PSMA PET/CT for Response Assessment and Overall Survival Prediction in Patients with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Treated with Androgen Receptor Pathway Inhibitors.

We aimed to evaluate the role of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT for response assessment and outcome prediction in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) treated with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs), including abiraterone acetate or enzalutamide. We retrospectively analyzed 30 ARPI-treated mCRPC patients who underwent Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT within 8 wk before (baseline) and 12 ± 4 wk after treatment initiation. Total PSMA tumor volume was calculated using the fixed threshold method (SUV ≥ 3).

Tumor Volume on PSMA PET as a Prognostic Biomarker in Prostate Cancer Patients Treated With Cabazitaxel.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of 68 Ga-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients receiving second-line chemotherapy with cabazitaxel.

Methods: All patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who underwent a PSMA PET/CT within 8 weeks before initiating the cabazitaxel treatment were retrospectively evaluated. The whole-body PSMA total tumor volume (PSMA-TV) was measured for each patient.

Ga-PSMA PET/CT for Response Assessment and Outcome Prediction in Metastatic Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Taxane-Based Chemotherapy.

We aimed to evaluate the role of PET targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) for response assessment in metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with taxane-based chemotherapy (docetaxel or cabazitaxel) and its predictive value on patient outcome. We retrospectively evaluated 37 patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive PCa or metastatic castration-resistant PCa (mCRPC) who underwent Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT at baseline and after the last cycle of taxane-based chemotherapy (docetaxel or cabazitaxel) without treatment modification between scans. Biochemical response (BR) was defined as an undetectable or at least 50% decreased level of prostate-specific antigen, compared with baseline.

Prevalence and clinical impact of tumor BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in patients presenting with localized or metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

Background: The appropriate management of localized or metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC) patients harboring tumor BRCA mutations (tBRCAm) is not well-characterized. We sought to evaluate the prevalence and clinical outcomes of patients with tBRCAm and localized or de novo metastatic HSPC.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, international, retrospective cohort study of localized (cohort 1) and de novo metastatic (cohort 2) HSPC patients who underwent tumor BRCA1 and BRCA2 sequencing from 2013 to 2019.

Safety and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced urological cancers with pre-existing autoimmune disorders: a retrospective international multicenter study.

Background: There is limited experience regarding the safety and efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) in patients with autoimmune disorders (AD) and advanced urological cancers as they are generally excluded from clinical trials due to risk of exacerbations.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort analysis of patients with advanced renal cell cancer (RCC) and urothelial cancer (UC) with pre-existing AD treated with CPI catalogued the incidence of AD exacerbations, new immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and clinical outcomes. Competing risk models estimated cumulative incidences of exacerbations and new irAEs at 3 and 6 months.

Evaluation of PSMA expression changes on PET/CT before and after initiation of novel antiandrogen drugs (enzalutamide or abiraterone) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients.

Objective: To investigate the association between Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) expression changes on positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) and the response to treatment following the start of enzalutamide or abiraterone in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients.

Methods: All consecutive Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT scans routinely performed at our institution during more than 4 years were retrospectively screened for inclusion. We included mCRPC patients with a baseline PSMA PET/CT performed less than 2 months before the start of either enzalutamide or abiraterone, and a follow-up PSMA PET/CT performed no more than a year after, while still under those novel antiandrogen drugs (NAD).

Persistent anti-tumor response in cancer patients experiencing pneumonitis related to immune checkpoint blockade.

Immunotherapy in the form of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) is now well established as acornerstone for treating many advanced malignancies. Nevertheless, as the number of indications for checkpoint inhibitors increases, so does the risk of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). We report two patient cases who, after being treated by an anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), presented with grade III dyspnea due to pneumonitis.

Early Post-treatment Prostate-specific Antigen at 4 Weeks and Abiraterone and Enzalutamide Treatment for Advanced Prostate Cancer: An International Collaborative Analysis.

Background: Declines in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels at 12wk are used to evaluate treatment response in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). PSA fall by ≥30% at 4wk (PSA4w30) has been reported to be associated with better outcome in a single-centre cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate clinical relevance of early PSA decline in mCRPC patients treated with next-generation hormonal treatments (NGHTs) such as abiraterone and enzalutamide.

Docetaxel Treatment in PTEN- and ERG-aberrant Metastatic Prostate Cancers.

Background: Loss of PTEN is a common genomic aberration in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and is frequently concurrent with ERG rearrangements, causing resistance to next-generation hormonal treatment (NGHT) including abiraterone. The relationship between PTEN loss and docetaxel sensitivity remains uncertain.

Objective: To study the antitumor activity of docetaxel in metastatic CRPC in relation to PTEN and ERG aberrations.

Autoimmune paraneoplastic syndromes associated to lung cancer: A systematic review of the literature: Part 5: Neurological auto-antibodies, discussion, flow chart, conclusions.

The development of new immune treatment in oncology and particularly for lung cancer may induce new complications, particularly activation or reactivation of auto-immune diseases. In this context, a systematic review on the auto-immune paraneoplastic syndromes that can complicate lung cancer appears useful. This article is the last of a series of five and deals mainly with onconeural antibodies involved in neurological paraneoplastic syndromes and provides the final discussion.

Autoimmune paraneoplastic syndromes associated to lung cancer: A systematic review of the literature Part 4: Neurological paraneoplastic syndromes, involving the peripheral nervous system and the neuromuscular junction and muscles.

The development of new immune treatment in oncology and particularly for lung cancer may induce new complications, particularly activation or reactivation of auto-immune diseases. In this context, a systematic review on the auto-immune paraneoplastic syndromes that can complicate lung cancer appears useful. This article is the fourth of a series of five and deals mainly with neurological paraneoplastic syndromes involving the peripheral nervous system and the neuromuscular junction and muscles.

Autoimmune paraneoplastic syndromes associated to lung cancer: A systematic review of the literature: Part 2: Hematologic, cutaneous and vascular syndromes.

The development of new immune treatment in oncology and particularly for lung cancer may induce new complications, particularly activation or reactivation of auto-immune diseases. In this context, a systematic review on the auto-immune paraneoplastic syndromes associated with lung cancer appears useful. This article is the second of a series of five and deals with hematologic, cutaneous and vascular syndromes.

Clinical impact of Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in patients with prostate cancer with rising prostate-specific antigen after treatment with curative intent: preliminary analysis of a multidisciplinary approach.

Objective: To assess the impact of a novel molecular imaging technique, Ga-(HBED-CC)-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), in the clinical management of patients with prostate cancer with rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after treatment with curative intent.

Patients And Methods: In all, 131 consecutive patients were referred to our centre for a Ga-PSMA PET/CT in the setting of recurring prostate cancer. Of these patients, 11/131(8%) presented with persistent PSA after radical prostatectomy, while 120/131 (92%) were referred for biochemical recurrence after surgery, radiotherapy or both.

Testicular germ cell tumor: Short and long-term side effects of treatment among survivors.

Long-term prognosis of germ cell tumor (GCT) types is excellent, however, treatment is associated with non-negligible complication rates and a negative impact on quality of life. The present study described treatment results in terms of survival, both short and long-term toxicity, and paternity rates in a cohort of patients treated at Jules Bordet Institute, University ULB of Brussels (Brussels, Belgium). The present study analyzed the data of a cohort of patients with GCT types.

Phenotypic diversity of circulating tumour cells in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Objectives: To use a non-biased assay for circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) in order to identify non-traditional CTC phenotypes potentially excluded by conventional detection methods that are reliant on antigen- and/or size-based enrichment.

Patients And Methods: A total of 41 patients with metastatic castration-resistant PCa (mCRPC) and 20 healthy volunteers were analysed on the Epic CTC platform, via high-throughput imaging of DAPI expression and CD45/cytokeratin (CK) immunofluorescence (IF) on all circulating nucleated cells plated on glass slides. To confirm the PCa origin of CTCs, IF was used for androgen receptor (AR) expression and fluorescence in situ hybridization was used for PTEN and ERG assessment.

Efficacy of weekly paclitaxel treatment as a single agent chemotherapy following first-line cisplatin treatment in urothelial bladder cancer.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of paclitaxel following a first-line cisplatin regimen in patients with metastatic bladder cancer. The present study retrospectively evaluated the clinical effects and toxicities of second-line paclitaxel regimens following first-line cisplatin treatment in metastatic bladder cancer. A total of 42 patients with progressing metastatic urothelial bladder cancer following cisplatin-based chemotherapy were enrolled.

Prostate-specific Antigen Decline After 4 Weeks of Treatment with Abiraterone Acetate and Overall Survival in Patients with Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer.

Background: The availability of multiple new treatments for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) mandates earlier treatment switches in the absence of a response. A decline in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is widely used to monitor treatment response, but is not validated as an intermediate endpoint for overall survival (OS).

Objective: To evaluate the association between early PSA decline and OS following abiraterone acetate (AA) treatment.

Checkpoint inhibitors in bladder and renal cancers: results and perspectives.

The field of immunotherapy in urinary malignancy is expanding in several directions and checkpoint inhibitors are leading the way. The aim of this report is to highlight the efficacy and safety profile of the two classes of molecules, anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 and anti-programmed death receptor-1/programmed death ligand type 1, that are under investigation and represent potential candidates to be used in the near future for the management of bladder and renal cell cancer. The preliminary results as well as the future perspectives of this novel immunotherapy are analyzed.

PTEN protein loss and clinical outcome from castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with abiraterone acetate.

Background: Loss of the tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) occurs frequently in prostate cancers. Preclinical evidence suggests that activation of PI3K/AKT signaling through loss of PTEN can result in resistance to hormonal treatment in prostate cancer.

Objective: To explore the antitumor activity of abiraterone acetate (abiraterone) in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients with and without loss of PTEN protein expression.

External validation of a prognostic model predicting overall survival in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with abiraterone.

A prognostic model was derived from the population of the COU-AA-301 phase 3 trial for metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with abiraterone after docetaxel, and it stratifies patients into three risk groups based on clinical parameters. We validated this model in an independent cohort of patients treated with abiraterone after docetaxel outside a clinical trial (group A; n=94) and explored its utility in patients treated with abiraterone in the prechemotherapy setting (group B; n=64). For group A, median overall survival (mOS) was significantly different across the three prognostic groups (good: n=39, mOS: 21.