Long-Term Costs of Minimally Invasive Sacral Colpopexy Compared to Native Tissue Vaginal Repair With Concomitant Hysterectomy.

Study Objective: To determine the long-term costs of hysterectomy with minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy (MISCP) versus uterosacral ligament suspension (USLS) for primary uterovaginal prolapse repair.

Design: A hospital-based decision analysis model was built using TreeAge Pro (TreeAge Software Inc, Williamstown, MA). Those with prolapse were modeled to undergo either vaginal hysterectomy with USLS or minimally invasive total hysterectomy with sacrocolpopexy (MISCP).

A phase I dose-escalation study of pulsatile afatinib in patients with recurrent or progressive brain cancer.

Background: Afatinib (BIBW2992; Gilotrif®) is a selective and irreversible inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor (ErbB; EGFR) family. It inhibits EGFR, HER2, and HER4 phosphorylation, resulting in tumor growth inhibition and regression. This phase I dose-escalation trial of pulsatile afatinib examined the safety, drug penetration into the central nervous system, preliminary antitumor activity, and recommended phase II dose in patients with progressive or recurrent brain cancers.

Hypoxia drives shared and distinct transcriptomic changes in two invasive glioma stem cell lines.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant cancer of the central nervous system. Insufficient oxygenation (hypoxia) has been linked to GBM invasion and aggression, leading to poor patient outcomes. Hypoxia induces gene expression for cellular adaptations.

Tissue-specific thresholds of mutation burden associated with anti-PD-1/L1 therapy benefit and prognosis in microsatellite-stable cancers.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting programmed cell death protein 1 or its ligand (PD-1/L1) have expanded the treatment landscape against cancers but are effective in only a subset of patients. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) is postulated to be a generic determinant of ICI-dependent tumor rejection. Here we describe the association between TMB and survival outcomes among microsatellite-stable cancers in a real-world clinicogenomic cohort consisting of 70,698 patients distributed across 27 histologies.

Zentangle® Pilot Study: A Mindfulness Exercise for Oncology Nurses.

Background: This study introduced Zentangle®, which involves drawing simple, repetitive lines and shapes to create patterns, as a tool to promote wellness for oncology nurses in a clinical practice setting.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether Zentangle used as a meditative activity in an acute time frame decreased stress, fatigue, and burnout while increasing professional quality of life and well-being in oncology nurses.

Methods: Twenty-six oncology nurses participated in a two-hour Zentangle class and received materials to complete art over four weeks.

Natural Killer Cell Infiltration in Prostate Cancers Predict Improved Patient Outcomes.

Background: Natural killer (NK) cells are non-antigen specific innate immune cells that can be redirected to targets of interest using multiple strategies, although none are currently FDA-approved. We sought to evaluate NK cell infiltration into tumors to develop an improved understanding of which histologies may be most amenable to NK cell-based therapies currently in the developmental pipeline.

Methods: DNA (targeted/whole-exome) and RNA (whole-transcriptome) sequencing was performed from tumors from 45 cancer types (N = 90,916 for all cancers and N = 3365 for prostate cancer) submitted to Caris Life Sciences.

A phase 1/2 clinical trial of invariant natural killer T cell therapy in moderate-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, a unique T cell population, lend themselves for use as adoptive therapy due to diverse roles in orchestrating immune responses. Originally developed for use in cancer, agenT-797 is a donor-unrestricted allogeneic ex vivo expanded iNKT cell therapy. We conducted an open-label study in virally induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 virus (trial registration NCT04582201).

Smoking Status and Survival in Patients With Early-Stage Primary Cutaneous Melanoma.

Importance: While smoking is associated with a decreased incidence of cutaneous melanoma, the association of smoking with melanoma progression and death is not well defined.

Objective: To determine the association of smoking with survival in patients with early-stage primary cutaneous melanoma.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study performed a post hoc analysis of data derived from the randomized, multinational first and second Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trials (MSLT-I and MSLT-II).