Telemedicine in cancer care: lessons from COVID-19 and solutions for Europe.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged healthcare delivery, especially cancer care. Telemedicine emerged as an important tool to reduce disease transmission risks, maintain continuity of care, and improve accessibility. This study explores temporary measures during the pandemic as well as challenges and facilitators for integrating telemedicine into the European healthcare landscape in five case countries, focusing on cancer care.

Lymphadenectomy in the treatment of sarcomas - indications and technique.

Sarcomas are a rare type of malignancy with limited treatment options so far. This analysis aimed to describe the impact of lymphadenectomy on treating sarcoma patients. Sarcomas characterized by lymphatic spread are rare.

Polygenic score distribution differences across European ancestry populations: implications for breast cancer risk prediction.

Background: The 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) provides a promising tool for clinical breast cancer risk prediction. However, evaluation of the PRS across different European populations which could influence risk estimation has not been performed.

Methods: We explored the distribution of PRS across European populations using genotype data from 94,072 females without breast cancer diagnosis, of European-ancestry from 21 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and 223,316 females without breast cancer diagnosis from the UK Biobank.

LCRAnnotationsDB: a database of low complexity regions functional and structural annotations.

Low Complexity Regions (LCRs) are segments of proteins with a low diversity of amino acid composition. These regions play important roles in proteins. However, annotations describing these functions are dispersed across databases and scientific literature.

PCNA and Rnh1 independently participate in the protection of mitochondrial genome against UV-induced mutagenesis in yeast cells.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, the bulk of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication is mediated by the replicative high-fidelity DNA polymerase γ. However, upon UV irradiation low-fidelity translesion polymerases: Polη, Polζ and Rev1, participate in an error-free replicative bypass of UV-induced lesions in mtDNA. We analysed how translesion polymerases could function in mitochondria.

An update on access to novel treatment for metastatic melanoma in Europe - A 2024 survey of the European melanoma registry and the European association of dermato-oncology.

Advances in cancer treatments have significantly improved their effectiveness, yet access to first-line therapies remains limited. A 2017 survey revealed that over 25 % of metastatic melanoma patients in Europe lacked access to recommended therapies. To address this, the European Association of Dermato-Oncology and the European Melanoma Registry conducted a follow-up study on the registration and reimbursement of first-line treatments.

Quantitative assessment of radioactivity losses in the administration of therapeutic doses of [177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE and [90Y]Y-DOTA-TATE.

Background: Therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE and [⁹⁰Y]Y-DOTA-TATE are used in peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) of neuroendocrine tumors. One of the factors determining the efficacy of such therapy is administering the radiopharmaceutical dose to the patients in a way consistent with treatment planning. This paper evaluates the loss of [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE and [⁹⁰Y]Y-DOTA-TATE and their mixed doses during the administration to the patient either by direct infusion or by gravity method.

Respiratory Viruses in Patients With Hematological Malignancy in Boreal Autumn/Winter 2023-2024: EPICOVIDEHA-EPIFLUEHA Report.

Community-acquired respiratory viral infections (CARV) significantly impact patients with hematological malignancies (HM), leading to high morbidity and mortality. However, large-scale, real-world data on CARV in these patients is limited. This study analyzed data from the EPICOVIDEHA-EPIFLUEHA registry, focusing on patients with HM diagnosed with CARV during the 2023-2024 autumn-winter season.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Challenges of MS-based small extracellular vesicles proteomics.

Proteomic profiling of small extracellular vesicles (sEV) is a powerful tool for discovering biomarkers of various diseases. This process most often assisted by mass spectrometry (MS) usually lacks standardization and recognition of challenges which may lead to unreliable results. General recommendations for sEV MS analyses have been briefly given in the MISEV2023 guidelines.

A Global Regional Comparison of the Risk of Breast Cancer in Woman Using Oral Contraceptives-Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

: Incidence of breast cancer (BrCa) may be correlated with country development, with a rise in cases anticipated in regions of the world that are currently undergoing an economic transformation. Herein, differences with regard to the occurrence of breast cancer between individual countries may depend on the distribution of risk factors, the level of early detection, also ethnicity and race, as well as clinical characteristics. The aim of our study was to identify and then investigate observational studies in which the risk of breast cancer was associated with the use of oral hormonal contraceptives (OCs), with particular emphasis on geographic region, and to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the obtained data.

Prehabilitation-A Simple Approach for Complex Patients: The Results of a Single-Center Study on Prehabilitation in Patients with Ovarian Cancer Before Cytoreductive Surgery.

: Prehabilitation is a low-cost, safe procedure with no side effects, and it may have a positive impact on postoperative outcomes. However, it is not widely implemented. Our study aimed to assess the impact of prehabilitation on postoperative outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer within the field of gynecological oncology.

Is the omission of the external iliac or upper pelvic lymph nodes from elective irradiation safe in selected anal canal squamous cell cancers?

Background: Guidelines recommend elective irradiation of the external iliac and upper pelvic lymph nodes (LNs) regardless of clinical stage, but the supporting evidence for this recommendation is limited.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 68 consecutive patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal who underwent volumetric modulated arc therapy chemoradiation, excluding external iliac LNs from elective irradiation. In patients with negative bilateral inguinal LNs, both external iliac regions were omitted, while in those with unilateral positive inguinal LNs, only the ipsilateral external iliac region was included and the contralateral side was omitted.

Adenoma Detection Rates by Physicians and Subsequent Colorectal Cancer Risk.

Importance: Patients of physicians with higher adenoma detection rates (ADRs) during colonoscopy have lower colorectal cancer (CRC) risk after screening colonoscopy (ie, postcolonoscopy CRC). Among physicians with an ADR above the recommended threshold, it is unknown whether improving ADR is associated with a lower incidence of CRC in their patients.

Objective: To determine the association of improved ADR in physicians with a range of ADR values at baseline with CRC incidence among their patients.

COVID-19 health communication strategies for older adults: Chatbots and traditional media.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly accelerated the development and use of new healthcare technologies. While younger individuals may have been able to quickly embrace virtual advancements, older adults may still have different needs in terms of health communication.

Objectives: To identify areas of interest and preferred sources of information related to the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults and to verify their eHealth competencies.

MiRNA in archival serum samples derived from breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy vs freshly collected samples: Pilot study.

Background: Liquid biopsy, including miRNA profiling, is a promising approach to identify breast cancer (BC) resistance. However, the effect of long-term storage on the quality of miRNA assessment in archival serum has not been fully addressed.

Objectives: We aimed to determine whether miRNAs were recoverable from long-stored serum samples to subsequently evaluate prognostic and predictive miRNA value in the archival collection of samples from patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy at Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Gliwice, Poland.

A comparison of real-world data on adjuvant treatment in patients with stage III BRAF V600 mutated melanoma - Results of systematic literature research.

Background: Over the past decade, PD-1-based immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and targeted therapies (TT) with BRAF and MEK inhibitors transformed melanoma treatment. Both are widely used in the adjuvant setting. However, for patients with a BRAF V600 mutation, the optimal adjuvant therapy remains unclear due to the lack of head-to-head comparison studies.

Three-Year Overall Survival With Nivolumab Plus Relatlimab in Advanced Melanoma From RELATIVITY-047.

Nivolumab plus relatlimab demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS), along with a clinically meaningful, but not statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS) and a numerically higher objective response rate (ORR) compared with nivolumab in the RELATIVITY-047 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03470922). We report updated descriptive efficacy and safety results from RELATIVITY-047 with a median follow-up of 33.

Radiobiology and modelling in Brachytherapy: A review inspired by the ESTRO Brachytherapy pre-meeting course.

Brachytherapy (BT) plays a key role in cancer treatment by delivering a high dose to a small volume over a short time. The use of BT is currently validated in a wide range of cancers such as cervical, prostate and breast cancers while being a favourable choice for organ preservation, such as in penile or rectal cancer, or in the setting of reirradiation. Consideration of the radiobiology of BT is integral to the choices made around dose and fractionation and combination with other techniques such as external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

Olaparib as Treatment Versus Nonplatinum Chemotherapy in Patients With Platinum-Sensitive Relapsed Ovarian Cancer: Phase III SOLO3 Study Final Overall Survival Results.

Olaparib treatment significantly improved objective response rate (primary end point) and progression-free survival versus nonplatinum chemotherapy in patients with BRCA-mutated platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer in the open-label phase III SOLO3 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02282020). We report final overall survival (OS; prespecified secondary end point), post hoc OS analysis by number of previous chemotherapy lines, and exploratory BRCA reversion mutation analysis.