Concordance between head and neck MRI and histopathology in detecting laryngeal subsite invasion among patients with laryngeal cancer.

Background: Accuracy of head and neck MRI (HN-MRI) in predicting tumor invasion of laryngeal site/subsites in patients with laryngeal cancer prior to laryngectomy is poorly evaluated in the literature. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the diagnostic value of HN-MRI in accurate pre-operative estimation of tumor invasion to laryngeal subsites in patients with laryngeal cancer.

Methods: Patients with laryngeal cancer who underwent HN-MRI for cancer staging and underwent total laryngectomy between 2008 and 2021 were included.

The Prognostic and Diagnostic Value of [F]FDG PET/CT in Untreated Laryngeal Carcinoma.

This study aims to determine the diagnostic accuracy of staging PET/CT and neck MRI in patients with laryngeal carcinoma and to assess the value of PET/CT in predicting progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Sixty-eight patients who had both modalities performed before treatment between 2014 and 2021 were included in this study. The sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT and MRI were evaluated.

Activity of osimertinib in a patient with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer harboring exon 19, p.L755P mutation: case report.

Background: Recurrent in-frame insertions within exon 20 causing duplication of amino acids Tyrosine-Valine-Methionine-Alanine (YVMA) represent 80% of all alterations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies and HER2 directed antibody-drug conjugates have been evaluated in patients with mutated NSCLC. Limited data are available regarding the activity of these agents in exon 19 alterations.

A Phase II Trial of Atezolizumab Plus Carboplatin Plus Pemetrexed Plus Bevacizumab in the Treatment of Patients with Stage IV Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (BTCRC)- LUN 17-139.

Introduction: LUN17-139 evaluated the safety and efficacy of Atezolizumab (A) plus Carboplatin (C) plus Pemetrexed (Pem) plus Bevacizumab (B) (ACBPem) in treatment naïve patients with stage IV non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (Ns-NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: In this multicenter, single-arm phase II trial, all patients received A (1200-mg, D1) + C (AUC 5, D1) + Pem (500-mg/m2, D1) + B (15-mg/kg D1) q3 week x4. If no PD (progressive disease), patients received maintenance ABPem until PD or intolerable side effects.

Prospective correlation between the patient microbiome with response to and development of immune-mediated adverse effects to immunotherapy in lung cancer.

Background: Though the gut microbiome has been associated with efficacy of immunotherapy (ICI) in certain cancers, similar findings have not been identified for microbiomes from other body sites and their correlation to treatment response and immune related adverse events (irAEs) in lung cancer (LC) patients receiving ICIs.

Methods: We designed a prospective cohort study conducted from 2018 to 2020 at a single-center academic institution to assess for correlations between the microbiome in various body sites with treatment response and development of irAEs in LC patients treated with ICIs. Patients must have had measurable disease, ECOG 0-2, and good organ function to be included.

Transformational Changes Between Non-Small Cell and Small Cell Lung Cancer-Biological and Clinical Relevance-A Review.

During the course of therapy, patients with small cell lung cancer have been noted to develop transformation to non-small cell lung cancer and conversely, patients with non-small cell lung cancer have had transformation to small cell lung cancer or other non-small cell histologies. Transformation may occur after prior tyrosine kinase inhibitors, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiation therapy. These changes reflect on the overlapping biology of these cell types and the clinical need for re-biopsy at times of disease progression.

Screening Patients with Esophageal Cancer to Determine Eligibility for Adjuvant Treatment Trials.

Background: The tolerability of adjuvant chemotherapy in esophageal cancer is unclear.

Patients And Methods: This was a phase II trial of adjuvant paclitaxel in patients with esophageal cancer after trimodality treatment. Patients with residual viable tumor after resection were eligible for study inclusion.

SBRT to adrenal metastases provides high local control with minimal toxicity.

Purpose: The adrenal glands are a common site of metastases because of their rich blood supply. Previously, adrenal metastases were treated with systemic chemotherapy or, more rarely, with surgical resection or palliative radiation therapy. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has recently emerged as an attractive noninvasive approach to definitively treat these lesions.

Mitochondrial Superoxide Increases Age-Associated Susceptibility of Human Dermal Fibroblasts to Radiation and Chemotherapy.

Elderly cancer patients treated with ionizing radiation (IR) or chemotherapy experience more frequent and greater normal tissue toxicity relative to younger patients. The current study demonstrates that exponentially growing fibroblasts from elderly (old) male donor subjects (70, 72, and 78 years) are significantly more sensitive to clonogenic killing mediated by platinum-based chemotherapy and IR (∼70%-80% killing) relative to young fibroblasts (5 months and 1 year; ∼10%-20% killing) and adult fibroblasts (20 years old; ∼10%-30% killing). Old fibroblasts also displayed significantly increased (2-4-fold) steady-state levels of O, O consumption, and mitochondrial membrane potential as well as significantly decreased (40%-50%) electron transport chain (ETC) complex I, II, IV, V, and aconitase (70%) activities, decreased ATP levels, and significantly altered mitochondrial structure.

Consuming a Ketogenic Diet while Receiving Radiation and Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Lung Cancer and Pancreatic Cancer: The University of Iowa Experience of Two Phase 1 Clinical Trials.

Ketogenic diets are low in carbohydrates and high in fat, which forces cells to rely more heavily upon mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids for energy. Relative to normal cells, cancer cells are believed to exist under a condition of chronic mitochondrial oxidative stress that is compensated for by increases in glucose metabolism to generate reducing equivalents. In this study we tested the hypothesis that a ketogenic diet concurrent with radiation and chemotherapy would be clinically tolerable in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pancreatic cancer and could potentially exploit cancer cell oxidative metabolism to improve therapeutic outcomes.

Once Daily High-dose Radiation (≥60 Gy) Treatment in Limited Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: To investigate outcomes and prognostic factors in patients treated with once daily high-dose (≥60 Gy) radiation therapy (HDRT) and concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy in limited stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). While we await current phase III trials to determine optimal radiation dose fractionation schemes in LS-SCLC, we report our experience in LS-SCLC with once daily HDRT. We hypothesized that HDRT would achieve similar efficacy and tolerability as twice daily therapy.