Recent Advances in the Systemic Treatment of Localized Gastroesophageal Cancer.

The overall survival expectancy of localized gastroesophageal cancer patients still remains under 5 years despite advances in neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment strategies in recent years. For almost a decade, immunotherapy has been successfully implemented as a first-line treatment for various oncological diseases in advanced stages. In the case of advanced gastroesophageal cancer, 2021 witnessed several approvals of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies by different authorities.

Immunotherapy for Gastroesophageal Tumors: Is there still Hope for Efficacy?

Immunotherapy represents one of the biggest breakthroughs of the 21st century and redefined modern cancer treatment. Despite this new approach changing the treatment paradigm in various cancer entities, including lung and head-and-neck cancer, the efficacy of these treatment regimens varies in different patient subgroups, and so far, these treatment regimens have failed to meet the high expectations of gastroesophageal cancer patients. This review discusses new treatment approaches concerning immunotherapy in gastroesophageal cancer patients and sheds some light on ongoing trials and new treatment combinations.

Immunotherapy for Esophageal Cancers: What Is Practice Changing in 2021?

The prognosis of advanced esophageal cancer is dismal, and treatment options are limited. Since the first promising data on second-line treatment with checkpoint inhibitors in esophageal cancer patients were published, immunotherapy was surmised to change the face of modern cancer treatment. Recently, several studies have found this to be true, as the checkpoint inhibitors nivolumab and pembrolizumab have achieved revolutionary response rates in advanced as well as resectable settings in esophageal cancer patients.

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in oncology healthcare professionals and patients with cancer at a tertiary care centre during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: During the COVID-19 outbreak, healthcare professionals (HCP) are at the frontline of clinical management and at increased risk for infection. The SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of oncological HCP and their patients has significant implications for oncological care.

Methods: HCP and patients with cancer at the Division of Oncology, Medical University of Vienna were included between 21 March and 4 June and tested for total antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 employing the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoassay.

Clinical characteristics and comparison of the outcome in young versus older patients with upper gastrointestinal carcinoma.

Background: The clinical behaviour and outcome of young patients with gastroesophageal tumours (GET) is surmised to differ from older patients, yet data on the comparison of these two patient subgroups is scarce. This study focuses on the investigation of the clinical characteristics and survival outcome of younger-age people with GET, when compared to older patients.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with GET at the Medical University of Vienna between 2004 and 2016 were included in this study.

Viennese risk prediction score for Advanced Gastroesophageal carcinoma based on Alarm Symptoms (VAGAS score): characterisation of alarm symptoms in advanced gastro-oesophageal cancer and its correlation with outcome.

Introduction: The prognostic value of symptoms at disease presentation of advanced gastro-oesophageal cancer is unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterise these symptoms and correlate them with the outcome, so new prognostic markers can be defined.

Methods: We analysed clinical data including symptoms, therapies and survival of patients with stage IV gastro-oesophageal cancer treated between 2002 and 2018 at the Vienna General Hospital, Austria.

New Treatment Options for Advanced Gastroesophageal Tumours: Mature for the Current Practice?

Several clinical trials attempted to identify novel treatment options for advanced gastroesophageal tumours in first, second and further lines. Although results of targeted therapy regimens were mainly disappointing, novel immunotherapy agents showed promising activity, which led to their approval in second and third lines in many countries. This review focuses on the results of recent clinical trials investigating novel agents including targeted therapies, immunotherapy components and chemotherapies and discuss their current impact as well as current approval status on the treatment armamentarium of advanced gastroesophageal tumours.

New emerging targets in cancer immunotherapy: the role of LAG3.

The success of immunotherapy in many disease entities is limited to a specific subpopulation of patients. To overcome this problem, dual blockade treatments mainly against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) and programmed cell death receptor (ligand) 1 (PD-(L)1) axis were developed. However, due to high toxicity rates and treatment resistance, alternative pathways and novel strategies were desperately needed.