Pertuzumab Plus Trastuzumab With or Without Chemotherapy Followed by Emtansine in ERBB2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: In ERBB2 (formerly HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC), combining trastuzumab and pertuzumab with taxane-based chemotherapy is the first line of standard care. Given that trastuzumab plus pertuzumab was proven effective in ERBB2-positive MBC, even without chemotherapy, whether the optimal first-line strategy could be trastuzumab plus pertuzumab alone instead of with chemotherapy is unresolved.

Objective: To assess overall survival (OS) at 2 years and progression-free survival (PFS) for patients randomly assigned to receive first-line pertuzumab plus trastuzumab alone or with chemotherapy followed by trastuzumab and emtansine at progression; PFS of second-line trastuzumab and emtansine treatment following trastuzumab plus pertuzumab; and OS and PFS in the ERBB2-enriched and ERBB2-nonenriched subtypes.

Communicate About Quality and Safety: Let's Think Outside the Box! Experience From a Cancer Center.

Background And Objectives: While the priority of caregivers in any health care establishment is patient care, they are often constrained by time and cannot fully devote themselves to projects aiming at improving the quality and safety of care. Although the culture of quality is widespread in health care establishments, the quality and safety department team must continue to improve existing procedures and develop new ones, in order to reinforce the take-home message that safety is of paramount importance. Since good communication is a key factor in the success of quality plans, the quality and safety team in our establishment is placing special emphasis on "out of the ordinary" activities that take professional carers out of their daily routines, arouse their curiosity, and increase their adherence to quality procedures.

The hereditary N363K POLE exonuclease mutant extends PPAP tumor spectrum to glioblastomas by causing DNA damage and aneuploidy in addition to increased mismatch mutagenicity.

The exonuclease domain of DNA polymerases epsilon's catalytic subunit (POLE) removes misincorporated nucleotides, called proofreading. POLE-exonuclease mutations cause colorectal- and endometrial cancers with an extreme burden of single nucleotide substitutions. We recently reported that particularly the hereditary POLE exonuclease mutation N363K predisposes in addition to aggressive giant cell glioblastomas.

PET-MRI for evaluation of response to radiochemotherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

Objective: We aimed to analyze the diagnostic test accuracy of positron emission tomography and a magnetic resonance imaging scan (PET-MRI) fusion in evaluating tumor response after radiochemotherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

Methods: Patients treated at two institutes between January 2008 and December 2016 were studied retrospectively. Re-evaluation by positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in a non-concurrent way 4-8 weeks after treatment.

Social and territorial inequalities in breast and cervical cancers screening uptake: a cross-sectional study in France.

Objective: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the impact of socio-territorial characteristics on mammography and pap smear uptake according to the place of residence in the recommended age groups, and second outside the recommended age groups.

Setting And Participants: We used an existing dataset of 1 027 039 women which combines data from the Health Insurance information systems, with census data from Midi-Pyrénées, France.

Primary And Secondary Outcome Measures: Our outcome was, for each woman, the uptake of the pap smear and the uptake of the mammography during the year.

Intermittent versus continuous administration of pazopanib in progressive radioiodine refractory thyroid carcinoma: Final results of the randomised, multicenter, open-label phase II trial PAZOTHYR.

Introduction: Multikinase inhibitor (MKI) treatments have shown efficacy in progressive radioiodine refractory thyroid cancers (RAIR-TC), but most patients experienced substantial adverse effects. This randomised multicentric study investigated intermittent versus continuous pazopanib administration.

Patients And Methods: The PAZOTHYR study included RAIR-TC patients with progressive disease in the last 12 months, who may have received one prior MKI.

Prognostic value of lymphovascular space invasion in early-stage cervical cancer.

Objective: Few prognostic factors likely to influence therapeutic management of early-stage cervical cancer are currently recognized. The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic value of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) in overall survival of patients with early-stage cervical cancer.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients treated for early-stage cervical cancer between January 1996 and December 2013 at Toulouse University Hospital and the Cancer Center Claudius Regaud Institute.

Overexpression of Claspin and Timeless protects cancer cells from replication stress in a checkpoint-independent manner.

Oncogene-induced replication stress (RS) promotes cancer development but also impedes tumor growth by activating anti-cancer barriers. To determine how cancer cells adapt to RS, we have monitored the expression of different components of the ATR-CHK1 pathway in primary tumor samples. We show that unlike upstream components of the pathway, the checkpoint mediators Claspin and Timeless are overexpressed in a coordinated manner.

DNA polymerase ν gene expression influences fludarabine resistance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia independently of p53 status.

Alteration in the DNA replication, repair or recombination processes is a highly relevant mechanism of genomic instability. Despite genomic aberrations manifested in hematologic malignancies, such a defect as a source of biomarkers has been underexplored. Here, we investigated the prognostic value of expression of 82 genes involved in DNA replication-repair-recombination in a series of 99 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia without detectable 17p deletion or mutation.

Preferential Allele Expression Analysis Identifies Shared Germline and Somatic Driver Genes in Advanced Ovarian Cancer.

Identifying genes where a variant allele is preferentially expressed in tumors could lead to a better understanding of cancer biology and optimization of targeted therapy. However, tumor sample heterogeneity complicates standard approaches for detecting preferential allele expression. We therefore developed a novel approach combining genome and transcriptome sequencing data from the same sample that corrects for sample heterogeneity and identifies significant preferentially expressed alleles.

MicroRNA-124 expression counteracts pro-survival stress responses in glioblastoma.

Glioblastomas are aggressive adult brain tumors, characterized by inadequately organized vasculature and consequent nutrient and oxygen (O2)-depleted areas. Adaptation to low nutrients and hypoxia supports glioblastoma cell survival, progression and therapeutic resistance. However, specific mechanisms promoting cellular survival under nutrient and O2 deprivation remain incompletely understood.

Cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and cetuximab (PFE) with or without cilengitide in recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: results of the randomized phase I/II ADVANTAGE trial (phase II part).

Background: Recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M-SCCHN) overexpresses αvβ5 integrin. Cilengitide selectively inhibits αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrins and is investigated as a treatment strategy.

Patients And Methods: The phase I/II study ADVANTAGE evaluated cilengitide combined with cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and cetuximab (PFE) in R/M-SCCHN.

Cystadenocarcinoma of the parotid: case report of a BRAF inhibitor treatment.

Background: Mutations of the proto-oncogene BRAF have been described in many cancers. Mutated BRAF causes overactive downstream signaling via MEK and ERK leading to excessive cell proliferation and survival. Their identification is of real interest because specific inhibitors have been developed.

Contribution of the MDRD equation and of cystatin C for renal function estimates in cancer patients.

Background: Serum creatinine (SCr) and Cockcroft-Gault creatinine clearance (CG CrCL) are used to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Other markers have been proposed including serum cystatin C (cysC) and the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study equation.

Patients And Methods: We have compared the diagnostic performances of SCr, cysC, CG CrCL, and the MDRD equation in 144 cancer patients.