A Systems Biology Approach for Addressing Cisplatin Resistance in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Translational research in medicine, defined as the transfer of knowledge and discovery from the basic sciences to the clinic, is typically achieved through interactions between members across scientific disciplines to overcome the traditional silos within the community. Thus, translational medicine underscores 'Team Medicine', the partnership between basic science researchers and clinicians focused on addressing a specific goal in medicine. Here, we highlight this concept from a City of Hope perspective.

Pyramidal Decision Support Framework Leverages Subspecialty Expertise across Enterprise to Achieve Superior Cancer Outcomes and Personalized, Precision Care Plans.

The complexity of cancer care requires integrated and continuous support to deliver appropriate care. An expert network with complementary expertise and the capability of multidisciplinary care is an integral part of contemporary oncology care. Appropriate infrastructure is necessary to empower this network to deliver personalized precision care to their patients.

Addressing Drug Resistance in Cancer: A Team Medicine Approach.

Drug resistance remains one of the major impediments to treating cancer. Although many patients respond well initially, resistance to therapy typically ensues. Several confounding factors appear to contribute to this challenge.

Phase II Study Combining Pembrolizumab with Aromatase Inhibitor in Patients with Metastatic Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer.

This study investigated the safety and antitumor activity of aromatase inhibitors (AI) with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) pembrolizumab in patients with hormone receptor positive (HR) human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in a phase II study with a safety lead-in (NCT02648477). Patients received pembrolizumab plus AI up to 2 years or until confirmed progression or unacceptable toxicity. Key eligibility criteria were HR HER2 MBC; RECIST v1.

Hyperprogression on immunotherapy with complete response to chemotherapy in a NSCLC patient with high PD-L1 and STK11: A case report.

Rationale: Patients reporting high PD-L1 expression have shown to respond well to immunotherapy; however, some patients develop hyperprogressive disease upon initiation of immune checkpoint inhibitors. We report a patient with lung cancer and 100% PD-L1 expression who developed hyperprogressive disease while treated with pembrolizumab and responded well to salvage chemotherapy with carboplatin and pemetrexed.

Patient Concerns: A 66-year-old African American female with 25-pack year smoking history, diabetes mellitus type 2, essential thrombocytosis, and a history of papillary thyroid carcinoma developed relapsed lung adenocarcinoma after 13 months of no evidence of disease.

The Community Oncology and Academic Medical Center Alliance in the Age of Precision Medicine: Cancer Genetics and Genomics Considerations.

Recent public policy, governmental regulatory and economic trends have motivated the establishment and deepening of community health and academic medical center alliances. Accordingly, community oncology practices now deliver a significant portion of their oncology care in association with academic cancer centers. In the age of precision medicine, this alliance has acquired critical importance; novel advances in nucleic acid sequencing, the generation and analysis of immense data sets, the changing clinical landscape of hereditary cancer predisposition and ongoing discovery of novel, targeted therapies challenge community-based oncologists to deliver molecularly-informed health care.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer from Genomics to Therapeutics: A Framework for Community Practice Integration to Arrive at Personalized Therapy Strategies.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a heterogeneous disease, and therapeutic management has advanced with the identification of various key oncogenic mutations that promote lung cancer tumorigenesis. Subsequent studies have developed targeted therapies against these oncogenes in the hope of personalizing therapy based on the molecular genomics of the tumor. This review presents approved treatments against actionable mutations in NSCLC as well as promising targets and therapies.

Blastoid Variant Mantle Cell Lymphoma Expressing Aberrant CD3 and CD10 with Concurrent Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma: Establishment of a Clonal Relationship by B- and T-Cell Receptor Gene Rearrangements.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma typically expressing CD19, CD20, CD5, FMC-7, CyclinD1, and SOX-11 and harboring the IgH/CCND1 translocation. We report a blastoid variant of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) involving an inguinal lymph node that, in addition to classical phenotypic and genetic findings, also aberrantly coexpresses surface CD10 and cytoplasmic CD3. Small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) was also present in the same lymph node and in the bone marrow.

The microculture-kinetic (MiCK) assay: the role of a drug-induced apoptosis assay in drug development and clinical care.

A drug-induced apoptosis assay, termed the microculture-kinetic (MiCK) assay, has been developed. Blinded clinical trials have shown higher response rates and longer survival in groups of patients with acute myelocytic leukemia and epithelial ovarian cancer who have been treated with drugs that show high apoptosis in the MiCK assay. Unblinded clinical trials in multiple tumor types have shown that the assay will be used frequently by clinicians to determine treatment, and when used, results in higher response rates, longer times to relapse, and longer survivals.

Correlation of drug-induced apoptosis assay results with oncologist treatment decisions and patient response and survival.

Background: An observational prospective nonblinded clinical trial was performed to determine the effect of a drug-induced apoptosis assay results on treatments planned by oncologists.

Methods: Purified cancer cells from patient biopsies were placed into the MiCK (Microculture Kinetic) assay, a short-term culture, which determined the effects of single drugs or combinations of drugs on tumor cell apoptosis. An oncologist received the assay results before finalizing the treatment plan.

A copay foundation assistance support program for patients receiving intravenous cancer therapy.

Purpose: With the advent of newer cancer therapies (eg, biologic and cytotoxic), treatment is becoming increasingly expensive for patients with cancer. Patients enrolled in Medicare and commercial insurance plans often have large copay requirements with each treatment cycle. Often, these patients undergo significant financial hardship, and some patients decline treatment.