Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Hematological Health In Latin America, Lina M. Barrios, Ms

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Hematological malignancies, also known as blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphomas, and myelomas, are a significant health concern globally. The incidence of these malignancies has dramatically increased over time, leukemias being the leading cause. The incidence of blood cancers in Latin America exhibits regional variability, with leukemia being the emerging cause as the most prevalent type in children and young adults. However, the overall incidences are oddly lower than in developed countries, potentially due to the underreporting of the cases and the lack of cancer registries. This situation implies a critical need for improving surveillance and data collection methods to …

Mavs Is A Double-Edged Sword, Christina Huang, Jack L. Arbiser

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

No abstract provided.

Increased Glucose Availability Sensitizes Pancreatic Cancer To Chemotherapy, Ali Vaziri-Gohar, Jonathan J. Hue, Ata Abbas, Hallie J. Graor, Omid Hajihassani, Mehrdad Zarei, George Titomihelakis, John Feczko, Moeez Rathore, Sylwia Chelstowska, Alexander W. Loftus, Rui Wang, Mahsa Zarei, Maryam Goudarzi, Renliang Zhang, Belinda Willard, Li Zhang, Adam Kresak, Joseph E. Willis, Gi-Ming Wang, Curtis Tatsuoka, Joseph M. Salvino, Ilya Bederman, Henri Brunengraber, Costas A. Lyssiotis, Jonathan R. Brody, Jordan M. Winter

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is highly resistant to chemotherapy. Effective alternative therapies have yet to emerge, as chemotherapy remains the best available systemic treatment. However, the discovery of safe and available adjuncts to enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy can still improve survival outcomes. We show that a hyperglycemic state substantially enhances the efficacy of conventional single- and multi-agent chemotherapy regimens against PDAC. Molecular analyses of tumors exposed to high glucose levels reveal that the expression of GCLC (glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit), a key component of glutathione biosynthesis, is diminished, which in turn augments oxidative anti-tumor damage by chemotherapy. Inhibition of GCLC phenocopies …

Targeting The Vulnerabilities Of Oncogene Activation, Christina Huang, Jack L. Arbiser

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

No abstract provided.

Association Of Smoking And Respiratory Disease History With Pancreatic Pathologies Requiring Surgical Resection, Carolyn Ream, Matthew Sabitsky, Rachel Huang, Emma Hammelef, Theresa P. Yeo, Harish Lavu, Charles J. Yeo, Wilbur Bowne, Avinoam Nevler

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between various respiratory conditions, including hypercapnic respiratory disease, and a multitude of resected pancreatic lesions. Methods: This retrospective case-control study queried a prospectively maintained database of patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy between January 2015 and October 2021. Patient data, including smoking history, medical history, and pathology reports, were recorded. Patients with no smoking history and no concomitant respiratory conditions were designated as the control group. Results: A total of 723 patients with complete clinical and pathological data were identified. Male current smokers showed increased rates of PDAC (OR 2.33, 95% …

Mechanisms Of Chromosomal Instability (Cin) Tolerance In Aggressive Tumors: Surviving The Genomic Chaos, Brittiny Dhital, Veronica Rodriguez-Bravo

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a pervasive feature of human cancers involved in tumor initiation and progression and which is found elevated in metastatic stages. CIN can provide survival and adaptation advantages to human cancers. However, too much of a good thing may come at a high cost for tumor cells as excessive degree of CIN-induced chromosomal aberrations can be detrimental for cancer cell survival and proliferation. Thus, aggressive tumors adapt to cope with ongoing CIN and most likely develop unique susceptibilities that can be their Achilles' heel. Determining the differences between the tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressing effects of CIN at the …

Real-World Maintenance Therapy And Survival Outcomes For Pembrolizumab Plus Pemetrexed And Platinum For Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer In Usa, Himani Aggarwal, Kayonda Bayo, Yimei Han, Catherine Elizabeth Muehlenbein, Yajun Emily Zhu, Jong Seok Kim

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Aim: To evaluate treatment patterns and overall survival (OS) in real world metastatic non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSQ-NSCLC) patients that received pembrolizumab plus pemetrexed-platinum (pembro+pem+plat) aligned with KEYNOTE-189.

Materials & methods: OS was evaluated for the overall cohort and maintenance therapy (MT) subgroups and analyzed using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards model.

Results: Of 2488 patients that received first-line treatment, 45.1% received less than four cycles of pembro+pem+plat, 43.9% received four cycles plus MT with pembro and/or pem, and 11.1% received four cycles without continuing on MT. The median OS was 21.0 months and 9.1 months in patients that …

A National Multi-Institutional Analysis Of Predictors Of Surgical Site Complications And Unplanned Reoperation After Paramedian Forehead Flap Reconstruction, Garrett Ni, Rohan Brebion, Pablo A. Baltodano, Michael C. Coronado, Nicholas Elmer, Theresa K. Webster, Huaqing Zhao, Xiaoning Lu, Sthefano Araya, Sameer Patel

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Background: Although postoperative complications of paramedian forehead flap (PMFF) are generally low, surgical site complications and unplanned reoperation can still occur. Recent literature suggests infection to be the most common complication following PMFF reconstruction. This study sought to determine the patient and preoperative factors associated with surgical site complications and unplanned reoperations at a national level.

Methods: Patients who underwent PMFF reconstruction from the ACS-NSQIP 2007 - 2019 database were analyzed to determine composite surgical site morbidity and unplanned return to the operating room. Patient and operative factors were also analyzed to assess independent risk factors for surgical site morbidity …

Presentation And Predictors Of Metastatic Testicular Cancer: A Contemporary Population-Based Analysis, Yash Shah, Hanan Goldberg, Thenappan Chandrasekar

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Introduction

• Testicular cancer (TC) is the most common solid malignancy in males aged 14-44, with incidence rising globally, although there are few established risk factors besides cryptorchidism.
• While 70% of men present with localized TC, 18% have regional spread and 12% have metastases. Moreover, one-third of patients diagnosed with Stage I TC actually have occult metastases.

Reducing Time To Antibiotics In Patients With Neutropenic Fever On A Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Regina Mcguire, Christopher Anand Gardner, Jordan Villars, William O'Hara, Jessica Radicke, Felicia Rivera, Jill Cristiano, Joanne E. Filicko-O'Hara, Usama Gergis, Adam F. Binder

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Background/Methods: Timely administration of antibiotics in patients with neutropenic fever (NF) is essential for reducing morbidity and mortality among oncology patients. The optimal time to antibiotics (TTA) for patients with NF is unclear, but IDSA/ASCO guidelines recommend a median TTA within one hour of documented fever. This study focused on identifying barriers at a single academic institution to timely antibiotic administration for patients admitted to the inpatient Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) unit, and implemented new processes to reduce median TTA to less than 60 minutes.

Methods: Chart reviews were performed to identify causes for delays in antibiotics (abx). Based on …

Sanhuang Decoction Controls Tumor Microenvironment By Ameliorating Chronic Stress In Breast Cancer: A Report Of Ninety Cases., Ming Feng, Huanhuan Wang, Zhiyuan Zhu, Bowen Yao, Yongfei Li, Jingxian Xue, Sihan Cao, Xinyi Shao, Yanlei Xu, Ki Cheul Sohn, Im Hee Shin, Chang Yao

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Long-term endocrine treatment which results in estrogen deprivation causes chronic stress associated with a series of uncomfortable symptoms leading not only to a decrease in quality of life but also to cancer recurrence, which may be mediated primarily through the enhanced expression of angiogenic factors, as well as a series of inflammatory microenvironmental changes that favor tumor progression. In this study, we designed a clinical trial and aimed to explore the effects of Sanhuang Decoction (SHD) treatment on chronic stress, inflammatory factors, and breast cancer recovery. A total of 90 patients with breast cancer who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were …

Procarbazine, Ccnu And Vincristine (Pcv) Versus Temozolomide Chemotherapy For Patients With Low-Grade Glioma: A Systematic Review., Karim Hafazalla, Arjun Sahgal, Blessing Jaja, James R Perry, Sunit Das

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Low-grade gliomas (LGG) encompass a heterogeneous group of tumors that are clinically, histologically and molecularly diverse. Treatment decisions for patients with LGG are directed toward improving upon the natural history while limiting treatment-associated toxiceffects. Recent evidence has documented a utility for adjuvant chemotherapy with procarbazine, CCNU (lomustine), and vincristine (PCV) or temozolomide (TMZ). We sought to determine the comparative utility of PCV and TMZ for patients with LGG, particularly in context of molecular subtype. A literature search of PubMed was conducted to identify studies reporting patient response to PCV, TMZ, or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT). Eligibility …

Androgen Receptor-Dependent And -Independent Mechanisms Driving Prostate Cancer Progression: Opportunities For Therapeutic Targeting From Multiple Angles., David T. Hoang, Kenneth A. Iczkowski, Deepak Kilari, William See, Marja T. Nevalainen

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Despite aggressive treatment for localized cancer, prostate cancer (PC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related death for American men due to a subset of patients progressing to lethal and incurable metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Organ-confined PC is treated by surgery or radiation with or without androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), while options for locally advanced and disseminated PC include radiation combined with ADT, or systemic treatments including chemotherapy. Progression to CRPC results from failure of ADT, which targets the androgen receptor (AR) signaling axis and inhibits AR-driven proliferation and survival pathways. The exact mechanisms underlying the transition from androgen-dependent PC …

High Crlf2 Expression Associates With Ikzf1 Dysfunction In Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Without Crlf2 Rearrangement., Zheng Ge, Yan Gu, Gang Zhao, Jianyong Li, Baoan Chen, Qi Han, Xing Guo, Juan Liu, Hui Li, Michael D. Yu, Justin Olson, Sadie Steffens, Kimberly J. Payne, Chunhua Song, Sinisa Dovat

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Overexpression of cytokine receptor-like factor 2 (CRLF2) due to chromosomal rearrangement has been observed in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and reported to contribute to oncogenesis and unfavorable outcome in ALL. We studied B-ALL and T-ALL patients without CRLF2 rearrangement and observed that CRLF2 is significantly increased in a subset of these patients. Our study shows that high CRLF2expression correlates with high-risk ALL markers, as well as poor survival. We found that the IKZF1-encoded protein, Ikaros, directly binds to the CRLF2 promoter and regulates CRLF2 expression in leukemia cells. CK2 inhibitor, which can increase Ikaros activity, significantly increases Ikaros binding in …