Phase Ib Study of Pembrolizumab in Combination with Intratumoral Injection of Clostridium novyi-NT in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors.

Purpose: Intratumoral injection of Clostridium novyi-NT, lacking alpha toxin, germinates and subsequently replicates in the tumor hypoxic regions, causing cell lysis and inflammation. This phase 1b study investigated the safety and synergistic effects of pembrolizumab and C. novyi-NT in advanced solid tumors.

Technical Effectiveness and Clinical Outcomes of Mechanical Thrombectomy in Cancer Patients Presenting with IVC Filter-Associated Deep Venous Thrombosis: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the presence of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters represents a challenging situation for the treatment in cancer patients due to the increased mortality and lack of thrombolytic options in this population. This study assessed the technical safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in cancer patients who presented with IVC filter-associated thrombosis and associated lower extremity DVT.

Methods: A single-center retrospective study assessed MT in cancer patients who presented with IVC filter-associated thrombosis and lower extremity DVT from January 2019 to January 2024.

Outcomes of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation for the management of portal hypertension complications in cancer patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) or variations of portosystemic shunt creation procedure in cancer patients with portal hypertension (PHTN).

Materials And Methods: A single-center retrospective study was performed on cancer patients who underwent TIPS from September 2016 through June 2023. Forty consecutive cancer patients (mean age 61 years; 30 men, 10 women) were reviewed.

Safety, Efficacy, and Adjacent-level Fracture Risk Following Vertebral Augmentation and Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Spine Metastases in Patients with Cancer.

Purpose To evaluate the safety and efficacy of vertebral augmentation (VA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treating pathologic spinal fractures in patients with cancer and adjacent fracture risk following treatment. Materials and Methods This single-institution retrospective study, conducted from January 2017 to September 2020, included patients with cancer who underwent percutaneous VA with or without spine RFA for pathologic spine compression fractures. The primary outcome was pain reduction, assessed using the 10-point visual analog scale before the procedure, at first follow-up, and 2-4 weeks after the procedure.

Optimizing Care and Maintenance of Enteric Tubes: Insights into Percutaneous Radiologically Placed Gastrointestinal Luminal Tubes.

Percutaneous enteric tubes, including gastrostomy, gastrojejunostomy, and percutaneous transesophageal gastrostomy, are essential for patients who cannot maintain adequate oral nutrition or require gastric decompression due to conditions like malignant bowel obstruction. Proper care and maintenance are crucial to prevent complications and maintain function. Enteric tubes are inserted using various techniques at different locations based on patient needs and anatomical considerations.

Effect of local radiofrequency hyperthermia on the intratumoral pressure and extracellular matrix stiffness in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Increased intratumoral pressure and stiffening of the extracellular matrix are biophysical barriers to effective drug delivery in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Local thermal interventions alter these biophysical characteristics of the tumor.

Purpose: To characterize time-dependent and thermal dose-related effects of radiofrequency hyperthermic (RFHT) interventions on intratumoral pressure and tumor stiffness.

Air Embolism after Percutaneous Lung Biopsy or Ablation: A Report of Six Cases.

Systemic air embolism is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of percutaneous lung biopsy and ablation. This report describes six patients (four male, two female) with air embolism following CT-guided lung interventions at two institutions between January 2021 and March 2024. Air embolisms were identified in locations such as the pulmonary vein, left ventricle, and coronary arteries, with clinical presentations ranging from asymptomatic to life-threatening events.

Differentiating between renal medullary and clear cell renal carcinoma with a machine learning radiomics approach.

Background: The objective of this study was to develop and validate a radiomics-based machine learning (ML) model to differentiate between renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) and clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC).

Methods: This retrospective Institutional Review Board -approved study analyzed CT images and clinical data from patients with RMC (n = 87) and ccRCC (n = 93). Patients without contrast-enhanced CT scans obtained before nephrectomy were excluded.

Combination Immunotherapy With Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Melanoma of Unknown Primary.

Oncology Grand Rounds Journal of Clinical Oncology.

CA-125 as a Biomarker in Renal Medullary Carcinoma: Integrated Molecular Profiling, Functional Characterization, and Prospective Clinical Validation.

Purpose: Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is a highly aggressive malignancy defined by the loss of the SMARCB1 tumor suppressor. It mainly affects young individuals of African descent with sickle cell trait, and it is resistant to conventional therapies used for other renal cell carcinomas. This study aimed to identify potential biomarkers for early detection and disease monitoring of RMC.

Phase I study of BMS-986299, an NLRP3 agonist, as monotherapy and in combination with nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose: BMS-986299 is a first-in-class, NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin-domain containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome agonist enhancing adaptive immune and T-cell memory responses.

Materials And Methods: This was a phase-I (NCT03444753) study that assessed the safety and tolerability of intra-tumoral BMS-986299 monotherapy (part 1A) and in combination (part 1B) with nivolumab, and ipilimumab in advanced solid tumors. Reported here are single-center results.

Sitravatinib in combination with nivolumab plus ipilimumab in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma: a phase 1 trial.

We conducted a phase I trial to determine the optimal dose of triplet therapy with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor sitravatinib plus nivolumab plus ipilimumab in 22 previously untreated patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma. The primary endpoint was safety. Secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), 1-year survival probability, and sitravatinib pharmacokinetics.

Using A Surgical Risk Predictor to Estimate Percutaneous Cryoablation Adverse Event Risk: A Single Center Comparative Analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the relevance of established surgical risk calculators for predicting complications in patients undergoing percutaneous lung cryoablation (PLC).

Methods: The institution's database was queried for PLC procedures from March 2015 to May 2024, excluding those patients with concomitant local therapies or five or more lesions treated in a single setting. Demographics, frailty metrics as defined by the surgical literature, and procedural variables were collected.

The Academic Impact of Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation Grants: Report from the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation/National Institutes of Health Task Force.

The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) Foundation aims to promote scientific research in interventional radiology by providing funding to promising investigators. Over the last 26 years, the SIR Foundation has awarded more than 280 research grants. In 2020, the SIR Foundation created a SIR Foundation/National Institutes of Health task force to evaluate the scientific ramifications of these funds in terms of overall productivity and research impact.

Keeping it "straight": how to do spinal tumor ablation with vertebral augmentation.

This technical review provides a comprehensive overview of spinal tumor ablation and vertebral augmentation. These percutaneous minimally invasive procedures offer significant survival and palliative pain relief benefits for patients with pathological vertebral fractures. Vertebral augmentation, which includes vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, involves injecting cement into fractured vertebral bodies to restore height.

Intratumoral Injection of Immunotherapeutics: State of the Art and Future Directions.

Systemic immunotherapies have led to tremendous progress across the cancer landscape. However, several challenges exist, potentially limiting their efficacy in the treatment of solid tumors. Direct intratumoral injection can increase the therapeutic index of immunotherapies while overcoming many of the barriers associated with systemic administration, including limited bioavailability to tumors and potential systemic safety concerns.

Clinical Characteristics, Management, and Outcomes of Patients with Renal Medullary Carcinoma: A Single-center Retrospective Analysis of 135 Patients.

Background And Objective: SMARCB1-deficient renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is a rare kidney cancer associated with sickle cell hemoglobinopathies with poor outcomes described only in case reports and small series. We report disease and management characteristics as well as contemporary survival outcomes in a large cohort of patients with RMC.

Methods: Data were extracted retrospectively from all patients with RMC treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center between January 2003 and December 2023.

The Neuroimmune Axis and Its Therapeutic Potential for Primary Liver Cancer.

The autonomic nervous system plays an integral role in motion and sensation as well as the physiologic function of visceral organs. The nervous system additionally plays a key role in primary liver diseases. Until recently, however, the impact of nerves on cancer development, progression, and metastasis has been unappreciated.

Clinical outcomes of image-guided therapies in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma: a tertiary referral center retrospective study.

Background: Image-guided therapies (IGTs) are commonly used in oncology, but their role in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is not well defined.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of patients with ACC treated with IGTs. We assessed response to therapy using RECIST v1.

Tissue Ablation: Applications and Perspectives.

Tissue ablation techniques have emerged as a critical component of modern medical practice and biomedical research, offering versatile solutions for treating various diseases and disorders. Percutaneous ablation is minimally invasive and offers numerous advantages over traditional surgery, such as shorter recovery times, reduced hospital stays, and decreased healthcare costs. Intra-procedural imaging during ablation also allows precise visualization of the treated tissue while minimizing injury to the surrounding normal tissues, reducing the risk of complications.

Molecular Pathways and Cellular Subsets Associated with Adverse Clinical Outcomes in Overlapping Immune-Related Myocarditis and Myositis.

Immune checkpoint therapies (ICT) can induce life-threatening immune-related adverse events, including myocarditis and myositis, which are rare but often concurrent. The molecular pathways and immune subsets underlying these toxicities remain poorly understood. To address this need, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of heart and skeletal muscle biopsies obtained from living patients with cancers treated with ICTs and admitted to the hospital with myocarditis and/or myositis (overlapping myocarditis plus myositis, n = 10; myocarditis-only, n = 1) or ICT-exposed patients ruled out for toxicity utilized as controls (n = 9).