Case report: Dramatic impact of DNA next generation sequencing results using specific targeted therapies- and .

In the era of targeted therapies, the clinical importance and utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has expanded significantly. Owing to the relative ease and financial feasibility of NGS, the use of personalized treatment strategies has the potential to revolutionize cancer care. In this case report, we explored the use of NGS in salivary gland carcinoma (SGC) and spindle cell neoplasm of the scalp.

Exercise as an Immune Boost: Mechanism-Driven Support for Lifestyle Interventions.

Modifiable host factors have demonstrated promise to enhance responses to immunotherapy. In this issue, Savage et al. investigated the use of aerobic exercise to enhance antitumor immunity in a murine model of melanoma.

Investigating the tissue specificity and prognostic impact of cis-regulatory cancer risk variants.

The tissue-specific incidence of cancers and their genetic basis are poorly understood. Although prior studies have shown global correlation across tissues for cancer risk single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), any shared functional regulation of gene expression on a per SNP basis has not been well characterized. We set to quantify cis-mediated gene regulation and tissue sharing for SNPs associated with eight common cancers.

Physician risk perceptions and surveillance practices for tyrosine kinase inhibitor long-term effects in pediatric CML.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is effectively treated with long-term tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, yet little is known about risks of prolonged TKI exposure in young patients, and long-term effect monitoring is not standardized. We surveyed North American pediatric oncologists (n = 119) to evaluate perceived risk of and surveillance practices for potential toxicities associated with prolonged TKI exposure in children and adolescents/young adults (AYAs) with CML. Survey domains included general and specific risk perceptions and surveillance practices for asymptomatic patients on chronic TKI therapy.

Genomic Analysis of Salivary Gland Cancer and Treatment of Salivary Gland Cancers.

Salivary gland cancer is a heterogenous group of tumors that presents challenges with both diagnosis and therapy. Recent advances in the classification of salivary gland cancers have led to distinct histologic and genomic criteria that successfully differentiate between cancers with similar clinical behavior and appearance. Genomic abnormalities have led to the emergence of targeted therapies being used in their therapy with drastic improvements in outcomes as well as reductions in treatment-related toxicity.

The use of texture-based radiomics CT analysis to predict outcomes in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy.

Objective:: Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is being increasingly used as a non-invasive treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A non-invasive method to estimate treatment outcomes in these patients would be valuable, especially since access to tissue specimens is often difficult in these cases.

Methods:: We developed a method to predict survival following SABR in NSCLC patients using analysis of quantitative image features on pre-treatment CT images.

Molecular and Immune Biomarker Testing in Squamous-Cell Lung Cancer: Effect of Current and Future Therapies and Technologies.

Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, including squamous-cell lung cancer (SqCLC), typically present at an advanced stage. The current treatment landscape, which includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy, and targeted agents, is rapidly evolving, including for patients with SqCLC. Prompt molecular and immune biomarker testing can serve to guide optimal treatment choices, and immune biomarker testing is becoming more important for this patient population.

Developing biomarker-specific end points in lung cancer clinical trials.

In cancer-drug development, a number of different end points have been used to establish efficacy and support regulatory approval, such as overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and radiographic response rate. However, these traditional end points have important limitations. For example, in lung cancer clinical trials, evaluating overall survival end points is a protracted process and these end points are most reliable when crossover to the investigational therapy is not permitted.