Factors Influencing the Duration of Maintenance Therapy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Background/objectives: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is mainly treated with 5-Fluoro-Uracil (5-FU), Oxaliplatin and Irinotecan chemotherapies and anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) or anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) targeted therapies. Due to chemotherapy-related toxicity, patients receive induction treatment to achieve tumour response followed by maintenance therapy with less cytotoxic molecules or a chemotherapy-free interval to reduce chemotherapy-related toxicity. In this study, the aim was to determine the patient, cancer and treatment factors that influence the duration of maintenance therapy (DMT).

Nanopore adaptive sampling accurately detects nucleotide variants and improves the characterization of large-scale rearrangement for the diagnosis of cancer predisposition.

Background: Molecular diagnosis has become highly significant for patient management in oncology.

Methods: Here, 30 well-characterized clinical germline samples were studied with adaptive sampling to enrich the full sequence of 152 cancer predisposition genes. Sequencing was performed on Oxford Nanopore (ONT) R10.

360° CZT-SPECT/CT cameras: Tc- and Lu-phantom-based evaluation under clinical conditions.

Purpose: For the first time, three currently available 360° CZT-SPECT/CT cameras were compared under clinical conditions using phantom-based measurements.

Methods: A Tc- and a Lu-customized NEMA IEC body phantom were imaged with three different cameras, StarGuide (GE Healthcare), VERITON-CT versions 200 (V200) and 400 (V400) (Spectrum Dynamics Medical) under the same clinical conditions. Energy resolution and volumetric sensitivity were evaluated from energy spectra.

Targeting mTOR signaling for the treatment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with TSC1/ARID1A mutations: a case report with an unexpected response.

Biliary tract cancer incidence is increasing and the prognostic remains dismal. The development of personalized medicine is a pivotal issue in proposing therapeutic options for biliary tract cancer patients. Whole exome sequencing identifies approximately 15% of mutations and 15% of fusions in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Clinical Interest in Exome-Based Analysis of Somatic Mutational Signatures for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. This study investigates the clinical interest of whole exome sequencing (WES) for analyzing somatic mutational signatures in patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC treated with the current standard of care.

Methods: Exome sequencing data and clinical characteristics from 132 patients with advanced or metastatic NSCLC were analyzed.

Access to primary care and mortality in excess for patients with cancer in France: Results from 21 French Cancer Registries.

Background: The impact of geographical accessibility on cancer survival has been investigated in few studies, with most research focusing on access to reference care centers, using overall mortality and limited to specific cancer sites. This study aims to examine the association of access to primary care with mortality in excess of patients with the 10 most frequent cancers in France, while controlling for socioeconomic deprivation.

Methods: This study included a total of 151,984 cases diagnosed with the 10 most common cancer sites in 21 French cancer registries between 2013 and 2015.

Definitive radio(chemo)therapy versus upfront surgery in the treatment of HPV-related localized or locally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The treatment of stage I-III HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-OPSCC) is based on either surgery ± adjuvant therapy or exclusive radio±chemotherapy. We sought to compare these two therapeutic strategies in terms of efficacy, tolerance and quality of life (QoL).

Methods: Patients treated for stage I-III HPV-OPSCC from 2010 to 2021 in 3 academic centers were included and sorted according to the treatment strategy: surgery or exclusive radio±chemotherapy.

Evaluation of post-operative complications and adjuvant treatments following immediate prepectoral versus subpectoral direct-to-implant breast reconstruction without acellular dermal matrix.

Background: In immediate breast reconstruction (IBR), it is unclear whether there is any difference in the complication rates between prepectoral versus subpectoral implant placement without acellular dermal matrix (ADM).

Aim: To compare the rates of early post-operative complications and time to initiation of adjuvant treatment in patients undergoing IBR between prepectoral and subpectoral implant placement without ADM for the two surgical procedure.

Methods: We retrospectively retrieved data of patients who underwent IBR with prepectoral versus subpectoral implant placement between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022 in a large cancer center in France.

MCT1-dependent lactate recycling is a metabolic vulnerability in colorectal cancer cells upon acquired resistance to anti-EGFR targeted therapy.

Despite the implementation of personalized medicine, patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC) still have a dismal overall survival due to the frequent occurrence of acquired resistance mechanisms thereby leading to clinical relapse. Understanding molecular mechanisms that support acquired resistance to anti-EGFR targeted therapy in mCRC is therefore clinically relevant and key to improving patient outcomes. Here, we observe distinct metabolic changes between cetuximab-resistant CRC cell populations, with in particular an increased glycolytic activity in KRAS-mutant cetuximab-resistant CRC cells (LIM1215 and OXCO2) but not in KRAS-amplified resistant DiFi cells.

Interleukin-1α as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker in Pancreatic Cancer.

Purpose: We assessed the prognostic role of pro-inflammatory cytokines of the IL-1 superfamily in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Methods: This retrospective study was performed using two independent cohorts of patients with pancreatic cancer: the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC, N = 267) cohort and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, N = 178) cohort. Univariate Cox regressions were used to identify prognosis-related pro-inflammatory cytokines of the IL-1 superfamily.

NR0B2 re-educates myeloid immune cells to reduce regulatory T cell expansion and progression of breast and other solid tumors.

Although survival from breast cancer has dramatically increased, many will develop recurrent, metastatic disease. Unfortunately, survival for this stage of disease remains very low. Activating the immune system has incredible promise since it has the potential to be curative.

Further knowledge and developments in resistance mechanisms to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The past decade has witnessed a revolution in cancer treatment, shifting from conventional drugs (chemotherapies) towards targeted molecular therapies and immune-based therapies, in particular immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). These immunotherapies release the host's immune system against the tumor and have shown unprecedented durable remission for patients with cancers that were thought incurable, such as metastatic melanoma, metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), microsatellite instability (MSI) high colorectal cancer and late stages of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, about 80% of the patients fail to respond to these immunotherapies and are therefore left with other less effective and potentially toxic treatments.

HER2-Low Luminal Breast Carcinoma Is Not a Homogenous Clinicopathological and Molecular Entity.

Background: With the development of some new antibody-drug conjugates, the HER2 classification of breast carcinomas now includes the HER2-low (H2L) category: IHC 1+, 2+ non-amplified by ISH, and double-equivocal carcinomas, mostly luminal, expressing hormone receptors (HR+).

Methods: We analyzed mutational status and transcriptomic activities of three HER2 effector pathways: PI3K-AKT, MAPK, and JAK-STAT, in association with clinicopathologic features, in 62 H2L carcinomas compared to 43 HER2-positive and 20 HER2-negative carcinomas, all HR+.

Results: H2L carcinomas had significantly lower histoprognostic grades and mitotic and Ki67 proliferation indexes than HER2-positive carcinomas.

Circulating Biomarkers Predictive of Treatment Response in Patients with Hormone-sensitive or Castration-resistant Metastatic Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Background And Objective: Metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) harbors genomic alterations that may predict targeted therapy efficacy. These alterations can be identified not only in tissue but also directly in biologic fluids (ie, liquid biopsies), mainly blood. Liquid biopsies may represent a safer and less invasive alternative for monitoring patients treated for mPCa.

Targeting two radiation-induced immunosuppressive pathways to improve the efficacy of normofractionated radiation therapy in a preclinical colorectal cancer model.

Purpose: We have previously demonstrated in a murine colorectal cancer model that normofractionated RT (normoRT: 18 × 2 Gy) induced MDSC infiltration and PD-L1 expression, while hypofractionated RT (hypoRT: 3 × 8 Gy) induced Treg. Here, we wanted to assess whether the association of normoRT with treatments that target two radiation-induced immunosuppressive pathways (MDSC and PD-L1) could improve tumor control.

Materials And Methods: Subcutaneous tumors were induced using colon tumor cells (CT26) in immunocompetent mice (BALB/c) and were treated with RT alone (18 × 2 Gy or 3 × 8 Gy), or concomitantly with 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) (10 mg/kg) to deplete MDSC, and/or anti-PD-L1 (10 mg/kg).

Impact of breast surgical procedure on survival in BRCA mutated patients with invasive breast cancer: Mastectomy versus conservative treatment.

Introduction: Patients with BRCA1/2 mutations have a higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to the wild-type population. For patients with a BRCA mutation, there are no specific recommendations for surgical management. The aim of this study was therefore to retrospectively investigate overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of BRCA mutated patients with localized invasive breast cancer, by comparing conservative surgery versus mastectomy.