Pulmonologists-level lung cancer detection based on standard blood test results and smoking status using an explainable machine learning approach.

Lung cancer (LC) remains the primary cause of cancer-related mortality, largely due to late-stage diagnoses. Effective strategies for early detection are therefore of paramount importance. In recent years, machine learning (ML) has demonstrated considerable potential in healthcare by facilitating the detection of various diseases.

Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab in Stage I-III Deficient Mismatch Repair Colon Cancer: A Clinical Trial.

Objective: This clinical trial investigated the safety and efficacy of single-cycle pembrolizumab in patients with localized deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) colon cancer.

Background: Neoadjuvant immunotherapy has induced remarkable rates of pathological complete response in patients with dMMR colon cancer. However, the optimal length and type of treatment are yet to be determined.

A Bayesian Network Approach to Lung Cancer Screening: Assessing the Impact of Data Quantity, Quality, and the Combination of Data from Danish Electronic Health Records.

: Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer mortality, making early diagnosis essential. While LC screening trials are underway globally, optimal prediction models and inclusion criteria are still lacking. This study aimed to develop and evaluate Bayesian Network (BN) models for LC risk prediction using a decade of data from Denmark.

A Comparison of Cellular Immune Response and Immunological Biomarkers in Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer and Benign Disorders.

Background: Surgical trauma causes immune impairment, but it is largely unknown whether surgery for cancer and benign diseases instigate comparable levels of immune inhibition. Here, we compared the impact of laparoscopic surgery on immunological biomarkers in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and ventral hernia (VH).

Methods: Natural Killer cell activity (NKA), leukocyte subsets, and soluble programmed death ligand 1 (sPD-L1) were measured in blood samples collected from CRC (n = 29) and VH (n = 9) patients preoperatively (PREOP) and on postoperative day (POD) 1, 3-6, 2 weeks and 3 months.

Lung cancer among outpatients with COPD: a 7-year cohort study.

Introduction: Lung cancer (LC) is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and its prognosis upon metastasis remains poor. Patients with COPD face a significantly elevated LC risk, up to six times greater than those with normal lung function. We aimed to investigate LC prevalence and stage distribution among COPD outpatients.

Robust optimization of the Gross Tumor Volume compared to conventional Planning Target Volume-based planning in photon Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy of lung tumors.

Background: Robust optimization has been suggested as an approach to reduce the irradiated volume in lung Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT). We performed a retrospective planning study to investigate the potential benefits over Planning Target Volume (PTV)-based planning.

Material And Methods: Thirty-nine patients had additional plans using robust optimization with 5-mm isocenter shifts of the Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) created in addition to the PTV-based plan used for treatment.

Identification of patients' smoking status using an explainable AI approach: a Danish electronic health records case study.

Background: Smoking is a critical risk factor responsible for over eight million annual deaths worldwide. It is essential to obtain information on smoking habits to advance research and implement preventive measures such as screening of high-risk individuals. In most countries, including Denmark, smoking habits are not systematically recorded and at best documented within unstructured free-text segments of electronic health records (EHRs).

Missingness mechanisms and generalizability of patient reported outcome measures in colorectal cancer survivors - assessing the reasonableness of the "missing completely at random" assumption.

Background: Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROM) provide important information, however, missing PROM data threaten the interpretability and generalizability of findings by introducing potential bias. This study aims to provide insight into missingness mechanisms and inform future researchers on generalizability and possible methodological solutions to overcome missing PROM data problems during data collection and statistical analyses.

Methods: We identified 10,236 colorectal cancer survivors (CRCs) above 18y, diagnosed between 2014 and 2018 through the Danish Clinical Registries.

Early integration of basic palliative care in cancer: scoping review of cross-sectorial models - components, facilitators, barriers.

Background: Shared care between oncology specialists and general practice regarding the delivery of palliative care (PC) is necessary to meet the demands for a cohesive PC. The primary objective of this study is to investigate models of cross-sectorial integration between primary care and oncology specialists that have been developed to promote early and basic PC and factors influencing the process.

Method: A scoping review was conducted using publications dated up until April 2023.

Soluble programmed death ligand 1 as prognostic biomarker in non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving nivolumab, pembrolizumab or atezolizumab therapy.

Many studies have focused on the prognostic role of soluble programmed death ligand 1 (sPD-L1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but outcomes are ambiguous and further investigations are needed. We addressed the matter by studying sPD-L1 in baseline samples and in longitudinal samples taken prior to three subsequent cycles of anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 treatments. Eighty patients with NSCLC were enrolled.

Description of an activity-based enzyme biosensor for lung cancer detection.

Background: Lung cancer is associated with the greatest cancer mortality as it typically presents with incurable distributed disease. Biomarkers relevant to risk assessment for the detection of lung cancer continue to be a challenge because they are often not detectable during the asymptomatic curable stage of the disease. A solution to population-scale testing for lung cancer will require a combination of performance, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and simplicity.

The prognostic value of tumor budding in a thoroughly characterized stage II colon cancer population in the context of a national screening program.

Tumor budding as a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer has not previously been investigated in a cohort of screened stage II colon cancer patients. We assessed the prognostic significance of tumor budding in a thoroughly characterized stage II colon cancer population comprising surgically resected patients in the Region of Southern Denmark from 2014 to 2016. Tumors were re-staged according to the 8th edition of UICC TNM Classification, undergoing detailed histopathological evaluation and tumor budding assessment following guidelines from the International Tumor Budding Consensus Conference.

Methylated Cell-Free Tumor DNA in Sputum as a Tool for Diagnosing Lung Cancer-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Early diagnosis is pivotal for the prognosis. There is a notable overlap between lung cancer and chronic bronchitis, and the potential use of methylated tumor DNA in sputum as a biomarker for lung cancer detection is appealing.

Study protocol: fish oil supplement in prevention of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy in adjuvant colorectal cancer patients - a randomized controlled trial. (OxaNeuro).

Background: Oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) in general and painful OIPN in particular is a debilitating late effect that severely affects cancer survivors' quality of life and causes premature cessation of potentially lifesaving treatment. No preventive treatments and no effective treatment for chronic OIPN exist despite many attempts. One of several suggested mechanisms includes neuroinflammation as a contributing factor to OIPN.

A collection of multiregistry data on patients at high risk of lung cancer-a Danish retrospective cohort study of nearly 40,000 patients.

Background: Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer related deaths, and several countries are implementing screening programs. Risk models have been introduced to refine the LC screening criteria, but the use of real-world data for this task demands a robust data infrastructure and quality. In this retrospective cohort study, we aim to address the different relevant risk factors in terms of data sources, descriptive statistics, completeness and quality.

Prognostic impact of early ctDNA dynamics during chemotherapy of metastatic cancer.

Clinical utility of the dynamics of ctDNA is sparse. This study aimed at evaluating the prognostic impact of early ctDNA dynamics in patients with metastatic cancer treated with chemotherapy. The ctDNA dynamics were evaluated in 595 patients with metastatic cancer using droplet digital PCR.

ctDNA-guided adjuvant treatment after radical-intent treatment of metastatic spread from colorectal cancer-the first interim results from the OPTIMISE study.

Background: Patients with detectable ctDNA after radical-intent treatment of metastatic spread from colorectal cancer (mCRC) have a very high risk of recurrence, which may be prevented with intensified adjuvant chemotherapy (aCTh). In the OPTIMISE study, we investigate ctDNA-guided aCTh after radical-intent treatment of mCRC. Here we present results from the preplanned interim analysis.

Delta tocotrienol as a supplement to FOLFOXIRI in first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II study.

Purpose: Triplet chemotherapy might be more effective than doublet chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), but it may also be marked by increased toxicity. To investigate whether -tocotrienol, a vitamin E analogue, with possible neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects, reduces the toxicity of triplet chemotherapy, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in mCRC patients receiving first-line 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin and irinotecan (FOLFOXIRI).

Material And Methods: Seventy patients with mCRC were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive FOLFOXIRI plus either -tocotrienol or placebo at the Department of Oncology, Vejle Hospital, Denmark.

Methylated Circulating Tumor DNA in Blood as a Tool for Diagnosing Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and early detection is crucial for improving patient outcomes. Current screening methods using computed tomography have limitations, prompting interest in non-invasive diagnostic tools such as methylated circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). The PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews were followed.

Precision medicine applied to metastatic colorectal cancer using tumor-derived organoids and in-vitro sensitivity testing: a phase 2, single-center, open-label, and non-comparative study.

Background: Patients with colorectal metastatic disease have a poor prognosis, limited therapeutic options, and frequent development of resistance. Strategies based on tumor-derived organoids are a powerful tool to assess drug sensitivity at an individual level and to suggest new treatment options or re-challenge. Here, we evaluated the method's feasibility and clinical outcome as applied to patients with no satisfactory treatment options.

NK cell activity and methylated HOXA9 ctDNA as prognostic biomarkers in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.

Background: PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have improved survival for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We evaluated natural killer cell activity (NKA) and methylated HOXA9 circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as prognostic biomarkers in NSCLC patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.

Methods: Plasma was prospectively collected from 71 NSCLC patients before treatment with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and before cycles 2-4.

Combining sCD163 with CA 19-9 Increases the Predictiveness of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic potential of soluble CD163 (sCD163) in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Preoperative serum samples from 255 patients with PDAC were analyzed for sCD163 using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The diagnostic value of sCD163 was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Assessment of circulating biomarkers for detection of lung cancer in a high-risk cohort.

Background: There is an urgent need for early detection of lung cancer. Screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is now implemented in the US. Supplementary use of a lung cancer biomarker with high specificity is desirable.

Gene Methylation in Circulating Tumor DNA as an Early Biomarker for Treatment Effect in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Despite several limitations, the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) are still the gold standard in response evaluation of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).