Publications by authors named "M R Rettig"
Article Synopsis
- The study compares the definitions of high-volume disease (HVD) and low-volume disease (LVD) in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) patients using both conventional imaging (CI) and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET imaging, highlighting the need for more accurate definitions for treatment decisions.
- Researchers analyzed data from 67 mHSPC patients across five international sites who had both PSMA PET and CI scans within a specific timeframe, assessing how many were classified as HVD or LVD based on each imaging method.
- Results showed a significant discrepancy in classification: 25.4% of patients were identified as HVD using CI, while 40.3% were identified as HVD using
Importance: The phase 3 randomized EMBARK trial evaluated enzalutamide with or without leuprolide in high-risk nonmetastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. Eligibility relied on conventional imaging, which underdetects metastatic disease compared with prostate-specific membrane antigen-positron emission tomography (PSMA-PET).
Objective: To describe the staging information obtained by PSMA-PET/computed tomography (PSMA-PET/CT) in a patient cohort eligible for the EMBARK trial.
Current US clinical practice guidelines for advanced prostate cancer management contain recommendations based on high-level evidence from randomized controlled trials; however, these guidelines do not address the nuanced clinical questions that are unanswered by prospective trials but nonetheless encountered in day-to-day practice. To address these practical questions, the 2024 US Prostate Cancer Conference (USPCC 2024) was created to generate US-focused expert clinical decision-making guidance for circumstances in which level 1 evidence is lacking. At the second annual USPCC meeting (USPCC 2024), a multidisciplinary panel of experts convened to discuss ongoing clinical challenges related to 5 topic areas: biochemical recurrence; metastatic, castration-sensitive prostate cancer; poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase inhibitors; prostate-specific membrane antigen radioligand therapy; and metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer.
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- Haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (haplo-HCT) is being utilized more often for blood cancers, but complications such as graft vs. host disease (GvHD) still pose serious risks.
- A study tested the JAK-1 inhibitor itacitinib alongside standard GvHD preventive care in 42 patients and found it dramatically reduced the severity of complications like cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and instances of acute GvHD.
- Results showed high overall survival rates (80% at one year) and low rates of both acute and chronic GvHD, indicating that itacitinib is a promising addition to haplo-HCT treatment protocols.
Article Synopsis
- Small cell neuroendocrine cancers show similar characteristics across different tissues, often responding briefly to chemotherapy before rapidly worsening.
- A phase 1b study tested pembrolizumab combined with platinum-based chemotherapy in 15 patients, showing an overall response rate of 43% and a promising two-year overall survival rate of 86% for small cell bladder cancer and 57% for small cell prostate cancer.
- The treatment was generally well-tolerated, with 40% of patients experiencing severe side effects but no fatalities or treatment stoppages due to toxicity, alongside evidence of enhanced T cell activity linked to better outcomes.