Evaluation of Gemcitabine and Carboplatin Dosing in Patients With Cisplatin-Ineligible Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma.

Background: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network Bladder Cancer Guidelines recommend carboplatin and gemcitabine first-line treatment in patients with cisplatin-ineligible, metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) -- a Category 1 recommendation. For these patients, the median overall survival is 9.3 months.

An Automated Electronic Health Record Score to Estimate Length of Stay and Readmission in Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer.

Purpose: Patients treated with radical cystectomy experience a high rate of postoperative complications and frequent hospital readmissions. We sought to explore the utility of the Care Assessment Need (CAN) score, derived from electronic health data, to estimate the risk of these adverse clinical outcomes, thereby aiding patient counseling and informed treatment decision-making.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively examined data from 982 patients with bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy between 2013 and 2018 within the national Veterans Health Administration system.

Discrediting health disinformation sources: Advantages of highlighting low expertise.

Disinformation is false information spread intentionally, and it is particularly harmful for public health. We conducted three preregistered experiments ( = 1,568) investigating how to discredit dubious health sources and disinformation attributed to them. Experiments 1 and 2 used cancer information and recruited representative U.

Radiotherapy dosing in intracranial ependymoma using the national cancer database.

Purpose: To determine the dose-dependent effect of adjuvant radiotherapy on survival for pediatric intracranial ependymomas and explore patient and disease characteristics that experience survival benefit from higher doses.

Methods: Data was accessed from the National Cancer Database. Inclusion criteria was comprised of a diagnosis of non-metastatic intracranial ependymoma, World Health Organization (WHO) grade 2 or 3, surgical resection, adjuvant radiotherapy between 4500-6300 cGy, and non-missing survivorship data.

Impact of prior inotuzumab ozogamicin treatment on brexucabtagene autoleucel outcomes in adults with B-cell ALL.

The effect of prior inotuzumab ozogamicin (InO) treatment on brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) outcomes remains unclear in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We conducted a retrospective multicenter analysis of 189 patients with relapsed/refractory ALL treated with brexu-cel. Over half of the patients received InO before brexu-cel (InO exposed).

Sacituzumab Govitecan Demonstrates Efficacy across Tumor Trop-2 Expression Levels in Patients with Advanced Urothelial Cancer.

Purpose: Human trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (Trop-2) is a protein highly expressed in urothelial cancer (UC). Sacituzumab govitecan (SG) is a Trop-2-directed antibody drug conjugate with a hydrolysable linker and a potent SN-38 payload. This study explored Trop-2 expression in tumors treated with SG in cohorts 1 to 3 (C1-3) from the TROPHY-U-01 study and evaluated whether efficacy was associated with Trop-2 expression.

Bempegaldesleukin Plus Nivolumab Versus Sunitinib or Cabozantinib in Previously Untreated Advanced Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Phase III Randomized Study (PIVOT-09).

Purpose: Bempegaldesleukin (BEMPEG) is a pegylated interleukin (IL)-2 cytokine prodrug engineered to provide controlled and sustained activation of the clinically validated IL-2 pathway, with the goal of preferentially activating and expanding effector CD8 T cells and natural killer cells over immunosuppressive regulator T cells in the tumor microenvironment. The open-label, phase III randomized controlled PIVOT-09 trial investigated the efficacy and safety of BEMPEG plus nivolumab (NIVO) as first-line treatment for advanced/metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) with intermediate-/poor-risk disease.

Methods: Patients with previously untreated advanced/metastatic ccRCC were randomly assigned (1:1) to BEMPEG plus NIVO, or investigator's choice of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI; sunitinib or cabozantinib).

Early ambulation after fibular free flap surgery is associated with reduced length of stay, increased mobility independence, and discharge to home.

Background: Fibula free flaps (FFF) are one of the most common bony flaps utilized. This paper describes a quality improvement project aimed at increasing early ambulation.

Methods: A review of FFF patients at an academic hospital was completed (2014-2023).

The efficacy-associated biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors in gastrointestinal cancer: a literature review.

Background And Objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been widely applied and studied in the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, and have achieved good results. However, in clinical practice, it has been observed that only some patients respond well to ICIs, and some patients may experience various degrees of adverse reactions during the treatment. Timely evaluation of the potential therapeutic effects and adverse reactions of ICIs for patients has important clinical significance.

Validation of the Combined Clinical Cell-Cycle Risk Score to Prognosticate Early Prostate Cancer Metastasis From Biopsy Specimens and Comparison With Other Routinely Used Risk Classifiers.

Purpose: We aim to independently validate the prognostic utility of the combined cell-cycle risk (CCR) multimodality threshold to estimate risk of early metastasis after definitive treatment of prostate cancer and compare this prognostic ability with other validated biomarkers.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer were enrolled into a single-institutional registry for the prospective observational cohort study. The primary end point was risk of metastasis within 3 years of diagnostic biopsy.

Health Information and Misinformation: A Framework to Guide Research and Practice.

When facing a health decision, people tend to seek and access web-based information and other resources. Unfortunately, this exposes them to a substantial volume of misinformation. Misinformation, when combined with growing public distrust of science and trust in alternative medicine, may motivate people to make suboptimal choices that lead to harmful health outcomes and threaten public safety.

Complicated appendicitis in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome and pancytopenia.

Patients with immunocompromise presenting with abdominal pain can present a diagnostic challenge, because they may have atypical or vague symptoms. This case report discusses nonoperative management of a patient with immunocompromise, complicated appendicitis, and intra-abdominal infection.

HIAYA CHAT study protocol: a randomized controlled trial of a health insurance education intervention for newly diagnosed adolescent and young adult cancer patients.

Background: For adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients aged 18 to 39 years, health insurance literacy is crucial for an effective use of the health care system. AYAs often face high out-of-pocket costs or have unmet health care needs due to costs. Improving health insurance literacy could help AYAs obtain appropriate and affordable health care.

Radical trachelectomy and adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy to preserve fertility in pediatric cervical adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: This case report describes the use of a trachelectomy and adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy for pediatric clear cell adenocarcinoma as definitive fertility-sparing treatment.

Methods And Materials: A previously healthy 8-year-old female presented with abdominal cramping and heavy vaginal bleeding. Diagnostic imaging revealed a 3.

Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in Delay to Initiation of Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy.

Purpose: Delays in initiation of radiotherapy may contribute to inferior oncologic outcomes that are more commonly observed in minoritized populations in the United States. We aimed to examine inequities associated with delayed initiation of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

Materials And Methods: The National Cancer Database was queried to identify the 10 cancer sites most commonly treated with IMRT.

The Clinical Significance of Maximum Tumor Diameter on MRI in Men Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy or Definitive Radiotherapy for Locoregional Prostate Cancer.

Introduction: Maximum tumor diameter (MTD) on pretreatment magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to further risk stratify for men with prostate cancer (PCa) prior to definitive local therapy. We aim to evaluate the prognostic impact of radiographic maximum tumor diameter (MTD) in men with localized prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: From a single-center retrospective cohort of men receiving definitive treatment for PCa (radical prostatectomy [RP] or radiotherapy [RT]) with available pretreatment MRI, we conducted univariable and multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models for progression using clinical variables including age, NCCN risk group, radiographic extracapsular extension (ECE), radiographic seminal vesical invasion (SVI), and MTD.

Feasibility and Clinical Utility of a Workflow Interfacing Radiation Oncology Lung Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning and Diagnostic Radiology.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is commonly used to treat early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Beam arrangements for SBRT include multiple entry and exit pathways resulting in irregular low-dose distributions within normal lung parenchyma. An improved understanding of posttreatment radiographic changes may improve the ability to predict clinical complications including radiation pneumonitis as well as assist in early detection of local failures.

Caregiver Inclusion in IDEAL Discharge Teaching: Implications for Transitions From Hospital to Home.

Purpose: Despite recognition that unpaid (e.g., family, friends) caregivers (caregivers) play an important role in successful transitions home after hospitalization, limited information is available about whether and how caregiver experiences of discharge align with current strategies for providing high-quality discharge processes, and how these experiences at discharge impact successful transitions home.