Phase II study of talazoparib in advanced cancers with BRCA1/2, DNA repair, and PTEN alterations.

Cancer cells with BRCA1/2 deficiencies are sensitive to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. We evaluated the efficacy of talazoparib in DNA-Damage Repair (DDR)-altered patients. In this phase II trial, patients were enrolled onto one of four cohorts based on molecular alterations: (1) somatic BRCA1/2, (2) other homologous recombination repair pathway, (3) PTEN and (4) germline BRCA1/2.

Targeting IL-11R/EZH2 signaling axis as a therapeutic strategy for osteosarcoma lung metastases.

Lung metastases are the primary cause of death for osteosarcoma (OS) patients. We recently validated interleukin-11 receptor α (IL-11Rα) as a molecular target for the inhibition of OS lung metastases. Since there is no clinically approved antibody against this receptor, we sought to identify downstream targets that mediate the effects of IL-11Rα signaling.

Direct Clinical Pharmacist-Patient Telephone Follow-Up: A Focus on GI Medical Oncology Symptom Management.

Purpose: GI medical oncology care presents unique medication challenges. Here, we captured our clinical pharmacy specialists' (CPSs) involvement in patients with GI cancers starting cycle 1 of a new treatment.

Methods: Our quality initiative was performed in three stages (preintervention, intervention, and postintervention).

Adolescent and young adult Hodgkin lymphoma patients at risk for subcutaneous fat gain during early cancer treatment: a brief report.

Computed tomography scans were assessed for subcutaneous fat area and density at thoracic vertebra 4 in 65 adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with Hodgkin lymphoma. Subcutaneous fat was quantified over 3 timepoints; (1) baseline, (2) end of initial anthracycline treatment (EOT) and (3) 1 year. Fat area increased at EOT (62.

Clinical outcomes of immunotherapy continued beyond radiographic disease progression in older adult patients with advanced non‑small cell lung cancer.

Immunotherapy is an effective and generally well-tolerated treatment strategy for older adult patients (aged ≥70 years) with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Unfortunately, most patients who receive immunotherapy eventually exhibit disease progression during treatment. The present study reports on a subset of older adult patients with advanced NSCLC who could effectively continue immunotherapy beyond radiographic disease progression due to perceived clinical benefit.

Selinexor in combination with weekly paclitaxel in patients with metastatic solid tumors: Results of an open label, single-center, multi-arm phase 1b study with expansion phase in ovarian cancer.

Objective: Selinexor is a first-in-class, oral selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE) compound which blocks Exportin-1 (XPO1). Our objective was to determine maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of selinexor and weekly paclitaxel.

Methods: This was an open label, single-center, multi-arm phase 1b study utilizing a "3 + 3" design and a "basket-type" expansion in recurrent solid tumors.

Role of Abdominal and Pelvic CT Scans in Diagnosis of Patients with Immunotherapy-Induced Colitis.

Introduction: Colitis is one of the most common immune-related adverse events in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. Although radiographic changes on computed tomography (CT), such as mild diffuse bowel thickening, mesenteric fat stranding, and mucosal enhancement, have been reported, the utility of CT in diagnosis of patients with suspected immune-related colitis is not well documented. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the value of CT scans in diagnosis of immunotherapy-induced colitis.

SATB2 Expression in Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcomas of Bone.

Objectives: SATB2 is a transcriptional regulator that plays an important role in osteoblastic differentiation. We examined the prevalence and potential significance of SATB2 expression in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) of bone.

Methods: We examined 38 cases of bone UPS without osteoid.

Outcomes of systemic therapy in metastatic phyllodes tumor of the breast.

Purpose: Metastatic phyllodes tumors of the breast (MPT) are rare breast neoplasms, limiting development of standardized treatment approaches. We sought to characterize the largest group of MPT thus far reported, evaluating systemic therapy outcomes.

Methods: Adult patients diagnosed with MPT between 1993 and 2015 and followed at MD Anderson Cancer Center were selected for retrospective chart review.

Metabolic compensation activates pro-survival mTORC1 signaling upon 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase inhibition in osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is the most common pediatric and adult primary malignant bone cancer. Curative regimens target the folate pathway, downstream of serine metabolism, with high-dose methotrexate. Here, the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serine from glucose, 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), is examined, and an inverse correlation between PHGDH expression and relapse-free and overall survival in osteosarcoma patients is found.

Overall survival in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and solid malignancies receiving biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic therapy.

Introduction/objectives: The effects of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cancer are largely unknown. We examined overall survival (OS) in patients with RA and solid malignancies receiving bDMARDs.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with RA and solid malignancies seen at MD Anderson Cancer Center between 2002 and 2014.

The immune microenvironment of uterine adenosarcomas.

Background: Uterine adenosarcoma (UA) is an extremely rare sarcoma subtype. There has been limited evaluation of the immune microenvironment in these tumors. The objective of this study is to examine and describe the immune infiltrate and PD-1/PD-L1 expression in UA and to correlate these changes in the tumor micro-environment with the overall survival status or the disease-free survival status (DFSS), respectively.

Utilization of biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.

Introduction: Biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) interfere with the immune system and could theoretically increase risk of malignancies. However, recent evidence has not substantiated such concerns and physicians are less reluctant in treating patients with underlying cancer with such bDMARDs. We aimed to understand the current utilization patterns of bDMARDs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in cancer patients.

Fracture risk prediction using FRAX in patients following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Unlabelled: We aimed to study the utility of the FRAX tool in predicting fractures in patient's receiving a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Our results indicate that the FRAX tool has modest fracture predictive ability in patients greater than 50 years of age at the time of HSCT.

Purpose: Identifying patients at high risk of osteoporotic fractures following HSCT is challenging.

Analysis of HSP27 and the Autophagy Marker LC3B Puncta Following Preoperative Chemotherapy Identifies High-Risk Osteosarcoma Patients.

Chemotherapy-induced autophagy is a proposed mechanism of chemoresistance and potential therapeutic target in osteosarcoma. We evaluated heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) and autophagy-related proteins as predictors of pathologic treatment response and prognostic markers among osteosarcoma patients who received standard chemotherapy. We analyzed 394 tumor specimens (pre-treatment, post-treatment, and metastases) from 260 osteosarcoma patients by immunohistochemistry for cytoplasmic light chain 3B (LC3B)-positive puncta, sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), and HSP27 expression.

Clinical Activity of Pazopanib in Patients with Advanced Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor.

Background: Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is an aggressive, often fatal soft tissue sarcoma that lacks an optimal salvage regimen. We retrospectively reviewed data from 29 pretreated DSRCT patients who received pazopanib at MD Anderson Cancer Center after failure of standard chemotherapies.

Subjects, Materials, And Methods: Medical records of patients treated from January 2012 to December 2016 were reviewed and regression analyses were performed.

Risk factors for falls in older patients with cancer.

Objectives: A rising number of patients with cancer are older adults (65 years of age and older), and this proportion will increase to 70% by the year 2020. Falls are a common condition in older adults. We sought to assess the prevalence and risk factors for falls in older patients with cancer.