Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Association Between Sex And Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Outcomes For Patients With Melanoma., Se Ryeong Jang, Nikita Nikita, Joshua Banks, Scott W. Keith, Jennifer M. Johnson, Melissa Wilson, Grace Lu-Yao

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Importance: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized melanoma treatment and are now standard of care. Although sex is associated with immune function and immune-related diseases, the interaction between sex and ICIs is understudied.

Objective: To examine whether cancer immunotherapy effectiveness varies between female and male patients with advanced melanoma treated with either nivolumab plus ipilimumab combination therapy or anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) therapy (namely, pembrolizumab or nivolumab).

Design, Setting, and Participants: The study population consisted of 1369 older adults (aged ≥65 years) with a record of melanoma diagnosis from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2015, in the …

Therapeutic Resistance In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Current Challenges And Future Opportunities, Aditi Jain, Phd, Vikas Bhardwaj

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancerrelated deaths in the United States. Although chemotherapeutic regimens such as gemcitabine+ nab-paclitaxel and FOLFIRINOX (FOLinic acid, 5-Fluroruracil, IRINotecan, and Oxaliplatin) significantly improve patient survival, the prevalence of therapy resistance remains a major roadblock in the success of these agents. This review discusses the molecular mechanisms that play a crucial role in PDAC therapy resistance and how a better understanding of these mechanisms has shaped clinical trials for pancreatic cancer chemotherapy. Specifically, we have discussed the metabolic alterations and DNA repair mechanisms observed in PDAC and current approaches in targeting …

Potential Immunomodulatory Properties Of Biologically Active Components Of Spices Against Sars-Cov-2 And Pan Β-Coronaviruses, Sourodip Sengupta, Debina Bhattacharyya, Grishma Kasle, Souvik Karmakar, Omkar Sahu, Anirban Ganguly, Sankar Addya, Jayasri Das Sarma

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced COVID-19 has emerged as a defining global health crisis in current times. Data from the World Health Organization shows demographic variations in COVID-19 severity and lethality. Diet may play a significant role in providing beneficial host cell factors contributing to immunity against deadly SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Spices are essential components of the diet that possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral properties. Hyperinflammation, an aberrant systemic inflammation associated with pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, and multiorgan dysfunction, is a major clinical outcome in COVID-19. Knowing the beneficial properties of spices, we hypothesize that spice-derived bioactive components …

Returning To Sport: Female Athletes Living With And Beyond Cancer., Anna L. Schwartz, Christopher Terry

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Many athletes living with and beyond cancer can continue to train and, in some cases, compete during treatment. Following cancer treatment, athletes can return to competitive sport but need to learn to adapt their physical strength and training to the lingering effects of cancer. It is critical for oncology healthcare providers to use the principles of assess, refer and advise to exercise oncology programs that are appropriate for the individual. Managing side effects of treatment is key to being able to train during and immediately following cancer treatment. Keen attention to fatigue is important at any point in the cancer …

Digital Literacy At An Urban Cancer Center: Implications For Technology Use And Vulnerable Patients, Amy Leader, Lisa M. Capparella, L. Waldman, Ba, Rebecca Cammy, Alison Petok, Rebecca Dean, Ayako Shimada, Liana Yocavitch, Kristin L. Rising, Gregory Garber, Brooke Worster, Adam Dicker

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: eHealth literacy, or the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic sources, has become increasingly relevant in the era of COVID-19, when so many aspects of patient care became dependent on technology. We aimed to understand eHealth literacy among a diverse sample of patients with cancer and discuss ways for health systems and cancer centers to ensure that all patients have access to high-quality care.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of patients with cancer and caregivers was conducted at an NCI-designated cancer center to assess access to the Internet, smartphone ownership, use of mobile apps, willingness …

Long-Term Effects Of Very Low Dose Particle Radiation On Gene Expression In The Heart: Degenerative Disease Risks, Venkata Naga Srikanth Garikipati, Arsen Arakelyan, Eleanor A Blakely, Polly Y Chang, May M Truongcao, Maria Cimini, Vandana Malaredy, Anamika Bajpai, Sankar Addya, Malik Bisserier, Agnieszka Brojakowska, Abrisham Eskandari, Mary K Khlgatian, Lahouaria Hadri, Kenneth M Fish, Raj Kishore, David A Goukassian

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Compared to low doses of gamma irradiation (γ-IR), high-charge-and-energy (HZE) particle IR may have different biological response thresholds in cardiac tissue at lower doses, and these effects may be IR type and dose dependent. Three- to four-month-old female CB6F1/Hsd mice were exposed once to one of four different doses of the following types of radiation: γ-IR 137Cs (40-160 cGy, 0.662 MeV), 14Si-IR (4-32 cGy, 260 MeV/n), or 22Ti-IR (3-26 cGy, 1 GeV/n). At 16 months post-exposure, animals were sacrificed and hearts were harvested and archived as part of the NASA Space Radiation Tissue Sharing Forum. These heart tissue samples were …

Macrophage And Adipocyte Interaction As A Source Of Inflammation In Kidney Disease, Cristina Martos-Rus, Goni Katz-Greenberg, Zhao Lin, Eurico Serrano, Diana Whitaker Menezes, Marina Domingo-Vidal, Megan Roche, Kavitha Ramaswamy, D. Craig Hooper, Bonita Falkner, Maria P Martinez Cantarin

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

In obesity, adipose tissue derived inflammation is associated with unfavorable metabolic consequences. Uremic inflammation is prevalent and contributes to detrimental outcomes. However, the contribution of adipose tissue inflammation in uremia has not been characterized. We studied the contribution of adipose tissue to uremic inflammation in-vitro, in-vivo and in human samples. Exposure to uremic serum resulted in activation of inflammatory pathways including NFκB and HIF1, upregulation of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and catabolism with lipolysis, and lactate production. Also, co-culture of adipocytes with macrophages primed by uremic serum resulted in higher inflammatory cytokine expression than adipocytes exposed only to uremic serum. Adipose tissue …