A Quality Improvement Project to Gain Insight Into What Helps Cancer Patients Cope During Outpatient Radiation Therapy Treatments.

Psychosocial support in cancer care has not been researched or published to the degree of physical support. This type of support includes the mental, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of patients and loved ones. This quality improvement project provides insight for those seeking understanding of what exactly helps cancer patients cope during outpatient radiation therapy treatments.

Patient-Reported Outcomes of Kinematic vs Mechanical Alignment in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an effective treatment method for severe osteoarthritis of the knee. Poor alignment of a knee replacement has been associated with suboptimal clinical results. Traditionally, mechanical alignment (MA) has been considered the gold standard.

Phase III Study Comparing Cisplatin Plus Gemcitabine With Cisplatin Plus Pemetrexed in Chemotherapy-Naive Patients With Advanced-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose: Cisplatin plus gemcitabine is a standard regimen for first-line treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Phase II studies of pemetrexed plus platinum compounds have also shown activity in this setting.

Patients And Methods: This noninferiority, phase III, randomized study compared the overall survival between treatment arms using a fixed margin method (hazard ratio [HR] < 1.

Targeting the Inducible T-cell Costimulator (ICOS) in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory T-follicular Helper Phenotype Peripheral T-cell and Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma.

Purpose: Proliferation of T-follicular helper (TFH) CD4+ T cells is a postulated pathogenic mechanism for T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (T-NHL). The inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS) is highly expressed by TFH, representing a potential target. MEDI-570 is a monoclonal antibody against ICOS, which eliminates ICOS+ cells in preclinical models.

Pesticide Residues in Vegetables and Fruits from Farmer Markets and Associated Dietary Risks.

The use of pesticides leads to an increase in agricultural production but also causes harmful effects on human health when excessively used. For safe consumption, pesticide residues should be below the maximum residual limits (MRLs). In this study, the residual levels of pesticides in vegetables and fruits collected from farmers' markets in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt were investigated using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS.

RNA Virus Gene Signatures Detected in Patients With Cardiomyopathy After Chemotherapy; A Pilot Study.

Background: Viral infections are pervasive and leading causes of myocarditis. Immune-suppression after chemotherapy increases opportunistic infections, but the incidence of virus-induced myocarditis is unknown.

Objective: An unbiased, blinded screening for RNA viruses was performed after chemotherapy with correlation to cardiac function.

Older patients (aged ≥60 years) with previously untreated advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma: a detailed analysis from the phase III ECHELON-1 study.

Effective and tolerable treatments are needed for older patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma. We report results for older patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma treated in the large phase III ECHELON-1 study of frontline brentuximab vedotin plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (A+AVD) versus doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD). Modified progression-free survival per independent review facility for older versus younger patients (aged ≥60 vs.

Dose Summation Strategies for External Beam Radiation Therapy and Brachytherapy in Gynecologic Malignancy: A Review from the NRG Oncology and NCTN Medical Physics Subcommittees.

Definitive, nonsurgical management of gynecologic malignancies involves external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and/or brachytherapy (BT). Summation of the cumulative dose is critical to assess the total biologic effective dose to targets and organs at risk. Cumulative dose calculation from EBRT and BT can be performed with or without image registration (IR) and biologic dose summation.

Long non-coding RNA KIKAT/LINC01061 as a novel epigenetic regulator that relocates KDM4A on chromatin and modulates viral reactivation.

KDM4A is a histone lysine demethylase that has been described as an oncogene in various types of cancer. The importance of KDM4A-mediated epigenetic regulation in tumorigenesis is just emerging. Here, by using Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) as a screening model, we identified 6 oncogenic virus-induced long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with the potential to open chromatin.

Recent Advances in Epigenetic Biomarkers and Epigenetic Targeting in Prostate Cancer.

Context: In addition to genetic alterations, epigenetic alterations play a crucial role during prostate cancer progression. A better understanding of the epigenetic factors that promote prostate cancer progression may lead to the design of rational therapeutic strategies to target prostate cancer more effectively.

Objective: To systematically review recent literature on the role of epigenetic factors in prostate cancer and highlight key preclinical and translational data with epigenetic therapies.

Phase II study of the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat (Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid; SAHA) in recurrent or metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium - an NCI-CTEP sponsored: California Cancer Consortium trial, NCI 6879.

Background: Until the advent of T cell check point inhibitors standard second-line therapy for patients with metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) was undefined. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have anti-cancer activity in a variety of tumor models including modulation of apoptosis in bladder cancer cell lines. We evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of the HDACi vorinostat in patients with mUC failing first-line platinum-based therapy either in the adjuvant/neoadjuvant setting or for recurrent/advanced disease.

Impact of Primary Tumor Laterality on Adjuvant Hepatic Artery Infusion Pump Chemotherapy in Resected Colon Cancer Liver Metastases: Analysis of 487 Patients.

Background: Hepatic artery infusion (HAI) chemotherapy is associated with overall survival (OS) in patients with resected colon cancer liver metastases (CLM). The prognostic impact of primary tumor location in CLM following hepatic resection in patients receiving regional HAI is unknown. This study seeks to investigate the prognostic impact of HAI in relation to laterality in this patient population.

LHRH-Targeted Redox-Responsive Crosslinked Micelles Impart Selective Drug Delivery and Effective Chemotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Systemic chemotherapy is efficacious against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but it is often associated with serious side effects. Here, a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) receptor-targeted and tumor microenvironment-responsive nanoparticle system to selectively deliver chemotherapeutic drugs to TNBC cells, is reported. This delivery system (termed "LHRH-DCMs") contains poly(ethylene glycol) and dendritic cholic acid as a micellar carrier, reversible intra-micellar disulfide bond as a redox-responsive crosslink, and synthetic high-affinity (D-Lys)-LHRH peptide as a targeting moiety.

Integrating tumor and nodal radiomics to predict lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer.

Background: To develop and validate a radiomics method via integrating tumor and lymph node radiomics for the preoperative prediction of lymph node (LN) status in gastric cancer (GC).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively collected 170 contrast-enhanced abdominal CT images from GC patients. Five times repeated random hold-out experiment was employed.

Epigenetic Regulation of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Latency.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an oncogenic -herpesvirus that infects humans and exhibits a biphasic life cycle consisting of latent and lytic phases. Following entry into host cells, the KSHV genome undergoes circularization and chromatinization into an extrachromosomal episome ultimately leading to the establishment of latency. The KSHV episome is organized into distinct chromatin domains marked by variations in repressive or activating epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, histone methylation, and histone acetylation.

Combination of cyclin-dependent kinase and immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of bladder cancer.

Background: Perturbation of the CDK4/6 pathway is frequently observed in advanced bladder cancer. We investigated the potential of targeting this pathway alone or in combination with chemotherapy or immunotherapy as a therapeutic approach for the treatment of bladder cancer METHODS: The genetic alterations of the CDK4/6 pathway in bladder cancer were first analyzed with The Cancer Genome Atlas database and validated in our bladder cancer patient-derived tumor xenografts (PDXs). Bladder cancer cell lines and mice carrying PDXs with the CDK4/6 pathway perturbations were treated with a CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib to determine its anticancer activity and the underlying mechanisms.

Structure-Activity Relationship of RGD-Containing Cyclic Octapeptide and αvβ3 Integrin Allows for Rapid Identification of a New Peptide Antagonist.

The αvβ3 integrin, a receptor for many extracellular matrix proteins with RGD-sequence motif, is involved in multiple physiological processes and highly expressed in tumor cells, therefore making it a target for cancer therapy and tumor imaging. Several RGD-containing cyclic octapeptide (named LXW analogs) were screened as αvβ3 antagonists with dramatically different binding affinity, and their structure-activity relationship (SAR) remains elusive. We performed systematic SAR studies and optimized LXW analogs to improve antagonistic potency.

miR-548aq-3p is a novel target of Far infrared radiation which predicts coronary artery disease endothelial colony forming cell responsiveness.

Non-invasive far infrared radiation (FIR) has been observed to improve the health of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) contribute to vascular repair and CAD. The goal of this study was to uncover the role of FIR in ECFCs function and to reveal potential biomarkers for indication of FIR therapy in CAD patients.

Intravenous 5-fluoro-2'-deoxycytidine administered with tetrahydrouridine increases the proportion of p16-expressing circulating tumor cells in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose: Following promising responses to the DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor 5-fluoro-2'-deoxycytidine (FdCyd) combined with tetrahydrouridine (THU) in phase 1 testing, we initiated a non-randomized phase 2 study to assess response to this combination in patients with advanced solid tumor types for which tumor suppressor gene methylation is potentially prognostic. To obtain pharmacodynamic evidence for DNMT inhibition by FdCyd, we developed a novel method for detecting expression of tumor suppressor protein p16/INK4A in circulating tumor cells (CTCs).

Methods: Patients in histology-specific strata (breast, head and neck [H&N], or non-small cell lung cancers [NSCLC] or urothelial transitional cell carcinoma) were administered FdCyd (100 mg/m) and THU (350 mg/m) intravenously 5 days/week for 2 weeks, in 28-day cycles, and progression-free survival (PFS) rate and objective response rate (ORR) were evaluated.

Randomised phase II trial (SWOG S1310) of single agent MEK inhibitor trametinib Versus 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine in refractory advanced biliary cancer.

Background: The rationale for the evaluation of trametinib in advanced biliary cancer (BC) is based on the presence of mitogen-activated protein kinase alterations and on earlier promising results with MEK inhibitors in BC.

Methods: Patients with histologically proven BC who progressed on gemcitabine/platinum were randomised to trametinib daily (arm 1) versus fluoropyrimidine therapy (infusional 5-fluorouracil or oral capecitabine, arm 2). The primary end-point was overall survival (OS).