Spontaneous regression of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma: A report of a rare case and a review of the literature.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the seventh most common cancer in the United States; clear cell RCC (ccRCC) is the most common subtype. We report a case of spontaneous regression of metastatic ccRCC and discuss possible underlying mechanisms informed by a literature review. While regression of metastatic RCC has been described following nephrectomy or treatment of the primary tumor, spontaneous regression is rare.

The landscape of androgen deprivation therapies for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

In this podcast discussion, we review the landscape of androgen deprivation therapies (ADT) for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Prior to 2020, available ADT options to achieve chemical castration included gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor agonists (e.g.

Age, sex, and mitochondrial-haplotype influence gut microbiome composition and metabolites in a genetically diverse rat model.

We evaluated the impact of sex and mitochondrial-haplotype on the age-related changes in the fecal gut microbiome of the genetically heterogeneous rodent model, the OKC-HET rat. Alpha-diversity, measuring richness and evenness of gut microbiome composition, did not change with age or mitochondrial-haplotype. However, beta-diversity, a measure of microbial differences among samples, was significantly modulated by age in male and female rats in both mitochondrial-haplotypes.

Real-world overall survival in second-line maintenance niraparib monotherapy versus active surveillance in patients with wild-type recurrent ovarian cancer.

Background: The NOVA study (NCT01847274) compared niraparib with placebo as a maintenance treatment for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer (OC) but was not powered to detect an overall survival (OS) improvement.

Objective: To compare OS in a real-world population of patients with wild-type (wt) recurrent OC who received second-line maintenance (2LM) niraparib monotherapy versus active surveillance (AS).

Design: A retrospective study using a US-based nationwide deidentified electronic health record-derived database.

Applying a behavioral economic approach to understanding smoking processes: The indirect effect of past quit experiences.

Background: The Cigarette Purchase Tasks (CPT) measures the relative reinforcing value of cigarettes (i.e., cigarette demand).

Analysis of Mortality Causes and Locations in Veterans with ALS: A Decade Review.

BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease that leads to rapid degeneration of nerves in the brain and spinal cord, with eventual loss of voluntary movements, including breathing. This retrospective study of medical record data from 105 US veterans diagnosed with ALS at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center between 2010 and 2021 aimed to identify patient demographics, and the causes and places of death for these veterans. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data from 105 US veterans diagnosed with ALS by the El Escorial criteria and supported by neurophysiology testing was reviewed.

Symptom trajectories over time by cannabis use status among patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Adults with cancer may perceive cannabis as beneficial for managing their cancer-related symptoms, but the evidence supporting its medical use is varied and inconclusive. This study characterized associations of cannabis use with cancer-related symptom trajectories. Participants were adults undergoing cancer treatment at the Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC; n = 218) in Oklahoma; they were 71% female, 10% minoritized race, and 45% had stage III or IV cancer.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship of boronic acid bioisosteres of combretastatin A-4 as anticancer agents.

The boronic acid group plays an important role in drug discovery. Following our discovery of a boronic acid analog of combretastatin A-4 (CA-4), a series of analogs featuring a boronic acid group on the C phenyl ring of CA-4 was synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxicity, as well as for their ability to inhibit tubulin polymerization, inhibit the binding of [H]colchicine to tubulin and cause depolymerization of cellular microtubules. Modifications on the C ring of CA-4, either eliminating the methoxy group or replacing the C phenyl ring with a pyridine ring, resulted in a reduced potency for inhibiting tubulin polymerization, colchicine binding and cytotoxic activities as compared to CA-4.

Serious Games for Serious Pain: Development and Initial Testing of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Game for Patients With Advanced Cancer Pain.

Purpose: Cancer-related pain is prevalent among people with advanced cancer. To improve accessibility and engagement with pain-cognitive behavioral therapy (pain-CBT), we developed and tested a serious game hosted within a mobile health intervention that delivers pain-CBT and pharmacologic support. The game focuses on teaching and practicing cognitive restructuring (CR), a central pain-CBT intervention component.

Navigating the complexity of BRAF mutations in non-small cell lung cancer: current insights and future prospects.

There are many challenges that are faced in the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) due to the complexities associated with the tumor. Association of different types of mutations are one of the major complexities. Among these mutations, BRAF mutations are significantly gathering more attention due to their impact on disease progression and therapeutic response.

Hydrogels in the clinic: An update.

Hydrogels have been used in the clinic since the late 1980s with broad applications in drug delivery, cosmetics, tissue regeneration, among many other areas. The past three decades have witnessed rapid advances in the fields of polymer chemistry, crosslinking approaches, and hydrogel fabrication methods, which have collectively brought many new hydrogel products, either injectable or non-injectable, to clinical studies. In an article published in 2020 entitled "Hydrogels in the clinic", we reviewed the clinical landscape and translational challenges of injectable hydrogels.

Pilot implementation and qualitative evaluation of a financial hardship screening among Native American patients with cancer.

Purpose: Native American (NA) patients with cancer are at increased risk of financial hardship due to lack of private health insurance coverage, medical comorbidities, and higher poverty rates. We aimed to implement and evaluate a pilot financial hardship screening (FHS) program among NA patients with cancer.

Methods: In 2022, we piloted the implementation of FHS among adult NA patients with cancer referred by NA-specific health facilities to an NCI-designated cancer center using the COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity-Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (COST-FACIT) tool.

The role of the polybromo-associated BAF complex in development.

Chromatin is dynamically regulated during development, where structural changes affect the transcription of genes required to promote different cell types. One of the chromatin regulatory factors responsible for transcriptional regulation during development is the SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF) complex, an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling factor conserved throughout eukaryotes. The catalytic subunit of this complex, BRG1, is shared in all three SWI/SNF complexes subfamilies and is essential for developing most cell lineages.

Use of machine learning to identify prognostic variables for outcomes in chronic low back pain treatment: a retrospective analysis.

Objectives: Most patients seen in physical therapy (PT) clinics for low back pain (LBP) are treated for chronic low back pain (CLBP), yet PT interventions suggest minimal effectiveness. The Cochrane Back Review Group proposed 'Holy Grail' questions, one being: 'What are the most important (preventable) predictors of chronicity' for patients with LBP? Subsequently, prognostic factors influencing outcomes for CLBP have been described, however results remain conflicting due to methodological weaknesses.

Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study examined prognostic risk factors for PT outcomes in CLBP treatment using a sub-type of AI.

Differences in the pathological, transcriptomic, and prognostic implications of lymphoid structures between primary and metastatic cutaneous melanomas.

Background: While the prognostic role of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) has been well studied in solid cancers, the prevalence and impact of immature precursor lymphoid structures known as lymphoid aggregates (LA) remain unresolved in relation to the disease process. In this study, we examined characteristics and the prognostic utility of LA and TLS status in histological samples from patients with melanoma.

Methods: We assessed The Cancer Genomic Atlas-skin cutaneous melanoma digital slides and melanoma specimens from the University of Pittsburgh for the presence of LA and TLS using H&E staining, multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) and transcriptomic analyses.