Developing a risk assessment score for patients with cancer during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

The novel coronavirus (CoV) pandemic is a serious threat for patients with cancer, who have an immunocompromised status and are considered at high risk of infections. Data on the novel CoV respiratory disease (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) in patients with cancer are still limited. Unlike other common viruses, CoVs have not been shown to cause a more severe disease in immunocompromised subjects. Along with direct viral pathogenicity, in some individuals, CoV infection triggers an uncontrolled aberrant inflammatory response, leading to lung tissue damage. In patients with cancer treated with immunotherapy (e.g. immune checkpoint inhibitors), COVID-19 may therefore represent a serious threat. After a thorough review of the literature on CoV pathogenesis and cancer, we selected several shared features to define which patients can be considered at higher risk of COVID-19. We combined these clinical and laboratory variables, with the aim of developing a score to weight the risk of COVID-19 in patients with cancer

57 Alpelisib for recurrent PIK3CA-mutated recurrent cervcial cancer

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baseline predictive factors for efficacy of anti pd1 used in first line in melanoma patients an italian melanoma intergroup study

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Evaluation of COVID-19 impact on DELAYing diagnostic-therapeutic pathways of lung cancer patients in Italy (COVID-DELAY study): fewer cases and higher stages from a real-world scenario

Introduction: COVID-19 has disrupted the global health care system since March 2020. Lung cancer (LC) patients (pts) represent a vulnerable population highly affected by the pandemic. This multicenter Italian study aimed to evaluate whether the COVID-19 outbreak had an impact on access to cancer diagnosis and treatment of LC pts compared with pre-pandemic time. Methods: Consecutive newly diagnosed LC pts referred to 25 Italian Oncology Departments between March and December 2020 were included. Access rate and temporal intervals between date of symptoms onset and diagnostic and therapeutic services were compared with the same period in 2019. Differences between the 2 years were analyzed using the chi-square test for categorical variables and the Mann\u2013Whitney U test for continuous variables. Results: A slight reduction ( 126.9%) in newly diagnosed LC cases was observed in 2020 compared with 2019 (1523 versus 1637, P = 0.09). Newly diagnosed LC pts in 2020 were more likely to be diagnosed with stage IV disease (P < 0.01) and to be current smokers (someone who has smoked more than 100 cigarettes, including hand-rolled cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, in their lifetime and has smoked in the last 28 days) (P < 0.01). The drop in terms of new diagnoses was greater in the lockdown period (percentage drop 1212% versus 123.2%) compared with the other months included. More LC pts were referred to a low/medium volume hospital in 2020 compared with 2019 (P = 0.01). No differences emerged in terms of interval between symptoms onset and radiological diagnosis (P = 0.94), symptoms onset and cytohistological diagnosis (P = 0.92), symptoms onset and treatment start (P = 0.40), and treatment start and first radiological revaluation (P = 0.36). Conclusions: Our study pointed out a reduction of new diagnoses with a shift towards higher stage at diagnosis for LC pts in 2020. Despite this, the measures adopted by Italian Oncology Departments ensured the maintenance of the diagnostic-therapeutic pathways of LC pts

Adjuvant pembrolizumab for melanoma: update from the EORTC 1325-MG/KEYNOTE-054 trial

2nononenoneIndini A.; Grossi F.Indini, A.; Grossi, F

Current Insights on the Treatment of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-Positive Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Focus on Brigatinib

Rearrangement of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene is detected in approximately 5% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting ALK have significantly improved the prognosis of these patients. However, most patients experienced disease progression within a few years due to acquired resistance. Brigatinib is a second-generation ALK inhibitor effective in presence of several ALK mutations with demonstrated activity against central nervous system metastases. Currently, brigatinib is approved to treat ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC patients not previously treated with ALK inhibitors and patients who have progressed on or are intolerant to crizotinib. In this review, we provide a summary of results from clinical trials involving brigatinib, and we discuss its possible role in the management of ALK-positive NSCLC in the following years