Tumor specific delivery and radiation-enhanced tumor penetration of mesoporous silica nanoparticles for effective radionuclide therapy of ovarian peritoneal metastasis.

Advanced ovarian cancer with peritoneal metastasis is challenging to treat. Limited tumor delivery and penetration of the therapeutics to deep tumor regions are significant barriers to effective treatment. The rising radiopharmaceuticals offer hopes for patients through targeted delivery.

HPV Status and Oral Health Symptom Patterning During Treatment and Survivorship in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: A Longitudinal Analysis.

Objectives: To describe longitudinal oral health symptom patterns of patients receiving concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) and examine associations between phenotypic characteristics, including human papillomavirus (HPV) status and oral health symptoms.

Sample & Setting: A pilot retrospective longitudinal chart review (N = 270) of patients with HNC at a northeastern U.S.

Baseline sLAG-3 levels in Caucasian and African-American breast cancer patients.

Background: Worse survival persists for African-Americans (AA) with breast cancer compared to other race/ethnic groups despite recent improvements for all. Unstudied in outcomes disparities to date is soluble LAG-3 (sLAG-3), cleaved from the LAG-3 immune checkpoint receptor which is a proposed target for deactivation in emerging immunotherapies due to its prominent immunosuppressive function in the tumoral microenvironment. A prior study has found that lower sLAG-3 baseline level was associated with poor outcomes.

Dietary consumption patterns in breast cancer survivors: Pilot evaluation of diet, supplements and clinical factors.

Purpose: Adherence to dietary intake guidelines is recommended for optimal nutrition and outcomes in breast cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to examine dietary quality in a cohort of breast cancer survivors related to current guidelines, guiding further education-based research.

Methods: This exploratory evaluation examined compliance with current dietary guidelines.

Acceptability, Effectiveness, and Roles of mHealth Applications in Supporting Cancer Pain Self-Management: Integrative Review.

Background:  Cancer pain remains highly prevalent and persistent throughout survivorship, and it is crucial to investigate the potential of leveraging the advanced features of mobile health (mHealth) apps to empower individuals to self-manage their pain.

Objective:  This review aims to comprehensively understand the acceptability, users' experiences, and effectiveness of mHealth apps in supporting cancer pain self-management.

Methods:  We conducted an integrative review following Souza and Whittemore and Knafl's 6 review processes.

Implementation Strategies to Promote Short-Course Radiation for Bone Metastases.

Importance: For patients with nonspine bone metastases, short-course radiotherapy (RT) can reduce patient burden without sacrificing clinical benefit. However, there is great variation in uptake of short-course RT across practice settings.

Objective: To evaluate whether a set of 3 implementation strategies facilitates increased adoption of a consensus recommendation to treat nonspine bone metastases with short-course RT (ie, ≤5 fractions).

Pain management for post-treatment survivors of complex cancers: a qualitative study of opioids and cannabis.

We aimed to understand experiences with opioids and cannabis for post-treatment cancer survivors. We conducted seven focus groups among head and neck and lung cancer survivors, using standard qualitative methodology to explore themes around 1) post-treatment pain and 2) utilization, perceived benefits and perceived harms of cannabis and opioids. Survivors (N = 25) experienced addiction fears, stigma and access challenges for both products.

Work-health balance of cancer survivors returning to work: A meta-ethnography.

Purpose: This meta-ethnography investigates the multifaceted health-related experiences of cancer survivors returning to work (RTW), recognizing the pivotal role of employment in overall well-being, particularly in the context of increasing cancer cases among working-age adults.

Method: Following the methodology of Noblit and Hare, a comprehensive literature search was conducted from 2013 to 2023 in databases including PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Embase. Qualitative studies assessing cancer survivors' experiences, motivation, concern, resilience, and need in the process of RTW were identified.

Physician knowledge, practice patterns, and barriers encountered regarding guideline-concordant use of bone modifying agents for prostate cancer.

Background: Guidelines recommend bone-modifying agents (BMAs) for patients with castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and bone metastasis, but not for castrate-sensitive prostate cancer (CSPC). Physicians beliefs and practices regarding BMA therapy are poorly understood.

Methods: This was a qualitative interview study with embedded Likert-scale elements.

Spatiotemporally organized immunomodulatory response to SARS-CoV-2 virus in primary human broncho-alveolar epithelia.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a health crisis with major unmet medical needs. The early responses from airway epithelial cells, the first target of the virus regulating the progression toward severe disease, are not fully understood. Primary human air-liquid interface cultures representing the broncho-alveolar epithelia were used to study the kinetics and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 variants infection.

Spatiotemporally organized immunomodulatory response to SARS-CoV-2 virus in primary human broncho-alveolar epithelia.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a health crisis with major unmet medical needs. The early responses from airway epithelial cells, the first target of the virus regulating the progression towards severe disease, are not fully understood. Primary human air-liquid interface cultures representing the broncho-alveolar epithelia were used to study the kinetics and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 variants infection.

Symptom Patterning Across the Cancer Care Trajectory for Patients Receiving Chemoradiation for Head and Neck Cancer: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study Using Latent Transition Analysis.

Background: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) experience a multitude of symptoms because of the tumor and its treatment.

Objective: To identify the symptom patterns present in cancer treatment and survivorship periods for patients with HNC using latent class analysis.

Methods: A retrospective longitudinal chart review was conducted to examine symptoms reported by patients who received concurrent chemoradiation for HNC in a regional Northeastern United States cancer institute.

Multidisciplinary Treatment of Non-Spine Bone Metastases: Results of a Modified Delphi Consensus Process.

Purpose: Local treatment for bone metastases is becoming increasingly complex. National guidelines traditionally focus only on radiation therapy (RT), leaving a gap in clinical decision support resources available to clinicians. The objective of this study was to reach expert consensus regarding multidisciplinary management of non-spine bone metastases, which would facilitate standardizing treatment within an academic-community partnership.

Implementation Strategies to Increase Clinical Trial Enrollment in a Community-Academic Partnership and Impact on Hispanic Representation: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

Purpose: Community-academic partnerships have the potential to improve access to clinical trials for under-represented minority patients who more often receive cancer treatment in community settings. In 2017, the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center began opening investigator-initiated clinical trials in radiation oncology in targeted community-based partner sites with a high potential to improve diverse population accrual. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a set of implementation strategies for increasing overall community-based enrollment and the resulting proportional enrollment of Hispanic patients on trials on the basis of availability in community-based partner sites.

Feasibility of Investigational Procedures and Efficacy of a Personalized Omega-3 Dietary Intervention in Alleviating Pain and Psychoneurological Symptoms in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Background: Breast cancer survivors (BCS) are at risk for psychoneurological symptoms (PNS) and inflammation for years following cancer treatment. Fish, particularly salmon, provides a rich source of omega-3 long chain fatty acids (omega-3LC), which has an anti-inflammatory effect. However, the benefit of omega-3LC on PNS is not well-known.

Validation of a Population-Based Data Source to Examine National Cancer Clinical Trial Participation.

Importance: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requires health care organizations to report the National Clinical Trial (NCT) identifier on claims for items and services related to clinical trials that qualify for coverage. This same NCT identifier is used to identify clinical trials in the ClinicalTrials.gov registry.

A Descriptive Survey Study of Patient Needs and Preferences for Cancer Pain Self-Management Support.

Objectives: To characterize the needs and preferences for pain self-management support (SMS) among patients with cancer during the transition of cancer care from the hospital to the home setting.

Sample & Setting: 38 participants with cancer pain at a research-intensive cancer center in New England.

Methods & Variables: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey study was conducted to investigate relationships among preferred and received support, extent and management of transitional change, and pain outcomes.

The Head and Neck Survivorship Tool (HN-STAR) Trial (WF-1805CD): A protocol for a cluster-randomized, hybrid effectiveness-implementation, pragmatic trial to improve the follow-up care of head and neck cancer survivors.

Survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC) can have multiple health concerns. To facilitate their care, we developed and pilot-tested a clinical informatics intervention, HN-STAR. HN-STAR elicits concerns online from HNC survivors prior to a routine oncology clinic visit.

Identification of a five gene signature to predict time to biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

Background: Identification of novel biomarkers associated with high-risk prostate cancer or biochemical recurrence can drive improvement in detection, prognosis, and treatment. However, studies can be limited by small sample sizes and sparse clinical follow-up data. We utilized a large sample of prostate specimens to identify a predictive model of biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy and we validated this model in two external data sets.

An Integrative Review of the Role of the Oral and Gut Microbiome in Oral Health Symptomatology During Cancer Therapy.

Problem Identification: Both chemotherapy and radiation therapy cause considerable symptom burden on patients' oral health, influencing nutritional status and quality of life. The role of the oral and gut microbiome in oral health alterations during cancer therapy is an emerging area of science in symptom management.

Literature Search: PubMed®, CINAHL®, and Scopus® were searched for articles published from January 2000 through July 2020.

Lutetium Lu-177 Dotatate Flare Reaction.

Purpose: Lutetium Lu-177 dotatate is the first peptide receptor radionuclide therapy approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Well-designed studies in Europe have shown dramatic effectiveness in improving progression-free survival in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, which are progressive and generally metastatic. This therapy is a molecular targeted therapy linking a beta-emitting radioisotope to dotatate, which binds tightly to somatostatin receptors on neuroendocrine tumors cells.

Perceptions of clinical support for employed breast cancer survivors managing work and health challenges.

Purpose: A substantial portion of breast cancer survivors are active in the workforce, yet factors that allow survivors to balance work with cancer management and to return to work are poorly understood. We examined breast cancer survivors' most valued/desired types of support in early survivorship.

Methods: Seventy-six employed breast cancer survivors answered an open-ended survey question assessing the most valued/desired support to receive from healthcare providers during early survivorship to manage work and health.

Tumor-mesoporous silica nanoparticle interactions following intraperitoneal delivery for targeting peritoneal metastasis.

The use of intraperitoneal administration of nanoparticles has been reported to facilitate higher concentrations of nanoparticles in metastatic peritoneal tumors. While this strategy is appealing for limiting systemic exposure of nanocarrier delivered toxic cargoes and increasing nanoparticle concentrations in avascular peritoneal tumors, little is known about the mechanism of nanoparticle accumulation on tumor tissues and currently, no nanoparticle-based product has been approved for intraperitoneal delivery. Here, we investigated the nanoparticle-specific characteristics that led to increased peritoneal tumor accumulation using MCM-41 type mesoporous silica nanoparticles as our model system.

Integrated Analysis of Clinical and Microbiome Risk Factors Associated with the Development of Oral Candidiasis during Cancer Chemotherapy.

Oral candidiasis is a common side effect of cancer chemotherapy. To better understand predisposing factors, we followed forty-five subjects who received 5-fluorouracil- or doxorubicin-based treatment, during one chemotherapy cycle. Subjects were evaluated at baseline, prior to the first infusion, and at three additional visits within a two-week window.