Extracellular acyl-CoA-binding protein as an independent biomarker of COVID-19 disease severity.

Background: Factors leading to severe COVID-19 remain partially known. New biomarkers predicting COVID-19 severity that are also causally involved in disease pathogenesis could improve patient management and contribute to the development of innovative therapies. Autophagy, a cytosolic structure degradation pathway is involved in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, degradation of intracellular pathogens and generation of energy for immune responses.

Intractable conflicts over end-of-life decisions: A descriptive and ethical analysis of French case-law.

Context: In European and Anglo-Saxon countries, life-sustaining treatment (LST) limitation decisions precede more than 80% of ICU deaths. However, there is now increasing evidence of disagreement and conflict between clinical teams and family members over LST limitation decisions. In some cases, these conflicts are brought to the courts.

COMPOSIT study: evaluating osimertinib combination with targeted therapies in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: The emergence of diverse resistance mechanisms after osimertinib therapy, including on-target epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and off-target alterations, warrants investigation of novel therapeutics to overcome these challenges and improve patient outcomes.

Methods: COMPOSIT was a French, retrospective, multicenter, cohort study of the effectiveness and tolerability of osimertinib in combination with other targeted therapies in patients with advanced EGFR-mutant (EGFRm) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who harbored other oncogenic drivers as primary or acquired resistance mechanisms. Real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS), overall survival (OS), and objective response rate (ORR) were the primary endpoints.

Prognostic value of circulating tumor DNA at diagnosis and its early decrease after one cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. An ancillary analysis of the CHIVA phase II GINECO trial.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic impact of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection at diagnosis (T0) and its early decrease after one cycle (T1) of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) included in the CHIVA trial (NCT01583322).

Methods: Blood samples were collected at T0 and before each administration of NACT. Circulating tumor DNA detection was performed by next-generation sequencing.

ERBB2 Comprehensive Profiling and Prognostication in Stage III Colon Cancer: Findings From PETACC8 and IDEA-France Cohorts.

Background & Aims: ERBB2 pathway activation, through amplification or activating mutations, represents a new target for colon cancer (CC) treatment. Molecular methods were compared with the gold standard for assessing ERBB2 status, and the prognostic value of ERBB2 amplification, mutations, and expression was determined using data from 2 phase 3 trials involving nearly 3000 patients with stage III CC.

Methods: In the PETACC8 trial, immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization, DNA, and RNA analysis were performed on 1813, 1719, and 1733 samples, respectively.

[National protocol for diagnosis and care of retinopathy of prematurity: Summary for the attending physician].

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP, ORPHA: 90050) is the main cause of visual impairment in preterm infants and the leading preventable cause of childhood blindness in high- and middle-income countries. However, severe stages of the disease remain rare. While screening recommendations for the disease are well-established in France, management of ROP requiring treatment is less standardized, especially since new therapeutic options have been approval on this indication.

Double immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for unresectable pleural mesothelioma rarely induces hyperprogressive disease: a case report.

Background: Use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is associated with new response types, such as hyperprogressive disease (HPD), whose definition is still being discussed. Some authors use dynamic indexes to define HPD. However, since the Checkmate-743 study, ICIs have been a first-line therapy for pleural mesothelioma (PM), thereby making use of dynamic indexes less appropriate.

MASLD-related HCC: Multicenter study comparing patients with and without cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Despite its growing incidence, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) related to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in non-cirrhotic livers remains poorly characterized. We compared the characteristics, management, survival, and trends of MASLD-related HCC in patients with or without underlying cirrhosis in a large multicenter cohort.

Methods: A total of 354 cases of MASLD-related HCC presented at the liver tumor meetings of four French university hospitals between 2007 and 2018 were included in the study.

Capmatinib efficacy for METex14 non-small cell lung cancer patients: Results of the IFCT-2104 CAPMATU study.

Background: Capmatinib is a selective MET inhibitor with demonstrated efficacy in a phase II study of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring METex14 mutations. However, the real-world outcomes of capmatinib are largely unknown. From June 2019, the French Early Access Program (EAP) provided capmatinib to METex14 NSCLC patients who were ineligible for or for whom first-line standard therapies had failed.

Efficacy and safety of daratumumab in multiresistant immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

The immunosuppressive treatment of immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) in patients with intolerance or refractoriness to the B-cell depleting monoclonal antibody rituximab remains debated. Daratumumab, a plasma cell-directed monoclonal antibody targeting CD38, represents a therapeutic option, but data are scarce. The French Thrombotic Microangiopathies Reference Center conducted a nationwide survey on iTTP patients treated with daratumumab.

CD38/NAD glycohydrolase and associated antigens in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: From interconnected signalling pathways to therapeutic strategies.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a heterogenous disease characterized by the accumulation of neoplastic CD5/CD19 B lymphocytes. The spreading of the leukaemia relies on the CLL cell's ability to survive in the blood and migrate to and proliferate within the bone marrow and lymphoid tissues. Some patients with CLL are either refractory to the currently available therapies or relapse after treatment; this emphasizes the need for novel therapeutic strategies that improving clinical responses and overcome drug resistance.

Clues for improvement of research in objective structured clinical examination.

While objective clinical structured examination (OSCE) is a worldwide recognized and effective method to assess clinical skills of undergraduate medical students, the latest Ottawa conference on the assessment of competences raised vigorous debates regarding the future and innovations of OSCE. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive view of the global research activity on OSCE over the past decades and to identify clues for its improvement. We performed a bibliometric and scientometric analysis of OSCE papers published until March 2024.

How to Balance Prognostic Factors in Controlled Phase II Trials: Stratified Permuted Block Randomization or Minimization? An Analysis of Clinical Trials in Digestive Oncology.

In controlled phase II trials, major prognostic factors need to be well balanced between arms. The main procedures used are SPBR (Stratified Permuted Block Randomization) and minimization. First, we provide a systematic review of the treatment allocation procedure used in gastrointestinal oncology controlled phase II trials published in 2019.

Role of inflammation in a rat model of radiation retinopathy.

Radiation retinopathy (RR) is a major side effect of ocular tumor treatment by plaque brachytherapy or proton beam therapy. RR manifests as delayed and progressive microvasculopathy, ischemia and macular edema, ultimately leading to vision loss, neovascular glaucoma, and, in extreme cases, secondary enucleation. Intravitreal anti-VEGF agents, steroids and laser photocoagulation have limited effects on RR.

Evolution of minimally invasive liver surgery in France over the last decade.

Background: Despite evidence of benefits on postoperative outcomes, minimally invasive liver surgery (MILS) had a very low diffusion up to 2014, and recent evolution is unknown. Our aim was to analyze the recent diffusion and adoption of MILS and compare the trends in indications, extent of resection, and institutional practice with open liver surgery (OLS).

Methods: We analyzed the French nationwide, exhaustive cohort of all patients undergoing a liver resection in France between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2022.

Can we identify patients carrying targeted deleterious variants with plasma uracil and dihydrouracil? A GPCO-RNPGx retrospective analysis.

Objectives: Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency is the main cause of severe fluoropyrimidine-related toxicities. The best strategy for identifying DPD-deficient patients is still not defined. The EMA recommends targeted genotyping or uracilemia (U) testing.