Integrated management of stage III in nonsmall cell lung cancer: where do perioperative chemotherapy and immunotherapy fit?

Purpose Of Review: Early-stage nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 30% of the total NSCLC, being the stage III a heterogeneous disease that represents a challenge in the management of these patients. Multidisciplinary approach is essential for an adequate treatment strategy, with surgery being the only curative treatment. Neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy has been the standard of care for a long period, with modest results.

Examining explainable clinical decision support systems with think aloud protocols.

Machine learning tools are increasingly used to improve the quality of care and the soundness of a treatment plan. Explainable AI (XAI) helps users in understanding the inner mechanisms of opaque machine learning models and is a driver of trust and adoption. Explanation methods for black-box models exist, but there is a lack of user studies on the interpretability of the provided explanations.

Unveiling the Role of the Tumor Microenvironment in the Treatment of Follicular Lymphoma.

Follicular lymphomas (FL) are neoplasms that resemble normal germinal center (GC) B-cells. Normal GC and neoplastic follicles contain non-neoplastic cells such as T-cells, follicular dendritic cells, cancer associated fibroblasts, and macrophages, which define the tumor microenvironment (TME), which itself is an essential factor in tumor cell survival. The main characteristics of the TME in FL are an increased number of follicular regulatory T-cells (T) and follicular helper T-cells (T), M2-polarization of macrophages, and the development of a nodular network by stromal cells that creates a suitable niche for tumor growth.

Seroprevalence and immunological memory against SARS-CoV-2 in lung cancer patients: the SOLID study.

Background: At present, we did not find any articles that studied seroprevalence and its persistence several months later in lung cancer patients in the setting of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Most patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) go on to develop antibodies (Abs) against viral proteins. However, it is not known how long these Abs last nor whether cancer treatments could affect the duration of immune response.

Use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with solid tumors and pre-existing autoimmune or inflammatory disease: real-world data.

Aim: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a cornerstone in cancer treatment but they can induce immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Furthermore, patients with pre-existing autoimmune and/or inflammatory disease (AID) have been excluded from clinical trials. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ICIs in patients with cancer and AID.

A Multicenter Analysis of the Outcome of Cancer Patients with Neutropenia and COVID-19 Optionally Treated with Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF): A Comparative Analysis.

Background: Approximately 15% of patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 develop a distress syndrome secondary to a host hyperinflammatory response induced by a cytokine storm. Myelosuppression is associated with a higher risk of infections and mortality. There are data to support methods of management for neutropenia and COVID-19.

To burn-out or not to burn-out: a cross-sectional study in healthcare professionals in Spain during COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of burn-out syndrome in healthcare workers working on the front line (FL) in Spain during COVID-19.

Design: Cross-sectional, online survey-based study.

Settings: Sampling was performed between 21st April and 3rd May 2020.

Steroid Use Independently Predicts for Poor Outcomes in Patients With Advanced NSCLC and High PD-L1 Expression Receiving First-Line Pembrolizumab Monotherapy.

Background: Real-world data have suggested a detrimental effect of steroid use in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving immunotherapy. However, previous studies included heterogeneous cohorts of patients receiving different lines of treatment with several immuno-oncology agents and various combinations of chemotherapy and immuno-oncology agents.

Patients And Methods: A comprehensive clinicopathologic database of patients with NSCLC and programmed cell death ligand 1 >50% treated with frontline pembrolizumab monotherapy was constructed in 14 centers in Italy, Spain, Greece, and Switzerland.

Efficacy of Pembrolizumab Monotherapy in Patients With or Without Brain Metastases From Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With a PD-L1 Expression ≥50%.

The authors conducted a multicenter retrospective study on the outcome of programmed death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score≥50% advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with first-line pembrolizumab according to the presence/absence of brain metastases. A total of 282 patients were included, of whom 56 had brain metastases that were treated with upfront local radiation therapy in 80.3% of cases.

Surgical Tracheostomies in COVID-19 Patients: Indications, Technique, and Results in a Second-Level Spanish Hospital.

Objective: The main purpose of this work is to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of intensive care unit (ICU) patients in a second-level hospital in Madrid, Spain, focusing in those who underwent surgical tracheostomy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The surgical technique and associated complications are also detailed.

Study Design: Observational and historical cohort.

Tumor stem cells fuse with monocytes to form highly invasive tumor-hybrid cells.

The 'cancer cell fusion' theory is controversial due to the lack of methods available to identify hybrid cells and to follow the phenomenon in patients. However, it seems to be one of the best explanations for both the origin and metastasis of primary tumors. Herein, we co-cultured lung cancer stem cells with human monocytes and analyzed the dynamics and properties of tumor-hybrid cells (THC), as well as the molecular mechanisms beneath this fusion process by several techniques: electron-microscopy, karyotyping, CRISPR-Cas9, RNA-seq, immunostaining, signaling blockage, among others.

Lung Adenocarcinoma during Pregnancy: 11-Year Follow-Up.

The incidence of lung cancer during pregnancy is rising due to the high rate of smokers in young women and the late mean age of pregnancy; in addition, considering that the patients are young women with a higher incidence of molecular alterations, molecular testing in lung adenocarcinoma should always be performed, even in pregnancy. Here, we report the case of a lung adenocarcinoma diagnosed during pregnancy with a long survival who benefitted from brain radiotherapy, conventional chemotherapy, and ALK TKI-targeted treatment. It reveals the safety of whole brain radiotherapy during pregnancy and consideration of other brain radiation techniques even in palliative cases, which should be personalized and managed by a multidisciplinary team.

Outcomes from salvage chemotherapy or pembrolizumab beyond progression with or without local ablative therapies for advanced non-small cell lung cancers with PD-L1 ≥50% who progress on first-line immunotherapy: real-world data from a European cohort.

Background: In this real-world multicenter study we addressed the activity of post-progression anticancer treatments after first-line pembrolizumab in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with PD-L1 ≥50%.

Methods: Clinico-pathological data of PD-L1 ≥50% advanced NSCLCs who failed first-line pembrolizumab were collected in 14 Oncologic Centers from different European countries. Types of subsequent anticancer treatment and outcomes on salvage chemotherapy or pembrolizumab beyond progression with or without the addition of local ablative therapies were reported.

Assessment of a New ROS1 Immunohistochemistry Clone (SP384) for the Identification of ROS1 Rearrangements in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma: the ROSING Study.

Introduction: The ROS1 gene rearrangement has become an important biomarker in NSCLC. The College of American Pathologists/International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/Association for Molecular Pathology testing guidelines support the use of ROS1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) as a screening test, followed by confirmation with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) or a molecular test in all positive results. We have evaluated a novel anti-ROS1 IHC antibody (SP384) in a large multicenter series to obtain real-world data.

Identification of microR-106b as a prognostic biomarker of p53-like bladder cancers by ActMiR.

Bladder cancers can be categorized into subtypes according to gene expression patterns. P53-like muscle-invasive bladder cancers are generally resistant to cisplatin-based chemotherapy, but exhibit heterogeneous clinical outcomes with a prognosis intermediate to that of the luminal and basal subtypes. The optimal approach to p53-like tumors remains poorly defined and better means to risk-stratify such tumors and identification of novel therapeutic targets is urgently needed.

PTEN counteracts FBXL2 to promote IP3R3- and Ca-mediated apoptosis limiting tumour growth.

In response to environmental cues that promote IP3 (inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate) generation, IP3 receptors (IP3Rs) located on the endoplasmic reticulum allow the 'quasisynaptical' feeding of calcium to the mitochondria to promote oxidative phosphorylation. However, persistent Ca release results in mitochondrial Ca overload and consequent apoptosis. Among the three mammalian IP3Rs, IP3R3 appears to be the major player in Ca-dependent apoptosis.

Survival after Metastasectomy for Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy is standard treatment for metastatic urothelial carcinoma; however, the vast majority of patients experience disease progression. As systemic therapy alone is rarely curative for the treatment of metastatic urothelial cancer, not only are new therapies needed but also refinement of general treatment principles. Herein, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the role of metastasectomy in metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

Ornithine Decarboxylase Is Sufficient for Prostate Tumorigenesis via Androgen Receptor Signaling.

Increased polyamine synthesis is known to play an important role in prostate cancer. We aimed to explore its functional significance in prostate tumor initiation and its link to androgen receptor (AR) signaling. For this purpose, we generated a new cell line derived from normal epithelial prostate cells (RWPE-1) with overexpression of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and used it for in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Combining chemotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade.

Purpose Of Review: Immune checkpoint blockade results in durable responses in a subset of patients with advanced urologic tumors. However, the majority of patients do not respond to single agent therapy raising the hypothesis that combination regimens may extend the benefits of immune checkpoint blockade to an even broader patient population. Preclinical data support combining immunotherapy with various classes of anticancer agents including standard cytotoxic chemotherapy.