Publications by authors named "Jo Van Dorpe"

Article Synopsis
  • Aberrant embryo implantation and placentation can lead to serious pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, and current risk identification methods are not very accurate.
  • The ExPECT study aims to validate a cell-free DNA methylation strategy to diagnose preeclampsia early and identify high-risk pregnancies by analyzing blood samples over time.
  • Results showed distinct methylation patterns between healthy and affected pregnancies, with significant differences detectable as early as 12 weeks, leading to the development of promising classification models for diagnosis and prediction.
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Background: Amyloidosis is a systemic disorder characterized by the deposition of misfolded proteins in various organs. While cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is well-recognized, pulmonary involvement is rare and often overlooked in clinical practice.

Case Summary: We present a case of severe, and ultimately fatal, cardiac and pulmonary ATTR amyloidosis in a 67-year-old male.

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About 5% of patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) have a poor prognosis which is associated with a loss of tumor differentiation, invasion and metastasis, all of which are linked to the process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP). Here, we showed that the EMP-associated transcription factor ZEB2 drives cSCC heterogeneity which resembles biphasic carcinosarcoma-like tumors. Single cell RNA sequencing revealed distinct subpopulations ranging from fully epithelial (E) to intermediate (EM) to fully mesenchymal (M), associated with the gradual loss of cell surface markers EPCAM, CDH1, ITGB4, and CD200.

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The diagnosis of lymphomas is challenging due to their diverse histological presentations and clinical manifestations. There is a need for inexpensive tools that require minimal expertise and are accessible for routine laboratories. Contrastingly, current conventional diagnostic methods are often found only in specialized environments.

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  • A new method has been developed to accurately align high-resolution PET images, CT scans, and histopathology slides of breast cancer specimens to enhance understanding of radiotracer distribution.
  • The method involves acquiring detailed images of tissue samples before and after fixation, along with creating a co-registration algorithm to align the images effectively.
  • The study successfully imaged 22 breast cancer specimens, achieving a minimal co-registration error of 0.74 mm, allowing for a detailed analysis of standardized uptake values in various breast tissues.
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Purpose: To describe the clinical presentation and management of severe capecitabine-induced corneal toxicity.

Observations: A 71-year-old woman presented with severe bilateral vision loss. Four months earlier, capecitabine was initiated for a metastatic invasive ductal carcinoma.

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TRPS1 is a novel immunohistochemical marker, so far quite specific and sensitive for breast cancer and especially useful for the diagnosis of triple-negative breast cancer. TRPS1 expression has recently been reported in normal skin appendages, as well as in a variety of benign and malignant cutaneous tumors, including adnexal tumors. However, it has not yet been reported in hidradenoma papilliferum (papillary hidradenoma), a benign adnexal neoplasm, accepted to originate from mammary-like glands in the vulvar or anogenital region of middle-aged women.

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CD70 is an attractive target for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for the treatment of both solid and liquid malignancies. However, the functionality of CD70-specific CAR T cells is modest. We optimized a CD70-specific VHH-based CAR (nanoCAR).

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  • Oligometastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (omCSPC) is an early stage of metastatic disease with varying outcomes among patients, leading to a study on the impact of tumor genomics on disease progression and failure patterns after treatment.
  • A multi-institutional analysis of 267 men who underwent tumor sequencing highlighted that the presence of specific genomic mutations, like TP53, could influence modes of progression and overall survival rates.
  • The findings suggested that patients with oligoprogression had significantly better three-year overall survival rates (91%) compared to those with polyprogression (71%), indicating the importance of genomic profiling in predicting clinical outcomes.
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Type I interferon (IFN) is a potent antitumoral drug, with an important history in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. However, its pleiotropic nature leads to severe dose-limiting toxicities that blunt its therapeutic potential. To achieve selective targeting of specific immune or tumor cells, AcTakines (Activity-on-Target Cytokines), i.

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  • 3% to 5% of cancer patients have cancer of unknown primary (CUP), making it difficult to determine the origin of their tumors.
  • A new technique called cell-free reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (cfRRBS) can analyze DNA methylation patterns from small, fragmented samples, allowing for better classification of tumors, including CUP.
  • The study showed that this method could accurately diagnose CUP in a significant number of samples, suggesting it could be a valuable tool alongside traditional cytology for cancer diagnosis.
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Background And Purpose: Chemoradiotherapy followed by brachytherapy is the standard of care for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). In this study, we postulate that omitting an iconographical unaffected uterus (+12 mm distance from the tumour) from the treatment volume is safe and that no tumour will be found in the non-targeted uterus (NTU) leading to reduction of high-dose volumes of surrounding organs at risk (OARs).

Material And Methods: In this single-arm phase 2 study, two sets of target volumes were delineated: one standard-volume (whole uterus) and an EXIT-volume (exclusion of non-tumour-bearing parts of the uterus with a minimum 12 mm margin from the tumour).

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Ovarian cancer (OC) is an umbrella term for cancerous malignancies affecting the ovaries, yet treatment options for all subtypes are predominantly derived from high-grade serous ovarian cancer, the largest subgroup. The concept of "functional precision medicine" involves gaining personalized insights on therapy choice, based on direct exposure of patient tissues to drugs. This especially holds promise for rare subtypes like low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC).

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Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is known for high relapse rates despite resection in early stages. Here, we present the results of a phase I clinical trial in which a dendritic cell (DC) vaccine targeting patient-individual neoantigens is evaluated in patients with resected NSCLC. Vaccine manufacturing is feasible in six of 10 enrolled patients.

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Objectives: Cytogenetic abnormalities are predictors of poor prognosis in multiple myeloma (MM). This paper aims to build and validate a multiparametric conventional and functional whole-body MRI-based prediction model for cytogenetic risk classification in newly diagnosed MM.

Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed MM who underwent multiparametric conventional whole-body MRI, spinal dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE-)MRI, spinal diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) and had genetic analysis were retrospectively included (2011-2020/Ghent University Hospital/Belgium).

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Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, mainly due to late-stage diagnosis, frequent recurrences, and eventually therapy resistance. To identify potentially actionable genetic variants, sequencing data of 351 Belgian ovarian cancer patients were retrospectively captured from electronic health records. The cohort included 286 (81%) patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer, 17 (5%) with low-grade serous ovarian cancer, and 48 (14%) with other histotypes.

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A woman in her 30s, non-smoker, presented at the emergency department two times because of spontaneous pneumothorax. The first episode was treated with small bore catheter drainage, while during the second episode-occurring only 1 week later-thoracoscopic talcage was attempted. The postoperative course was characterised by slow clinical and radiological resolution, and recurrence 3 days after discharge.

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Introduction: This case report demonstrates the possibility of successful eye and vision-sparing therapy for caruncular melanoma.

Case Presentation: We present an atypical presentation of a caruncular melanoma. After excisional biopsy, residual flat conjunctival melanosis resolved using topical chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil), which was well tolerated.

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Paired-like homeobox 2B () is a gene essential in the development of the autonomic nervous system. mutations are associated with neurocristopathies-Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) and congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS)-and peripheral neuroblastic tumours. PHOXB2 plays an important role in the diagnostics of these conditions.

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Myxoid pleomorphic liposarcoma (MPL) is an extremely rare adipocytic tumor, recently recognized as a distinct entity in the 5th edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Soft Tissue and Bone Tumors. Predominantly found in the mediastinum of young women, MPLs exhibit a combination of histological features characteristic of myxoid liposarcoma and pleomorphic (lipo)sarcoma. Their unique molecular features distinguish MPLs from other liposarcomas.

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Burn injuries can result in a significant inflammatory response, often leading to hypertrophic scarring (HTS). Local drug therapies e.g.

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Background: Epithelial ovarian cancer is associated with high mortality due to diagnosis at later stages associated with peritoneal involvement. Several trials have evaluated the effect of intraperitoneal treatment. In this preclinical study, we report the efficacy, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of intraperitoneal treatment with two approved nanomolecular formulations of paclitaxel (nab-PTX and mic-PTX) in a murine ovarian cancer xenograft model.

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