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Patients with cancer and pre-existing severe mental disorder, which include moderate to severe depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, are known to have reduced life expectancy and are less likely to get recommended cancer treatment. Barriers at patient-, provider- and system level have been identified, e.g. lack of identification of psychiatric comorbidity, shortage of stabilising psychiatric symptoms and fragmentation of the healthcare system. Patient-centered, interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial healthcare interventions have shown a high potential to improve the cancer care, as argued in this review., (Published under Open Access CC-BY-NC-BD 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

Background: Comprehensive cancer care requires effective collaboration by interprofessional healthcare teams. The need to develop educational initiatives to improve interprofessional collaboration is increasingly recognised. However, there is no agreement regarding the interprofessional competencies required for effective cancer care leading to much variation on the focus of research, planning and managing change. A scoping review was conducted to identify the current status of IPE in cancer care and to summarise the results of previous research in order to guide the development of interprofessional education in cancer care., Methods: The JBI Scoping Review guidelines were used to guide the process of the review. A search of the available literature was conducted in CINAHL, MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus databases from January 2012 to March 2023 to investigate IPE for health professional clinicians working in cancer care., Results: Of the 825 initial references and 153 studies imported for screening, a total of 28 studies were included in the final review. From those studies, seven focused on the need for IPE and interprofessional competence for oncology healthcare professionals, four reviewed existing IPE programs and 17 described the development and evaluation of interprofessional education. Findings show variation and lack of concept definitions underpinning research in IPE in cancer care settings. Variation also exists in the range of research activities in IPE, most notably related to communication, teamwork and the development of interprofessional practice. The evaluation of impact of IPE is mainly focused on health care professionals' self-evaluation and general feedback. Impact on patient care was only evaluated in one study., Conclusions: Based on the results, interprofessional education research in the field of cancer care is limited in Europe. Thus, there is a significant increase in publications in the last five years. A more systematic focus on the theoretical framework and definition of concepts would be of value. Research and programme development should be based on a shared understanding on what constitutes the interprofessional competences and IPE. Programmes to develop interprofessional practice should be developed and implemented systematically with inclusion of validated assessment methods, and evaluated and improved regularly., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Although radiotherapy continues to evolve as a mainstay of the oncological armamentarium, research and innovation in radiotherapy in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) faces challenges. This third Series paper examines the current state of LMIC radiotherapy research and provides new data from a 2022 survey undertaken by the International Atomic Energy Agency and new data on funding. In the context of LMIC-related challenges and impediments, we explore several developments and advances-such as deep phenotyping, real-time targeting, and artificial intelligence-to flag specific opportunities with applicability and relevance for resource-constrained settings. Given the pressing nature of cancer in LMICs, we also highlight some best practices and address the broader need to develop the research workforce of the future. This Series paper thereby serves as a resource for radiation professionals., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests RK reports receiving support from the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute for attending meetings and for travel. PGSP declares support from the National Cancer Institute's Radiation Research Program for contributions to this Series paper and for attending meetings and conferences. MM reports receiving grants from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council for clinical trials paid to his institution; a grant for an investigator-initiated clinical trial that Varian has agreed to, but the payment of this grant is pending; travel support from Varian to deliver a presentation at a national research meeting; and honoraria for lectures from Varian that have been donated to his institution. PK is a recipient of grants from the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council and the Cancer Institute NSW Translational Program; has US patents on MRI-LINAC radiotherapy and x-ray-guided radiotherapy; and has stock in SeeTreat. NAM is a recipient of payment for expert testimony as a consultant in a medical legal case whose subject matter was unrelated to the field of research in this manuscript; and has served in a leadership role on the committee of the Radiosurgery Society: the Clinical Working Group of the GRID, LATTICE, Microbeam, and FLASH Working Group. BAJ-F is a recipient of institutional grants from Accuray, the Italian Association for Cancer Research, and the Fondazione Instituto Europeo di Oncologia-Centro Cardiologico Monzino for her institution; has received honoraria from the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology for lectures and presentations, from the European School of Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology for lectures and masterclasses, and from Roche, Bayer, Janssen, Carl Zeiss, Accuray, Astellas, Elekta, IBA, Technologie Avanzate, and ACCMED for lectures; and has participated on advisory boards for Janssen, AstraZeneca, and Bayer, and on a steering committee for Seagen. AA reports receiving an Advanced Fellowship from the National Institute for Health Research. F-MSK has received research grants from Varian Medical, Merck, and Shenzhen Science and Technology Commission Programme (KQTD20180411185028798); she has also received a speaker's honorarium from AstreZeneca. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

Introduction: Cancer trajectories among patients with pre-existing severe mental disorders (SMD) are challenging and these pateints' prognosis is poor. This study aimed at exploring barriers in cancer trajectories among patients with pre-existing SMD as experienced by Danish healthcare professionals., Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals who were sampled by purposive sampling. Data were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis., Results: The participants wanted to optimise treatment, but several barriers were reported, including lack of knowledge of supportive social systems. Oncological participants experienced a lack of knowledge of psychiatric disorders and a reluctance to deal with patients with SMD among some colleagues. Furthermore, participants expressed a lack of time and continuity., Conclusions: Concerns about how to create optimal cancer care trajectories for people with pre-existing SMD exist among healthcare professionals. Even so, stigmatisation, lack of knowledge and system barriers such as a lack of time and continuity must be addressed to optimise care for this population., Funding: This study was funded by The Danish Cancer Society (R283-A16499)., Trial Registration: This study is registered in the internal register of research projects of the Central Denmark Region (R. no. 1-16-02-227-21)., (Published under Open Access CC-BY-NC-BD 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

Background: This study was designed to identify common genetic susceptibility and shared genetic variants associated with acute radiation-induced toxicity across 4 cancer types (prostate, head and neck, breast, and lung)., Methods: A genome-wide association study meta-analysis was performed using 19 cohorts totaling 12 042 patients. Acute standardized total average toxicity (STATacute) was modelled using a generalized linear regression model for additive effect of genetic variants, adjusted for demographic and clinical covariates (rSTATacute). Linkage disequilibrium score regression estimated shared single-nucleotide variation (SNV-formerly SNP)-based heritability of rSTATacute in all patients and for each cancer type., Results: Shared SNV-based heritability of STATacute among all cancer types was estimated at 10% (SE = 0.02) and was higher for prostate (17%, SE = 0.07), head and neck (27%, SE = 0.09), and breast (16%, SE = 0.09) cancers. We identified 130 suggestive associated SNVs with rSTATacute (5.0 × 10‒8 < P < 1.0 × 10‒5) across 25 genomic regions. rs142667902 showed the strongest association (effect allele A; effect size ‒0.17; P = 1.7 × 10‒7), which is located near DPPA4, encoding a protein involved in pluripotency in stem cells, which are essential for repair of radiation-induced tissue injury. Gene-set enrichment analysis identified 'RNA splicing via endonucleolytic cleavage and ligation' (P = 5.1 × 10‒6, P = .079 corrected) as the top gene set associated with rSTATacute among all patients. In silico gene expression analysis showed that the genes associated with rSTATacute were statistically significantly up-regulated in skin (not sun exposed P = .004 corrected; sun exposed P = .026 corrected)., Conclusions: There is shared SNV-based heritability for acute radiation-induced toxicity across and within individual cancer sites. Future meta-genome-wide association studies among large radiation therapy patient cohorts are worthwhile to identify the common causal variants for acute radiotoxicity across cancer types., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Introduction: Multidisciplinary and multi-professional collaboration is vital in providing better outcomes for patients The aim of the INTERACT-EUROPE Project (Wide Ranging Cooperation and Cutting Edge Innovation As A Response To Cancer Training Needs) was to develop an inter-specialty curriculum. A pilot project will enable a pioneer cohort to acquire a sample of the competencies needed., Methods: A scoping review, qualitative and quantitative surveys were undertaken. The quantitative survey results are reported here. Respondents, including members of education boards, curriculum committees, trainee committees of European specialist societies and the ECO Patient Advisory Committee, were asked to score 127 proposed competencies on a 7-point Likert scale as to their value in achieving the aims of the curriculum. Results were discussed and competencies developed at two stakeholder meetings. A consultative document, shared with stakeholders and available online, requested views regarding the other components of the curriculum., Results: Eleven competencies were revised, three omitted and three added. The competencies were organised according to the CanMEDS framework with 13 Entrustable Professional Activities, 23 competencies and 127 enabling competencies covering all roles in the framework. Recommendations regarding the infrastructure, organisational aspects, eligibility of trainees and training centres, programme contents, assessment and evaluation were developed using the replies to the consultative document., Conclusions: An Inter-specialty Cancer Training Programme Curriculum and a pilot programme with virtual and face-to-face components have been developed with the aim of improving the care of people affected by cancer., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Patients with pre-existing severe mental disorders are significantly less likely to receive guideline-recommended cancer treatment and seems to have a significantly lower rate of cancer survival compared to patients with cancer without mental disorders., Aim: To perform a systematic review on barriers at patient-, provider- and system-levels in cancer trajectories of patients with pre-existing severe mental disorders., Method: A systematic review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO ID: CRD42022316020)., Results: Nine eligible studies were identified. Barriers at patient-level included lack of self-care and ability to recognize physical symptoms and signs. Provider-level barriers included stigma from health care professionals on mental disorders, whereas system-level barriers included fragmented health care and consequences of this., Conclusion: This systematic review found that barriers at patient-, provider- and system-levels exist in cancer trajectories for patients with severe mental disorders, causing disparities in cancer care. Further research is needed to improve cancer trajectories for patients with severe mental disorder., (© 2023 The Authors. Psycho-Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The ESO-ESSO-ESTRO Multidisciplinary Course in Oncology is intended to fill the gap of the undergraduate fragmented oncology education, to provide insight into all theoretical and practical aspects of oncology, and to encourage future professional choices towards an oncology discipline. Students are exposed to (a) preclinical cancer topics; (b) natural history of the disease; (c) laboratory diagnostic tests; (d) medical, radiation, surgical, and palliative treatment; and (e) direct or through multidisciplinary patients' approach. Students are obliged to attend (i) all theoretical lectures, (ii) clinical case presentations, (iii) laboratories and ward visits, and (iv) to prepare and present a specific project under supervision. Participation is limited to 24 medical students who are selected through a competitive application process. Between 2016 and 2019, 96 students from 29 countries have attended. Data analysis derived from a given questionnaire demonstrates that most of the participants have declared that (1) they have achieved their expectations and objectives, (2) they have highly rated both clinical and non-clinical teaching oncological topics, and (3) they have been stimulated in developing a professional career in the field of oncology., (© 2021. American Association for Cancer Education.)

Introduction: Clinical oncologists are physicians with the competencies to manage cancer patients through the entire disease pathway combining the competencies of radiation and medical oncologists. The 4th edition of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology Core Curriculum for Radiation Oncology/Radiotherapy (ESTRO curriculum) has received wide support by the clinical oncology community. The aim was to develop a clinical oncology module that could be combined with the ESTRO curriculum to enable clinical oncology trainees to follow a single curriculum., Materials and Methods: A range of stakeholders including National Society representatives, an oncologist from a low- middle-income country, and a recently appointed specialist, developed and commented on iterations of the curriculum. Further modifications were made by the ESTRO Education Council., Results: The module is based on the CanMEDS 2015 framework and identifies 20 enabling competencies in the Medical Expert role that are required in addition to the ESTRO curriculum for the training of clinical oncologists. Recommendations are made for the levels of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) to be attained by the end of training., Conclusions: The Clinical Oncology module, when combined with the ESTRO curriculum, covers the entire cancer pathway rather than being modality specific. It is hoped it will aid in the development of comparable standards of training in clinical oncology across Europe and may also have utility in low- and middle-income countries as well as providing a single curriculum for trainees., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Targeted cancer therapies have fundamentally transformed the treatment of many types of cancers over the past decade, including breast, colorectal, lung, and pancreatic cancers, as well as lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. The unique mechanisms of action of these agents have resulted in many patients experiencing enhanced tumor response together with a reduced adverse event profile as well. Toxicities do continue to occur, however, and in selected cases can be clinically challenging to manage. Of particular importance in the context of this monograph is that the pathobiology for oral mucosal lesions caused by targeted cancer therapies has only been preliminarily investigated. There is distinct need for novel basic, translational, and clinical research strategies to enhance design of preventive and therapeutic approaches for patients at risk for development of these lesions. The research modeling can be conceptually enhanced by extrapolating "lessons learned" from selected oral mucosal conditions in patients without cancer as well. This approach may permit determination of the extent to which pathobiology and clinical management are either similar to or uniquely distinct from oral mucosal lesions caused by targeted cancer therapies. Modeling associated with oral mucosal disease in non-oncology patients is thus presented in this context as well. This article addresses this emerging paradigm, with emphasis on current mechanistic modeling and clinical treatment. This approach is in turn designed to foster delineation of new research strategies, with the goal of enhancing cancer patient treatment in the future., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The best care for patients with cancer is most likely to be achieved when decisions about diagnosis, staging and treatment are made at multidisciplinary and multiprofessional meetings, preferably when all the professional expertise relevant to the patient's condition is gathered together. Questionnaires were sent to National Societies of Radiation Oncology and Medical Oncology concerning similarities and differences in training programs and multidisciplinary care in member states in Europe. Results indicated wide variation in training systems and practice. Data were lacking for Surgery because Surgical Oncology is not recognised as a speciality in the EU and most specialist training in cancer surgery is organ based. A period of time in cross-disciplinary training in each of the other two disciplines for all trainees in Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology and Surgical Oncology (including all surgeons training in cancer surgery) is recommended. This is likely to improve the value of multidisciplinary meetings and may result in improved patient care. The Expert Group on Cancer Control of the European Commission has endorsed this recommendation., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Variability in anatomical contouring is one of the important uncertainties in radiotherapy. FALCON (Fellowship in Anatomic deLineation and CONtouring) is an educational ESTRO (European SocieTy for Radiation and Oncology) project devoted to improve interactive teaching, the homogeneity in contouring and to compare individual contours with endorsed guidelines or expert opinions. This report summarizes the experience from the first 4 years using FALCON for educational activities within ESTRO School and presents the perspectives for the future., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)