Publications by authors named "Erika Ruiz-Garcia"

Introduction: Gastric cancer (GC) burden is currently evolving with regional differences associated with complex behavioural, environmental, and genetic risk factors. The LEGACy study is a Horizon 2020-funded multi-institutional research project conducted prospectively to provide comprehensive data on the tumour biological characteristics of gastroesophageal cancer from European and LATAM countries.

Material And Methods: Treatment-naïve advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma patients were prospectively recruited in seven European and LATAM countries.

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Purpose: With the results of several recently published clinical trials, this guideline focused update provides evidence-based recommendations for the indications and dose-fractionation regimens for neoadjuvant radiation therapy (RT), optimal sequencing of RT and systemic therapy in the context of total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT), and considerations for selective omission of RT and surgery for rectal cancer.

Methods: The American Society for Radiation Oncology convened a multidisciplinary task force to update 3 key questions that focused on the role of RT for patients with operable rectal cancer. The key questions addressed (1) indications for neoadjuvant RT, (2) selection of neoadjuvant regimens, and (3) indications for consideration of a nonoperative management (NOM) or local excision approach after definitive/preoperative chemoradiation.

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Background: The diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) at early ages has become a challenging trend for oncology due to high rates of mortality worldwide. The correlation of clinical features with young-age prognosis in CRC remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to describe the clinicopathological features and their impact on the overall survival of young Mexican adults diagnosed with CRC treated in the National Cancer Institute.

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Liver cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In Mexico, there is a high burden of liver cancer mortality in rural states, affecting both women and men equally. Thus, we aimed to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) by sex in Mexico.

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Introduction: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. Helicobacter pylori is the primary cause of GC; therefore, its eradication reduces the risk of developing this neoplasia. There is extensive evidence regarding quadruple therapy with relevance to the European population.

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Despite decreased incidence rates in average-age onset patients in high-income economies, colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer in the world, with increasing rates in emerging economies. Furthermore, early onset colorectal cancer (age ≤50 years) is of increasing concern globally. Over the past decade, research advances have increased biological knowledge, treatment options, and overall survival rates.

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Background: The evaluation of the quality of life (QoL) of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is an essential measure to measure the impact of the disease and treatments on the lives of patients. However, in Latin America there is no validated and reliable instrument to assess this construct.

Objectives: This study aims to validate the EORTC QLQ-CR29 instrument in the Mexican population with CRC.

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Article Synopsis
  • COVID-19 severely impacts cancer patients, particularly those with metastatic cancer, and this study explored the relationship between cancer metastasis and COVID-19 outcomes.
  • Using data from the CCC19 registry, researchers analyzed over 10,000 cancer patients with COVID-19 to assess hospitalization rates and mortality based on the presence and site of metastasis.
  • Findings showed that patients with metastases had higher hospitalization rates (59% vs. 49%) and 30-day mortality (18% vs. 9%), with those having lung metastases experiencing the highest risk of death in that timeframe.
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(1) Background: Somatic mutations may be connected to the exposome, potentially playing a role in breast cancer's development and clinical outcomes. There needs to be information regarding Latin American women specifically, as they are underrepresented in clinical trials and have limited access to somatic analysis in their countries. This study aims to systematically investigate somatic mutations in breast cancer patients from Latin America to gain a better understanding of tumor biology in the region.

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Background: Little is known about the companion animals which tested positive in Mexico for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Due to this, it is that we have documented the infection of companion animals, via an exploratory approach in two localities of the Valley of Mexico, in which the companion animal owners tested positive for COVID-19.

Methods: Oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 21 companion animals.

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Background: Incidence of young patients (aged 40 years or younger) diagnosed with gastric carcinoma has increased worldwide. Young GC diagnosis, have clinicopathological features that differ from elderly, and is correlated with bad prognosis factors. The purpose of this work is to describe the prevalence, clinic-pathological features, and prognosis of overall survival (OS) of young Latin-American patients with GC.

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Background: Colorectal cancer is the most frequent gastrointestinal malignancy worldwide. The value of adjuvant treatment is controversial in Stages I and II.

Objective: The aim of this study was to construct post-operative prognostic models applicable to patients with stages I-II colon carcinoma (CC).

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Background: G12C is a mutation that occurs in approximately 3 to 4% of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Monotherapy with KRAS G12C inhibitors has yielded only modest efficacy. Combining the KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib with panitumumab, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, may be an effective strategy.

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Background: The standard neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer involves fluoropyrimidines and radiotherapy and, most recently, total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT). A drug-drug interaction between fluoropyrimidines and proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) was suggested, with a negative impact on oncological outcomes in breast, colon and gastric cancers. Little is known about such an effect on rectal tumours.

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Importance: Systematic data on the association between anticancer therapies and thromboembolic events (TEEs) in patients with COVID-19 are lacking.

Objective: To assess the association between anticancer therapy exposure within 3 months prior to COVID-19 and TEEs following COVID-19 diagnosis in patients with cancer.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This registry-based retrospective cohort study included patients who were hospitalized and had active cancer and laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the effectiveness of pre-operative and post-operative CEA (Carcinoembryonic Antigen) levels as indicators of survival outcomes for patients with stage I-III colon cancer after surgical resection.
  • A total of 640 patients were analyzed, revealing that those with persistently high post-operative CEA levels had significantly shorter disease-free survival (55.5 months) and overall survival (57.1 months) compared to those with normal CEA levels.
  • The findings suggest that elevated CEA levels post-surgery can be a critical prognostic factor, highlighting the importance of monitoring CEA levels for better patient outcomes.
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  • A study examined outcomes of cancer patients who got COVID-19, focusing on those with and without existing cardiovascular disease (CVD) or risk factors (CVRF).
  • The research found that over half of the 10,876 patients had CVD/CVRF, which linked to more severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications.
  • Notably, patients without recent cancer treatment experienced worse COVID-19 severity related to CVD/CVRF compared to those under active treatment.
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Introduction: Metastatic breast cancer causes the most breast cancer-related deaths around the world, especially in countries where breast cancer is detected late into its development. Genetic testing for cancer susceptibility started with the BRCA 1 and 2 genes. Still, recent research has shown that variations in other members of the DNA damage response (DDR) are also associated with elevated cancer risk, opening new opportunities for enhanced genetic testing strategies.

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Histaminergic, orexinergic, and cannabinoid systems play a role in both physiologic and oncogenic mechanisms in digestive tissues. These three systems are important mediators of tumor transformation, as they are associated with redox alterations, which are key aspects in oncological disorders. The three systems are known to promote alterations in the gastric epithelium through intracellular signaling pathways, such as oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and increased Akt, which might promote tumorigenesis.

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Background: Survival and recurrence rates following locoregional colon cancer surgical resection are highly variable. Currently used tools to assess patient risk are still imperfect. In the present work, we evaluate, for the first time, the prognostic value of the recently developed HALP (hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet) index in Hispanic colon cancer patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cytokine storms caused by COVID-19 can lead to severe health issues, particularly in cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy due to heightened immune responses.
  • A study involving over 12,000 cancer patients aimed to explore how baseline immunosuppression and immunotherapy affect the severity of COVID-19 and the likelihood of cytokine storms.
  • Results indicated no significant differences in COVID-19 severity or cytokine storm occurrence among patients receiving immunotherapy compared to those not receiving any cancer treatment prior to their COVID-19 diagnosis.
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Background: Patients with sarcoma often require individualized treatment strategies and are likely to receive aggressive immunosuppressive therapies, which may place them at higher risk for severe COVID-19. We aimed to describe demographics, risk factors, and outcomes for patients with sarcoma and COVID-19.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with sarcoma and COVID-19 reported to the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) registry (NCT04354701) from 17 March 2020 to 30 September 2021.

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Vasculogenic mimicry is a cellular mechanism in which tumor cells grow and align forming complex three-dimensional (3D) channel-like structures in a hypoxic microenvironment. This phenomenon represents a novel oxygen, nutrient, and blood supply, in a similar way as occurs in classic angiogenesis. Vasculogenic mimicry has been described in numerous clinical tumors including breast, prostate, lung, and ovarian cancers where it is associated with poor prognosis; thus, it is considered as a hallmark of highly aggressive and metastatic tumors.

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Background: Literature on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in cancer patients is scarce in Latin America. This population seems to have a higher risk for adverse outcomes. This study aims to correlate clinical characteristics with outcomes in patients with cancer.

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