-
Digestive and Liver Disease : Official... Apr 2024The role of small-bowel (SB) cancer surveillance by capsule endoscopy (CE) in Lynch syndrome (LS) patients has been investigated in recent years, with contradicting... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND & AIMS
The role of small-bowel (SB) cancer surveillance by capsule endoscopy (CE) in Lynch syndrome (LS) patients has been investigated in recent years, with contradicting results. This meta-analysis evaluates the diagnostic yield (DY) of CE as a screening tool in asymptomatic LS patients.
METHODS
A systematic literature search was performed for all studies reporting the results of SB cancer screening in patients with LS. The primary outcome was the evaluation of the DY of CE in this setting for consecutive screening rounds.
RESULTS
Five studies comprising 428 patients and CE 677 procedures were included for data extraction and statistical analysis. The estimated pooled DY for CE-identified pathological findings was 8% in the first screening round and 6% in the second. Limiting the analysis to histologically-confirmed pathological findings, the pooled DY of second-round screening dropped to 0%. The included studies showed a significantly different prevalence of pathogenic variants in mismatch repair (path_MMR) genes, which underlie different cumulative incidences of extracolonic cancers.
CONCLUSIONS
SB surveillance by CE with a 2-year interval in asymptomatic LS individuals does not appear to be an effective screening strategy. Confirmatory prospective studies in this context are needed, considering the different cumulative incidence of SB tumors according to underlying path_MMR defects.
Topics: Humans; Capsule Endoscopy; Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis; Prospective Studies; Intestine, Small; Intestinal Neoplasms; Duodenal Neoplasms
PubMed: 37563008
DOI: 10.1016/j.dld.2023.07.028 -
European Journal of Cancer (Oxford,... Aug 2023Many immuno-oncology (IO) trials are conducted without biomarker selection. We performed a meta-analysis of phase I/II clinical trials evaluating immune checkpoint... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Many immuno-oncology (IO) trials are conducted without biomarker selection. We performed a meta-analysis of phase I/II clinical trials evaluating immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to determine the association between biomarkers and clinical outcomes, if any.
METHODS
A PubMed search for phase I/II clinical trials with drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (labelled, off-label, combined with investigational ICIs or other treatment modalities) from 2018 to 2020 was performed. The objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between biomarker-positive and biomarker-negative groups, using studies that explored the correlation of biomarkers with outcomes.
RESULTS
Overall, 174 clinical studies that included 19,178 patients were identified, and 132 studies investigated>30 correlative biomarkers that included PD-L1 expression (≥1%, 111 studies), tumour mutational burden (20 studies) and microsatellite instability/mismatch repair deficiency (10 studies). Overall, 123, 46 and 30 cohorts (drugs, tumour types or biomarkers) with 11,692, 3065, and 2256 patient outcomes for ORR, PFS and OS, respectively, were analysed in correlation with biomarkers. Meta-analyses demonstrated that ICIs in patients with biomarker-positive tumours were associated with higher ORR (odds ratio 2.15 [95% CI, 1.79-2.58], p < 0.0001); and longer PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.55 [95% CI, 0.45-0.67], p < 0.0001), and OS (HR 0.65 [95% CI, 0.53-0.80], p < 0.0001) compared with those with biomarker-negative tumours. Significance for ORR and PFS was retained in multivariate analysis (p < 0.001) (OS, not included owing to the small number of trials reporting OS).
CONCLUSION
Our data suggest that IO biomarkers should be used in patient selection for ICIs. Prospective studies are warranted.
Topics: Humans; Neoplasms; Treatment Outcome; Immunotherapy; Biomarkers; Progression-Free Survival
PubMed: 37364526
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2023.05.015 -
Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) Sep 2023With the recent success of immunotherapy, there is a growing interest in combining radiation with immunotherapy to boost abscopal response rates. Several challenges...
BACKGROUND
With the recent success of immunotherapy, there is a growing interest in combining radiation with immunotherapy to boost abscopal response rates. Several challenges exist in determining how to synergize these two modalities in the treatment of metastatic NSCLC.
METHODS
References for this review were identified through searches of MEDLINE/PubMed and Clinicaltrials.gov databases with the search terms "abscopal", "radiation OR radiotherapy," "NSCLC", and "lung" on the index date of July 2022 from 2000-2022. This systematic review focuses primarily on clinical papers.
DISCUSSION
Early work combining radiotherapy with immunotherapy show promise in unlocking the abscopal effect. Preliminary evidence suggests that radiotherapy regimens with <5 fractions and smaller fields may be superior to regimens with 15 fractions and larger fields. There does not appear to be enough evidence to draw conclusions about the optimal timing of radiotherapy in relation to immunotherapy or the optimal anatomical location of radiation to induce the abscopal effect. Several studies suggest selecting patients with a higher absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and lower neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) may help to further boost abscopal response rates. Furthermore, selecting tumors with programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression, mismatch repair deficiency, and higher tumor mutational burden may similarly achieve this goal. Lastly, additional work is needed to minimize and predict for severe toxicity associated with combination therapy.
Topics: Humans; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Immunotherapy; Lung; Combined Modality Therapy; Lung Neoplasms
PubMed: 37348427
DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2023.100914 -
Critical Reviews in Oncology/hematology Aug 2023Lynch syndrome (LS) is a genetic predisposition leading to colorectal and non-colorectal tumors such as endometrial, upper urinary tract, small intestine, ovarian,... (Review)
Review
Lynch syndrome (LS) is a genetic predisposition leading to colorectal and non-colorectal tumors such as endometrial, upper urinary tract, small intestine, ovarian, gastric, biliary duct cancers and glioblastoma. Though not classically associated with LS, growing literature suggests that sarcomas might develop in patients with LS. This systematic review of literature identified 44 studies (N = 95) of LS patients who developed sarcomas. It seems that most sarcomas developed in patients with a germline mutation of MSH2 (57 %) exhibit a dMMR (81 %) or MSI (77 %) phenotype, as in other LS-tumors. Although undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS), leiomyosarcoma, and liposarcoma remain the most represented histologic subtype, a higher proportion of rhabdomyosarcoma (10 %, especially pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma) is reported. Further studies are required to better characterize this sub-population.
Topics: Humans; Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis; Colorectal Neoplasms; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Germ-Line Mutation; Sarcoma; Rhabdomyosarcoma; DNA Mismatch Repair; Microsatellite Instability
PubMed: 37301271
DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2023.104055 -
Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases Dec 2023The goal of precision medicine in prostate cancer (PCa) is to individualize the treatment according to the patient's germline mutation status. PCa has a very high rate... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The goal of precision medicine in prostate cancer (PCa) is to individualize the treatment according to the patient's germline mutation status. PCa has a very high rate of genetic predisposition compared with other cancers in men, with an estimated rate of cancers ascribable to hereditary factors of 5-15%.
METHODS
A systematic search (PubMed, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov) of English literature from 2000 to 2022, using the keywords "prostate cancer", "germline mutations", "family history", and "inheritance" was conducted, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines.
RESULTS
The search identified 980 publications. Of these, 200 papers were removed before screening (duplicates, non-English literature, and publication year before 2000) and 245 records were excluded after title/abstract screening. Finally, 50 articles were included in the final analysis. We analyze the latest evidence on the genetic basis of PCa predisposition and clinical implications for more personalized screening protocols and therapeutic management of this high-prevalent cancer.
DISCUSSION
Emerging data show that germline mutations in homologous recombination genes (BRCA1/2, ATM, CHECK2), in mismatch repair genes (MLH1, MLH2, MSH6), and other additional genes are associated with the development and aggressiveness of PCa. Germline testing and genetic counseling have increasingly important implications in cancer screening and therapeutic decisions making for patients affected by PCa. Patients with localized PCa and some gene mutations are more likely to develop aggressive cancer, so active treatment may be preferable to active surveillance for these patients. Moreover, in patients with metastatic PCa, these gene alterations may be useful biomarkers for predicting response to specific therapy such as PARP inhibitors, recently approved for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant PCa. The evidence supports recent guidelines and recommendations considering germline genetic testing for patients with a positive family history of PCa or men with high risk or metastatic disease.
Topics: Male; Humans; Prostatic Neoplasms; Germ-Line Mutation; BRCA1 Protein; Precision Medicine; BRCA2 Protein
PubMed: 36434163
DOI: 10.1038/s41391-022-00609-3