Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Gastrointestinal Tract and Pancreas: A surgeon's plea to centering attention on the liver
Over 50% of patients with gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) have stage IV disease at presentation and the most likely organ to be affected by metastases is the liver. Hepatic involvement and hepatic tumor burden is a key prognostic factor affecting survival of these patients and 80% eventually die of liver failure due to tumor dissemination within the liver. This commentary explores the efficacy and limitations of systemic treatments in patients with GEP-NETs and liver metastases. (Source: Seminars in Oncology)
Source: Seminars in Oncology - August 8, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Xavier M Keutgen, Erik Schadde, Rodney F Pommier, Thorvardur R Halfdanarson, James Howe, Electron Kebebew Source Type: research

Risk score system for the prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with type 2 diabetes: Taiwan Diabetes Study
This study aims to develop a risk score system for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with type 2 diabetes using the Taiwan National Diabetes Care Management Program (NDCMP) database. This retrospective cohort study included 31,723 Chinese patients who had type 2 diabetes, aged 30 –84 years. Participants were randomly grouped into derivation and validation sets in 2:1 ratio. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to identify the risk factors of HCC in the derivation set. Discrimination ability of the model was assessed by means of a receiver operating character istic curve and performance was express...
Source: Seminars in Oncology - August 7, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tsai-Chung Li, Chia-Ing Li, Chiu-Shong Liu, Wen-Yuan Lin, Chih-Hsueh Lin, Sing-Yu Yang, Cheng-Chieh Lin Source Type: research

Desperation Oncology
The April 26, 2018 issue of the New York Times had an article by Science Editor Gina Kolata entitled “Desperation Oncology: When Patients Are Dying, Some Cancer Doctors Turn to Immunotherapy”1. The article featured as a lead, a picture of “Dr. Oliver Sartor in his office at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans”. The caption continued “He and other cancer experts offer dying patients the c hance to try experimental immunotherapy drugs”. Read it yourself and decide but here is my admittedly biased take. (Source: Seminars in Oncology)
Source: Seminars in Oncology - August 7, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tito Fojo Tags: Editorial Source Type: research

NEW CONCEPTS IN FOLLICULAR LYMPHOMA BIOLOGY: FROM BCL2 TO EPIGENETIC REGULATORS AND NON-CODING RNAs
The molecular pathogenesis of follicular lymphoma (FL) was partially revealed three decades ago, with the discovery of the translocation that brought BCL2 under the influence of immunoglobulin heavy chain enhancers in a vast majority of cases. Despite the importance of these seminal observations, it has become increasingly clear that additional genetic alterations need to occur to trigger neoplastic transformation and disease progression. The evolution of FL involves developmental arrest and disruption of the normal function of one or more of epigenetic regulators including KMT2D/MLL2, EZH2, CBP/CREBBP, p300/EP300, and HIS...
Source: Seminars in Oncology - August 6, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Jan Devan, Andrea Janikova, Marek Mraz Source Type: research

Immune related adverse events are linked with improved progression-free survival in patients receiving anti-PD-1 / PD-L1 therapy
Background: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are commonly encountered when using anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy and are often managed with corticosteroids. The effect of irAEs, particularly when steroids are required, on patient survival is not well established.Methods: In this retrospective analysis, data for 157 patients with various tumor types treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy were obtained. Kaplan Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to assess the effect of irAEs and corticosteroids on progression-free survival (PFS). (Source: Seminars in Oncology)
Source: Seminars in Oncology - August 6, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Hammad Shafqat, Theodore Gourdin, Amy Sion Source Type: research

Management of hepatitis C positive patients undergoing active treatment for malignancies: a position paper from the Associazione Italiana di Oncologia Medica (AIOM) and the Societ à Italiana di Malattie Infettive e Tropicali (SIMIT).
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) all over the world; approximately 130 –150 million people globally have chronic HCV infection [1]. The prevalence of HCV infection increases steadily with age and, at the same time, advancing age is associated with an increased risk of developing solid tumors, other than HCC [2]. Viral hepatitis reactivation or exacerbation during or following chemotherapy for solid tumors has previously been reported: strong evidence has been reported in literature concerning hepatitis B virus reactivation during immunosuppression, w...
Source: Seminars in Oncology - August 3, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Raffaele Bruno, Valentina Zuccaro, Carmine Pinto, Massimo Puoti, Giovanni Battista Gaeta, Anna Pagani, Gloria Taliani, Fausto Baldanti, Saverio Cinieri, Paolo Pedrazzoli Source Type: research

The Australian Medical Oncologist Workforce Survey: the profile and challenges of Medical Oncology
Workforce challenges were unique across different career stages in oncology; trainees, ECOs and consultants. Work intensity, mentorship and career prospects were amongst the emergent issues highlighted in this study. (Source: Seminars in Oncology)
Source: Seminars in Oncology - August 2, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Zarnie Lwin, Alex Broom, David Sibbritt, Kay Francis, Christos S Karapetis, Deme Karikios, Rosemary Harrup Source Type: research

Epidemiological trends in neuroendocrine tumors: an examination of incidence rates and survival of specific patient subgroups over the past 20 years
We examined NET incidence and survival over time in a population-based registry. (Source: Seminars in Oncology)
Source: Seminars in Oncology - July 30, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Paul E. Sackstein, Daniel S. O'Neil, Alfred I. Neugut, John Chabot, Tito Fojo Source Type: research

Age-related differences in patient reported outcomes in patients with advanced lung cancer receiving anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy
The objective of this study was to examine age-related differences in patient-reported symptoms and functional domains in patients with advanced lung cancer receiving immunotherapy drugs. (Source: Seminars in Oncology)
Source: Seminars in Oncology - July 27, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: B.L. King-Kallimanis, B. Kanapuru, G.M. Blumenthal, M.R. Theoret, P.G. Kluetz Source Type: research

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for Early-stage Lung Cancer in the Elderly
Early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is on the rise due to the implementation of screening guidelines for patients at risk for developing lung cancer. It is anticipated that as the United States population continues to age, there will be a higher percentage of medically inoperable early-stage lung cancer patients. For this reason, non-invasive ablative therapies are necessary. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is an effective modality in addressing early-stage NSCLC. SBRT consists of high-dose radiation delivered over three to five treatments. (Source: Seminars in Oncology)
Source: Seminars in Oncology - July 2, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Ashwin Shinde, Richard Li, Jae Kim, Ravi Salgia, Arti Hurria, Arya Amini Source Type: research

Rapid disease progression in a patient with mismatch repair-deficient and cortisol secreting adrenocortical carcinoma treated with pembrolizumab
: Metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. A subset of ACC is due to Lynch syndrome, an inherited tumor syndrome resulting from germline mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes. It has been demonstrated that several cancers characterized by MMR-deficiency are sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors that target PD-1. Here, we provide the first report of PD-1 blockade with pembrolizumab in a patient with Lynch syndrome and progressive cortisol-secreting metastatic ACC. (Source: Seminars in Oncology)
Source: Seminars in Oncology - June 21, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: R.T. Casey, O. Giger, I. Seetho, A. Marker, D. Pitfield, L.H. Boyle, M. Gurnell, A. Shaw, M. Tischowitz, E.R. Maher, V.K. Chatterjee, T. Janowitz, G. Mells, P. Corrie, B.G. Challis Source Type: research

Biomarker-Driven and Molecularly Targeted Therapies for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a deadly disease with few effective treatment options. Our knowledge of molecular alterations in PDAC has significantly grown and helped identify new therapeutic targets. The success of immune checkpoint inhibition in mismatch repair deficient tumors, PARP inhibitors for tumors with DNA repair defects, and targeting hyaluronan (HA) with PEGPH20 in patients with high expressing (HA-high) tumors are examples of promising biomarker-driven therapies. We review the major biological mechanisms in PDAC and discuss current and future directions for molecularly targeted therapies in t...
Source: Seminars in Oncology - June 5, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: David B. Zhen, Andrew Coveler, Silvia Zanon, Michele Reni, E. Gabriela Chiorean Source Type: research

Cuba Si. Cancer No.
The current double issue of Seminars in Oncology brings 11 contributions from the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the Center of Molecular Immunology, and the Center of Medical and Surgical Research in Cuba. Having left Cuba in 1960, my interest in these submissions admittedly could go beyond the merely scientific. But others, I guarantee, will find EVERY article remarkably interesting and informative. In an era where the overwhelming majority of therapies in development as well as clinical trials being conducted are following well-traveled paths that bring us limited new information, the investigators fro...
Source: Seminars in Oncology - June 1, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Antonio Tito Fojo Source Type: research

HER1-based vaccine: simultaneous activation of humoral and cellular immune response
The human epidermal growth factor receptor 1 (HER1) is a tumor associated antigen that has been validated as a clinical target for several passive, non-immune therapies currently approved for the treatment epithelial tumors. HER1 is an oncogene that not only promotes tumor progression and survival, but also immune-escape. Its overexpression in some epithelial malignancies has been correlated with a poor prognosis. We developed an approach to target HER1 by specific active immunotherapy, recognizing the extracellular domain of the receptor, using a combination of VSSP and Montanide ISA 51 as adjuvants. (Source: Seminars in Oncology)
Source: Seminars in Oncology - May 31, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Gretchen Bergado B áez, Diana R. Hernández Fernández, Zaima Mazorra Herrera, Belinda Sánchez Ramírez Source Type: research

Cancer-induced systemic myeloid dysfunction: implications for treatment and a novel nanoparticle approach for its correction
Unlike other regulatory circuits, cancer-induced myeloid dysfunction involves more than an accumulation of impaired dendritic cells (DCs), protumoral macrophages and myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME). It is also characterized by “aberrant” myelopoiesis that results in the accumulation and expansion of immature myeloid precursors with a suppressive phenotype in the systemic circulation. The first part of this review briefly describes the evidence for and consequences of this systemic dysfunctional myelopoiesis and the po ssible reinforcement of this phenomenon by conventional t...
Source: Seminars in Oncology - May 30, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Rydell Alvarez, Liliana Oliver, Anet Valdes, Circe Mesa Source Type: research