Active cancer and ongoing antineoplastic treatments are major factors for severe COVID-19 and death, reasons why the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination remains a priority in cancer patients (CPs). However, ...immunocompromised patients were excluded from major studies on mRNA vaccines, and could have a decreased response to vaccination, as recently demonstrated in solid organ transplant recipients. Herein, we aimed to assess the proportion of antibody response 4 weeks after the first injection of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine in CPs and health care workers (HCWs) as the control population.
Nasopharyngeal carcinomas: an update Spano, J.-P.; Busson, P.; Atlan, D. ...
European Journal of Cancer,
10/2003, Volume:
39, Issue:
15
Book Review, Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Among the group of head and neck cancers, nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC) represent a distinct entity in terms of their epidemiology, clinical presentation, biological markers, carcinogenic risk ...factors, prognostic factors, treatment and outcome. Undifferentiated NPC (UCNT), the most frequent histological type, is endemic in certain regions, especially in South East Asia. The disease has also been associated with the presence of the Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV). Although NPC is a radiosensitive and chemosensitive tumour, a substantial number of patients develop local recurrence or distant metastases. For patients with locoregional advanced disease, it is well known that conventional radiotherapy is insufficient in terms of both the local control rates and distant metastases. New techniques of radiation and new combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy modalities have been evaluated in numerous clinical trials in recent years. The purpose of this article is to review the current knowledge in terms of the epidemiology, biology, prognosis, management and outcome of patients with NPC.
Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in many types of cancers, especially colorectal cancer (CRC), and seems to reflect more aggressive histological and clinical ...behaviors. The aim of this study was to evaluate EGFR immunohistochemical reactivity in CRC biopsies, and to analyze its relationship with various histological and clinical characteristics and survival. Patients and methods: A composite EGFR score, obtained by multiplying the grade (% positive cells) by the intensity of labeling (0–9) was used to define patients with low or high EGFR expression whose clinicopathological features were then compared. Univariate tests and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model were applied for data analysis. Results: Tissue sections from 150 CRC patients with a median follow-up of 40 months were examined. Median patient age at diagnosis was 70 years (range 38–89 years). EGFR reactivity was positive for 143 patients (97%) and high for 118 (80%). According to multivariate analysis, EGFR overexpression was significantly associated with tumor stage, with a higher percentage of EGFR overexpression in T3 than T4 (P=0.003) and not with overall survival. Conclusions: EGFR was overexpressed in this CRC patient population and was significantly associated with TNM (tumor–node–metastasis) stage T3. In the context of a new therapeutic strategy using EGFR-targeted therapies, although EGFR remains a controversial prognostic factor, this expression–stage association may play a crucial role in a decision to initiate an adjuvant treatment.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected >210 million people worldwide. An optimal therapeutic approach for COVID-19 remains uncertain, to date. Since the history of cancer was linked to ...higher mortality rates due to COVID-19, the establishment of a safe and effective vaccine coverage is crucial in these patients. However, patients with cancer (PsC) were mostly excluded from vaccine candidates' clinical trials. This systematic review aims to investigate the current available evidence about the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in PsC.
All prospective studies that evaluated the safety and efficacy of vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were included, with immunogenicity after the first and the second dose as the primary endpoint, when available.
Vaccination against COVID-19 for PsC seems overall safe and immunogenic after well-conducted vaccination schedules. Yet the seroconversion rate remains lower, lagged or both compared to the general population. Patients with hematologic malignancies, especially those receiving B-cell-depleting agents in the past 12 months, are the most at risk of poor seroconversion.
A tailored approach to vaccination may be proposed to PsC, especially on the basis of the type of malignancy and of the specific oncologic treatments received.
•History of cancer is linked to higher mortality rates due to COVID-19.•Data on the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in PsC are scarce.•This review included prospective studies that evaluated immunogenicity of vaccines against COVID-19 in PsC.•Vaccination seems overall safe and immunogenic after well-conducted vaccination schedules.•Hematologic patients receiving B-cell-depleting agents in the last 12 months are the most at risk of poor seroconversion.
Genetic landscape of indolent and aggressive Kaposi sarcomas Malouf, G.G.; Lu, X.; Mouawad, R. ...
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology,
December 2022, 2022-Dec, 2022-12-00, 20221201, 2022-12, Volume:
36, Issue:
12
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Background
Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a rare skin tumour caused by herpesvirus 8 infection and characterized by either indolence or an aggressive course necessitating systemic therapies. The genetic ...basis of this difference remains unknown.
Objectives
To explore the tumour mutational burden in indolent and aggressive KS.
Methods
We performed whole‐exome sequencing on a cohort of 21 KS patients. We compared genetic landscape including tumor mutational burden between the two forms of indolent and agressive KS.
Results
Aggressive KS tumours had a significantly higher TMB and a larger cumulative number of deleterious mutations than indolent KS tumours. In addition, all aggressive tumours had at least three deleterious mutations, whereas most indolent tumours harboured only one or no predicted deleterious mutations. Deleterious mutations listed in the Cancer Gene Census were detected exclusively in patients with aggressive disease. An analysis of somatic copy‐number alterations (SCNA) revealed a tendency towards higher number of alterations in aggressive KS.
Conclusions
These data suggest that SCNA alterations and an increase in mutational burden promote aggressive KS and that it might be more appropriate to consider indolent KS as an opportunistic skin disease rather than a cancer.
Metastatic colorectal cancer is a particularly frequent and severe cancer. Patients die mainly from metastatic disease; however, the survival of these patients has dramatically improved with the ...progress in chemotherapeutic regimens as new routes of administration and introduction of more potent cytotoxic agents administered in sequential 5-FU-folinic acid-irinotecan/5-FU-folinic acid-oxaliplatine strategies. Biologic therapies have been also developed targeting two different pathways, angiogenesis and the epidermal growth factor receptor. Their combination with chemotherapy leads to improved progression-free survival and overall survival in some cases as the addition of cetuximab in wild-type K-Ras tumors. The objectives of this expert conference were to review the different options, the available prognostic or predictive factors to optimally guide the treatment.
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) belongs to a family of receptors known as the ErbB family (ErbB tyrosine kinase receptors) which comprises four proteins encoded by the c-erbB proto-oncogene. ...EGFR is known to activate a cascade of multiple signaling pathways that facilitate tumor growth process. EGFR has been shown to be overexpressed in colorectal cancer patient populations but its prognostic value in colorectal cancer progression remains unclear. The development of a panel of EGFR inhibitors could reduce the proliferation of tumor cells when used alone or in combination with cytotoxic drugs or radiation. This review focuses on the potential role of EGFR signaling in the survival of colorectal tumor cells and the possible modulation of such signaling pathways by EGFR inhibitors so as to increase tumor control or render tumor cells more sensitive to conventional therapy.