Real-world treatment patterns in patients with non-metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in Greece: the 'EVIDENCE' study.

Background: The treatment landscape of non-metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NM-NSCLC) is rapidly evolving with recent approvals of immunotherapies and targeted therapies.

Methods: This retrospective study included 202 adults diagnosed with NM-NSCLC between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020 primarily aiming to capture initial management strategies.

Results: Most frequent treatment patterns among Stage I/II patients ( = 84) were surgery only (48.

Mechanisms of primary resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) redefined the therapeutics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), leading to significant survival benefits and unprecedented durable responses. However, the majority of the patients develop resistance to ICIs, either primary or acquired. Establishing a definition of primary resistance to ICIs in different clinical scenarios is challenging and remains a work in progress due to the changing landscape of ICI-based regimens, mainly in the setting of early-stage NSCLC.

Combined use of radiotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the management of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: A literature review.

The approval of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as first-line agents has revolutionised treatment of patients diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring targetable mutations, adding substantial overall survival (OS) benefit, compared to chemotherapy. However, the efficacy of these agents is inevitably diminished at a point in the disease course, either because of cellular resistance-mechanisms or due to affected pharmacokinetics, like low-central nervous system penetration. The aim of this article is to review existing evidence on the combined use of EGFR (epidermal growth factor)- or ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase)-specific TKIs and radiotherapy (RT) in advanced NSCLC setting, as an attempt to delay or overcome TKI-resistance and thus, to expand the time period during which patients derive benefit from a given line of targeted therapy.

Unravelling the diagnostic pathology and molecular biomarkers in lung cancer.

The progress in lung cancer treatment is closely interlinked with the progress in diagnostic methods. There are four steps before commencing lung cancer treatment: estimation of the patient's performance status, assessment of disease stage (tumour, node, metastasis), recognition of histological subtype, and detection of biomarkers. The resection rate in lung cancer is <30% and >70% of patients need systemic therapy, which is individually adjusted.

Molecular Diagnostics and Treatment Patterns in Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: Real World Evidence from Greece: LACHESIS Study.

Background/aim: Lung cancer, primarily non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is the leading cause of cancer deaths globally. In Greece in 2020, 8,960 new cases were reported. NSCLC's 5-year survival rates range from 54% (stage I) to less than 2% (stage IV); however, innovative therapies like immune check points inhibitors (ICIs) and targeted treatments have notably enhanced outcomes.

Robotic Bronchoscopy in Lung Cancer Diagnosis.

Background: The widespread use of chest CT has increased the number of detected pulmonary nodules. Nodules with intermediate risk of malignancy warrant further evaluation with PET-CT or sampling. Although sampling with conventional bronchoscopy presents lower complication rates compared to transthoracic needle biopsy (TTNB), it is limited by the inability to reach distal airways.

The Gap of Health Inequalities Amongst Lung Cancer Patients of Different Socioeconomic Status: A Brief Reference to the Greek Reality.

Lung cancer treatment and patient care are constantly improving, but it remains doubtful whether this applies equally to all socioeconomic groups. It is nowadays well established that there are socioeconomic inequalities regarding lung cancer incidence, screening, effective treatment, overall survival, and prognosis. One of the key contributing factors to low socioeconomic status is low education.

Artificial Intelligence-Based Treatment Decisions: A New Era for NSCLC.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women and men, in developed countries, despite the public health interventions including tobacco-free campaigns, screening and early detection methods, recent therapeutic advances, and ongoing intense research on novel antineoplastic modalities. Targeting oncogenic driver mutations and immune checkpoint inhibition has indeed revolutionized NSCLC treatment, yet there still remains the unmet need for robust and standardized predictive biomarkers to accurately inform clinical decisions. Artificial intelligence (AI) represents the computer-based science concerned with large datasets for complex problem-solving.

Eligibility for screening with low-dose CT in a real-world cohort of patients with lung cancer in Greece: A brief report.

Introduction: NELSON and NLST prompted the implementation of lung cancer screening programs in the United States followed by several European countries. This study aimed to assess the sensitivity of different screening criteria among patients with lung cancer in Greece and investigate reasons for ineligibility.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis on patients with lung cancer referred to the largest referral center in Athens, Greece, between June 2014 and May 2023.

The Burden of COVID-19 in Adult Patients With Hematological Malignancies: A Single-center Experience After the Implementation of Mass-vaccination Programs Against SARS-CoV-2.

Background/aim: Despite the widespread mass-vaccination programs worldwide and the continuing evolution of COVID-19 therapeutics, the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with hematological malignancies (HM) remains elusive. The aim of the present study was to assess the clinical characteristics, outcomes and therapeutic strategies applied in HM patients hospitalized during the post-vaccine period in Greece.

Patients And Methods: From June 2021 to October 2022, 60 HM patients with COVID-19 were retrospectively analyzed.

Real-World Experience in Treatment of Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer with BRAF or cMET Exon 14 Skipping Mutations.

BRAF and cMET exon 14 skipping are rare mutations of NSCLC. The treatment sequence in these cases for the first and second line is not clear. An international registry was created for patients with advanced NSCLC harboring BRAF or cMET exon 14 skipping mutations, diagnosed from January 2017 to June 2022.

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in Cancer Patients Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Summary of Included Cases.

Background: There are emerging reports of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) in cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs); however, the association of the two remains uncertain.

Methods: A systematic literature review was performed in the PubMed database and web sources (Google Scholar) according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Case reports/series or studies including cancer patients treated with ICIs and presenting with TTS were considered.

Impact of biologic therapies on risk of adverse cardiovascular events in patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis or Psoriatic Arthritis: A systematic literature review.

Background: Recent evidence highlights increased mortality and morbidity due to cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially within the two major forms of Spondyloarthropathies (SpAs), Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). Healthcare professionals and patients in these populations should be alerted regarding the high risk of cardiovascular (CV) events and thus, customize the treatment strategy accordingly.

Objective: This systematic literature review aimed to determine the effects of biological therapies on serious CV events in AS and PsA.

Limited Cerebral Metastases in NSCLC: A Literature Review of SRS Versus Whole-brain Radiotherapy.

Background/aim: Brain metastases (BMs) are common in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) with or without corticosteroid use has historically been the first choice for most patients with BMs despite its negative impact on cognition and quality of life. However, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has emerged as a safe and effective treatment and has been established for patients with limited, inoperable BMs.

CD24: A Novel Target for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Cluster of differentiation 24 (CD24) is a small, highly glycosylated cell adhesion protein that is normally expressed by immune as well as epithelial, neural, and muscle cells. Tumor CD24 expression has been linked with alterations in several oncogenic signaling pathways. In addition, the CD24/Siglec-10 interaction has been implicated in tumor immune evasion, inhibiting macrophage-mediated phagocytosis as well as natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity.

Real-world management patterns in -mutant advanced non-small-cell lung cancer before first-line adoption of osimertinib: the REFLECT study in Greece.

To retrospectively characterize real-world therapeutic strategies, clinical outcomes and attrition rates with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), before first-line osimertinib approval, in -mutated advanced/metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer patients in Greece. Among 160 patients, the discontinuation rate for first-line first- or second-generation EGFR-TKIs was 85%; among these patients, 43% did not receive any second-line therapy and 9.4% died during an 18.

Serum and Pleural Soluble Cell Adhesion Molecules in Mesothelioma Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Mesothelioma, a malignant neoplasm of mesothelial cells, has overall poor prognosis. Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are proteins that contribute to the immune response. In this study the clinical utility and prognostic significance of serum and pleural fluid soluble CAM (sCAM) levels were assessed in patients with mesothelioma.

Impact of Hippocampal Avoidance - Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation in Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Background/aim: Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is a well-established treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients following response to initial chemoradiotherapy. The benefit of PCI does, however, come at the cost of cognitive decline. This has been attributed to radiation-induced toxicity at the hippocampus, a crucial anatomic area for cognition.

Real-World Journey of Unresectable Stage III NSCLC Patients: Current Dilemmas for Disease Staging and Treatment.

Daily-practice challenges in oncology have been intensified by the approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). We aimed to outline current therapy policies and management of locally advanced unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in different countries. One thoracic oncologist from each of the following countries-Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Switzerland-participated in an electronic survey.

Treatment patterns, testing practices, and outcomes in the pre-FLAURA era for patients with EGFR mutation-positive advanced NSCLC: a retrospective chart review (REFLECT).

Introduction: For epidermal growth factor receptor mutation-positive (EGFRm) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are the preferred first-line (1 L) treatment in the advanced setting. Osimertinib, a third-generation EGFR-TKI, received full approval in 2017 for second-line (2 L) treatment of EGFR T790M-positive NSCLC. The REFLECT study characterizes real-world treatment/testing patterns, attrition rates, and outcomes in patients with EGFRm advanced NSCLC treated with 1 L first-/second-generation (1G/2G) EGFR-TKIs before 1 L osimertinib approval.

Malignant Superior Vena Cava Syndrome: State of the Art.

Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is a clinical entity characterized by signs and symptoms arising from the obstruction or occlusion of the thin-walled superior vena cava (SVC) and can result in significant morbidity and mortality. Despite the rise of benign cases of SVCS, as a thrombotic complication of intravascular devices, it is most commonly seen secondary to malignancy as a consequence of thrombosis, direct invasion of tumor cells inside the vessel, or external compression. SVCS can be the initial presentation of a previously undiagnosed tumor in up to 60% of cases.