Assessment of safety and tolerability of subcutaneous trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer: Results of an open-label, randomized, multicenter, phase IIIB ESCAPE trial.

Aim: To assess the safety and tolerability of subcutaneous (SC) trastuzumab (Herceptin) administered either with a single-use injection device (SID) or manually from a vial using a hand-held syringe.

Methods: The ESCAPE trial (NCT02194166) included 90 women aged 18 years or older with HER2-positive early breast cancer who underwent surgical treatment and completed (neo) adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy (if indicated). Patients enrolled in the study were first subjected to 4 cycles of trastuzumab IV (8 mg/kg loading dose followed by 6 mg/kg maintenance dose, q3w) prior to being randomized into groups: [A] SC trastuzumab (fixed dose 600 mg, q3w) administered through a hand-held syringe followed by 7 cycles of SC trastuzumab administered with an SID or [B] the reverse sequence.

Prognostic Value of Lymph Node Ratio in Patients with Uterine Carcinosarcoma.

Uterine carcinosarcoma is a rare high-grade endometrial cancer. Controversy has surrounded a number of aspects in the diagnosis and management of this unique clinicopathological entity, including the efficacy of adjuvant therapy, which has been questioned. An unusual surgico-pathological parameter with prognostic significance in a number of tumour sites is the lymph node ratio (LNR).

CAR-T Cell Therapy for Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is a malignancy characterized by the presence of Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells within a complex tumor microenvironment (TME). Despite advances in conventional therapies, a subset of cHL patients experience relapse or refractory disease, necessitating the exploration of novel treatment strategies. Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) therapy has emerged as a promising approach for the management of cHL, harnessing the power of genetically modified T cells to recognize and eliminate tumor cells.

Second Primary Cancer Among Patients With Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Following the Chernobyl Disaster.

Importance: To our knowledge, there are no complete population-based studies of the risks of developing second malignant tumors after papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in patients following the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Objective: To study the risk of second primary cancers in patients with PTC after the Chernobyl disaster.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in the Republic of Belarus over a 31-year time frame evaluating patients with primary PTC and second malignant tumors.

Adjuvant composite cold atmospheric plasma therapy increases antitumoral effect of doxorubicin hydrochloride.

Introduction: Cancer is a global health concern, with a significant impact on mortality rates. Despite advancements in targeted antitumor drugs, the development of new therapies remains challenging due to high costs and tumor resistance. The exploration of novel treatment approaches, such as combined chemotherapy, holds promise for improving the effectiveness of existing antitumor agents.

Prognostic factors in patients with uterine sarcoma: the SARCUT study.

Objective: Uterine sarcomas are a rare and heterogeneous group of malignancies that include different histological sub-types. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the impact of the different prognostic factors on overall survival and disease-free survival of patients with uterine sarcoma.

Methods: This international multicenter retrospective study included 683 patients diagnosed with uterine sarcoma at 46 different institutions between January 2001 and December 2007.

Antitumoral Effects of Linseed Oil and Its Combination With Doxorubicin.

Linseed oil (LO) is known for its exceptional nutritional value due to the high content of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid; its anticarcinogenic effect has been established in several experimental and epidemiological studies. As an adjuvant of chemotherapeutic agents, LO and other ALA-rich vegetable oils have been studied in only a handful of studies at the experimental level. However, the efficacy of antitumoral therapy using doxorubicin (Dox) in combination with ALA and ALA-rich substrates has not yet been investigated.

5-FU resistant colorectal cancer cells possess improved invasiveness and β-tubulin expression.

Background: Elevated β-tubulin levels are associated with resistance to a broad spectrum of drugs in different carcinomas and with poor prognosis of various epithelial cancers. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a widely used standard drug in chemotherapeutic regimens for colorectal cancer treatment, although the resistance to 5-FU is a major obstacle to successful therapy.

Aim: The aim of the study was to compare the invasive and adhesion properties and the expression levels of β-tubulin in a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line HCT116 and parental cells.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in prevention of gastric cancer metachronous peritoneal metastases: a systematic review.

Gastric cancer progression resulting in metachronous peritoneal metastasizing is almost always associated with an adverse prognosis. This review discusses various options of preventing metachronous peritoneal metastases in radically operated gastric cancer patients. Also examined are different hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) regimens employed in gastric cancer treatment, postoperative morbidity and mortality rates and long-term treatment outcomes.

INTRAVASCULAR LIPOMA OF THE RIGHT BRACHIOCEPHALIC VEIN AND SUPERIOR VENA CAVA: A CASE REPORT AND LITERATURE REVIEW.

Lipomas of the major central veins are very rare tumors that have mostly been described in the inferior vena cava. They may be identified in as many as 0.5% of all CT scans.

Perspectives, fears and expectations of patients with gynaecological cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Pan-European study of the European Network of Gynaecological Cancer Advocacy Groups (ENGAGe).

Background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on European gynaecological cancer patients under active treatment or follow-up has not been documented. We sought to capture the patient perceptions of the COVID-19 implications and the worldwide imposed treatment modifications.

Methods: A patient survey was conducted in 16 European countries, using a new COVID-19-related questionnaire, developed by ENGAGe and the Hospital Anxiety & Depression Scale questionnaire (HADS).

Efficacy of Adjuvant Systemic Chemotherapy Combined with Radical Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer Treatment.

Evaluation of the efficacy of the combination of radical surgery, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), and adjuvant systemic chemotherapy (ACT) in reducing gastric cancer progression in patients with resectable serosa-invasive gastric cancer in a single institution. In 2015-2016, 19 patients with gastric cancer (stage IIB-IIIC) were included in the trial. The trial protocol comprised radical surgery, HIPEC (cisplatin 50 mg/m + doxorubicin 50 mg/m, 42 °C, 1 hour), and 1-8 cycles of ACT (oxaliplatin 100 mg/m administered on day 1 of each cycle and oral capecitabine 1000 mg/m (or tegafur 10-15 mg/kg) administered twice daily on days 1-14 of each cycle with an interval of 7 days between cycles).

Travel burden and clinical presentation of retinoblastoma: analysis of 1024 patients from 43 African countries and 518 patients from 40 European countries.

Background: The travel distance from home to a treatment centre, which may impact the stage at diagnosis, has not been investigated for retinoblastoma, the most common childhood eye cancer. We aimed to investigate the travel burden and its impact on clinical presentation in a large sample of patients with retinoblastoma from Africa and Europe.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis including 518 treatment-naïve patients with retinoblastoma residing in 40 European countries and 1024 treatment-naïve patients with retinoblastoma residing in 43 African countries.

Nonmetastatic, Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer and Survival with Darolutamide.

Background: Darolutamide is a structurally distinct androgen-receptor inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of nonmetastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer. In the planned primary analysis of a phase 3 trial, the median metastasis-free survival was significantly longer with darolutamide (40.4 months) than with placebo (18.

Comparison of whole-body MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging and PET/CT in lymphoma staging.

Objectives: To compare the diagnostic efficiency of whole-body MRI-DWI and PET/CT in lymphoma staging.

Methods: A prospective study enrolled 92 patients with lymphoma. Prior to treatment, all patients underwent whole-body MRI-DWI and PET-CT.

Population preferences for breast cancer screening policies: Discrete choice experiment in Belarus.

Background: Reaching an acceptable participation rate in screening programs is challenging. With the objective of supporting the Belarus government to implement mammography screening as a single intervention, we analyse the main determinants of breast cancer screening participation.

Methods: We developed a discrete choice experiment using a mixed research approach, comprising a literature review, in-depth interviews with key informants (n = 23), "think aloud" pilots (n = 10) and quantitative measurement of stated preferences for a representative sample of Belarus women (n = 428, 89% response rate).

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in serosa-invasive gastric cancer patients.

Background: Evaluation of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in reducing metachronous peritoneal metastases (MPM) risks in patients with resectable serosa-invasive gastric cancer.

Materials & Methods: Between 2008 and 2016, 154 patients with gastric cancer (stage IIB-IIIC) were randomly assigned to two groups: 76 patients underwent HIPEC (cisplatin 50 mg/m + doxorubicin 50 mg/m, 42 °C, 1 h) combined with radical surgery (HIPEC group) and 78 patients underwent only radical surgery (control group).

Results: Evaluation of HIPEC toxicity showed neither toxic complications of IV-V degree nor haematological toxicity (according to CTCAE v.

Darolutamide in Nonmetastatic, Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Background: Darolutamide is a structurally unique androgen-receptor antagonist that is under development for the treatment of prostate cancer. We evaluated the efficacy of darolutamide for delaying metastasis and death in men with nonmetastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial involving men with nonmetastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer and a prostate-specific antigen doubling time of 10 months or less.

BER gene polymorphisms associated with key molecular events in bladder cancer.

Aim: Base excision repair (BER) gene polymorphisms are known to play an independent role in predisposition to developing different cancers as well as to be associated with clinicopathological traits of the disease modifying its clinical outcomes. One of the underlying mechanisms is presumed to include interplay between BER gene polymorphisms and key mutational, epigenetic and chromosomal events in tumor tissues. The present study was aimed at elucidating potential gene-gene interaction and assessing their mutual effects in bladder cancer (BC).

Quality of radiotherapy services in post-Soviet countries: An IAEA survey.

Background: The quality of radiotherapy services in post-Soviet countries has not yet been studied following a formal methodology. The IAEA conducted a survey using two sets of validated radiation oncology quality indicators (ROIs).

Methods: Eleven post-Soviet countries were assessed.

Multiple-field interstitial photodynamic therapy of subcutaneously transplanted cholangiocellular carcinoma RS-1 in rats.

Unlabelled: The aim of present study was to investigate an antitumor efficacy of multiple-field interstitial photodynamic therapy (iPDT) in vivo.

Materials And Methods: The study was performed on 15 white random-bred rats with subcutaneously transplanted cholangiocellular carcinoma RS-1. Chlorine-based photosensitizer (PS) Ce6CPPPS was administered via single injection at a dose of 2.

The Involvement of ERCC2/XPD and ERCC6/CSB Wild Type Alleles in Protection Against Aging and Cancer.

Background: DNA helicases maintain genome stability, and their deficiency is associated with disorders resembling premature aging as well as contributes to carcinogenesis. Their functions are determined by the respective genes encoding nucleotide excision repair initiating proteins, e.g.