Sentinel Lymph Node Staging in Early-Stage Cervical Cancer: A Comprehensive Review.

Cervical cancer (CC) continues to be a significant global public health concern, even with preventive measures in place. In women with early-stage CC, the status of lymph nodes is of paramount importance, not only for the final prognosis but also for determining the best therapeutic strategy. According to main international guidelines, pelvic full lymphadenectomy (PLND) is recommended for lymph node staging.

Overcoming phenotypic switching: targeting protein-protein interactions in cancer.

Alternative protein-protein interactions (PPIs) arising from mutations or post-translational modifications (PTMs), termed phenotypic switching (PS), are critical for the transmission of alternative pathogenic signals and are particularly significant in cancer. In recent years, PPIs have emerged as promising targets for rational drug design, primarily because their high specificity facilitates targeting of disease-related signaling pathways. However, obstacles exist at the molecular level that arise from the properties of the interaction interfaces and the propensity of small molecule drugs to interact with more than one cleft surface.

Real-world Data and Economic Evaluation of Nivolumab in Previously Treated Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Greek Patients.

Background/aim: Nivolumab is an FDA-approved immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) for patients with advanced, pre-treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, treatment profiles and patient outcomes often differ in routine clinical practice while the financial impact of approved therapies is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the efficacy, tolerability, and economic impact of nivolumab in real-world settings (RWS) in Greece.

A Multicenter, Prospective, Observational Study to Assess the Clinical Activity and Impact on Symptom Burden and Patients' Quality of Life in Patients with Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcomas Treated with Trabectedin in a Real-World Setting in Greece.

This non-interventional, multicenter, prospective study aimed to evaluate the real-world activity of trabectedin, and its impact on symptom burden and quality of life in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (aSTS) treated in routine clinical settings in Greece. Patients with histologically confirmed aSTS newly initiated on trabectedin were enrolled. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 6 months.

Anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation in active cancer.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) may often pre-exist in patients with newly diagnosed cancer or occur with increased frequency shortly after cancer diagnosis. Patients with active cancer and AF have a particularly high risk of thromboembolic complications, as both conditions carry a risk of thrombosis. Thromboembolic risk is determined by several factors, including advanced age, sex (females), cancer histology (adenocarcinomas), location (e.

Prophylaxis of cancer-associated venous thromboembolism with low-molecular-weight heparin-tinzaparin: Real world evidence.

Thromboprophylaxis, as a preventive measure for cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT), may be beneficial for patients with active cancer and high-risk for thrombosis. The present post hoc analysis include a total of 407 patients enrolled in the Greek Management of Thrombosis study, who received thromboprophylaxis with tinzaparin. The objectives of the present analysis were: i) To obtain sufficient evidence for the administration of prophylaxis in patients with active cancer, irrespective of Khorana risk assessment model score; ii) to identify the selection criteria for both dose and duration of tinzaparin; and iii) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tinzaparin administered for CAT prophylaxis.

Treatment pathways and associated costs of metastatic colorectal cancer in Greece.

Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer in Europe, with 1.931.590 people newly diagnosed in 2020.

An Observational Study to Assess the Molecular Epidemiology and Direct Medical Costs of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Mutations in Patients with Advanced EGFR Mutation-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated with Afatinib in Real-World Clinical Settings in Greece.

Purpose: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the preferred first-line option for patients with advanced, EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Afatinib, a second-generation irreversible EGFR-TKI, has been extensively used in Greece in this setting; however, real-world data regarding molecular epidemiology and financial implications of afatinib use are lacking.

Materials And Methods: This was an observational, non-interventional, multicenter, retrospective cohort study, based on real-world data collected from the medical charts/records of patients treated with afatinib between 15/03/2015 and 25/06/2020 and were recorded on a web-based data capture system.

Combinatorial Treatment of Tinzaparin and Chemotherapy Can Induce a Significant Antitumor Effect in Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic Cancer (PC) is recognized as a highly thrombogenic tumor; thus, low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) such as tinzaparin is routinely used for PC patients. On the basis of combinatorial therapy approaches to treat highly malignant and refractory cancers such as PC, we hypothesized that tinzaparin can augment the effectiveness of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs and induce efficient antitumor activity. PANC-1 and MIAPaCa-2 were incubated alone or in combination with tinzaparin, nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine.

The Impact of Thromboprophylaxis on the Survival of Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer. The Pancreatic Cancer and Tinzaparin (PaCT) Study.

Pancreatic cancer (PaC) induces a prothrombotic and hypercoagulable state. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of tinzaparin in combination with chemotherapy. The PaCT (pancreatic cancer and tinzaparin) study was a retrospective observational study that collected data regarding progression free survival (PFS) in advanced or metastatic PaC patients who received thromboprophylaxis with tinzaparin during chemotherapy with nab-paclitaxel (N) and gemcitabine (G).

Cost-effectiveness of trifluridine/tipiracil as a third-line treatment of metastatic gastric cancer, including adenocarcinoma of the gastrohesophageal junction, among patients previously treated in Greece.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD/TPI) compared with best supportive care (BSC) for the treatment of patients with metastatic gastric cancer(mGC), including gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma(GEJ), who have received at least two prior therapies for metastatic disease and are eligible for third-line treatment, in Greece.

Methods: A partitioned survival model was locally adapted from a public payer perspective over a 10-year time horizon. Clinical, safety and utility data were extracted from literature.

Real-World Data on Thromboprophylaxis in Active Cancer Patients: Where Are We? Are We Getting There?

Cancer patients are at high risk for cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT). CAT is the second leading cause of death in these patients but it can be preventable with thromboprophylaxis. An observational, prospective, multicenter study aiming to record CAT management in clinical practice was conducted by the Hellenic Society of Medical Oncology (HeSMO).

ABREAST: a prospective, real-world study on the effect of nab-paclitaxel treatment on clinical outcomes and quality of life of patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Purpose: The efficacy of nab-paclitaxel in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has been demonstrated in randomized clinical trials. However, real-world evidence on effectiveness remains limited.

Patients And Methods: The primary objective of this multicenter prospective study was to assess the overall response rate (ORR) of patients with MBC treated with nab-paclitaxel.

Mechanisms of the Antitumor Activity of Low Molecular Weight Heparins in Pancreatic Adenocarcinomas.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer treatment in the last decade. Despite the progress in immunotherapy, most pancreatic cancer patients still do not derive benefit when receiving immune-based therapies. Recently, resistance mechanisms to immune therapies have been mainly focused on tumor microenvironment properties.

Management of Cancer-associated Thrombosis (CAT): Symptomatic or Incidental.

Background: Cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT), the second leading cause of death in patients with cancer can be treated with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) according to guidelines.

Patients And Methods: A multicenter prospective observational study was carried out to record anti-thrombotic treatment practice, assess thrombosis recurrence and bleeding, and identify potential risk factors. Adult patients from 18 Oncology Departments throughout Greece were followed-up for 12 months.

Clinical feasibility of NGS liquid biopsy analysis in NSCLC patients.

Background: Analysis of circulating tumor nucleic acids in plasma of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients is the most widespread and documented form of "liquid biopsy" and provides real-time information on the molecular profile of the tumor without an invasive tissue biopsy.

Methods: Liquid biopsy analysis was requested by the referral physician in 121 NSCLC patients at diagnosis and was performed using a sensitive Next Generation Sequencing assay. Additionally, a comparative analysis of NSCLC patients at relapse following EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKIs) treatment was performed in 50 patients by both the cobas and NGS platforms.

Diabetes mellitus secondary to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Cancer immunotherapy has been one of the highlights in the advancement of cancer care. Certain immune checkpoint inhibitors bind to PD-1 on T cells and mediate an antitumour immune response. Given that immune checkpoint inhibitors are becoming part of standard care, a new class of adverse events-immune-related adverse events-has emerged.

Pancreatic arteriovenous malformation mimicking pancreatic neoplasm: a systematic multimodality diagnostic approach and treatment.

Pancreatic arteriovenous malformation (pAVM) is a very rare entity, as less than 100 cases are reported in the international literature. Patients with pAVM may be asymptomatic or may present a wide range of symptoms, such as vague pain, feeling of fullness, gastrointestinal bleeding, or even portal hypertension. We present the multimodality approach in the diagnosis of a patient with pAVM and treatment via transcatheter arterial embolization of the lesion using steel coils.

Superior efficacy of the antifungal agent ciclopirox olamine over gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer models.

Ciclopirox olamine (CPX) is an antifungal agent that has recently demonstrated promising anti-neoplastic activity against hematologic and solid tumors. Here, we evaluated CPX compared with gemcitabine alone as well as their combination in human pancreatic cancer cell lines; BxPC-3, Panc-1, and MIA PaCa-2 and in humanized xenograft mouse models. We also examined the preclinical pharmacodynamic activity of CPX.

Tumor molecular profiling of NSCLC patients using next generation sequencing.

Non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer and a tumor with a broad spectrum of targeted therapies already available or in clinical trials. Thus, molecular characterization of the tumor using next generation sequencing (NGS) technology, has become a key tool for facilitating treatment decisions and the clinical management of NSCLC patients. The performance of a custom 23 gene multiplex amplification hot spot panel, based on Ion AmpliSeq™ technology, was evaluated for the analysis of tumor DNA extracted from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues.

Sequential vs concurrent epirubicin and docetaxel as adjuvant chemotherapy for high-risk, node-negative, early breast cancer: an interim analysis of a randomised phase III study from the Hellenic Oncology Research Group.

Background: Sequential anthracyclines and taxanes are standard adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with high-risk axillary node-positive breast cancer. We compared a sequential to a concurrent regimen in high-risk node-negative early breast cancer.

Methods: Patients were eligible if they had tumours >2 cm or T1c with two of the following characteristics: no oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression, histological grade III, Ki67 >40% and vascular, lymphovascular or perineural invasion.

Dose-dense FEC followed by docetaxel versus docetaxel plus cyclophosphamide as adjuvant chemotherapy in women with HER2-negative, axillary lymph node-positive early breast cancer: a multicenter randomized study by the Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG).

Background: Sequential administration of anthracycline and taxane is the current standard of care adjuvant regimen for node-positive early breast cancer. Due to long-term toxicity concerns, anthracycline-free regimens have been developed. We compared a sequential dose-dense anthracycline and taxane regimen with the anthracycline-free regimen of docetaxel and cyclophosphamide.

Six versus 12 months of adjuvant trastuzumab in combination with dose-dense chemotherapy for women with HER2-positive breast cancer: a multicenter randomized study by the Hellenic Oncology Research Group (HORG).

Background: Adjuvant trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy improves survival of women with HER2-positive early breast cancer. In this study, we compared 12 versus 6 months of adjuvant trastuzumab.

Patients And Methods: Axillary node-positive or high-risk node-negative women with HER2-positive early breast cancer were randomized to receive 12 or 6 months of adjuvant trastuzumab concurrently with dose-dense, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-supported docetaxel (75 mg/m(2) every 14 days for four cycles).