Symptom Burden in Long-Term Survivors of Head and Neck Cancer: Patient-Reported Versus Clinical Data.

Introduction: The symptom burden faced by long-term head and neck cancer survivors is not well understood. In addition, the accuracy of clinical data sources for symptom ascertainment is not clear.

Objective: To 1) describe the prevalence of symptoms in 5-year survivors of head and neck cancer, and 2) to evaluate agreement between symptoms obtained via self-report and symptoms obtained from clinical data sources.

Improvements in CBCT Image Quality Using a Novel Iterative Reconstruction Algorithm: A Clinical Evaluation.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of a novel iterative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) reconstruction algorithm for prostate and head and neck (HN) cancer.

Methods And Materials: A total of 10 patients with HN and 10 patients with prostate cancer were analyzed. For each patient, raw CBCT acquisition data were used to reconstruct images with a currently available algorithm (FDK_CBCT) and novel iterative algorithm (Iterative_CBCT).

Automatic Segmentation of the Prostate on CT Images Using Deep Neural Networks (DNN).

Purpose: Recent advances in deep neural networks (DNNs) have unlocked opportunities for their application for automatic image segmentation. We have evaluated a DNN-based algorithm for automatic segmentation of the prostate gland on a large cohort of patient images.

Methods And Materials: Planning-CT data sets for 1114 patients with prostate cancer were retrospectively selected and divided into 2 groups.

Quantitative Imaging Markers of Lung Function in a Smoking Population Distinguish COPD Subgroups with Differential Lung Cancer Risk.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous condition with respect to onset, progression, and response to therapy. Incorporating clinical- and imaging-based features to refine COPD phenotypes provides valuable information beyond that obtained from traditional clinical evaluations. We characterized the spectrum of COPD-related phenotypes in a sample of former and current smokers and evaluated how these subgroups differ with respect to sociodemographic characteristics, COPD-related comorbidities, and subsequent risk of lung cancer.

An automated dose tracking system for adaptive radiation therapy.

Background And Objective: The implementation of adaptive radiation therapy (ART) into routine clinical practice is technically challenging and requires significant resources to perform and validate each process step. The objective of this report is to identify the key components of ART, to illustrate how a specific automated procedure improves efficiency, and to facilitate the routine clinical application of ART.

Methods: Data was used from patient images, exported from a clinical database and converted to an intermediate format for point-wise dose tracking and accumulation.

Müllerian Adenosarcoma of the Urinary Bladder: Clinicopathologic and Immunohistochemical Features With Novel Genetic Aberrations.

Background: Müllerian adenosarcoma is a biphasic neoplasm most commonly occurring in the uterus and less frequently of the ovary. It has been rarely described to occur in other sites such as peritoneum and liver.

Patients And Methods: In this study, we report the clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical and molecular features of a primary Müllerian adenosarcoma of the urinary bladder in a 62-year-old woman.

Discussing prognosis and treatment goals with patients with advanced cancer: A qualitative analysis of oncologists' language.

Background: The National Academy of Medicine recommends that cancer patients be knowledgeable of their prognosis to enable them to make informed treatment decisions, but research suggests few patients receive this information.

Objective: This qualitative study describes oncologists' language during discussions of prognosis and treatment goals in clinical interactions with African American patients diagnosed with cancer.

Design: We analysed transcripts from video recordings of clinical interactions between patients with Stage III or IV cancer (n=26) and their oncologists (n=9).

Randomized trial of a question prompt list to increase patient active participation during interactions with black patients and their oncologists.

Objective: Communication during racially-discordant interactions is often of poor quality and may contribute to racial treatment disparities. We evaluated an intervention designed to increase patient active participation and other communication-related outcomes during interactions between Black patients and non-Black oncologists.

Methods: Participants were 18 non-Black medical oncologists and 114 Black patients at two cancer hospitals in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Renal Cell Carcinoma With Chromosome 6p Amplification Including the TFEB Gene: A Novel Mechanism of Tumor Pathogenesis?

Amplification of chromosome 6p has been implicated in aggressive behavior in several cancers, but has not been characterized in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We identified 9 renal tumors with amplification of chromosome 6p including the TFEB gene, 3 by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and 6 from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. Patients' ages were 28 to 78 years (median, 61 y).

Do Patients and Oncologists Discuss the Cost of Cancer Treatment? An Observational Study of Clinical Interactions Between African American Patients and Their Oncologists.

Purpose: Financial toxicity negatively affects patients with cancer, especially racial/ethnic minorities. Patient-oncologist discussions about treatment-related costs may reduce financial toxicity by factoring costs into treatment decisions. This study investigated the frequency and nature of cost discussions during clinical interactions between African American patients and oncologists and examined whether cost discussions were affected by patient sociodemographic characteristics and social support, a known buffer to perceived financial stress.

Sclerosing TFEB-rearrangement renal cell carcinoma: a recurring histologic pattern.

Renal cell carcinoma with TFEB rearrangement (t[6;11][p21;q13]) was initially recognized to be composed of dual populations of large cells with clear cytoplasm and small cells forming rosettes around hyaline material. With increasing awareness, however, the spectrum of described morphology has been found to be more heterogeneous. We report a 54-year-old woman who underwent partial nephrectomy for a 2.

High fidelity of driver chromosomal alterations among primary and metastatic renal cell carcinomas: implications for tumor clonal evolution and treatment.

Recent studies have demonstrated considerable genomic heterogeneity in both primary and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This mutational diversity has serious implications for the development and implementation of targeted molecular therapies. We evaluated 39 cases of primary RCC tumors with their matched metastatic tumors to determine if the hallmark chromosomal anomalies of these tumors are preserved over the course of disease progression.

Cytotoxic Phyllactone Analogs from the Marine Sponge Phyllospongia papyrecea.

Background: A growing evidence indicates that marine sponge Phyllospongia sp. is one of rich sources of 20, 24-bishomoscalarane sesterterpenes with potent biological activities. In order to search more bioactive 20, 24-bishomoscalarane sesterterpenes for new drug discovery, chemical investigation was carried out on an Indonesian marine sponge P.

The World Health Organization 2016 classification of testicular germ cell tumours: a review and update from the International Society of Urological Pathology Testis Consultation Panel.

Since the last World Health Organization (WHO) classification scheme for tumours of the urinary tract and male genital organs, there have been a number of advances in the understanding, classification, immunohistochemistry and genetics of testicular germ cell tumours. The updated 2016 draft classification was discussed at an International Society of Urological Pathology Consultation on Testicular and Penile Cancer. This review addresses the main updates to germ cell tumour classification.

Small cell-like glandular proliferation of prostate: a rare lesion not related to small cell prostate cancer.

Small cell-like change (SCLC) is a rare prostate lesion which has been described in only two previous studies (total of eight cases). Its relation to possible neuroendocrine differentiation remained unclear. We evaluated 11 SCLC cases with immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy.

TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion is rare compared to PTEN deletions in stage T1a prostate cancer.

T1a prostate cancers (cancer found incidentally in transurethral resection, <5% of the tissue) are indolent tumors of the transition zone. The overexpression of ERG and the inactivation of PTEN have been shown to be important drivers of carcinogenesis in large series of prostate cancer, but the genetics of transition zone tumors have not been well characterized. We evaluated the status of ERG and PTEN in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue using immunohistochemical and FISH analysis in 54 T1a transition zone tumors.

Risk of Lung Cancer Associated with COPD Phenotype Based on Quantitative Image Analysis.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a risk factor for lung cancer. This study evaluates alternative measures of COPD based on spirometry and quantitative image analysis to better define a phenotype that predicts lung cancer risk.

Methods: A total of 341 lung cancer cases and 752 volunteer controls, ages 21 to 89 years, participated in a structured interview, standardized CT scan, and spirometry.

Preclinical evaluation of olaparib and metformin combination in BRCA1 wildtype ovarian cancer.

Objectives: BRCA mutated ovarian cancers show increased responsiveness to PARP inhibitors. PARP inhibitors target DNA repair and provide a second hit to BRCA mutated tumors, resulting in "synthetic lethality". We investigated a combination of metformin and olaparib to provide "synthetic lethality" in BRCA intact ovarian cancer cells.

The Effect of Time to Castration Resistance on Outcomes With Abiraterone and Enzalutamide in Metastatic Prostate Cancer.

Background: Abiraterone and enzalutamide are 2 novel androgen receptor (AR)-targeting therapies that improve survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The factors that predict abiraterone and enzalutamide response are lacking. The objective of the present study was to determine whether the outcomes from primary androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) could predict the outcomes with subsequent novel AR-targeting therapies.

Anti-androgenic activity of absorption-enhanced 3, 3'-diindolylmethane in prostatectomy patients.

Consumption of cruciferous vegetables is associated with a decreased risk of developing prostate cancer. Antineoplastic effects of cruciferous vegetables are attributable to bioactive indoles, most prominently, 3, 3'-diindolylmethane (DIM). In addition to effects on proliferation and apoptosis, DIM acts as an antiandrogen in prostate cancer cell lines.

Renal Splenosis: Renal Mass Biopsy Diagnosis of a Tumor Clinically Mimicking Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Renal mass biopsy is increasingly used to guide conservative tumor management, placing increasing importance on pathologists' ability to diagnose small tumor samples. A 66-year-old man with a history of prior splenectomy for trauma presented for urologic evaluation after identification of a left 5.8 cm renal mass.

Targeting of free fatty acid receptor 1 in EOC: A novel strategy to restrict the adipocyte-EOC dependence.

Objectives: Adipocyte derived free fatty acids (FFA) promote epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) by acting as a fuel source to support the energy requirement of the cancer cells. FFA may also exert biological effects through signaling pathways. Recently, a family of FFA activated G-protein coupled receptors (FFAR/GPCRs) was identified.

Clear cell renal cell tumors: Not all that is "clear" is cancer.

Continued improvement of our understanding of the clinical, histologic, and genetic features of renal cell tumors has progressively evolved renal tumor classification, revealing an expanding array of distinct tumor types with different implications for prognosis, patient counseling, and treatment. Although clear cell renal cell carcinoma is unequivocally the most common adult renal tumor, there is growing evidence that some "clear cell" renal neoplasms, such as exemplified by multilocular cystic clear cell renal neoplasm of low malignant potential (formerly multilocular cystic renal cell carcinoma), do not have the same potential for insidious progression and metastasis, warranting reclassification as low malignant potential tumors or benign neoplasms. Still other novel tumor types such as clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma have been more recently recognized, which similarly have shown a conspicuous absence of aggressive behavior to date, suggesting that these too may be recategorized as noncancerous or may be premalignant neoplasms.