Beta-HCG Secretion by a Pulmonary Choriocarcinoma in a Male Patient.

Background: Paraneoplastic secretion of beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (-HCG) in pulmonary carcinoma is rare. . A 65-year-old man presented with bilateral gynaecomastia with abnormally high levels of -hCG and elevated oestradiol, progesterone, and testosterone levels on April 7, 2023.

Paclitaxel plus carboplatin and durvalumab with or without oleclumab for women with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer: the randomized SYNERGY phase I/II trial.

Chemo-immunotherapy is the first-line standard of care for patients with PD-L1 positive metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). SYNERGY (NCT03616886) is a dose-finding phase I and a randomized phase II, open-label trial evaluating if targeting the immunosuppressive adenosine pathway can enhance the antitumor activity of chemo-immunotherapy. The phase I part included 6 patients with untreated locally-advanced or mTNBC to determine the safety and recommended phase II dose of the anti-CD73 antibody oleclumab in combination with the anti-PD-L1 durvalumab and 12 cycles of weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel.

PRECISION: the Belgian molecular profiling program of metastatic cancer for clinical decision and treatment assignment.

PRECISION is an initiative from the Belgian Society of Medical Oncology (BSMO) in collaboration with several stakeholders, encompassing four programs that aim to boost genomic and clinical knowledge with the ultimate goal to offer patients with metastatic solid tumors molecularly guided treatments. The PRECISION 1 study has led to the creation of a clinico-genomic database. The Belgian Approach for Local Laboratory Extensive Tumor Testing (BALLETT) and GeNeo studies will increase the number of patients with advanced cancer that have comprehensive genotyping of their cancer.

Coagulation/fibrinolysis and circulating tumor cells in patients with advanced breast cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and standard coagulation tests in both a discovery and a validation cohort of patients with advanced breast cancer.

Methods: In a retrospective (n = 77) and a prospective (n = 92) study of patients with progressive advanced breast cancer, CTC count, platelet number, fibrinogen level, D-dimers, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time were measured. The association between these coagulation studies and CTC count was analyzed.

Subcutaneous trastuzumab (Herceptin) versus intravenous trastuzumab for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer: A time, motion and cost assessment study in a lean operating day care oncology unit.

Objective: The subcutaneous (SC) formulation of trastuzumab represents an alternative to the intravenous (IV) infusion in the treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic and early breast cancer. We compared the two formulations in terms of time and cost differential.

Study Desing: We conducted a time, motion and cost assessment study in a lean operating day care oncology unit to determine and compare the time and costs of trastuzumab SC versus IV administration in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Management of pulmonary toxicity associated with targeted anticancer therapies.

Introduction: Targeted anticancer therapies act by interfering with defined molecular entities and/or biologic pathways. Because of their more specific mechanism of action, adverse events (AEs) on healthy tissues are intended to be minimal, resulting in a different toxicity profile from that observed with conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Pulmonary AEs are rare but potentially life-threatening and it is, therefore, critical to recognize early on and manage appropriately.

Trastuzumab emtansine in advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer.

Introduction: Ado- trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted antibody-drug conjugate composed of trastuzumab, a stable linker (MCC), and the cytotoxic agent DM1 (derivative of maytansine; mertansine). T-DM1 retains the mechanisms of action of trastuzumab, but also acts as a, selectively delivered, tubulin inhibitor. Following antigen-mediated binding to the tumor cell, T-DM1 is endocytosed and intracellularly catabolized resulting in the release of its cytotoxic moiety.