tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
A phase Ib trial of ERK inhibition with ulixertinib combined with palbociclib in patients (Pts) with advanced solid tumors.
Authors: Alison L. Raybould, Brian Burgess, Clarissa Urban, Rashid Naim, Michael Sangmin Lee, Autumn Jackson McRee
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2021)

3103 Background: Activating KRAS mutations are the most frequently detected aberrant oncogenes in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Combination strategies to target the downstream RAF-MEK-ERK effector pathway are a rational approach. Preclinical data with ERK and CDK4/6 inhibition in both pancreatic cancer cell lines and xenografts demonstrates synergistic cell death and tumor growth suppression. Ulixertinib (BVD-523) is an oral small molecule inhibitor of ERK1/2. This phase 1b study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and early clinical efficacy of ulixertinib when combined with the oral CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib in pts with advanced solid tumors. Methods: Using a 3+3 design, pts received ulixertinib at a starting dose of 300mg (range 300-600mg) twice daily continuously with palbociclib at a starting dose of 75mg (range 75-125mg) on D1-21 out of a 28 day cycle. The primary objective was to establish the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of the combination. Secondary objectives included characterizing safety and estimating progression free survival (PFS). Dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) were evaluated during the first cycle of treatment. Adverse events were graded by CTCAE v4.03. Response was evaluated after 2 cycles (8 weeks) by RECIST 1.1 criteria. Results: 26 pts were enrolled (13 colorectal, 9 pancreas, 2 melanoma, 1 cholangiocarcinoma, 1 GIST); 16 were evaluable for response. The MTD of the combination was ulixertinib 450mg BID and palbociclib 125mg daily. DLTs included grade 3 fatigue, grade 3 acute kidney injury and grade 3 hyponatremia (Table). Due to toxicity in cohort 3, the protocol was amended to include two additional cohorts (2A and 2B) with a reduced dose of ulixertinib and increasing doses of palbociclib. The most common treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) (all grades) were fatigue (70%), rash (62%) and nausea (54%). The most common laboratory TRAEs were decreased lymphocyte count (77%), decreased WBC count (73%) and anemia (65%). Grade 3 TRAEs were decreased WBC count, decreased lymphocyte count, anemia and fatigue. No grade 4/5 TRAEs were reported. Three pts demonstrated stable disease (SD). For this heavily pre-treated pt population, PFS was 2.05 months (95% CI 1.87, not determined). PK analysis for ulixertinib and palbociclib was linear and consistent with previously reported data; no drug-drug interactions were observed. Conclusions: The MTD of this phase Ib study of advanced solid tumor pts was ulixertinib 450mg BID combined with palbociclib 125 mg daily. At this dosing, 2 pts demonstrated SD, one with pancreatic cancer and one with cholangiocarcinoma. An expansion cohort of metastatic pancreatic cancer pts is ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT03454035. [Table: see text]
Comprehensive cancer genomics-based screening of new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for lung cancer.
Authors: Yataro Daigo, Atsushi Takano, Yusuke Nakamura
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2021)

e21031 Background: Since the clinical outcome of advanced lung cancer patients is still poor after standard therapies, development of new anti-cancer drugs with minimum risk of adverse effects and cancer biomarkers for precision medicine is urgently required. Methods: We have been screening new therapeutic target molecules and molecular biomarkers for lung cancers as follows; i) To identify overexpressed genes in lung cancers by the gene expression profile analysis, ii) To verify the target genes for their scarce expression in normal tissues, iii) To validate the clinicopathologic importance of their protein expression by tissue microarray covering 263 lung cancers, and iv) To confirm their function for the growth and/or invasive ability of the lung cancer cells by siRNAs and gene transfection assays. Results: We identified dozens of candidate target molecules and selected a gene encoding protein with a GAP domain, LAPG1 (lung cancer-associated protein with Gap domain 1). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that LAPG1 expression was observed in 69.9% of lung cancers. Moreover positivity of LAPG1 expression was associated with poor prognosis of lung cancer patients. Knockdown of LAPG1 expression by siRNAs suppressed growth of lung cancer cells. Introduction of LAPG1 increased the invasive activity of mammalian cells, indicating that LAPG1 could be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for lung cancers. Conclusions: Comprehensive cancer genomics-based screening could be useful for selection of new cancer biomarkers and molecular targets for developing small molecules, antibodies, nucleic acid drugs, and immunotherapies.
Occupational Medicine
Authors: Mark R. Cullen, Martin G. Cherniack, Linda Rosenstock
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (1990)

THE clinical discipline of occupational medicine, largely unstudied, untaught, and unpracticed in major medical centers as recently as a decade ago, underwent unprecedented rejuvenation in the 1980s. Spurred by national regulatory programs and requirements, widespread litigation concerning toxic injury, and an altered public perception of environmental risks, the demand for the services of occupational medicine has risen sharply, especially outside the workplace.1 An outgrowth of this increase in demand has been an explosion of new investigations and new information as the field rejoins the mainstream of medicine, as well as new academic faculties, journals, and training programs.The goal of . . .
Phase 2 study of second-line FOLFIRI-aflibercept in prospectively stratified, RAS wild type, anti-EGFR resistant, metastatic colorectal cancer patients: The DISTINCTIVE trial.
Authors: Eleonora Lai, Fotios Loupakis, Pina Ziranu, Giuseppe Aprile, Alberto Zaniboni, Clelia Madeddu, Sara Lonardi, Stefania Mosconi, Valeria Smiroldo, Giordano D. Beretta, Sabina Murgioni, Gerardo Rosati, M. Giulia Zampino, Fabio Gelsomino, Veronica Conca, Luigi Mascia, Luigi Cavanna, Cristina Morelli, Silvia Della Torre, Mario Scartozzi
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2021)

e15503 Background: Data on anti-angiogenic second line treatment in RAS wild type (wt) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients (pts) progressing after first-line anti-EGFR drug are lacking and no validated biomarkers are available. We present the pre-planned interim analysis of the DISTINCTIVE trial (NCT04252456), a biologically enriched, prospectively stratified phase 2 study assessing the aflibercept use in this setting. Methods: RAS wt mCRC pts progressing after first line oxaliplatin-based + anti-EGFR therapy and candidates for second-line FOLFIRI/aflibercept are eligible for the DISTINCTIVE trial. Pts are prospectively allocated to a favorable (F) or unfavorable (U) prognostic group, according to Elisa-assessed baseline (BL) VEGFR2 plasma levels (PL). Other circulating angiogenic factors are evaluated at BL, first tumor assessment (TA1) and disease progression (PD). Primary endpoint is overall survival (OS) according to VEGFR2 levels. Secondary endpoints are OS, progression free survival (PFS), response rate, safety and angiogenic factors levels. Statistical analysis is performed with MedCalc (survival distribution: Kaplan-Meier; survival comparison: log-rank test; multivariate analysis: logistic regression). Sample size: 151 pts (one-sided test, α: 0.1, β: 0.2). Results: From 04/2018 to 06/2020, 73 pts were enrolled. Complete data from 44 pts were available for interim analysis. 33 pts (75%) achieved DCR (26 pts/59% SD, 7 pts/16% PR). Globally, median OS was 11.9 months (m) (95%CI 10 – 14.2). 24 (54.5%) pts were prospectively assigned to F group (VEGFR2 PL &gt; 4 ng/ml) and 20 (45.5%) to U group (VEGFR2 PL ≤4 ng/ml). OS in F group was 13.1 m (95%CI 9.6 – 14.2) vs 11.9 m (95%CI 6.8 – 11.9) in U group (HR 0.76 p = 0.6218). PFS was 9.8 m [95%CI 5.7 – 24.2] in F group vs 4.2 m [95%CI 2.5 – 14.2] in U group (HR 0.41 p = 0.0105). We also found preliminary correlation with PD as shown in table. Conclusions: Interim analysis showed high activity of FOLFIRI/aflibercept in RAS WT anti-EGFR pretreated mCRC pts. VEGFR2 showed promising ability to predict aflibercept efficacy. Our data on circulating angiogenic biomarkers are likely to further compose the landscape of anti-angiogenic activity in mCRC pts. Clinical trial information: NCT04252456. [Table: see text]
Predictors of clinical trial enrollment and impact on outcome in children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A population based study.
Authors: Paul James Gibson, Uma H. Athale, Vicky Rowena Breakey, Nicole Mittmann, Mylene Bassal, Mariana Silva, Serina Patel, Veda Zabih, Petros Pechlivanoglou, Jason D. Pole, Sumit Gupta
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2021)

7031 Background: Outcomes in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have shown remarkable improvements in large part due to sequential clinical trials. Concerns however persist around whether access to clinical trials is equitable. It is also unclear whether patient outcomes are improved simply by enrolling on a clinical trial. Our objective was to therefore determine which patient and disease-related factors are associated with enrollment, and whether enrollment was associated with clinical outcomes among children and adolescents with ALL in a single-payer health system in Ontario, Canada. Methods: We included all Ontario patients diagnosed with ALL between 0-18 years of age from 2002-2012 treated at a pediatric center, identified through a provincial pediatric cancer registry. Clinical trial availability was determined by whether each patient’s primary institution had an open frontline trial for which the patient was eligible at the time of their diagnosis, considering individual disease characteristics such as lineage, central nervous system (CNS) status and risk group. Demographic, disease, trial enrolment, and outcome data were obtained through chart abstraction. Logistic regression models determined factors associated with trial enrolment, while Cox proportional hazard models determined factors associated with event-free and overall survival (EFS, OS). Results: Of 858 patients, 693 (81%) were eligible for an open clinical trial at their time of diagnosis. 476 (69%) enrolled on a trial. In adjusted analyses, age &gt; 15 years (odds ratio 0.4 vs. age 5-9, 95 th confidence interval (95CI) 0.2-0.8; p = 0.01) and CNS3 disease (OR 0.38 vs. CNS1, 95CI 0.17-0.83; p = 0.01) were significantly associated with decreased likelihood of enrolment, while sex and neighborhood income quintile were not associated with enrolment. Adjusted for disease and demographic factors, clinical trial enrolment was not significantly associated with either EFS (hazard ratio (HR) 1.1, 95CI 0.7-1.7; p = 0.83) or OS (HR 1.3, 95CI 0.7-2.5; p = 0.44). Conclusions: The majority of patients with ALL eligible for available clinical trials at their time of diagnosis were enrolled. While no disparities in enrolment by income status were noted, adolescents were substantially less likely to participate in trials even within pediatric centers. Studies of mechanisms underlying this disparity are warranted in order to design and implement effective interventions targeting increased enrolment rates in this patient population. Our results however also suggest that clinical trial enrolment on its own is not associated with improved outcomes in the context of a single payer health system.
BIOL-01. THE RELATIONSHIP OF BRAIN ENDOTHELIAL WNT SIGNAL INHIBITION ON BLOOD-TUMOR BARRIER INTEGRITY
Authors: Sadhana Jackson, Amelie Vezina, Nabanita Kundu, Robert Robey
Journal: Neuro-Oncology (2021)

Abstract The blood-tumor barrier (BTB) is the primary site of nutrient and drug transport to tumor cells such as malignant gliomas. Yet, signaling pathways and factors influencing BTB permeability are poorly understood. Previous studies demonstrate the role of WNT/β-catenin signaling in establishing and fortifying blood-brain barrier integrity in a non-diseased state. Additionally, WNT proteins are highly expressed in gliomas and their surrounding vasculature. Thus, we propose inhibition of WNT/β-catenin signaling at the brain endothelium of malignant glioma can impair BTB integrity to enhance permeability for select cytotoxic agents. We used immortalized mouse brain endothelial cells (bEnd.3), akin to brain tumor endothelium, treated for 24 hours with WNT inhibitors (ICG-001, IWR-1, and LGK974). Inhibition of WNT/β-catenin signaling was confirmed by gene expression of transcription factors (Tcf4 and Birc5). Cell viability was confirmed by CellTiter Glo®. Brain endothelial cell-cell interaction was evaluated by cell impedance and resistance via the Agilent xCELLigence and ABP TEER24 systems. Using qPCR and flow cytometry, we observed changes in expression and function of Abcb1 and Abcg2 transporters. Using an in vitro BTB (bEnd.3 cells and mouse H3.3WT/K27 glioma cells) we evaluated the effect of WNT inhibition on permeability and glioma viability. We found that all the inhibitors downregulated Tcf4 and Birc5 in brain endothelium dose-dependently. Viability with inhibitors demonstrated an IC50 of 28μM for ICG-001, and 42μM for both IWR-1 and LGK974. Endothelial cell-cell interaction was transiently decreased by approximately 50% with all inhibitors at 30 minutes; increasing closer to baseline after 2-4hrs. All WNT inhibitors dose-dependently decreased Abcg2 transporter expression and function. While In vitro BTB studies are ongoing, preliminary findings demonstrate increasing permeability of BTB amongst H3.3K27 glioma cells. Our results demonstrate potential of WNT inhibitors to modulate BTB integrity and drug efflux function. More studies are warranted to explore WNT/β-catenin signaling inhibition on BTB in vivo.
Treatment of Posttraumatic Reactive Angioendotheliomatosis With Topical Timolol Maleate
Authors: Riti Bhatia, Neirita Hazarika, Divya Chandrasekaran, Vishal Gupta, Prashant Durgapal, Sanjeev Kishore
Journal: JAMA Dermatology (2021)

Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to use our site, or clicking "Continue," you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy | Continue JAMA Dermatology HomeNew OnlineCurrent IssueFor Authors Podcast Publications JAMA JAMA Network Open JAMA Cardiology JAMA Dermatology JAMA Health Forum JAMA Internal Medicine JAMA Neurology JAMA Oncology JAMA Ophthalmology JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery JAMA Pediatrics JAMA Psychiatry JAMA Surgery Archives of Neurology & Psychiatry (1919-1959) JN Learning / CMESubscribeJobsInstitutions / LibrariansReprints & Permissions Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement 2023 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved Search All JAMA JAMA Network Open JAMA Cardiology JAMA Dermatology JAMA Forum Archive JAMA Health Forum JAMA Internal Medicine JAMA Neurology JAMA Oncology JAMA Ophthalmology JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery JAMA Pediatrics JAMA Psychiatry JAMA Surgery Archives of Neurology & Psychiatry Input Search Term Sign In Individual Sign In Sign inCreate an Account Access through your institution Sign In Purchase Options: Buy this article Rent this article Subscribe to the JAMA Dermatology journal
Prevalence of germline mutations in pancreatic carcinoma patients (PCP) unselected for family history (FH).
Authors: Livia Munhoz Rodrigues, Simone Maistro, Vinícius Marques Rocha, Rossana Veronica Mendoza Lopez, Maria A. A. Koike Folgueira
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2021)

e16263 Background: Despite being one of the deadliest tumors worldwide, hereditary factors involved in PC are not fully understood. Thus, our objective is to assess the prevalence of germline mutations in PC cohorts not selected for FH. Methods: A systematic review was performed, using the descriptors related to PC and germline mutations, employing Pubmed, Lilacs, Web of Science and Embase, until August/2020. Three investigators were involved in reviewing titles and abstracts by peers. Exclusions comprehended articles of non-English language, studies investigating endocrine PC or case-reports. For the present analysis, the inclusion criteria were: original full paper available for data extraction, studies with patients unselected for FH and evaluating a panel of at least 10 genes, WES or WGS. Results from our group evaluating a cohort of PC Brazilian patients were also considered. We present prevalence results for germline mutations in 8 genes, comprehending ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CDKN2A, CHEK2, MSH6, PALB2 (the most frequently mutated genes in PC) and FANCM (previously detected in our Brazilian cohort). Results: After exclusion of duplicate titles, 2, 035 titles were available. Using the criteria described above, 23 articles were selected for analysis and involved cohorts from Australia, Canada, USA, Japan, Czech Republic and our Brazilian cohort, totaling 11, 165 PCP evaluated. The predominant histology was adenocarcinoma (15/24 studies), 22/24 studies evaluated a panel of genes and for studies providing demographic data, the mean age of PCP was 64 (13-93) years (n = 8, 000). Six out of eight genes were evaluated in at least 10, 600 patients, among which BRCA2 mutations had the highest prevalence, followed by ATM. Mutations in CHEK2 occupied the third place in prevalence, despite being evaluated in only 74.5% of the entire cohort. BRCA1, PALB2, CDKN2A, MSH6 and FANCM showed a prevalence of less than 1%, according to the table below. Although being infrequent among PCP, it is interesting to observe that an identical FANCM mutation was detected in two unrelated Brazilian patients. Conclusions: Analysis of cohorts unselected for FH indicates that BRCA2, ATM and CHEK2 are the most frequently mutated genes in these PCP. Further studies are needed to better characterize the spectrum and prevalence of mutations in PCP from populations other than Caucasians, especially in miscegenated people.[Table: see text]
Let us learn from litigation claims: actuarial tools can improve safety
Authors: Federica Foti, Fabio De-Giorgio, Giuseppe Vetrugno
Journal: BMJ (2021)

Whether in-depth analysis of incident reporting can help promote the quality of assistance has long been debated because the people who deal with reporting and root cause analysis think that there are not enough resources to solve problems and that there is no known solution.1

This principle also applies to the analysis of …
The Ratio of Toxic-to-Nontoxic miRNAs Predicts Platinum Sensitivity in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Monal Patel, Yinu Wang, Elizabeth T. Bartom, Rohin Dhir, Kenneth P. Nephew, Daniela Matei, Andrea E. Murmann, Ernst Lengyel, Marcus E. Peter
Journal: Cancer Research (2021)

Abstract Ovarian cancer remains one of the deadliest gynecologic malignancies affecting women, and development of resistance to platinum remains a major barrier to achieving a cure. Multiple mechanisms have been identified to confer platinum resistance. Numerous miRNAs have been linked to platinum sensitivity and resistance in ovarian cancer. miRNA activity occurs mainly when the guide strand of the miRNA, with its seed sequence at position 2–7/8, is loaded into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) and targets complementary short seed matches in the 3′ untranslated region of mRNAs. Toxic 6mer seeds, which target genes critical for cancer cell survival, have been found in tumor-suppressive miRNAs. Many siRNAs and short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) can also kill cancer cells via toxic seeds, the most toxic of which carry G-rich 6mer seed sequences. We showed here that treatment of ovarian cancer cells with platinum led to increased RISC-bound miRNAs carrying toxic 6mer seeds and decreased miRNAs with nontoxic seeds. Platinum-tolerant cells did not exhibit this toxicity shift but retained sensitivity to cell death mediated by siRNAs carrying toxic 6mer seeds. Analysis of RISC-bound miRNAs in tumors from patients with ovarian cancer revealed that the ratio between miRNAs with toxic versus nontoxic seeds was predictive of treatment outcome. Application of the 6mer seed toxicity concept to cancer relevant miRNAs provides a new framework for understanding and predicting cancer therapy responses. Significance: These findings demonstrate that the balance of miRNAs that carry toxic and nontoxic 6mer seeds contributes to platinum resistance in ovarian cancer.
Detection of prognostic cancer-specific circular RNA in plasma.
Authors: Jason Brown, Palak Shah, Josh Vo, Alex Tsodikov, Lena Kleyman, Xuhong Cao, Arul Chinnaiyan
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2021)

3032 Background: Earlier detection of cancer could lead to improved outcomes. Non-invasive biomarkers are integral for early detection, and protein and DNA-based assays have been previously described for this purpose. Evaluation of highly expressed circulating RNA would improve upon existing methods by allowing for quantitation, however RNA expression in plasma is low. Circular RNA (circRNA) is formed by alternative backsplicing and provide resistance to exoribonclease-mediated degradation. Therefore, circRNA is more stable in plasma and could potentially be more easily detected non-invasively. Here, we report results from a novel assay that identifies and quantitates expression of circRNA in cancer plasma. Methods: Cancer-specific circRNA targets were identified by analyzing differential expression and abundance based on capture RNA sequencing in tissues. CircRNA-specific probes were designed and validated by stable expression with RNAse R incubation. Expression of selected circRNA isoforms were measured using a quantitative PCR-based assay. For breast cancer specimens, plasma was collected from a cohort of 36 patients and 12 normal female controls without known cancer diagnosis. Expression was determined by normalizing signal to two averaged universally expressed circRNAs. Differential expression for each target was determined for cancer vs. normal and stratified based on ER and HER2 positivity as well as stage. Results: Normalized expression of seven proposed breast cancer-specific circRNA targets was determined for all patients in the cohort. All targets demonstrated resistance to RNAse R-mediated degradation in breast cancer cell lines. In the breast cancer cohort, CircTRPS1 expression was higher in cancer plasma than normal, trending toward significance. Expression of circTRPS1 was significantly more common in ER-negative than ER-positive breast cancer (p = 0.02). CircPDHX expression was elevated in normal plasma compared to cancer and relatively higher in ER-positive than ER-negative cancer (p = 0.05). Median expression in plasma was elevated in cancer specimens compared to normal for CircVAV3, circDNAH14, and circCDYL. CircERBB2 expression was also relatively higher in HER2-positive cancer when compared to other targets. Higher expression significantly positively correlated with metastatic disease for circERBB2 (p = 0.01) and circCDYL (p = 0.005) and negatively correlated with metastasis for circWDR78 (p = 0.02). Conclusions: CircRNA are promising biomarkers for early non-invasive detection of cancer. We identified seven circRNA biomarkers in breast cancer plasma which correlated with clinical characteristics. Three circRNAs were significantly prognostic for metastatic breast cancer. Identification of additional cancer-specific targets and multiplexing markers is underway. This assay is generalizable to other cancers, and similar studies in prostate and bladder cancer are in progress.