Real-world treatment patterns of Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors in mantle cell lymphoma in a community oncology setting.

Aims: This study examines United States real-world Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) treatment patterns, duration, and adherence in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients.

Materials & Methods: A retrospective analysis of electronic medical records for patients with MCL who initiated a BTKi between January 2019 and November 2021 was conducted. Patients were followed ≥ 6 months, examining baseline characteristics and outcomes including treatment duration and adherence.

Comfort With Sharing Food Insecurity Risk for Clinical Care Among Individuals With and Without a Cancer History: Findings From a National Survey.

Introduction: Food insecurity negatively affects timely access to care, treatment adherence, quality of life, and survival among cancer survivors. There is limited knowledge about cancer survivors' comfort with sharing food insecurity risk for clinical care on a national scale. This study aims to assess comfort with sharing food insecurity risk for clinical care among adults with and without a cancer history and to identify factors that may be associated with comfort for sharing food insecurity risk.

Pre-surgery gut microbial diversity and abundance are associated with post-surgery onset of cachexia in colorectal cancer patients: the ColoCare Study.

Background: Cachexia accounts for about 20% of all cancer-related deaths and it is indicative of poor prognosis and progressive functional impairment. The role of the gut microbiome in the development of cachexia in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients has not been established.

Methods: Pre-surgical stool samples from n = 103 stage I-III CRC patients in the ColoCare Study were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing (Illumina) to characterize fecal bacteria.

Homologous recombination deficiency and survival in ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma by self-reported race.

Background: Half of ovarian high-grade serous carcinomas (HGSC) have homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). However, HRD is not well-characterized in Black individuals who experience worse survival after a diagnosis of HGSC. The objective of this study was to characterize ovarian HGSC HRD and examine its association with survival by self-reported race.

Evaluation of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated With a Combination of Cetuximab and Nivolumab in a Phase II Clinical Trial.

Objectives: We report on the biomarker analyses focusing on neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR) in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with combined cetuximab and nivolumab.

Methods: Data were obtained from a phase II trial (NCT03370276). Peripheral blood NLR was obtained at baseline (B-NLR) and on-treatment (OT-NLR; 1 mo from treatment initiation).

Synchronous yet distinct HPV-associated sinonasal carcinomas on an immune-dysfunctional background.

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated multiphenotypic sinonasal carcinoma (HMSC) is a relatively new classification of head and neck carcinomas that displays histological combinations of multiple different neoplasms. Despite their high-grade appearance, the disease course is often indolent. Here, we report a unique case of HMSC in which a patient with a prior history of sarcoidosis presented with two histologically, and anatomically distinct tumors in the sinonasal tract.

Randomized Phase II Trial of Pazopanib Versus Placebo in Patients With Advanced Extrapancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (Alliance A021202).

Purpose: Patients with advanced, well-differentiated extrapancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (epNETs) have limited systemic treatment options. Pazopanib, an oral multikinase inhibitor with activity against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-2 and -3, PDGFR-alpha and-beta, and c-Kit, was tested for efficacy in epNET.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, phase II study of pazopanib (800 mg once daily) versus placebo in low- to intermediate-grade epNET with radiologic progressive disease (PD) within 12 months of study entry.

Human papillomavirus vaccination and its effect on genital men's health. Considerations for a public health strategy.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a prevalent sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Very little is known about the effect of HPV on men's health. It is estimated that it is one of the most critical causes of penile cancer worldwide, representing a considerable percentage of the cases.

Treatment and Clinical Outcome of a Patient With Spindle Cell Rhabdomyosarcoma Harboring MEIS1-FOXO1 Gene Fusion.

Fusion-driven extraosseous spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma (SRMS) is a rare and recently recognized subcategory of rhabdomyosarcoma, with limited data on optimal management and clinical outcomes. We present the clinical course and long-term outcome of a unique case of SRMS harboring a novel gene fusion diagnosed in a 40-year-old female. The case was successfully managed with a treatment regimen including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy following a low-risk rhabdomyosarcoma paradigm.

Towards quantitative ionizing radiation acoustic imaging (iRAI) for radiation dose measurement: Validation from simulations to experiments.

Background: In clinical radiation therapy (RT), accurately quantifying the delivered radiation dose to the targeted tumors and surrounding tissues is essential for evaluating treatment outcomes. Ionizing radiation acoustic imaging (iRAI), a novel passive and non-invasive imaging technique, has the potential to provide real-time in vivo radiation dose mapping during RT. However, current iRAI technology does not account for spatial variations in the detection sensitivity of the ultrasound transducer used to capture the iRAI signals, leading to significant errors in dose mapping.

Zanubrutinib versus acalabrutinib indirect treatment comparison in relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma.

Zanubrutinib and acalabrutinib have demonstrated efficacy in separate single-arm clinical trials in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Given these single-arm trials lacked a common comparator, an unanchored indirect treatment comparison was conducted to assess the comparative efficacy of zanubrutinib versus acalabrutinib using a simulated treatment comparison (STC) method. In the base case analysis (adjusted for all covariates), zanubrutinib treatment was associated with significantly improved progression-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.

Genetic predisposition to persistent fatigue after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Background: Cancer-related fatigue (fatigue) is a common and persistent symptom after cancer treatment, yet the role of genetic susceptibility remains unclear.

Methods: We leveraged data from a prospective cohort study, ColoCare Study (ie, five U.S.

Phase IB Study of Avelumab and Whole Brain Radiotherapy (WBRT) in Patients with Leptomeningeal Disease (LMD) from Solid Tumors: Results and Molecular Analyses.

Background: Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) from solid tumors has a dismal prognosis, even following treatment with anti-PD-1 therapy. We performed a phase IB study evaluating the safety of Avelumab with whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) in LMD (NCT03719768).

Methods: Fifteen patients were enrolled with LMD from breast, lung, nasopharyngeal, ovary, and pancreatic tumors.

The Biophysics of Flash Radiotherapy: Tools for Measuring Tumor and Normal Tissues Microenvironment.

Ultra-high dose rate radiotherapy known as Flash radiotherapy (FLASH-RT) offers tremendous opportunities to improve the therapeutic ratio of radiotherapy by sparing the normal tissue while maintaining similar tumoricidal efficacy. However, the underlying biophysical basis of the FLASH effect remains under active investigation with several proposed mechanisms involving oxygen depletion, altered free-radical chemistry, and differential biological responses. This article provides an overview of available experimental and computational tools that can be utilized to probe the tumor and normal tissue microenvironment.

Optimizing Selection of Bridging Therapies Prior to CAR-T Therapy Administration for Multiple Myeloma: Clinical Pearls From an Expert Roundtable.

Autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies have become a key component of the multiple myeloma (MM) treatment landscape. Most patients treated with CAR-T therapies for MM receive bridging therapy to reduce tumor burden prior to CAR-T administration. These treatments are highly individualized, with selection informed by disease characteristics and treatment history, among other factors.

Proto-Oncogene HRAS Transcript Level and Overall Survival in Stages II and III Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Mutational landscape is prognostic in colorectal cancer (CRC). Rat sarcoma (RAS) oncogenes, such as KRAS and NRAS, with driver mutations, portend poor survival outcomes, whereas pathologic mutations in HRAS are extremely rare, and their prognostic value remains uncertain.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) alliance tumor RNA-Seq data in Stages II and III CRC to investigate the association between RAS gene expression and survival outcomes.

Optimization and validation of the international metabolic prognostic index for CD19 CAR-T in large B-cell lymphoma.

While CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy represents a transformative immunotherapy for relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBCL), more than 50% of patients ultimately progress or relapse. Recently, the International Metabolic Prognostic Index (IMPI) - incorporating age, stage, and metabolic tumor volume (MTV) - was shown to improve prognostication for LBCL frontline treatment. Here, we examine its utility to predict toxicity and survival in CAR-T recipients.

Preanalytical variables and analytes in liquid biopsy approach for brain tumors: A comprehensive review and recommendations from the RANO Group and the Brain Liquid Biopsy Consortium.

This review explores the pivotal role of preanalytical variables in bringing liquid biopsy approaches into the clinic for brain tumors. Preanalytical variables encompass a range of critical issues, from blood sample collection and handling to the impact of tumor heterogeneity and patient-specific factors. These variables introduce challenges such as false positives, false negatives, and variability in the analysis of tumor signals, which can hinder the diagnostic and prognostic utility of liquid biopsies.

Impact of Thrombopoietin Receptor Agonists on Platelet Transfusion Requirements in Myelodysplastic Syndromes: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Thrombocytopenia in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is associated with bleeding complications, transfusion dependence, and reduced quality of life. While platelet transfusions remain standard care, they carry limitations including short durability, alloimmunization, and infection risk. Thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs), such as eltrombopagand romiplostim, have emerged as potential alternatives, but their efficacy and safety remain incompletely defined.

Programmatically Efficient Separation of Immune Infiltrate and Tumor Gene Expression Overlap Potentials in a Big Data Setting: FASLG Gene Expression-related Survival Distinctions.

Background/aim: Typically expressed on T-cells and NK cells, FASLG induces apoptosis in target cells upon binding Fas. However, assessing potential FASLG expression in tumor cells with convenient genomics approaches has been challenging.

Materials And Methods: This study applied a novel assessment of FASLG copy numbers (CNs) and gene expression levels, applicable to bulk exome and RNAseq files.

Artificial Intelligence for Multiscale Spatial Analysis in Oncology: Current Applications and Future Implications.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and its machine learning and deep learning algorithms have shown promise in oncological practice. Spatial information analysis in the context of cancer is crucial for its diagnosis and treatment because it can provide an understanding of tumor-microenvironment interactions and reveal insights into response to treatment. AI tools can analyze spatial information at multiple scales, highlighting key disease, clinical, and genetic phenotypes that may reveal underlying mechanisms and molecular markers of response and resistance within the tumor and its microenvironment.

Narrative Review of the Use of Genomic-Adjusted Radiation Dose (GARD) in Radiotherapy.

This narrative review examines the genomic-adjusted radiation dose (GARD), a biologically informed framework developed to personalize radiotherapy by integrating tumor-specific genomic data. GARD combines the radiosensitivity index (RSI), based on gene expression, with the linear quadratic model to estimate patient-specific radiation effect. Since its introduction in 2017, GARD has demonstrated prognostic value across multiple cancer types in retrospective studies.