Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting immunotherapy outcomes in lung cancer patients using clinical and blood biomarkers.

Background: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. While immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved survival outcomes for some patients, their efficacy and adverse effects vary significantly. Thus, developing accurate and practical prognostic tools is essential to optimize treatment decision-making.

Travel distance and potential disparities in palliative radiotherapy access for cancer patients in Victoria, Australia.

Background: Palliative radiotherapy (PRT) is crucial for improving quality of life in patients with advanced-staged cancer. This large data analysis investigates the travel distances and potential disparities in PRT access especially focusing on the burden of excess travel for palliative cancer patients in Victoria, Australia.

Methods: Using a state-wide linked dataset from the PRedicting the health economic IMPact of new and current Cancer Treatments (PRIMCAT) research program, we analysed the estimated road travel distance (ERTD) and potential excess travel distance (PETD) as well as received radiotherapy fractions for 29,807 PRT patients being treated from 2010-2019.

Incidence of local treatment and metastasis during active surveillance for patients with a small renal mass in a national multicenter prospective cohort.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of local treatment and incidence of metastasis for patients with a solitary small renal mass (SRM) (≤4cm) initiating active surveillance (AS).

Materials And Methods: Patients enrolled in the Canadian Kidney Cancer information system (CKCis) between January 2011 and January 2023 with a solitary renal mass ≤4cm opting for AS were included. The primary outcome was local treatment progression, achieved if the patient received definitive local treatment after initiating AS.

The Evolution of Nuclear Medicine from Unclear to 'Precision' Medicine.

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Disease Activity After Switching From Eculizumab to Ravulizumab in Patients With Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria: Real World Data From Denmark and Finland.

Introduction: Ravulizumab replaced eculizumab as the preferred complement inhibitor for Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria (PNH) in Denmark and Finland after 2020. Data on real-world disease activity after switching are limited.

Methods: We conducted a case series of 20 PNH patients who transitioned from eculizumab to ravulizumab, assessing transfusion needs and breakthrough haemolysis episodes (BTH).

Gut microbial diversity is preserved through localised chemo-immunotherapy delivery in a KPC mouse model of pancreatic cancer.

Systemic chemotherapy and immunotherapy can disrupt gut microbial homeostasis, contributing to inflammation, treatment-related toxicity, and diminished anti-tumour immunity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here, we evaluated whether localised delivery of chemo-immunotherapy via biodegradable implants could mitigate these adverse effects and preserve gut microbiota integrity. Using a syngeneic KPC mouse model of PDAC, we compared systemic versus implant-based delivery of gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel and anti-CD40/anti-PD1 antibodies.

The Dual Threat Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema (CPFE): Two Cases.

Emphysema is common in fibrotic interstitial lung diseases, and its combination with pulmonary fibrosis is known as "Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema (CPFE) syndrome". The diagnosis of CPFE significantly impacts treatment strategies and prognosis. In this article, we report the clinical, imaging, and especially the pathological features of two CPFE patients.

Remote monitoring in older adults with cancer, opportunities and challenges: a narrative review.

Background: The ageing population has led to more cancer cases among older adults, who face higher risks of treatment-related adverse events, functional decline, and unplanned healthcare use. Traditional assessments like Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and Karnofsky Performance Status lack sensitivity for this group, highlighting the need for new methods to monitor symptoms and functional changes in cancer care. This review examines remote monitoring technologies for older adults with cancer, focusing on their potential and challenges.

A Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study of the Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully Psychosocial Intervention Across Established Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care Programs in Alberta's Calgary and South Zone.

Background: The brief evidence-based Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) psychotherapy effectively addresses common psychosocial concerns among people with advanced non-curative cancers across cultures. Implementation strategies are required to speed uptake of psychotherapies, such as CALM, to address clinical needs.

Aims: The study aimed to develop and compare implementation referral strategies for CALM, assess the feasibility of training clinicians for CALM competence and assess patient adherence and satisfaction with CALM.

Redox-Sensitive Camptothecin Prodrug: A Promising Drug Delivery Strategy with Ultrahigh Drug Loading and Tunable Drug Release.

Small molecular drugs play a critical role in cancer therapy but face challenges like poor solubility, severe side effects, and inefficient delivery. Polymeric micellar-based drug delivery systems show promise but struggle with low drug loading, instability, and premature drug release partly due to the incompatible physicochemical properties. Here, we report a simple and efficient method to develop redox-sensitive camptothecin (CPT) prodrug by conjugating alkyl chains to CPT via a disulfide linker.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donors' Experiences of Information and Side-Effects During the First Year After Donation-A Swedish National Study.

The aim was to describe hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) donors' experiences focusing on information and side effects during the first year after donation. Our prospective Swedish cohort study with adult HSC donors was performed from 2019 to 2022, with questionnaires at four time points from before until 12 months after donation. 173 unrelated and 68 related donors participated, and the majority donated peripheral blood stem cells.

Multidisciplinary Clinical Quality Indicators for Head and Neck Cancer: A Modified Delphi Study in Australia.

Background: Monitoring delivery of cancer care is critical to improve outcomes in increasingly resource-constrained settings. The aim of this study was to develop a priority set of multidisciplinary quality indicators (QIs) for benchmarking and monitoring the quality of care for head and neck cancer (HNC) in Australia.

Methods: Following a systematic literature review, a modified Delphi consensus process was undertaken with Australian health professionals and people with lived experience of HNC.

Patterns of Presentation of Prostate Cancer in Patients of Non-English-Speaking Background at an Australian Institution-A 6-Year Retrospective Study.

Background: Patients originating from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds and lacking English proficiency often experience poorer health outcomes within Australia. This study aimed to determine whether patients of non-English speaking background (NESB) are more likely to be diagnosed with higher-grade prostate cancer on biopsy, and whether their NESB status affects treatment.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of all patients diagnosed with prostate cancer on transperineal biopsy and followed up at Western Health in Melbourne, Australia from January 2016 to December 2022.

CBCT-based online adaptive radiotherapy of the bladder - geometrical and dosimetrical considerations compared to conventional IGRT.

Background: Bladder cancer radiotherapy presents unique challenges due to the dynamic anatomy of the bladder and the surrounding organs. Conventional image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) relies on fixed treatment margins and daily couch corrections, which can result in suboptimal dose delivery. Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT)-based online adaptive radiotherapy (oART) allows daily re-optimization of treatment plans, potentially improving target dose coverage while minimizing exposure to organs at risk (OAR).

The impact of specialist palliative care on healthcare utilization among patients with breast cancer: a nationwide register-based cohort study.

Background: The incidence of breast cancer and the related mortality in Finland are among the highest in the world. Specialist palliative care (SPC) has been shown to improve quality of life and potentially reduce intensive resource use at the end of life among patients with advanced cancer. We aimed to perform a nationwide evaluation of the timing of the first SPC contact and its impact on hospital resource utilization in patients with breast cancer.

Balancing Innovation and Safety: Prediction, Prevention, and Management of Pneumonitis in Lung Cancer Patients Receiving Novel Anti-Cancer Agents.

Pneumonitis is characterized as inflammation of the lung parenchyma, and a potential adverse effect of several anti-cancer therapies. Diagnosing pneumonitis can be particularly challenging in lung cancer patients due to inherent similarities in symptoms and radiological presentation associated with pneumonitis, as well as other common conditions such as infection or disease progression. Furthermore, many lung cancer patients have underlying pulmonary conditions that might render them more susceptible to severe or fatal outcomes from pneumonitis.

Tumour extracellular vesicle surface Protein-mRNA integration assay for early detection of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Background: Early detection of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is crucial for improving clinical outcomes. However, the sensitivity of primary serological marker cancer antigen 125 (CA125) is suboptimal for detecting early-stage EOC. Tumour-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are promising biomarkers for early cancer detection.

Benefit of Chemoradiotherapy Versus Chemotherapy After Induction Therapy for Conversion of Unresectable Into Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: The Randomized CONKO-007 Trial.

Purpose: To determine the benefit, measured as complete removal of a tumor so that no tumor cells are detectable during histopathologic examination of the resection margin (R0 resection rate), of induction chemotherapy plus chemoradiotherapy (CRT) compared with chemotherapy alone for unresectable pancreatic tumors.

Patients And Methods: CONKO-007, an investigator-initiated open-label, multicentric, phase III randomized clinical trial, enrolled 525 patients with unresectable tumors, and 495 patients received induction chemotherapy (402 with fluorouracil, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin [FOLFIRINOX] and 93 with gemcitabine). Patients without progression after 3 months of induction chemotherapy (n = 336) were randomly assigned for continuation of the same chemotherapy (n = 167) or CRT (n = 169; 50.

Topological Scaffold-Based Trispecific Recombinant Protein-Drug Conjugates for Solid Tumor Eradication.

Topology structure of proteins plays vital roles on their bioactivity and property. However, the understanding of how the biological effect of active targeting groups varies with different spatial positions in the recombinant protein scaffold is poor. Here a three trispecific recombinant heterotrimeric proteins and their drug conjugates are reported with a star and linear topology structure prepared by genetically encoded fusion and SpyTag-SpyCatcher technology, which can simultaneously bind the human epidermal growth factor receptor 1 and 2 as well as integrin αβ on the surface of cancer cells.

Disparities in Timeliness and Guideline-Concordant Treatment is Associated With Excess Mortality in Public Versus Private Lung Cancer Patients.

Background: Previous literature has highlighted health inequality in lung cancer treatment, possibly related to differential healthcare delivery across public and private hospitals. In this study we assessed the association between public and private hospital receipt of guideline-concordant treatment (GCT) and survival.

Methods: A retrospective study of patients in the Victorian Lung Cancer Registry was performed between April 2011 and March 2022.

The Fibrosis-4 score is associated with overall mortality and severe haematological toxicity in older patients with cancer: Analysis of two prospective cohort studies.

The management of older adults with cancer is complicated. Although the liver metabolizes most chemotherapy agents, the predictive value of the liver status in older patients with cancer remains unclear. Here, we evaluated the association of the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score with overall mortality and toxicity in older patients with cancer.