Medical Specialties Commons^™

Application Of Artificial Intelligence In Pancreaticobiliary Diseases, Hemant Goyal, Rupinder Mann, Zainab Gandhi, Abhilash Perisetti, Zhongheng Zhang, Neil Sharma Md, Shreyas Saligram, Sumant Inamdar, Benjamin Tharian

PCI Publications and Projects

The role of artificial intelligence and its applications has been increasing at a rapid pace in the field of gastroenterology. The application of artificial intelligence in gastroenterology ranges from colon cancer screening and characterization of dysplastic and neoplastic polyps to the endoscopic ultrasonographic evaluation of pancreatic diseases. Artificial intelligence has been found to be useful in the evaluation and enhancement of the quality measure for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Similarly, artificial intelligence techniques like artificial neural networks and faster region-based convolution network are showing promising results in early and accurate diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and its differentiation from chronic pancreatitis. Other …

Mapk4 Promotes Prostate Cancer By Concerted Activation Of Androgen Receptor And Akt, Tao Shen, Wei Wang, Wolong Zhou, Ilsa Coleman, Qinbo Cai, Bingning Dong, Michael M Ittmann, Chad J Creighton, Yingnan Bian, Yanling Meng, David R Rowley, Peter S Nelson, David D Moore, Feng Yang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is essential for PCa cell growth/survival and remains a key therapeutic target for lethal castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). GATA2 is a pioneer transcription factor crucial for inducing AR expression/activation. We recently reported that MAPK4, an atypical MAPK, promotes tumor progression via noncanonical activation of AKT. Here, we demonstrated that MAPK4 activated AR by enhancing GATA2 transcriptional expression and stabilizing GATA2 protein through repression of GATA2 ubiquitination/degradation. MAPK4 expression correlated with AR activation in human CRPC. Concerted activation of both GATA2/AR and AKT by …

Targeting Nsd2-Mediated Src-3 Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Sensitizes Bortezomib Treatment In Multiple Myeloma, Jing Liu, Ying Xie, Jing Guo, Xin Li, Jingjing Wang, Hongmei Jiang, Ziyi Peng, Jingya Wang, Sheng Wang, Qian Li, Linquan Ye, Yuping Zhong, Qiguo Zhang, Xiaozhi Liu, David M Lonard, Jin Wang, Bert W O'Malley, Zhiqiang Liu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Development of chemoresistance is the main reason for failure of clinical management of multiple myeloma (MM), but the genetic and epigenetic aberrations that interact to confer such chemoresistance remains unknown. In the present study, we find that high steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3) expression is correlated with relapse/refractory and poor outcomes in MM patients treated with bortezomib (BTZ)-based regimens. Furthermore, in immortalized cell lines, high SRC-3 enhances resistance to proteasome inhibitor (PI)-induced apoptosis. Overexpressed histone methyltransferase NSD2 in patients bearing a t(4;14) translocation or in BTZ-resistant MM cells coordinates elevated SRC-3 by enhancing its liquid-liquid phase separation to supranormally modify histone …

Combined High-Dose Lattice Radiation Therapy And Immune Checkpoint Blockade For Advanced Bulky Tumors: The Concept And A Case Report, Liuqing Jiang, Xiaobo Li, Jianping Zhang, Wenyao Li, Fangfen Dong, Cheng Chen, Qingliang Lin, Chonglin Zhang, Fen Zheng, Weisi Yan, Yi Zheng, Xiaodong Wu, Benhua Xu

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Although the combination of immune checkpoint blockades with high dose of radiation has indicated the potential of co-stimulatory effects, consistent clinical outcome has been yet to be demonstrated. Bulky tumors present challenges for radiation treatment to achieve high rate of tumor control due to large tumor sizes and normal tissue toxicities. As an alternative, spatially fractionated radiotherapy (SFRT) technique has been applied, in the forms of GRID or LATTICE radiation therapy (LRT), to safely treat bulky tumors. When used alone in a single or a few fractions, GRID or LRT can be best classified as palliative or tumor de-bulking treatments. …

Current Practice Of Oral Care For Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients: A Survey Of The Eastern Mediterranean Blood And Marrow Transplantation Group, Hani Mawardi, Nathaniel Treister, Osama Felemban, Waleed Alamoudi, Ghada Algohary, Abdulrahman Alsultan, Nawal Alshehri, Illias Tazi, Marwan Shaheen, Natasha Bahadur Ali

Section of Haematology/Oncology

Introduction: The oral cavity is one of the most common sites impacted by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with acute complications including mucositis, bleeding, salivary gland dysfunction, infection, and taste alteration. These complications may result in significant morbidity and can negatively impact outcomes such as length of stay and overall costs. As such, oral care during HSCT for prevention and management of oral toxicities is a standard component of transplant protocols at all centers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the current oral care practices for patients during HSCT at different transplant centers within the Eastern Mediterranean region. …

Dna Repair Pathways In Cancer Therapy And Resistance, Lan-Ya Li, Yi-Di Guan, Xi-Sha Chen, Jin-Ming Yang, Yan Cheng

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

DNA repair pathways are triggered to maintain genetic stability and integrity when mammalian cells are exposed to endogenous or exogenous DNA-damaging agents. The deregulation of DNA repair pathways is associated with the initiation and progression of cancer. As the primary anti-cancer therapies, ionizing radiation and chemotherapeutic agents induce cell death by directly or indirectly causing DNA damage, dysregulation of the DNA damage response may contribute to hypersensitivity or resistance of cancer cells to genotoxic agents and targeting DNA repair pathway can increase the tumor sensitivity to cancer therapies. Therefore, targeting DNA repair pathways may be a potential therapeutic approach for …

Safety And Efficacy Of Hypofractionated Stereotactic Radiosurgery For High-Grade Gliomas At First Recurrence: A Single-Center Experience., Yun Guan, Ji Xiong, Mingyuan Pan, Wenyin Shi, Jing Li, Huaguang Zhu, Xiu Gong, Chao Li, Guanghai Mei, Xiaoxia Liu, Li Pan, Jiazhong Dai, Yang Wang, Enmin Wang, Xin Wang

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment for recurrent high-grade gliomas (rHGGs) remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of hypofractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (HSRS) as a first-line salvage treatment for in-field recurrence of high-grade gliomas.

METHODS: Between January 2016 and October 2019, 70 patients with rHGG who underwent HSRS were retrospectively analysed. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and secondary endpoints included both progression-free survival (PFS) and adverse events, which were assessed according to Common Toxicity Criteria Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 5. The prognostic value of key clinical features (age, performance status, planning target volume, dose, use of …

Characteristic Pancreatic And Splenic Immune Cell Infiltration Patterns In Mouse Acute Pancreatitis, Baibing Yang, Joy M. Davis, Thomas H. Gomez, Mamoun Younes, Xiurong Zhao, Qiang Shen, Run Wang, Tien C. Ko, Yanna Cao

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: A systemic evaluation of immune cell infiltration patterns in experimental acute pancreatitis (AP) is lacking. Using multi-dimensional flow cytometry, this study profiled infiltrating immune cell types in multiple AP mouse models. Methods: Three AP models were generated in C57BL/6 mice via cerulein (CAE) injection, alcohol and palmitoleic acid (EtOH + POA) injection, and alcohol diet feeding and cerulein (EtOH + CAE) injection. Primary pancreatic cells and splenocytes were prepared, and multi-dimensional flow cytometry was performed and analyzed by manual gating and computerized PhenoGraph, followed by visualization with t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE). Results: CAE treatment induced a time-dependent increase …

Cancer Survivorship In Hematologic Malignancies: Lifestyle Changes After Diagnosis, Pannaga Malalur, Manas Agastya, Sandhya Wahi-Gururaj, Chad L. Cross, Delva Deauna-Limayo, Edwin C. Kingsley

School of Medicine Faculty Research

© 2020 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Background: Studies show that patients make lifestyle changes soon after certain solid tumor diagnoses, suggesting that this may be a teachable moment to motivate and promote healthy behaviors. There is a paucity of data regarding changes made after a diagnosis of a hematologic malignancy. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 116 patients at a community oncology center who completed anonymous questionnaires was performed. Questions addressed lifestyle choices made with respect to smoking, alcohol consumption, recreational drug use, diet, and exercise habits before and after diagnosis of a hematologic …

Intramedullary Spinal Cord Lesions In Children, Ummey Hani, Sameer Saleem Tebha, Saqib Kamran Bakhshi, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Section of Neurosurgery

Paediatric intramedullary spinal cord lesions are uncommon pathologies, prone to result in dismal prognosis if not managed promptly and aggressively. While children usually present in good functional grades compared to adults, early recognition and treatment is important to improve outcomes. In this review, we present tumour demographics, patient factors, and treatment modalities of intramedullary spinal cord lesions in paediatric patients.

Complete Versus Subtotal Resection Of Paediatric Craniopharyngioma, Wardah Pervez, Saqib Kamran Bakhshi, Farhan A. Mirza, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Section of Neurosurgery

Optimal management of craniopharyngioma is challenging and requires multidisciplinary efforts for a successful outcome. The debate over radical versus a conservative resection followed by radiotherapy, continues. Current literature reports no difference in disease freedom and overall survival between the two surgical viewpoints, and favours conservative resection and radiotherapy, leading to lower morbidity and superior functional outcomes.

Eccrine Spiradenoma: A Rare Adnexal Tumour With Atypical Presentation: A Case Report, Adnan Salim, Muhammad Usman Tariq, Sana Zeeshan

Section of Neurosurgery

First described in 1934, eccrine spiradenoma (ES) is a rare, benign adnexal tumour arising from eccrine sweat glands. It commonly presents as a slow-growing nodule on the upper trunk, and head and neck region, mostly in the age bracket of 15-35 years, with no gender preference. While no established guidelines exist for optimal management of malignant ES, some therapies have been studied. The diagnosis of this entity is extremely important as it can harbour a malignant component with disastrous outcomes which may be missed due to its strong resemblance to benign lesions, such as a papilloma. Here, we present the …

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy In Hiv-Associated Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Case Series Of 3 Patients., Song Y Park, Candice Church, Nora A Alexander, Michi M Shinohara, Kelly G Paulson, Karl D Lewis, Nancy S Lee, Paul Nghiem

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Racial Disparities In Occupational Risks And Lung Cancer Incidence: Analysis Of The National Lung Screening Trial., Hee-Soon Juon, Alicia Hong, Marcella Pimpinelli, Madhuwani Rojulpote, Russell Mcintire, Julie A. Barta

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

The relationship between racial disparities in occupational risk and lung cancer diagnosis is not well defined. We examined occupational exposure to asbestos, silica, and other workplace chemicals, fumes, or dusts as reported in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). Descriptive analyses and multivariate logistic regression models were performed. Among the NLST study cohort, 3.9% were diagnosed with lung cancer. African-Americans had a higher rate of lung cancer diagnosis than White individuals (4.3% vs. 3.9%). About 28% reported at least one occupational exposure, including 6.5% exposed to silica and 4.7% to asbestos. African-Americans reported occupational exposure more frequently than White participants, …

Short- And Long-Term Outcomes For Single-Port Risk-Reducing Salpingo-Oophorectomy With And Without Hysterectomy For Women At Risk For Gynecologic Cancer, Caitlin E. Carr, Laura Chambers, Amelia Marie Jernigan, Lindsey Freeman, Pedro F. Escobar, Chad M. Michener

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction Risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy has been established as one of the most effective strategies in risk reduction for ovarian and breast cancers among women at increased genetic risk. However, there are limited data regarding the single-port laparoscopic platform in the field of risk-reducing surgery. Our objective was to describe outcomes after single-port risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy with or without hysterectomy for reduction of ovarian, breast, or endometrial cancer risk. Methods A retrospective, single institution (Canadian Task Force Classification II.2) analysis was performed in women at high genetic or familial risk for ovarian/tubal/primary peritoneal cancer or with personal history of breast cancer who underwent …

Role Of Immunotherapy In Stage Iv Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Of The Lung., Takefumi Komiya Md, Neema Ravindra, Emily Powell Phd

PCI Publications and Projects

BACKGROUND: Despite approvals of immune checkpoint inhibitors in both small cell and non-small cell lung cancers, the role of immunotherapy in large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) in lung is undefined.

METHODS: Using the National Cancer Database (NCDB), Stage IV lung LCNEC cases diagnosed from 2014 to 2016 were analyzed. Information regarding cancer treatment was limited to first course of therapy, including surgery for primary lesion, radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Log-rank tests. Cox proportional hazard model was used for multivariate analysis.

RESULTS: Among 661 eligible cases, 37 patients were treated with immunotherapy. No …

Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours: Clinicopathological Evaluation At Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Nadira Mamoon, Hania Naveed, Mariam Abid, Humaira Nasir, Imran Nazir Ahmad, Zujajah Hameed, Asna Haroon Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: Clinicopathological features of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP-NETs) have rarely been studied in Pakistani population. We investigated clinical characteristics of these tumours according to updated World Health Organization (WHO) 2010 classification.
Methods: The data of Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad was retrospectively analysed for pathologically confirmed GEP-NETs from January 2013 to March 2018.
Results: One hundred and eighteen patients (mean age, 52.2± 16.4 years; Of these 65(55.1%) were males. Majority, 98(83.1%) of the patients were symptomatic including 6(5.1%) with functional tumours. Pancreas was the most frequent primary site noted in 33(28%) patients. The most common histologic type was well differentiated neuroendocrine …

The Effects Of Resveratrol On Prostate Cancer Through Targeting The Tumor Microenvironment., Natalie Silk, Jeremy Reich, Rahul Sinha, Shivansh Chawla, Kyla Geary, Dianzheng Zhang

PCOM Scholarly Works

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers diagnosed in men in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Since over 60% of prostate cancer cases occur in men over 65 years of age, and this population will increase steadily in the coming years, prostate cancer will be a major cancer-related burden in the foreseeable future. Accumulating data from more recent research suggest that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a previously unrecognized role in every stage of cancer development, including initiation, proliferation, and metastasis. Prostate cancer is not only diagnosed in the late stages …

Printing The Pathway Forward In Bone Metastatic Cancer Research: Applications Of 3d Engineered Models And Bioprinted Scaffolds To Recapitulate The Bone-Tumor Niche., Anne M. Hughes, Alexus D. Kolb, Alison B. Shupp, Kristy M. Shine, Karen M. Bussard

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Breast cancer commonly metastasizes to bone, resulting in osteolytic lesions and poor patient quality of life. The bone extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a critical role in cancer cell metastasis by means of the physical and biochemical cues it provides to support cellular crosstalk. Current two-dimensional in-vitro models lack the spatial and biochemical complexities of the native ECM and do not fully recapitulate crosstalk that occurs between the tumor and endogenous stromal cells. Engineered models such as bone-on-a-chip, extramedullary bone, and bioreactors are presently used to model cellular crosstalk and bone-tumor cell interactions, but fall short of providing a bone-biomimetic microenvironment. …

Fludarabine-Based Salvage Therapy For Refractory/Relapsed Acute Leukemias: A Single Center Experience, Abdul Muqtadir Abbasi, Mohammad Usman Shaikh, Natasha Bahadur Ali, Mohammad Nadir Haider

Section of Haematology/Oncology

No abstract provided.

Targeting Parp-1 With Metronomic Therapy Modulates Mdsc Suppressive Function And Enhances Anti-Pd-1 Immunotherapy In Colon Cancer, Mohamed A. Ghonim, Salome V. Ibba, Abdelmetalab F. Tarhuni, Youssef Errami, Hanh H. Luu, Matthew J. Dean, Ali H. El-Bahrawy, Dorota Wyczechowska, Ilyes A. Benslimane, Luis Del Valle, Amir A. Al-Khami, Augusto C. Ochoa, A Hamid Boulares

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (eg, olaparib) are effective against BRCA-mutated cancers at/near maximum tolerated doses by trapping PARP-1 on damaged chromatin, benefitting only small patient proportions. The benefits of targeting non-DNA repair aspects of PARP with metronomic doses remain unexplored. METHODS: Colon epithelial cells or mouse or human bone marrow (BM)-derived-myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) were stimulated to assess the effect of partial PARP-1 inhibition on inflammatory gene expression or immune suppression. Mice treated with azoxymethane/four dextran-sulfate-sodium cycles or mice bred into PARP-1 or treated with olaparib were used to examine the role of PARP-1 in colitis-induced or spontaneous colon …

Cancer Curriculum For Appalachian Kentucky Middle And High Schools, Lauren Hudson, Katherine Sharp, Chris Prichard, Melinda J. Ickes, Sahar Alameh, Nathan L. Vanderford

Journal of Appalachian Health

Background: Appalachian Kentucky faces the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the country due to poor health behaviors and lifestyle choices. These poor health behaviors are facilitated by a lack of cancer education. Youth represent a vulnerable population that could be greatly impacted by increased cancer education. Teachers have the power to facilitate this learning.

Purpose: This study examined the need for cancer education curriculum in Appalachian Kentucky middle and high schools from the perspective of educators.

Methods: An online survey was conducted with science and health teachers (n=21) in Appalachian Kentucky, consisting of questions that investigated existing cancer …

Differential Expression Of Αvβ3 And Αvβ6 Integrins In Prostate Cancer Progression, Fabio Quaglia, Shiv Ram Krishn, Yanqing Wang, David W Goodrich, Peter Mccue, Andrew Kossenkov, Amy C Mandigo, Karen Knudsen, Paul H Weinreb, Eva Corey, William Kevin Kelly, Lucia R Languino

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPrCa) arises de novo or after accumulation of genomic alterations in pre-existing adenocarcinoma tumors in response to androgen deprivation therapies. We have provided evidence that small extracellular vesicles released by PrCa cells and containing the αVβ3 integrin promote neuroendocrine differentiation of PrCa in vivo and in vitro. Here, we examined αVβ3 integrin expression in three murine models carrying a deletion of PTEN (SKO), PTEN and RB1 (DKO), or PTEN, RB1 and TRP53 (TKO) genes in the prostatic epithelium; of these three models, the DKO and TKO tumors develop NEPrCa with a gene signature comparable to those of …

Spliceosome-Targeted Therapies Trigger An Antiviral Immune Response In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Elizabeth A Bowling, Jarey H Wang, Fade Gong, William Wu, Nicholas J Neill, Ik Sun Kim, Siddhartha Tyagi, Mayra Orellana, Sarah J Kurley, Rocio Dominguez-Vidaña, Hsiang-Ching Chung, Tiffany Y-T Hsu, Julien Dubrulle, Alexander B Saltzman, Heyuan Li, Jitendra K Meena, Gino M Canlas, Srinivas Chamakuri, Swarnima Singh, Lukas M Simon, Calla M Olson, Lacey E Dobrolecki, Michael T Lewis, Bing Zhang, Ido Golding, Jeffrey M Rosen, Damian W Young, Anna Malovannaya, Fabio Stossi, George Miles, Matthew J Ellis, Lihua Yu, Silvia Buonamici, Charles Y Lin, Kristen L Karlin, Xiang H-F Zhang, Thomas F Westbrook

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Many oncogenic insults deregulate RNA splicing, often leading to hypersensitivity of tumors to spliceosome-targeted therapies (STTs). However, the mechanisms by which STTs selectively kill cancers remain largely unknown. Herein, we discover that mis-spliced RNA itself is a molecular trigger for tumor killing through viral mimicry. In MYC-driven triple-negative breast cancer, STTs cause widespread cytoplasmic accumulation of mis-spliced mRNAs, many of which form double-stranded structures. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-binding proteins recognize these endogenous dsRNAs, triggering antiviral signaling and extrinsic apoptosis. In immune-competent models of breast cancer, STTs cause tumor cell-intrinsic antiviral signaling, downstream adaptive immune signaling, and tumor cell death. Furthermore, RNA …

Improved Image Reconstruction Of, Julian Kirchner, Joseph A O'Donoghue, Anton S Becker, Gary A Ulaner

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a Bayesian penalized likelihood reconstruction algorithm (Q.Clear) for 89Zr-immunoPET image reconstruction and its potential to improve image quality and reduce the administered activity of 89Zr-immunoPET tracers.

Methods: Eight 89Zr-immunoPET whole-body PET/CT scans from three 89Zr-immunoPET clinical trials were selected for analysis. On average, patients were imaged 6.3 days (range 5.0-8.0 days) after administration of 69 MBq (range 65-76 MBq) of [89Zr]Zr-DFO-daratumumab, [89Zr]Zr-DFO-pertuzumab, or [89Zr]Zr-DFO-trastuzumab. List-mode PET data was retrospectively reconstructed using Q.Clear with incremental β-values from 150 to 7200, as well as standard ordered-subset expectation maximization (OSEM) reconstruction …

[(Wr)8Wkβa]-Doxorubicin Conjugate: A Delivery System To Overcome Multi-Drug Resistance Against Doxorubicin, Khalid Zoghebi, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Rakesh Kumar Tiwari, Keykavous Parang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Doxorubicin (Dox) is an anthracycline chemotherapeutic agent used to treat breast, leukemia, and lymphoma malignancies. However, cardiotoxicity and inherent acquired resistance are major drawbacks, limiting its clinical application. We have previously shown that cyclic peptide [WR]₉ containing alternate tryptophan (W) and arginine (R) residues acts as an efficient molecular transporter. An amphiphilic cyclic peptide containing a lysine (K) residue and alternative W and R was conjugated through a free side chain amino group with Dox via a glutarate linker to afford [(WR)₈WKβA]-Dox conjugate. Antiproliferative assays were performed in different cancer cell lines using the conjugate and the …

Lipid Metabolism As A Targetable Metabolic Vulnerability In Colorectal Cancer, Yekaterina Y. Zaytseva

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Risk Factors Of Breast Cancer Among Patients In A Tertiary Care Hospitals In Afghanistan: A Case Control Study, Zekrullah Baset, Jamshid Abdul Ghafar, Yasmin Parpio, Ahmed Maseh Haidary

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common causes of women's death, worldwide. Data on risk factors associated with female breast cancer in the Afghan population is very limited. The aim of our study was to identifying risk factor associated with female breast cancer in Afghanistan.
Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted with inclusion of 201 cases and 201 controls. Patient information was collected by interviewing the patient through a structured questionnaire. Histopathological information was collected from the hospital integrated laboratory management system. The data was analyzed by using logistic regression with univariate and multivariable analyses to determine the …

Immune-Based Mutation Classification Enables Neoantigen Prioritization And Immune Feature Discovery In Cancer Immunotherapy., Peng Bai, Yongzheng Li, Qiuping Zhou, Jiaqi Xia, Peng-Cheng Wei, Hexiang Deng, Min Wu, Sanny K Chan, John W Kappler, Yu Zhou, Eric Tran, Philippa Marrack, Lei Yin

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Genetic mutations lead to the production of mutated proteins from which peptides are presented to T cells as cancer neoantigens. Evidence suggests that T cells that target neoantigens are the main mediators of effective cancer immunotherapies. Although algorithms have been used to predict neoantigens, only a minority are immunogenic. The factors that influence neoantigen immunogenicity are not completely understood. Here, we classified human neoantigen/neopeptide data into three categories based on their TCR-pMHC binding events. We observed a conservative mutant orientation of the anchor residue from immunogenic neoantigens which we termed the "NP" rule. By integrating this rule with an existing …

Medical Oncology Professionals’ Perceptions Of Telehealth Video Visits, Arianna Heyer, Rachel E. Granberg, Kristin L. Rising, Adam F. Binder, Alexzandra T. Gentsch, Nathan R. Handley

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

IMPORTANCE: Telehealth has emerged as a means of improving access and reducing cost for medical oncology care; however, use by specialists prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic still remained low. Medical oncology professionals’ perceptions of telehealth for cancer care are largely unknown, but are critical to telehealth utilization and expansion efforts.

OBJECTIVE: To identify medical oncology health professionals’ perceptions of the barriers to and benefits of telehealth video visits.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This qualitative study used interviews conducted from October 30, 2019, to March 5, 2020, of medical oncology health professionals at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, …