Antibiotic Use and Survival in Patients With Late-Stage NSCLC Treated With Chemoimmunotherapy.

Introduction: Immunotherapy has improved survival in patients with advanced NSCLC. Efficacy may decrease when patients are treated with antibiotics, possibly due to gut microbiome disruption, but few studies have investigated this using real-world, patient-level populations in the United States.

Methods: We have analyzed antibiotic use in patients with stage IV first, primary NSCLC diagnosed in 2015 and treated with chemotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy, drawn from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data set.

DNA Methylation as a Molecular Mechanism of Carcinogenesis in World Trade Center Dust Exposure: Insights from a Structured Literature Review.

The collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) buildings in New York City generated a large plume of dust and smoke. WTC dust contained human carcinogens including metals, asbestos, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), persistent organic pollutants (POPs, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins), and benzene. Excess levels of many of these carcinogens have been detected in biological samples of WTC-exposed persons, for whom cancer risk is elevated.

The association between food insecurity and colorectal cancer screening: 2018-2021 New York State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Purpose: To assess the association between food insecurity and colorectal cancer screening uptake in screening eligible participants in New York State.

Methods: We analyzed 28,154 adults who participated in New York State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 2018 to 2021, were age-eligible for colorectal cancer screening based on the USPSTF guidelines at the time of survey administration and answered a version of the administered survey that included the module on food insecurity. Participants were defined as food insecure if they self-reported being always, usually, or sometimes stressed about having enough money to buy nutritious meals in the past 12 months.

Racial and socioeconomic disparities in NSCLC molecular diagnostics uptake.

Background: Precision therapies, such as targeted and immunotherapies, have substantially changed the landscape of late-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Yet utilization of these therapies is disproportionate across strata defined by race and socioeconomic status (SES), possibly due to disparities in molecular diagnostic testing (or "biomarker testing"), which is a prerequisite to treatment.

Methods: We extracted a cohort of NSCLC patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked data.

Antibiotic treatment and survival in non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: In patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are an effective mode of treatment. Despite their efficacy, responses to ICIs have been shown to differ based on several factors; for example, antibiotic use prior to and/or during immunotherapy has been associated with lower survival in NSCLC patients. The objective of this study is to provide an updated review of the literature and to fill in important knowledge gaps by accounting for potential confounding in the relationship between ICIs and survival.

World Trade Center Exposure, DNA Methylation Changes, and Cancer: A Review of Current Evidence.

: Known carcinogens in the dust and fumes from the destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers on 9 November 2001 included metals, asbestos, and organic pollutants, which have been shown to modify epigenetic status. Epigenome-wide association analyses (EWAS) using uniform (Illumina) methodology have identified novel epigenetic profiles of WTC exposure. : We reviewed all published data, comparing differentially methylated gene profiles identified in the prior EWAS studies of WTC exposure.

Personal and clinical characteristics associated with immunotherapy effectiveness in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Immunotherapy response rates in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are low and survival varies significantly. Factors like age, sex, race, and histology may modulate immunotherapy response. Existing analyses are limited to clinical trials, with limited generalizability, and meta-analyses where adjustment for potential confounders cannot be performed.

Association of Personal Characteristics and Effectiveness of Immunotherapy in Late-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Background: Although immunotherapy can increase survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), response rates are low. It is unclear which characteristics contribute to variability in immunotherapy efficacy and survival. Research is needed to identify reasons for heterogeneity in response rates to better tailor treatments.

Global DNA Methylation Profiles in Peripheral Blood of WTC-Exposed Community Members with Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer represents the most common cancer diagnosis among World Trade Center (WTC)-exposed community members, residents, and cleanup workers enrolled in the WTC Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC). The primary aims of this study were (1) to compare blood DNA methylation profiles of WTC-exposed community members with breast cancer and WTC-unexposed pre-diagnostic breast cancer blood samples, and (2) to compare the DNA methylation differences among the WTC EHC breast cancer cases and WTC-exposed cancer-free controls. Gene pathway enrichment analyses were further conducted.

Global DNA methylation of WTC prostate cancer tissues show signature differences compared to non-exposed cases.

There is increased incidence of prostate cancer (PC) among World Trade Center (WTC)-exposed responders and community members, with preliminary evidence suggestive of more aggressive disease. While previous research is supportive of differences in DNA methylation and gene expression as a consequence of WTC exposure, as measured in blood of healthy individuals, the epigenetics of WTC PC tissues has yet to be explored. Patients were recruited from the World Trade Center Health Program.

Modulation of chemoimmunotherapy efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer by sex and histology: a real-world, patient-level analysis.

Background: It has been postulated that patient's sex impacts response to immunotherapy. Sex modulation of immunotherapy benefit, however, has not yet been explored using patient-level data, where potential confounders, as well as histologic type, can be accounted for. Here we investigated the association between sex and chemoimmunotherapy efficacy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using a large, nation-wide dataset.

Interferon pathway lupus risk alleles modulate risk of death from acute COVID-19.

Unlabelled: Type I interferon (IFN) is critical in our defense against viral infections. Increased type I IFN pathway activation is a genetic risk factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and a number of common risk alleles contribute to the high IFN trait. We hypothesized that these common gain-of-function IFN pathway alleles may be associated with protection from mortality in acute COVID-19.

Prognostic Value of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment for Early-stage, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction: The role of specific immune cell types within the tumor immune microenvironment in non-small cell lung cancer survival is unclear. The potential of these immune cells to become predictive biomarkers of prognosis, and to define subpopulations who will benefit of additional treatment is urgently needed.

Methods: Stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent surgical resection were queried from the Cancer Genome Atlas; RNAseq data as well as clinical information was extracted.

PD-L1 as a prognostic biomarker in surgically resectable non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

Background: PD-L1 tumor expression has been associated with poor prognosis in a variety of solid tumors, including lung cancer, and represents a validated target for immune checkpoint inhibition in advanced malignances. It remains unknown, however, if PD-L1 can be used to predict survival in early stage, surgically treated cancers. This meta-analysis compares PD-L1 tumor expression and long term survival after surgical resection in early non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiles in Community Members Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster.

The primary goal of this pilot study was to assess feasibility of studies among local community members to address the hypothesis that complex exposures to the World Trade Center (WTC) dust and fumes resulted in long-term epigenetic changes. We enrolled 18 WTC-exposed cancer-free women from the WTC Environmental Health Center (WTC EHC) who agreed to donate blood samples during their standard clinical visits. As a reference WTC unexposed group, we randomly selected 24 age-matched cancer-free women from an existing prospective cohort who donated blood samples before 11 September 2001.

Disparities in COVID-19 Testing and Positivity in New York City.

Introduction: Existing socioeconomic and racial disparities in healthcare access in New York City have likely impacted the public health response to COVID-19. An ecological study was performed to determine the spatial distribution of COVID-19 testing by ZIP code Tabulation Area and investigate if testing was associated with race or SES.

Methods: Data were obtained from the New York City coronavirus data repository and 2018 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.