Giving information strategically and transparently: A pilot trial of the Oncolo-GIST intervention to promote patients' prognostic understanding.

Purpose: Most patients with cancer lack the prognostic understanding necessary to make informed decisions. We tested the feasibility and acceptability of the Oncolo-GIST ("Giving Information Strategically and Transparently, GIST") intervention and explored its associations with patients' improved prognostic understanding.

Methods: The Oncolo-GIST intervention distills prognostic discussions into easy-to-understand talking points.

Lung Cancer Stage Shift as a Result of COVID-19 Lockdowns in New York City, a Brief Report.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic reached New York City in early March 2020 resulting in an 11-week lockdown period to mitigate further spread. It has been well documented that cancer care was drastically affected as a result. Given New York City's early involvement, we attempted to identify any stage shift that may have occurred in the diagnoses of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at our institution as a result of these lockdowns.

Neoadjuvant durvalumab with or without stereotactic body radiotherapy in patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer: a single-centre, randomised phase 2 trial.

Background: Previous phase 2 trials of neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 monotherapy in patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer have reported major pathological response rates in the range of 15-45%. Evidence suggests that stereotactic body radiotherapy might be a potent immunomodulator in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this trial, we aimed to evaluate the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy in patients with early-stage NSCLC as an immunomodulator to enhance the anti-tumour immune response associated with the anti-PD-L1 antibody durvalumab.

Hematology and oncology clinical care during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

New York City has been at the epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has already infected over a million people and resulted in more than 70,000 deaths as of early May 2020 in the United States alone. This rapid and enormous influx of patients into the health care system has had profound effects on all aspects of health care, including the care of patients with cancer. In this report, the authors highlight the transformation they underwent within the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology as they prepared for the COVID-19 crisis in New York City.

Afatinib With Pembrolizumab for Treatment of Patients With Locally Advanced/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung: The LUX-Lung IO/KEYNOTE 497 Study Protocol.

Background: Afatinib is a selective, irreversible ErbB family blocker that has shown survival benefit in lung squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) patients. Pembrolizumab, a humanized immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody to the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor, has also shown survival benefit in lung SCC. Concurrent inhibition of the PD-1 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways represents a rational approach to improve responses and delay the onset of treatment resistance in lung SCC.

Therapy of Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) with a Topoisomerase-I-inhibiting Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) Targeting Trop-2, Sacituzumab Govitecan.

We evaluated a Trop-2-targeting antibody conjugated with SN-38 in metastatic small cell lung cancer (mSCLC) patients. Sacituzumab govitecan was studied in patients with pretreated (median, 2; range, 1-7) mSCLC who received either 8 or 10 mg/kg i.v.

Therapy of Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With an SN-38-Anti-Trop-2 Drug Conjugate, Sacituzumab Govitecan.

Purpose Trop-2, expressed in most solid cancers, may be a target for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We studied sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132), a Trop-2 ADC, for the targeting of SN-38. Patients and Methods We evaluated IMMU-132 in a single-arm multicenter trial in patients with pretreated metastatic NSCLC who received either 8 or 10 mg/kg on days 1 and 8 of 21-day cycles.

Treatment of recurrent and platinum-refractory stage IV non-small cell lung cancer with nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) as a single agent.

The role of single-agent nab-paclitaxel in relapsed or platinum-refractory advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been well reported in Western populations. We reviewed our own institution's experience using nab-paclitaxel in these settings. We analyzed the records of stage IV NSCLC patients with relapsed or platinum-refractory disease treated with single-agent nab-paclitaxel at Weill Cornell Medical College between October 2008 and December 2013.

Neurocognitive function and quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed brain metastasis after treatment with intra-operative cesium-131 brachytherapy: a prospective trial.

Intraoperative permanent Cesium-131 (Cs-131) brachytherapy can provide a viable alternative to WBRT with excellent response rates and minimal toxicity. This study reports the results of the prospective trial of the impact of intraoperative Cs-131 on neurocognitive function and quality of life (QoL) in patients with resected brain metastases. Between 2010 and 2012, 24 patients with newly diagnosed metastasis to the brain were accrued on a prospective protocol and treated with Cs-131 brachytherapy seeds after surgical resection.

Pro1170 Ala polymorphism in HER2-neu is associated with risk of trastuzumab cardiotoxicity.

Background: Variations in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with enhanced drug efficacy and toxicity in cancer therapy. SNP variations in the ErbB2 gene have been identified that alter the protein sequence of the HER2-neu protein, but how these polymorphisms affect prognosis and response to HER2 targeted therapy is unknown. We examined eleven ErbB2 SNPs that alter the HER2-neu amino acid sequence to determine whether any of these particular polymorphisms were associated with increased trastuzumab cardiotoxicity in a case-control study.

Non-small-cell lung cancer: treatment of late stage disease: chemotherapeutics and new frontiers.

Systemic therapy should be considered in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are no longer amenable to local therapies. Systemic therapy has been shown to improve survival and preserve quality of life in patients with a reasonable performance status. In unselected patients, the standard of care for initial therapy remains platinum-based chemotherapy.

Erratum: Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Treatment of Late Stage Disease: Chemotherapeutics and New Frontiers.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1342961.].

Phase I/II study of oral erlotinib for treatment of relapsed/refractory glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic astrocytoma.

We evaluated the safety and survival benefits of orally administered erlotinib monotherapy for patients with relapsed/refractory glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) or anaplastic astrocytoma (AA). A dose escalation schedule was administered with a starting dose of 150 mg/day for the first cycle (28 days), followed by 100 mg twice daily for 14 days, and 150 mg twice daily for another 14 days. Assuming no dose limiting toxicities were observed, dosage was maintained at 150 mg BID for 10 more cycles.

Safety and maximum tolerated dose of superselective intraarterial cerebral infusion of bevacizumab after osmotic blood-brain barrier disruption for recurrent malignant glioma. Clinical article.

Object: The authors assessed the safety and maximum tolerated dose of superselective intraarterial cerebral infusion (SIACI) of bevacizumab after osmotic disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) with mannitol in patients with recurrent malignant glioma.

Methods: A total of 30 patients with recurrent malignant glioma were included in the current study.

Results: The authors report no dose-limiting toxicity from a single dose of SIACI of bevacizumab up to 15 mg/kg after osmotic BBB disruption with mannitol.

Superselective intraarterial cerebral infusion of bevacizumab: a revival of interventional neuro-oncology for malignant glioma.

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is a uniformly fatal disease with a median survival of approximately 15 months. Recent monoclonal antibody therapies such as Bevacizumab (Avastin) have been shown to be active in GBM and to prolong survival in patients with recurrent malignant glioma. Therefore, patients routinely receive intravenous (i.