Cancer treatment and research communications最新文献

{"title":"Association between biochemical and histopathological parameters in the clinical assessment of prostate tumors in a resource-limited setting in northern Cameroon","authors":"Richard Tagne Simo ,&nbsp;Larissa Pélagie Nodjia ,&nbsp;Armel Hervé Nwabo Kamdje ,&nbsp;Mohamadou Ahmadou ,&nbsp;Franklin Danki Sillong ,&nbsp;Phelix Bruno Telefo","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101175","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101175","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In low-resource settings, prostate tumors are often diagnosed at advanced stages because of limited access to imaging and histopathological services. Identifying routinely available laboratory biomarkers that could support clinical assessment and referral decisions is therefore of practical importance. This study evaluated the associations between selected biochemical parameters and histopathological diagnoses of prostate tumors in northern Cameroon.</div><div>An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 90 men with suspected prostate tumors at the Islamic Clinic of Ngaoundere. Histopathological findings from prostate biopsy, including Gleason score, were correlated with serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), creatinine, urea, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). PSA was analyzed as both a continuous variable and a categorical variable using the standard 4 ng/mL threshold. Elevated creatinine was defined as ≥13 mg/L and urea as &gt;0.5 mmol/L according to laboratory reference ranges.</div><div>Prostate cancer accounted for 48% of cases and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) for 52%. The median PSA level was 27 ng/mL (range: 3–1706 ng/mL). PSA levels &gt;4 ng/mL were observed in 65.6% of patients and were more frequent in prostate cancer (70.2%) than in BPH (60.5%), without significant discrimination (p = 0.331). Elevated creatinine and urea were found in 53.3% and 48.1% of patients, respectively. PSA, creatinine, and ALP were significantly associated with prostate volume, whereas urea was not. ALP elevation (30%) was not associated with Gleason score. Considerable overlap in biochemical values was observed between malignant and benign conditions.</div><div>Routinely available biochemical parameters provide complementary information but lack sufficient diagnostic accuracy to distinguish prostate cancer from BPH.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 101175"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147484641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phase 1/2 trial of brigatinib plus panitumumab in patients with osimertinib-resistant EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer harboring EGFR C797S mutation","authors":"Hiroki Izumi ,&nbsp;Tomohiro Sakamoto ,&nbsp;Ken Uchibori ,&nbsp;Kazumi Nishino ,&nbsp;Jun Sakakibara-Konishi ,&nbsp;Ryohei Katayama ,&nbsp;Shogo Nomura ,&nbsp;Shingo Matsumoto ,&nbsp;Hibiki Udagawa ,&nbsp;Yuji Shibata ,&nbsp;Tetsuya Sakai ,&nbsp;Kaname Nosaki ,&nbsp;Yoshitaka Zenke ,&nbsp;Kiyotaka Yoh ,&nbsp;Seiji Niho ,&nbsp;Koichi Goto","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Osimertinib is a standard treatment for advanced <em>EGFR</em>-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The <em>EGFR</em> C797S mutation is one of the most common resistant mechanisms to osimertinib. Based on our preclinical data, the safety and efficacy of brigatinib combined with panitumumab was evaluated in phase 1/2 study.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>This open-label phase 1/2 study enrolled patients with osimertinib-resistant <em>EGFR</em>-mutated NSCLC, with phase 1 dose escalation part, followed by phase 2 dose expansion part. The primary endpoint was the incidence of dose-limiting toxicities for phase 1 part, and objective response rate for phase 2 part.</div></div><div><h3>Result</h3><div>A total of 5 patients were enrolled between Dec 2020 and Jun 2021. Patients had received a median of 4 (range, 1–7) prior lines of treatment, no patient received prior immune checkpoint inhibitors. Median washout period from last dose of osimertinib was 10 days (range, 2–393). Three (60%) patients experienced early onset pulmonary event (EOPE) (grade [Gr] 2, <em>n</em> = 1; Gr 3, <em>n</em> = 2), all of which occurred during brigatinib monotherapy period. All cases with EOPE improved with brigatinib interruption for Gr 2, and systemic corticosteroid treatment for Gr 3. The efficacy to study treatment were PD in all 5 patients, with median progression-free survival of 1.7 months (95% CI, 1.2 to 3.4). Exploratory ctDNA analysis showed the decrease in relative allele frequency (C797S/exon19 deletion) between pre- and post-treatment (<em>n</em> = 3).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The clinical development of this combination strategy was discontinued, as brigatinib treatment was not feasible in patients with advanced <em>EGFR</em>-mutated NSCLC resistant to osimertinib.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"46 ","pages":"Article 101105"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146008864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Immunotoxin therapy: a promising frontier in targeted cancer treatment a review of clinical trials in hematological and solid tumors","authors":"Arash Abdi ,&nbsp;Hamid Sedighian ,&nbsp;Zoleikha Goleij ,&nbsp;Mahdi Fasihi-Ramandi ,&nbsp;Reza Kachuei ,&nbsp;Abbas Ali Imani Fooladi","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and objective</h3><div>Background and objective: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, creating a major socioeconomic burden. Despite advances in conventional therapies, mortality remains high, highlighting the need for more effective, targeted treatments. This review critically examines immunotoxin therapy as a promising approach, focusing on its evolution from experimental agents to clinical development, including design, mechanisms of action, and therapeutic potential.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a structured review of immunotoxins currently under clinical investigation for both hematological and solid malignancies. The analysis compares different immunotoxin constructs, their targeted antigens, and outcomes from recent and ongoing clinical trials.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Immunotoxins, engineered by fusing a targeting moiety (e.g., an antibody fragment) with a potent protein toxin, have shown significant efficacy, particularly in hematological tumors. The review details key immunotoxins in the clinical pipeline, discussing their successes, such as high response rates in certain leukemias and lymphomas, as well as the critical challenges they face. These challenges include immunogenicity, off-target toxicity, and the development of drug resistance, which have limited their efficacy in solid tumors.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Immunotoxins represent a powerful class of targeted anticancer agents. While obstacles remain, ongoing innovations in protein engineering to reduce immunogenicity and improve tumor penetration are poised to enhance their clinical utility. With continued advancement, immunotoxins are expected to play an increasingly vital role in the future of precision cancer therapy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 101257"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148101215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pegfilgrastim versus filgrastim for chemo-mobilized stem cell collection in multiple myeloma: A retrospective real-world study","authors":"Yan-Lin Zhang ,&nbsp;Xin-Yi Qin ,&nbsp;Chun Cao,&nbsp;Zhi-Ming Luo,&nbsp;Ying Zhang,&nbsp;Han-Qing Zeng,&nbsp;Jian-Chuan Deng,&nbsp;Yun Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a standard treatment for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). Achieving sufficient stem cell yield via effective mobilization promotes successful hematological reconstitution. However, clinical evidence regarding the comparative outcomes of pegfilgrastim (PEG) versus filgrastim (FIL) remains controversial, lacking regimen-specific comparisons.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To evaluate the efficacy, safety, efficiency, and costs of PEG versus FIL in MM patients, and compare the impact of cyclophosphamide-based chemo-mobilization on these outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Study Design</h3><div>This single-center retrospective study included 102 MM patients (PEG: n = 49; FIL: n = 53). Primary endpoints were CD34⁺ cell yield, mobilization success, duration, and time to engraftment. Statistical analyses included propensity score matching (PSM), overlap weighting (OW), and subgroup analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In the overall cohort, PEG and FIL showed equivalent median CD34⁺ yields (3.90 vs. 4.99 × 10⁶/kg, P = 0.096), mobilization success rates, and total hospitalization costs (P = 0.53). FIL yielded a higher total mononuclear cell count (P &lt; 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed PEG reduced mobilization duration (10 vs. 15 days, P &lt; 0.001) and sessions in chemo-mobilization. PSM showed comparable yields and engraftment. To address PSM sample attrition and balance covariates, OW was utilized, further confirming that PEG significantly shortened overall duration (P = 0.04) and reduced sessions (P = 0.02). Both regimens exhibited similar engraftment kinetics and safety.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Both PEG and FIL demonstrate equivalent efficacy for stem cell mobilization in MM. PEG offers superior efficiency by shortening duration and reducing sessions without increasing the total economic burden.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 101263"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148148198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patient survival outcomes in brain metastases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A comprehensive analysis","authors":"Yuanchi Ma ,&nbsp;Boyang Li ,&nbsp;Zhenchao Gao ,&nbsp;Zheng Wang ,&nbsp;Liang Han ,&nbsp;Kongyuan Wei ,&nbsp;Hairong He","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101266","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101266","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) often presents with metastases. Brain metastases are rare, necessitating a thorough analysis of patient profiles and management.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Patients with PDAC and brain metastases (2010–2021) were identified from the SEER database. PDAC-specific survival (PSS) was the primary outcome. Survival differences were assessed via Kaplan–Meier analysis, and prognostic factors via Cox regression.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>This study included 113 patients with PDAC brain metastasis, and survival analysis was conducted on 78 eligible patients. The median PSS times were 6 months for brain metastases combined with lung metastases, 5 months for brain-only metastases, 3 months for brain metastases combined with bone metastases, 2 months for brain metastases combined with multiple metastases, and 1.5 months for brain metastases combined with liver metastases. Patients who received both radiotherapy and chemotherapy had better prognoses than those who had received radiotherapy only (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.110). Other risk factors were combined with liver metastases (compared with only brain metastasis: <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001, HR = 4.57) and a separated, divorced, or widowed marital status (compared with a married status: <em>P</em> = 0.038, HR = 2.029).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Patients with PDAC brain metastases combined with liver metastases showed a significantly shorter median PSS time than those with brain metastases only. Patients who had received both chemotherapy and radiotherapy had longer median PSS time than those who had received radiotherapy only. A study with a large sample size is still required.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 101266"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148148224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation of the relationship between autophagy and Warburg effect in osteosarcoma cells: An in vitro study","authors":"Mehran Molavand ,&nbsp;Maryam Majidinia ,&nbsp;Amir Valizadeh ,&nbsp;Azita Asadi ,&nbsp;Dariush Shanehbandi ,&nbsp;Mostafa Vaghari-Tabari ,&nbsp;Bahman Yousefi","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>This study aims to investigate the interaction between autophagy and the Warburg effect in Saos-2 cells by assessing the effects of 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) and chloroquine (CQ), alone and combined on cell survival, apoptosis, and metabolic/autophagic markers.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Saos-2 osteosarcoma cells were treated with 2-DG, CQ, or their combination for 24 h; cell viability (MTT), apoptosis (Cell Death ELISA), autophagy and glycolytic gene expression (qRT-PCR for Beclin-1, LC3, ATG3, HK2, PFKP; western blot for Beclin-1, LC3-II, ATG3), and extracellular lactate were evaluated.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Both CQ and 2-DG produced dose-dependent loss of Saos-2 viability (24-h IC₅₀ ≈45 µM for CQ and ≈389 µM for 2-DG) and their combination exerted greater cytotoxicity, increasing apoptosis from ∼6% (control) to ∼24% (CQ), ∼53% (2-DG) and ∼79% (CQ+2-DG) (p &lt; 0.001). qRT-PCR revealed upregulation of autophagy transcripts: LC3 (CQ 1.8-fold, 2-DG 1.4-fold, combo 2.5-fold), Beclin-1 (CQ 1.1-fold, 2-DG 1.5-fold, combo 1.9-fold) and ATG3 (CQ ∼1.0-fold, 2-DG 1.7-fold, combo 2.25-fold) and Western blot analysis confirmed corresponding elevations (p &lt; 0.05). Glycolytic genes were differentially regulated: HK2 (CQ 1.2-fold, 2-DG 1.8-fold, combo 2.5-fold) and PFKP (CQ 1.3-fold, 2-DG 0.8-fold, combo 1.1-fold) (p &lt; 0.05). Extracellular lactate (normalized to protein) increased with CQ (∼2.7-fold), decreased with 2-DG (∼0.5-fold), and was intermediate with the combination (∼1.4-fold) (p &lt; 0.05). Experiments were performed in triplicate.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study reveals crosstalk between autophagy and the Warburg effect in Saos-2 cells, where glycolytic stress triggers protective autophagy and its inhibition alters metabolism, promoting apoptosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 101268"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148148811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterizing symptom patterns in early-onset colorectal cancer: insights from a national inpatient analysis","authors":"Ashish Samaddar ,&nbsp;Suriya Basker ,&nbsp;Sawyer Bawek ,&nbsp;Udhayvir Grewal ,&nbsp;Timothy J Brown ,&nbsp;Sepideh Gholami ,&nbsp;Lingzhi Liu ,&nbsp;Deepak Vadehra ,&nbsp;Nicholas Hornstein","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101287","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101287","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>While colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence overall is declining, early-onset CRC (EOCRC, diagnosed before age 50) continues to rise. In response, screening guidelines were lowered from age 50 to 45 in 2021. However, many EOCRC cases still occur under age 45, highlighting the need to identify high-risk individuals beyond current criteria. We hypothesized that EOCRC presents with distinct symptom profiles compared to late-onset CRC (LOCRC).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed 2020–2022 National Inpatient Sample data, performing 1:1 age-matched comparisons between CRC patients and controls without CRC. Symptoms were defined using ICD-10 codes. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were calculated and stratified by age and sex. Bonferroni correction was applied for 12 symptom groups (p &lt; 0.004).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Among 18,017 EOCRC hospitalizations, several symptoms demonstrated differential associations compared to LOCRC, including constipation, iron-deficiency anemia, and hematochezia. Data-driven stratification revealed that constipation showed the strongest divergence between EOCRC and LOCRC (aOR 2.50 vs. 1.12), particularly among women under 40 (aOR 5.72; p &lt; 0.001). Colon cancer was identified in 1.31% of constipation-related hospitalizations in adults aged 40–44, comparable to the 1.07% incidence among all hospitalizations in adults 45–49.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Symptom pattern analysis from a large national inpatient cohort demonstrates distinct clinical presentations of EOCRC. Constipation showed a stronger association in younger adults, particularly women, suggesting a potential role in identifying higher-risk presentations. However, these findings reflect hospitalized encounters and may be enriched for patients with more advanced or complicated disease rather than early-stage detection. Importantly, despite significant relative associations, the absolute prevalence of colorectal cancer among constipation-related hospitalizations remained low, underscoring the need for cautious interpretation and further prospective validation.</div></div><div><h3>Micro Abstract</h3><div>EOCRC: In this unstructured, symptom-driven national analysis, constipation emerged as a disproportionately stronger association with early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) than with late-onset disease. These findings suggest that data-driven symptom evaluation can uncover clinically relevant signals to inform earlier recognition and diagnosis of EOCRC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 101287"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148242519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical characteristics and prognostic outcomes in KRAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer: A real-world study with or without COPD comorbidity","authors":"Chen Liao ,&nbsp;Yubo Wang ,&nbsp;Zhoukui Bi ,&nbsp;Huawei Chen ,&nbsp;Yu Xu ,&nbsp;Defeng Hu ,&nbsp;Rui Luo ,&nbsp;Jiarui Wang ,&nbsp;Zhi Xu ,&nbsp;Yafei Li ,&nbsp;Li Bai","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.101064","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.101064","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most prevalent comorbidity among lung cancer patients, but its clinical and prognostic relationship with <em>KRAS</em>-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This multicenter retrospective cohort study enrolled 163 histologically confirmed <em>KRAS</em>-mutant NSCLC patients, including 59 with COPD and 104 without COPD. Clinical data consisted of baseline characteristics, co-mutation profiles, and survival outcomes were collected and efficacy evaluations. PFS and OS were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The COPD-LC group showed with a higher proportion of <em>KRAS G12C</em> mutations (47.4% vs. 26.2%, <em>P</em> = 0.028) and higher smoking rates (91.5% vs. 65.4%, <em>P</em> &lt;0.001). Additionally, this group had a poorer baseline performance status and a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index. Chemoimmunotherapy significantly improved survival in advanced-stage NSCLC patients (mPFS: 9 vs. 6 months, HR = 0.62, <em>P</em> = 0.022; mOS: 24 vs. 11 months, HR = 0.53, <em>P</em> = 0.023), particularly those with COPD-comorbid lung cancer. Notably, within the COPD-LC subgroup, <em>KRAS G12C</em>-mutant patients achieved significantly longer median PFS compared to non-<em>G12C</em> subtypes (11.5 vs. 5 months, HR = 0.38, <em>P</em> = 0.009) and no significant differences in mPFS or mOS were observed between PS 0–1 and PS 2–3 groups. Co-mutations were identified in 78.6% of patients, with no significant intergroup differences.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>COPD-comorbid <em>KRAS</em>-mutant NSCLC patients exhibit unique <em>G12C</em> subtype enrichment and distinct clinical features. Chemoimmunotherapy represents an effective first-line strategy for this population, particularly benefiting those with <em>G12C</em> mutations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"46 ","pages":"Article 101064"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146112586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intracranial efficacy of combined immune checkpoint inhibitors and platinum plus etoposide therapy in patients with extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer and brain metastases","authors":"Kenta Nakamura ,&nbsp;Toshihiro Shiozawa ,&nbsp;Hiroaki Tachi ,&nbsp;Jun Kanazawa ,&nbsp;Takeshi Numata ,&nbsp;Tomohiro Tamura ,&nbsp;Shigen Hayashi ,&nbsp;Tomoyuki Ogata ,&nbsp;Kunihiko Miyazaki ,&nbsp;Norihiro Kikuchi ,&nbsp;Koichi Kurishima ,&nbsp;Hiroaki Satoh ,&nbsp;Nobuyuki Hizawa","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101249","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101249","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The management of brain metastases remains a major challenge in extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). Although immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy combined with etoposide and platinum (EP) is the standard treatment for ED-SCLC, its intracranial efficacy remains unclear. This study evaluated the efficacy of combined ICI and EP therapy, with a focus on intracranial response.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We retrospectively included 59 patients with ED-SCLC and brain metastases who received combined ICI and EP therapy. Efficacy endpoints included objective response rates (ORRs), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). The ORR and PFS were evaluated separately for intracranial (i) and extracranial (e) lesions. We also evaluated survival according to upfront brain radiotherapy (BRT) use prior to systemic chemotherapy.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Patients with a performance status of 2 or 3 accounted for 27 % of the cohort. Nineteen patients (32 %) had symptomatic brain metastases. The iORR and eORR were 73 % and 78 %, respectively (<em>p</em> = 0.42). The median iPFS was 6.3 months (95 % confidence intervals [CI]: 4.5–8.0), comparable to the median ePFS of 5.2 months (95 % CI: 4.0–6.4). In survival analyses by upfront BRT, the median iPFS was numerically longer in the BRT group than in the non-BRT group (9.7 vs. 5.7 months, <em>p</em> = 0.09). The median OS did not differ significantly between the BRT and non-BRT groups (11.6 months vs. 10.9 months; <em>p</em> = 0.26).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Combined ICI and EP therapy demonstrated favorable intracranial efficacy. OS was similar regardless of upfront BRT, supporting this regimen as a valuable treatment option for ED-SCLC with brain metastases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 101249"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147970693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Expression of carbonic Anhydrase IX in extramural venous invasion tissues of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma may provide additional prognostic stratification","authors":"Zhen Lin ,&nbsp;John T.M. Plukker ,&nbsp;Shao-bin Chen ,&nbsp;Zhen He ,&nbsp;Ruibing Su ,&nbsp;Gursah Kats-Ugurlu ,&nbsp;Min Su","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Extramural venous invasion (EMVI) is an independent adverse prognostic factor in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Loss of cell adhesion with increased tumor cell migration is a downstream effect of the upregulated Carbonic Anhydrase IX (CAIX) under hypoxic conditions. In this study, we investigated whether CAIX expression is associated with clinicopathological features and survival in EMVI-positive ESCC tumors.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>After exploring the expression of CAIX in the online tools based on TCGA data, CAIX expression was assessed in both the primary tumor and associated EMVI tissues in treatment-naive resected specimens of 52 ESCC/EMVI+ patients. CAIX expression in primary tumor was classified as high or low using the median H(isto)-score within a computer-assisted image analysis system. CAIX expression in EMVI tissue was classified as CAIX-present or CAIX-absent.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In the online analyses, low CAIX expression showed a non-significant trend toward poorer survival in ESCC. In our cohort, CAIX expression was present in all primary tumors and in 44% (23/52) EMVI tissues. High CAIX expression in the primary tumor was significantly associated with its expression in matched EMVI tissues (<em>p</em> = 0.001). In patients with lymph node metastasis, CAIX expression in EMVI was associated with poorer overall survival (HR 2.95, 95% CI 1.12–7.74; <em>p</em> = 0.028), although this did not meet the Bonferroni-corrected significance threshold (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.025).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings suggest a possible association between CAIX expression in EMVI tissue and worse outcomes in ESCC patients with lymph node metastasis, potentially reflecting a role for CAIX in tumor dissemination.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 101236"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147873688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}