Durvalumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin in advanced biliary tract cancer: A large real-life worldwide population.

Background: The TOPAZ-1 phase III trial showed a survival benefit with durvalumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). To understand this combination's real-world efficacy and tolerability, we conducted a global multicenter retrospective analysis of its first-line treatment outcomes.

Methods: We included patients with unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic BTC treated with durvalumab, gemcitabine, and cisplatin at 39 sites in 11 countries (Europe, the United States, and Asia).

Kinase-inactivated CDK6 preserves the long-term functionality of adult hematopoietic stem cells.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are characterized by the ability to self-renew and to replenish the hematopoietic system. The cell-cycle kinase cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) regulates transcription, whereby it has both kinase-dependent and kinase-independent functions. Herein, we describe the complex role of CDK6, balancing quiescence, proliferation, self-renewal, and differentiation in activated HSCs.

Systemic treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma - an Austrian expert consensus statement.

Locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma is an aggressive carcinoma with a dismal prognosis. For the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma, cisplatin/gemcitabine has been the standard of care for more than 10 years. Its combination with the immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab resulted in an efficiency improvement in the phase III setting.

Plasma Clot Properties in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most prothrombotic malignancies. Plasma clot properties may be altered in patients with pancreatic cancer, and circulating tissue factor (TF) may play an important role. We applied a modified plasma clot formation assay (only CaCl and phospholipids were added to initiate clotting) and a standard clotting assay (lipidated TF was also added) to investigate whether plasma clot properties are altered in pancreatic cancer patients (n = 40, 23 female) compared to sex-matched healthy controls.

FOLFOXIRI Plus Cetuximab or Bevacizumab as First-Line Treatment of -Mutant Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: The Randomized Phase II FIRE-4.5 (AIO KRK0116) Study.

Purpose: mutation is associated with a poor outcome in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This clinical trial investigated the efficacy of triplet chemotherapy (fluorouracil, folinic acid, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) combined with either cetuximab or bevacizumab in patients with previously untreated -mutant mCRC.

Patients And Methods: In this controlled, randomized, open-label phase II trial, 109 patients were randomly assigned, 107 of whom were included into the full analysis set (FAS).

Growth differentiation factor-15 and prediction of cancer-associated thrombosis and mortality: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Patients with cancer are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and arterial thromboembolic/thrombotic events (ATEs). Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) improves cardiovascular risk assessment, but its predictive utility in patients with cancer remains undefined.

Objectives: To investigate the association of GDF-15 with the risks of VTE, ATE, and mortality in patients with cancer and its predictive utility alongside established models.

Apoptotic cell death in disease-Current understanding of the NCCD 2023.

Apoptosis is a form of regulated cell death (RCD) that involves proteases of the caspase family. Pharmacological and genetic strategies that experimentally inhibit or delay apoptosis in mammalian systems have elucidated the key contribution of this process not only to (post-)embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis, but also to the etiology of multiple human disorders. Consistent with this notion, while defects in the molecular machinery for apoptotic cell death impair organismal development and promote oncogenesis, the unwarranted activation of apoptosis promotes cell loss and tissue damage in the context of various neurological, cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, infectious, neoplastic and inflammatory conditions.

Neutrophils in lung cancer patients: Activation potential and neutrophil extracellular trap formation.

Background: Patients with cancer have an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism. Neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) reportedly influence the risk of cancer-associated thrombosis. Subpopulations of high and low-density neutrophils (HDN/LDN) are of specific interest, as they might have different functions in cancer patients.

Current Standards and Future Outlooks in Metastatic Her2-Positive Breast Cancer.

Background: Approximately 20% of all breast cancer cases show overexpression or amplification of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) [Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2017;26(4):632-41]. With the introduction of trastuzumab, lapatinib, and pertuzumab to the realm of treatment, a new era of antibody-drug conjugates had only begun.

Comparison of RNA Marker Panels for Circulating Tumor Cells and Evaluation of Their Prognostic Relevance in Breast Cancer.

Liquid biopsy is a promising tool for therapy monitoring of cancer patients, but a need for further research in this field exists in order to improve sensitivity, specificity, standardization and minimize costs. In our present study, we evaluated two panels of transcripts related with the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) (Panel 1: , , and Panel 2: , , , , and ) in two cohorts of breast cancer patients (metastatic and early). A blood cell fraction possibly containing CTCs was isolated with density gradient centrifugation, followed by RNA isolation and qPCR using TaqMan or RT-qPCR using hybridization probes.

Localised Synovial Sarcoma in Adolescents and Young Adults Versus Adults - Is There a Difference in Outcome?

Aims: Synovial sarcomas are a rare subgroup of soft-tissue sarcoma arising in adolescents and young adults (AYA) and in adult patients. The objective of our analysis was to investigate the outcomes and potential differences of AYA versus adult patients with initially localised disease.

Materials And Methods: In total, 51 patients (25 AYA and 26 adult) were identified and evaluated in this retrospective single centre analysis.

Antithrombin Activity and Association with Risk of Thrombosis and Mortality in Patients with Cancer.

Venous and arterial thromboembolism (VTE/ATE) are common complications in cancer patients. Antithrombin deficiency is a risk factor for thrombosis in the general population, but its connection to risk of cancer-associated thrombosis is unclear. We investigated the association of antithrombin activity levels with risk of cancer-associated VTE/ATE and all-cause mortality in an observational cohort study including patients with cancer, the Vienna Cancer and Thrombosis Study.

Psychological Distress in Patients Treated for Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Literature Review.

(1) Background: The incidence of psychological distress and its impact on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients is unclear. Our aim was to analyze the literature regarding the prevalence of psychological distress and its impact on patients with non-metastatic or metastatic RCC; (2) Methods: A systematic search of five databases was performed. Studies were considered eligible if they included patients with RCC, had a prospective or retrospective design, and assessed anxiety, depression, or psychological distress at any time during treatment or follow-up.