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Taiwan Journal of Ophthalmology 2023We aimed to analyze our 4-year experience of intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) for retinoblastoma (RB) and to examine the tumor response, globe salvage, mortality, and...
PURPOSE
We aimed to analyze our 4-year experience of intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) for retinoblastoma (RB) and to examine the tumor response, globe salvage, mortality, and safety profile of IAC in the Malaysian profile.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This was a retrospective, interventional case series. A total of 22 eyes of 20 patients with RB who underwent IAC using melphalan and topotecan from January 2018 to December 2021 in Hospital Kuala Lumpur were retrospectively reviewed. Tumor response, globe salvage, mortality, and safety profile of IAC were compared based on the International Classification of Retinoblastoma.
RESULTS
The mean patient age at IAC was 21.3 months. An overall globe salvage rate of 63.6% was observed: more specifically, 100% for Group A, 75% for Groups B and C, 66.7% for Group D, and 42.9% for Group E. Poor tumor response after IAC was significantly associated with a lesser chance of globe salvage ( = 0.045). The overall rate of good tumor response following IAC was 77.3%. Specifically, rates of good tumor response in each group were 100%, 75%, 75%, 83.3% and 71.4% in group A, B, C, D and E, respectively. The mortality rate was 5%. Complications (per-catheterization) included cerebral infarct (2.2%), oxygen desaturation (2.2%), vomiting (26.1%), periorbital edema (8.8%), ptosis (6.5%), fever, femoral hematoma, and hyperpigmentation over lid (4.4% each).
CONCLUSION
Four-year experience showed that IAC is a safe and effective method for RB management. Patients with a poor response after IAC may have a lower chance of globe salvage. Careful patient selection is of utmost importance to achieve the best outcome in a setting of limited health-care resources.
PubMed: 38249495
DOI: 10.4103/tjo.TJO-D-22-00162 -
Heliyon Jan 2024Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant plasma cell disease. The activity of PIK3CG (PI3K catalytic subunit γ) is regulated directly by G-protein-coupled receptor and has...
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant plasma cell disease. The activity of PIK3CG (PI3K catalytic subunit γ) is regulated directly by G-protein-coupled receptor and has been confirmed to be highly expressed in MM cells. This study aimed to determine the effect of pharmacological inhibition of PIK3CG on MM. We found that different concentrations of the PIK3CG inhibitor AS-605240 could suppress the growth of MM cell lines and the expression of c-Myc. The combination of PIK3CG inhibitor and the chemotherapy Melphalan could effectively inhibit the proliferation and migration of MM cells, promote the cell apoptosis, and decrease the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and the expression of vimentin. The expression of proto-oncogene c-Myc was decreased and the sensitivity of cells to chemotherapeutic drugs was enhanced. Collectively, PIK3CG regulates growth of MM via c-Myc pathway, thus emerging as a promising molecular targeted therapy.
PubMed: 38163179
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23165 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Sep 2023Melphalan was poorly available in mainland China. The aim of this study is to explore the dose-adjusted busulfan/cyclophosphamide (BU/CY) as an alternative regimen in...
BACKGROUND
Melphalan was poorly available in mainland China. The aim of this study is to explore the dose-adjusted busulfan/cyclophosphamide (BU/CY) as an alternative regimen in auto stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for multiple myeloma (MM).
METHODS
A total of 105 newly diagnosed MM patients undergoing ASCT during May 2012 and August 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The BU/CY regimen was applied to 64 patients. Busulfan (9.6 mg/kg or 8.0 mg/kg in total) and cyclophosphamide (3.6 g/m or 3.0 g/m in total) were administered according to the creatinine clearance rate (CCR). A high-dose melphalan (HDMEL) regimen (200 mg/m) was given to the other 41 patients.
RESULTS
At a median follow-up of 65 (1~119) months, estimated overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) at 104 months in the BU/CY and HDMEL groups were 35.6% vs. 20.5% ( = 0.263) and 20.2% vs. 2.4% ( = 0.035), respectively. The median overall survival (OS) and PFS of the HDMEL and BU/CY groups were 55 vs. 70.5 months and 26 vs. 46.5 months, respectively. In multivariate analysis, the BU/CY regimen was found to be the only protective factor for PFS. No lethal toxicity was found in the BU/CY group, and treatment-related mortality (TRM) in 100 days was similar to the HDMEL group.
CONCLUSIONS
MM patients may also benefit from the dose-adjusted BU/CY regimen.
PubMed: 37834886
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12196239 -
Cancer Imaging : the Official... Jul 2023Percutaneous hepatic perfusion (PHP) is a palliative intraarterial therapy for unresectable hepatic malignancies. During PHP, high-dose melphalan is infused via the...
PURPOSE
Percutaneous hepatic perfusion (PHP) is a palliative intraarterial therapy for unresectable hepatic malignancies. During PHP, high-dose melphalan is infused via the hepatic artery to saturate tumor in the liver with the chemotherapeutic substance. The venous hepatic blood is filtered by an extracorporeal melphalan specific filtration system. Blood clotting in the extracorporeal filter system is prevented by administering unfractionated heparin (UFH) in high doses, which might be reversed with protamine sulfate after the procedure. Aim of this retrospective two-center-study was to analyze the potential effect of UFH reversal with protamine sulfate on complication rates following PHP.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
All patients receiving PHP treatment between 10/2014 and 04/2021 were classified according to their intraprocedural coagulation management: 92 patients/192 PHP received full UFH reversal with protamine (group); 13 patients/21 PHP in group received a reduced amount of protamine, and 28 patients/43 PHP did not receive UFH reversal with protamine (group). Periinterventional clinical reports, findings and laboratory values were retrospectively evaluated. Complications and adverse events were classified according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAEv5.0).
RESULTS
Thromboembolic events were recorded after 10 PHP procedures (5%) in group, six of which (3%) were major events (CTCAE grade 3-5). No (0%) thromboembolic events were recorded in group and group. Hemorrhagic events were registered after 24 PHP (13%) in group two of which (1%) were major (CTCAE grade 3-4). In group, only minor bleeding events were recorded, and one major hemorrhagic event was documented in group (2%). There was a significant difference between the percentage of post-interventional thrombopenia in group (39%) and group (14%) versus group (23%) (p=.00024). In group one patient suffered from a severe anaphylactic shock after the administration of protamine.
CONCLUSION
Our retrospective study implies that there might be a link between the practice of protamine sulfate administration to reverse the full hemodilutive effect of UFH after PHP and the post-interventional risk of thromboembolic events as well as clinically significant thrombopenia. Our data suggest that the standard use of protamine sulfate after PHP in low-risk patients without clinical signs of active bleeding should be critically re-evaluated.
Topics: Humans; Heparin; Melphalan; Retrospective Studies; Protamines; Thrombocytopenia; Perfusion
PubMed: 37452405
DOI: 10.1186/s40644-023-00590-7 -
Haematologica Aug 2023Multiple Myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy often treated by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Clinical response to ASCT has been associated with...
Multiple Myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy often treated by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Clinical response to ASCT has been associated with DNA repair efficiency. Here we interrogated the role of the base excision DNA repair (BER) pathway in MM response to ASCT. Across 450 clinical samples and six disease stages, expression levels of genes in the BER pathway were found to be highly upregulated during the development of MM. In a separate cohort of 559 patients with MM treated with ASCT, expression of BER pathway members MPG and PARP3 was positively associated with overall survival (OS) while expression of PARP1, POLD1, and POLD2 was negatively associated with OS. In a validation cohort of 356 patients with MM treated with ASCT, PARP1 and POLD2 findings were replicated. In patients with MM who never received ASCT (n=319), PARP1 and POLD2 were not associated with OS, suggesting that the prognostic effect of these genes may be treatment-dependent. In preclinical models of MM, synergy was observed in anti-tumor activity when poly (ADPribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (olaparib, talazoparib) were used in combination with melphalan. The negative prognosis associated with PARP1 and POLD2 expression along with the apparent melphalan-sensitizing effect of PARP inhibition may suggest this pathway as a potential biomarker in patients with MM in the setting of ASCT. Further understanding of the role of the BER pathway in MM is vital to improve therapeutic strategies related to ASCT.
Topics: Humans; Multiple Myeloma; Melphalan; Prognosis; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors; Transplantation, Autologous; Stem Cell Transplantation; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Retrospective Studies; Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1; DNA Polymerase III
PubMed: 36861411
DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2022.282399 -
JPMA. the Journal of the Pakistan... Sep 2023A retrospective study was conducted for which records of patients with Retinoblastoma (RB), treated at Lahore General Hospital between 2017 and 2021, were retrieved on...
A retrospective study was conducted for which records of patients with Retinoblastoma (RB), treated at Lahore General Hospital between 2017 and 2021, were retrieved on February 1, 2022. Staging of RB, neuroimaging, RetCam images, and treatment were analysed. The study included 47 patients (22 females and 25 males). Mean age of presentation was 26.5±15 months. Records of 84 eyes (37 bilateral and 10 unilateral) were examined. Family history was positive in only (n=3) 6.3% cases. Mean follow-up was 22.94±14.4 months. Leucocoria was the commonest presentation, seen in 72 (85.7%) eyes, proptosis in 8 (9.5%), huge fungating mass in 2 (2.4%), while tumour was diagnosed because of screening in 2 (2.4%) patients. Posttreatment complications included cataract in two patients, Ischaemic chorioretinal toxicity, transient macular oedema, orbital oedema and transient intra cranial oedema in one patient each. Two patients had metastasis and underwent systemic chemotherapy. The study showed that patients with retinoblastoma can achieve better results if diagnosed early and treated with newer treatment options.
Topics: Male; Female; Humans; Infant; Child, Preschool; Retinoblastoma; Retinal Neoplasms; Retrospective Studies; Tertiary Care Centers; Developing Countries; Edema
PubMed: 37817703
DOI: 10.47391/JPMA.7689 -
Cancers Apr 2024FAM46C is a well-established tumour suppressor with a role that is not completely defined or universally accepted. Although FAM46C expression is down-modulated in... (Review)
Review
FAM46C is a well-established tumour suppressor with a role that is not completely defined or universally accepted. Although FAM46C expression is down-modulated in several tumours, significant mutations in the gene are only found in multiple myeloma (MM). Consequently, its tumour suppressor activity has primarily been studied in the MM context. However, emerging evidence suggests that FAM46C is involved also in other cancer types, namely colorectal, prostate and gastric cancer and squamous cell and hepatocellular carcinoma, where FAM46C expression was found to be significantly reduced in tumoural versus non-tumoural tissues and where FAM46C was shown to possess anti-proliferative properties. Accordingly, FAM46C was recently proposed to function as a pan-cancer prognostic marker, bringing FAM46C under the spotlight and attracting growing interest from the scientific community in the pathways modulated by FAM46C and in its mechanistic activity. Here, we will provide the first comprehensive review regarding FAM46C by covering (1) the intracellular pathways regulated by FAM46C, namely the MAPK/ERK, PI3K/AKT, β-catenin and TGF-β/SMAD pathways; (2) the models regarding its mode of action, specifically the poly(A) polymerase, intracellular trafficking modulator and inhibitor of centriole duplication models, focusing on connections and interdependencies; (3) the regulation of FAM46C expression in different environments by interferons, IL-4, TLR engagement or transcriptional modulators; and, lastly, (4) how FAM46C expression levels associate with increased/decreased tumour cell sensitivity to anticancer agents, such as bortezomib, dexamethasone, lenalidomide, pomalidomide, doxorubicin, melphalan, SK1-I, docetaxel and norcantharidin.
PubMed: 38730656
DOI: 10.3390/cancers16091706 -
Frontiers in Oncology 2023Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterized by an abnormal clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells. Despite the introduction of novel agents...
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterized by an abnormal clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells. Despite the introduction of novel agents that have significantly improved clinical outcome, most patients relapse and develop drug resistance. MM is characterized by genomic instability and a high level of replicative stress. In response to replicative and DNA damage stress, MM cells activate various DNA damage signaling pathways. In this study, we reported that high and expression is associated with poor outcome in independent cohorts of MM patients treated with high dose melphalan chemotherapy or anti-CD38 immunotherapy. Combined targeting of Chk1 and Wee1 demonstrates synergistic toxicities on MM cells and was associated with higher DNA double-strand break induction, as evidenced by an increased percentage of γH2AX positive cells subsequently leading to apoptosis. The therapeutic interest of Chk1/Wee1 inhibitors' combination was validated on primary MM cells of patients. The toxicity was specific of MM cells since normal bone marrow cells were not significantly affected. Using deconvolution approach, MM patients with high expression exhibited a significant lower percentage of NK cells whereas patients with high expression displayed a significant higher percentage of regulatory T cells in the bone marrow. These data emphasize that MM cell adaptation to replicative stress through Wee1 and Chk1 upregulation may decrease the activation of the cell-intrinsic innate immune response. Our study suggests that association of Chk1 and Wee1 inhibitors may represent a promising therapeutic approach in high-risk MM patients characterized by high and expression.
PubMed: 38125947
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1271847 -
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Mar 2024Defining the environmental occurrence and distribution of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs), including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in coastal...
Defining the environmental occurrence and distribution of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs), including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in coastal aquatic systems, is often difficult and complex. In this study, 70 compounds representing several classes of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, insect repellant, antibacterial, antidepressants, chemotherapy drugs, and X-ray contrast media compounds, were found in dreissenid mussel (zebra/quagga; Dreissena spp.) tissue samples. Overall concentration and detection frequencies varied significantly among sampling locations, site land-use categories, and sites sampled proximate and downstream of point source discharge. Verapamil, triclocarban, etoposide, citalopram, diphenhydramine, sertraline, amitriptyline, and DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) comprised the most ubiquitous PPCPs (> 50%) detected in dreissenid mussels. Among those compounds quantified in mussel tissue, sertraline, metformin, methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone, 1,7-dimethylxanthine, theophylline, zidovudine, prednisone, clonidine, 2-hydroxy-ibuprofen, iopamidol, and melphalan were detected at concentrations up to 475 ng/g (wet weight). Antihypertensives, antibiotics, and antidepressants accounted for the majority of the compounds quantified in mussel tissue. The results showed that PPCPs quantified in dreissenid mussels are occurring as complex mixtures, with 4 to 28 compounds detected at one or more sampling locations. The magnitude and composition of PPCPs detected were highest for sites not influenced by either WWTP or CSO discharge (i.e., non-WWTPs), strongly supporting non-point sources as important drivers and pathways for PPCPs detected in this study. As these compounds are detected at inshore and offshore locations, the findings of this study indicate that their persistence and potential risks are largely unknown, thus warranting further assessment and prioritization of these emerging contaminants in the Great Lakes Basin.
Topics: Animals; Sertraline; Lakes; Environmental Monitoring; Bivalvia; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Etoposide; Cosmetics; Antidepressive Agents; Pharmaceutical Preparations
PubMed: 38438687
DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-12119-3 -
Advances in Clinical and Experimental... Feb 2024The introduction of intravitreal injections of melphalan (IVIM) has significantly improved the efficacy of retinoblastoma treatment and the prognosis for eye...
BACKGROUND
The introduction of intravitreal injections of melphalan (IVIM) has significantly improved the efficacy of retinoblastoma treatment and the prognosis for eye preservation.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the results of using IVIM to treat retinoblastoma vitreous seeding.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
This was a clinical, retrospective, single-center study. Twenty-six children (27 eyes) who met all of the following inclusion criteria qualified for the study: 1) active vitreous seeding at the time of retinoblastoma diagnosis; 2) IVIM performed between 1 January 2017 and 30 September 2020; and 3) a minimum follow-up period of 12 months since the last IVIM. Doses of 20-40 μg melphalan per injection were used.
RESULTS
The eye observation period from the last IVIM to the last ophthalmic examination averaged 32.41 months (median 30.00; range 13.00-56.00). Success (no active tumors in the vitreous body) was achieved in 24 eyes (88.9%), and a doubtful result (recurrence in the retina with a difficult-to-determine etiology) in 2 eyes (7.4%). In 1 eye (3.7%), despite treatment, active tumors were still present in the vitreous body. Out of all 27 eyes, 4 eyeballs were removed, but the direct cause of enucleation was not vitreous seeding. There were no complications in the form of intraocular inflammation, extraocular retinoblastoma or distant metastases. There was 1 case of anterior uveitis and 1 case of cataract.
CONCLUSIONS
The IVIM is a highly effective and safe form of treatment for retinoblastoma vitreous seeding.
Topics: Child; Humans; Infant; Retinoblastoma; Melphalan; Retinal Neoplasms; Intravitreal Injections; Retrospective Studies; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; Neoplasm Seeding
PubMed: 37260052
DOI: 10.17219/acem/166180