Cancer treatment and research communications最新文献

{"title":"A protocol for pre-treatment testing for antibodies to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose to mitigate the risk of cetuximab hypersensitivity reactions – a retrospective cohort review","authors":"Nicholas Della Marta ,&nbsp;Alexander Yuile ,&nbsp;Claire Mok ,&nbsp;Joe Wei ,&nbsp;Meredith Oatley ,&nbsp;Tracey Skinner ,&nbsp;Samuel Miller ,&nbsp;Amanda L. Hudson ,&nbsp;Sheryl van Nunen ,&nbsp;Stephen J. Clarke ,&nbsp;Connie I. Diakos ,&nbsp;Madhawa De Silva ,&nbsp;David L. Chan ,&nbsp;Gavin M. Marx ,&nbsp;Nick Pavlakis","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100969","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100969","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Cetuximab improves survival in <em>KRAS</em> wildtype metastatic colorectal cancer. However, high rates of hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) limit its use, with HSR rates up to 10–20 %. A major driver of cetuximab HSR is from pre-formed IgE antibody response to galactose-1,3-alpha-galactose (alpha-gal). Evidence from retrospective studies supports alpha-gal pre-screening in this setting. This study reports the impact of prospective alpha-gal antibody screening on cetuximab HSR.</div></div><div><h3>Patients and Methods</h3><div>Records were reviewed across three medical oncology centres that have adopted alpha-gal antibody screening measures. Data for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab were retrieved. All centres assessed alpha-gal levels using the ImmunoCAP® immunoassay. Due to variability in alpha-gal screening practices across study sites, a standardised protocol was applied to all cases. This protocol allowed cetuximab administration if alpha-gal levels were ≤0.10 kUA/L, but prohibited it if alpha-gal levels were &gt;0.10 kUA/L in favour of panitumumab administration. Patients were allocated to either the Alpha-gal Pre-screening Applied (‘Pre-screening’) or Alpha-gal Pre-screening Not Applied (‘Reference’) cohorts based on protocol requirements being met. The primary outcome between these patient groups was the incidence of cetuximab HSRs.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of 254 assessable patients, 39 underwent the pre-treatment screening protocol. Of the Pre-screening group, 3% (<em>n</em>=1/39) experienced a cetuximab HSR compared to 16% (<em>n</em>=35/215) in the Reference group (Odds ratio (OR) 0.14; 95% CI 0.0033–0.86, <em>p</em> <em>=</em> 0.02). Patients with alpha-gal antibody titres &gt;0.10 kUA/L were more likely to experience a cetuximab HSR (OR 69.71; 95% CI 5.18–4296.81, <em>p</em>=0.0001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Pre-treatment screening for alpha-gal antibodies significantly reduces the incidence of cetuximab HSRs. A testing threshold of 0.10 kUA/L is effective in identifying patients at risk. Implementing this protocol can improve the safety of cetuximab therapy in high-risk populations.</div></div><div><h3>Micro Abstract</h3><div>Hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) limit cetuximab use in <em>KRAS</em> wildtype advanced colorectal cancer, with a significant driver being pre-formed IgE antibodies against galactose-1,3-alpha-galactose (alpha-gal). Our multicentric retrospective study assessed the impact of prospective alpha-gal antibody screening on HSR incidence following cetuximab administration. Of 254 assessable patients, pre-treatment alpha-gal antibody screening significantly reduced the incidence of cetuximab HSRs (3% vs 16%; OR 0.14, <em>p</em>=0.02). Our findings support pre-treatment alpha-gal screening to improve safety of cetuximab therapy in high-risk populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100969"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144781155","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":"Rationale and design of the PAMSARC (pasireotide as maintenance treatment with monthly deep intramuscular injection in SSTR2/3/5-expressing synovial sarcoma and desmoplastic small round cell tumor) multicenter phase 2 trial","authors":"Christoph E. Heilig ,&nbsp;Christoph Heining ,&nbsp;Editha Gnutzmann ,&nbsp;Sandra Roldan ,&nbsp;Laura Heiligenthal ,&nbsp;Monika Sparber-Sauer ,&nbsp;Dennis Hahn ,&nbsp;Uta Dirksen ,&nbsp;Rainer Hamacher ,&nbsp;Anne Flörcken ,&nbsp;Anne Thorwarth ,&nbsp;Christoph K.W. Deinzer ,&nbsp;Verena I. Gaidzik ,&nbsp;Elke Pfaff ,&nbsp;Daniel Hübschmann ,&nbsp;Karin Arndt ,&nbsp;Stefan M. Pfister ,&nbsp;Hanno Glimm ,&nbsp;Stefan Fröhling ,&nbsp;Richard F. Schlenk","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100986","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100986","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) and synovial sarcoma (SySa) are rare cancers primarily affecting adolescents and young adults. Prognosis is generally poor, particularly upon metastasis, due to limited efficacy of chemotherapies and the lack of molecular mechanism-based approaches. Recently, overexpression of somatostatin receptors (SSTR) 2, 3, and 5 was described in high proportions of DSRCT and SySa. Given the efficacy of somatostatin analogs in other SSTR-expressing malignancies, we will evaluate pasireotide as maintenance therapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic DSRCT and SySa.</div></div><div><h3>Trial design</h3><div>PAMSARC (Pasireotide as Maintenance Treatment With Monthly Deep Intramuscular Injection in SSTR2/3/5-Expressing SySa and DSRCT) is an open-label, multicentric, single-arm phase II trial evaluating pasireotide maintenance therapy in adolescents and adults with locally advanced or metastatic SySa or DSRCT who have achieved stable disease or partial response after completion of chemotherapy. Molecular eligibility is determined by SSTR2/3/5 expression via RNA analysis performed within the precision oncology programs MASTER and INFORM. Due to pasireotide’s regulatory approval being limited to adults, enrollment follows a “3 + 3 staggered” approach for both adults and adolescents. Treatment consists of pasireotide administered as intragluteal depot injection every 28±3 days. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival; secondary and exploratory analyses include overall survival, patient-reported outcomes, and disease monitoring via liquid biopsies. The sample size calculation assumes exponential data, with 90 % power to detect a hazard ratio of 0.5, requiring 28 participants with an expected 22 events during the study. Sensitivity analyses are planned for both age groups and disease types.</div></div><div><h3>Trial registration numbers</h3><div>EUCT: 2024-511935-86-00-00; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06456359</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100986"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145027013","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":"Changes in the use of chemoradiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer after guideline implementation in Finland between 2016 and 2020","authors":"Viktor Wichmann ,&nbsp;Tanja Skyttä ,&nbsp;Pekka Mali ,&nbsp;Anu Anttonen ,&nbsp;Kaisa Lehtiö ,&nbsp;Maria Tengström ,&nbsp;Auli Nevantaus ,&nbsp;Jenni Peltonen ,&nbsp;Liisa Sailas ,&nbsp;Mikko Myllykangas ,&nbsp;Elina Haalisto ,&nbsp;Juha Kononen ,&nbsp;Eliisa Löyttyniemi ,&nbsp;Antti Jekunen ,&nbsp;CRT Working Group & the Finnish Lung Cancer Group (FLCG)","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100996","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100996","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Following treatment with chemoradiotherapy (CRT), approximately 30 % of patients with stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can achieve long-term remission with the possibility of a cure.[1,2,3]. CRT was deemed to be underutilized in Finland compared with the lung cancer incidence. Herein, we examined the potential increase in CRT use following the introduction of national guidelines to improve and standardize NSCLC treatment nationally.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and methods</h3><div>We compared the use of CRT before and after the implementation of updated CRT guidelines in 2016 and 2020. Data was gathered on all patients treated with CRT from every radiotherapy unit, in Finland, for a total of 13 radiotherapy units.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Overall, 53 and 77 patients with NSCLC were treated with CRT in 2016 and 2020, respectively; thus, CRT use increased significantly by 45 %. There was only a slight overall increase in the incidence of lung cancer, with 2734 patients reported in 2016 and 2801 in 2020, according to the Finnish Cancer Registry report from 2020. Overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed over 2 years. The median PFS was 10 and 15 months in patients treated in 2016 and 2020, respectively. The median OS was not reached in either group. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Implementation of the national guideline increased CRT use and altered clinical practice across the country, without compromising treatment efficacy or survival. CRT was provided more uniformly after the implementation of national guidelines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100996"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145085235","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":"Investigating the correlation between cytokine levels and prognostic factors in advanced gastric cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Zakari Shaibu ,&nbsp;Fumeng Yang ,&nbsp;Zhihong Chen ,&nbsp;Wei Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.101005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.101005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Advanced gastric cancer (AGC) aggressiveness and poor prognosis necessitate understanding its molecular drivers. Cytokines in the tumor microenvironment influence tumor behavior, and this study aims to analyze their expression levels and correlate them with clinical outcomes in AGC patients to enhance prognostic understanding.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Original studies evaluating cytokine levels in AGC were searched in PubMed and Google Scholar databases up to October 31, 2023. Survival outcomes post-treatment, including five-year survival rates, were analyzed using RevMan 5.4.1, with a focus on OS, PFS, metastasis, and tumor stage for further evaluation.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results indicate a significant association between IL-17 and improved PFS in individuals with AGC (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.00001). However, no statistically significant effects were observed for IL-2 (<em>P</em> = 0.22), IL-4 (<em>P</em> = 0.39), IL-10 (<em>P</em> = 0.22), IL-6 (<em>P</em> = 0.14), and IFN-gamma (<em>P</em> = 0.85), on PFS. Notably, IL-17 (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.00001) and IL-6 (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.00001) were found to have a substantial impact on OS in AGC patients. Conversely, the overall effect test did not show significance for IFN-gamma on OS (<em>P</em> = 0.95). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in IL-10 and IL-17 expression detected between AGC patients with and without metastasis (<em>P</em> = 0.64 and 0.11), nor in IL-6 levels between advanced (III-IV) and early stage (I-II) patients(<em>P</em> = 0.13).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Elevated levels of IL-17 were linked to shorter PFS in AGC. Both IL-17 and IL-6 affected OS significantly, with higher levels associated with poorer OS outcomes, while other cytokines did not. Further research is needed on the prognostic role of cytokines in AGC.</div></div><div><h3>Study registration</h3><div>Prospero ID(CRD42024556571)</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 101005"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145155283","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":"Treatment refractoriness and response rates in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: a retrospective analysis of real-world data","authors":"Ning Lyu,&nbsp;Zahra Majd,&nbsp;Bilqees Fatima,&nbsp;Zhen Zeng,&nbsp;Hua Chen,&nbsp;Susan Abughosh","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100921","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100921","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Significant advancements have been made in the management of multiple myeloma (MM); however, high relapse rates continue to worsen prognosis and reduce survival for many patients. This study aims to evaluate treatment refractoriness and response rates in individuals with relapsed and/or refractory MM using real-world evidence.</div></div><div><h3>Methodology</h3><div>A retrospective cohort study utilizing commercial registry data for 2022, included individuals with relapsed and/or refractory MM who are 18–79 years old and obtain minimum of 5 lines of therapy. Patients at least have one proteasome inhibitor (PI), an immunomodulatory drug (IMiD), and CD38-targeting monoclonal antibody (CD38 MoAB), with their last MM-related visit before October 2022. Patients were excluded if they had concurrent primary malignancies or documented death within 28 days of last line of treatment initiation. Descriptive data, including patient demographic and clinical characteristics, were summarized using continuous and categorical variables.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We identified 283 patients after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. 35.7 % of patients have an overall response rate with median response duration of 6.3 months. Most of patients were found to be categorized in penta-refractory class (33.6 %), followed by triple-refractory (25.4 %), dual-refractory (19.4 %), and not triple-refractory classes (13.4 %). The response rate was 49.1% in dual-class refractory, 22.2 % in triple-class refractory, 44.7 % in not triple-class refractory, and 33.7 % in penta-class refractory patients.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Findings imply that substantial proportion of patients continue to show limited treatment response and treatment refractoriness even after multiple lines of therapy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"43 ","pages":"Article 100921"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143791750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Real-world evaluation of treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with BRAF-V600E metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in Canada","authors":"William J Phillips ,&nbsp;Horia Marginean ,&nbsp;Mohammad Alrehaili ,&nbsp;Arwa Ahmed Abdelrahim ,&nbsp;Tim Asmis ,&nbsp;Mike Vickers ,&nbsp;Benjamin Yeung ,&nbsp;Bryan Lo ,&nbsp;Rachel Goodwin","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100896","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100896","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>BRAF V600E mutations are identified in 10 % of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) cases. In this project, we evaluated the clinicopathologic features and natural history of patients with BRAF mutant (BRAF-mt) mCRC prior to era of BRAF targeted therapy.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This is a retrospective project evaluating patients with diagnosed with mCRC with an identified BRAF V600E mutation between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2021 seen at the Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre prior to the approval of cetuximab and encorafenib in Canada. Demographic, clinical, and cancer characteristics were collected from the medical records. Outcomes of interest included overall survival (OS) and time to next therapy (TNT).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>71 patients were included. The median age was 69 years, 37 (52 %) patients were females, and 19 (27 %) were mismatch repair deficient (dMMR). Median OS was 12.9 months with 21 (30 %) patients living greater than 2-years. Signet ring histology (HR=7.27, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001), peritoneal metastasis (HR=2.29, 0.003), distant lymphatic metastasis (HR=2.70, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001), brain metastasis (HR=2.86, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.048) and metastatectomy (HR=0.17, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) were associated with OS. Forty-six (65 %) patients received first-line systemic therapy, 14 (20 %) second-line and 2 (3 %) third-line. Median duration of therapy was 8.5 months for first-line, 5.5 months for second-line and 1.5 months for third-line.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Real world data demonstrates that patients with BRAF-V600E mCRC have poor clinical outcomes with traditional systemic therapies. Only a minority of patients received second- or third-line systemic treatments, highlighting the importance of ongoing research evaluating incorporation of targeted therapy in first-line treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"43 ","pages":"Article 100896"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"USP6NL and MSX2 as the novel diagnostic markers in gastric cancer patients","authors":"Zahra Basirat,&nbsp;Negin Taghehchian,&nbsp;Mohammad Reza Abbaszadegan,&nbsp;Meysam Moghbeli","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100977","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100977","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal malignancies in the world. WNT signaling pathway has a key role in the occurrence and progression of GC. USP6NL belongs to the GAP protein family that regulates the WNT signaling by the β-catenin stabilization during tumor progression. Therefore, for the first time in the present study, we examined the role of USP6NL in tumor progression through the regulation of WNT signaling pathway among GC patients. C-MYC and MSX2 were also assessed in GC patients as the WNT target genes to evaluate the role of USP6NL during GC progression via WNT regulation. Eighty-three freshly tumor and corresponding normal tissues were enrolled to assess the levels of USP6NL, MSX2, and C-MYC mRNA expressions using the Real time polymerase chain reaction. There was significant higher levels of USP6NL in non-cardia compared with cardia tumors (p = 0.03). There was also significant higher levels of USP6NL expressions in non-cardia tumors of females compared with males (p = 0.032). Low-grade tumors with MSX2 up regulation were significantly associated with low survival (p = 0.012). MSX2 up regulation was significantly correlated with lower survival among the female GC patients (p = 0.041). The levels of USP6NL was also significantly correlated with the levels of MSX2 (p ≤ 0.0001) and C-MYC (p = 0.001). USP6NL/MSX2/C-MYC axis can be introduced as a reliable diagnostic marker or therapeutic target in GC following the further in-vitro and animal studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100977"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144865456","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":"CRISPR-mediated modulation of EGFR signaling in lung cancer","authors":"Mobina Tabibian ,&nbsp;Elahe Motevaseli ,&nbsp;Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100992","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100992","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lung cancer is among the most common cancers and the leading source of cancer death. Inhibition of EGFR signaling by small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies has provided new opportunities for treatment of this type of cancer. However, prognosis remained unfavorable due to the incidence of intrinsic or attained resistance. The advent of CRISPR/Cas9 technology has offered additional chances for cancer genome editing. This technology has been applied in the context of lung cancer research in order to minimize the effects of activating EGFR mutations. In the current manuscript, we address the application of CRISPR/Cas9 method in the modulation of EGFR signaling and its consequence in the treatment of lung cancer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100992"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144932433","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":"Evaluation of pancreatic elastase-1 measurement during health checkups for detection of pancreatic cancer in asymptomatic individuals","authors":"Haruka Itoh ,&nbsp;Satomi Asai ,&nbsp;Shinji Takashimizu ,&nbsp;Toshio Nakagohri ,&nbsp;Yasuhiro Nishizaki ,&nbsp;Hayato Miyachi","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100951","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.100951","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Early detection of pancreatic cancer before symptom onset improves curability. This study evaluated the utility of blood elastase-1 as a screening tool for pancreatic cancer in asymptomatic individuals.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A total of 200,583 individuals underwent health checkups at the Tokai University Hospital Health Screening Center between July 2005 and December 2018. The incidence of pancreatic cancer was compared among individuals with blood elastase-1 levels ≥401 ng/dL or &lt;401 ng/dL at health checkups.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Among 376 individuals with elastase-1 levels ≥401 ng/dL (high group), 12 were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at our hospital. Among 200,207 records with elastase-1 levels &lt;401 ng/dL (low group), an estimated 41 individuals developed pancreatic cancer. The sensitivity and specificity of elastase-1 testing for pancreatic cancer detection was 22.6 % and 99 %, respectively. The sensitivity of abdominal ultrasonography was 50 % and increased to 68.8 % when combined with elastase-1 testing. In patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the elastase-1-high group was more likely to undergo surgery, as compared with the elastase-1-low group (75 % [9/12] vs. 50 % [10/20], statistically not signifcant, p= 0.267), and had significantly longer overall survival (median: 1113 days and 641 days).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Incorporating elastase-1 testing alongside abdominal ultrasonography in routine health checkups may improve the detection of pancreatic cancer in asymptomatic individuals. Patients whose pancreatic cancer was identified due to elevated elastase-1 levels had a better prognosis compared to those diagnosed through other methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100951"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144291544","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":"Photodynamic therapy with zinc phthalocyanine enhances cisplatin sensitivity of human muscle-invasive bladder cancer cells by downregulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway","authors":"Fateme Mohammadnejad ,&nbsp;Neda Rajabi ,&nbsp;Mohammad Amin Doustvandi ,&nbsp;Shima Alizadeh Nobari ,&nbsp;Masoumeh Hosseinpour ,&nbsp;Nadia Allahyarzadeh Khiabani ,&nbsp;Mohammad Amini ,&nbsp;Behzad Baradaran ,&nbsp;Leili Aghebati Maleki","doi":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.101007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ctarc.2025.101007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cisplatin (CIS) is mainly used as a chemotherapeutic drug for bladder cancer (BLC). However, the total response of CIS-based chemotherapy in BLC remains unsatisfactory owing to the complex genomic differences, pathological subtypes, and drug resistance. In BLC cells, activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway escalates cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Furthermore, due to the increase in BLC cell viability resulting from PI3K/AKT/mTOR upregulation, BLC cells may acquire resistance to anti-cancer treatments such as CIS-based chemotherapy. Also, the BLC response to CIS may be enhanced when combined with other therapeutic approaches. One such approach is photodynamic therapy (PDT), where a photosensitizer (PS) generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) after illumination of target cells. In this study, the combination of PDT and CIS was applied to treat EJ138 and 5637 cell lines. Cytotoxic effects were determined by MTT assay for assessment, and synergistic effects were estimated using the Combination Index (CI); synergistic effects were observed in all groups. Also, synergistic changes in cell viability, cell migration, and colony formation ability were observed after combination treatment. Moreover, PDT, CIS, and their combination down-regulated the expression of the MMP-9 gene, which impaired cell migration, especially in combination groups. Apoptosis induction was significantly increased compared to either treatment alone. Importantly, CIS, in combination with PDT, down-regulated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR that augmented the CIS sensitivity of BLC cells. In conclusion, it can be suggested that a combination treatment of CIS and PDT has high effects on sensitizing human muscle-invasive bladder cancer cells (EJ138 and 5637 cell lines) to CIS-based chemotherapy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9507,"journal":{"name":"Cancer treatment and research communications","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 101007"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145217184","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}