Cancer

A booster inoculation of the HER-2/neu E75 peptide vaccine is safe and effective at maintaining peptide-specific immunity. Results suggest that the booster should be given at 6 months from completion of the primary vaccination series for optimal effect.

Genomic grade index is a powerful prognostic factor for lymph node-negative and estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors treated with adjuvant hormonal therapy alone, and high genomic grade index tumors are more likely to respond to chemotherapy. Genomic grade index also appears to be very useful for decision making regarding the need for adjuvant chemotherapy for lymph node-negative and ER-positive breast cancers.

The authors demonstrated that polymorphic variants of glucose metabolic genes are associated with overall survival, tumor response to therapy, tumor resectability, and tumor stage in pancreatic cancer. These genetic variants may serve as biomarkers for future genomically tailored pancreatic cancer therapy.

Some familial hamartomatous polyps transform into colonic adenocarcinoma. A genetic signature from polyp epithelium indicates that loss of the DNA mismatch repair protein hMSH3 may be a driving mechanism for transformation.

Three hundred twenty-one patients with brain metastases from RCC were enrolled in a global, open-label, expanded access program of sunitinib. The safety profile of sunitinib was comparable to that in the general metastatic RCC population, and sunitinib showed evidence of antitumor activity.

Results from a phase 2 study that assessed the use of hyperthermia combined with radiation and androgen suppression indicated that hyperthermia was associated with a significant improvement in 2-year disease-free survival compared with historic controls (84% vs 64%, respectively). At a median follow-up of 70 months, the 7-year overall survival rate was 94%.

Improved prognostic markers in prostate advanced cancer are needed. Increased levels of the biomarker tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 predict decreased survival in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients, independent of known prognostic markers.

The authors report on the use of bevacizumab added to docetaxel-based chemotherapy for castrate-resistant prostate cancer. A very high response rate was observed, and toxicity also was noted.

The current results indicated that hypothyroidism may serve as a predictive marker for treatment outcome. Thus, the interpretation of hypothyroidism as an unwanted side effect during treatment with sunitinib and sorafenib should be reconsidered.

A decision model predicted that annual screening for ovarian cancer using the best currently available tests was likely to result in a modest mortality reduction. Incorporation into the model of recent histopathologic data suggesting 2 phenotypes of ovarian cancer resulted in a lower predicted mortality reduction because of the more frequent diagnosis of indolent cancers at earlier stages.

A prospective randomized trial of stage III and IV ovarian carcinoma provided an opportunity to estimate the frequency of mucinous tumors, diagnostic reproducibility, and clinical outcomes. Forty-four cases were reviewed by three pathologists and classified as primary or metastatic. Reproducibility of interpretations was high, with unanimity of opinion in 30 of 44 (68%) cases, and most were judged to be metastatic to the ovary. Overall survival was less than that for women with serous carcinoma (14 vs 42 months, P < 0.001). Advanced stage mucinous carcinoma of the ovary is rare and is associated with poor overall survival..

The authors examined a large cohort of patients accumulated from multiple institutions that had experience in craniofacial surgery with the objective of reporting outcomes and complications from craniofacial resection in the elderly. Craniofacial resection for malignant skull base tumors in the elderly was associated with increased mortality, complications, and poorer outcome compared with patients aged <70 years.

Therapeutic strategies to eradicate minimal residual disease are warranted in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The authors present the first report testing, in a randomized manner, the long-term activity and tolerability of adding pegylated interferon alpha-2b to high-dose imatinib therapy in patients with CML in chronic phase. Although no significant differences were observed in the rates of molecular response between the treatment arms, this trial provides the foundation for future clinical trials intended to eradicate minimal residual disease in CML.

The authors present the largest analysis of PCL to date. Our data demonstrate that PCL is now more frequently diagnosed premortem and appears to have reasonable response rates. Lack of LV involvement and the presence of arrhythmias are associated with improved survival.

RGC32 methylation was found in 45 of 173 nonsmall cell lung cancers (26.0%) and was related to the gene expression. The effect of RGC32 methylation on prognosis was significantly different according to TP53 mutational status.

For selected patients with synchronous brain metastases (BM) from NSCLC as the only sign of stage IV disease, who are eligible to undergo stereotactic radiotherapy or surgical resection of BM, radical thoracic treatment may be justified, even in the presence of stage III thoracic disease.

The transcription factor TCF21, which is involved in mesenchymal-to-epithelial differentiation, is hypermethylated and down-regulated in >80% of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples, which makes TCF21 a potential candidate methylation biomarker for early-stage NSCLC screening. TCF21 hypermethylation in a variety of tumor cell lines suggests it may also be a valuable methylation biomarker in other tumor types.

Increased risk of lung cancer is associated with previous pulmonary tuberculosis infection.

Childhood osteosarcoma survivors do relatively well considering their extensive treatment, but they are at risk of experiencing chronic medical conditions and adverse health status. Survivors warrant life-long follow-up.

In this single-institution study, children with medulloblastoma were treated with craniospinal irradiation, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) boost, and chemotherapy. Despite the volume reduction of normal brain and surrounding tumor bed structures that received high-dose IMRT, the 5-year local control rate was 90.5% ± 4.6%.

Suicide rates are 11 times greater in male patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and occur more frequently in patients who undergo operative interventions.

Lower body surface area, renal function, and albumin are associated with increased risk for lower alimentary mucositis among a homogenous population of oncology patients undergoing sequential courses of chemotherapy including tandem melphalan-based autologous stem cell transplantation.