Central nervous system metastases in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A review of the therapeutic landscape.

Up to 40% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) develop central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Current treatments for this subgroup of patients with advanced NSCLC include local therapies (surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, and, less frequently, whole-brain radiotherapy), targeted therapies for oncogene-addicted NSCLC (small molecules, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and antibody-drug conjugates), and immune checkpoint inhibitors (as monotherapy or combination therapy), with multiple new drugs in development. However, confirming the intracranial activity of these treatments has proven to be challenging, given that most lung cancer clinical trials exclude patients with untreated and/or progressing CNS metastases, or do not include prespecified CNS-related endpoints.

A cross-sectional analysis of treatment patterns in small-cell lung cancer in five European countries.

To investigate changes in treatment patterns in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK (EU5) between 2018 and 2021. Cross-sectional data from an oncology database were analyzed retrospectively. Of 5832 eligible patients, 88.

Patient perception of burden of disease and treatment preferences in non-small cell lung cancer: Results from a European survey.

Objectives: To understand European non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients' perceptions of disease burden, treatment, and future expectations of treatment and care.

Materials And Methods: A 32-item online survey was conducted on a sample of NSCLC patients across Europe. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data.

On target: Rational approaches to KRAS inhibition for treatment of non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer death. Approximately one-third of patients with NSCLC have a KRAS mutation. KRAS, the most common mutation, is found in ~13% of patients.

The evolving landscape of biomarker testing for non-small cell lung cancer in Europe.

The discovery of oncogenic driver mutations rendering non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) targetable by small-molecule inhibitors, and the development of immunotherapies, have revolutionised NSCLC treatment. Today, instead of non-selective chemotherapies, all patients with advanced NSCLC eligible for treatment (and increasing numbers with earlier, less extensive disease) require fast and comprehensive screening of biomarkers for first-line patient selection for targeted therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy (with or without chemotherapy). To avoid unnecessary re-biopsies, biomarker screening before first-line treatment should also include markers that are actionable from second-line onwards; PD-L1 expression testing is also mandatory before initiating treatment.

A Retrospective Chart Review Study of Real-World Use of Talimogene Laherparepvec in Unresectable Stage IIIB-IVM1a Melanoma in Four European Countries.

Introduction: Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC; IMLYGIC, Amgen Inc.) is an oncolytic immunotherapy approved in Europe for the treatment of unresectable metastatic melanoma (stage IIIB-IVM1a). This study characterised real-world use of T-VEC in four European countries.

Intratumoural immunotherapies for unresectable and metastatic melanoma: current status and future perspectives.

The emergence of human intratumoural immunotherapy (HIT-IT) is a major step forward in the management of unresectable melanoma. The direct injection of treatments into melanoma lesions can cause cell lysis and induce a local immune response, and might be associated with a systemic immune response. Directly injecting immunotherapies into tumours achieves a high local concentration of immunostimulatory agent while minimising systemic exposure and, as such, HIT-IT agents are associated with lower toxicity than systemic immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs), enabling their potential use in combination with other therapies.

Real-world use of talimogene laherparepvec in Germany: a retrospective observational study using a prescription database.

There is a growing body of data on real-world use of talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC). We aimed to characterize real-world T-VEC use using a nationally representative German prescription database covering 60% of prescriptions reimbursed. A retrospective analysis was conducted using the German IMS LRx prescription database, analyzing patients aged ≥18 years with an initial T-VEC prescription at 10 plaque-forming units (PFU)/ml and ≥1 subsequent prescription at 10 PFU/ml.

Practical clinical guide on the use of talimogene laherparepvec monotherapy in patients with unresectable melanoma in Europe.

Talimogene laherparepvec, a herpes simplex virus type 1-based intralesional oncolytic immunotherapy, is approved in Europe for the treatment of adults with unresectable stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma, with no bone, brain, lung or other visceral disease. It has direct oncolytic effects in injected lesions, leading to the release of tumour-derived antigens and systemic immune effects mediated by the induction of anti-tumour immunity, which is enhanced by the production of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Responses (which occur in >40% of stage IIIB-IVM1a patients) are often durable (>50% last ≥6 months) and occur in injected and uninjected lesions (in stage IIIB-IVM1c patients, 64%/34% of evaluable injected/uninjected non-visceral lesions, respectively, decreased in size by ≥50%).

Real-World Use of Talimogene Laherparepvec in German Patients with Stage IIIB to IVM1a Melanoma: A Retrospective Chart Review and Physician Survey.

Introduction: Talimogene laherparepvec is a first-in-class oncolytic immunotherapy for intratumoral injection with proven efficacy and tolerability in patients with unresectable early metastatic melanoma (stage IIIB-IVM1a) in the pivotal phase III OPTiM study. The objective was to characterize melanoma patients treated with talimogene laherparepvec in routine clinical practice in Germany.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted in unresectable stage IIIB-IVM1a melanoma patients.

Design and methods for a Scandinavian pharmacovigilance study of osteonecrosis of the jaw and serious infections among cancer patients treated with antiresorptive agents for the prevention of skeletal-related events.

Objective: Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is a recognized complication of potent antiresorptive therapies, especially at the doses indicated to prevent skeletal complications for cancer patients with bone metastases. This paper describes the rationale and methods for a prospective, post-authorization safety study of cancer patients treated with antiresorptive therapies.

Methods: As part of a comprehensive pharmacovigilance plan, developed with regulators' input, the study will estimate incidence of ONJ and of serious infections among adult cancer patients with bone metastases treated with denosumab (120 mg subcutaneously) or zoledronic acid (4 mg intravenously, adjusted for renal function).

Pain outcomes in patients with bone metastases from advanced cancer: assessment and management with bone-targeting agents.

Bone metastases in advanced cancer frequently cause painful complications that impair patient physical activity and negatively affect quality of life. Pain is often underreported and poorly managed in these patients. The most commonly used pain assessment instruments are visual analogue scales, a single-item measure, and the Brief Pain Inventory Questionnaire-Short Form.

A combined analysis of mismatch repair status and thymidylate synthase expression in stage II and III colon cancer.

Unlabelled: This study in 716 colon cancer patients evaluates if a combined instead of a single marker analysis of mismatch repair (MMR) status and thymidylate synthase (TS) expression could individualize the treatment decision. The results indicate that a combined analysis of MMR status and TS expression can improve prediction of response to adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy in stage III colon cancer.

Background: Colon cancer with mismatch repair deficiency and low TS expression has been associated with an improved prognosis.

Mismatch repair protein expression is an independent prognostic factor in sporadic colorectal cancer.

Abstract Background. Mismatch repair (MMR) status has been reported as a prognostic and predictive factor in sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic and predictive value of MMR protein expression in the adjuvant setting.

The expression of the novel CYP2W1 enzyme is an independent prognostic factor in colorectal cancer - a pilot study.

Aim: Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are important for drug metabolism. A novel cytochrome P450 enzyme, CYP2W1, has recently been identified. This enzyme is mainly found in foetal colon tissue and in tumour tissue.

Expression of thymidylate synthase in liver and lung metastases of colorectal cancer and their matched primary tumours.

Background: In advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) a low expression of thymidylate synthase (TS) in metastases predicts a higher response to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of TS in liver and lung metastases of CRC and their matched primary tumours.

Patients And Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis of TS expression was performed on tissue samples of 48 CRC metastases (liver n=38, lung n=10) and their matched primary tumours (n=45).

The number of analyzed lymph nodes - a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer.

The prognostic significance of the number of lymph nodes examined in surgical specimen of colorectal cancer was determined. One thousand and twenty five patients with colorectal cancer stage II and III were included in the study. These patients underwent surgery from 1991 to 1997 and were enrolled in clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (5FU) based chemotherapy.

Detection of thymidylate synthase expression in lymph node metastases of colorectal cancer can improve the prognostic information.

Purpose: The level of thymidylate synthase (TS) in primary colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported as a prognostic marker. The purpose of this study was to determine whether TS expression in lymph node metastases of Dukes' C CRC is a prognostic marker.

Patients And Methods: TS expression in the primary tumor and lymph node metastases from 348 patients with Dukes' C CRC was retrospectively assessed using immunohistochemistry and the monoclonal antibody TS 106.