Prognostic immunotherapy score (PIS) in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with pembrolizumab: real-world data and validation from ARON-2 dataset.

Recent years have seen the development and advent of novel combinatorial strategies based on immunotherapy, and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) - based treatment has established itself as a mainstay in the treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). Herein, we aimed to validate the prognostic value of a previously developed score, the Prognostic Immunotherapy Score (PIS), including female sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) and liver metastases, in patients treated with pembrolizumab for advanced UC from the ARON-2 dataset. We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from Metastatic UC patients diagnosed at age ≥ 18 years.

Gender Medicine in Computed Tomography Radiomics Analysis to Predict Disease Progression in Liver Respectable Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Background: Gender medicine is an evolving discipline that examines how diseases manifest and progress differently in men and women. Tailoring medical therapies and diagnostic approaches can enhance patient outcomes. While radiomics is emerging as a promising tool in personalized medicine, few studies evaluate its role in gender medicine within radiology.

Immune-based Combinations in Intermediate-/Poor-risk Patients with Non-clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: Results from the ARON-1 Study.

Background And Objective: Non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (nccRCC) lacks direct comparisons of immune-based combinations, presenting an unmet need for defining optimal treatment for this specific population. This study aimed to assess the real-world efficacy of immune-based combinations in intermediate-/poor-risk nccRCC.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective study of patients (≥18 yr) with metastatic nccRCC treated with first-line immune-based combinations across 56 centers in 17 countries between January 2021 and December 2024.

Normal Weight, Overweight and Obesity Conditions Associated to Prostate Neoplasm Stages-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Prostate cancer (PCa) represents the second-most common cancer among men worldwide. Obesity is generally considered as a risk factor for cancer and it has been associated with a 20-30% increased risk of PCa death. The present systematic review and meta-analyses aimed to highlight any existing trends between prostate neoplasm stages according to normal weight, overweight and obesity conditions.

Treatment-Related Adverse Events in Extended Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Receiving First-Line Chemoimmunotherapy Versus Chemotherapy Alone: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Nowadays the prognosis of extended stage (ES) small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients is poor. However, a high response rate to first-line chemotherapy (CT) and the addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have notably ameliorated the outcome of these patients. The aim of our study is to compare treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) between ES- SCLC patients receiving first-line ICIs adding CT and those receiving only CT.

Pembrolizumab plus Lenvatinib in patients with metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: real-world evidences from the international ARON- 1 study.

Background: Pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib is a treatment option for metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma (mRCC). In the ARON-1 study we investigated we the real-world experiences gained from the use of this combination for mRCC.

Methods: We retrospectively investigated real-world clinical outcomes of mRCC patients receiving pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib within the ARON-1 study.

Prognostic significance of the cachexia index (CXI) in patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: The Cachexia Index (CXI) was a useful indicator of malnutrition and inflammatory pressure in patients with cancer and was associated with a poor prognosis. However, the available studies differ in terms of study population, design, and the used cut-offs. Therefore, we aimed to systematically analyze the association between CXI and survival in cancer patients.

Nutritional conditions and PFS and OS in cancer immunotherapy: the MOUSEION-010 meta-analysis.

Background: The MOUSEION-010 Meta-Analysis assessed the association between nutritional status and clinical outcomes such as Progression Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS) among cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Methods: Nutritional status was assessed based on the Prognostic Nutrition Index (PNI), Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) indexes. Databases consulted were: Embase, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science.

Post-progression treatment options after CDK4/6 inhibitors in hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

The combination of cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) and endocrine therapy (ET) is the standard first-line treatment for hormone receptor-positive (HR + ) and HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (mBC). Despite their efficacy, resistance inevitably develops, necessitating alternative therapeutic strategies post-progression. This review explores current and emerging treatment options following progression on CDK4/6i, focusing on endocrine therapies, targeted therapies, combination approaches, and the continued use of CDK4/6i.

Liquid biopsy for guiding breast cancer immunotherapy.

Liquid biopsy is a laboratory test used to detect and analyze circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and other tumor-derived components, in a blood sample. In the context of breast cancer (BC), liquid biopsies hold significant promise for guiding the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors and immune-based combinations, offering real-time insights into tumor dynamics, treatment response, and resistance mechanisms. This review explores the role of liquid biopsy in BC immunotherapy, focusing on its applications, benefits, issues, and current and future research directions.

Unlocking the mechanisms underlying the activity of pembrolizumab plus enfortumab vedotin in patients with urothelial carcinoma.

Introduction: Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is frequently associated with a poor prognosis in patients with advanced disease. A strong biological rationale supports the investigation of combining antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with immunotherapy to overcome the occurrence of resistance and improve patient outcomes.

Areas Covered: In this review, we illustrate the mechanisms of action of pembrolizumab and enfortumab vedotin (EV) and the immune and biological rationales underlying their synergy in mUC patients.

Collaborative forecasting of influenza-like illness in Italy: The Influcast experience.

Collaborative hubs that integrate multiple teams to generate ensemble projections and forecasts for shared targets are now regarded as state-of-the-art in epidemic predictive modeling. In this paper, we introduce Influcast, Italy's first epidemic forecasting hub for influenza-like illness. During the 2023/2024 winter season, Influcast provided 20 rounds of forecasts, involving five teams and eight models to predict influenza-like illness incidence up to four weeks in advance at the national and regional administrative level.

Management of oligometastatic and oligoprogressive renal cell carcinoma: an updated review.

Introduction: metastasis-directed treatment (MDT) is progressively expanding its scope in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), finding application both in cases of oligometastatic disease, whether synchronous or metachronous, and in oligo-progression during systemic therapy (ST). This updated narrative review incorporates recent advancements in managing oligometastatic and oligo-progressive RCC. A PubMed literature search using keywords related to mRCC and its treatments was made.

Dynamics of resistance to immunotherapy and TKI in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Immune-based combinations are the cornerstone of the first-line treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients, leading to outstanding outcomes. Nevertheless, primary resistance and disease progression is a critical clinical challenge. To properly address this issue, it is pivotal to understand the mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, that tumor eventually develop under treatment.

Metastatic sites and clinical outcomes in renal cell carcinoma patients receiving immune-based combinations: the MOUSEION-08 study.

Immune-based combinations have significantly improved the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC); however, immunotherapy has reported varying degrees of efficacy across different metastatic sites, with liver and bone metastases traditionally considered more challenging to treat. In MOUSEION-08 study, we aimed to investigate the association between lung, liver, and bone metastases and clinical outcomes such as Overall Survival (OS) and Progression- Free Survival (PFS) in mRCC patients receiving immune-based combinations. The present systematic review and study-level meta-analysis was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA).

Monitoring Over Time of Pathological Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients Through an Ensemble Vision Transformers-Based Model.

Background: Morphological and vascular characteristics of breast cancer can change during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI)-acquired pre- and mid-treatment quantitatively capture information about tumor heterogeneity as potential earlier indicators of pathological complete response (pCR) to NAC in breast cancer.

Aims: This study aimed to develop an ensemble deep learning-based model, exploiting a Vision Transformer (ViT) architecture, which merges features automatically extracted from five segmented slices of both pre- and mid-treatment exams containing the maximum tumor area, to predict and monitor pCR to NAC.

Treatment Sequencing and Independent Outcomes of First- and Second-Line Chemotherapy in a Retrospective Series of Patients with Biliary Tract Cancer.

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are aggressive neoplasms with limited therapeutic options. The amount of prospective evidence is poor, and limited data are available on the impact of treatment sequencing on survival. Here we report a real-world experience of patients with advanced BTC treated with at least three lines of therapy.

Impact of time-of-day administration of immunotherapy on survival in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: the MOUSEION-09 meta-analysis.

Studies conducted in the last few years have suggested a connection between clinical outcomes and the time of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) infusion. However, few data are available regarding the differences between early and late time-of-day (ToD) administration in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients receiving immunotherapy and immune-based combinations. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to fully investigate the influence of timing of administration on the efficacy of mRCC immunotherapy, by comparing early ToD versus late ToD dosing in this setting.

Apalutamide in Metastatic Castration-sensitive Prostate Cancer: Results from the Multicenter Real-world ARON-3 Study.

Background And Objective: Apalutamide (APA) is a treatment for metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). In the ARON-3 study we investigated real-world experiences with APA treatment for mCSPC.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed real-world clinical outcomes for patients with mCSPC treated with APA in the ARON-3 study.

Prediction of breast cancer Invasive Disease Events using transfer learning on clinical data as image-form.

Background And Objective: Detecting patients at high risk of occurrence of an Invasive Disease Event after a first diagnosis of breast cancer, such as recurrence, distant metastasis, contralateral tumor and second tumor, could support clinical decision-making processes in the treatment of this malignancy. Though several machine learning models analyzing both clinical and histopathological information have been developed in literature to address this task, these approaches turned out to be unsuitable for describing this problem.

Methods: In this study, we designed a novel artificial intelligence-based approach which converts clinical information into an image-form to be analyzed through Convolutional Neural Networks.

Sex differences in adverse events among cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors: the MOUSEION-07 systematic review and meta-analysis.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer treatment, but they are associated with a range of immune-related adverse events (irAEs), and emerging evidence suggests significant sex differences in the incidence, type, and severity of these toxicities, suggesting an influential factor and understanding sex-related differences in irAEs as crucial for optimizing patient care and improving clinical outcomes. In MOUSEION-07 study, we aimed to assess the association between sex and treatment-related adverse events in cancer patients treated with immunotherapy through a large up-to-date meta-analysis of available clinical trials. The present systematic review and meta-analysis was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis.

Immunobiology of biliary tract cancer and recent clinical findings in approved and upcoming immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Introduction: Recently, immunotherapy has offered new hope for treating biliary tract cancer (BTC). However, several issues are to be considered, including the lack of validated predictive biomarkers that could help to identify patient groups which are most likely to benefit from such therapeutic approaches.

Areas Covered: In the current article, we will provide an overview of recent results and ongoing and future research directions of immunotherapy in BTC, with a special focus on recently published, practice-changing data, and ongoing active and recruiting clinical trials.

Corrigendum: The molecular tumor board as a step in cancer patient management: a southern Italian experience.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.

Prognostic Value of Neutrophil-to-Eosinophil Ratio (NER) in Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The identification of reliable prognostic biomarkers is crucial for optimizing cancer treatment strategies, especially in the era of personalized medicine. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the prognostic significance of the neutrophil-to-eosinophil ratio (NER) in various cancer types, with a focus on its association with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases for studies published up to 28 July 2024.