How do patients with head and neck cancer and low skeletal muscle mass experience cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy? A qualitative study.

Background: Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) face several physical, emotional, and psychological challenges throughout treatment. Cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is an effective but toxic treatment, with an increased risk for toxicities in patients with low skeletal muscle mass (SMM). Consequently, these patients are anticipated to experience greater treatment-related difficulties.

Sinonasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Netherlands: A Population-Based Study of 568 Cases Diagnosed in 2008-2021.

Background: Sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma is known for its rarity and poor prognosis. This study aims to investigate the trends in the incidence of sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma in the Netherlands and to analyze patient characteristics and treatment practices in order to assess their relation with patient outcomes.

Methods: In this prospectively designed population-based cohort study, all patients diagnosed with sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma between 2008 and 2021 in the Netherlands were included.

The effect of skeletal muscle mass on dose-limiting toxicities during (chemo)radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Radiotherapy (RT) is a standard treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC) and chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is indicated for patients with locally advanced disease. Toxicities during treatment are common and can lead to early cessation of chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) interruptions, which can affect oncologic outcomes. Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) is a new biomarker to predict toxicities and overall survival.

The association between skeletal muscle mass and sensorineural hearing loss upon cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Introduction: Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT) frequently experience irreversible sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Patients with low lumbar skeletal muscle index (LSMI) may experience higher serum peak dosages of cisplatin. This study investigated whether pre-treatment low LSMI is associated with increased SNHL upon cisplatin-based CRT.

The Innate Immune Landscape of dMMR/MSI Cancers Predicts the Outcome of Nivolumab Treatment: Results from the Drug Rediscovery Protocol.

Purpose: The treatment efficacy of nivolumab was evaluated in patients with advanced, treatment-refractory solid mismatch repair deficiency/microsatellite-instable (dMMR/MSI) tumors, and in-depth biomarker analyses were performed to inform precision immunotherapy approaches.

Patients And Methods: Patients with dMMR/MSI tumors who exhausted standard-of-care treatment options were enrolled in the Drug Rediscovery Protocol, a pan-cancer clinical trial that treats patients with cancer based on their tumor molecular profile with off-label anticancer drugs (NCT02925234). Patients received nivolumab (four cycles of 240 mg every 2 weeks, thereafter 480 mg every 4 weeks).

Clinicopathological Factors as Predictors for Establishment of Patient Derived Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Organoids.

Introduction: Patient derived organoids (PDOs) are 3D in vitro models and have shown to better reflect patient and tumor heterogeneity than conventional 2D cell lines. To utilize PDOs in clinical settings and trials for biomarker discovery or drug response evaluation, it is valuable to determine the best way to optimize sample selection for maximum PDO establishment. In this study, we assess patient, tumor and tissue sampling factors and correlate them with successful PDO establishment in a well-documented cohort of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma in The Netherlands between 2001 and 2021: a clinical and epidemiological overview of 320 cases.

Purpose: Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is a rare malignancy, characterised by high (local) recurrence rates and poor survival. Comprehensive understanding of tumour etiology is currently lacking, which complicates adequate tumour treatment. Besides examining trends in incidence, this study aims to assess the association between clinical characteristics, treatment practices and patient outcomes, with the objective of establishing a baseline from which SNMM management can be enhanced.

Nivolumab with or without ipilimumab in patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer (CheckMate 358): a phase 1-2, open-label, multicohort trial.

Background: In preliminary findings from the recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer cohort of CheckMate 358, nivolumab showed durable anti-tumour responses, and the combination of nivolumab plus ipilimumab showed promising clinical activity. Here, we report long-term outcomes from this cohort.

Methods: CheckMate 358 was a phase 1-2, open-label, multicohort trial.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal vestibule in the Netherlands: A clinical and epidemiological review of 763 cases (2008-2021).

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal vestibule (SCCNV) is a rare disease, distinctly different in presentation, treatment, and outcome from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. However, these are often not analyzed separately.

Methods: The Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) and pathology reports from the Dutch Nationwide Pathology Databank (PALGA) were used to identify all newly diagnosed SCCNV cases in the Netherlands between 2008 and 2021.

Cemiplimab in locally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: prospective real-world data from the DRUG Access Protocol.

Background: The DRUG Access Protocol provides patients with cancer access to registered anti-cancer drugs that are awaiting reimbursement in the Netherlands and simultaneously collects prospective real-world data (RWD). Here, we present RWD from PD-1 blocker cemiplimab in patients with locally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (laCSCC; mCSCC).

Methods: Patients with laCSCC or mCSCC received cemiplimab 350 mg fixed dose every three weeks.

Differences in the association of time to treatment initiation and survival according to various head and neck cancer sites in a nationwide cohort.

Objectives: To assess whether there are differences in the effects of time to treatment interval (TTI) on patient survival for head and neck cancer (HNC) sites in order to provide evidence that can support decision-making regarding prioritizing treatment.

Materials And Methods: Patients in the Netherlands with a first primary HNC without distant metastasis between 2010 and 2014 were included for analysis (N = 10,486). TTI was defined as the time from pathologic diagnosis to the start of initial treatment.

A recipe for plastic: Expert insights on plastic additives in the marine environment.

The production and consumption of plastic products had been steadily increasing over the years, leading to more plastic waste entering the environment. Plastic pollution is ubiquitous and comes in many types and forms. To enhance or modify their properties, chemical additives are added to plastic items during manufacturing.

p-mTOR, p-ERK and PTEN Expression in Tumor Biopsies and Organoids as Predictive Biomarkers for Patients with HPV Negative Head and Neck Cancer.

Background: Survival rates of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have only marginally improved in the last decades. Hence there is a need for predictive biomarkers for long-time survival that can help to guide treatment decisions and might lead to the development of new therapies. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is the most frequently altered pathway in HNSCC, genes are often mutated, amplificated and overexpressed causing aberrant signaling affecting cell growth and differentiation.

Patient-derived head and neck cancer organoids allow treatment stratification and serve as a tool for biomarker validation and identification.

Background: Organoids are in vitro three-dimensional structures that can be grown from patient tissue. Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a collective term used for multiple tumor types including squamous cell carcinomas and salivary gland adenocarcinomas.

Methods: Organoids were established from HNC patient tumor tissue and characterized using immunohistochemistry and DNA sequencing.

A comprehensive assessment of plastic remediation technologies.

The global presence of plastic litter and its accumulation in the environment has become an issue of concern to the public and policymakers. This concern has triggered innovators in past decades to design and develop a multitude of remediation technologies to prevent plastic from entering the environment, or to clean up legacy litter. This study aims to (i) systematically review the current scientific literature on plastic remediation technologies, (ii) create a 'plastic clean-up and prevention overview' illustrating 124 remediation technologies and 29 characteristics, (iii) qualitatively analyse their key characteristics (e.

Identifying somatic changes in drug transporters using whole genome and transcriptome sequencing data of advanced tumors.

Drug resistance is a perpetual problem in cancer therapy with many underlying mechanisms. Alterations in drug transport over the cancer cell membrane can severely alter intratumoral drug exposure, contributing to resistance. Here, we present the somatic mutational landscape of 48 ATP-binding cassette and 416 solute carrier transporter genes in a cohort (CPCT-02; NCT01855477) of 3290 patients with different types of advanced and metastasized cancer through analysis of whole genome and transcriptome sequencing.

Long-term oncological follow-up after mold-based pulsed dose rate brachytherapy for early stage squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal vestibule: A single center experience of 68 patients over a 17-year period.

Purpose: Cancer of the nasal vestibule is a rare type of malignancy constituting less than one percent of all head and neck cancers. These tumors are typically diagnosed at an early stage. Both surgery and radiotherapy provide excellent oncological results, but esthetic results are better after radiotherapy.

Explorative study on scale cortisol accumulation in wild caught common dab (Limanda limanda).

Background: Flatfish live in a diverse marine ecosystem that is changing due to natural variations and anthropogenic influences. These changes can evoke a stress response mainly resulting in production of the glucocorticoid cortisol, which mediates effects on various levels of biological organization. The finding that cortisol accumulates in fish scales, offering a retrospective view on cortisol production, provides opportunities to use this matrix for chronic stress assessment.

Disease outcome and associated factors after definitive platinum based chemoradiotherapy for advanced stage HPV-negative head and neck cancer.

Background: Definitive concomitant cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the current gold standard for most patients with advanced stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) of the pharynx and larynx. Since previous meta-analysis on CRT outcomes in HNSCC have been reported, advances have been made in radiotherapy techniques and clinical management, while HPV-status has been identified as a strong confounding prognostic factor in oropharyngeal cancer. Here, we present real-world outcome data from a large multicenter cohort of HPV-negative advanced stage HNSCC treated with CRT using contemporary IMRT-based techniques.

Efficacy and toxicity of vemurafenib and cobimetinib in relation to plasma concentrations, after administration via feeding tube in patients with BRAF-mutated thyroid cancer: a case series and review of literature.

Introduction: The combination of vemurafenib, a proto-oncogene B-Raf inhibitor (BRAFi) and cobimetinib, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEKi) has shown to improve survival in patients with BRAF V600-mutated melanoma. BRAF mutations are also frequently detected driver mutations in other tumor types, including thyroid carcinoma. Since thyroid carcinoma is not a labeled indication for BRAF/MEKi, a cohort for patients with BRAF V600-mutated thyroid carcinoma was opened within the Drug Rediscovery Protocol (DRUP), a national ongoing pan-cancer multi-drug trial, in which patients receive off-label treatment with approved drugs based on their molecular tumor profile.