Head and neck cancer, gynecological cancer

Oncolytic virus (OV) therapy has emerged as a promising frontier in cancer treatment, especially for solid tumours. While immunotherapies like immune checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cells have demonstrated impressive results, their limitations in inducing complete tumour regression have spurred researchers to explore new approaches targeting tumours resistant to current immunotherapies. OVs, both natural and genetically engineered, selectively replicate within cancer cells, inducing their lysis while sparing normal tissues...

Encoded by PTPN11 , the Src-homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP2) integrates signals from various membrane-bound receptors such as receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), cytokine and integrin receptors and thereby promotes cell survival and proliferation. Activating mutations in the PTPN11 gene may trigger signaling pathways leading to the development of hematological malignancies, but are rarely found in solid tumors. Yet, aberrant SHP2 expression or activation has implications in the development, progression and metastasis of many solid tumor entities...

PURPOSE: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significantly improved the outcomes of patients with cancer; however, these agents may initiate immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Previous studies have demonstrated a robust correlation between disease prognosis and the occurrence of irAEs, specifically skin or endocrine irAEs. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the correlation between irAE-related adrenal insufficiency (AI) and ICI treatment efficacy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal, respiratory, head and neck, urological, skin and gynecologic cancers treated with anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody as monotherapy or combined therapy (combined with chemotherapy or targeted therapy) were divided into irAE-A (patients with irAE-related AI), irAE-B (patients with other irAEs) and non-irAE groups...

BACKGROUND: To evaluate a novel CBCT conversion algorithm for dose calculation implemented in a research version of a treatment planning system (TPS). METHODS: The algorithm was implemented in a research version of RayStation (v. 11B-DTK, RaySearch, Stockholm, Sweden). CBCTs acquired for each ten head and neck (HN), gynecology (GYN) and lung cancer (LNG) patients were collected and converted using the new algorithm (CBCTc ). A bulk density overriding technique implemented in the same version of the TPS was used for comparison (CBCTb )...

Positron emission tomography (PET)-based biologic radiation planning has the potential to improve tumor control by improving the accuracy of radiation delivery, allow for rational adaptive treatment, and decrease the likelihood of both acute and late side effects. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET is a widely used and effective diagnostic tool for many metabolically active tumors, including lymphoma and lung, head and neck, gastrointestinal, and gynecologic cancers. For these tumors, PET evidence has initially focused on more accurate staging but is evolving to allow for the escalation or deescalation of the radiotherapy dose depending on the PET-determined response to initial therapy...

Incidence and mortality rates of gastrointestinal (GI) and oral cancers are among the highest in the world, compared to other cancers. GI cancers include esophageal, gastric, colon, rectal, liver, and pancreatic cancers, with colorectal cancer being the most common. Oral cancer, which is included in the head and neck cancers category, is one of the most important causes of death in India. Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic element affecting humans and the environment, which has both natural and anthropogenic sources. Generally, water, soil, air, and food supplies are reported as some sources of Cd...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S): Accurate target delineation/contouring is essential for radiation treatment planning and radiotherapy efficacy. As a result, improving the quality of target delineation is an important goal in the education of radiation oncology residents. The purpose of this study was to track the concordance of radiation oncology residents' contours with faculty physicians' contours over the course of one year to assess for patterns. MATERIALS/METHODS: Residents in PGY levels of 2-4 were asked to contour target volumes which were compared to the finalized, faculty physician-approved contours...

INTRODUCTION: Aim of radiotherapy is precise dose delivery with objective of achieving maximum local control and minimal toxicity by decreasing dose to organ at risk (OAR).This aim can be achieved by technologies like intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric arc therapy. However, later offers comparable or even better plan quality with shorter treatment time. It is important to note that low dose regions are also a concern due long-term risk of developing a second cancer after radiotherapy...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S): Physiological transgender (TJ) is one of the most marginalized and oppressed community in the Indian subcontinent. The observable percentage of physiological transgender (TJ) cancer patients is extremely low. This concise report aims to assess the factors that contribute to the scarcity of transgender cancer patients. MATERIALS/METHODS: The hospital database (2012-2021) of 2 centers in New Delhi (population 32 million) & 1 in Kolkata (15 million) were evaluated...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S): Pretreatment Peer review meeting at our radiation oncology department is a weekly meeting, where the initial radiation treatment (RT) planning process for every patient is discussed including: Computed Tomography (CT) simulation and treatment planning. In this study, we are aiming to evaluate our peer review process and to report the compliance to the suggested modifications. MATERIALS/METHODS: All RT plans for all patients indicated for radiotherapy accepted by the primary radiation oncology team then presented in our weekly peer review meeting for final approval...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S): Nutrition is an essential aspect of cancer care at all time points leading to and after definitive therapy. Yet, cancer patients who reside in FPAs may experience limited access to healthy meals, possibly affecting cancer outcomes. There is no prospective data evaluating the consequence of residing in FPAs as it relates to perceived nutritional access, psychosocial needs, or nutritional status of cancer patients before, during, and after definitive treatment. Therefore, this study aims to characterize the nutritional needs of cancer patients undergoing curative radiation treatment (RT)...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S): Primary therapy for anal squamous cell carcinoma consists of definitive radiation with concurrent chemotherapy, most commonly 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin-C. This regimen is associated with significant cutaneous, hematologic, and gastrointestinal toxicity. Sarcopenia, or low skeletal muscle mass, has been described as an adverse prognostic factor and predictor of poor tolerance to therapy across a range of malignancies, including breast, gynecologic and head and neck cancers...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S): The purpose of this study was to investigate if there are differences in cancer incidence between immigrants and non-immigrants in Canada. We hypothesized that immigrants have lower cancer incidence compared to non-immigrants. MATERIALS/METHODS: In this retrospective study, a linked-database approach was employed using Statistics Canada data. The Canadian Cancer Registry and Canadian Vital Statistics Database were linked with the 1991 Census cohort and the cohort was followed from 1992-2015 for cancer incidence...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S): Cobalt intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) has the potential to impact global oncology by improving access to precision radiation therapy, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and a novel compensator-based machine has been developed. Previously, cobalt compensator-based IMRT and LINAC-based IMRT were shown to achieve similar target goals and dose constraints for head and neck clinical cases. Additionally, the fidelity of those calculations was supported by Monte Carlo simulations and gamma analysis...

Objectives  The objective is to present the patterns of dual primary malignancies diagnosed at the Pathology Laboratory of Cancer Hospital with the support from hospital-based cancer registry (HBCR), Sangrur, Punjab, India for the years 2018 and 2019. Methods  HBCR abstracts data from electronic medical records. Trained cancer registry staff abstracts cases in standard pro forma. Dual primary was coded as per the International Agency for Research on Cancer rule and was rechecked by the pathologist...

IMPORTANCE: Disruptions to health care during the COVID-19 pandemic may have led to missed cancer diagnoses. It is critical to evaluate the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and cancer incidence to address public and patient anxiety, inform recovery efforts, and identify strategies to reduce the system's vulnerability to future disruptions. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and cancer incidence in Manitoba, Canada. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A population-based cross-sectional study design was conducted using data from the Manitoba Cancer Registry and an interrupted time-series analysis...

BACKGROUND: Pembrolizumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1). It is used in the management and treatment of various oncologic conditions. To name a few: refractory and advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), renal cell carcinoma and gastric cancer. It is also approved for metastatic mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) endometrial carcinoma after failure of front-line chemotherapy. Lenvatinib is an oral multikinase inhibitor that targets vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1-3, fibroblast growth factor receptors 1-4, platelet-derived growth factor receptor-a, RET, and KIT...

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase a (PI3Ka) is one of the most mutated genes across cancers, especially breast, gynecological, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumors. Mutations occur throughout the gene, but hotspot mutations in the helical and kinase domains predominate. The therapeutic benefit of isoform-selective PI3Ka inhibition was established with alpelisib, which displays equipotent activity against the wild-type and mutant enzyme. Inhibition of wild-type PI3Ka is associated with severe hyperglycemia and rash that limits alpelisib use and suggests that selectively targeting mutant PI3Ka could reduce toxicity and improve efficacy...

BACKGROUND: Solitary fibrous tumors, previously known as hemangiopericytomas, originate from mesenchymal tissue and can occur at many body sites, such as the thorax, head and neck, retroperitoneal space and abdomen. These tumors are generally rare and pelvic location is extremely uncommon. Consequently, pelvic solitary tumors could be mistaken for ovarian cancer in menopausal women. This report presents a case of pelvic solitary tumor to highlight the importance of considering this diagnosis in a postmenopausal woman presenting with a solid pelvic mass, normal tumor markers and no ascites...

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) belongs to the phenols found in propolis. It has already shown strong antiproliferative, cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activities against head and neck cancers and against breast, colorectal, lung and leukemia cancer cells. Ovarian cancer is one of the most dangerous gynecological cancers. Its treatment involves intensive chemotherapy with platinum salts and paclitaxel (PTX). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the combined use of CAPE and paclitaxel increases the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents...