The journal retracts the article titled "Analysis of PMEPA1 Isoforms (a and b) as Selective Inhibitors of Androgen and TGF-β Signaling Reveals Distinct Biological and Prognostic Features in Prostate Cancer" [...].
The journal retracts the article titled "Analysis of PMEPA1 Isoforms (a and b) as Selective Inhibitors of Androgen and TGF-β Signaling Reveals Distinct Biological and Prognostic Features in Prostate Cancer" [...].
Background: Infrared thermography has emerged as a non-invasive imaging modality capable of capturing physiological alterations associated with skin cancer; however, its diagnostic utility remains insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of active (cooling-induced) and passive infrared thermography in distinguishing benign from malignant skin lesions.
Methods: In this clinical study conducted at Barretos Cancer Hospital, 64 individuals contributed 100 skin lesions, of which 68 (56 malignant, 12 benign) met criteria for diagnostic accuracy analysis. Long-wave infrared images were acquired under steady-state conditions (passive thermography) and after standardized cooling (active thermography). Diagnostic performance was assessed using thermal contrast patterns and temperature differentials (ΔT), with histopathology as the reference standard.
Results: Active thermography markedly outperformed passive imaging. Active thermography achieved a sensitivity of 91.1% and specificity of 75.0%, whereas passive thermography demonstrated low sensitivity (17.9%) despite perfect specificity (100%). Malignant lesions displayed substantially higher ΔT values, particularly during active thermal recovery. ROC analysis confirmed the superiority of the active technique (AUC = 0.871) over passive imaging (AUC = 0.650), with an optimal ΔT cutoff of 0.70 °C yielding high discriminative accuracy.
Conclusions: Active infrared thermography enhances thermal contrast and provides significantly improved diagnostic sensitivity compared with passive imaging. As a low-cost, non-invasive technique, active thermography shows promise as a complementary tool for skin cancer triage, particularly in settings with limited access to dermatologic evaluation.
Background: Recent advances in multimodal therapies have increased the potential for resectability of borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We herein describe the conservative resection strategy adopted at our institution and the oncological outcomes of patients with PDAC and arterial involvement.
Methods: This retrospective single-centre study included patients diagnosed with PDAC and radiologic evidence of arterial involvement who underwent surgical exploration between January 2014 and June 2024. All patients received induction chemotherapy (±radiotherapy). Survival outcomes were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of resectability and recurrence.
Results: A total of 76 patients were included: 59 underwent pancreatic resection with arterial divestment (AD) in case of persistent arterial involvement and 17 were deemed unresectable at laparotomy. Neoadjuvant folfirinox was significantly associated with increased odds of resection (HR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.59-9.90, p = 0.040). Median overall survival from diagnosis was 33 months (29-39) in resected patients and 26 months (16-29) in non-resected patients (p = 0.0176). Surgical resection and Ca 19,9 normalization after induction therapy were associated with reduced mortality risk (HR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.19-0.75, p = 0.005 and HR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.35-0.88, p = 0.014, respectively).
Conclusions: Despite a limited sample size and retrospective nature, these findings highlight the value of multimodal strategies in managing PDAC with arterial involvement. AD represents a valuable technique associated with acceptable outcomes in selected patients. Future interventional prospective studies are needed to optimize patient selection and validate the prognostic role of extended surgical procedures.
Continuing advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment, particularly in reproductive-aged patients, has led to numerous national medical organizations, including the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), and the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), recommending prompt discussion of the potential gonadotoxic effects of chemotherapy and referral to a fertility specialist for counseling regarding possible fertility preservation. Despite overall increased utilization of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the United States (US), racial and ethnic disparities persist on a multisystem level, ranging from decreased access and utilization of ART to inconsistent and delayed counseling to worse outcomes. While innovations in ART and cancer treatment continue to evolve in parallel, the beneficial impacts have been disparate and more limited in minority populations. This review specifically highlights racial and ethnic disparities in fertility preservation for women with cancer in the United States, highlights the underdeveloped state of this literature, and identifies possible pathways for improvement using the Disparities in Assisted Reproductive Technology (DART) hypothesis as a template. We address three main bottlenecks resulting in delay from time of cancer diagnosis to utilization of fertility preservation services.
Background: Endoscopic kidney-sparing surgery (eKSS) is increasingly adopted for the management of selected patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Laser energy is central to tumor ablation during eKSS; however, multiple laser platforms with distinct physical and thermal properties are currently available, and their comparative oncological and safety profiles remain poorly defined. This systematic review aims to summarize the available evidence on oncological outcomes and perioperative complications associated with laser-based endoscopic treatment of UTUC and to explore potential differences according to laser technology. Methods: A systematic literature search identified 25 eligible studies published between 1997 and 2024, including 1344 patients treated with laser-assisted eKSS. All included studies were non-randomized, predominantly retrospective, and characterized by moderate-to-serious risk of bias. Holmium:YAG, Thulium:YAG (thu:YAG, continuous-wave and pulsed), thulium fiber laser (TFL), Neodimio:YAG (Nd:YAG), diode lasers, and combination platforms were reported. Results: Ipsilateral upper tract recurrence was common across all laser categories, with weighted proportions ranging approximately from 27% to 52% and substantial inter-study heterogeneity. Progression and conversion to radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) were relatively infrequent overall, with numerically weighted proportions observed in thu:YAG-based cohorts. Major complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ III) were rare across all laser technologies, although a trend toward a higher weighted proportions was observed in Ho:YAG- and Nd:YAG-based series. Minor complications were more frequently reported and highly heterogeneous. Conclusions: Available evidence supporting laser selection in endoscopic kidney-sparing management of UTUC is limited and largely descriptive. Thulium:YAG and TFL platforms seem to demonstrate encouraging trends toward lower progression and conversion to-radical-nephroureterectomy rates; however, these findings are derived from heterogeneous, non-comparative studies with limited follow-up. No standard laser platform can currently be recommended over others based on existing data. Prospective, comparative, and methodologically robust studies are required to determine whether laser technologies confer clinically meaningful advantages in oncological control or safety for UTUC treated with eKSS.
Background/objectives: This prospective study aimed to investigate asymptomatic microscopic changes in the myocardium following postoperative radiation therapy (RT) in patients with left breast cancer using multi-medical assessment techniques.
Methods: This study included 16 left-sided breast cancer patients who received postoperative RT between January 2021 and December 2022 at our institution. Cardiac examinations were performed before RT and at 1, 12, 24, and 48 weeks after RT. We conducted comparative analyses between pre-RT and various post-RT time points, exploring correlations between changes in hematologic biomarkers, global longitudinal strain (GLS), and myocardial metabolism.
Results: Inflammatory biomarkers such as the neutrophil-lymphocyte, platelet-lymphocyte, and lymphocyte-monocyte ratios changed between the pre- and post-RT periods but returned to normal levels after several months. However, troponin T and soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 showed sustained changes during the 1-year follow-up period. Among echocardiographic parameters, GLS_LAX showed a significant difference between pre-RT and post-RT assessments. Additionally, irradiated and non-irradiated myocardial metabolic ratios on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography differed between pre-RT and post-RT and remained altered up to one year after treatment.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that subclinical myocardial changes may persist following RT, although the clinical significance of subclinical myocardial changes remains uncertain and warrants further investigation.
Background: Although physical activity (PA) offers substantial physical and psychosocial benefits, engagement remains suboptimal among cancer survivors. A theory-informed understanding of survivors' perceived barriers, facilitators, and recommendations is needed to inform patient-centered PA about survivorship interventions. Objective: This study aimed to explore perceived barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for PA engagement among adult cancer survivors using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Methods: A phenomenological qualitative design was used. Eighteen cancer survivors from Nebraska participated in semi-structured interviews via Zoom or telephone. Semi-structured interviews (guided by open-ended questions with flexibility for probing) were transcribed verbatim, imported into MAXQDA 2024, and analyzed using TDF to identify themes and subthemes. Results: Three overarching themes emerged: barriers, facilitators, and recommendations related to PA engagement. Barriers included individual factors (low motivation and self-efficacy, limited awareness of PA guidelines, time constraints, and physical limitations due to treatment and comorbidities), social factors (limited support from family, friends), clinical factors (limited PA guidance from healthcare providers), and environmental factors (restricted access to resources and unfavorable weather). Facilitators included individual factors (PA knowledge, motivation, goals, and health benefits), social factors (support from family, friends), and clinical factors (encouragement from healthcare providers), and environmental factors (favorable weather and available community PA resources). Recommendations emphasized the need for tailored education, supportive counseling, and structured PA programs within survivorship care. Conclusions: Cancer survivors described multilevel determinants of PA engagement across individual, social, and environmental contexts. Findings highlight the importance of theory-informed, patient-centered strategies that enhance PA guideline awareness, strengthen social and clinical support, and improve access to community resources to promote sustained PA during cancer survivorship.
Surgical resection of liver and lung metastases in breast cancer is increasingly considered a viable option for select patients with oligometastatic disease. Historically regarded as palliative, surgery is now supported by retrospective data suggesting potential survival benefits, particularly in patients with hormone receptor-positive or HER2-positive tumors, long disease-free intervals, and limited metastatic burden. This narrative review summarizes recent evidence on the surgical management of breast cancer metastases to the liver and lung, with a focus on patient selection, perioperative outcomes, and long-term survival. Liver metastasectomy has shown 5-year overall survival rates of up to 60% in well-selected patients, while pulmonary metastasectomy is associated with comparable outcomes when resection is complete and nodal involvement is absent. Minimally invasive techniques and non-surgical approaches, such as microwave ablation and stereotactic radiotherapy, expand treatment options for patients unfit for surgery. The review also explores emerging tools influencing surgical decision-making, including circulating tumor DNA for minimal residual disease detection, transcriptomic profiling to predict organotropism, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platforms that assist with surgical planning and multidisciplinary case evaluation. While prospective validation remains limited, these technologies may help redefine surgical candidacy through biologically informed algorithms. Ultimately, the integration of surgery within a multimodal, personalized treatment strategy-guided by systemic control, tumor biology, and evolving digital tools-represents an evolving and biologically informed direction for rigorously selected patients with visceral breast cancer metastases.
Background/objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most prevalent cancer and a chief cause of cancer-related mortality throughout the world. SIRT6 is a fundamental sirtuin that governs several disease processes encompassing inflammation and cancer, including HCC. Longevity in centenarian Ashkenazi Jews was recently associated to novel allelic variants of SIRT6 (N308K/A313S), which ameliorate genome maintenance and DNA repair, and suppress cancer cells. It is currently unknown whether the above-mentioned SIRT6 variants display divergent or similar roles in HCC pathogenesis, compared to the wild-type (WT) counterpart.
Methods: Our goal was to elucidate how these new centenarian-associated SIRT6 genetic variants may modulate HCC cell lines' (HepG2 and Huh-7) aggressiveness and behavior, using functional and transcriptomic approaches.
Results: We demonstrate that adeno-associated virus (AAV2/8)-mediated overexpression of centenarian-associated SIRT6 variants hampered HCC cell proliferation, with transcriptomic data showing the modulation of hallmark genes involved in the turnover of collagen/extracellular matrix (ECM). In addition, we found that AAV2/8-mediated overexpression of SIRT6 N308K/A313S decreased invasion and also increased stiffness in HCC cells, as measured by nanoindentation, in a more pronounced fashion compared to SIRT6 WT. Intracellular stiffness is a property of the cancer cells themselves, which, along with ECM invasiveness, plays a significant role in the progression of HCC.
Conclusions: These data suggest that increased intracellular stiffening mirrors increased cell motility and invasive behavior; it can be indicative of suppressed cancer development and progression by the centenarian-associated SIRT6 N308K/A313S mutant.
Background/objectives: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most frequent type of lung cancer, and its main treatments include chemotherapy with genotoxic drugs and immunotherapy. Central to the cellular response to genotoxic stress is the DNA damage response (DDR) network, regulated by key kinases such as ataxia-telangiectasia mutated and Rad3-related (ATR). Herein, we tested the hypothesis that inhibition of ATR enhances the cytotoxicity of genotoxic agents and the antitumor immune response.
Methods: DDR-related parameters and redox status, expressed as GSH/GSSG ratio, and apurinic/apyrimidinic lesions, were evaluated in human (A549, H1299) and murine (LLC) NSCLC cell lines after co-exposure to ATR inhibitor (AZD6738) and ultraviolet C (UVC) irradiation or cisplatin. Using a syngeneic LLC model, treatments of AZD6738 alone or in combination with cisplatin and/or anti-programmed cell death 1 antibody (anti-PD1) were examined.
Results: In all cell lines, combined treatment with AZD6738 and cisplatin or UVC irradiation markedly decreased cell viability, DNA repair efficiency, and GSH/GSSG ratios; increased drug-induced DNA damage; and augmented apurinic/apyrimidinic lesions. In vivo, following treatment with AZD6738 and cisplatin, flow cytometry analysis performed in tumor cells revealed an increased infiltration of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells, with the triple combination of AZD6738, cisplatin, and anti-PD1 achieving the strongest antitumor effect. The CD3+CD4-CD8- double-negative (DN) T cell population in tumor samples also emerged as a contributing factor in this context.
Conclusions: These results demonstrate that ATR blockade concurrently enhances the efficacy of genotoxic agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors, thus paving the way for combination therapies in NSCLC.
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