Efficacy and safety of antibody-drug conjugates in pretreated HER2-low metastatic breast cancer: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Introduction: Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) trastuzumab-deruxtecan (T-DXd) and sacituzumab-govitecan (SG) provided significant progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) improvements over chemotherapy (CT) in pretreated hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and triple-negative (TN)/HER2-low metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, no direct comparison between the two exists, nor with the more recent datopotamab-deruxtecan (Dato-DXd).

Methods: We conducted a network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare efficacy and safety of T-DXd and SG in CT-pretreated HR+ and TN/HER2-low MBC and assess their benefit over standard CT, exploring also a comparison with Dato-DXd.

Skin-iDISCO: An optimized tissue-clearing and labeling protocol for morphometric analysis of human cutaneous vasculature.

Tissue clearing enables deep imaging of long biological structures using light microscopy approaches. Protocols such as iDISCO are not currently available for human skin. Here, we present Skin-iDISCO, a tissue-clearing and labeling protocol for morphometric analysis of human cutaneous vasculature.

Immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in sub-Saharan Africa and western Europe: a retrospective, population-based, cross-sectional study.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 has been associated with a higher proportion of asymptomatic infections and lower mortality in sub-Saharan Africa than high-income countries. However, there is currently a lack of data on cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in people living in Africa compared with people in high-income regions of the world. We aimed to assess geographical variation in peripheral and mucosal immune responses.

The HPV prevention and control program in Poland: progress and the way forward.

This review assesses Poland's activities in preventing and managing human papillomavirus (HPV)-related diseases, summarizing information from the 2023 HPV Prevention and Control Board meeting. Progress in primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention identifies opportunities to strengthen control of cervical cancer. Poland's national HPV vaccination program, launched in June 2023, initially achieved suboptimal coverage.

Management model of caregiver's grief in a tertiary oncological center Hospice, from anticipatory mourning to condolence conversation: preliminary observations.

Background: Bereavement is a crucial physiological process in palliative care; grief-processing disorders can be diagnosed at least 6 months after death and can have severe clinical or psychological consequences. This study aims to verify how adequate management of anticipatory mourning and condolence conversations can be protective in the early stages of grief.

Methods: Patients and caregivers are supported by a multidisciplinary team through semi-structured interviews.

High prevalence of pancreatic steatosis in pancreatic cancer patients: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Objective: In the last decade there has been increasing interest in defining pancreatic steatosis (PS) and establishing its association with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, no consensus guidelines have yet been published on the management of PS. In this systematic review and meta-analysis performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we investigated the association between PS and PDAC.

Prognostic value of residual disease (RD) biology and gene expression changes during the neoadjuvant treatment in patients with HER2+ early breast cancer (EBC).

Background: In HER2+ early breast cancer (EBC), we investigated tumor and immune changes during neoadjuvant treatment and their impact on residual disease (RD) biology and prognostic implications across 4 neoadjuvant studies of trastuzumab with or without lapatinib, and with or without chemotherapy: CALGB 40601, PAMELA, NeoALTTO and NSABP B-41.

Patients And Methods: We compared tumor and immune gene expression changes during neoadjuvant treatment and their association with with event-free survival (EFS) by uni- and multivariable Cox regression models in different cohorts and timepoints: 452 RD samples at baseline including 169 with a paired RD, and biomarker changes during neoadjuvant therapy, evaluating model performance via the c-index.

Results: Analysis of 169 paired tumor samples revealed a shift in intrinsic subtype proportions from HER2-Enriched at baseline (50.

Awareness, Knowledge, and Treatment Patterns of Nonmetastatic Inflammatory Breast Cancer in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The BRIDGES Study.

Purpose: Trimodal therapy (TMT) is the standard treatment for patients with nonmetastatic inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). TMT consists of neoadjuvant systemic therapy, modified radical mastectomy (MRM), and postmastectomy radiation therapy. Although broadly considered the best approach for IBC, in the United States, only a third of patients receive TMT.

Potassium/sodium cation carriers robustly up-regulate CD20 antigen by targeting MYC, and synergize with anti-CD20 immunotherapies to eliminate malignant B cells.

Our investigation uncovers that nanomolar concentrations of salinomycin, monensin, nigericin, and narasin (a group of potassium/sodium cation carriers) robustly enhance surface expression of CD20 antigen in B-cell-derived tumor cells, including primary malignant cells of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Experiments in vitro, ex vivo, and animal model reveal a novel approach of combining salinomycin or monensin with therapeutic anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies or anti-CD20 CAR-T cells, significantly improving non- Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) therapy. The results of RNA-seq, genetic editing, and chemical inhibition delineate the molecular mechanism of CD20 upregulation, at least partially, to the downregulation of MYC, the transcriptional repressor of the MS4A1 gene encoding CD20.

Methodological issues in radiomics: impact on accuracy of MRI for predicting response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.

Aim: To investigate whether methodological aspects may influence the performance of MRI-radiomic models to predict response to neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) in breast cancer (BC) patients.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a systematic review until March 2023. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to combine the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values.

Knowledge and quality of life in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy for the first time. A cross-sectional study about being informed.

Purpose: Patients receiving immunotherapy need to have a good understanding of how immunology works and which toxicities they can expect. This study aimed to assess patients' knowledge on their immunotherapies and their quality of life before and after receiving immunotherapy for the first time in a cancer centre.

Methods: From July 2018 to September 2020, all patients treated at the cancer centre receiving first-time immunotherapy were invited to participate in a cross-sectional descriptive study.

Age- and sex-related variations in extracellular vesicle profiling for the assessment of cardiovascular risk: the EVaging index.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) offer valuable diagnostic and prognostic insights for cardiovascular (CV) diseases, but the influence of age-related chronic inflammation ("inflammaging") and sex differences on EV profiles linked to CV risk remains unclear. This study aimed to use EV profiling to predict age and stratify patients by CV risk. We developed an EVaging index by analyzing surface antigen profiles of serum EVs from 625 participants, aged 20 to 94 years, across varying CV risk groups.

Pathogenic mitochondrial DNA variants are associated with response to anti-VEGF therapy in ovarian cancer PDX models.

Background: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) pathogenic variants have been reported in several solid tumors including ovarian cancer (OC), the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, and raised interest as they potentially induce mitochondrial dysfunction and rewiring of cellular metabolism. Despite advances in recent years, functional characterization of mtDNA variants in cancer and their possible modulation of drug response remain largely uncharted.

Methods: Here, we characterized mtDNA variants in OC patient derived xenografts (PDX) and investigated their impact on cancer cells at multiple levels.

The changing global landscape of national cancer control plans.

Global efforts to highlight cancer and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as a growing burden were first raised in 2005 World Health Assembly Resolution 58.22 and reinforced with Resolution 70.12 and the Global NCD action plan in 2017.

International Validation of a Novel PEACE Scale to Improve the Quality of Upper Gastrointestinal Mucosal Inspection During Endoscopy.

Introduction: The performance of a high quality esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is dependent on the mucosal cleanliness. Recently, the Polprep: Effective Assessment of Cleanliness in EGD (PEACE) scale was created to assess the degree of mucosal cleanliness during EGD. The aim of this study was to validate this scoring system in a cohort of international endoscopists.

Recommendations for the management of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic multidisciplinary Delphi consensus approach.

Background: There are gaps and unanswered questions in clinical guidelines regarding several aspects of the management of patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC).

Methods: A scientific committee of ten cSCC specialists in Spain (dermatology, medical oncology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, plastic surgery, and radiotherapy) used ADAPTE methodology to develop recommendations by: (i) identifying clinical questions not fully answered by clinical practice guidelines; (ii) systematically reviewing the literature (published between November 2017 and July 2023 in PubMed and the Cochrane database) and grading the evidence (using Oxford levels); (iii) developing recommendations and assessing those with no consensus among the scientific committee or with evidence level 3-5 or strength of recommendation under C or D in a two-round Delphi method; and (iv) developing the final recommendations in the form of answers to key clinical questions, grading the strength of recommendation. An external group of 32 experts plus the members of the committee participated in both Delphi rounds, evaluating the appropriateness and need of the recommendations.

miR-198 targets : implications for oral squamous cell carcinoma pathogenesis.

Background: miRNAs play a critical role in the progression of various diseases, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which represents a major health concern and is one of the leading causes for new cancer cases worldwide. The miRNA dysregulation causes havoc and could be attributed to various factors, with epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes being a major contributor to tumorigenesis. In this study, we have explored the tumor suppressive role of miR-198 in OSCC.

The role of FDG PET assessment in patients with advanced breast cancer treated with cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors in the second-line setting.

Background: Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors have demonstrated a survival benefit in the second-line treatment of patients with hormone receptor-positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer. However, identifying prognostic biomarkers remains a challenge. Thus, we aimed to assess the prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG-PET-CT) performed before CDK4/6 inhibitors initiation.

Validation of the European Oncology toolkit for the self-assessment of Quality of Life (EUonQoL-Kit) in cancer patients and survivors: study protocol of a pan European survey.

Background: European cancer programmes and policies lack a unified health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessment tool. The European oncology quality of life toolkit (EUonQoL-Kit) is a novel set of HRQoL questionnaires, co-designed with cancer patients and survivors, translated and culturally adapted into 31 European languages, and with both static and dynamic electronic administration modes. The main aim of this study is the psychometric assessment of the static version.

Radiotherapy & total neoadjuvant therapy for recurrent rectal cancer in previously irradiated patients, (RETRY): a multicenter prospective observational study.

Background: Local recurrence of rectal cancer (LRRC) previously treated with radiotherapy is associated with a poor prognosis. Historically, the integration of radiotherapy (RT) with surgery has improved the likelihood of complete resections (R0) and, consequently, enhanced survival. Unfortunately, many LRRC cases are not amenable to surgical intervention.

PD-L1 expression and immune profiling cannot predict osimertinib efficacy in lung cancer with EGFR T790 M mutation: A translational study.

Background: PD-L1 is associated with poor efficacy of first- or second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in untreated EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Whether PD-L1 is also predictive of osimertinib efficacy in pre-treated patients with an acquired EGFR T790 M mutation is unclear.

Patients And Methods: PD-L1 expression and tumor microenvironments were evaluated in tumors from EGFR-mutant T790 M + NSCLC patients treated with osimertinib.

Investigating the pathogenicity of uncommon KRAS mutations and their association with clinicopathological characteristics in patients with colorectal cancer.

Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) somatic mutations occur in 30-40% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. These were thought to equally affect prognosis and resistance to anti-EGFR agents. However, recent data show the activity of KRAS-G12C and Pan-RAS inhibitors.

Early downmodulation of tumor glycolysis predicts response to fasting-mimicking diet in triple-negative breast cancer patients.

In preclinical experiments, cyclic fasting-mimicking diets (FMDs) showed broad anticancer effects in combination with chemotherapy. Among different tumor types, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is exquisitely sensitive to FMD. However, the antitumor activity and efficacy of cyclic FMD in TNBC patients remain unclear.