Publications by authors named "Christina Wu"

One of the main reasons we have not been able to cure cancers is that treatments select for drug-resistant cells. Pest managers face similar challenges with pesticides selecting for pesticide-resistant insects, resulting in similar mechanisms of resistance. Pest managers have developed 10 principles that could be translated to controlling cancers: (i) prevent onset, (ii) monitor continuously, (iii) identify thresholds below which there will be no intervention, (iv) change interventions in response to burden, (v) preferentially select nonchemical control methods, (vi) use target-specific drugs, (vii) use the lowest effective dose, (viii) reduce cross-resistance, (ix) evaluate success based on long-term management, and (x) forecast growth and response.

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  • - Determining the best treatment plan for rectal cancer is complicated, involving choices between curative or palliative surgery and considering impact on bowel function and quality of life, especially for distal rectal cancer patients.
  • - Patients with rectal cancer face a higher risk of pelvic recurrence compared to those with colon cancer, making careful patient selection and a multidisciplinary treatment approach essential for better outcomes.
  • - Recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines for Rectal Cancer include new treatment options like endoscopic submucosal dissection for early cases, revisions to the total neoadjuvant therapy strategy, and a nonoperative "watch-and-wait" option for patients who respond well to initial therapy.
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Background: The investigation of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a substitute for minimal residual disease (MRD) has been a central focus in various clinical trials, with findings highlighting its effectiveness as a sensitive marker for detecting recurrence. In 2018, a joint review by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the College of American Pathologists acknowledged a lack of current evidence guiding clinical decisions regarding ctDNA. Nevertheless, there are a multitude of ongoing studies exploring the future applications of ctDNA and its role in clinical decision making for select patient populations.

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  • Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the fourth most common cancer and the second deadliest in the U.S.
  • Treatment for advanced metastatic CRC includes multiple active drugs used alone or in combination, depending on patient-specific factors.
  • The paper reviews the systemic therapy recommendations for metastatic CRC as outlined in the NCCN Guidelines for Colon Cancer.
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  • A deep learning algorithm called QuantCRC analyzes tumor morphologic features in stage III colon cancer to improve patient risk assessment based on DNA mismatch repair (MMR) status.
  • The study found significant differences in tumor features between deficient (d-MMR) and proficient (p-MMR) tumors, impacting prognosis and recurrence rates.
  • Results suggest that QuantCRC can effectively identify prognostic markers in routine tumor sections, potentially advancing understanding of cancer pathology and patient outcomes.
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Purpose: There is a need to improve current risk stratification of stage II colorectal cancer to better inform risk of recurrence and guide adjuvant chemotherapy. We sought to examine whether integration of QuantCRC, a digital pathology biomarker utilizing hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides, provides improved risk stratification over current American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines.

Experimental Design: ASCO and QuantCRC-integrated schemes were applied to a cohort of 398 mismatch-repair proficient (MMRP) stage II colorectal cancers from three large academic medical centers.

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The warming of our planet matters to every child. Driven by fossil fuel-generated greenhouse gas emissions, climate conditions stable since the founding of modern pediatrics in the mid-nineteenth century have shifted, and old certainties are falling away. Children's physical and mental health are threatened by climate change through its effects on temperature, precipitation, and extreme weather; ecological disruption; and community disruption.

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Observed changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, sea level, and extreme weather are destabilizing major determinants of human health. Children are at higher risk of climate-related health burdens than adults because of their unique behavior patterns; developing organ systems and physiology; greater exposure to air, food, and water contaminants per unit of body weight; and dependence on caregivers. Climate change harms children through numerous pathways, including air pollution, heat exposure, floods and hurricanes, food insecurity and nutrition, changing epidemiology of infections, and mental health harms.

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Background: For patients with liver-confined metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), local therapy of isolated metastases has been associated with long-term progression-free and overall survival (OS). However, for patients with more advanced mCRC, including those with extrahepatic disease, the efficacy of local therapy is less clear although increasingly being used in clinical practice. Prospective studies to clarify the role of metastatic-directed therapies in patients with mCRC are needed.

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Background: For patients with liver-confined metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), local therapy of isolated metastases has been associated with long-term progression-free and overall survival (OS). However, for patients with more advanced mCRC, including those with extrahepatic disease, the efficacy of local therapy is less clear although increasingly being used in clinical practice. Prospective studies to clarify the role of metastatic-directed therapies in patients with mCRC are needed.

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Background: Preclinical studies showed metformin reduces exhaustion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and potentiates programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) blockade. We hypothesized that metformin with nivolumab would elicit potent antitumor and immune modulatory activity in metastatic microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC). We evaluated this hypothesis in a phase II study.

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  • Pancreatic cancer is really tough to treat, with only about 11.5% of patients living for 5 years after diagnosis.
  • A common mutation called KRAS is found in most pancreatic cancer patients, and it helps cancer cells grow and survive, making it a key focus for new treatments.
  • Researchers are trying to find ways to target this mutation, but it's been really hard, though there are some promising new tests happening right now.
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  • The IDEA collaboration aimed to determine if 3 months of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer was as effective as the standard 6-month treatment, but it failed to meet its main goal while showing promise in subgroup analyses.
  • Between January 2016 and January 2021, a study found that after the IDEA findings were released, the use of the 3-month chemotherapy regimen increased significantly among patients.
  • The analysis revealed that the CAPOX regimen (capecitabine/oxaliplatin) usage jumped from 14% to 48% after IDEA's presentation, and this increase was consistent regardless of patients' cancer risk levels.
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Objectives: Colloid carcinoma (CC) is a rare subtype of pancreatic carcinoma. The aims of the study are to characterize the clinicopathological features and to evaluate the overall survival (OS) of patients with CC.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with pancreatic CC and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) between 2004 and 2016 were identified from the National Cancer Database using International Classification of Disease-O-3 morphology (8480/3 and 8140/3) and topography (C25) codes.

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  • - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is rising globally, expected to see 3.2 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths by 2040, largely due to insufficient treatment options for advanced stages.
  • - Standard chemotherapy has limitations due to resistance, toxicity issues, and only certain patients benefiting from immune checkpoint inhibitors; the most common CRC tumors do not respond well to current targeted therapies.
  • - New strategies, including various combinations of inhibitors and innovative agents targeting specific mutations, as well as PARP inhibitors, are emerging to improve treatment options, with a focus on biomarker-driven approaches for managing advanced CRC.
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  • HER2 is a critical target for treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer, leading to a study evaluating the combined effects of tucatinib and trastuzumab on patients who have not responded to chemotherapy.
  • The MOUNTAINEER study analyzed patients aged 18 and older with HER2-positive, RAS wild-type colorectal cancer across various sites in five countries, first as a single-cohort and later expanding participation based on interim results.
  • A total of 117 patients were enrolled, with most receiving treatment in different cohorts to assess the drug's effectiveness and safety, highlighting the ongoing nature of the research and its registration on ClinicalTrials.gov.
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Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA1 (ADAR1) preserves genomic integrity by preventing retroviral integration and retrotransposition during stress responses. However, inflammatory-microenvironment-induced ADAR1p110 to p150 splice isoform switching drives cancer stem cell (CSC) generation and therapeutic resistance in 20 malignancies. Previously, predicting and preventing ADAR1p150-mediated malignant RNA editing represented a significant challenge.

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Purpose: Napabucasin is an investigational, orally administered reactive oxygen species generator bioactivated by intracellular antioxidant NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 that has been evaluated in various solid tumors, including metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (pSTAT3) is hypothesized to predict response in napabucasin-treated patients with mCRC.

Patient And Methods: In the multi-center, open-label, phase III CanStem303C (NCT02753127) study, adults with histologically confirmed mCRC that progressed on first-line fluoropyrimidine plus oxaliplatin ± bevacizumab were randomized to twice-daily napabucasin plus FOLFIRI (napabucasin) or FOLFIRI alone (control).

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Background: About 10-20% of patients with anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCCa) present with metastatic disease and are usually treated with systemic chemotherapy. However, primary tumor control is crucial as local failure is associated with significant morbidity. Using the largest cohort to date, we report the impact of local therapy on survival among patients with metastatic anal SCCa.

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The resistant cells that proliferate after radiotherapy and chemotherapy are primarily tumor stem cells with high stem marker expression, and their presence is the primary cause of tumor dispersion. The Wnt signaling receptor Frizzled family receptor 7 (FZD7) is linked to the maintenance of stem cell features as well as cancer progression. Frizzled-7 (FZD7), a key receptor for Wnt/-catenin signaling, is overexpressed in TNBC, suggesting that it could be a viable target for cancer therapy.

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Background: The survival impact of multi-agent (MAC) compared with single-agent (SAC) adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in elderly patients with stage III colon cancer (CC) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to compare survival outcomes of MAC and SAC in this population utilizing the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

Patients And Methods: Patients aged ≥70 years with pathological stage III CC diagnosed in 2004-2015 were identified in the NCDB.

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Advanced prostate cancer (PCa) patients with bone metastases are treated with androgen pathway directed therapy (APDT). However, this treatment invariably fails and the cancer becomes castration resistant. To elucidate resistance mechanisms and to provide a more predictive pre-clinical research platform reflecting tumor heterogeneity, we established organoids from a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model of bone metastatic prostate cancer, PCSD1.

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Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) scores with postoperative functional outcomes for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) patients and to investigate the utility of this tool to create an individualized plan of care perioperatively.

Methods: Patients undergoing primary TJA at a single institution from 2016 to 2019 was retrospectively reviewed by a univariate analysis in terms of patient characteristics and outcomes across LEFS quartiles. Multivariate regression models were constructed to evaluate the association between the LEFS quartile and outcomes after controlling for confounding factors.

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Importance: Cotargeting vascular endothelial growth factor and programmed cell death 1 or programmed cell death ligand 1 may produce anticancer activity in refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The clinical benefit of atezolizumab combined with chemotherapy and bevacizumab remains unclear for the treatment of mCRC.

Objectives: To assess whether the addition of atezolizumab to capecitabine and bevacizumab therapy improves progression-free survival (PFS) among patients with refractory mCRC and to perform exploratory analyses among patients with microsatellite-stable (MSS) disease and liver metastasis.

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Background: The 2 approved somatostatin analogs (SSAs) in the first-line treatment of advanced, well-differentiated gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) are octreotide long-acting release (Sandostatin LAR) and somatuline depot (Lanreotide). The study's objective was to compare progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients (pts) with GEP-NETs treated with somatuline or octreotide LAR. Pts and Methods: Pts with advanced well-differentiated GEP-NET who received either SSA at Emory University between 1995 and 2019 were included after institutional review board approval.

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