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Conventional blood-based biomarkers and radiographic imaging are excellent for use in monitoring different aspects of malignant disease, but given their specific shortcomings, their integration with other, complementary markers such as plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) will be beneficial toward a precision medicine-driven future. Plasma ctDNA analysis utilizes the measurement of cancer-specific molecular alterations in a variety of bodily fluids released by dying tumor cells to monitor and profile response to therapy, and is being employed in several clinical scenarios. Plasma concentrations of ctDNA have been reported to correlate with tumor burden. However, the strength of this association is generally poor and highly variable, confounding the interpretation of longitudinal plasma ctDNA measurements in conjunction with routine radiographic assessments. Herein is discussed what is currently understood with respect to the fundamental characteristics of tumor growth that dictate plasma ctDNA concentrations, with a perspective on its interpretation in conjunction with radiographically determined tumor burden assessments.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmoldx.2024.07.001 | DOI Listing |
J Oncol Pharm Pract
September 2025
Department of Research & Development, Squad Medicine and Research (SMR), Amadalavalasa, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Cancer vaccines represent a transformative shift in oncology, aiming to prevent malignancies or treat established cancers by training the immune system to recognize tumor-specific or tumor-associated antigens. This review explores the diverse platforms and mechanisms supporting cancer vaccines, ranging from prophylactic vaccines such as HPV and hepatitis B vaccines that have significantly reduced virus-related cancers to therapeutic vaccines like Sipuleucel-T and T-VEC that extend survival in prostate cancer and melanoma. Vaccine types are classified, and delivery platforms including mRNA, peptide, dendritic cell and viral vector-based approaches are examined alongside pivotal clinical trial outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Surg
September 2025
BK21 FOUR KNU Convergence Educational Program of Biomedical Sciences for Creative Future Talents, Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Thyroid cancer, a prevalent endocrine malignancy, is influenced by its tumor microenvironment (TME), with cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) playing a pivotal role in disease progression. Molecularly, CAFs orchestrate a pro-tumorigenic niche via cytokine secretion and extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening, underscoring their targetability. Therapeutic strategies, including small molecule inhibitor-based therapies, immune-based therapies, nanoparticle-based approaches, and combination regimens, have been evaluated for their efficacy in disrupting CAF functionality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrief Bioinform
August 2025
Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, Xiwu Road, Xincheng District, Xi'an 710004, China.
Accurate tumor mutation burden (TMB) quantification is critical for immunotherapy stratification, yet remains challenging due to variability across sequencing platforms, tumor heterogeneity, and variant calling pipelines. Here, we introduce TMBquant, an explainable AI-powered caller designed to optimize TMB estimation through dynamic feature selection, ensemble learning, and automated strategy adaptation. Built upon the H2O AutoML framework, TMBquant integrates variant features, minimizes classification errors, and enhances both accuracy and stability across diverse datasets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Spectr
September 2025
The School of Clinical Medicine, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major global health burden. While interferon-alpha (IFNα) therapy demonstrates antiviral and immunomodulatory effects, reliable prognostic markers for sustained response are needed. Transaminases, hematological parameters, and cytokines may serve as potential predictors, but their dynamic changes during IFNα therapy remain poorly characterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPalliat Med Rep
August 2025
Division of Palliative Medicine, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Airway obstruction is a distressing and potentially life-threatening complication in patients with advanced head and neck cancers, particularly squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the pharynx. This case highlights the clinical, ethical, and interdisciplinary complexities involved in managing airway compromise in the context of progressive disease and limited treatment options. A 75-year-old man with recurrent SCC of the soft palate, nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx, recently initiated on pembrolizumab and radiation therapy, presented with dysphagia, stridor, and intermittent tumor bleeding.
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