Early changes of peripheral circulating immune subsets induced by PD-1 inhibitors in patients with advanced malignant melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), including those targeting PD-1, are currently used in a wide range of tumors, but only 20-40% of patients achieve clinical benefit. The objective of our study was to find predictive peripheral blood-based biomarkers for ICI treatment.

Methods: In 41 patients with advanced malignant melanoma (MM) and NSCLC treated with PD-1 inhibitors, we analyzed peripheral blood-based immune subsets by flow cytometry before treatment initialization and the second therapy dose.

FoxP3 Expression in Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes as Potential Predictor of Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients with Advanced Melanoma and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are the main therapy currently used in advanced malignant melanoma (MM) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite the wide variety of uses, the possibility of predicting ICI efficacy in these tumor types is scarce. The aim of our study was to find new predictive biomarkers for ICI treatment.

PET/CT-tailored treatment of locally advanced oesophago-gastric junction adenocarcinoma: a report on the feasibility of the multicenter GastroPET study.

Background: Perioperative chemotherapy is a recommended treatment approach for localised oesophago-gastric junction adenocarcinoma, but not all patients respond to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Early identification of non-responders and treatment adaptation in the preoperative period could improve outcomes. GastroPET is a national, multicentre phase II trial evaluating a FDG-PET/CT-guided preoperative treatment strategy with the R0 resection rate as a primary endpoint.

Effects of Early and Systematic Integration of Specialist Palliative Care in Patients with Advanced Cancer: Randomized Controlled Trial PALINT.

A broad consensus on the optimal structure, intensity, and timing of early specialist palliative care (SPC) intervention is lacking. To evaluate the benefit of an early and systematic palliative intervention alongside standard oncology care compared with standard oncology care alone in patients with advanced solid tumors. PALINT, a single-center RCT, conducted at the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, the largest comprehensive cancer center in the Czech Republic (CR).

Oncology Case Report - When Is the Appropriate Time to Integrate Palliative Care?

Many patients with advanced, non-curable cancer experience disease progression to a stage requiring symptomatic care alone. The integration of palliative care into oncology practice is therefore important, with many studies showing the benefits of early introduction of palliative care. In addition to symptom relief, palliative care can include psychological, social, and spiritual support.

Effectiveness of Neoadjuvant Therapy with Platinum-Based Agents for Patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 Germline Mutations - A Retrospective Analysis of Breast Cancer Patients Treated at MMCI Brno.

Background: Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are associated with a high risk of developing breast cancer. Tumors arising from this mutation are expected to be more sensitive to platinum-based drugs. The role of platinum-based drugs in systemic neoadjuvant BRCA1/2 breast cancer therapy, and its efficacy in increasing the probability of pathological complete remission (pCR) are discussed repeatedly; however, there are no clear recommendations.

Afatinib in the Treatment of Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with Rare EGFR (in exon 18-T179X) Mutation - a Case Report.

Introduction: Exon 18-T719X EGFR mutation in non-small cell lung cancer is rare, only 1-5% of all EGFR mutations. The efficacy of EGFR tyrosin kinase inhibitors in tumours with uncommon mutations is still unclear and the prediction of response of such tumours to therapy remains unexplored.

Case: A 71-year-old woman with no previous smoking history with disseminated lung adenocarcinoma with exon 18-T719X EGFR mutation was treated with afatinib.

Second cancers in Hodgkin's lymphoma long-term survivals: A 60-year single institutional experience with real-life cohort of 871 patients.

Background And Purpose: Appropriate surveillance guidelines for patients after successful treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) are needed to reduce mortality of iatrogenic secondary cancers (SC). This large single institutional retrospective study analyses the risk of SC in HL patients treated outside of clinical trials over past decades.

Material And Methods: Consecutive series of HL patients were analysed with median follow-up 12 years.

Circulating PIWI-Interacting RNAs piR-5937 and piR-28876 Are Promising Diagnostic Biomarkers of Colon Cancer.

The early detection of colon cancer is one of the main prerequisites for successful treatment and mortality reduction. Circulating PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNA) were recently identified as novel promising biomarkers. The purpose of the study was to assess the profiles of piRNAs in blood serum of colon cancer patients with the aim to identify those with high diagnostic potential.

Tumor Expression of and Is Related to Clinicopathological Features of Gastric Cancer in a Central European Population.

Background/aim: In Western countries, most patients with gastric cancer (GC) present in advanced stages. Therefore, there is imminent clinical need for novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Deregulation of microRNAs has been reported as a frequent event in GC development in a number of studies.

Utilization and efficacy of second-line targeted therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: data from a national registry.

Background: It is well known that patient characteristics and survival outcomes in randomized trials may not necessarily be similar to those in real-life clinical practice. The aim of the present study was to analyse second line treatment strategies in the real-world practice and to estimate the outcomes of patients treated with second-line targeted therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

Methods: This is a retrospective, registry-based study using data from the national registry of targeted therapies for mRCC.

MiR-215-5p is a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer targeting EGFR ligand epiregulin and its transcriptional inducer HOXB9.

Growing evidence suggests that microRNAs are involved in the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). In the present study, deregulation and functioning of tumor-suppressive miR-215-5p was evaluated in CRC. In total, 448 tumor tissues and 325 paired adjacent healthy tissues collected from Czech and Spain cohorts of CRC patients have been used for miR-215-5p expression analyses.

Outcomes of Patients With Long-Term Treatment Response to Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-Targeted Therapy for Metastatic Renal Cell Cancer.

Background: Although targeted therapies with inhibitors of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are the mainstay of treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, there are limited data on the outcome of patients with long-term response to this treatment.

Patients And Methods: In a retrospective, registry-based study, patients continuously treated with first-line anti-VEGF agents for at least 24 months were included. In total, 219 patients had evaluable data and were included in the outcome analysis.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated microRNA/mRNA signature is linked to metastasis and prognosis in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear-cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are genetically heterogeneous tumors presenting diverse clinical courses. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial process involved in initiation of metastatic cascade. The aim of our study was to identify an integrated miRNA/mRNA signature associated with metastasis and prognosis in ccRCC through targeted approach based on analysis of miRNAs/mRNAs associated with EMT.

Efficacy of Sunitinib in Elderly Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Data from Real-World Clinical Practice.

Background: Although a significant proportion of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) are elderly, the data on the outcomes of targeted therapies in this population are limited. The aim of the present retrospective registry-based study was to analyse efficacy and toxicity of sunitinib as the first-line targeted therapy of elderly mRCC patients.

Patients And Methods: The national RENal information system registry of mRCC patients treated with targeted agents in the Czech Republic was used as the data source.

Outcomes for Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Achieving a Complete Response on Targeted Therapy: A Registry-based Analysis.

Background: It is currently not known whether treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) can be safely discontinued in patients achieving a complete response (CR).

Objective: To assess outcomes for patients with mRCC achieving CR on targeted therapy (TT) and the survival of patients discontinuing TT after CR.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A national registry was used to identify patients achieving CR during first-line TT using bevacizumab, sunitinib, sorafenib, or pazopanib.

MicroRNA expression profiling identifies miR-31-5p/3p as associated with time to progression in wild-type RAS metastatic colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab.

The aim of our study was to investigate whether microRNAs (miRNAs) could serve as predictive biomarkers to anti-EGFR therapy (cetuximab, panitumumab) in patients with RAS wild-type (wt-RAS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Historical cohort of 93 patients with mCRC (2006-2009) was included and further divided into exploratory and validation cohorts. MiRNAs expression profiling was performed on the exploratory cohort of 41 wt-KRAS mCRC patients treated with cetuximab to identify miRNAs associated with time to progression (TTP).

Evaluation of cytotoxic activity of titanocene difluorides and determination of their mechanism of action in ovarian cancer cells.

Background: Ovarian cancer is the seventh-most common cancer amongst women and the most deadly gynecologic cancer. Cisplatin based drugs are used in first line therapy, but resistance represents a major obstacle for successful treatment. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effects and mechanism of action of three titanocene difluorides, two bearing a pendant carbohydrate moiety (α-D-ribofuranos-5-yl) on their periphery and one without any substitution.

Bevacizumab with FOLFIRI or XELIRI in the First-line Therapy of Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma: Results from Czech Observational Registry.

Aim: To retrospectively compare the efficacy of two irinotecan-based chemotherapy regimens combined with bevacizumab in first-line therapy of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Patients And Methods: The data of 558 patients with mCRC treated with first-line bevacizumab plus irinotecan-containing regimen were obtained from the national CORECT registry that collects data of all patients with mCRC treated with targeted-agents. The treatment outcomes of patients treated with bevacizumab plus irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid (FOLFIRI) were compared to patients treated with bevacizumab plus irinotecan and capecitabine (XELIRI).

MiR-21, miR-34a, miR-198 and miR-217 as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an aggressive malignancy with late presentation, metastatic potential and very poor prognosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need for novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression.

Combined Proteomics and Transcriptomics Identifies Carboxypeptidase B1 and Nuclear Factor κB (NF-κB) Associated Proteins as Putative Biomarkers of Metastasis in Low Grade Breast Cancer.

Current prognostic factors are insufficient for precise risk-discrimination in breast cancer patients with low grade breast tumors, which, in disagreement with theoretical prognosis, occasionally form early lymph node metastasis. To identify markers for this group of patients, we employed iTRAQ-2DLC-MS/MS proteomics to 24 lymph node positive and 24 lymph node negative grade 1 luminal A primary breast tumors. Another group of 48 high-grade tumors (luminal B, triple negative, Her-2 subtypes) was also analyzed to investigate marker specificity for grade 1 luminal A tumors.

Comparison of Two Prognostic Models in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cancer Treated with Sunitinib: a Retrospective, Registry-Based Study.

Background: The study aimed to compare two prognostic models in terms of progression-free survival (PFS), median overall survival (OS), and 1-year survival in patients treated first-line with sunitinib for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

Methods: Data from patients who met prognostic model criteria for recording of baseline parameters and outcomes in the Czech Patient Registry RENal Information System (RENIS) were included in the retrospective analysis (n = 495). Performance of the modified Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) model and International Database Consortium (IDC) model was compared.