Clinical outcome and genomic biomarkers of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapies for cancer of unknown primary: a multicenter, real-world study.

Background: Given the limited treatment options recommended for cancer of unknown primary (CUP), especially the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ICIs and identify associated genomic biomarkers in these patients.

Methods: This retrospective, multicenter, real-world analysis included individuals with oncologist-confirmed CUP cases treated with ICIs across four hospitals in China. Clinical outcomes, safety and biomarkers were analyzed.

Buschke-Löwenstein Tumour: Surgical Management and Literature Review of an Unusual Disease.

Buschke-Löwenstein tumours (BLTs) are rare, sexually transmitted lesions associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infections that primarily affect the perineal and genito-anal regions. Surgical excision is the standard treatment; however, management is often complicated by the tumour's local invasiveness, disease progression, variable treatment response, and high recurrence rates. Wound healing is especially challenging due to the proximity to perineal structures, increasing the risk of contamination and infection.

Prognostic index for predicting outcomes of trastuzumab deruxtecan in HER2 expressing metastatic breast cancer: a real-world multicenter study.

Background: Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) has shown efficacy in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive and HER2-low metastatic breast cancer (MBC), but real-world prognostic data in heavily pre-treated patients are limited. This study evaluates T-DXd's real-world efficacy and identifies predictive factors.

Methods: Our study included 317 patients (HER2-positive: n = 173; HER2-low: n = 144) treated with T-DXd between January 3, 2020, and September 9, 2024.

Osteosclerotic changes on computed tomography predict disease progression and poor survival in prostate cancer with osteoblastic metastases.

Background: Radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) in prostate cancer (PC) may not always accurately reflect tumor progression. However, the prognostic significance of osteosclerotic changes (OCs) in PC remains unclear.

Methods: A training cohort of 152 PC patients with osteoblastic metastases was recruited from the S Cancer Center, while a validation cohort of 41 patients was obtained from two additional hospitals.

Olanzapine combined with standard antiemetics for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in patients with germ cell tumor undergoing a 5-day cisplatin-based chemotherapy (NAVIGATE study)： A phase III crossover trial.

Purpose Prophylactic use of olanzapine significantly improves chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients receiving single-day highly emetogenic chemotherapy and 3-day cisplatin-based chemotherapy. This phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of olanzapine combined with triple antiemetic therapy for CINV in germ cell tumor (GCT) patients receiving 5-day cisplatin-based chemotherapy.Methods Eligible patients receiving at least two consecutive identical courses of 5-day cisplatin-based chemotherapy were randomly assigned to either olanzapine (5 mg) or its matching placebo during days 1-7 of the first chemotherapy cycle, then crossed over to the alternate group during the second cycle.

RC48-ADC monotherapy or in combination with immunotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma with HER2 low and null expression: a multicenter, real-world, retrospective study.

Background: Approximately half of urothelial carcinoma (UC) patients exhibit low or null HER2 expression. Limited data are available on the efficacy of anti-HER2 RC48-ADC (Disitamab Vedotin) in HER2 low and null advanced UC.

Methods: Patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC (la/mUC) with HER2 low (IHC 1+) and null (IHC 0) expression who received RC48-ADC monotherapy or in combination with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors were enrolled in this multi-center, retrospective study.

Efficacy and safety of modified bleomycin administration with EP chemotherapy in adult male patients with germ cell tumors: a retrospective study.

Background: Given the substantial inconvenience caused by weekly bleomycin administration, we initiated a study to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the modified bleomycin combined with EP (modified-BEP) regimen in Chinese adult male patients with germ cell tumors (GCTs).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 274 adult male GCT patients treated with modified-BEP at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between 2005 and 2022. The regimen involved a tri-weekly 5-day schedule with 30 IU modified bleomycin (administered on days 1, 3, and 5), 20 mg/m2 cisplatin (days 1-5), and 100 mg/m2 etoposide (days 1-5).

Bevacizumab, tislelizumab and nab-paclitaxel for previously untreated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer: a phase II trial.

Background: Optimal first-line therapy for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) varied in different situations. This phase II trial explores the efficacy and safety of combination regimens with vacizumab, slelizumab and b-paclitaxel (BETINA) in first-line setting for mTNBC.

Methods: Patients with previously untreated advanced TNBC received tislelizumab 200 mg and bevacizumab on day 1 and nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m on day 1, day 8 in 3-week cycles.

De novo designed mini-binders targeting glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus provided partial protection in mice model of infection.

Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus (Streptococcus zooepidemicus, SEZ) is an important zoonotic pathogen that greatly threatens the health of pigs in China. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) has been identified as a critical virulence factor that contributes to the adhesion of SEZ to host.

Rapid discovery of pseudorabies virus inhibitors repurposed from the antimicrobial agent ciprofloxacin.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a significant pathogen impacting swine health and poses high zoonotic risks to humans. Effective antiviral treatments for PRV remain limited, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic strategies. In this study, ciprofloxacin was identified as a repurposed promising candidate with significant in vitro inhibition of PRV replication based on our inference from PNU-183792, an HSV-1 DNA polymerase inhibitor, that quinolones have the potential to act as anti-PRV drugs.

Construction of a novel gene signature linked to ferroptosis in pediatric sepsis.

Introduction: Pediatric sepsis is a complex and life-threatening condition characterized by organ failure due to an uncontrolled immune response to infection. Recent studies suggest that ferroptosis, a newly identified form of programmed cell death, may play a role in sepsis progression. However, the specific mechanisms of ferroptosis in pediatric sepsis remain unclear.

PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors Plus Chemotherapy Versus Chemotherapy Alone as First-Line Therapy for Patients With Unfavorable Cancer of Unknown Primary: A Multicenter, Retrospective Cohort Study.

This multicenter study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy (ICI-Chemo group) versus chemotherapy alone (Chemo group) for patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP) in the first-line setting. We included patients with unfavorable CUP across four medical centers in China. Between January 2014 and December 2023, 117 patients were enrolled: 46 patients in the ICI-Chemo group and 71 patients in the Chemo group.

CYP2D6 polymorphisms and endoxifen concentration in Chinese patients with breast cancer.

Background: The plasma concentration of endoxifen, the active metabolite of tamoxifen, might be affected by different CYP2D6 genotypes in patients with breast cancer, but solid evidence is still lacking in Asian patients. This prospective study aimed to investigate the relationship between CYP2D6 genetic polymorphisms and endoxifen plasma concentrations among Chinese patients with breast cancer treated with tamoxifen.

Methods: From August 2015 to June 2018, 110 patients with breast cancer were enrolled.

Mini-binders targeting Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus M-like protein inhibit the bacterial adhesion and exert protective effects in vivo.

Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus (Streptococcus zooepidemicus, SEZ) is one of the most common pathogens causing streptococcal disease in pigs in China and has been identified as a zoonotic pathogen, and thus poses great threat to the health of humans and pigs. The M-like protein (SzM) is the primary virulence factor of SEZ.

SLC31A1 promotes chemoresistance through inducing CPT1A-mediated fatty acid oxidation in ER-positive breast cancer.

Over 60% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed with estrogen-receptor (ER) positive. Tamoxifen (TAM), a commonly employed medication for ER-positive breast cancer, often yields suboptimal therapeutic outcomes due to the emergence of TAM resistance, leading to the recurrence and a poor prognosis. The copper transporter, solute carrier family 31 member 1 (SLC31A1), has been associated with tumor aggressiveness and unfavorable outcomes in various types of tumors.

OncomiR mdv1-miR-M7-5p promotes avian lymphomatosis by modulating the BCL2/Bax mitochondrial apoptosis signaling pathway.

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is an oncogenic alphaherpesvirus that infects poultry and causes fatal lymphomas in infected chickens. Notably, the mdv1-miR-M7-5p, a pivotal oncomiR encoded by MDV, is closely associated with viral replication and latency. Here, mdv1-miR-M7-5p was transfected into the chicken lymphoma cell line MSB1, which resulted in the inhibition of lymphoma cell apoptosis and an increase in lymphoma cell proliferation and migration.

Impacts of genomic alterations on the efficacy of HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugates in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Background: HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have revolutionized the treatment landscape of metastatic breast cancer. However, the efficacy of these therapies may be compromised by genomic alterations. Hence, this study aims to identify factors predicting sensitivity to HER2 ADC in metastatic breast cancer.

Colonic tuberculosis mimicking malignancy: a multidisciplinary medical and surgical approach.

Colonic tuberculosis (TB) is a rare form of extrapulmonary TB with nonspecific clinical presentations such as weight loss, abdominal pain and fever. It is often misdiagnosed, as the presentations mimic other more common diseases such as colon cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases, especially in those countries with low TB incidence. Although a combination of CT imaging, colonoscopy and histopathology forms the essential part of the diagnostic assessment, the high variability and low specificity of each investigation may delay or overlook the diagnosis.

Metronomic Capecitabine Plus Aromatase Inhibitor as Initial Therapy in Patients With Hormone Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: The Phase III MECCA Trial.

Purpose: The effects of metronomic chemotherapy plus endocrine therapy have yet to be elucidated through a randomized phase III clinical trial.

Methods: Randomized clinical trials were conducted at 12 centers in China from August 22, 2017, to September 24, 2021, and the final follow-up date was August 25, 2023. Patients with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who had no previous systemic therapy in the metastatic setting were enrolled.

Risk stratification based on changes in the standard maximal uptake value on PET/CT and the plasma Epstein‒Barr virus (EBV) DNA status after two cycles of chemotherapy for extranodal NK-/T-cell lymphoma.

Although different types of prognostic indices have been applied in extranodal NK-/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL), they are based mainly on clinical characteristics before treatment. Moreover, these methods lack early assessment and tumor metabolic parameters. It remains unclear whether changes in the plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA (EBVDNA) status and SUVmax after two cycles of chemotherapy may predict disease prognosis.

Clinical significance of serum estradiol monitoring in women receiving adjuvant aromatase inhibitor for hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.

Purpose: The limited understanding of long-term estradiol (E2) suppression poses challenges to the effectiveness of adjuvant therapy with aromatase inhibitors (AI), necessitating comprehensive serum E2 monitoring to address this issue. Therefore, our objective was to investigate serum E2 levels in women undergoing adjuvant AI treatment and evaluate the significance of such monitoring.

Patients And Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we recruited women who had received adjuvant AI treatment, including those who underwent ovarian function suppression (OFS).

Clinical outcome and prognostic factors for immunotherapy-based treatments in patients with platinum-refractory germ cell tumor.

Background: Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are a heterogeneous group of cancers associated with a favorable prognosis when treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. However, patients with platinum-refractory GCTs face limited options and poorer outcomes, necessitating innovative treatment approaches. This study aims to evaluate the clinical outcomes and identify prognostic factors associated with immunotherapy-based treatments in this challenging patient population.