J Am Acad Dermatol
January 2025
Adrenocortical cancer (ACC) is a rare and aggressive disease. Surgery has traditionally been the primary treatment for locally advanced disease with ongoing controversy around the optimal neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment options. Unfortunately, local recurrence and the eventual development of metastatic disease is common and five-year survival rates are poor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Patients with locoregional recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) have relatively poor outcomes; therefore, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has been investigated for this patient population. We performed a phase 1 clinical trial to establish a maximum tolerated dose of SBRT with concurrent cisplatin in previously irradiated locoregional SCCHN.
Methods And Materials: Patients with recurrent SCCHN who had previously undergone radiation therapy to doses ≥45 Gy to the area of recurrence ≥6 months before enrollment and who were not surgical candidates or refused surgery were eligible.
Purpose: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive cutaneous malignancy, which has demonstrated sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Here, we perform the largest genomics study in MCC to date to characterize the molecular landscape and evaluate for clinical and molecular correlates to immune checkpoint inhibitor response.
Experimental Design: Comprehensive molecular profiling was performed on 317 tumors from patients with MCC, including the evaluation of oncogenic mutations, tumor mutational burden (TMB), mutational signatures, and the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV).
Purpose: Cetuximab, which modulates immune responses, may affect the efficacy of subsequent immunotherapy. Here, we assessed outcomes with nivolumab, by prior cetuximab exposure, in patients with recurrent or metastatic (R/M) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) who had experienced progression within 6 months of platinum-containing chemotherapy.
Patients And Methods: In the randomized, open-label, phase III CheckMate 141 trial, patients were randomized 2:1 to nivolumab 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks or investigator's choice (IC) of single-agent chemotherapy, with stratification by prior cetuximab exposure.
Background: Studies suggest treatment outcomes may vary between high (HVC)- and low-volume centers (LVC). Radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC) requires weeks of treatment, the inconvenience of which may influence a patient's choice for treatment location. We hypothesized that receipt of RT for HNC at a HVC would influence outcomes compared to patients evaluated at a HVC, but who chose to receive RT at a LVC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer that is associated with poor survival outcomes in patients with distant metastatic disease. Results of part A of the JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial (avelumab in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma) showed that avelumab, an anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody, demonstrated efficacy in second-line or later treatment of patients with metastatic MCC (mMCC).
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of avelumab as first-line treatment for patients with distant mMCC.
Background: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) reduces head and neck cancer (HNC) survival rates and is the most common, severe, and distressing symptom negatively impacting activities of daily living (ADLs) dependence among HNC patients. These patients remain physically inactive after their cancer treatment, although there is consensus that physical activity mitigates CRF in cancer patients.
Objective: A home-based personalized behavioral physical activity intervention with fitness graded motion exergames (PAfitME) was evaluated for its intervention components, intervention delivery mode, and intervention contact time/duration with initial assessment of the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and outcomes.
Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare, aggressive skin cancer associated with poor survival outcomes in patients with distant metastatic disease (mMCC). In an initial analysis from JAVELIN Merkel 200, a phase 2, prospective, open-label, single-arm trial in mMCC, avelumab-a human anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) monoclonal antibody-showed promising efficacy and a safety profile that was generally manageable and tolerable. Here, we report the efficacy of avelumab after ≥1 year of follow-up in patients with distant mMCC that had progressed following prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe challenge of using exergames to promote physical activity among cancer survivors lies in the selection of the exergames that match their fitness level. There is a need for a standardized grading scheme by which to judge an exergame's capacity to address specific physical fitness attributes with different levels of physical engagement. The study aimed to develop an Exergame Grading Scheme and preliminarily evaluate its psychometric properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB), also known as olfactory neuroblastoma, is a rare malignant neoplasm of the olfactory mucosa. Despite surgical resection combined with radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy, ENB often relapses with rapid progression. Current multimodality, nontargeted therapy for relapsed ENB is of limited clinical benefit.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMerkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and lethal skin cancer with few known treatment options. Management of this disease is challenging, and oncology nurses must understand the medical, physical, and psychosocial burden that MCC places on the patient and family caregivers. Patients must navigate a complex medical and insurance network that often fails to support patients with rare cancers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard of care for many sites of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (LAHNC). However, on meta-analysis, the addition of chemotherapy did not improve survival for patients >70years. We hypothesized that elderly patients treated with CRT would have increased toxicity without similar improvements in survival.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, aggressive skin cancer with poor prognosis in patients with advanced disease. Current standard care uses various cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens, but responses are seldom durable. Tumour oncogenesis is linked to Merkel cell polyomavirus integration and ultraviolet-radiation-induced mutations, providing rationale for treatment with immunotherapy antibodies that target the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: We sought to identify genomic alterations (GA) in salivary gland adenocarcinomas, not otherwise specified (NOS), salivary duct carcinomas (SDC), carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (ca ex PA), and salivary carcinoma, NOS.
Experimental Design: DNA was extracted from 149 tumors. Comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) was performed on hybridization-captured adaptor ligation-based libraries of 182 or 315 cancer-related genes plus introns from 14 or 28 genes frequently rearranged for cancer and evaluated for all classes of GAs.
Background: Hypermetabolism of thyroid nodules on (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) is associated with a higher prevalence of malignancy. However, the definition of hypermetabolism and its impact on cytological interpretation are unclear.
Methods: Medical records of all patients with thyroid nodules who had undergone cytological evaluation at the Moffitt Cancer Center between October 2008 and May 2014 were retrospectively reviewed.
Background: We hypothesized that radiotherapy (RT) would improve both local and regional control with Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Methods: A single-institution institutional review board-approved study was performed including 113 patients with nonmetastatic Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Postoperative RT was delivered to the primary tumor bed (71.
Background: Following wide excision of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), postoperative radiation therapy (RT) is typically recommended. Controversy remains as to whether RT can be avoided in selected cases, such as those with negative margins. Additionally, there is evidence that RT can influence survival.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Several molecular marker tests are available to refine the diagnosis of thyroid nodules. Knowing the true prevalence of malignancy (PoM) within each cytological category is considered necessary to select the most appropriate test and to interpret results accurately. We describe our institutional PoM among cytological categories and report our experience with molecular markers.
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