Publications by authors named "Omar Alhalabi"

Enfortumab vedotin (EV) is used as monotherapy or combined with pembrolizumab in advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC), but biomarker data associated with EV outcomes are limited. We identified 170 patients in the UNITE study who received EV monotherapy and had molecular biomarker data available. Outcomes for groups with and without a particular biomarker were compared using logistic regression (unadjusted) for the objective response rate (ORR), and a log-rank test and Cox proportional-hazard models (CPHMs) for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) from EV initiation.

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  • - The study investigates the expression of nectin-4 (N4) in various genitourinary (GU) cancers, particularly focusing on its relevance as a potential target for antibody-drug conjugates, given its aberrant expression in malignancies like urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UBC).
  • - A systematic review analyzed 25 studies on N4 positivity across different GU tumors, finding that N4 positivity is generally higher in bladder cancers, especially in metastatic and non-muscle-invasive stages, compared to other types like upper tract urothelial carcinoma and non-urothelial cancers.
  • - The findings suggest that non-urothelial malignancies have lower rates of N4 positivity compared to bladder cancer,
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Purpose: Trimodality therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) yields similar oncologic outcomes compared to radical cystectomy in appropriately selected patients; however, data regarding locally advanced MIBC (LA-MIBC) is limited. We explored our experience with LA-MIBC undergoing radiation therapy (RT).

Methods: We retrospectively identified 30 patients from an institutional prospectively collated database with non-metastatic, LA-MIBC.

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Small cell bladder cancer (SCBC) is a rare and aggressive disease, often treated with platinum/etoposide-based chemotherapy. Key molecular drivers include the inactivation of onco-suppressor genes (, ) and amplifications in proto-oncogenes (). We report a patient with SCBC who achieved an objective and prolonged response to lurbinectedin, which has been approved for metastatic small cell lung cancer, after developing disease progression on cisplatin/etoposide and nivolumab/ipilimumab.

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Plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma (UC) is a rare histologic subtype of bladder cancer that is associated with an aggressive clinical behavior. We analyzed the clinicopathologic and molecular features of plasmacytoid UC in 52 patients from a single institute. The patients included 44 men and 8 women, with a mean age of 64 years (range, 41-91 years).

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Purpose: We initiated a biomarker-informed preoperative study of infigratinib, a fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor, in patients with localized upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), a population with high unmet needs and tumor with a high frequency of FGFR3 alterations.

Materials And Methods: Patients with localized UTUC undergoing ureteroscopy or nephroureterectomy/ureterectomy were enrolled on a phase 1b trial (NCT04228042). Once-daily infigratinib 125 mg by mouth × 21 days (28-day cycle) was given for 2 cycles.

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Cisplatin-based chemotherapy has been the standard of care in metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) for more than two decades. However, many patients with comorbidities cannot receive cisplatin or its alternative, carboplatin. 'Cisplatin-ineligible' and 'platinum-ineligible' patients lacked effective therapy options.

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Introduction Anesthesia is an important specialty in the medical field responsible for caring for patients before, during, and after operations. It involves monitoring vital signs, managing pain levels, and regulating consciousness. There are various subspecialties of anesthesia, including general anesthesia, intensive care medicine, cardiac anesthesia, and pain medicine, among others.

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Background: Combining immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) and vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors (VEGFi) may result in increased treatment-related and immune-related adverse events (TRAEs and irAEs) compared to ICT alone. This metanalysis was conducted to identify prospective phase II or III clinical studies that evaluated the toxicity profile of ICT + VEGFi compared to ICT alone.

Methods: A systematic search was performed across all cancer types and major databases until August 10, 2022, and screening was done by two independent investigators.

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  • Enfortumab vedotin (EV) is a targeted therapy for urothelial carcinoma, and this study evaluates its effectiveness for treating certain skin tumors by assessing Nectin-4 expression.
  • Researchers analyzed various skin adnexal carcinomas and benign tumors through immunohistochemical staining, finding that malignant tumors had significantly higher Nectin-4 expression than benign ones.
  • The study concludes that since many cutaneous adnexal carcinomas, particularly sebaceous carcinomas, exhibit high Nectin-4 levels, EV could be a viable treatment option for these cancers.
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  • Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with sarcomatoid and/or rhabdoid dedifferentiation shows aggressive behavior but responds better to immune checkpoint therapy (ICT), although outcomes with VEGFR-targeted therapies after ICT progression were previously unclear.
  • A study reviewed 57 patients with various levels of sarcomatoid (S) and rhabdoid (R) dedifferentiation who received VEGFR-targeted therapies after failing ICT, assessing metrics like time on treatment, overall survival, and response rates.
  • Results indicated that patients with R dedifferentiation experienced longer treatment durations and better outcomes compared to those with S dedifferentiation, suggesting that R dedifferentiation may respond more favorably
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Purpose: The treated natural history of nonmetastatic plasmacytoid variant of bladder cancer (PV-BCa) is poorly understood owing to its rarity. We sought to examine the disease recurrence and metastasis patterns in this select group of patients in order to identify opportunities for intervention.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a natural language processing algorithm-augmented retrospective chart review of 56 consecutive patients who were treated with curative intent for nonmetastatic PV-BCa at our institution between 1998 and 2018.

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  • Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (neoCTX) is shown to be the best treatment for surgically resectable neuroendocrine carcinoma of the urinary tract (NEC-URO), improving outcomes compared to immediate surgery.
  • A study involving 203 patients revealed that neoCTX significantly increased the downstaging rate of tumors, particularly with the combination of ifosfamide and etoposide (IA/EP).
  • Overall survival rates after five years were much higher for patients receiving neoCTX (57%) compared to those undergoing surgery alone (22%) or surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (30%).
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Racial disparities have been documented in the biology and outcome of certain renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) among Black patients. However, little is known about racial differences in MiT family translocation RCC (TRCC). To investigate this issue, we performed a case-control study using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Chinese OrigiMed2020 cohort.

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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a public health disease that causes decreased mobility and leads to poor quality of life. A person's health-seeking behavior can influence their understanding of a disease, which in turn can alter its course. The objectives of this study were to measure the misconceptions about osteoarthritis and to identify the associated health-seeking behaviors.

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The androgen receptor (AR) is one of the oldest therapeutic targets in oncology and continues to dominate the treatment landscape for advanced prostate cancer, where nearly all treatment regimens include some form of AR modulation. In this regard, AR remains the central driver of prostate cancer cell biology. Emerging preclinical and clinical data implicate key roles for AR in additional cancer types, thereby expanding the importance of this drug target beyond prostate cancer.

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Pre-clinically, the mTORC1/2 inhibitor sapanisertib restored sensitivity to platinums and enhanced paclitaxel-induced cancer cell killing. NCT03430882 enrolled patients with mTOR pathway aberrant tumors to receive sapanisertib, carboplatin and paclitaxel. Primary objective was safety and secondary objectives were clinical response and survival.

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Purpose Of Review: Bladder cancer is the 12th most common cancer worldwide. Historically, the systemic management of urothelial carcinoma has been confined to platinum-based chemotherapy. In this review, we discuss the evolving landscape of systemic treatment for urothelial carcinoma.

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Background: There remains a paucity of data regarding the efficacy of immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) combinations ± vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) targeted therapy (TT) in translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC).

Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with advanced tRCC treated with ICT combinations at 11 centers in the US, France, and Belgium. Only cases with confirmed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were included.

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Purpose: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer therapy but can lead to GI toxicity, termed immune-mediated diarrhea and colitis (IMDC). Standardization of IMDC management and early GI consultation is imperative to control symptoms and prevent delays in cancer care. Therefore, we implemented an inpatient algorithm and a focused IOTOX GI service to measure outcomes.

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Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have joined the armamentarium against urothelial cancer (UC) as an effective therapy option. Since 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved 2 ADCs for advanced previously treated UC: enfortumab vedotin, which targets nectin-4 and sacituzumab govitecan, which targets trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2. These ADCs are now being tested in earlier disease settings and in previously untreated patients.

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Purpose: A variety of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are currently approved for the treatment of solid tumors and hematological cancers. However, TKIs are often associated with gastrointestinal (GI) adverse effects (AEs), especially diarrhea. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to describe the clinical features and outcomes of TKI-associated lower GI AEs.

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