State of Lung Cancer in Egypt: Moving Towards Improved Guidelines for Prevention, Screening, Treatment, and Clinical Care Programs.

Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally and presents significant challenges in Egypt. In 2023, the first annual meeting of the Thoracic Oncology Multidisciplinary Faculty, organized by the Egyptian Cancer Research Network and the Egyptian Society of Respiratory Neoplasms, was held in Cairo, Egypt. The meeting aimed to address gaps in lung cancer management across Egypt and the broader Middle East and North Africa region.

Pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms: the molecular landscape, therapeutic challenges, and diagnosis and management strategies.

Lung neuroendocrine neoplasms are a group of diverse, heterogeneous tumours that range from well-differentiated, low-grade neuroendocrine tumours-such as typical and atypical carcinoids-to high-grade, poorly differentiated aggressive malignancies, such as large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). While the incidence of SCLC has decreased, the worldwide incidence of other pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms has been increasing over the past decades. In addition to the standard histopathological classification of lung neuroendocrine neoplasms, the introduction of molecular and sequencing techniques has led to new advances in understanding the biology of these diseases and might influence future classifications and staging that can subsequently improve management guidelines in the adjuvant or metastatic settings.

Metroticket approach in a retrospective cohort study to predict overall survival after surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Surgical resection is a curative therapy for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients meeting the Milan criteria as well as a widely used therapy in intermediate-stage HCC. However, intermediate-stage HCC encompasses a wide spectrum of disease and there is a lack of good predictive models for the long-term clinical outcome of HCC patients currently. Here, the authors adopt Mazzaferro's Metroticket 2.

Lung-MAP Next-Generation Sequencing Analysis of Advanced Squamous Cell Lung Cancers (SWOG S1400).

Introduction: Squamous cell cancer (SqCC) is a lung cancer subtype with few targeted therapy options. Molecular characterization, that is, by next-generation sequencing (NGS), is needed to identify potential targets. Lung Cancer Master Protocol Southwest Oncology Group S1400 enrolled patients with previously treated stage IV or recurrent SqCC to assess NGS biomarkers for therapeutic sub-studies.

TNF reduces osteogenic cell fate in PDL cells at transcriptional and functional levels without alteration of periodontal proliferative capacity.

Aims: To investigate the effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) on the growth of human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells, their osteogenic differentiation and modulation of their matrix secretion in vitro.

Methods: The influence of 10 ng/ml TNF on proliferation and metabolic activity of PDL cells was analyzed by cell counting (DAPI [4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole] staining) and the MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) assay. In addition, cells were cultured under control conditions and osteogenic conditions (media containing 10 mM β-glycerophosphate).

Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests: prioritizing equity from bench to bedside.

Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests are blood-based tests designed to screen for signals of multiple cancers. There is growing interest and investment in examining the potential benefits and applications of MCED tests. If MCED tests are shown to have clinical utility, it is important to ensure that all people-regardless of their demographic or socioeconomic background-equitably benefit from these tests.

ctDNA for the Evaluation and Management of EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) offers a new paradigm in optimizing treatment strategies for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Its potential spans early-stage disease, influencing adjuvant therapy, to advanced disease, where it aids in identifying genomic markers and resistance mechanisms. This review explores the evolving landscape of utilizing liquid biopsies, specifically circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), in the management of NSCLC with mutations.

Precision needle-punch tumor enrichment from paraffin blocks improves the detection of clinically actionable genomic alterations and biomarkers.

Background: While many molecular assays can detect mutations at low tumor purity and variant allele frequencies, complex biomarkers such as tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and genomic loss of heterozygosity (gLOH) require higher tumor purity for accurate measurement. Scalable, quality-controlled, tissue-conserving methods to increase tumor nuclei percentage (TN%) from tumor specimens are needed for complex biomarkers and hence necessary to maximize patient matching to approved therapies or clinical trial enrollment. We evaluated the clinical utility and performance of precision needle-punch enrichment (NPE) compared with traditional razor blade macroenrichment of tumor specimens on molecular testing success.

Real-World Clinical Performance of a DNA-Based Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Assay for Detecting Targetable Fusions in Nonsquamous NSCLC.

Background: Genomic fusions are potent oncogenic drivers across cancer types and many are targetable. We demonstrate the clinical performance of DNA-based comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) for detecting targetable fusions.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed targetable fusion genes in >450 000 tissue specimens profiled using DNA CGP (FoundationOne CDx, FoundationOne).

Behind every good research there are data. What are they and their importance to forensic science.

Data underpinning science have become one of the most precious assets in research, and while the principles of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) have been put forward as a guide to how to approach data handling, data sharing and long-term storage still remain a challenge for many research areas including forensic science. The reporting and the sharing of data can be made easier by giving them structure, the use of suitable labels and the inclusion of descriptors collated into metadata prior to their deposition in repositories with persistent identifiers. Such a systematic approach would strengthen the quality and the integrity of research while providing greater transparency to published materials.

Longitudinal nucleocapsid antibody testing reveals undocumented SARS-CoV-2 infections in patients with lung cancer.

Patients diagnosed with lung cancer (LC) exhibit increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Rodilla et al. monitor the levels of plasma anti-nucleocapsid antibodies within a cohort of fully vaccinated LC patients and reveal that the actual infection rate is nearly twice the documented rate, indicating a significant prevalence of unreported cases.

Serological Response to SARS-CoV-2 after COVID-19 Vaccination in Lung Cancer Patients: Short Review.

In comparison to the general population, lung cancer patients are more likely to suffer from severe Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and associated mortality. Considering this increased risk, and in order to prevent symptoms and severe disease, patients with lung cancer have been prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination primary and booster doses. Despite this, the pivotal clinical trials did not include these patients, which leaves open questions regarding vaccine efficacy and humoral immune response.

Phase II Study of Docetaxel and Trametinib in Patients with KRAS Mutation Positive Recurrent Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC; SWOG S1507, NCT-02642042).

Purpose: Efficacy of MEK inhibitors in KRAS+ NSCLC may differ based on specific KRAS mutations and comutations. Our hypothesis was that docetaxel and trametinib would improve activity in KRAS+ NSCLC and specifically in KRAS G12C NSCLC.

Patients And Methods: S1507 is a single-arm phase II study assessing the response rate (RR) with docetaxel plus trametinib in recurrent KRAS+ NSCLC and secondarily in the G12C subset.

Baseline extracellular vesicle TGF-β is a predictive biomarker for response to immune checkpoint inhibitors and survival in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are an effective therapeutic strategy, improving the survival of patients with lung cancer compared with conventional treatments. However, novel predictive biomarkers are needed to stratify which patients derive clinical benefit because the currently used and highly heterogenic histological PD-L1 has shown low accuracy. Liquid biopsy is the analysis of biomarkers in body fluids and represents a minimally invasive tool that can be used to monitor tumor evolution and treatment effects, potentially reducing biases associated with tumor heterogeneity associated with tissue biopsies.

Extending Surgical Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Beyond Barcelona Clinic for Liver Cancer (BCLC) Stage A: A Novel Application of the Modified BCLC Staging System.

Objective: We aimed to prognosticate survival after surgical resection of HCC stratified by stage with amalgamation of the modified Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system and location of tumour.

Methods: This single-institutional retrospective cohort study included patients with HCC who underwent surgical resection between 1st January 2000 to 30th June 2016. Participants were divided into 6 different subgroups: A-u) Within MC with Unilobar lesions; A-b) Within MC + Bilobar lesions; B1-u) Out of MC + within Up-To-7 + Unilobar lesions; B1-b) Out of MC + within Up-to-7 + Bilobar lesions; B2-u) Out of MC + Out of Up-To-7 + Unilobar lesions; B2-b) Out of MC + Out of Up-To-7 + Bilobar lesions.

The evolving role of liquid biopsy in lung cancer.

Liquid biopsy has revolutionized the management of cancer patients. In particular, liquid biopsy-based testing has proven to be highly beneficial for identifying actionable cancer markers, especially when solid tissue biopsies are insufficient or unattainable. Beyond the predictive role, liquid biopsy may be a useful tool for comprehensive tumor genotyping, identification of emergent resistance mechanisms, monitoring of minimal residual disease, early detection, and cancer interception.

A phase I dose escalation, dose expansion and pharmacokinetic trial of gemcitabine and alisertib in advanced solid tumors and pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: Aurora Kinase A (AKA) inhibition with gemcitabine represents a potentially synergistic cancer treatment strategy via mitotic catastrophe. The feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy of alisertib (MLN8237), an oral AKA inhibitor, with gemcitabine was evaluated in this open-label phase I trial with dose escalation and expansion.

Methods: Key inclusion criteria included advanced solid tumor with any number of prior chemotherapy regimens in the dose escalation phase, and advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma with up to two prior chemotherapy regimens.