ATP ion channel-type P2X purinergic receptors as a key regulatory molecule in breast cancer progression.

Studies have confirmed that ATP ion channel P2X purinergic receptors play a key role in tumor growth and metastasis. Similarly, P2X purinergic receptors can be used as a favorable regulatory molecule of breast cancer cells to participate in the progression of breast cancer. There are abundant ATP and its cleavage products in breast cancer microenvironment, which can be used as natural activators of P2X purinergic receptors.

Benefits and drawbacks of radiofrequency ablation percutaneous or minimally invasive surgery for treating hepatocellular carcinoma.

The management of early stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents significant challenges. While radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has shown safety and effectiveness in treating HCC, with lower mortality rates and shorter hospital stays, its high recurrence rate remains a significant impediment. Consequently, achieving improved survival solely through RFA is challenging, particularly in retrospective studies with inherent biases.

Reduced-port robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy with optimized surgical field deployment: early results of single-site plus-two ports method.

Background: The adoption of Robotic Pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) is increasing globally. Meanwhile, reduced-port RPD (RPRPD) remains uncommon, requiring robot-specific techniques not possible with laparoscopy. We introduce a unique RPRPD technique optimizing surgical field exposure.

Periodontitis is an immune-related adverse event associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: A multi-center cohort study.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs) across various organ systems including oral health complications such as dry mouth and stomatitis. In this study, we aimed to determine the risk of periodontitis among patients on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and to test the associations between ICI-associated periodontitis and other immune-related adverse events (irAEs). We performed a retrospective cohort study involving adult cancer patients between January 2010 and November 2021.

Impact of previous S-1 treatment on efficacy of liposomal irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Background/objectives: Liposomal irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (nal-IRI + 5-FU/LV) provides survival benefits for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) refractory to gemcitabine-based treatment, mainly gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GA), in current practice. Gemcitabine plus S-1 (GS) is another commonly administered first-line regimen before nab-paclitaxel reimbursement; however, the efficacy and safety of nal-IRI + 5-FU/LV for mPDAC after failed GS treatment has not been reported and was therefore explored in this study.

Methods: In total, 177 patients with mPDAC received first-line GS or GA treatment, followed by second-line nal-IRI + 5-FU/LV treatment (identified from a multicenter retrospective cohort in Taiwan from 2018 to 2020); 85 and 92 patients were allocated to the GS and GA groups, respectively.

The impact of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors on outcome of patients with diabetes mellitus and colorectal cancer.

Background And Aim: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a higher risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), and those with diagnosed CRC have a poorer prognosis compared with individuals with normal glucose levels. The inhibition of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) channels has been associated with a reduction in tumor proliferation in preclinical studies. We aimed to investigate the impact of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on the outcome of T2DM patients with colorectal cancer.

The relationship between statin administration timing and survival outcomes in patients with cancer receiving immune checkpoint blockade.

Objective: Statins have been demonstrated to improve outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). This study aimed to investigate whether the timing of statin administration influences the outcomes of patients receiving ICB.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study utilizing electronic health records from two tertiary referral centers in Taiwan.

The Efficacy of Cationic Amphiphilic Antihistamines on Outcomes of Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Cationic amphiphilic H1-antihistamines have demonstrated antitumor effects in preclinical studies. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate their impact on patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: We performed a matched cohort study involving PDAC patients from two tertiary centers in Taiwan using criteria including age, sex, and cancer stage.

Spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy from multi-port to reduced-port surgery approach.

Background: Minimally invasive pancreatic surgery the multi-port approach has become a primary surgical method for distal pancreatectomy (DP) due to its advantages of lower wound pain and superior cosmetic results. Some studies have applied reduced-port techniques for DP in an attempt to enhance cosmetic outcomes due to the minimally invasive effects. Numerous recent review studies have compared multi-port laparoscopic DP (LDP) and multi-port robotic DP (RDP); most of these studies concluded multi-port RDP is more beneficial than multi-port LDP for spleen preservation.

Efficacy of Lipophilic Statins on Outcomes of Patients Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Background: Statins are associated with improved survival outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), but the impact of lipophilic and hydrophilic statin properties on patient outcomes is unknown.

Objectives: We aim to investigate if statins with lipophilic properties are associated with clinical outcomes in patients receiving ICIs.

Method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at two tertiary referral centers in Taiwan comprising patients receiving ICIs between January 2015 and December 2021.

Real-World Data Validation of NAPOLI-1 Nomogram for the Prediction of Overall Survival in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer.

Background: The nomogram derived from the pivotal phase III NAPOLI-1 study demonstrated a significant ability to predict median overall survival (OS) in gemcitabine-refractory metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treated with liposomal irinotecan plus fluorouracil and leucovorin (nal-IRI+5-FU/LV). However, the NAPOLI-1 nomogram has not been validated in a real-world setting and therefore the applicability of the NAPOLI-1 nomogram in daily practice remains unknown. This study aims to evaluate the NAPOLI-1 nomogram in a multicenter real-world cohort.

The impact of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ activating angiotensin receptor blocker on outcomes of patients receiving immunotherapy.

Background: Certain angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) activation property, which has been associated with improved programmed cell death ligand 1 blockade and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-mediated antitumor activity.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate the impact of PPAR-γ-activating ARBs on patient survival in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) across all types of cancers.

Results: A total of 167 patients receiving both angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) were included.

Effect of metformin on outcomes of patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have transformed the treatment landscape of cancer treatment, but only a fraction of patients responds to treatment, leading to an increasing effort to repurpose clinically approved medications to augment ICI therapy. Metformin has been associated with improved survival outcomes in patients undergoing conventional chemotherapy. However, whether metformin provides survival benefits in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is unknown.

Impact of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors on heart failure and mortality in patients with cancer.

Objectives: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) reduce heart failure (HF) in at-risk patients and may possess antitumour effects. We examined the effect of SGLT2i on HF and mortality among patients with cancer and diabetes.

Methods: This was a retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study involving adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed with cancer between January 2010 and December 2021.

The incidence and risk of cardiovascular events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors in Asian populations.

Objectives: Immune checkpoint inhibitors are associated with adverse cardiovascular events. However, there are no data characterizing cardiovascular events among Asians on immune checkpoint inhibitors. We aim to determine the incidence and risk of cardiac events associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors in an Asian population.

Efficacy of cationic amphiphilic antihistamines on outcomes of patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Background: Cationic amphiphilic antihistamines have been shown to improve patient outcomes in immunogenic tumours, but whether they can augment and improve response to immunotherapy is unknown. We aim to evaluate the effect of cationic amphiphilic antihistamines in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study at two tertiary referral centres in Taiwan between January 2015 and December 2021.

The impact of spleen volume on the survival of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients receiving nanoliposomal irinotecan.

Nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI) plus 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (NalFL) comprises the current standard for gemcitabine-failed metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). As liposomes generally accumulate in the spleen, we evaluated the impact of spleen volume on prognosis. We enrolled patients with metastatic PDAC who failed gemcitabine-based therapy and were initiated on NalFL between August 2018 and November 2020.

Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of Tirapazamine Chemoembolization for Unresectable Early- and Intermediate-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose: To investigate the safety of replacing doxorubicin with tirapazamine in conventional transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in an Asian population with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to determine the optimal tirapazamine dose for phase II studies.

Materials And Methods: This was a phase I, 3 + 3 dose-escalation study for patients with unresectable early- and intermediate-stage HCC who received 5, 10, or 20 mg/m of intra-arterial (IA) tirapazamine followed by ethiodized oil/gelatin sponge-based embolization. Key eligibilities included HCCs no more than 10 cm in diameter, prior embolization allowed, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1, Child-Pugh score of 5-7, and platelet count of ≥60,000 μL.

Effect of previous conventional irinotecan treatment in patients with pancreatic cancer being treated with liposomal irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin.

Background: Recent studies have suggested the suboptimal efficacy of liposomal irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (nal-IRI+5-FU/LV) in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) patients previously treated with conventional irinotecan. This study investigated the effect of conventional irinotecan treatment in mPDAC patients receiving nal-IRI+5-FU/LV by analyzing a population-based dataset.

Methods: We reviewed 667 consecutive mPDAC patients treated with nal-IRI+5-FU/LV between August 2018 and November 2020 at Taiwanese medical centers.