Trop-2 and Ephrin B2 expression in urothelial carcinoma with divergent differentiation and aggressive urothelial carcinoma subtypes.

Objectives: Urothelial carcinomas (UCs) encompass a heterogeneous group of tumors. Several histopathologic features are associated with poor clinical outcomes and limited treatment options. With new rising therapeutic modalities, we aimed to determine the pattern of expression of Trop-2 and ephrin B2 in UC with aggressive subtype histology and/or divergent differentiation (SH/DD).

Paraneoplastic Resolution Holds Prognostic Utility in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

The presence of paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is associated with worse survival; however, little is known about whether resolution of PNS after intervention has any prognostic value. We sought to determine if resolution of PNS by one year after cytoreductive nephrectomy was significantly associated with improved overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively maintained nephrectomy database for patients with any histology metastatic RCC (mRCC) who underwent nephrectomy between 2000 and 2022.

Differentiation fate of a stem-like CD4 T cell controls immunity to cancer.

The T cell response to cancer controls disease progression and response to immunotherapy. Despite extensive knowledge regarding CD8 T cells, how CD4 T cells contribute to this process is less well understood. Here we identified a population of PD1TCF1 CD4 T cells with stem-like properties that are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into canonical CD4 effector cells.

Tailoring language for genitourinary function in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer to facilitate discussions in diverse populations and overcome health literacy barriers.

Background: Poor comprehension of prostate cancer (PCa) medical terms can create barriers to PCa treatment discussions. The authors measured comprehension of PCa terms and its relationship to health literacy in a group of Black men who were newly diagnosed with PCa. They examined whether tailoring communication with alternative colloquial words would be helpful and acceptable.

Paraneoplastic Syndrome Prevalence and Survival in Racially-Diverse Cohort With Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Introduction: The prevalence of preoperative paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is poorly understood. Many laboratory abnormalities representative of PNS have demonstrated prognostic value when incorporated into predictive survival models in RCC. We sought to characterize the relationship between baseline prevalence of PNS with overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in RCC patients following nephrectomy.

Neoadjuvant cabozantinib restores CD8+ T cells in patients with locally advanced non-metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma: a phase 2 trial.

Cabozantinib is an oral multikinase inhibitor approved for treatment in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We hypothesized that neoadjuvant cabozantinib could downstage localized tumors, facilitating partial nephrectomy, and facilitating surgery in patients with locally advanced tumors that would require significant adjacent organ resection. We, therefore, conducted a phase 2, single-arm trial of cabozantinib treatment for 12 weeks in 17 patients with locally advanced biopsy-proven non-metastatic clear cell RCC before surgical resection.

PD-L1 and nectin-4 expression and genomic characterization of bladder cancer with divergent differentiation.

Background: Bladder cancer with divergent differentiation (BCDD) comprises a heterogenous group of tumors with a poor prognosis, and differential expression of nectin-4 and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) has been reported in BCDD. Importantly, nectin-4 expression in bladder cancer is associated with response to enfortumab vedotin, and PD-L1 expression is associated with responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective review identifying 117 patients with advanced or metastatic BCDD who were treated at Winship Cancer Institute from 2011 to 2021.

Efficacy of Intravesical Nadofaragene Firadenovec for Patients With Bacillus Calmette-Guérin-Unresponsive Nonmuscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: 5-Year Follow-Up From a Phase 3 Trial.

Purpose: Nadofaragene firadenovec-vncg is a nonreplicating adenoviral vector-based gene therapy for bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive carcinoma in situ (CIS) with/without high-grade Ta/T1. We report outcomes following 5 years of planned follow-up.

Materials And Methods: This open-label phase 3 trial (NCT02773849) enrolled patients with BCG-unresponsive nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer in 2 cohorts: CIS ± Ta/T1 (CIS; n = 107) and Ta/T1 without CIS (Ta/T1 cohort; n = 50).

Immunotherapy for advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma: an abridged Cochrane review.

Objectives: To assess the effects of immunotherapy compared to chemotherapy as first- and second-line treatment of advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma.

Methods: Based on a published protocol, we performed a systematic search of multiple databases. Two review authors independently performed the literature selection, identified relevant studies, assessed the eligibility of studies for inclusion, and extracted data.

Mechanism of action of nadofaragene firadenovec-vncg.

Effective bladder-preserving therapeutic options are needed for patients with bacillus Calmette-Guérin unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Nadofaragene firadenovec-vncg (Adstiladrin) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as the first gene therapy in urology and the first intravesical gene therapy indicated for the treatment of adult patients with high-risk bacillus Calmette-Guérin-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer with carcinoma with or without papillary tumors. The proposed mechanism of action underlying nadofaragene firadenovec efficacy is likely due to the pleiotropic nature of interferon-α and its direct and indirect antitumor activities.

Academic publishing requires linguistically inclusive policies.

Scientific knowledge is produced in multiple languages but is predominantly published in English. This practice creates a language barrier to generate and transfer scientific knowledge between communities with diverse linguistic backgrounds, hindering the ability of scholars and communities to address global challenges and achieve diversity and equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). To overcome those barriers, publishers and journals should provide a fair system that supports non-native English speakers and disseminates knowledge across the globe.

Linear Muscle Segmentation for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Changes in Clinic-Friendly Estimation Predict Survival Following Cytoreductive Nephrectomy.

Introduction: Baseline sarcopenia and postoperative changes in muscle mass are independently associated with overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) undergoing cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN). Here we examine the relationships between preoperative (baseline), postoperative changes in muscle quantity, and survival outcomes following CN as determined by linear segmentation, a clinic-friendly tool that rapidly estimates muscle mass.

Materials And Methods: Our nephrectomy database was reviewed for patients with metastatic disease who underwent CN for RCC.

Standardization of the evaluation and surveillance of patients with BCG unresponsive high grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer clinical trials.

There are multiple ongoing and planned clinical trials that are evaluating novel therapies to treat patients with BCG-unresponsive high grade nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Importantly, there is considerable variation in surveillance strategies between these clinical trials, specifically with regards to the use of advanced imaging, enhanced cystoscopy, and mandatory biopsies, which could impact landmark efficacy assessments of investigational agents. To present guideline recommendations for the standardization of cystoscopic evaluation, surveillance, and efficacy assessments for patients with BCG-unresponsive NMIBC participating in clinical trials.

Misalignment of plastic and evolutionary responses of lifespan to novel carbohydrate diets.

Diet elicits varied effects on longevity across a wide range of animal species where dietary discordance between an organisms' evolutionary and developmental dietary history is increasingly recognized to play a critical role in shaping lifespan. However, whether such changes, predominantly assessed in a single generation, lead to evolutionary shifts in lifespan remains unclear. In this study, we used an experimental evolution approach to test whether changes in an organisms' evolutionary and developmental dietary history, specifically carbohydrate content, causes lifespan evolution in .

Evaluation of a Natural Language Processing Model to Identify and Characterize Patients in the United States With High-Risk Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Purpose: Treatment of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is guided by risk stratification using clinical and pathologic criteria. This study aimed to develop a natural language processing (NLP) model for identifying patients with high-risk NMIBC retrospectively from unstructured electronic medical records (EMRs) and to apply the model to describe patient and tumor characteristics.

Methods: We used three independent EMR-derived data sets including adult patients with a bladder cancer diagnosis in 2011-2020 for NLP model development and training (n = 140), validation (n = 697), and application for the retrospective cohort analysis (n = 4,402).

2018 Leibovich prognostic model for renal cell carcinoma: Performance in a large population with special consideration of Black race.

Background: The 2018 Leibovich prognostic model for nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) combines clinical, surgical, and pathologic factors to predict progression-free survival (PFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) for patients with clear cell (ccRCC), papillary (pRCC), and chromophobe (chRCC) histology. Despite high accuracy, <1% of the original cohort was Black. Here, the authors examined this model in a large population with greater Black patient representation.

Creatinine to Cystatin-C Ratio in Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Clinically Pragmatic Prognostic Factor and Sarcopenia Biomarker.

Introduction: Low creatinine to cystatin-C ratio (Cr/Cys-C) may be a biomarker for low-muscle mass. Furthermore, low Cr/Cys-C is associated with decreased overall survival (OS), but to date, has not been examined in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Our objective is to evaluate associations between low Cr/Cys-C ratio and OS and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with RCC treated with nephrectomy.

Systems biology and machine learning approaches identify metabolites that influence dietary lifespan and healthspan responses across flies and humans.

Dietary restriction (DR) is a potent method to enhance lifespan and healthspan, but individual responses are influenced by genetic variations. Understanding how metabolism-related genetic differences impact longevity and healthspan are unclear. To investigate this, we used metabolites as markers to reveal how different genotypes respond to diet to influence longevity and healthspan traits.