Contraception Use in Cancer Survivors, Clinical Practice and Patients' Preferences.

Current literature suggests that emergency contraception, defined as a therapy aimed at preventing an unwanted pregnancy after unprotected or insufficiently protected intercourse, is used more by cancer survivors than by the general population. This may be related to reduced use of contraception in women after cancer diagnosis and, when it is used, to a choice of less effective methods, even in the absence of contraindications to hormonal options. The purpose of this review is to analyze the use of contraception in these patients, its predictors and the preferred methods, as well as to try to define timing and characteristics of an effective contraception counseling.

Enhanced patient journey associated with improved overall survival in colon cancer patients: A study by the Ligurian Oncology Network.

Background: Colon cancer imposes a significant burden on global healthcare systems, necessitating efforts to improve oncology care quality and patient outcomes. We studied the correlation between care quality and survival outcomes among colon cancer patients within the Ligurian Oncology Network (Italy).

Methods: We developed an Overall Quality Score (OQS) to evaluate the impact of oncology care quality on survival outcomes within the Ligurian Oncology Network.

Efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy schedules for breast cancer according to body mass index: results from the phase III GIM2 trial.

Background: The phase III GIM2 trial showed improved disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) with adjuvant dose-dense (DD) as compared with standard-interval (SI) chemotherapy in women with node-positive early-stage breast cancer (BC). This exploratory analysis aimed to investigate the benefit of different schedules according to body mass index (BMI) in this trial.

Patients And Methods: This analysis explored the efficacy, in terms of DFS and OS, of different chemotherapy schedules according to BMI.

Role of CuCl PET/CT in Detecting and Staging Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Comparison with Contrast-Enhanced CT and F-FDG PET/CT.

Molecular imaging of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MBC) is restricted to its locoregional and distant metastases, since most radiopharmaceuticals have a urinary excretion that limits the visualization of the primary tumor. CuCl a positron-emitting radiotracer with nearly exclusive biliary elimination, could be well suited to exploring urinary tract neoplasms. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of CuCl-based staging of patients with MBC; furthermore, we compared the diagnostic capability of this method with those of the current gold standards, that is, contrast-enhanced CT (ceCT) and F-FDG PET/CT.

Updates in pharmacotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer: a focus on emerging tubulin inhibitors.

Introduction: The treatment landscape of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has seen significant advancements in recent years, marked by a shift toward target agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, chemotherapy remains a cornerstone of treatment, alone or in combination. Microtubule-targeting agents, such as taxanes and vinca alkaloids, play a crucial role in clinical practice in both early and advanced settings in NSCLC.

Intermediate clinical endpoints in early-stage breast cancer: an analysis of individual patient data from the Gruppo Italiano Mammella and Mammella Intergruppo trials.

Background: Intermediate clinical endpoints (ICEs) are frequently used as primary endpoint in randomised trials (RCTs). We aim to assess whether changes in different ICEs can be used to predict changes in overall survival (OS) in adjuvant breast cancer trials.

Methods: Individual patient level data from adjuvant phase III RCTs conducted by the Gruppo Italiano Mammella (GIM) and Mammella Intergruppo (MIG) study groups were used.

Vitamin D and Cardiovascular Diseases: From Physiology to Pathophysiology and Outcomes.

Vitamin D is rightly recognized as an essential key factor in the regulation of calcium and phosphate homeostasis, affecting primary adequate bone mineralization. In the last decades, a more complex and wider role of vitamin D has been postulated and demonstrated. Cardiovascular diseases have been found to be strongly related to vitamin D levels, especially to its deficiency.

Hyperthyroidism in non-seminomatous testicular germ cell tumors: two case reports and literature review.

Background: Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-induced hyperthyroidism is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome observed in non-seminomatous testicular germ cell tumors, due to a cross-reaction between the β-subunit of hCG with the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor. The precise prevalence of this paraneoplastic phenomenon is unclear as, in the majority of cases, hyperthyroidism remains subclinical.

Case Presentation: Here, we present two cases of advanced metastatic non-seminomatous testicular germ cell tumors where patients exhibited signs and symptoms of thyrotoxicosis at primary diagnosis due to excessive serum β-hCG elevation, with complete remission of symptomatology after the start of oncological treatments and no signs of relapse at the time of publication of this report.

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Importance: The association of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) abundance in breast cancer tissue with cancer recurrence and death in patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who are not treated with adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy is unclear.

Objective: To study the association of TIL abundance in breast cancer tissue with survival among patients with early-stage TNBC who were treated with locoregional therapy but no chemotherapy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Retrospective pooled analysis of individual patient-level data from 13 participating centers in North America (Rochester, Minnesota; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), Europe (Paris, Lyon, and Villejuif, France; Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Milan, Padova, and Genova, Italy; Gothenburg, Sweden), and Asia (Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, Korea), including 1966 participants diagnosed with TNBC between 1979 and 2017 (with follow-up until September 27, 2021) who received treatment with surgery with or without radiotherapy but no adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

The Impact of Initial Tumor Response on Survival Outcomes of Patients With HER2-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer Treated With Docetaxel, Trastuzumab, and Pertuzumab: An Exploratory Analysis of the CLEOPATRA Trial.

Introduction: The CLEOPATRA trial (NCT00567190) established a dual anti-HER2 blockade in combination with docetaxel as the first-line standard of care for patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. While this treatment is overall associated with significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), not all patients respond equally. We hypothesized that a radiological complete response (CR) at week 9 (i.

Investigating sexual health after breast cancer by longitudinal assessment of patient-reported outcomes.

Background: Sexual concerns are a major unaddressed need among survivors of breast cancer (BC) with significant negative effects on quality of life. We longitudinally analyzed sexual health over time, using patient-reported outcomes.

Methods: Patients with stage I-III BC prospectively included from the CANcer TOxicity cohort (CANTO) provided data at diagnosis, then 1, 2, and 4 years afterward.

CDK4/6 inhibitors in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer: Focus on toxicity and safety.

The development of oral cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors, including palbociclib, ribociclib, and abemaciclib, has revolutionized the treatment landscape for patients with hormone-receptor-positive (HR+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer (BC). When combined with an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant, these agents have been approved as first-line therapy in the metastatic setting. Abemaciclib has also gained FDA approval for patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative, node-positive, early BC at high risk of recurrence.

Choosing the appropriate pharmacotherapy for breast cancer during pregnancy: what needs to be considered?

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy during pregnancy. Breast cancer during pregnancy is a challenging clinical condition requiring proper and timely multidisciplinary management.

Areas Covered: This review focuses on the management of breast cancer during pregnancy with a focus about the current state-of-the-art on the feasibility and safety of pharmacotherapy approaches in this setting.

Treatment Response, Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes and Clinical Outcomes in Inflammatory Breast Cancer-Treated with Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy.

Unlabelled: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare (1%-5%), aggressive form of breast cancer, accounting for approximately 10% of breast cancer mortality. In the localized setting, standard of care is neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) ± anti-HER2 therapy, followed by surgery. Here we investigated associations between clinicopathologic variables, stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTIL), and pathologic complete response (pCR), and the prognostic value of pCR.

Adjuvant treatment in hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer: New approaches of endocrine therapy.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and luminal breast cancer is the predominant subtype, characterized by the presence of estrogen receptors and/or progesterone receptors in tumor cells. Adjuvant endocrine therapy is the pivotal approach in the management of luminal early breast cancer. Hence, new therapeutic approaches have been studied during the last few years, especially in patients with high risk of recurrence.

Progression-free survival assessment by local investigators versus blinded independent central review in randomized clinical trials in metastatic breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: In randomized clinical trials (RCTs), blinded independent central review (BICR) is used to minimize heterogeneity and bias associated with radiological response evaluation by local investigators. However, BICR adds costs and complexity to the trial management. We assessed the discrepancy index between progression-free survival (PFS) assessment by local investigators and by BICR in RCTs conducted in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Pregnancy After Breast Cancer in Young BRCA Carriers: An International Hospital-Based Cohort Study.

Importance: Young women with breast cancer who have germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1 or BRCA2 face unique challenges regarding fertility. Previous studies demonstrating the feasibility and safety of pregnancy in breast cancer survivors included limited data regarding BRCA carriers.

Objective: To investigate cumulative incidence of pregnancy and disease-free survival in young women who are BRCA carriers.

Previous immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is associated with decreased COVID-19-related hospitalizations and complications in patients with cancer: Results of a propensity-matched analysis of the OnCovid registry.

Objectives: To date, studies have not provided definitive answers regarding whether previous immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment alters outcomes for cancer patients with COVID-19.

Methods: The OnCovid registry (NCT04393974) was searched from February 27, 2020, to January 31, 2022, for patients who received systemic anti-cancer therapy in the 4 weeks before laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. Propensity-score matching using country, vaccination status, primary tumor type, sex, age, comorbidity burden, tumor stage, and remission status investigated differences in predefined clinical outcomes comparing those who had or had not received ICIs.