Efficacy and safety of one-time autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte cell therapy in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a high recurrence rate after first-line immunotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy. The presence of a high density of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in HNSCC tumors was shown to be associated with improved clinical outcomes. One-time autologous TIL cell therapy was evaluated in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC.

Protocol for a scoping review of time to treatment in adults with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Background: Delays in cancer treatment can result in tumor growth, increased clonal heterogeneity, upstaging, increased symptoms, organ damage, increased psychological distress, and worse clinical outcomes. Evidence supported guidelines for treatment timeliness exist in many cancers, but not for multiple myeloma (MM) though there is reason to believe delays in treatment would be detrimental.

Aims: This scoping review aims to explore what is known about the impacts of the time from diagnosis to treatment among patients with MM.

Child caregiving and cancer screening: a nationally representative analysis.

Purpose: Preliminary studies have suggested child caregivers ('caregivers') may experience childcare barriers to cancer screening. The objective of this study was to compare cancer screening adherence among caregivers and non-caregivers in a nationally representative sample.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used 2021-2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey data.

Impact of motivational interviewing on psychosocial and symptom outcomes during breast cancer endocrine therapy.

Purpose: Adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) is recommended to women with hormone receptor-positive (HR +) breast cancer for 5-10 years to reduce recurrence risk and mortality, but adhering to ET for this full period is challenging due to the physical and psychosocial effects of treatment. We sought to understand how participation in a patient-centered counseling intervention affected anxiety and depression, recurrence worry, and treatment related symptoms.

Methods: We conducted a single-arm pilot study over a 12-month period, consisting of five counselor-led motivational interviewing (MI) counseling sessions.

Distinctive molecular features of radiation-induced thyroid cancers.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) incidence increased after childhood exposure to radioactive fallout from the Chornobyl accident. We investigated PTC genomic profiles to distinguish radiation-induced versus sporadic oncogenic drivers by modeling dose and molecular characteristics by driver category: ( = 132), RAS mutation ( = 31), fusions generated from two breakpoints and <20 base pairs (bp) breakpoint gain/loss (Fusion; = 63), or ≥3 breakpoints and ≥1000 bp breakpoint loss ( = 20). The frequency of Fusion-PTC increased with increasing thyroid radiation dose, whereas all others declined.

Rural patients' experiences with diagnosis and treatment of endometrial cancer.

Background: Rural endometrial cancer (EC) patients are less likely to receive lymph node evaluation, high-quality surgical care, and adjuvant therapy compared to urban patients. Developing interventions to effectively address barriers to quality care requires understanding patient experiences across the cancer care continuum. Our objective was to understand the diagnostic and treatment experiences of rural EC patients.

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Utility of Remote Patient-Reported Outcomes Monitoring in Patients With Lung Cancer: A Moovcare© Study.

Introduction: Remote symptom monitoring using electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) during cancer care provides clinical benefits. We assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of a web application (Moovcare®) for lung cancer care.

Materials And Methods: In this single-site study (NCT05011890), patients with lung cancer (n = 41) were enrolled to 6 months of weekly symptom reporting using Moovcare®.

Understanding Associations Between Patient-Level Factors and Participation in a Breast Cancer Clinical Trial.

Background: Although breast cancer (BC) clinical trials offer novel treatments, participating patients often do not represent populations seen in clinics. This study assessed how patient sociodemographics, attitudes, and knowledge about clinical trials may be associated with participation.

Methods: This cross sectional analysis used survey data collected August-September 2021 by Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC) and December 2022 by Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) among women with a BC diagnosis.

Phase 1/2 study of H3B-6545 in women with locally advanced/metastatic estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

Background: Although endocrine therapies, alone or in combination with CDK4/6 inhibitors, have led to notable improvements in the treatment of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, progression is inevitable for most patients. We report dose escalation and expansion data from a trial of H3B-6545 (a novel selective ER covalent antagonist that inactivates wild-type and mutant ERα) in women with locally advanced/metastatic ER+, HER2-negative breast cancer (BC).

Methods: This study was a multicenter, open-label, phase 1/2 trial.

Cooling down hotspots of retail tobacco products: addressing disparities in the built environment through policy.

Multiple disparities exist in the built environment for retail tobacco. Disproportionate concentrations of retail outlets result in variation in the availability of tobacco products, consumer access, and exposure to tobacco marketing. Neighborhoods with higher tobacco retail density have higher tobacco use than neighborhoods with lower density.

KRAS: the Achilles' heel of pancreas cancer biology.

The genetic landscape of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is well-established and dominated by four key genetic driver mutations. Mutational activation of the KRAS oncogene is the initiating genetic event, followed by genetic loss of function of the CDKN2A, TP53, and SMAD4 tumor suppressor genes. Disappointingly, this information has not been leveraged to develop clinically effective targeted therapies for PDAC treatment, where current standards of care remain cocktails of conventional cytotoxic drugs.

Self-Reported Adherence to Cancer Therapy: Development and Validation of the Domains of Subjective Extent of Nonadherence-Cancer Measure.

Purpose: Patients with cancer take different types of medications with varying schedules and settings. They are also sometimes instructed to stop medications due to toxicity. To measure self-reported nonadherence in this heterogeneous population, we modified and evaluated a measure originally developed to assess nonadherence to daily oral antihypertensives, the Domains of Subjective Extent of Nonadherence (DOSE-Nonadherence).

Educational Targets for Patient-Reported Outcomes and Caregiver-Reported Outcomes in Psycho-oncology Research.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and caregiver-reported outcomes (CROs) are tools for evaluating behavioral medicine interventions and for bringing the patient voice into observational research. This study aimed to identify barriers to using PROs/CROs in behavioral cancer research and to equitably address those barriers. Forty-nine members of a cancer special interest group from a research society completed surveys in early 2023 about needs related to the use of PROs and CROs.

Longitudinal correlates of quitting e-cigarettes in the United States.

Objective: -cigarette use has risen markedly among young adults, despite efforts to curb this trend. To inform future programs and policies, we sought to identify longitudinal correlates of quitting e-cigarette use in the United States (US).

Methods: The study design was longitudinal.

Early Supportive and Nutritional Care For Adults With Pancreatic Cancer: A Pilot Study.

Context: Individuals diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer face a poor prognosis, heightening the importance of interventions aimed at improving quality of life. Quality of life for individuals with pancreatic cancer is highly influenced by symptom burden and nutritional status. Programs are needed that coordinate palliative and nutrition care for this population.

DNASE1L3-expressing dendritic cells promote CD8 T cell function and anti-PD-(L)1 therapy efficacy by degrading neutrophil extracellular traps.

CD8 T cell exclusion and dysfunction in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are among the most challenging obstacles for anti-PD-(L)1 therapy. Here, we report that tumor-infiltrating dendritic cell (DC)-specific expression of the deoxyribonuclease, DNASE1L3, is positively correlated with favorable outcomes of anti-PD-(L)1 treatment in cancer patients. DNASE1L3 conditional knockout in DCs leads to enhanced tumor growth and diminishes anti-PD-L1 therapeutic efficacy by impairing infiltration and effector functions of CD8 T cells.

Are we making progress? Testing whether interventions to promote key health behaviors improved over the past 30 years.

Objective: Conceptual and methodological developments could contribute to increasing efficacy of health behavior change interventions over time. We undertook a meta-synthesis to determine whether and to what extent intervention effects have improved during the past 30+ years.

Method: We retrieved data from 10 meta-analyses of interventions for physical activity, diet, weight loss, alcohol consumption, and smoking cessation (total k = 1,701).

Life course socioeconomic disadvantage and persistent infection burden: Links to cellular immunosenescence in U.S. young adults.

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) disadvantage shapes exposure to persistent infections and immune aging, but its life-course effects remain understudied. Early adulthood is a crucial period, as immune aging may begin before clinical signs appear.

Methods: Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) were used to assess SES disadvantage across adolescence (Wave I) and young adulthood (Wave IV).

Little Cigar and Cigarillo Graphic Health Warnings and Quitting Behaviors: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Although little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs) are common combustible tobacco products, the effects of LCC warning labels on behavioral outcomes remain untested.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of LCC graphic health warnings (GHWs) on promoting LCC quitting intentions and behaviors.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial included 1029 adult LCC users from a Qualtrics online panel who were randomized to (1) LCC GHWs (n = 339), (2) existing US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) text-only warnings (n = 346), or (3) no stimulus control (n = 344).

Patient preferences and perceived barriers to follow-up care in a pharmacy-based colorectal cancer screening program: a national survey.

Background: Fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) are recommended for routine colorectal cancer (CRC) screening because they are cost-effective, non-invasive, and convenient. Pharmacy-based CRC screening using FIT kits could be effective to improve screening rates, particularly in medically underserved communities. However, data on follow-up procedures and barriers after positive FIT results in this context remain sparse.

KSHV and HPV modulate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in oral epithelial cells.

Most oral viral infections that manifest as oral diseases or cancers are caused by oncogenic human papillomavirus and herpesviruses. However, the mechanisms involved in the association between oral cancer and oncogenic virus infection are not well understood. In this study, we used telomerase (hTERT) -immortalized normal oral gingival keratinocytes (NOKs) and generated latent Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)- and human papillomavirus 31 (HPV31)-infected NOKs.

Allele-specific depletion of via siRNA or an rAAV2-shRNA vector induces selective toxicity in uveal melanoma cells.

Approximately 80%-90% of uveal melanomas (UVM) harbor a single base pair substitution in one of two Gα protein subunits ( / ), resulting in constitutive activation and tumor initiation/progression. Herein, a small interfering RNA (siRNA) that specifically targets transcripts induced significant cell death in UVM cells, whereas little to no effects were observed on cells or transcripts. The most effective siRNA sequence was subsequently encoded into a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) cassette (shGNAQ), expressed in a recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV), and the AAV2 capsid was selected for viral production upon completion of a serotype survey in UVM cells.

CCDC32 collaborates with the membrane to assemble the AP-2 clathrin adaptor complex.

Cells have evolved a variety of assembly chaperones to aid in the difficult process of forming macromolecular complexes in a crowded cytoplasm. Assembly of adaptor protein complex 2 (AP-2), the primary cargo adaptor in clathrin-mediated endocytosis, is regulated by the chaperones AAGAB and CCDC32, whose deletion causes loss of all AP-2 subunits . AAGAB and CCDC32 are thought to act sequentially to assemble the AP-2 tetramer from its constituent heterodimers.

Development and Testing of Waterpipe Tobacco Text and Pictorial Warnings among Young Adults in the U.S.

Introduction: Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) is associated with health harms, yet the U.S. requires only a single text warning.

A Tacrolimus Population Pharmacokinetic Model for Adult Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients Provides Clinical Opportunities for Precision Dosing.

Background: Tacrolimus is a cornerstone of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) prophylaxis in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT) recipients. However, a narrow therapeutic index and high interindividual variability in pharmacokinetics (PK) make starting dose selection a major challenge in clinical practice.

Methods: Data from two PK studies conducted at the University of North Carolina Medical Center (UNCMC) were used to develop an oral tacrolimus population pharmacokinetic (popPK) model specific to adult allo-HCT recipients.