Cancer
September 2025
Introduction: Treatment intensification with androgen receptor signaling inhibitors and/or chemotherapy is guideline recommended for patients with de novo metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). However, most patients only receive androgen deprivation therapy monotherapy. The aim was to identify physician-, patient-, and tumor-related factors associated with the receipt of treatment intensification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: Changing to next-line systemic therapy is the standard-of-care for patients with progressive metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. However, to preserve systemic therapy options and minimize toxicity, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is being increasingly considered for patients with limited disease progression ('oligoprogression'). Herein, we report clinical, toxicity and quality of life (QOL) outcomes for an oligoprogressive prostate cancer cohort from a prospective trial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrol Oncol
July 2025
Background: Radium-223 (Ra) targets bone metastases in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and induces double-strand DNA breaks. We hypothesized that patients with homologous recombination deficiencies (HRD) may exhibit heightened sensitivity to Ra, resulting in improved survival outcomes.
Methods: This retrospective analysis was performed in men with mCRPC and bone metastases, with and without HRD, treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and Ra at the PMCC.
Theranostic represents a transformative approach in precision medicine, integrating diagnostic imaging with targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy to enhance individualized disease management. Rooted in nuclear medicine, this approach uses molecular targeting agents labelled with diagnostic radioisotopes for imaging and therapeutic radioisotopes for treatment, ensuring a seamless transition from diagnosis to therapy. The field has evolved significantly in the last decade, with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted radioligand therapy transforming prostate cancer patient management and somatostatin receptor (SSTR)-targeted agents revolutionizing neuroendocrine tumour (NET) treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To evaluate the impact of advocacy efforts by organisations such as the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) to increase awareness about the signs, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and need for a multidisciplinary approach to the care of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).
Materials And Methods: We developed a 32-question survey with input from physicians, nurses, patients and caregivers. The survey was posted on the BCAN website between August 2013 and September 2014 (Cohort A) and again between June 2023 and April 2024 (Cohort B).
Purpose: The optimal management of patients with de novo clinical stage IIA/B (CSIIA/B) or relapsed CSIIA/B (Rel-CSIIA/B) seminoma remains debated because of a lack of randomized evidence. Here, we sought to evaluate outcomes after radiation therapy and chemotherapy in this setting.
Methods And Materials: A prospectively maintained single-institutional database was retrospectively queried for patients diagnosed between 1995 and 2016 with de novo or Rel-CSIIA/B.
Eur Urol Focus
October 2024
Background And Objective: Studies in metastatic nonseminomatous germ-cell tumor (NSGCT) suggest that the presence of teratomatous elements in the primary tumor is a risk factor for poor survival. Many guidelines have extrapolated this observation and recommend adjuvant retroperitoneal lymph-node dissection (RPLND) even for clinical stage I (CSI) teratoma confined to the testicle. Our objective was to assess relapse-free survival (RFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS) among patients with CSI pure teratoma in comparison to CSI NSGCT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer
January 2025
Evidence from phase three clinical trials helps shape clinical practice. However, a very small minority of patients with cancer participate in clinical trials and many trials are not completed on time due to slow accrual. Issues with restrictive eligibility criteria can severely limit the patients who can access trials, without any convincing evidence that these restrictions impact patient safety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To compare the outcomes and treatment burden of primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (pRPLND) alone versus pRPLND + adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in patients with pathological stage II (PSII) non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT).
Patients And Methods: Retrospective review of the Princess Margaret Cancer Center eTestes cancer database identified patients with PSII NSGCT after pRPLND between 1995 and 2020. The primary outcome was relapse-free survival (RFS).
Countries face challenges in paying for new drugs. High prices are driven in part by exploding drug development costs, which, in turn, are driven by essential but excessive regulation. Burdensome regulation also delays drug development, and this can translate into thousands of life-years lost.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite recent advances in the management of urothelial cancer (UC), cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy regimens remain critical. However, their use can be complicated in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is not uncommon in UC patients. Based on the Galsky criteria for cisplatin ineligibility, most patients with CKD will be excluded from receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy altogether.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are indicated for metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC), but predictive and prognostic factors are lacking. We investigated clinical variables associated with ICI outcomes.
Methods: We performed a multicentre retrospective cohort study of 135 patients who received ICI for mUC, 2016-2021, at three Canadian centres.
Background: Active surveillance after orchiectomy is the preferred management in clinical stage I (CSI) germ-cell tumours (GCT) associated with a 15 to 30% relapse rate.
Patients And Methods: In the IGCCCG Update database, we compared the outcomes of gonadal disseminated GCT relapsing from initial CSI to outcomes of patients with de novo metastatic GCT.
Results: A total of 1014 seminoma (Sem) [298 (29.
Purpose/objective: Definitive radiotherapy (RT) is an alternative to radical cystectomy for select patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC); however, there is limited data on dose-painted RT approaches. We report the clinical and dosimetric outcomes of a cohort of MIBC patients treated with dose-painted RT.
Material/methods: This was a single institution retrospective study of cT2-4N0M0 MIBC patients treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to the bladder, and sequential or concomitant boost to the tumor bed.
Clin Colorectal Cancer
December 2023
Background: Cetuximab is a standard of care therapy for patients with RAS wild-type (WT) advanced colorectal cancer. Limited data suggest a wide variation in cetuximab plasma concentrations after standard dosing regimens. We correlated cetuximab plasma concentrations with survival and toxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although metastatic germ cell tumor (GCT) is highly curable with initial cisplatin-based chemotherapy (CT), 20-30% of patients relapse. Salvage CT options include conventional (CDCT) and high dose chemotherapy (HDCT), however definitive comparative data remain lacking. We aimed to characterize the contemporary practice patterns of salvage CT across Canada.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBJU Int
December 2023
Objectives: To compare radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS), overall survival (OS), and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) among patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) receiving a combination of first-line poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) plus androgen receptor axis-targeted agents (ARAT) vs placebo/ARAT.
Materials And Methods: We conducted a systematic review/meta-analysis of all published Phase III randomised controlled trials using EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane (inception until 6 June 2023). Published full-text manuscripts and conference abstracts were inclusion eligible.
Key Points: Many patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma are deemed cisplatin-ineligible because of reduced kidney function. Options include split-dose cisplatin or carboplatin. There was no significant association between regimen type and AKI.
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