Medical Specialties Commons^™

Laparoscopic Resection Of Gastric Gists. Where Do We Stand Now? A Single-Centered Experience, Iulian Slavu, Lucian Alecu, Adrian Tulin, Dana L. Stanculeanu, Cornelia Nitipir

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Introduction. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) represent a rare type of gastrointestinal neoplasms. Resection with negative margins has been established as a mainstay treatment, but laparoscopic resections are still open to debate. Material and method. This retrospective study was conducted at a single institution, with data collected over 2 years (01.01.2017-01.01.2019). The variables examined were age, tumor location with regard to the gastric wall, the results of the intraoperative endoscopy, intraoperative and postoperative complications, the surgical technique, and histopathological reports. Results. We identified 12 relevant cases, of which 8 were females and 4 males. The average tumor diameter was 2.3 cm. …

Pigmented Melanoma Cell Migration Study On Murine Syngeneic B16f10 Melanoma Cells Or Tissue Transplantation Models, Maria-Cristina Predoi, Ion Mîndrilă, Sandra Alice Buteică, Ovidiu Marcel Mărginean, Bogdan Mîndrilă, Mihaela Niculescu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Melanoma is a lethal form of skin cancer with poor prognosis, especially due to the early metastatic feature. Recent studies have shown that the melanin pigment influences the nanomechanical properties and, therefore, the metastatic behavior of the melanoma cells. We aimed to study the growth of subcutaneously transplanted syngeneic melanoma tissue in female C57BL/6 mice harvested from a mouse with a four-week B16F10 melanoma. Also, we studied the effect of the melanin pigment loading on the peritumoral migratory abilities of melanoma cells. Even when the syngeneic transplant was different (cultured cells vs. tumor tissue), the morphological features and the tumor …

Lars-Like Symptoms In The General Population May Suggest The Significance Of Postoperative Functional Problems And Emotional Implications Of Rectal Surgery, Tudor-Cristian Frunza, Sorinel Lunca, Iustina Baciu, Iulia Axinia, Cezar V. Mocanu, Andreea Crudu, Narcis Bujor, Lucia F. Livenschi, Claudiu A. Nicolaiev, Andreea Hulubencu, Anca Diaconu, Emilia Valasciu, Ioana Jalobceastai, Malina Tibirna, Mihail G. Dimofte

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Background & Aim. Sphincter-saving rectal surgery is prone to cause changes in bowel function associated with Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS). Our aim was to assess LARS-like symptoms within a population of 50-80-year old in order to understand the functional disturbances and emotional impact of LARS. Materials and methods: We used a questionnaire to evaluate LARS with the following categories of symptoms: flatulence control, anal incontinence, frequency, clustering and urgency of the stools, and the psycho-emotional impact created by the presence of these symptoms. We calculated the severity of LARS on 343 responders. Results. The average age of the responders …

Indocyanine Green Utility In Sentinel Node Detection For Cervical Cancer Patients, Nicolae Bacalbașa, Irina Balescu, Cristian Balalau, Mihaela Vilcu, Iulian Brezean

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

With wide implementation of screening tests for the Human Papilloma Virus, the number of diagnosed cases of premalignant or early stages of cervical cancer has increased considerably. As a consequence, surgeons’ attention has focused on determining how best to limit the surgical procedure so the benefits of the procedure will not be surpassed by postoperative morbidity. In this respect, extended lymph node dissection, routinely associated so far with cervical cancer patients, has in the last decades been replaced with sentinel node detection and biopsy. Initially performed through radiocolloid injection, this method has undergone permanent changes in order to maximize its …

Relating The Gut Metagenome And Metatranscriptome To Immunotherapy Responses In Melanoma Patients., Brandilyn A. Peters, Melissa Wilson, Una Moran, Anna Pavlick, Allison Izsak, Todd Wechter, Jeffrey S. Weber, Iman Osman, Jiyoung Ahn

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that immunotherapy efficacy in melanoma is modulated by gut microbiota. Few studies have examined this phenomenon in humans, and none have incorporated metatranscriptomics, important for determining expression of metagenomic functions in the microbial community.

METHODS: In melanoma patients undergoing immunotherapy, gut microbiome was characterized in pre-treatment stool using 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenome sequencing (n = 27). Transcriptional expression of metagenomic pathways was confirmed with metatranscriptome sequencing in a subset of 17. We examined associations of taxa and metagenomic pathways with progression-free survival (PFS) using 500 × 10-fold cross-validated elastic-net penalized Cox regression.

RESULTS: Higher …

Value Of Elastography In Differentiating Benign From Malignant Breast Lesions Keeping Histopathology As Gold Standard, Faryal Farooq, Syed Mubarak, Shaista Shaukat, Noman Khan, Kahkashan Jafar, Tariq Mahmood, Muhammad Arif Saeed

Department of Radiology

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females, both in developed and developing countries. Pakistan has the highest breast cancer incidence rate in Asia. Guidelines recommend screening for detecting breast cancer with mammography and ultrasonography (US). Shear-wave elastography (SWE) is a newer technique that can aid additional characterization of breast lesions.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of breast ultrasound elastography in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions using histology diagnosis as the gold standard.
Materials and methods: The study was conducted at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Jinnah Post Graduate Medical …

Granuloma Whorls, Farrukh Zia, Natasha Bahadur Ali

Section of Haematology/Oncology

What is the significance of bone marrow examination in presence of peripheral cytopenias? It is still regarded as a mandatory investigation to diagnose hematological disorders. In this case, bone marrow trephine was initially done as a diagnosis of exclusion for ITP, whereas it revealed multiple granulomas suggesting mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

Occupational Therapy’S Role In Oncology: Returning To Work During And After Treatment, Annamarie Scheidell, Otas, Stephanie Sloane, Bs, Ms, Otas, Sara Loesche, Ms, Otr/L, Cht

School of Continuing and Professional Studies Posters

Medical advances have improved the five-year survival rate for patients diagnosed with cancer and some late-stage cancers that once were terminal have now become manageable, chronic conditions. Because of this, more individuals with cancer as well as survivors of cancer are re-entering the workforce. Resuming the role of worker is considered an important step in recovery for many. Occupational therapy (OT) can play an important role in facilitating a successful transition back to work for both cancer patients and survivors.

Clinical, Cytogenetic, And Molecular Findings In Two Cases Of Variant T(8;21) Acute Myeloid Leukemia (Aml)., Lindsay Wilde, Jillian Cooper, Zi-Xuan Wang, Jinglan Liu

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

t(8;21)(q22;q22) is present in ~5–10% of patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and is associated with a better overall prognosis. Variants of the t(8;21) have been described in the literature, however, their clinical and prognostic significance has not been well-characterized. Molecular profiling of these cases has not previously been reported but may be useful in better defining the prognosis of this subset of patients. We present two cases of variant t(8;21) AML including clinical, cytogenetic, and molecular data.

Novel Sphingomyelin Biomarkers For Brain Glioma And Associated Regulation Research On The Pi3k/Akt Signaling Pathway, Xiao-Hui Zhai, Jian Xiao, Jie-Kai Yu, Hong Sun, Shu Zheng

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

Glioma is one of the most common malignant tumor types of the central nervous system. It is necessary to identify biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for glioma. The purpose of the present study was to distinguish lipid biomarkers with differential expression patterns in glioma tissues and normal brain tissues by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)‑imaging and MALDI‑time of flight (TOF)‑mass spectrometry (MS). Additionally, identification of lipid biomarkers was performed to describe novel therapeutic targets for glioma treatment. A total of six tissues from three patients with glioma and three control patients with traumatic brain injury were analyzed using UltrafleXtreme MALDI‑TOF/TOF. …

The Write Stuff - Autumn 2019 (Vol.16, No.4), Research Medical Library

Write Stuff 2019

• Scientific Publications and the Research Medical Library join forces, expand services
• Incorporating sex as a biological variable in NIH grant applications
• Hyperlinks in NIH grant applications
• Altmetrics: Looking beyond citation analysis to measure impact
• Guidelines for reporting your research methods to improve reproducibility and rigor
• Unusual terms used in scientific writing and publishing: Core Grant

Multiple Sclerosis Outcomes After Cancer Immunotherapy, Catherine R. Garcia, Rani Jayswal, Val R. Adams, Lowell B. Anthony, John L. Villano

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Neurological immune-related adverse events are a rare but potentially deadly complication after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment. As multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease, it is unknown how ICI treatment may affect outcomes.

METHODS: We analyzed the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database for pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, nivolumab, ipilimumab, avelumab, and durvalumab 2 years prior their FDA approval until December 31, 2017, to include all cases with confirmed diagnosis/relapse of MS. We also included cases reported in the literature and a patient from our institution.

RESULTS: We identified 14 cases of MS …

Decreasing Time To Initiation Of Chemotherapy For Patients Electively Admitted To A Hematologic Malignancy Service., Jose N Galeas, Stuart Packer, Roy Browne, Susan Sakalian, Adam F. Binder

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Background: Delays in initiating elective inpatient chemotherapy can decrease patient satisfaction and increase length of stay. At our institution, we observed that 86% of patients admitted for elective chemotherapy experienced a delay (greater than 6 hours) with a median time to chemotherapy of 18.9 hours. We developed a process improvement initiative to improve time to chemotherapy for elective chemotherapy admissions.

Methods: Our outcome measure was time from admission to chemotherapy administration in patients admitted for elective chemotherapy. Process measures were identified and monitored. We collected baseline data and utilized performance improvement tools to identify key drivers. We focused on these …

Understanding Young Adult Survivors Of Childhood Cancers’ Participation In Late Effects Screening: A Mixed Methods Approach, Kristen Trost Mantlo

Health Services Research Dissertations

Significant advancements in the treatment of childhood cancers have helped to increase the 5-year survival rate from 56% in the early 1970s to approximately 80-85% in the early 2000s (Greenlee, Murray, Bolden, & Wingo, 2000; Hampton, 2005). Treatment modalities such as chemotherapy and radiation have led to many serious long-term side effects, known as late effects. Between 60% and 90% of survivors develop some form of long-term chronic condition due to their treatment and up to 40% of those conditions will be life-threatening (Howlader, N. et al., 2013). While the majority of young adult survivors of childhood cancer are at …

Prediction Of Anal Cancer Recurrence After Chemoradiotherapy Using Quantitative Image Features Extracted From Serial (18)F-Fdg Pet/Ct, Michael Chuong

All Publications

No abstract provided.

High-Fat Diet Fuels Prostate Cancer Progression By Rewiring The Metabolome And Amplifying The Myc Program., David P. Labbé, Giorgia Zadra, Meng Yang, Jaime M Reyes, Charles Y Lin, Stefano Cacciatore, Ericka M. Ebot, Amanda L. Creech, Francesca Giunchi, Michelangelo Fiorentino, Habiba Elfandy, Sudeepa Syamala, Edward D. Karoly, Mohammed Alshalalfa, Nicholas Erho, Ashley Ross, Edward M. Schaeffer, Ewan A. Gibb, Mandeep Takhar, Robert B. Den, Jonathan Lehrer, R. Jeffrey Karnes, Stephen J. Freedland, Elai Davicioni, Daniel E. Spratt, Leigh Ellis, Jacob D. Jaffe, Anthony V. DʼAmico, Philip W. Kantoff, James E. Bradner, Lorelei A. Mucci, Jorge E. Chavarro, Massimo Loda, Myles Brown

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Systemic metabolic alterations associated with increased consumption of saturated fat and obesity are linked with increased risk of prostate cancer progression and mortality, but the molecular underpinnings of this association are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate in a murine prostate cancer model, that high-fat diet (HFD) enhances the MYC transcriptional program through metabolic alterations that favour histone H4K20 hypomethylation at the promoter regions of MYC regulated genes, leading to increased cellular proliferation and tumour burden. Saturated fat intake (SFI) is also associated with an enhanced MYC transcriptional signature in prostate cancer patients. The SFI-induced MYC signature independently predicts prostate cancer …

Targeting Transcription Factor Tcf4 By Γ-Mangostin, A Natural Xanthone., Balaji Krishnamachary, Dharmalingam Subramaniam, Prasad Dandawate, Sivapriya Ponnurangam, Pugazhendhi Srinivasan, Prabhu Ramamoorthy, Shahid Umar, Sufi Mary Thomas, Animesh Dhar, Seth Septer, Scott J. Weir, Thomas M. Attard, Shrikant Anant

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Given that colon cancer is the third most common cancer in incidence and cause of death in the United States, and current treatment modalities are insufficient, there is a need to develop novel agents. Towards this, here we focus on γ-Mangostin, a bioactive compound present in the Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) fruit. γ-Mangostin suppressed proliferation and colony formation, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of colon cancer cell lines. Further, γ-Mangostin inhibited colonosphere formation. Molecular docking and CETSA (Cellular thermal shift assay) binding assays demonstrated that γ-Mangostin interacts with transcription factor TCF4 (T-Cell Factor 4) at the β-catenin …

Publisher Correction: Shared Heritability And Functional Enrichment Across Six Solid Cancers., Xia Jiang, Hilary K Finucane, Fredrick R Schumacher, Stephanie L Schmit, Jonathan P Tyrer, Younghun Han, Kyriaki Michailidou, Corina Lesseur, Karoline B Kuchenbaecker, Joe Dennis, David V Conti, Graham Casey, Mia M Gaudet, Jeroen R Huyghe, Demetrius Albanes, Melinda C Aldrich, Angeline S Andrew, Irene L Andrulis, Hoda Anton-Culver, Antonis C Antoniou, Natalia N Antonenkova, Susanne M Arnold, Kristan J Aronson, Banu K Arun, Elisa V Bandera, Rosa B Barkardottir, Daniel R Barnes, Jyotsna Batra, Matthias W Beckmann, Javier Benitez, Sara Benlloch, Andrew Berchuck, Sonja I Berndt, Heike Bickeböller, Stephanie A Bien, Carl Blomqvist, Stefania Boccia, Natalia V Bogdanova, Stig E Bojesen, Manjeet K Bolla, Hiltrud Brauch, Hermann Brenner, James D Brenton, Mark N Brook, Joan Brunet, Hans Brunnström, Daniel D Buchanan, Barbara Burwinkel, Ralf Butzow, Gabriella Cadoni, Trinidad Caldés, Maria A Caligo, Ian Campbell, Peter T Campbell, Géraldine Cancel-Tassin, Lisa Cannon-Albright, Daniele Campa, Neil Caporaso, André L Carvalho, Andrew T Chan, Jenny Chang-Claude, Stephen J Chanock, Chu Chen, David C Christiani, Kathleen B M Claes, Frank Claessens, Judith Clements, J Margriet Collée, Marcia Cruz Correa, Fergus J Couch, Angela Cox, Julie M Cunningham, Cezary Cybulski, Kamila Czene, Mary B Daly, Anna Defazio, Peter Devilee, Orland Diez, Manuela Gago-Dominguez, Jenny L Donovan, Thilo Dörk, Eric J Duell, Alison M Dunning, Miriam Dwek, Diana M Eccles, Christopher K Edlund, Digna R Velez Edwards, Carolina Ellberg, D Gareth Evans, Peter A Fasching, Robert L Ferris, Triantafillos Liloglou, Jane C Figueiredo, Olivia Fletcher, Renée T Fortner, Florentia Fostira, Silvia Franceschi, Eitan Friedman, Steven J Gallinger, Patricia A Ganz, Judy Garber, José A García-Sáenz, Simon A Gayther, Graham G Giles, Andrew K Godwin, Mark S Goldberg, David E Goldgar, Ellen L Goode, Marc T Goodman, Gary E Goodman, Kjell Grankvist, Mark H Greene, Henrik Gronberg, Jacek Gronwald, Pascal Guénel, Niclas Håkansson, Per Hall, Ute Hamann, Freddie C Hamdy, Robert J Hamilton, Jochen Hampe, Aage Haugen, Florian Heitz, Rolando Herrero, Peter Hillemanns, Michael Hoffmeister, Estrid Høgdall, Yun-Chul Hong, John L Hopper, Richard Houlston, Peter J Hulick, David J Hunter, David G Huntsman, Gregory Idos, Evgeny N Imyanitov, Sue Ann Ingles, Claudine Isaacs, Anna Jakubowska, Paul James, Mark A Jenkins, Mattias Johansson, Mikael Johansson, Esther M John, Amit D Joshi, Radka Kaneva, Beth Y Karlan, Linda E Kelemen, Tabea Kühl, Kay-Tee Khaw, Elza Khusnutdinova, Adam S Kibel, Lambertus A Kiemeney, Jeri Kim, Susanne K Kjaer, Julia A Knight, Manolis Kogevinas, Zsofia Kote-Jarai, Stella Koutros, Vessela N Kristensen, Jolanta Kupryjanczyk, Martin Lacko, Stephan Lam, Diether Lambrechts, Maria Teresa Landi, Philip Lazarus, Nhu D Le, Eunjung Lee, Flavio Lejbkowicz, Heinz-Josef Lenz, Goska Leslie, Davor Lessel, Jenny Lester, Douglas A Levine, Li Li, Christopher I Li, Annika Lindblom, Noralane M Lindor, Geoffrey Liu, Fotios Loupakis, Jan Lubiński, Lovise Maehle, Christiane Maier, Arto Mannermaa, Loic Le Marchand, Sara Margolin, Taymaa May, Lesley Mcguffog, Alfons Meindl, Pooja Middha, Austin Miller, Roger L Milne, Robert J Macinnis, Francesmary Modugno, Marco Montagna, Victor Moreno, Kirsten B Moysich, Lorelei Mucci, Kenneth Muir, Anna Marie Mulligan, Katherine L Nathanson, David E Neal, Andrew R Ness, Susan L Neuhausen, Heli Nevanlinna, Polly A Newcomb, Lisa F Newcomb, Finn Cilius Nielsen, Liene Nikitina-Zake, Børge G Nordestgaard, Robert L Nussbaum, Kenneth Offit, Edith Olah, Ali Amin Al Olama, Olufunmilayo I Olopade, Andrew F Olshan, Håkan Olsson, Ana Osorio, Hardev Pandha, Jong Y Park, Nora Pashayan, Michael T Parsons, Tanja Pejovic, Kathryn L Penney, Wilbert H M Peters, Catherine M Phelan, Amanda I Phipps, Dijana Plaseska-Karanfilska, Miranda Pring, Darya Prokofyeva, Paolo Radice, Kari Stefansson, Susan J Ramus, Leon Raskin, Gad Rennert, Hedy S Rennert, Elizabeth J Van Rensburg, Marjorie J Riggan, Harvey A Risch, Angela Risch, Monique J Roobol, Barry S Rosenstein, Mary Anne Rossing, Kim De Ruyck, Emmanouil Saloustros, Dale P Sandler, Elinor J Sawyer, Matthew B Schabath, Johanna Schleutker, Marjanka K Schmidt, V Wendy Setiawan, Hongbing Shen, Erin M Siegel, Weiva Sieh, Christian F Singer, Martha L Slattery, Karina Dalsgaard Sorensen, Melissa C Southey, Amanda B Spurdle, Janet L Stanford, Victoria L Stevens, Sebastian Stintzing, Jennifer Stone, Karin Sundfeldt, Rebecca Sutphen, Anthony J Swerdlow, Eloiza H Tajara, Catherine M Tangen, Adonina Tardon, Jack A Taylor, M Dawn Teare, Manuel R Teixeira, Mary Beth Terry, Kathryn L Terry, Stephen N Thibodeau, Mads Thomassen, Line Bjørge, Marc Tischkowitz, Amanda E Toland, Diana Torres, Paul A Townsend, Ruth C Travis, Nadine Tung, Shelley S Tworoger, Cornelia M Ulrich, Nawaid Usmani, Celine M Vachon, Els Van Nieuwenhuysen, Ana Vega, Miguel Elías Aguado-Barrera, Qin Wang, Penelope M Webb, Clarice R Weinberg, Stephanie Weinstein, Mark C Weissler, Jeffrey N Weitzel, Catharine M L West, Emily White, Alice S Whittemore, H-Erich Wichmann, Fredrik Wiklund, Robert Winqvist, Alicja Wolk, Penella Woll, Michael Woods, Anna H Wu, Xifeng Wu, Drakoulis Yannoukakos, Wei Zheng, Shanbeh Zienolddiny, Argyrios Ziogas, Kristin K Zorn, Jacqueline M Lane, Richa Saxena, Duncan Thomas, Rayjean J Hung, Brenda Diergaarde, James Mckay, Ulrike Peters, Li Hsu, Montserrat García-Closas, Rosalind A Eeles, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Paul J Brennan, Christopher A Haiman, Jacques Simard, Douglas F Easton, Stephen B Gruber, Paul D P Pharoah, Alkes L Price, Bogdan Pasaniuc, Christopher I Amos, Peter Kraft, Sara Lindström

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Nivolumab Induced Myasthenia Gravis, Elizabeth Henderson Md, Imad Ikhawn Md, Dharti R. Patel Md, Monicka Felix

Internal Medicine

No abstract provided.

Resilience And Quality Of Life (Qol) Of Head And Neck Cancer And Brain Tumour Survivors In Pakistan: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study Protocol, Nida Zahid, Wardah Khalid, Khabir Ahmad, Shireen Shehzad, Iqbal Azam Syed, Nargis Asad, Adnan Jabbar, Mumtaz J Khan, Ather Enam

Department of Surgery Docs

Background: Cancer is a devastating disease and has detrimental effects on the quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors and interferes with their treatment compliance. The aim of the study is to assess resilience and QoL among cancer survivors and to evaluate the important factors affecting their resilience and QoL, with respect to the Pakistani cultural context.
Method and Analysis: A cross-sectional study will be conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A minimum sample size of 250 head and neck cancers and 250 brain tumour survivors with 10% inflation for non-response rate will be required. The SD …

Slc36a1-Mtorc1 Signaling Drives Acquired Resistance To Cdk4/6 Inhibitors., Akihiro Yoshida, Yiwen Bu, Shuo Qie, John Wrangle, E. Ramsay Camp, E. Starr Hazard, Gary Hardiman, Renée De Leeuw, Karen E. Knudsen, J. Alan Diehl

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

The cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) kinase is dysregulated in melanoma, highlighting it as a potential therapeutic target. CDK4/6 inhibitors are being evaluated in trials for melanoma and additional cancers. While beneficial, resistance to therapy is a concern, and the molecular mechanisms of such resistance remain undefined. We demonstrate that reactivation of mammalian target of rapamycin 1 (mTORC1) signaling through increased expression of the amino acid transporter, solute carrier family 36 member 1 (SLC36A1), drives resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors. Increased expression of SLC36A1 reflects two distinct mechanisms: (i) Rb loss, which drives SLC36A1 via reduced suppression of E2f; (ii) fragile X …

Excision Repair Cross-Complementing Group-1 (Ercc1) Induction Kinetics And Polymorphism Are Markers Of Inferior Outcome In Patients With Colorectal Cancer Treated With Oxaliplatin., Devika Rao, Atrayee Basu Mallick, Titto Augustine, Cecilia Daroqui, Jeeshan Jiffry, Amartej Merla, Imran Chaudhary, Raviraja Seetharam, Arjun Sood, Srikanth Gajavelli, Santiago Aparo, Lakshmi Rajdev, Andreas Kaubisch, Jennifer Chuy, Abdissa Negassa, John M. Mariadason, Radhashree Maitra, Sanjay Goel

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Background: ERCC1, a component of nucleotide excision repair pathway, is known to repair DNA breaks induced by platinum drugs. We sought to ascertain if ERCC1 expression dynamics and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs11615 are biomarkers of sensitivity to oxaliplatin therapy in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Western blot and qPCR for ERCC1 expression was performed from PBMCs isolated from patients receiving oxaliplatin-based therapy at specified timepoints. DNA was also isolated from 59 biorepository specimens for SNP analysis. Clinical benefit was determined using progression free survival (PFS) for metastatic CRC.

Results: ERCC1 was induced in PBMC in response to …

Impact Of Palliative Care Consultation On End Of Life Care Measures: A Retrospective Analysis Of Patients In The Oncology Care Model, Alison Greidinger, Md, Maria Vershvovsky, Md, Evan Lapinsky, Md, Alison Rhoades, Md, Amy Leader, Drph, Vittorio Maio, Pharmd, Jared Minetola, Karen Walsh, Ms, Mba, Valerie Csik, Mph, Cpps, Ruben Rhoades, Md

Department of Medical Oncology Posters

Introduction

• In 2016 ASCO recommended that patients with advanced cancer receive dedicated palliative care (PC) services1. Early PC involvement is associated with lower spending, fewer 30-day readmission rates, decreased chemotherapy administration at the end of life (EOL) and increased hospice referrals2.
• Many patients are not referred and continue to receive chemotherapy and utilize high-acuity services near the EOL.
• The Oncology Care Model (OCM) is a CMS episode-based alternative payment model promoting high-value care.
• We evaluated the effect of PC visits on EOL outcomes including code status (CS) and spending in the last 30 days of life.

Preliminary Observations On Soluble Programmed Cell Death Protein-1 As A Prognostic And Predictive Biomarker In Patients With Metastatic Melanoma Treated With Patient-Specific Autologous Vaccines., Robert O Dillman, Gabriel I Nistor, Bryce T Mclelland, Candace Hsieh, Aleksandra J Poole, Andrew N Cornforth, Hans S Keirstead

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Because of its role as an immune checkpoint, levels of soluble programmed cell death protein-1 (sPD-1) could be useful as a prognostic biomarker or predictive biomarker in cancer patients treated with vaccines. Very low levels of sPD-1 may indicate lack of an existing anti-cancer immune response; very high levels may indicate an active immune response that is suppressed. In between these extremes, a decrease in PD-1 following injections of an anti-cancer vaccine may indicate an enhanced immune response that has not been suppressed. Blood samples obtained during a randomized trial in patients with metastatic melanoma were tested from 22 patients …

Identification Of Monocyte-Like Precursors Of Granulocytes In Cancer As A Mechanism For Accumulation Of Pmn-Mdscs., Jérôme Mastio, Thomas Condamine, George Dominguez, Andrew V Kossenkov, Laxminarasimha Donthireddy, Filippo Veglia, Cindy Lin, Fang Wang, Shuyu Fu, Jie Zhou, Patrick Viatour, Sergio Lavilla-Alonso, Alexander T. Polo, Evgenii N. Tcyganov, Charles Mulligan, Brian Nam, Joseph Bennett, Gregory Masters, Michael Guarino, Amit Kumar, Yulia Nefedova, Robert H. Vonderheide, Lucia R. Languino, Scott I. Abrams, Dmitry I. Gabrilovich

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

We have identified a precursor that differentiates into granulocytes in vitro and in vivo yet belongs to the monocytic lineage. We have termed these cells monocyte-like precursors of granulocytes (MLPGs). Under steady state conditions, MLPGs were absent in the spleen and barely detectable in the bone marrow (BM). In contrast, these cells significantly expanded in tumor-bearing mice and differentiated to polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs). Selective depletion of monocytic cells had no effect on the number of granulocytes in naive mice but decreased the population of PMN-MDSCs in tumor-bearing mice by 50%. The expansion of MLPGs was found to be …

Surgical Stress And Cancer Progression: The Twisted Tango., Zhiwei Chen, Peidong Zhang, Ya Xu, Jiahui Yan, Zixuan Liu, Wayne Bond Lau, Bonnie Lau, Ying Li, Xia Zhao, Yuquan Wei, Shengtao Zhou

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Surgical resection is an important avenue for cancer treatment, which, in most cases, can effectively alleviate the patient symptoms. However, accumulating evidence has documented that surgical resection potentially enhances metastatic seeding of tumor cells. In this review, we revisit the literature on surgical stress, and outline the mechanisms by which surgical stress, including ischemia/reperfusion injury, activation of sympathetic nervous system, inflammation, systemically hypercoagulable state, immune suppression and effects of anesthetic agents, promotes tumor metastasis. We also propose preventive strategies or resolution of tumor metastasis caused by surgical stress.

Phase 1 Trial Of Fruquintinib In Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors: Results Of The Dose Escalation Phase., A Wang-Gillam, H Park, H Yeckes-Rodin, Thomas Stanton, M Kosmo, S Fan, N Sauter, M Kanie

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Background: Fruquintinib (Fruq) is a potent, highly selective, novel vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) -1, -2, and -3 tyrosine kinase inhibitor. In the Phase III FRESCO trial¹ that led to the drug approval in China, Fruq improved the median overall survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in the third line or later setting when compared to placebo (9.3 vs 6.6 months); hazard ratio 0.65 (95% CI, 0.51-0.83; P < .001),

Methods: This is a Phase 1 open-label, dose escalation/dose expansion study conducted in the US (NCT03251378). The primary objectives are to evaluate the safety and tolerability of Fruq …

Clinical Outcome Assessments Toolbox For Radiopharmaceuticals., Charles A Kunos, Jacek Capala, Adam P Dicker, Benjamin Movsas, Susan Percy Ivy, Lori M Minasian

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

For nearly 40 years, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) has funded health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) and symptom management in oncology clinical trials as a method for including a cancer patient's experience during and after treatment. The NCI's planned scope for HRQOL, symptom and patient-reported outcomes management research is explained as it pertains to radiopharmaceutical clinical development. An effort already underway to support protocol authoring via an NCI Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) Centralized Protocol Writing Service (CPWS) is described as this service aids incorporation of HRQOL, symptom and patient-reported outcomes management research into sponsored protocols.

Epstein-Barr Virus-Positive Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Of The Nasopharynx: Report Of One Case And Review Of The Literature, Zhenjian Cai, Mei Lin, Angel I Blanco, Jing Liu, Hui Zhu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-positive neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the nasopharynx is exceedingly rare, only two cases have been reported in the literature. While EBV infection is strongly associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which is carcinoma with squamous differentiation, the link between EBV and NEC is not well known, and can be diagnostically challenging. In this study, we report the third case of EBV-positive large cell NEC of nasopharynx with neck lymph node metastasis. The patient was treated with combined radiation and chemotherapy and showed complete clinical and radiological response. Similar treatment response has been reported in another patient with high stage EBV-positive …

Low-Cost, High-Resolution Imaging For Detecting Cervical Precancer In Medically-Underserved Areas Of Texas, Sonia G Parra, Ana M Rodriguez, Katelin D Cherry, Richard A Schwarz, Rose M Gowen, Laura B Guerra, Andrea M Milbourne, Paul A Toscano, Susan P Fisher-Hoch, Kathleen M Schmeler, Rebecca R Richards-Kortum

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer rates in the United States have declined since the 1940's, however, cervical cancer incidence remains elevated in medically-underserved areas, especially in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) along the Texas-Mexico border. High-resolution microendoscopy (HRME) is a low-cost, in vivo imaging technique that can identify high-grade precancerous cervical lesions (CIN2+) at the point-of-care. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of HRME in medically-underserved areas in Texas, comparing results to a tertiary academic medical center.

METHODS: HRME was evaluated in five different outpatient clinical settings, two in Houston and three in the RGV, with medical providers …