Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is an extremely rare tumor that frequently occurs in adolescent and young adults (AYA). Survival is poor for patients with metastatic and/or relapsed disease not amenable to local control, and limited therapeutic options are available. A major barrier to cancer care in the United States AYA population is lack of access to coordinated care and appropriate therapies for those who lack insurance or who are underinsured. We report a 25-year-old unemployed, uninsured, single mother who presented with a 12.8 × 21 cm soft tissue thigh mass with heterogeneous avidity, max standardized uptake value of 9, with metastatic disease to the ipsilateral inguinal lymph nodes and to the bilateral lungs. After local control of the primary mass was obtained, a recently developed, comprehensive drug replacement program (DRP) was used to gain access to nivolumab, and after frank progression was noted, ipilimumab was added every 6 weeks. No biomarkers associated with response to immunotherapy were identified. After four cycles, a complete response was observed and patient remains disease free 36 months after beginning dual immunotherapy treatment. We obtained immunotherapy agents through a DRP and describe the development and the utility of this program in the community setting. Our report highlights both first documented sustained complete response to sequenced immunotherapy in an AYA with ASPS as well as a comprehensive DRP, which enabled access to therapy for our patient.
African American prostate cancer survivors experience post-treatment decisional regret more often than European Americans, which can lead to negative long-term effects on quality of life. A prominent driver of health-related decision-making is emotion, yet little work has examined the impact emotions may have on decisional regret. The goal of this study was to explore experiences, perceptions, and emotions of prostate cancer survivors in relation to their diagnostic and treatment decision-making processes, prostate cancer treatment, and outcomes. Additionally, we sought to identify factors that might explain differences in prostate cancer outcomes between African and European Americans. Design This mixed-methods study utilized a convergent parallel design, in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously and then integrated to more robustly explain relationships between variables. Survivors were eligible for the study if they had been previously diagnosed with localized prostate cancer and were no more than six months post-treatment. The study was guided by the Risk as Feelings Model, which predicts the relationship between emotion and cognition in high-risk decision-making. Results No men experienced decisional regret following treatment, even if they experienced side effects. While all men reported being surprised about their prostate cancer diagnosis, strong negative emotions were more common among men under 65. Family support and spirituality appeared to mitigate negative emotions. Perceived authenticity of provider communication was the most influential mediator in men's decision-making and positive perceptions of their outcomes. Conclusions To mitigate the impact emotional responses have on decision-making and post-treatment regret, providers should explore alternate therapies (e.g. counseling for men diagnosed with prostate cancer at a young age) and include family members in prostate cancer treatment discussions. Most importantly, providers should be aware of the importance of quality communication on men's cognitive and emotional processes and their perceptions of treatment outcomes.