Prognostic value of FDG PET/CT in de novo stage IV breast cancer patients treated with cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors.

Background: De novo stage IV breast cancer presents a significant challenge due to its advanced nature and poor prognosis. Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) combined with endocrine therapy have emerged as effective treatments for hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancers. However, predicting patient responses remains difficult.

The impact of perceval sutureless aortic valve in multiple valve surgery: implications of short- and mid-term outcomes-a propensity score matched study.

Background: Sutureless aortic valve replacement (S-AVR) is a surgical alternative to conventional aortic valve replacement (C-AVR), recognized for its efficacy and clinical superiority in the treatment of valvular disease. Its use is gradually increasing not only in single-valve procedures but also in multiple valve surgeries. This study aimed to evaluate our experience with the Perceval S-AVR combined with mitral and tricuspid valve surgery such as multiple valve surgery, focusing on the clinical outcomes and operative time.

Spatial and genomic profiling of residual breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy unveil divergent fates for each breast cancer subtype.

Residual cancer burden (RCB) is a strong prognostic marker after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer (BC), yet some BCs defy their predicted outcomes. Using single-cell spatial transcriptomics and genomic profiling, we investigate mechanisms underlying divergent fates of BCs with high RCB across subtypes. In triple-negative BC (TNBC), CXCL9+ macrophage-CD8 T cell interactions via chemokines and interferon-gamma signaling promote favorable outcomes, while SPP1+ macrophage-cancer cell interactions driven by hypoxia signaling correlate with poor prognosis.

Real-world evidence of the efficacy of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab in triple-negative breast cancer: A surgeon's point of view.

Purpose: Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab has shown efficacy in improving pathologic complete response (pCR) rates and survival outcomes in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, real-world data on its clinical efficacy, safety, and surgical outcomes remain limited.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective observational study included 331 TNBC patients treated at a single institution from July 2022 to December 2023.

Effectiveness of Adjuvant Capecitabine in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients With Residual Disease After Neoadjuvant Treatment: A Real-World Evidence Study in Korea.

Background: Residual disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has important role in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The CREATE-X study demonstrated a survival benefit from adjuvant capecitabine (adjC) in breast cancer patients, especially for TNBC populations. Because the landscape of early TNBC treatment has been changing rapidly, an optimal adjuvant strategy for real-world practice is needed.

Comprehensive Clinical Characterization of Decade-Long Survivors of Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Background: Elucidating the clinical features of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients with an exceptionally favorable prognosis may offer insights to improve the survival of more typical patients.

Methods: We collected comprehensive real-world data on clinicopathologic characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of 110 consecutive MBC patients who survived for over ten years from the clinical data warehouse of Samsung Medical Center.

Results: The cohort included 54 hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative (HR+/HER2-), 21 HR+/HER2+, 16 HR-/HER2+, and 14 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients.

A Phase II Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Bortezomib in Combination with Thalidomide in Treatment-Naïve Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia Patients.

Purpose: Despite the recent success of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors for the treatment of Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), their indefinite treatment duration ultimately tantamount to substantial financial and emotional burden. On the other hand, fixed duration of proteasome inhibitors (PI) have shown rapid and reasonable response in WM treatment. Despite the well-known synergism between PI and immunomodulatory drugs (IMiD), there is no trials evaluating such combination in WM.

Real World Experience of Second-Line Treatment Strategies after Palbociclib and Letrozole: Overall Survival in Metastatic Hormone Receptor-Positive Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Negative Breast Cancer.

Background: We analyzed real-world practice of second-line treatment in hormone receptor (HR)+ human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)- metastatic breast cancer (MBC) following the first-line CDK4/6 inhibitor with letrozole. In addition, we evaluated the relationship between second-line treatment strategies and survival outcome.

Methods: Using the clinical data warehouse, clinical information including MBC diagnosis, treatment and survival outcomes were collected.

The Association Between Institutional Case Volume of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Mortality.

Background: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a complex, high-risk procedure with significant morbidity and mortality. The positive impact of higher institutional case volume on survival has been reported in various high-risk procedures. The association between annual institutional HSCT case volume and mortality was analyzed using the National Health Insurance Service database.

Outcome of Extracorporeal Ventricular Assist Device for Cardiogenic Shock as a Bridge to Transplantation.

Background: The extracorporeal ventricular assist device (e-VAD) system is designed for left ventricular support using a permanent life support console. This study aimed to determine the impact of temporary e-VAD implantation bridging on posttransplant outcomes.

Methods: We reviewed the clinical records of 6 patients with the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profile 1, awaiting heart transplantation, who were provided with temporary e-VAD from 2018 to 2019.

Achieving the laser intensity of 5.5×10 W/cm with a wavefront-corrected multi-PW laser.

The generation of ultrahigh intensity laser pulses was investigated by tightly focusing a wavefront-corrected multi-petawatt Ti:sapphire laser. For the wavefront correction of the PW laser, two stages of deformable mirrors were employed. The multi-PW laser beam was tightly focused by an f/1.

Oncogenic effects of germline variants in lysosomal storage disease genes.

Purpose: Clinical and experimental evidence has suggested pathobiological crosstalk between lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) and cancer. We aimed to elucidate the association between germline variants in LSD genes and cancer.

Methods: We performed aggregate rare variant association analysis of potentially pathogenic variants (PPVs) in 42 LSD genes and >30 histological types of cancer using genome sequencing data from 2567 cancer patients (Pan-Cancer cohort) and 2504 healthy individuals (1000 Genomes cohort) and exome sequencing data from 53,105 individuals without cancer (ExAC cohort).

Body Cavity-Based Lymphoma in a Country with Low Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevalence: A Series of 17 Cases from the Consortium for Improving Survival of Lymphoma.

Purpose: Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a type of body cavity-based lymphoma (BCBL). Most patients with PEL are severely immunocompromised and seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We investigated the distinctive clinicopathologic characteristics of BCBL in a country with low HIV burden.

Effect of Platinum-Based Chemotherapy on PD-L1 Expression on Tumor Cells in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose: Programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD-1 ligand (PD-L1) axis blockades have revolutionized the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We assessed the effect of platinum-based chemotherapy on tumor PD-L1 expression and its clinical implications.

Materials And Methods: We used immunohistochemistry to retrospectively evaluate the percentage of tumor cells with membranous PD-L1 staining (tumor proportion score) in paired tumor specimens obtained before and after platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in 86 patients with NSCLC.

Plasma-based protein biomarkers can predict the risk of acute graft-versus-host disease and non-relapse mortality in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Predictive biomarkers for acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is currently lacking. In this study, we employed an unbiased proteome profiling method to prospectively collected plasma samples from allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) recipients to identify protein biomarkers that predict the risk of aGVHD and non-relapse mortality (NRM). In the discovery set, including five aGVHD patients and five controls, we identified seven candidate proteins.

Venous thromboembolism in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma patients treated with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone.

Lenalidomide plus dexamethasone (LD) is currently the mainstay of treatment for both untreated and relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Although lenalidomide-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major clinical concern, its incidence and prognostic impact have not been delineated. In this nationwide retrospective cohort study, we aimed to determine the cumulative incidence of VTE and its prognostic value using two consecutive cohorts of LD-treated RRMM patients: the KMM151 cohort (N = 542) and the HIRA cohort (N = 1559).

In-plane direct current probing for spin orbit torque-driven effective fields in perpendicularly magnetized heavy metal/ferromagnet/oxide frames.

Electrical manipulation of magnetization states has been the subject of intense focus as it is a long-standing goal in the emerging field of spintronics. In particular, torque generated by an in-plane current with a strong spin-orbit interaction shows promise for control of the adjacent ferromagnetic state in heavy-metal/ferromagnet/oxide frames. Thus, the ability to unlock precise spin orbit torque-driven effective fields represents one of the key approaches in this work.

Prognostic Impact of DNA Repair Protein Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers Treated with Platinum-Based Chemotherapy and Subsequent Curative Lung Resection.

Objective: Multimodal treatments that include preoperative platinum-based chemotherapy are fundamental to the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of DNA repair protein expression in surgically resected NSCLCs in terms of prognosis and responses to platinum-containing chemotherapy.

Methods: This retrospective study included 136 patients with NSCLC who were treated with preoperative platinum-based chemotherapy, followed by curative lung resection.

A phase 4 study of nilotinib in Korean patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase: ENESTKorea.

Although nilotinib has improved efficacy compared to imatinib, suboptimal response and intolerable adverse events (AEs) limit its effectiveness in many patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP). We investigated the 2-year efficacy and safety of nilotinib and their relationships with plasma nilotinib concentrations (PNCs). In this open-label, multi-institutional phase 4 study, 110 Philadelphia chromosome-positive CML-CP patients were treated with nilotinib at a starting dose of 300 mg twice daily.

Clinicopathological characteristics of extremely young Korean multiple myeloma patients: therapeutic implications.

Background/aims: Although multiple myeloma (MM) is typically a disease of the elderly, a certain subset of extremely young patients exists. It is necessary to establish clinicopathological characteristics for this population.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of MM patients whose age was 40 years or younger at diagnosis.

Prognostic Impact of Newly Proposed M Descriptors in TNM Classification of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction: The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer recently proposed new M descriptors for the next edition of the TNM classification for NSCLC, subdividing the current M1b category into two subcategories: M1b, which indicates a solitary extrathoracic metastasis in a single organ, and M1c, which indicates multiple extrathoracic metastasis. The purpose of this study was to validate the prognostic value of the newly proposed M descriptors in an independent cohort with multivariate and subgroup analysis.

Methods: A total of 1024 patients in a consecutive lung cancer database who had stage IV NSCLC treated between 2011 and 2014 were analyzed.

Human Herpesvirus 8-Unrelated Primary Effusion Lymphoma-Like Lymphoma in an Elderly Korean Patient with a Good Response to Rituximab Plus Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Prednisolone.

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma arising from a B-cell lineage characterized by the formation of malignant effusion in body cavities without evidence of a detectable tumor. The effusion contains tumor cells universally infected with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), which is the critical factor differentiating PEL from HHV8-unrelated PEL-like lymphoma (PEL-LL). This report describes a 77-year-old male patient with pleural effusion and ascites, containing lymphoma cells expressing a B-cell phenotype, but without markers of HHV8 in immunocytochemical analysis.