian Tumour Summits are an initiative of the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services to engage clinicians and consumers in identifying unwarranted variations in cancer care across the state. From the analysis presented at the Victorian Breast Tumour Summit in 2021, this study provides a state‐wide overview of epidemiology and surgical care of breast cancer in Victoria to outline any variations in care across the state, and limitations in data reporting, which impacts the understanding of breast cancer burden and service planning. Methods: A retrospective analysis of Victorian breast cancer patients diagnosed between 2016 and 2018 was performed using a linked data set provided by the Department of Health. The linked data sources include Victorian Cancer Registry, Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset and Victorian Radiotherapy Minimum Data Set, from which patient demographic details, tumor characteristics and treatment records were extracted. Pearson's chi‐squared test was used to determine the statistical significance of relationships between various categorical parameters. Variables including demographics, types of surgery (breast‐conserving vs. mastectomy), rates of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and time to surgery were examined. Results: One thousand nine hundred thirty‐seven patients with ductal carcinoma in situ and 13,375 patients with invasive breast cancer (IBC) were included. Of 11,351 patients with stages I‐III IBC (85%, N = 13,375) 66% underwent breast‐conserving surgery (BCS), and 31% underwent mastectomy. The ratio of mastectomy to BCS increased with increasing disease stage. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was utilized in 11% of early IBC patients who were surgically treated. Eighty‐three percent of patients undergoing upfront breast surgery were treated within 5 weeks of diagnosis, with a significant difference in the median time to surgery between public and private sectors. Breast reconstruction was performed in 37% of mastectomy patients, of whom 83% underwent immediate breast reconstruction, and 17% underwent delayed breast reconstruction. Conclusions: Victorian breast cancer data show a high quality of surgical care coordination. Significant gaps in our data warrant future improvements in the Victorian breast cancer notification system and access to pharmaceutical data for an enhanced understanding of the breast cancer treatment pathways and care delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Virus C hepatitis and Type 2 diabetes: A cohort study in Southern Italy" by L. Montenegro and colleagues in 2013 issue.

Background: Gastric malignancy is one of the most common causes for cancer-related deaths. Reports from the west have shown a paradigm shift in the site of occurrence with malignancies of the gastric cardium increasing in frequency, reports which are contrary to information from the Middle East and South Asia. Aim: To determine trend changes in distribution of gastric malignancy between 1989 and 2004 in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India. Materials and Methods: The study period was divided into four cohorts of four years each (1989-1992, 1993-1996, 1997-2000 and 2001-2004) for the analysis of the changes in trend for subsite specificity, age and gender predilection. Results: Clinically, there were no significant differences in the presenting symptoms or physical signs in the four cohorts. The antrum was the most common site of predilection, no site-specific change was noted and males continued to be more commonly affected of the two sexes. Gastric cancer was significantly higher above the age of 40 years in all the four subsites and cohorts. A decrease in the mean age was observed for men with cancers of the esophagogastric junction (OGJ) (P < 0.0001) and the proximal stomach (P < 0.0001), while junctional malignancy (P < 0.0001), cancers of the proximal stomach (P < 0.0001) and the antrum (P = 0.03) tended to occur progressively later among women. Conclusion: No change in site specificity or gender predilection for gastric adenocarcinoma has been noted in the past 16 years. However, a gender-dependent paradigm shift in the mean age of presentation is discernible for cancers involving the OGJ, proximal stomach and antrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the recent real‐world use of first‐generation antiandrogens (FGAs) in metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) using a retrospective multicentre cohort study. Patients and Methods: The electronic CRPC Australian Database (ePAD) was interrogated to identify patients with mCRPC. Clinicopathological features, treatment and outcome data, stratified by FGA use, were retrieved and reported through descriptive statistics. Survival analyses were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and groups compared using log‐rank tests. Factors influencing overall survival (OS) were analysed using Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: We identified 634 patients with mCRPC, enrolled in ePAD between January 2016 and March 2019, including 322 (51%) who received FGAs. The median follow‐up was 21.9 months. Patients treated with FGAs were more likely to have lower International Society of Urological Pathologists (ISUP) grade group (P = 0.04), longer median time to CRPC (25.6 vs 16.0 months, P < 0.001), and were less likely to have visceral metastases (5.0% vs 11.2%, P = 0.005) or to have received upfront docetaxel (P < 0.001). A ≥50% reduction from pre‐treatment prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) level (PSA50 response) during FGA treatment occurred in 119 (37%) patients and was independently associated with improved OS (hazard ratio 0.233, P < 0.001). Prior FGA treatment did not significantly influence the selection of subsequent life‐prolonging treatments for mCRPC or their PSA50 response rates. Conclusion: In our present cohort, FGAs were commonly used in lower‐risk mCRPC and their use did not significantly influence the choice or duration of subsequent systemic therapy. A PSA50 response to FGA therapy was an independent favourable prognostic marker associated with improved OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Optimal treatment for newly diagnosed metastatic hormone‐sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) has evolved, with many patients deriving benefit from the addition of docetaxel to androgen deprivation therapy (D‐ADT). This study sought to define the therapy used and associated activity following D‐ADT. Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients with mHSPC treated with one or more cycles of D‐ADT who were identified from a prospectively maintained multisite prostate cancer database of patients treated in a community or academic center setting in Australia. The primary endpoint of this study was first‐line time to treatment failure (1L TTF) for subsequent treatment of metastatic Castrate Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC), with secondary endpoints of prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) reduction >50% and time from 1L to second‐line (2L) treatment initiation. Results: A total of 93 patients received D‐ADT for mHSPC, 85 (91%) had subsequent treatment for mCRPC. Median time to mCRPC (biochemical, clinical or radiographic) had been 14.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.9–16.5). 1L treatment was enzalutamide 47 patients (55%), abiraterone 23 (27%), cabazitaxel 7 (8%), docetaxel 4 (5%) and other therapies 4 (5%). Median 1L TTF was 6.3 months (95% CI, 4.9–7.6), PSA > 50% reduction was achieved in 32 of 89 patients (36%), median time from 1L to second‐line treatment was 7.3 months (1.3–27.4), which did not differ significantly between treatment groups. Conclusions: Abiraterone, enzalutamide, cabazitaxel and docetaxel all demonstrate activity following progression on D‐ADT. No difference in efficacy was detected between treatment options for mCRPC. Prospective trials investigating the optimal treatment sequence for prostate cancer following progression on D‐ADT needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]