Highlights in genitourinary cancers

From June 1st till June 5th, Chicago was host for the 55th annual ASCO meeting. This report will highlight the most important studies concerning genitourinary cancers presented during the meeting

Congress highlights – ASCO 2016 special edition: Highlights in genitourinary cancers

From June 3rd till June 8th, Chicago was host for the 52nd ASCO annual meeting. The theme for this year’svenue was ‘Collective Wisdom: The Future of Patient-Centred Care and Research’. With almost 35,000registered attendees from over 100 countries worldwide and about 6,000 submitted abstracts, thisyear’s meeting was a great success. This report will highlight 10 key studies concerning genitourinarycancers presented during the meeting.From June 3rd till June 8th, Chicago was host for the 52nd ASCO annual meeting. The theme for this year’svenue was ‘Collective Wisdom: The Future of Patient-Centred Care and Research’. With almost 35,000registered attendees from over 100 countries worldwide and about 6,000 submitted abstracts, thisyear’s meeting was a great success. This report will highlight 10 key studies concerning genitourinarycancers presented during the meeting.

Congress highlights – ESMO 2016 special edition: Highlights in genitourinary cancers

From the 8th till the 12th of September, Madrid was the host city for the 2017 ESMO Congress. The central theme of the congress was ‘Integrating science into oncology for a better patient outcome’, as it is crucial that researchers and clinicians exchange knowledge in an era of deep understanding of the molecular biology underlying the development of cancer. ESMO 2017 was attended by almost 24,000 registered attendees. This report will highlight eleven key studies concerning genitourinary cancers presented during the meetin

Congress highlights : ESMO 2018 special edition : highlights in genitourinary cancers

From the 19th till the 23rd of September, Munich was host for the 2018 ESMO Congress. The central theme of the congress was ‘Securing access to optimal cancer care’. This year’s venue was attended by more than 25,000 registered attendees. This report will highlight 10 key studies concerning genitourinary cancers presented during the meeting

Diagnostic accuracy of urinary prostate protein glycosylation profiling in prostatitis diagnosis

Introduction: Although prostatitis is a common male urinary tract infection, clinical diagnosis of prostatitis is difficult. The developmental mechanism of prostatitis is not yet unraveled which led to the elaboration of various biomarkers. As changes in asparagine-linked-(N-)-glycosylation were observed between healthy volunteers (HV), patients with benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer patients, a difference could exist in biochemical parameters and urinary N-glycosylation between HV and prostatitis patients. We therefore investigated if prostatic protein glycosylation could improve the diagnosis of prostatitis. Materials and methods: Differences in serum and urine biochemical markers and in total urine N-glycosylation profile of prostatic proteins were determined between HV (N = 66) and prostatitis patients (N = 36). Additionally, diagnostic accuracy of significant biochemical markers and changes in N-glycosylation was assessed. Results: Urinary white blood cell (WBC) count enabled discrimination of HV from prostatitis patients (P < 0.001). Urinary bacteria count allowed for discriminating prostatitis patients from HV (P < 0.001). Total amount of biantennary structures (urinary 2A/MA marker) was significantly lower in prostatitis patients compared to HV (P < 0.001). Combining the urinary 2A/MA marker and urinary WBC count resulted in an AUC of 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) = (0.70-0.89) which was significantly better than urinary WBC count (AUC = 0.70, 95% CI = [0.59-0.82], P = 0.042) as isolated test. Conclusions: We have demonstrated the diagnostic value of urinary N-glycosylation profiling, which shows great potential as biomarker for prostatitis. Further research is required to unravel the developmental course of prostatic inflammation

Immuno-oncological biomarkers for squamous cell cancer of the head and neck : current state of the art and future perspectives

Simple Summary Squamous cell cancer of the head and neck is a common malignancy with poor prognosis. Despite the success of PD-L1 expression, the landscape of diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers has delivered limited contributions to the clinic in the last decade. The dissection of the immunological landscape through investigation of the immune infiltrate, blood-based biomarkers, and genetic profiling has shown substantial scientific potential but all are yet to be validated. Further exploration is warranted though implementation of biomarkers. This should ideally be performed through prospective studies using standardized methods with harmonization of technical requirements. This review serves as a comprehensive overview for state-of-the-art knowledge and biomarkers in squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN) that may prove their worth in future clinical practice. The era of immune checkpoint inhibitors has altered the therapeutic landscape in squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN). Our knowledge about the tumor microenvironment has fueled the research in SCCHN, leading to several well-known and less-known prognostic and predictive biomarkers. The clinical staging, p16/HPV status, and PD-L1 expression are currently the main tools for assessing the patients' diagnosis and prognosis. However, several novel biomarkers have been thoroughly investigated, some reaching actual significant clinical contributions. The untangling of the immune infiltrate with the subtyping of tissue-associated tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor-associated macrophages, and circulating blood-based biomarkers are an interesting avenue to be further explored and prospectively assessed. Although PD-L1 expression remains the most important response predictor for immune checkpoint inhibitors, several flaws impede proper assessment such as technical issues, different scoring protocol, and intra-, inter-, and temporal heterogeneity. In addition, the construction of an immune-related gene panel has been proposed as a prognostic and predictive stratification but lacks consensus. Recently, the role of microbioma have also been explored regarding its systemic and antitumor immunity. This review gives a comprehensive overview of the aforementioned topics in SCCHN. To this end, the integration of these clinically advantageous biomarkers via construction of an immunogram or nomogram could be an invaluable tool for SCCHN in future prospects

N-Linked glycosylation and near-infrared spectroscopy in the diagnosis of prostate cancer

Background: Performing a prostate biopsy is the most robust and reliable way to diagnose prostate cancer (PCa), and to determine the disease grading. As little to no biochemical markers for prostate tissue exist, we explored the possibilities of tissue N-glycosylation and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) in PCa diagnosis. Methods: Tissue specimens from 100 patients (benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), n = 50; and PCa, n = 50) were obtained. The fresh-frozen tissue was dispersed and a tissue N-glycosylation profile was determined. Consequently, the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded slides were analyzed using NIR spectroscopy. A comparison was made between the benign and malignant tissue, and between the various Gleason scores. Results: A difference was observed for the tissue of N-glycosylation between the benign and malignant tissue. These differences were located in the fycosylation ratios and the total amount of bi- and tetra-antennary structures (all p < 0.0001). These differences were also present between various Gleason scores. In addition, the NIR spectra revealed changes between the benign and malignant tissue in several regions. Moreover, spectral ranges of 1055-1065 nm and 1450-1460 nm were significantly different between the Gleason scores (p = 0.0042 and p = 0.0195). Conclusions: We have demonstrated biochemical changes in the N-glycan profile of prostate tissue, which allows for the distinction between malignant and benign tissue, as well as between various Gleason scores. These changes can be correlated to the changes observed in the NIR spectra. This could possibly further improve the histological assessment of PCa diagnosis, although further method validation is needed

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Head and Neck Cancer : Ready for Prime Time?

The evaluation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has received global attention as a promising prognostic cancer biomarker that can aid in clinical decision making. Proof of their significance was first shown in breast cancer, where TILs are now recommended in the classification of breast tumors. Emerging evidence indicates that the significance of TILs extends to other cancer types, including head and neck cancer. In the era of immunotherapy as a treatment choice for head and neck cancer, assessment of TILs and immune checkpoints is of high clinical relevance. The availability of the standardized method from the International Immuno-oncology Biomarker Working Group (IIBWG) is an important cornerstone toward standardized assessment. The aim of the current article is to summarize the accumulated evidence and to establish a clear premise for future research toward the implementation of TILs in the personalized management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Head and Neck Cancer : Ready for Prime Time?

Simple Summary The immune response has been shown to be a promising indicator to predict the clinical behavior of many cancers, including head and neck cancer. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were widely introduced as an important tool to reveal the status of the immune response. This review discusses the significance of TILs in head and neck cancers. The evaluation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has received global attention as a promising prognostic cancer biomarker that can aid in clinical decision making. Proof of their significance was first shown in breast cancer, where TILs are now recommended in the classification of breast tumors. Emerging evidence indicates that the significance of TILs extends to other cancer types, including head and neck cancer. In the era of immunotherapy as a treatment choice for head and neck cancer, assessment of TILs and immune checkpoints is of high clinical relevance. The availability of the standardized method from the International Immuno-oncology Biomarker Working Group (IIBWG) is an important cornerstone toward standardized assessment. The aim of the current article is to summarize the accumulated evidence and to establish a clear premise for future research toward the implementation of TILs in the personalized management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients.Peer reviewe