The Impact of Iron on Cancer-Related Immune Functions in Oncology: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Evidence.

Iron metabolism plays a dual role in cancer, serving as an essential nutrient for cellular functions and a potential catalyst for tumor growth and immune evasion. Here, we cover the complex interplay between iron levels within the serum or in the microenvironment and cancer therapy, focusing on how iron deficiency and overload can impact immune function, tumor progression, and treatment efficacy. On the one hand, we highlight iron deficiency as a factor of primary immune responses and its adverse effects on anti-cancer immunotherapy efficacy.

Case Report: Successful Treatment of Solitary Fibrous Tumor with Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT).

: This case report details the innovative use of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) with Yttrium-90 resin microspheres to treat a 73-year-old woman with a solitary fibrous tumor (SFT), a rare and challenging tumor type. SFTs often present significant treatment difficulties, especially in cases of recurrence or metastasis, as systemic therapies typically show limited effectiveness. This report explores SIRT as an alternative therapeutic approach for SFTs with liver metastasis.

Treatments and clinical outcomes in stage II colon cancer patients with 12-gene Oncotype DX Colon Recurrence Score® assay-guided therapy: real-world data.

Background: The 12-gene Oncotype DX Colon Recurrence Score® result quantifies the recurrence risk in stage II/III colon cancer (CC). This real-world study investigated stage II CC patients whose treatment decisions incorporated the Recurrence Score® (RS) result.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective analysis of a prospectively designed cohort included all stage II, mismatch repair-proficient CC patients who underwent 12-gene testing through Clalit between January 2011 and December 2016 and had available data with a minimum 3-year follow-up.

Breast cancer insights from Northern Israel: a comprehensive analysis of survival rates among Jewish and Arab women.

This study investigates breast cancer survival rates between 2000 and 2022 in northern Israel, focusing on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age at diagnosis, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index. Analyzing data from Clalit Health Services, we studied 8,431 breast cancer patients (6,395 Jewish, 2,036 Arab). We compared five- and ten-year survival rates across different demographics.

Nuclear localization of heparanase 2 (Hpa2) attenuates breast carcinoma growth and metastasis.

Unlike the intense research effort devoted to exploring the significance of heparanase in cancer, very little attention was given to Hpa2, a close homolog of heparanase. Here, we explored the role of Hpa2 in breast cancer. Unexpectedly, we found that patients endowed with high levels of Hpa2 exhibited a higher incidence of tumor metastasis and survived less than patients with low levels of Hpa2.

Too Much of a Good Thing: The Association of Elevated Vitamin B12 Levels and Outcomes in Patients With Cancer Treated With Immunotherapy.

Metabolic pathways may regulate responses to cancer immunotherapy (IO). Due to its immunomodulatory properties, we sought to examine the association between serum vitamin B12 (VitB12) and survival in individuals with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, compared with biological and chemotherapy. We collected data on patients with advanced cancer initiating intravenous antineoplastic treatment and a concomitant VitB12 measurement (elevated: >820 ng/L), between January 2010 and January 2022.

Linkage between Psychological Factors and Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy: A Preliminary Study.

Substantial evidence has accumulated showing that psychological distress affects immune regulation, the response to cancer treatment, and survival. The effect of psychological parameters on the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment has not yet been studied. This preliminary study aimed to (a) examine the associations between psychological factors and responses to ICI treatment and (b) assess the associations between psychological factors and blood measures of sPD-1, sCTLA-4, and cytokines that may alter the effect of ICI treatment.

Second breast cancer: recurrence score results, clinicopathologic characteristics, adjuvant treatments, and outcomes-exploratory analysis of the Clalit registry.

Data on using the 21-gene Recurrence Score (RS) testing on second breast cancer (BC; second primary or local recurrence) are lacking. This cohort study examined patients with first and second BC, who underwent 21-gene testing both times. It included a 'study-cohort' (60 N0/N1mi/N1 ER + HER2‒ BC patients with ≥2 RS results >1 year apart) and a 'general 21-gene-tested BC-cohort' (2044 previously described N0/N1mi/N1 patients).

Challenges in Implementing Guideline on Integrative Oncology and Pain: The Israeli Perspective.

Context And Objectives: To explore the feasibility of implementing the joint guideline on integrative medicine for pain management in oncology, published by the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), for integrative oncology (IO) services in supportive and palliative care.

Methods: A qualitative research methodology was co-designed by the SIO-ASCO guideline committee, with the Society for Complementary Medicine, Israel Medical Association (IMA). A questionnaire with five open-ended questions exploring barriers and enablers to implementing the guideline was distributed to chairs and board members of nine IMA-affiliated medical societies; four deans of Israeli medical schools; and nurses from the Israeli Society for Oncology Nursing.

Some differences between social work, spiritual care, and psychology: Content variance in end-of-life conversations.

Objectives: Within the multidisciplinary team, there can sometimes be lack of clarity as to the specific different contributions of each of the psycho-social-spiritual professionals: social workers, psychologist, and spiritual caregivers. This study examined the content of their end-of-life conversations with patients.

Methods: A total of 180 patients with terminal cancer received standard multidisciplinary care, including conversations with a social worker, psychologist, and spiritual caregiver.

Associations Between Psycho-Social-Spiritual Interventions, Fewer Aggressive End-of-Life Measures, and Increased Time After Final Oncologic Treatment.

Background: Little is known about the impact of spiritual caregivers, psychologists, and social workers on desired end-of-life (EoL) medical outcomes, such as reduced use of aggressive care in the final 2 weeks of life, having more time between the last active oncological treatment and death, and increased hospice use.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a prospective study of 180 patients with cancer and their families, their interactions with social work, psychology, and spiritual care, and the above three treatment outcomes.

Results: We found that having one or more spiritual care visits (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.

Avelumab for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma-A multicenter real-world experience in Israel.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive malignancy of the skin, affecting predominantly the fair-skinned older population exposed to high levels of ultraviolet light. Immune suppression is considered a significant risk factor. With the recent advances in the field of immunotherapy, the treatment paradigm for advanced MCC, traditionally based on chemotherapy, has largely shifted to anti-PD-L1 and PD-1 agents such as avelumab and pembrolizumab, respectively.

Endothelial Progenitor Cells Promote Osteosarcoma Progression and Invasiveness via AKT/PI3K Signaling.

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) mortality is attributed to lung metastases. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) mediate the angiogenic switch in several cancers. The spatial proximity between EPCs and OS in the bone led to the hypothesis that EPCs-osteosarcoma interactions may possibly promote OS progression and aggressiveness.

The Humoral Response of Patients With Cancer to Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection or the Fourth BNT162b2 Vaccine Dose.

Since January 2022 in Israel, high-risk populations with underlying health conditions were advised to receive a fourth dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We monitored vaccine-induced immunity among oncology patients undergoing systemic anti-cancer therapy before and after the 4th-BNT162b2-dose. Three groups of patients were included in the study: those who received 3rd-BNT162b2-dose and had no breakthrough infection (control), those who received 3rd-BNT162b2-dose and had the breakthrough infection, and those who received the 4th-BNT162b2-dose and had no breakthrough infection.

Positive affect and fatigue as predictors of anti-inflammatory IL-10 concentrations among colorectal cancer patients during adjuvant chemotherapy.

Objectives: (1) To examine the relationships of positive and negative affect and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue at baseline with the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 concentrations in serum at three points in colorectal cancer patients; and (2) to assess the relationship between these factors and disease recurrence or mortality after a median follow-up of 24 months.

Methods: In a prospective trial, 92 stage II or III colorectal cancer patients scheduled to receive standard chemotherapy were enrolled. Blood samples were collected prior to start of chemotherapy onset (T0), 3 months later (T1), and upon chemotherapy completion (T2).

Rhabdomyolysis Induced by the Interaction Between Ribociclib and Statins- Case Report and Literature Review.

Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors given with endocrine therapy are standard of care for the treatment of women with advanced hormone receptor (HR) positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) negative breast cancer. Ribociclib is a CDK 4/6 inhibitor with moderate to solid inhibition of CYP3A4, a member of the cytochrome P450 family oxidase system, which may lead to interactions with medicinal substrates that are metabolized via CYP3A4. Statins are among the most widely prescribed medications worldwide, predominantly metabolized by the CYP3A4 isoenzyme.

Oncology-Led Early Identification of Nutritional Risk: A Pragmatic, Evidence-Based Protocol (PRONTO).

Nutritional issues, including malnutrition, low muscle mass, sarcopenia (i.e., low muscle mass and strength), and cachexia (i.

Deep learning-based image analysis predicts PD-L1 status from H&E-stained histopathology images in breast cancer.

Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) has been recently adopted for breast cancer as a predictive biomarker for immunotherapies. The cost, time, and variability of PD-L1 quantification by immunohistochemistry (IHC) are a challenge. In contrast, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) is a robust staining used routinely for cancer diagnosis.

The association between geriatric assessment, muscle measures, and treatment-related toxicity in older adults with cancer: An Israeli prospective study.

Introduction: We investigated the associations among frailty, as determined via the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), muscle measures (i.e., sarcopenia), and treatment-related toxicity in older adults with cancer in Israel.

Approach to Cancer Pain Management in Emergency Departments: Comparison of General and Oncology Based Settings.

Cancer-related pain constitutes a dominant reason for admission to emergency services, and a significant patient and healthcare challenge. Evidence points to the rising prevalence of opioid misuse in this patient group. We sought to compare drug delivery in an oncology-dedicated emergency department (OED) and a general emergency department (GED) within the same hospital.

Impact of radiotherapy on survival in resected or unresectable anaplastic thyroid carcinomas, a Rare Cancer Network study.

Purpose: Anaplastic thyroid carcinomas (ATC) are a heterogenous group of tumors of overall dismal prognosis. We designed models to identify relevant prognostic factors of survival of irradiated ATC patients including radiotherapy modalities (field size, dose).

Material And Methods: Between 2000 and 2017, 166 ATC patients' treatments were divided into surgery and postoperative radiotherapy (poRT) or definitive radiotherapy (RT).