Synthetic lethal strategies for the development of cancer therapeutics.

Synthetic lethality is a genetic phenomenon whereby the simultaneous presence of two different genetic alterations impairs cellular viability. Importantly, targeting synthetic lethal interactions offers potential therapeutic strategies for cancers with alterations in pathways that might otherwise be considered undruggable. High-throughput screening methods based on modern CRISPR-Cas9 technologies have emerged and become crucial for identifying novel synthetic lethal interactions with the potential for translation into biologically rational cancer therapeutic strategies as well as associated predictive biomarkers of response capable of guiding patient selection.

A Comprehensive Exploration of Agents Targeting Tumor Microenvironment: Challenges and Future Perspectives.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) encompasses the complex and diverse surroundings in which tumors arise. Emerging insights highlight the TME's critical role in tumor development, progression, metastasis, and treatment response. Consequently, the TME has attracted significant research and clinical interest, leading to the identification of numerous novel therapeutic targets.

Fusion Challenges in Solid Tumors: Shaping the Landscape of Cancer Care in Precision Medicine.

Targeting actionable fusions has emerged as a promising approach to cancer treatment. Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based techniques have unveiled the landscape of actionable fusions in cancer. However, these approaches remain insufficient to provide optimal treatment options for patients with cancer.

Targeted Treatment against Cancer Stem Cells in Colorectal Cancer.

The cancer stem cell (SC) theory proposes that a population of SCs serves as the driving force behind fundamental tumor processes, including metastasis, recurrence, and resistance to therapy. The standard of care for patients with stage III and high-risk stage II colorectal cancer (CRC) includes surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Fluoropyrimidines and their combination with oxaliplatin increased the cure rates, being able to eradicate the occult metastatic SC in a fraction of patients.

Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor Development: Promising Strategies to Move Beyond Approved Indications.

Biomarker-based patient selection and rational combinations show promise in expanding the use of PARP inhibitors.

Case report: Fatal overwhelming post-splenectomy infection in a patient with metastatic angiosarcoma treated with immunotherapy.

A patient in his 40s with splenic angiosarcoma metastatic to the liver underwent splenectomy, chemotherapy, and partial hepatectomy before being treated on a clinical trial with CTLA4 and PD1 inhibitors. He had received pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines post-splenectomy. On week 10, he developed grade 3 immune-related colitis, successfully treated with the anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor infliximab and steroids.

Cabozantinib Response in a Patient With NSCLC Harboring Both MET Exon 14 Skipping Mutation and Secondary RET Fusion: A Case Report.

MET exon 14 skipping mutation has emerged as a new oncogenic driver in NSCLC with available targeted therapies, including Food and Drug Administration-approved inhibitors capmatinib and tepotinib. Potential resistance mechanisms are beginning to be described and include several on-target and off-target mutations. Here, we report an emergent secondary RET fusion in a patient with a primary MET exon 14 skipping mutation that progressed on capmatinib after the initial response.

Practical Approaches to Integrate the Topic of Drug Shortages Within Doctor of Pharmacy Curricula.

Drug shortages have a significant impact on the health care system. As concerns grow over this topic, the health care community continues to explore strategies for reducing its impact on patient care. Exposure during the pharmacy curriculum will prepare students to engage and be at the forefront of this issue.

Palliative care in Africa: a scoping review from 2005-16.

Since the last comprehensive review on the development of national palliative care in Africa was undertaken 12 years ago, in 2005, we did a scoping review of peer-reviewed, published articles on palliative care development between 2005-16 for each African country. The scoping review was conducted by assessing the medical literature and including local expert recommendations of suggested articles. We did a basic quality assessment of the articles using the journals' impact factor, journal quartile, and the number of citations as suitable metrics for quality consideration.

Improvement of the surface hydrophilic properties of naproxen particles with addition of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose and sodium dodecyl sulphate: In vitro and in vivo studies.

In this study, a new surface-modified naproxen was developed to enhance brain concentration in acute migraine treatment. Fast-dissolving naproxen granules were made by mixing hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and sodium croscarmellose with micronized naproxen particles. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding proportions of SDS to the HPMC film caused changes in the polymer chains of the HPMC, producing a new hydrophilic HPMC-SDS structure.

Publications on Palliative Care Development Can Be Used as an Indicator of Palliative Care Development in Africa.

Background: Palliative care (PC) research in Africa has been proposed as a fifth dimension of the World Health Organization PC Public Health Strategy. We conducted a scoping review of published articles (2005-2016) on palliative care development (PCD) in African countries. Forty-seven articles were found across 26 countries.

Spiradenocarcinoma of the eyelid: a case report.

A 84-year-old-woman presented a painless eyelid mass in her right eyelid. A biopsy was made and the anatomopathologic study showed a spiradenoma with malignant changes. The patient rejected any kind of treatment in spite of the prognosis of the lesion.

Primary orbital liposarcoma.

A 45-year-old-man presented a slightly painful proptosis and diplopia for 7 months. He had been kept elsewhere on oral steroids without evidence of any clinical response over an 8-week period with suspected diagnosis of an inflammatory pseudotumor upon referral to our clinic. An intraoperative biopsy positive for primary liposarcoma was followed by debulking surgery.