Neoplasms Commons^™

Survival In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis And Early Breast Cancer Treated With Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors, Juan I Ruiz, Xiudong Lei, Wu Chi-Fang, Sharon H Giordano, Hui Zhao, Suja S Rajan, Heather Lin, Maria E Suarez-Almazor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: There have been concerns about the use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) for autoimmune disease in patients with recently diagnosed cancer. We assessed the survival of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and newly diagnosed early breast cancer (BC) treated with TNFi in the first two years after BC diagnosis.

Methods: We identified patients in two datasets: (1) Optum's de-identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database (CDM), (2) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program (SEER) and Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) Medicare-linked cohort. We grouped patients according to whether they received TNFi, conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) only, or no DMARDs …

Durable Local Control With Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy For Unresectable Or Metastatic Melanoma, Sydney A Keatts, Aya F Salem, David M Swanson, Ahsan S Farooqi, Andrew J Bishop, Rodabe N Amaria, Jennifer L Mcquade, Isabella C Glitza Oliva, Adi Diab, Roi Weiser, Sarah B Fisher, Ryan P Goepfert, Merrick I Ross, B Ashleigh Guadagnolo, Devarati Mitra

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: As patients with advanced melanoma live longer in the context of systemic therapy advancements, better strategies for durable control of bulky tumors are needed. In this study, we evaluated if dose-escalated hypofractionated radiation therapy (HFRT) can provide durable local control and improve tumor-associated symptoms in patients with unresectable or bulky metastatic melanoma for whom stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (RT) approaches are not feasible due to tumor size or location.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 49 patients with unresectable or bulky metastatic melanoma who were treated to a total of 53 tumor targets with 12-17 fractions HFRT at …

Impact Of Artificial Intelligence-Based Autosegmentation Of Organs At Risk In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Solomon Kibudde, Awusi Kavuma, Yao Hao, Tianyu Zhao, Hiram Gay, Jacaranda Van Rheenen, Pavan Mukesh Jhaveri, Minjmaa Minjgee, Enkhsetseg Vanchinbazar, Urdenekhuu Nansalmaa, Baozhou Sun

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Radiation therapy (RT) processes require significant human resources and expertise, creating a barrier to rapid RT deployment in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Accurate segmentation of tumor targets and organs at risk (OARs) is crucial for optimal RT. This study assessed the impact of artificial intelligence (AI)-based autosegmentation of OARs in 2 LMICs.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Ten patients, comprising 5 head and neck (HN) cancer patients and 5 prostate cancer patients, were randomly selected. Planning computed tomography images were subjected to autosegmentation using an Food and Drug Administration-approved AI software tool and manual segmentation by experienced radiation oncologists from …

Paraneoplastic Acral Vascular Syndrome In A Patient With Advanced Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; Case Report And Literature Review, Ancuța Năstac, Lucian Negreanu, Alexandru Constantinescu, Octavian Andronic, Andreea Dobromirescu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Paraneoplastic acral vascular syndrome (PAVS) is a captivating enigma in the landscape of oncological pathology, characterized by vascular disturbances of the extremities. PAVS is linked to rapidly progressing trajectory and understanding the intricate interplay between cancer and this vascular dysfunction is imperative for timely diagnosis. We describe the case of a 45-year-old cachectic male who presented at the ICU with bilateral tumefied, cyanotic digits, accompanied by acute pain and numbness in both hands. A Digital Angiography described complete obstruction of the digital arteries. Imaging showed a laterocervical tumor mass with pulmonary metastases. This form of digital ischemia likely stems from …

Challenges In Diagnosing Nasopharyngeal Tumors, Alexandru Aristide Alexe, Mihai Victor Lupascu, Haldun Septar, Anca Pantea Stoian, Andra Iulia Suceveanu, Viorel Gherghina, Iuliana Cindea, Alina Doina Nicoara, Laura Mazilu, Razvan Hainarosie, Felix Voinea, Adrian Paul Suceveanu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Malignant nasopharyngeal tumors account for approximately 4% of ENT malignant tumor pathology and 1% of all cancers. The diagnosis of nasopharyngeal tumors is often late, the reason being the location in a silent anatomical region in terms of symptomatology and accessibility. Thus, approximately 70% of newly diagnosed patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma unfortunately present with the condition in an advanced local stage. The early signs and symptoms are varied (nasal obstruction, hearing loss, otalgia, headache) and are usually ignored by the patient and even by the doctor in the initial stage of nasopharyngeal tumor evolution. Approximately 5% of patients have systemic …

Radiomics-Based Machine Learning With Natural Gradient Boosting For Continuous Survival Prediction In Glioblastoma, Mert Karabacak, Shiv Patil, Zachary C. Gersey, Ricardo J. Komotar, Konstantinos Margetis

SKMC Student Presentations and Publications

(1) Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, with an aggressive disease course that requires accurate prognosis for individualized treatment planning. This study aims to develop and evaluate a radiomics-based machine learning (ML) model to estimate overall survival (OS) for patients with GBM using pre-treatment multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). (2) Methods: The MRI data of 865 patients with GBM were assessed, comprising 499 patients from the UPENN-GBM dataset and 366 patients from the UCSF-PDGM dataset. A total of 14,598 radiomic features were extracted from T1, T1 with contrast, T2, and FLAIR MRI sequences …

Liposomal Eribulin (E7389-Lf) Plus Nivolumab: A Potential Treatment Option For Patients With Advanced Gastric Cancer?, Ali Raza Shaikh, Daniel Lin

Jefferson Hospital Staff Papers and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Micrornas Are Enriched At Covid-19 Genomic Risk Regions, And Their Blood Levels Correlate With The Covid-19 Prognosis Of Cancer Patients Infected By Sars-Cov-2, Simone Anfossi, Faezeh Darbaniyan, Joseph Quinlan, Steliana Calin, Masayoshi Shimizu, Meng Chen, Paola Rausseo, Michael Winters, Elena Bogatenkova, Kim-Anh Do, Ivan Martinez, Ziyi Li, Loredana Antal, Tudor Rares Olariu, Ignacio Wistuba, George A Calin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Cancer patients are more susceptible to an aggressive course of COVID-19. Developing biomarkers identifying cancer patients at high risk of COVID-19-related death could help determine who needs early clinical intervention. The miRNAs hosted in the genomic regions associated with the risk of aggressive COVID-19 could represent potential biomarkers for clinical outcomes.

Patients and methods: Plasma samples were collected at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from cancer patients (N = 128) affected by COVID-19. Serum samples were collected from vaccinated healthy individuals (n = 23) at the Municipal Clinical Emergency Teaching Hospital in Timisoara, Romania. An in …

Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning In Ocular Oncology, Retinoblastoma (Armor): Experience With A Multiracial Cohort, Vijitha S. Vempuluru, Rajiv Viriyala, Virinchi Ayyagari, Komal Bakal, Patanjali Bhamidipati, Krishna Krishore Dhara, Sandor R. Ferenczy, Carol L. Shields, Swathi Kaliki

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

Background: The color variation in fundus images from differences in melanin concentrations across races can affect the accuracy of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) models. Hence, we studied the performance of our AI model (with proven efficacy in an Asian-Indian cohort) in a multiracial cohort for detecting and classifying intraocular RB (iRB). Methods: Retrospective observational study. Results: Of 210 eyes, 153 (73%) belonged to White, 37 (18%) to African American, 9 (4%) to Asian, 6 (3%) to Hispanic races, based on the U.S. Office of Management and Budget's Statistical Policy Directive No.15 and 5 (2%) had no reported race. …

Assessing Influence Of Mismatch Repair Mutations On Survival In Patients After Resection Of Pancreatic Ductal And Periampullary Adenocarcinoma, Elizabeth Prezioso, Eleanor Mancheski, Kylee Shivok, Zachary Kaplan, Wilbur Bowne, Aditi Jain, Harish Lavu, Charles Yeo, Avinoam Nevler

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Previous studies have indicated that microsatellite instability and deficient mismatch repair (MMR) may be associated with improved survival in patients with pancreatic cancer. Here, we aim to investigate the impact of deficient MMR (dMMR) status on oncologic outcomes in patients after resection of PDAC and periampullary adenocarcinoma. Methods: This is a single-institution, retrospective study based on a prospectively maintained database. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (N = 342) and periampullary adenocarcinoma patients (N = 76) who underwent pancreatic resection surgery between 2016 and 2021 were …

Institutional Experience Of Lymphoproliferative Disorders With Initial Diagnosis Made Via Fine Needle Aspiration At Otolaryngology Clinic, Alaa S. Hrizat, Jerald Gong, Stacey M. Gargano

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: This study characterizes lymphomas presenting as palpable head and neck masses and evaluates the role of fine needle aspiration (FNA) and flow cytometry (FC) in diagnosis.

DESIGN: A 5-year retrospective review of FNAs performed by pathologists in an ENT clinic identified cases with a predominant lymphoid population that lacked an epithelial component. Cytology, FC, and subsequent surgical pathology diagnoses were correlated.

RESULTS: Of 821 FNAs, 154 (19%) met selection criteria. Reactive lymph nodes accounted for 43% (67/154), with most diagnosed as 'negative for malignancy,' except one 'atypical' (ATY) case. Lymphoma was confirmed in 57% (87/154) of cases, categorized as …

Effects Of Cadherin Mediated Contact Normalization On Oncogenic Src Kinase Mediated Gene Expression And Protein Phosphorylation, Rachel E Nicoletto, Cayla J Holdcraft, Ariel C Yin, Edward P Retzbach, Stephanie A Sheehan, Amanda A Greenspan, Christopher M Laugier, Jason Trama, Caifeng Zhao, Haiyan Zheng, Gary S Goldberg

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Nontransformed cells form heterotypic cadherin junctions with adjacent transformed cells to inhibit tumor cell growth and motility. Transformed cells must override this form of growth control, called "contact normalization", to invade and metastasize during cancer progression. Heterocellular cadherin junctions between transformed and nontransformed cells are needed for this process. However, specific mechanisms downstream of cadherin signaling have not been clearly elucidated. Here, we utilized a β-catenin reporter construct to determine if contact normalization affects Wnt signaling in transformed cells. β-catenin driven GFP expression in Src transformed mouse embryonic cells was decreased when cultured with cadherin competent nontransformed cells compared to …

Molecular And Clinical Features Of Pancreatic Acinar Cell Carcinoma: A Single-Institution Case Series, Ashwathy Balachandran Pillai, Mahmoud Yousef, Abdelrahman Yousef, Kristin D Alfaro-Munoz, Brandon G Smaglo, Jason Willis, Robert A Wolff, Shubham Pant, Mark W Hurd, Anirban Maitra, Huamin Wang, Matthew Harold G Katz, Laura R Prakash, Ching-Wei D Tzeng, Rebecca Snyder, Luca F Castelnovo, Anthony Chen, Andrey Kravets, Kseniia Kudriavtseva, Artem Tarasov, Kirill Kryukov, Haoqiang Ying, John Paul Shen, Dan Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) accounts for about 1% of pancreatic cancers. The molecular and clinical features of ACC are less characterized than those of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical and molecular features of ACC patients who underwent germline and/or somatic molecular testing at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2008 to 2022 and two cases from 2023-2024 who underwent RNA and TME analysis by Boston Gene. Patient information was extracted from our institutional database with the approval of the Institutional Review Board. Results: We identified 16 patients with available molecular testing …

A Rare Case Of Metachronous Gastric Lymphoma And Gastric Adenocarcinoma, Rofinna Johnkennedy Md, Mph, Cheng-Hung Tai, Alexa Plato Md, Department Of Medicine,, Caroline Loeser

Posters

Reports of metachronous primary gastric lymphoma and gastric adenocarcinoma exist in the literature, but it remains a rare entity. We present a rare case of metachronous gastric adenocarcinoma in a patient diagnosed initially with primary gastric lymphoma.

Biological Evaluation Of Anti-Cancer Activities Of Novel Small-Molecule Tubulin Polymerization Inhibitors In Prostate And Pancreatic Cancer, Rui Wang

Alternative Theses and Dissertations (AETDs)

Colchicine binding site inhibitors (CBSIs) are an emerging class of microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) with promising potential for cancer therapy. Traditional MTAs like paclitaxel, docetaxel, and Cabazitaxel, are three FDA-approved taxanes for treating various cancers. Acquired chemoresistance and toxicities caused by chemotherapy are some of the main barriers that limit their clinical outcomes. More effective novel agents and therapeutic strategies are needed to overcome these challenges. Tremendous efforts have been made in discovering novel CBSIs and evaluating many cancer types, reporting their promising potential to treat both primary, resistant, and metastatic cancers including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma. …

Mutant Npm1 Marginally Impacts Ribosome Footprint In Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells, Lorenzo Brunetti, Giulia Pianigiani, Michael C Gundry, Margaret A Goodell, Brunangelo Falini

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND:NPM1‐mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most frequent AML subtype. As wild‐type NPM1 is known to orchestrate ribosome biogenesis, it has been hypothesized that altered translation may contribute to leukemogenesis and leukemia maintenance in NPM1‐mutated AML. However, this hypothesis has never been investigated. We reasoned that if mutant NPM1 (NPM1c) directly impacts translation in leukemic cells, loss of NPM1c would result in acute changes in the ribosome footprint.

METHODS: Here, we performed ribosome footprint profiling (Ribo-seq) and bulk messenger RNA (mRNA) sequencing in two

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Incubation of degron cells with the small compound dTAG-13 …

Discordance Between Aptt And Anti-Xa In Monitoring Heparin Anticoagulation In Mechanical Circulatory Support, Song Li, Ang Li, Jennifer A Beckman, Christopher Kim, Marian A Granich, John Mondin, Daniel E Sabath, David A Garcia, Claudius Mahr

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

AIMS: It is unclear whether activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) or anti-Xa is more accurate for monitoring heparin anticoagulation in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) patients. This study investigates the relationship between aPTT and anti-Xa in MCS patients and identifies predictors of discordance.

METHODS AND RESULTS: aPTT and anti-Xa were simultaneously measured in a prospective cohort of MCS patients receiving unfractionated heparin at a tertiary academic medical centre. Therapeutic aPTT and anti-Xa levels were 60-100 s and 0.3-0.7 IU/mL, respectively, and concordance was defined as both levels being subtherapeutic, therapeutic, or supratherapeutic. To identify predictors of discordance, both a machine learning …

Peran Pemeriksaan Penanda Tumor Cairan Pleura Dalam Diagnosis Efusi Pleura Maligna Akibat Kanker Paru Primer, Cleopas M. Rumende, Noorwati Sutandyo, Arif R. Hanafi, Samuel K. Rumende, Erwin C. Susanto, Truely P. Sitorus

Jurnal Penyakit Dalam Indonesia

Introduction. Pleural effusion is a frequently acquired lung disorder and based on the type of cause it is divided into malignant and non-malignant pleural effusion. Cytological examination of pleural fluid to differentiate between malignant and non-malignant pleural effusion shows varying sensitivity. Research regarding the benefits of CEA and Cyfra 21-1 pleural fluid examination to detect malignant pleural effusion due to primary lung cancer in Indonesia is still very limited. The aims of this study is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of CEA and Cyfra 21-1 pleural fluid in diagnosing malignant pleural effusion due to primary lung camcer.

Methods …

A Systematic Review On The Techniques, Long-Term Outcomes, And Complications Of Partial Breast Irradiation After Breast-Conserving Surgery For Early-Stage Breast Cancer, Jing Ning, Guanghui Cheng, Ning Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of four techniques of partial breast irradiation (PBI) including interstitial brachytherapy (ISBT), balloon-based brachytherapy (BBT), Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) in the treatment for early-stage breast cancer patients after breast-conserving surgery. A systematic search was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases. The inclusion criteria were clinical trials and observational studies that reported on outcome measures of principal PBI techniques. The methodological quality of the included research data was assessed using bias risk …

Noninvasive Multi-Cancer Detection Using Blood-Based Cell-Free Micrornas, Jason Zhang, Hallgeir Rui, Hai Hu

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Patients diagnosed with early-stage cancers have a substantially higher chance of survival than those with late-stage diseases. However, the option for early cancer screening is limited, with most cancer types lacking an effective screening tool. Here we report a miRNA-based blood test for multi-cancer early detection based on examination of serum microRNA microarray data from cancer patients and controls. First, a large multi-cancer training set that included 1,408 patients across 7 cancer types and 1,408 age- and gender-matched non-cancer controls was used to develop a 4-microRNA diagnostic model using 10-fold cross-validation. In three independent validation sets comprising a total of …

Cd8Α Structural Domains Enhance Gucy2c Car-T Cell Efficacy, Trevor R. Baybutt, Ariana A. Entezari, Adi Caspi, Ross E. Staudt, Robert D. Carlson, Scott A. Waldman, Adam E. Snook

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Despite success in treating some hematological malignancies, CAR-T cells have not yet produced similar outcomes in solid tumors due, in part, to the tumor microenvironment, poor persistence, and a paucity of suitable target antigens. Importantly, the impact of the CAR components on these challenges remains focused on the intracellular signaling and antigen-binding domains. In contrast, the flexible hinge and transmembrane domains have been commoditized and are the least studied components of the CAR. Here, we compared the hinge and transmembrane domains derived from either the CD8ɑ or CD28 molecule in identical GUCY2C-targeted third-generation designs for colorectal cancer. While these structural …

Ret Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (Nsclc) In Association With Patients From Central America, Lily Z. Chen, William J. Gibson, Brian C. Boulmay

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

The rearranged during transfection (RET) gene is on chromosome 10 (10q11.2) and normally encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase that plays a role in the development of the kidney, nervous, and respiratory systems. Aberrant RET gene activation can occur through gene mutations, gene fusions, or over expression leading to uncontrolled cell growth and the development of malignancy. The RET gene was first identified in 1985 as a protooncogene playing a role in the pathogenesis of lymphoma, and mutations are now associated with numerous cancers including lung, thyroid, breast, colon, prostate, and kidney. Activating RET mutations are estimated to occur in 1-2% …

The P-Myh9/Usp22/Hif-1Α Axis Promotes Lenvatinib Resistance And Cancer Stemness In Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Qiaonan Shan, Lu Yin, Qifan Zhan, Jiongjie Yu, Sheng Pan, Jianyong Zhuo, Wei Zhou, Jiaqi Bao, Lincheng Zhang, Jiachen Hong, Jianan Xiang, Qingyang Que, Kangchen Chen, Shengjun Xu, Jingrui Wang, Yangbo Zhu, Bin He, Jingbang Wu, Haiyang Xie, Shusen Zheng, Tingting Feng, Sunbin Ling, Xiao Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lenvatinib is a targeted drug used for first-line treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A deeper insight into the resistance mechanism of HCC against lenvatinib is urgently needed. In this study, we aimed to dissect the underlying mechanism of lenvatinib resistance (LR) and provide effective treatment strategies. We established an HCC model of acquired LR. Cell counting, migration, self-renewal ability, chemoresistance and expression of stemness genes were used to detect the stemness of HCC cells. Molecular and biochemical strategies such as RNA-sequencing, immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry and ubiquitination assays were used to explore the underlying mechanisms. Patient-derived HCC models and HCC samples …

Frequent Chd1 Deletions In Prostate Cancers Of African American Men Is Associated With Rapid Disease Progression, Miklos Diossy, Viktoria Tisza, Hua Li, Pranshu Sahgal, Jia Zhou, Zsofia Sztupinszki, Denise Young, Darryl Nousome, Claire Kuo, Jiji Jiang, Yongmei Chen, Reinhard Ebner, Isabell A Sesterhenn, Joel T Moncur, Gregory T Chesnut, Gyorgy Petrovics, Gregory T Klus, Gabor Valcz, Pier Vitale Nuzzo, Dezso Ribli, Judit Börcsök, Aurel Prosz, Marcin Krzystanek, Thomas Ried, David Szuts, Kinza Rizwan, Salma Kaochar, Shailja Pathania, Alan D D'Andrea, Istvan Csabai, Shiv Srivastava, Matthew L Freedman, Albert Dobi, Sandor Spisak, Zoltan Szallasi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

We analyzed genomic data from the prostate cancer of African- and European American men to identify differences contributing to racial disparity of outcome. We also performed FISH-based studies of Chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 1 (CHD1) loss on prostate cancer tissue microarrays. We created CHD1-deficient prostate cancer cell lines for genomic, drug sensitivity and functional homologous recombination (HR) activity analysis. Subclonal deletion of CHD1 was nearly three times as frequent in prostate tumors of African American than in European American men and it associates with rapid disease progression. CHD1 deletion was not associated with HR deficiency associated mutational signatures or HR …

Obesity-Facilitated Colon Cancer Progression Is Mediated By Increased Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferases 1 And 2 Levels, Jenisha Ghimire, Morgan E. Collins, Patricia Snarski, Angelle N. King, Emmanuelle Ruiz, Rida Iftikhar, Harrison M. Penrose, Krzysztof Moroz, Tyler Rorison, Melody Baddoo, Muhammad Anas Naeem, Arnold H. Zea, Scott T. Magness, Erik F. Flemington, Susan E. Crawford, Suzana D. Savkovic

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The obesity epidemic is associated with increased colon cancer progression. As lipid droplets (LDs) fuel tumor growth, we aimed to determine the significance of diacyltransferases (diacylglycerol o-acyltransferases 1 and 2 [DGAT1/2]), responsible for LD biogenesis, in obesity-mediated colonic tumorigenesis. METHODS: Human colon cancer samples, colon cancer cells, colonospheres, and Apc colon cancer mouse model on a high-fat diet were employed. For DGAT1/2 inhibition, enzymatic inhibitors and small interfering RNA were used. Expression, pathways, cell cycle, and growth were assessed. Bioinformatic analyses of CUT&RUN and RNA sequencing data were performed. RESULTS: DGAT1/2 levels in human colon cancer tissue …

Adaptation Of The Socioecological Model To Address Disparities In Engagement Of Black Men In Prostate Cancer Genetic Testing, Amy Leader, Timothy Rebbeck, William Oh, Alpa Patel, Eric Winer, Leeann Bailey, Leonard Gomella, Crystal Lumpkins, Isla Garraway, Lisa Aiello, Monica Baskin, Heather H Cheng, Kathleen Cooney, Amanda Ganzak, Daniel George, Susan Halabi, Feighanne Hathaway, Claire Healy, Joseph W Kim, Michael Leapman, Stacy Loeb, Kara Maxwell, Christopher Mcnair, Todd Morgan, Breanne Prindeville, Howard R Soule, Whitney Steward, Sakinah Suttiratana, Mary-Ellen Taplin, Kosj Yamoah, Thierry Fortune, Kris Bennett, Joshua Blanding-Godbolt, Laura Gross, Veda Giri

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Black men consistently have higher rates of prostate cancer (PCA)- related mortality. Advances in PCA treatment, screening, and hereditary cancer assessment center around germline testing (GT). Of concern is the significant under-engagement of Black males in PCA GT, limiting the benefit of precision therapy and tailored cancer screening despite longstanding awareness of these disparities. To address these critical disparities, the Socioecological Model (SEM) was employed to develop comprehensive recommendations to overcome barriers and implement equitable strategies to engage Black males in PCA GT.

METHODS: Clinical/research experts, national organization leaders, and community stakeholders spanning multiple regions in US and Africa …

Impact Of An Online Decision Support Tool For Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (Dcis) Using A Pre-Post Design (Aft-25), Elissa Ozanne, Kellyn Maves, Angela Tramontano, Thomas Lynch, Alastair Thompson, Ann Partridge, Elizabeth Frank, Deborah Collyar, Desiree Basila, Donna Pinto, Terry Hyslop, Marc Ryser, Shoshana Rosenberg, E. Shelley Hwang, Rinaa Punglia

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The heterogeneous biology of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), as well as the variable outcomes, in the setting of numerous treatment options have led to prognostic uncertainty. Consequently, making treatment decisions is challenging and necessitates involved communication between patient and provider about the risks and benefits. We developed and investigated an interactive decision support tool (DST) designed to improve communication of treatment options and related long-term risks for individuals diagnosed with DCIS.

FINDINGS: The DST was developed for use by individuals aged > 40 years with DCIS and is based on a disease simulation model that integrates empirical data and …

Development Of Message Passing-Based Graph Convolutional Networks For Classifying Cancer Pathology Reports, Hong Jun Yoon, Hilda B. Klasky, Andrew E Blanchard, J. Blair Christian, Eric B Durbin, Xiao Cheng Wu, Antoinette Stroup, Jennifer Doherty, Linda Coyle, Lynne Penberthy, Georgia D Tourassi

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: Applying graph convolutional networks (GCN) to the classification of free-form natural language texts leveraged by graph-of-words features (TextGCN) was studied and confirmed to be an effective means of describing complex natural language texts. However, the text classification models based on the TextGCN possess weaknesses in terms of memory consumption and model dissemination and distribution. In this paper, we present a fast message passing network (FastMPN), implementing a GCN with message passing architecture that provides versatility and flexibility by allowing trainable node embedding and edge weights, helping the GCN model find the better solution. We applied the FastMPN model to …

Concurrent Challenges: New-Onset Type 2 Diabetes And Invasive Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report, Abhishekh Pokhrel, Alexa Lissete Zarate, Sobia Hassan Memon, Everardo Cobos

Research Colloquium

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive cancer with a five-year survival rate of about 10%, and is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Approximately 53% of patients are diagnosed at stage IV, characterized by distant metastasis to common sites such as the liver and lungs. Liver metastases occur in 60-70% of metastatic cases, while lung metastases are seen in 10-15% of patients. The median survival for stage IV patients is typically around 3 to 6 months, with current treatments primarily focused on palliation. Advances in chemotherapy offer modest survival benefits, but early detection and …

A Smart Water Bottle And Companion App (Hidratespark 3) To Improve Bladder-Filling Compliance In Patients With Prostate Cancer Receiving Radiotherapy: Nonrandomized Trial Of Feasibility And Acceptability, William Jin, Christopher Montoya, Benjamin James Rich, Crystal Seldon Taswell, Miguel Noy, Deukwoo Kwon, Benjamin Spieler, Brandon Mahal, Matthew Abramowitz, Raphael Yechieli, Alan Pollack, Alan Dal Pra

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Patients with prostate cancer undergoing radiation therapy (RT) need comfortably full bladders to reduce toxicities during treatment. Poor compliance is common with standard of care written or verbal instructions, leading to wasted patient value (PV) and clinic resources via poor throughput efficiency (TE).

Objective: Herein, we assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a smartphone-based behavioral intervention (SBI) to improve bladder-filling compliance and methods for quantifying PV and TE.

Methods: In total, 36 patients with prostate cancer were enrolled in a single-institution, closed-access, nonrandomized feasibility trial. The SBI consists of a fully automated smart water bottle and smartphone app. Both …