A nationwide comprehensive genomic profiling and molecular tumor board platform for patients with advanced cancer.

The Belgian Approach for Local Laboratory Extensive Tumor Testing (BALLETT) study assessed the feasibility of using comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) in clinical decision-making for patients with advanced cancers. This multi-center study enrolled 872 patients from 12 Belgian hospitals. CGP was performed on tumor tissues using a standardized CGP panel (523 genes) across nine laboratories with success in 93% of patients and a median turnaround time of 29 days.

Outcome of robotic colon surgery in older patients with colon cancer.

Introduction: Older patients are less likely to undergo curative surgery for colon cancer (CC) because of a higher rate in comorbidities that increases the risk for complications and mortality. Robot-assisted surgery could be an alternative minimally invasive approach allowing surgical treatment in a higher percentage of patients above 70 years old. This study aims at evaluating the safety of robotic surgery in older patients with CC.

Management of immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated toxicities in older adults with cancer: recommendations from the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG).

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have substantially advanced the treatment landscape for a wide variety of malignancies. Older adults represent a large and rapidly growing demographic, among whom ICIs are widely prescribed. Management of ICI-associated toxicity among older adults, particularly in the presence of frailty and comorbidity, poses unique challenges.

Targeted therapy for older patients with an oncogene driven non-small cell lung cancer: Recommendations from a SIOG expert group.

Lung cancer is mostly a disease of aging with approximately half of newly diagnosed patients being 70 years or older. Treatment decisions in this population pose unique challenges because of their heterogeneity with regards to daily functioning, cognition, organ function, comorbidities and polypharmacy, their underrepresentation in clinical trials and the impact of treatment on patient-centered outcomes, particularly in frail patients. The advent of targeted therapies and immunotherapy has revolutionized the management of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Recommended Physiotherapy Modalities for Oncology Patients with Palliative Needs and Its Influence on Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: A Systematic Review.

Background: This review aims to explore the role of physiotherapy in early and traditional palliative care (PC) for oncology patients, focusing on its impact on six patient-reported outcomes (PROMs), namely fatigue, pain, cachexia, quality of life (QoL), physical functioning (PHF), and psychosocial functioning (PSF). The purpose is to assess the effectiveness of various physiotherapy interventions and identify gaps in the current research to understand their potential benefits in PC better.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, concluding on 21 December 2023.

The crosstalk between lung cancer and the bone marrow niche fuels emergency myelopoiesis.

Modest response rates to immunotherapy observed in advanced lung cancer patients underscore the need to identify reliable biomarkers and targets, enhancing both treatment decision-making and efficacy. Factors such as PD-L1 expression, tumor mutation burden, and a 'hot' tumor microenvironment with heightened effector T cell infiltration have consistently been associated with positive responses. In contrast, the predictive role of the abundantly present tumor-infiltrating myeloid cell (TIMs) fraction remains somewhat uncertain, partly explained by their towering variety in terms of ontogeny, phenotype, location, and function.

Leave no one behind: A global survey of the current state of geriatric oncology practice by SIOG national representatives.

Introduction: The Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations include a commitment to "leave no one behind" as a universal goal. To achieve this in geriatric oncology (GO) worldwide, it is important to understand the current state of GO at an international level. The International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) has several National Representatives (NRs) who act as SIOG's delegates in their respective countries.

ProNGF promotes brain metastasis through TrkA/EphA2 induced Src activation in triple negative breast cancer cells.

Background: Triple-Negative Breast Cancer is particularly aggressive, and its metastasis to the brain has a significant psychological impact on patients' quality of life, in addition to reducing survival. The development of brain metastases is particularly harmful in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). To date, the mechanisms that induce brain metastasis in TNBC are poorly understood.

Overactivation of GnRH neurons is sufficient to trigger polycystic ovary syndrome-like traits in female mice.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder leading to anovulatory infertility. Abnormalities in the central neuroendocrine system governed by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons might be related to ovarian dysfunction in PCOS, although the link in this disordered brain-to-ovary communication remains unclear. Here, we manipulated GnRH neurons using chemogenetics in adult female mice to unveil whether chronic overaction of these neurons would trigger PCOS-like hormonal and reproductive impairments.

Efficacy of olaparib in advanced cancers with germline or somatic mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2 and ATM, a Belgian Precision tumor-agnostic phase II study.

Background: The Belgian Precision initiative aims to maximize the implementation of tumor-agnostic next-generation sequencing in patients with advanced cancer and enhance access to molecularly guided treatment options. Academic tumor-agnostic basket phase II studies are part of this initiative. The current investigator-driven trial aimed to investigate the efficacy of olaparib in advanced cancers with a (likely) pathogenic mutation (germline or somatic) in a gene that plays a role in homologous recombination (HR).

Phase I Study of [Ga]Ga-Anti-CD206-sdAb for PET/CT Assessment of Protumorigenic Macrophage Presence in Solid Tumors (MMR Phase I).

Macrophages play an important role throughout the body. Antiinflammatory macrophages expressing the macrophage mannose receptor (MMR, CD206) are involved in disease development, ranging from oncology to atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. [Ga]Ga-NOTA-anti-CD206 single-domain antibody (sdAb) is a PET tracer targeting CD206.

End-of-Life Care in the Last Three Months before Death in Older Patients with Cancer in Belgium: A Large Retrospective Cohort Study Using Data Linkage.

This study aims to describe end-of-life (EOL) care in older patients with cancer and investigate the association between geriatric assessment (GA) results and specialized palliative care (SPC) use. Older patients with a new cancer diagnosis (2009-2015) originally included in a previous multicentric study were selected if they died before the end of follow-up (2019). At the time of cancer diagnosis, patients underwent geriatric screening with Geriatric 8 (G8) followed by GA in case of a G8 score ≤14/17.

Long-term health-care utilisation in older patients with cancer and the association with the Geriatric 8 screening tool: a retrospective analysis using linked clinical and population-based data in Belgium.

Background: Little evidence is available on the long-term health-care utilisation of older patients with cancer and whether this is associated with geriatric screening results. We aimed to evaluate long-term health-care utilisation among older patients after cancer diagnosis and the association with baseline Geriatric 8 (G8) screening results.

Methods: For this retrospective analysis, we included data from three cohort studies for patients (aged ≥70 years) with a new cancer diagnosis who underwent G8 screening between Oct 19, 2009 and Feb 27, 2015, and who survived more than 3 months after G8 screening.

Linking clinical and population-based data in older patients with cancer in Belgium: Feasibility and clinical outcomes.

Introduction: Geriatric screening and geriatric assessment (GS/GA) have proven their benefits in the care for older patients with cancer. However, less is known about the predictive value of GS/GA for outcomes. To research this, clinical data on GS/GA can be enriched with population-based data.

Incidence of falls and fall-related injuries and their predictive factors in frail older persons with cancer: a multicenter study.

Background: Falls and fall-related injuries are a major public health problem. Data on falls in older persons with cancer is limited and robust data on falls within those with a frailty profile are missing. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence and predictive factors for falls and fall-related injuries in frail older persons with cancer.

Building an understanding of goal-oriented care through the experiences of people living with chronic conditions.

Objective: To understand the concept of goal-oriented care (GOC) through the experiences of people with chronic conditions.

Method: Interviews with people living with chronic conditions (n = 50) were analyzed in two ways. A deductive approach based on GOC attributes generated in a concept analysis on GOC: goal-elicitation, goal-setting, goal-evaluation, patients' context, and patients' needs and preferences.

UNcommon EGFR Mutations: International Case Series on Efficacy of Osimertinib in Real-Life Practice in First-LiNe Setting (UNICORN).

Introduction: Approximately 10% of EGFR mutations (EGFRmuts) are uncommon (ucEGFRmuts). We aimed to collect real-world data about osimertinib for patients with ucEGFRmuts.

Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective study of ucEGFRmut (exon 20 insertions excluded) metastatic NSCLC treated with osimertinib as first EGFR inhibitor.

Is cancer biology different in older patients?

Roughly 50% of cancer cases occur in people aged 65 years or older. Older people are often diagnosed at a later stage and might receive less (intensive) treatment, which might affect the outcome. In addition, an older age might be associated with biological differences in tumour and microenvironment behaviour, a domain that has been poorly studied so far.

Functional status in older patients with cancer and a frailty risk profile: A multicenter observational study.

Introduction: Functional status (FS) and frailty are significant concerns for older adults, especially those with cancer. Data on FS (Activities of Daily Living [ADL]; Instrumental Activities of Daily Living [IADL]) and its evolution during cancer treatment in older patients and a frailty risk profile are scarce. Therefore, this study examines FS and its evolution in older patients with cancer and a frailty risk profile and investigates characteristics associated with functional decline.

GnRH replacement rescues cognition in Down syndrome.

At the present time, no viable treatment exists for cognitive and olfactory deficits in Down syndrome (DS). We show in a DS model (Ts65Dn mice) that these progressive nonreproductive neurological symptoms closely parallel a postpubertal decrease in hypothalamic as well as extrahypothalamic expression of a master molecule that controls reproduction-gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-and appear related to an imbalance in a microRNA-gene network known to regulate GnRH neuron maturation together with altered hippocampal synaptic transmission. Epigenetic, cellular, chemogenetic, and pharmacological interventions that restore physiological GnRH levels abolish olfactory and cognitive defects in Ts65Dn mice, whereas pulsatile GnRH therapy improves cognition and brain connectivity in adult DS patients.

PRECISION: the Belgian molecular profiling program of metastatic cancer for clinical decision and treatment assignment.

PRECISION is an initiative from the Belgian Society of Medical Oncology (BSMO) in collaboration with several stakeholders, encompassing four programs that aim to boost genomic and clinical knowledge with the ultimate goal to offer patients with metastatic solid tumors molecularly guided treatments. The PRECISION 1 study has led to the creation of a clinico-genomic database. The Belgian Approach for Local Laboratory Extensive Tumor Testing (BALLETT) and GeNeo studies will increase the number of patients with advanced cancer that have comprehensive genotyping of their cancer.