High-Grade Pleomorphic Sarcomas Treated with Immune Checkpoint Blockade: The MD Anderson Cancer Center Experience.

Background: Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas (UPSs) are amongst the most common subtypes of soft-tissue sarcomas. Few real-world data on the use of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in UPS patients and other high-grade pleomorphic STS patients are available.

Purpose: The purpose of our study is to describe the efficacy and toxicity of ICB in patients with advanced UPSs and other high-grade pleomorphic sarcomas treated at our institution.

Association between Prior Malignancy Exclusion Criteria and Age Disparities in Cancer Clinical Trials.

Prior malignancy exclusion criteria (PMEC) are often utilized in cancer clinical trials; however, the incidence of PMEC and the association of PMEC with trial participant age disparities remain poorly understood. This study aimed to identify age disparities in oncologic randomized clinical trials as a result of PMEC. Using a comprehensive collection of modern phase III cancer clinical trials obtained via ClinicalTrials.

National Patterns of Care in the Management of World Health Organization Grade II and III Spinal Ependymomas.

Background: Spinal ependymomas are rare, with an incidence of 1 per 100,000. Given the paucity of data for higher grade II and III disease, the management and patterns of care require further investigation.

Methods: Our study of 1345 patients with higher-grade spinal ependymoma used χ tests and simple and multivariable logistic regression models to assess demographic and clinical factors associated with therapy.

Long-term stabilization of leptomeningeal disease with whole-brain radiation therapy in a patient with metastatic melanoma treated with vemurafenib: a case report.

We present a patient with metastatic BRAF-mutated melanoma who achieved long-term stabilization of leptomeningeal disease (LMD) with sequential whole-brain radiation therapy and vemurafenib. A 53-year-old woman with melanoma that harbored the BRAF V600E mutation and had that metastasized to multiple lymph nodes, lungs, breast, and subcutaneous tissue had developed symptomatic LMD 16 months after starting vemurafenib treatment despite achieving a substantial response at the existing metastatic sites. Vemurafenib was discontinued for 7 days, she received whole-brain radiation therapy (30 Gy in 10 fractions), and 7 days after completing the radiation therapy, she resumed vemurafenib therapy.

The benefits of adjuvant radiation therapy after therapeutic lymphadenectomy for clinically advanced, high-risk, lymph node-metastatic melanoma.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) on regional recurrence and survival after therapeutic lymphadenectomy (TL) for clinically advanced, lymph node-metastatic melanoma.

Methods: Six hundred fifteen patients who had clinically advanced, regional lymph node-metastatic disease underwent TL. All patients were appropriate potential candidates for adjuvant RT (enlarged or multiple positive lymph nodes, extracapsular extension) because of a high risk for regional recurrence regardless of whether or not they received RT.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of computerized tomography in the routine follow-up of patients after primary treatment for Hodgkin's disease.

Purpose: To estimate the clinical benefits and cost effectiveness of computed tomography (CT) in the follow-up of patients with complete response (CR) after treatment for Hodgkin's disease (HD).

Patients And Methods: We developed a decision-analytic model to evaluate follow-up strategies for two hypothetical cohorts of 25-year-old patients with stage I-II or stage III-IV HD, treated with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine-based chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy, respectively. We compared three strategies for observing asymptomatic patients after CR: routine annual CT for 10 years, annual CT for 5 years, or follow-up with non-CT modalities only.

Long-term outcome and mortality trends in early-stage, Grade 1-2 follicular lymphoma treated with radiation therapy.

Purpose: To analyze long-term outcomes and causes of death in patients receiving radiation therapy (RT) for localized, low-grade follicular lymphoma.

Methods And Materials: Between 1972 and 2000, 106 patients with Stage I-II, Grade 1-2 follicular lymphoma received RT alone or radiation and chemotherapy (RT/CT). Seventy-four percent had Stage I, and 26% had Stage II disease.

Organ preservation and treatment toxicity with induction chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy or chemoradiation for advanced laryngeal cancer.

Objectives: The authors reviewed records of patients with advanced laryngeal cancer treated with induction chemotherapy (IC) and hyperfractionated radiation therapy (RT) or chemoradiation (CRT) to determine the rates of organ preservation and function.

Methods: A total of 29 patients with stage III (45%) and stage IV (55%) squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx (SCCL), were treated with IC and RT or CRT in 1 of 7 consecutive trials. Fifty-five percent had clinically node-positive disease.