Article
Oncology
Marcus Ulrich Hentrich, Mark Bower, Gedske Daugaard, Annette Dieing, Markus Bickel, Massimiliano Berretta, Florian Lesmeister, Vindi Jurinovic, Albrecht Stoehr, Julia Heinzelbecker, Ivanka Krznaric, Klaus-Peter Dieckmann, Andrea Necchi, Pablo Maroto Rey, Jurgen Kurt Rockstroh, Margarida Brito, David Pfister, Christian Hoffmann
Summary: This study examined the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of 89 men with HIV-associated germ cell cancer (HIV-GCC) in the era of effective combination antiretroviral therapies. The long-term outcomes of men with HIV-GCC were similar to those reported for men with HIV-negative GCC, suggesting that patients with HIV-GCC should be managed identically to HIV-negative patients.
Article
Oncology
Matthaeus Majewski, Pia Paffenholz, Christian Ruf, Yue Che, Christoph Seidel, Julia Heinzelbecker, Hans-Ulrich Schmelz, Cord Matthies, Peter Albers, Carsten Bokemeyer, Axel Heidenreich, Martin Pichler, Tim Nestler
Summary: Metastatic germ cell tumors of the testis (GCTs) are risk-stratified according to the IGCCCG classification system. However, using pre-orchiectomy tumor marker levels for risk stratification may lead to incorrect classification and subsequent under- or overtreatment of patients.
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Christian D. Fankhauser, Abolghassem Jandari, Laurence Collette, Torgrim Tandstad, Di Maria Jiang, Ugo De Giorgi, Christopher Sweeney, Angelika Terbuch, Michal Chovanec, Robert Huddart, Carsten Bokemeyer, Jorg Beyer, Silke Gillessen
Summary: Levels of serum tumor markers play a crucial role in determining chemotherapy intensity for testicular cancer patients. Using test results before removal of the cancer-bearing testicle instead of immediately before chemotherapy may result in inadequate treatment.
EUROPEAN UROLOGY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Christoph Seidel, Marcus Hentrich, Stefanie Zschaebitz, Pia Paffenholz, Axel Heidenreich, Tim Nestler, Ben Tran, Stefanie Fischer, Gedske Daugaard, Sebastian Ochsenreither, Margarida Brito, Friedemann Zengerling, Constantin Schwab, Carsten Bokemeyer, Christoph Oing
Summary: This multicenter registry analysis reports on the clinical characteristics, outcome, and frequency of peritoneal carcinosis (PC) in advanced germ cell tumor (GCT) patients. PC is a rare manifestation in GCT patients and is primarily associated with cisplatin-refractory disease, resulting in a poor prognosis.
WORLD JOURNAL OF UROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Luca Antonelli, Davide Ardizzone, Praful Ravi, Aditya Bagrodia, Michal Mego, Siamak Daneshmand, Nicola Nicolai, Sebastiano Nazzani, Patrizia Giannatempo, Andrea Franza, Axel Heidenreich, Pia Paffenholz, Ragheed Saoud, Scott Eggener, Matthew Ho, Nathaniel Oswald, Kathleen Olson, Alexey Tryakin, Mikhail Fedyanin, Natacha Naoun, Christophe Javaud, Karim Fizazi, Jennifer M. King, Nabil Adra, Antoin Douglawi, Clint Cary, Christopher Sweeney, Christian D. Fankhauser
Summary: This study analyzed the proportion of residual teratoma and survival among patients with intermediate/poor prognosis after first-line chemotherapy. The results showed that most patients relapsed only in the retroperitoneum after undergoing surgery, and there was no significant difference in overall survival between the two groups.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Furqan Shaikh, Daniel Stark, Adriana Fonseca, Ha Dang, Caihong Xia, Mark Krailo, Farzana Pashankar, Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, Thomas A. Olson, James C. Nicholson, Matthew J. Murray, James F. Amatruda, Deborah Billmire, Sara Stoneham, A. Lindsay Frazier
Summary: Adolescent patients with metastatic GCTs have clinical characteristics more similar to young adult patients than children. The event-free survival (EFS) for adolescents is worse than that for children but similar to young adults. Coordination of initiatives across clinical trial organizations is crucial to improve outcomes for adolescents and young adults.
Article
Oncology
Vaibhav Agrawal, Rafat Abonour, Mohammad Abu Zaid, Sandra K. Althouse, Ryan Ashkar, Costantine Albany, Nasser H. Hanna, Lawrence H. Einhorn, Nabil Adra
Summary: Age is not an independent predictor of worse outcomes for patients with relapsed metastatic germ cell tumors. Patients aged 40 and above experience similar rates of toxicity and treatment-related mortality as those under 40 when treated with HDCT and PBSCT.
Article
Oncology
Peter Lesko, Barbora Vlkova, Katarina Kalavska, Valentina De Angelis, Vera Novotna, Jana Obertova, Zuzana Orszaghova, Patrik Palacka, Katarina Rejlekova, Zuzana Sycova-Mila, Boris Kollarik, Ramadan Aziri, Daniel Pindak, Jozef Mardiak, Michal Chovanec, Peter Celec, Michal Mego
Summary: This study aims to analyze the association between plasma vitamin D and clinico-pathological findings and prognosis in patients with germ-cell tumors (GCTs). The results showed that low plasma vitamin D levels were associated with an unfavorable response to therapy and disease recurrence. However, it is still unknown whether low vitamin D has a causative role in the disease and whether its supplementation affects the outcome.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Hirokazu Takami, Christopher S. Graffeo, Avital Perry, Caterina Giannini, Yoichi Nakazato, Nobuhito Saito, Masao Matsutani, Ryo Nishikawa, Koichi Ichimura, David J. Daniels
Summary: This study investigates the optimal cut-offs for tumor markers in CNS germ cell tumors (GCTs) to specify non-germinomatous GCTs. It concludes that an integrated diagnosis based on tumor markers and histopathology is key to precise diagnosis and treatment strategies for this rare and heterogeneous tumor. The study also raises questions about the treatment approach for marker-positive germinomas or teratomas and optimal treatment strategy for marker-negative immature teratomas.
Article
Oncology
Ashley S. Plant-Fox, Tomonari Suzuki, Rosdali Y. Diaz Coronado, Sidnei Epelman, Luiz Sakamoto, Sylvia Cheng, Takaaki Yanagisawa, Bernard Rosner, Susan N. Chi, Mark W. Kieran
Summary: This study evaluated the incidence of pediatric intra-cranial germ cell tumors (iGCTs) in Japanese immigrant populations compared to the native Japanese population. The results showed that the incidence in immigrant populations was not as high as in the native population, suggesting that genetic predisposition may not be the cause of the increased incidence in Japan.
JOURNAL OF NEURO-ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
B. J. Dicken, D. F. Billmire, B. Rich, F. K. Hazard, M. Nuno, M. Krailo, N. Fallahazad, F. Pashankar, F. Shaikh, A. L. Frazier
Summary: In pediatric and adolescent patients with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors, the use of intra-operative frozen section to guide extent of surgical staging showed a concordance with final diagnosis in most cases, highlighting its importance in operative decision-making.
GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Massimo De Felici, Francesca Gioia Klinger, Federica Campolo, Carmela Rita Balistreri, Marco Barchi, Susanna Dolci
Summary: In the human embryo, the genetic program responsible for germ cell specification involves a balance between epigenetic and transcriptional mechanisms, resulting in a unique cell population that can exhibit both germness and pluripotency features. Germ cell tumors, originating from fetal or neonatal germ cells, maintain this balance and can display a wide range of phenotypes with either pluripotent or germness characteristics. This review highlights the similarities in transcriptional and epigenetic programs between human primordial germ cells and germ cell tumors.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Justin C. Brown, Chao Ma, Qian Shi, Tyler Zemla, Felix Couture, Philip Kuebler, Pankaj Kumar, Benjamin Tan, Smitha Krishnamurthi, Victor Chang, Richard M. Goldberg, Alan P. Venook, Charles D. Blanke, Eileen M. O'Reilly, Anthony F. Shields, Jeffrey A. Meyerhardt
Summary: This study aimed to investigate whether physical activity during and after postoperative chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer improves overall survival after tumor recurrence. The study found that higher postoperative physical activity is associated with improved overall survival in patients initially diagnosed with stage III colon cancer.
Article
Developmental Biology
Peter K. Nicholls, David C. Page
Summary: Germ cells commit to gametogenesis after colonizing the gonads, and germ cell tumors may originate from cells that failed to undergo germ cell determination. The diversity of cell types in these tumors reflects the developmental potential of migratory PGCs.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wu Jing, Ji Yi Bing, Tang Bi Wei, Matthew Brown, Wang Bao Hua, Du Chen Lei, Du Jian Shu, Wang Xue Mei, Cai Li Jun, Wu Guo Yi, Zhou Yan
Summary: The histological type of testicular germ cell tumor plays a significant role in determining the prognosis of testicular cancer in males of different ethnic groups. Black males are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and have a higher mortality rate. Patients with non-seminoma tumors have significantly poorer survival rates compared to those with seminoma, with stage at diagnosis and older age as important factors impacting mortality.
BIOMEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Ritesh Kotecha, Chung-Han Lee, Deaglan Joseph McHugh, Chloe Dadoun, Andrea Knezevic, Maria Isabel Carlo, Emily Feld, Natalie Shapnik, Neil J. Shah, Darren R. Feldman, Robert J. Motzer, Martin H. Voss
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Devon Kuehn, Steven H. Zeisel, Diana F. Orenstein, J. Bruce German, Catherine J. Field, Shiva Teerdhala, Andrea Knezevic, Sujata Patil, Sharon M. Donovan, Bo Lonnerdal
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of a new infant formula on growth and tolerance compared to a commercial formula and a human milk reference arm. The results showed that the new formula improved gastrointestinal tolerance and resulted in more efficient growth with less daily formula and protein intake.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY AND NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Rajiv Agarwal, Paul Shin, Andrea Knezevic, Judith E. Nelson, Danielle R. Romano, Camila Bernal, Anjali Desai, Andrew S. Epstein
Summary: This study assessed the accuracy of cure expectations in gastrointestinal cancer patients and found that inaccurate expectations were prevalent across all stages of the disease, particularly in those with metastatic or unresectable cancer. The accuracy was lower in advanced stages and higher in early-stage patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. Hospitalization and location of death also had an impact on accuracy.
Article
Oncology
Michael Scordo, Gunjan L. Shah, Peter A. Adintori, Andrea Knezevic, Sean M. Devlin, Marissa L. Buchan, Elaina Preston, Andrew P. Lin, Natasia T. Rodriguez, Caroline A. Carino, Linh K. Nguyen, Nancy Cruz Sitner, Andrei Barasch, Mark G. Klang, Molly A. Maloy, Brooke Mastrogiacomo, Dean C. Carlow, Ryan C. Schofield, Ann E. Slingerland, John B. Slingerland, Christoph K. Stein-Thoeringer, Oscar B. Lahoud, Heather J. Landau, David J. Chung, Marcel R. M. van den Brink, Jonathan U. Peled, Sergio A. Giralt
Summary: This study investigated taste changes in patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation using chemical gustometry. The study found that taste testing was feasible, taste changes peaked when blood counts were lowest, and most patients recovered their taste by 100 days after transplantation. Taste changes correlated with lower food intake and higher levels of chemotherapy. Future work will focus on using personalized chemotherapy doses to reduce taste changes and matching patients' taste preferences with their diets.
Article
Oncology
Yasser Ged, Alejandro Sanchez, Sujata Patil, Andrea Knezevic, Emily Stein, Stacey Petruzella, Kate Weiss, Cihan Duzgol, Joshua Chaim, Oguz Akin, Marina Mourtzakis, Michael T. Paris, Jessica Scott, Fengshen Kuo, Ritesh Kotecha, A. Ari Hakimi, Chung-Han Lee, Robert J. Motzer, Martin H. Voss, Helena Furberg
Summary: This study investigates the association between BMI, body composition, and immune-checkpoint blockade outcomes in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC). The results suggest that high BMI is associated with longer overall survival, and skeletal muscle index (SMI) is the only body composition parameter associated with overall survival. However, this association becomes non-significant after adjusting for other factors. Adiposity is not associated with survival or radiological responses. Tumors from patients with low SMI display increased angiogenic, inflammatory, and myeloid signals.
CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tatiana Erazo, Chiara M. Evans, Daniel Zakheim, Karen L. Chu, Alice Yunsi Refermat, Zahra Asgari, Xuejing Yang, Mariana Da Silva Ferreira, Sanjoy Mehta, Marco Vincenzo Russo, Andrea Knezevic, Xi-Ping Zhang, Zhengming Chen, Myles Fennell, Ralph Garippa, Venkatraman Seshan, Elisa de Stanchina, Olena Barbash, Connie Lee Batlevi, Christina S. Leslie, Ari M. Melnick, Anas Younes, Michael G. Kharas
Summary: The inhibition of protein arginine methyltransferase PRMT5 has shown promise as a therapy for lymphoma. However, this study reveals that TP53 loss of function and MUSASHI-2 (MSI2) expression are biomarkers of resistance to PRMT5-targeted therapy in B-cell lymphoma. The authors propose a combination therapy of PRMT5 inhibition with MSI2 or BCL-2 inhibitors for the treatment of lymphoma.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Kelly N. Fitzgerald, Cihan Duzgol, Andrea Knezevic, Natalie Shapnik, Ritesh Kotecha, David H. Aggen, Maria I. Carlo, Neil J. Shah, Martin H. Voss, Darren R. Feldman, Robert J. Motzer, Chung -Han Lee
Summary: There is no significant difference in outcomes between immunotherapy-based combinations and tyrosine kinase inhibitor/immune checkpoint inhibitor combination in the treatment of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), suggesting that the current treatment strategy should not be changed.
Article
Oncology
Ritesh R. Kotecha, Andrea Knezevic, Kanika Arora, Chaitanya Bandlamudi, Fengshen Kuo, Maria I. Carlo, Kelly N. Fitzgerald, Darren R. Feldman, Neil J. Shah, Ed Reznik, A. Ari Hakimi, Jian Carrot-Zhang, Diana Mandelker, Michael Berger, Chung-Han Lee, Robert J. Motzer, Martin H. Voss
Summary: This study examines the differences in clinical and molecular data among different genetic ancestry groups in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The findings suggest that genetic ancestry may contribute to variations in clinical and molecular characteristics of RCC, and significant differences were identified in angiogenesis and inflammatory pathways. This study highlights the importance of exploring both genetic and nongenetic variables in order to reduce health-related disparities.
Article
Oncology
Samuel A. Funt, Andrea Knezevic, Kaamilah Wilson, Maria Bromberg, Amy Budnick, Kerri L. O'Connor, Deaglan J. Mchugh, Erik Larsen, Dean F. Bajorin, Robert J. Motzer, Emily S. Tonorezos, Sujata Patil, Darren R. Feldman
Summary: This study confirms the hearing impairment caused by high-dose carboplatin in GCT patients, with most patients experiencing moderate to profound HL in the speech frequencies.
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Darren R. Feldman, Robert J. Motzer, Andrea Knezevic, Chung-Han Lee, Martin H. Voss, Serge K. Lyashchenko, Hijin Park, Steven M. Larson, Neeta Pandit-Taskar
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Kelly N. Fitzgerald, Cihan Duzgol, Andrea Knezevic, Natalie Shapnik, Ritesh R. Kotecha, David H. Aggen, Maria Isabel Carlo, Neil J. Shah, Martin H. Voss, Darren R. Feldman, Robert J. Motzer, Chung-Han Lee
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Ritesh R. Kotecha, Erika Gedvilaite, Ryan Ptashkin, Andrea Knezevic, Samuel Murray, Ian Johnson, Natalie Shapnik, Darren R. Feldman, Maria I. Carlo, Neil J. Shah, Marisa Dunigan, Kety Huberman, Ryma Benayed, Ahmet Zehir, Michael F. Berger, Marc Ladanyi, Dana W. Y. Tsui, Robert J. Motzer, Chung-Han Lee, Martin H. Voss
Summary: The clinical utility of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a biomarker for advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unclear. In this study, the validity of cfDNA-based genomic profiling was evaluated in a large cohort of ccRCC patients. The results showed low detection rates and limited concordance with tumor profiling for cfDNA-based NGS analysis, suggesting that routine cfDNA panel testing is not supported and its application in biomarker efforts must consider these limitations.
JCO PRECISION ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Beryl Manning-Geist, Luxue Deng, Andrea Knezevic, Maria Bromberg, Samuel Funt, Oliver Zivanovic, Kara Long Roche, Yukio Sonoda, Ginger Gardner, Rachel Grisham, Roisin O'Cearbhaill, Nadeem Abu-Rustum, Dennis Chi, Carol Aghajanian, Darren Feldman, Ying Liu
GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Chung-Han Lee, Martin H. Voss, Maria Isabel Carlo, Ying-Bei Chen, Mark Zucker, Andrea Knezevic, Robert A. Lefkowitz, Natalie Shapnik, Chloe Dadoun, Ed Reznik, Neil J. Shah, Colette Ngozi Owens, Deaglan Joseph McHugh, David Henry Aggen, Andrew Leonard Laccetti, Ritesh Kotecha, Darren R. Feldman, Robert J. Motzer
Summary: Cabozantinib/nivolumab combination therapy shows promising efficacy in non-clear-cell renal cell carcinoma, particularly in variants with prominent papillary features, while the treatment effect is limited in chromophobe RCC.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2022)