Publications by authors named "Michael T Schweizer"

Article Synopsis
  • The study assessed the effectiveness of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) and platinum chemotherapy in men with prostate cancer (PC) and specific genetic mutations related to DNA repair.
  • It utilized data from the PROMISE consortium to compare outcomes between three groups based on their mutation profiles: one with direct BRCA complex interactions and two without.
  • Results showed that patients with BRCA mutations had significantly better responses to PARPi, including higher PSA response rates and longer progression-free survival, compared to those without direct BRCA interactions.
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  • Aberrant Wnt signaling is linked to advanced prostate cancer, but its genetic impact on patients is still uncertain.
  • A study analyzed data from the PROMISE database, finding that 12.9% of patients had Wnt alterations which were associated with significantly higher rates of liver and lung metastases compared to those without these alterations.
  • Despite the increased prevalence of other genetic mutations in Wnt-altered patients, there were no significant differences in overall survival or treatment outcomes between groups.
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Objective: To characterize changes in body composition following cytotoxic chemotherapy for germ cell carcinoma of the testis (GCT) and quantify associations between body composition metrics and chemotherapy-associated adverse events (AEs) and post-retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) complications.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective multi-center study included 216 men with GCT treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy and/or RPLND (2005-2020). We measured body composition including skeletal muscle (SMI), visceral adipose (VAI,), subcutaneous adipose (SAI), and fat mass (FMI) indices on computed tomography.

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Therapeutic approaches targeting proteins on the surface of cancer cells have emerged as an important strategy for precision oncology. To capitalize on the potential impact of drugs targeting surface proteins, detailed knowledge about the expression patterns of the target proteins in tumor tissues is required. In castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), agents targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) have demonstrated clinical activity.

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  • Lu-PSMA-617 (LuPSMA) is an effective treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), but the relationship between patients' mutational profiles and clinical outcomes remains unclear.
  • A study analyzed 126 mCRPC patients who received LuPSMA and found that specific genetic mutations significantly impacted the effectiveness of the treatment, with mutations in tumor suppressor genes linked to poorer outcomes.
  • The results indicate that further research is needed to explore how LuPSMA performs in different genetic subgroups to better tailor therapies for prostate cancer patients.
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  • The study looked at how often men with advanced prostate cancer get tested with a special method called next-generation sequencing (NGS) to find helpful information about their disease.
  • They analyzed data from 1,597 patients and found that only 9% had more than one NGS test, often discovering new useful information on the second test.
  • The results suggest that doing these tests more than once could help doctors make better treatment choices for men with advanced prostate cancer.
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  • Abemaciclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, has shown promise in treating metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), potentially shifting treatment approaches similar to its use in breast cancer.
  • In a study involving 44 patients with mCRPC who had previously undergone multiple treatments, the primary goal was to report the objective response rate (ORR), which was found to be 6.8%, with a disease control rate of 45.5%.
  • The treatment was generally well tolerated, with manageable side effects, and provided preliminary evidence supporting CDK4/6 as a therapeutic target in prostate cancer.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how alterations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene affect the treatment outcomes for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) receiving androgen receptor-targeting agents (ARTA).
  • Researchers analyzed data from the PROMISE database, looking at patients' genomic testing results in relation to their ARTA treatment timing and clinical outcomes.
  • Findings indicate that AR amplifications correlate with a longer time to disease progression, highlighting the need for more in-depth studies to better understand these genomic alterations' impact on treatment responses.
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Therapeutic approaches targeting proteins on the surface of cancer cells have emerged as an important strategy for precision oncology. To fully capitalize on the potential impact of drugs targeting surface proteins, detailed knowledge about the expression patterns of the target proteins in tumor tissues is required. In castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), agents targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) have demonstrated clinical activity.

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Background And Objective: BRCA2 mutations in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) confer sensitivity to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. However, additional factors predicting PARP inhibitor efficacy in mCRPC are needed. Preclinical studies support a relationship between speckle-type POZ protein (SPOP) inactivation and PARP inhibitor sensitivity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Scientists are studying how to treat prostate cancer, especially when it's hard to treat (like in castration-resistant prostate cancer or CRPC).
  • They've found that some cancers can ignore the usual treatments that work by blocking a protein called the androgen receptor, and they think another pathway called FGFR might be important in these cancers.
  • Experiments showed that using FGFR blockers together with existing treatments can help suppress tumor growth, but the effectiveness can vary depending on the specific type of cancer.
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Importance: Black men have higher incidence and mortality from prostate cancer. Whether precision oncology disparities affect Black men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is unknown.

Objective: To compare precision medicine data and outcomes between Black and White men with mCRPC.

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Background: Nectin-4 and Trop-2 are transmembrane targets of FDA-approved antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) Enfortumab-vedotin (EV) and Sacituzumab govitecan (SG), respectively, for the treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC). The expression and role of Nectin-4 and Trop-2 in mUC variant histology is poorly described.

Materials And Methods: We evaluate membranous and cytoplasmic protein expression, and mRNA levels of Nectin-4 and Trop-2 within matched primary and metastatic mUC samples to determine heterogeneity of ADC targets in mUC variants.

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While checkpoint inhibitor therapy has revolutionized the treatment landscape of some solid tumors, it has shown limited efficacy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers (mCRPC). A small (~3-5%) but clinically distinct subset of mCRPC tumors have a DNA mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) and develop a hypermutation phenotype with elevated tumor mutational burden and high microsatellite instability (MSI-H). Retrospective analyses have shown dMMR/MSI-H status to be a predictive biomarker for response to pembrolizumab in prostate tumors.

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Background: Open-top light-sheet (OTLS) microscopy is a technique that allows for high-resolution 3D imaging of tissue specimens and can therefore provide a more detailed assessment of tissue architecture. Given that Gleason grading is based on tissue architecture, we hypothesized that OTLS microscopy would enable us to survey a larger amount of tissue and detect occult prostate cancers in men who had prostate core biopsy specimens initially classified as being benign-appearing who later developed clinically significant prostate cancers.

Methods: Benign appearing tissue (based on routine pathologic evaluation) from 20 patients who subsequently developed a clinically significant prostate cancer (experimental group) was evaluated with OTLS microscopy and compared to tissue from 20 patients who underwent prostate biopsy and never developed a clinically significant prostate cancer (control group).

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Introduction: To examine oncologic outcomes and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma (SUC) treated with radical cystectomy (RC).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively queried our institutional database (2003-18) and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare (2004-2015) for patients with cT2-4, N0-2, M0 SUC and conventional UC (CUC) treated with RC. Clinicopathologic characteristics were described using descriptive statistics (t test, χ2-test and log-rank-test for group comparison).

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Introduction: Cancer immunotherapies have limited efficacy in prostate cancer due to the immunosuppressive prostate microenvironment. Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expression is prevalent in prostate cancer, preserved during malignant transformation, and increases in response to anti-androgen therapies, making it a commonly targeted tumor associated antigen for prostate cancer. JNJ-63898081 (JNJ-081) is a bispecific antibody targeting PSMA-expressing tumor cells and CD3-expressing T cells, aiming to overcome immunosuppression and promoting antitumor activity.

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Background: This phase 1 study evaluated PF-06753512, a vaccine-based immunotherapy regimen (PrCa VBIR), in two clinical states of prostate cancer (PC), metastatic castration-resistant PC (mCRPC) and biochemical recurrence (BCR).

Methods: For dose escalation, patients with mCRPC received intramuscular PrCa VBIR (adenovirus vector and plasmid DNA expressing prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA)) with or without immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs, tremelimumab 40 or 80 mg with or without sasanlimab 130 or 300 mg, both subcutaneous). For dose expansion, patients with mCRPC received recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of PrCa VBIR plus tremelimumab 80 mg and sasanlimab 300 mg; patients with BCR received PrCa VBIR plus tremelimumab 80 mg (Cohort 1B-BCR) or tremelimumab 80 mg plus sasanlimab 130 mg (Cohort 5B-BCR) without androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

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Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is an important cell surface target in prostate cancer. There are limited data on the heterogeneity of PSMA tissue expression in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Furthermore, the mechanisms regulating PSMA expression (encoded by the FOLH1 gene) are not well understood.

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Background: Amphicrine prostate carcinoma (AMPC) is a poorly defined subset of prostate cancer in which cells co-express luminal prostate epithelial and neuroendocrine markers. The optimal treatment strategy is unknown. We sought to further characterize the clinical, histomorphologic, and molecular characteristics of AMPC and to identify areas of potential future treatment investigations.

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Purpose: Germline mutations in DNA repair genes are present in approximately 10% of men with metastatic prostate cancer (mPC), and guidelines recommend genetic germline testing. Notable barriers exist, including access to genetic counseling, insurance coverage, and out-of-pocket costs. The GENTleMEN study was designed to determine the feasibility of an Internet-based, patient-driven germline genetic testing approach for men with mPC.

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