Human Immunodeficiency Virus/AIDS, Human Papillomavirus, and Anal Cancer

Anal cancer is an increasingly common non-AIDS-defining cancer among individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It is associated with human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV16 is the most common genotype detected in anal cancers. The HPV types detected in anal cancer are included in the 9-valent vaccine. HPV vaccines have demonstrated efficacy in reducing anal precancerous lesions in HIV-infected individuals. Standard treatment has been fluorouracil and mitomycin (or cisplatin) plus radiation. Continued studies are needed to test new treatment strategies in HIV-infected patients with anal cancer to determine which treatment protocols provide the best therapeutic index

Fermion Hilbert Space and Fermion Doubling in the Noncommutative Geometry Approach to Gauge Theories

In this paper we study the structure of the Hilbert space for the recent noncommutative geometry models of gauge theories. We point out the presence of unphysical degrees of freedom similar to the ones appearing in lattice gauge theories (fermion doubling). We investigate the possibility of projecting out these states at the various levels in the construction, but we find that the results of these attempts are either physically unacceptable or geometrically unappealing.Comment: plain LaTeX, pp. 1

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy in Hematologic Malignancies and Patient-reported Outcomes: A Scoping Review

The inclusion of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy research is critical for understanding the impact of this novel approach from a unique patient standpoint. We performed a scoping review to map the available literature on the use of PRO measures in CAR T-cell therapy studies of patients with hematologic malignancies published between January 2015 and July 2022. Fourteen studies were identified, of which 7 (50%) were investigational early-phase trials, 6 (42.9%) were observational studies, and 1 (7.1%) was a pilot study. The EQ-5D and the PROMIS-29 were the 2 most frequently used PRO measures, being included in 6 (42.9%) and 5 (35.7%) studies, respectively. Despite differences in study designs, there seems to be evidence of improvements over time since CAR T-cell infusion in important domains such as physical functioning and fatigue, at least in patients who respond to therapy. Overall, the studies identified in our review have shown the added value of PRO assessment in CAR T-cell therapy research by providing novel information that complements the knowledge on safety and efficacy. However, there are several questions which remain to be answered in future research. For example, limited evidence exists regarding patient experience during important phases of the disease trajectory as only 4 (28.6%) and 5 (35.7%) studies provided information on PROs during the first 2 weeks from CAR T-cell infusion and after the first year, respectively. Time is ripe for a more systematic implementation of high-quality PRO assessment in future clinical trials and in real-life settings of patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy

International Web-based consultation on priorities for translational breast cancer research

Background Large numbers of translational breast cancer research topics have been completed or are underway, but they differ widely in their immediate and/or future importance to clinical management. We therefore conducted an international Web-based consultation of breast cancer professionals to identify the topics most widely considered to be of highest priority. Methods Potential participants were contacted via two large e-mail databases and asked to register, at a Web site, the issues that they felt to be of highest priority. Four hundred nine questions were reduced by a steering committee to 70 unique issues, and registrants were asked to select the 6 questions they considered to be the most important. Results Votes were recorded from 420 voters ( 2,520 votes) from 48 countries, with 48% of voters coming from North America. Half of the voters identified themselves as clinicians, with the remainder being academics, research scientists, or pathologists. The highest priority was to identify molecular signatures to select patients who could be spared chemotherapy, which gained about 50% more votes than the second topic and was consistently voted top by voters in North America, Europe, and the rest of the world. Research scientists voted the determination of the role of stem cells in breast cancer development, progression, and treatment sensitivity as the most important issue, but this was considered the sixth priority for clinicians and fourth overall. Conclusion This exercise may bring a greater focus of research resources onto issues voted as top priorities

RE: Advanced Breast Cancer Definitions by Staging System Examined in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium

As investigators for ECOG-ACRIN’s Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (TMIST) trial, we are writing to draw attention to conceptual issues in the outcome definitions and study population in Kerlikowske et al. (1), which limit inferences with respect to the TMIST trial

Re-expression of ARHI (DIRAS3) induces autophagy in breast cancer cells and enhances the inhibitory effect of paclitaxel

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>ARHI </it>is a Ras-related imprinted gene that inhibits cancer cell growth and motility. ARHI is downregulated in the majority of breast cancers, and loss of its expression is associated with its progression from ductal carcinoma <it>in situ </it>(DCIS) to invasive disease. In ovarian cancer, re-expression of ARHI induces autophagy and leads to autophagic death in cell culture; however, ARHI re-expression enables ovarian cancer cells to remain dormant when they are grown in mice as xenografts. The purpose of this study is to examine whether ARHI induces autophagy in breast cancer cells and to evaluate the effects of ARHI gene re-expression in combination with paclitaxel.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Re-expression of ARHI was achieved by transfection, by treatment with trichostatin A (TSA) or by a combination of TSA and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC) in breast cancer cell cultures and by liposomal delivery of ARHI in breast tumor xenografts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>ARHI re-expression induces autophagy in breast cancer cells, and ARHI is essential for the induction of autophagy. When ARHI was re-expressed in breast cancer cells treated with paclitaxel, the growth inhibitory effect of paclitaxel was enhanced in both the cell culture and the xenografts. Although paclitaxel alone did not induce autophagy in breast cancer cells, it enhanced ARHI-induced autophagy. Conversely, ARHI re-expression promoted paclitaxel-induced apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>ARHI re-expression induces autophagic cell death in breast cancer cells and enhances the inhibitory effects of paclitaxel by promoting autophagy, apoptosis, and G2/M cell cycle arrest.</p

Double-Blind Phase III Trial of Adjuvant Chemotherapy With and Without Bevacizumab in Patients With Lymph Node-Positive and High-Risk Lymph Node-Negative Breast Cancer (E5103)

Purpose Bevacizumab improves progression-free survival but not overall survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer. E5103 tested the effect of bevacizumab in the adjuvant setting in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative disease. Patients and Methods Patients were assigned 1:2:2 to receive placebo with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC) followed by weekly paclitaxel (arm A), bevacizumab only during AC and paclitaxel (arm B), or bevacizumab during AC and paclitaxel followed by bevacizumab monotherapy for 10 cycles (arm C). Random assignment was stratified and bevacizumab dose adjusted for choice of AC schedule. Radiation and hormonal therapy were administered concurrently with bevacizumab in arm C. The primary end point was invasive disease-free survival (IDFS). Results Four thousand nine hundred ninety-four patients were enrolled. Median age was 52 years; 64% of patients were estrogen receptor positive, 27% were lymph node negative, and 78% received dose-dense AC. Chemotherapy-associated adverse events including myelosuppression and neuropathy were similar across all arms. Grade ≥ 3 hypertension was more common in bevacizumab-treated patients, but thrombosis, proteinuria, and hemorrhage were not. The cumulative incidence of clinical congestive heart failure at 15 months was 1.0%, 1.9%, and 3.0% in arms A, B, and C, respectively. Bevacizumab exposure was less than anticipated, with approximately 24% of patients in arm B and approximately 55% of patients in arm C discontinuing bevacizumab before completing planned therapy. Five-year IDFS was 77% (95% CI, 71% to 81%) in arm A, 76% (95% CI, 72% to 80%) in arm B, and 80% (95% CI, 77% to 83%) in arm C. Conclusion Incorporation of bevacizumab into sequential anthracycline- and taxane-containing adjuvant therapy does not improve IDFS or overall survival in patients with high-risk human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer. Longer duration bevacizumab therapy is unlikely to be feasible given the high rate of early discontinuation

ER and HER2 expression are positively correlated in HER2 non-overexpressing breast cancer

PMCID: PMC3446380This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited