18,000 women die due to metastatic breast cancer in Germany per year. Median survival is 20–28 months after diagnosis. The question we wanted to answer was whether survival has improved in routine care? For this purpose we conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients with metastatic breast cancer who were treated between 06/1995-06/2013 in a community-based oncology group practice in Germany. 716 patients were analyzed with a median age of 61 (31–93). Localizations of metastases were distributed as follows: 47% visceral, 36% bone, 9% lymphatic, 4% CNS, 4% others. 79% were hormone-receptor-positive, 20% Her2-positive, 9% triple-negative. Median overall survival was 34 months (95% Confidence Interval: 31–37), median disease-specific survival 36.8 months and disease-specific survival after 5 years 34%. Survival was significantly correlated with localizations of metastases, number of metastasized organs, disease free survival since initial diagnosis, hormone-receptor status and age. Patients with hormone-receptor-positive tumors had a median overall survival of 37 months, Her2-positive patients of 34 months and triple-negative patients of 13 months. 86% of hormone-receptor-positive patients received antihormonal therapy. 81% of Her2-positive patients received anti-Her2 therapy. In summary, longer survival is strongly restricted to hormone receptor- and Her2-positive tumors most likely due to targeted therapies directed against the estrogen-receptor and Her2.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment reality for outpatients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) managed by hematologists in routine care. Patients and Methods: All patients with ITP diagnosed between 06/1995 and 12/2014 in a community-based oncology group practice in Germany were retrospectively analyzed. Results: 422 patients with a median age of 55 years (range 7-91 years) were evaluated. 57% were female and 43% male. Only 198 (47%) patients needed therapy. First-line therapy (n = 198) consisted of steroids in 81%, intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) in 12%, and IVIG plus steroids in 6%. Patients received a median of 2 (range 1-10) lines of therapy. The most frequently used treatment modalities were steroids in 93%, IVIG in 55%, splenectomy in 21%, and other immunosuppressive agents (OISA) in 23% of patients. Rituximab and thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TRAs) were used in 10% and 6% only. 9 (2%) patients needed hospitalization due to bleeding complications. 72% of patients achieved a durable remission after their last line of therapy. 1 (0.2%) patient died due to bleeding complications. Conclusion: The treatment modalities most frequently used are steroids, immunoglobulins, splenectomy, and OISA. Rituximab and TRAs are only used infrequently. 72% of ITP patients achieve durable remissions. The rate of hospital admissions due to bleeding complications and the ITP-related mortality are low. The majority of ITP patients can be safely managed by hematologists on an outpatient basis.

Treatment for breast cancer has negative physical, emotional, and social effects on many patients. They suffer these effects to varying degrees depending on age, type of surgery, and systemic treatment.

Seven hundred and twenty-four CLL-outpatients with a median age of 67 (35-92) were analyzed. Four hundred and twenty-seven (59%) were male, 297 (41%) female. At diagnosis 556 (77%) were in Binet stage A, 91 (13%) stage B and 36 (5%) stage C. Forty-six percent received treatment during the evaluation period. Treatment consisted of purine analogs in 38%, alkylating agents in 96%, chemoimmunotherapy with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies in 63%, ibrutinib in 9%, venetoclax in 1% and idelalisib in 3%. 3% received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Overall survival (OS) according to Binet stage was: A 13.9 years (0.1-37.4), B 9.2 years (1.4-29.3) and C 7.9 years (0.5-19.4) respectively. Median OS from the start of therapy

Objective Many preference‐sensitive decisions have to be made in breast cancer care and little is known about the decision‐making processes between breast cancer patients and the different health care professionals engaged in their treatment. Methods All female breast cancer patients who underwent surgery in four German breast centers between 07/2016 and 12/2018 were invited to fill in a survey. The decision‐making process was evaluated using the 9‐item Shared Decision Making Questionnaire (SDM‐Q‐9) and a German measure to assess satisfaction with care (ZAPA). The higher the total score (0–100), the higher the experienced degree of participation and satisfaction, respectively. Participants were asked to separately rate consultations with their inpatient hospital doctors, outpatient gynecologists, outpatient oncologists and primary care providers. An overall mean score for the degree of participation and the satisfaction with care was calculated for each patient across all consultations assessed. Differences between the 4 treating physician groups were analyzed as well. Results Of 1068 approached patients, 563 with a mean age of 62 and a standard deviation (SD) of 12.2 years filled in the survey (response rate: 53%). The overall SDM‐Q‐9 score was 73.8 (SD: 20.8). Older patients stated a higher level of participation than younger, different physician groups were rated quite similarly. Overall satisfaction with care was 87.4 (SD: 15.5). Conclusions Overall, patients reported to have experienced a high level of shared decision‐making (SDM) and were quite satisfied with their treatment. However, we do not know whether non‐responders might have had different experiences.