Frontiers in Oncology

BackgroundGastric cancer (GC) remains a leading cause of global cancer mortality, with a high prevalence of distant metastasis at diagnosis in Vietnam. Systemic inflammatory markers are emerging as potential tools for risk assessment, yet their independent predictive value in the Vietnamese population requires further clarification. ObjectiveTo evaluate the predictive value of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) as cost-effective biomarkers for distan...

BackgroundCapecitabine monotherapy is frequently employed as second/third-line treatment for metastatic gastrointestinal malignancies. Standard dosing often produces severe toxicities incompatible with palliative care principles. This study compared continuous low-dose (CLD) versus standard-dose (StD) capecitabine in the palliative setting. MethodsAfter at least one prior line of chemotherapy, 33 and 45 patients received StD (1.0-1.25 g/m2 bid on days 1-14 of a 21-day cycle) and CLD (500 mg bid...

ObjectivesHead and neck cancer (HNC) has a high recurrence rate. Safety and effectiveness of PepCan in reducing recurrence for HNC patients were assessed. Methods and analysisPepCan consists of four human papillomavirus 16 (HPV 16) E6 peptides and a Candida skin testing reagent (Candin(R), Nielsen Biosciences) as a vaccine adjuvant. Since Candida was known to have a general immune stimulating effects, patients were recruited regardless of their HPV status. Men and women with HNC who had no evid...

BackgroundInflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and highly aggressive form of breast cancer with an increased propensity to metastasize to distant organs including the brain. Higher serum levels of the calcium-binding proteins S100A8/A9, particularly of S100A9, have emerged as a clinically and biologically significant factor in aggressive breast cancers that are associated with poorer prognosis, tumor progression, and resistance to therapy. However, its contribution in IBC specifically rema...

BackgroundOlder age and comorbidities complicate initial therapy in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as platinum ineligibility has not been systematically characterized. MethodsAll 2592 patients presenting with metastatic NSCLC between 2018-2023 at Thoraxklinik Heidelberg were analyzed. ECOG status (PS), comorbidities, molecular testing, therapy, toxicities, and outcomes were verified from individual patient records. ResultsAmong 1306 patients with PD-L1 0-49%, systemic therapy was initiate...

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive malignancy with high mortality rates, often exhibiting resistance to conventional treatments such as radiotherapy (RT) or a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CRT). The nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR, also known as p75NTR or CD271) is a well-established cancer stem cell marker in melanoma, where it has been linked to resistance to multiple therapies. In HNSCC, NGFR has been reported as a poor prognostic marker, with it...

Importance: Recurrence rates for locally advanced HPV-independent (HPV-) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are high. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based minimal residual disease (MRD) assays have shown promise to improve management and surveillance in several tumor types, but their clinical utility in HPV- HNSCC remains understudied. Objective: To evaluate the performance of a tumor-informed ctDNA-based MRD assay (PredicineBEACON) in patients with newly diagnosed, locally advanced H...

ObjectiveProstate cancer (PCa) constitutes a considerable public health concern worldwide, primarily attributable to its elevated mortality rates. Changes in exosome are shown to significantly influence tumor development. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of exosome-related genes (ERGs) in PCa. MethodsPCa single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and transcriptome datasets were obtained from public databases, with ERGs extracted from existing literature. Candidate genes were ide...

BackgroundGastric cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and is associated with poor prognosis, placing a considerable burden on public health. Overall treatment outcomes remain unsatisfactory, and accurate lymph node staging is essential for optimizing therapeutic strategies and improving survival. This study aimed to compare the prognostic value of different lymph node staging systems in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and to provide a more refined prognostic assessment t...

Background and purposeStereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has become a standard treatment option for localized prostate cancer, with low rates of clinically relevant late toxicity. However, the identification of robust dosimetric predictors of toxicity remains challenging due to the high dimensionality and collinearity of dose-volume histogram (DVH) metrics. This study aimed to explore whether principal component analysis (PCA) of DVHs can identify dose regions associated with late gastrointes...

IntroductionSalvage surgery is known for an increased surgical complication rate. However, currently available patient, tumor and therapy factors are not reliable enough to predict surgical site complications (SSC). This exploratory study tests skin acquired by neck dissection for several histochemical and immunohistochemical stains to explore tissue changes related to wound healing. Patients and methodsFrom an existing database of 232 isolated neck dissections (ND), seventeen patients with ski...

PurposeThis study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of an intraoral light-emitting diode (LED)-based photobiomodulation (PBM) device to reduce the incidence and severity of oral mucositis (OM) from intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer (HNC). MethodsThis randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial enrolled patients with HNC undergoing high-dose IMRT over 6-8 weeks, with or without concurrent chemotherapy. Participants received daily 10-minute PBM or sham...

PurposePrognosis in metastatic non-seminomatous germ cell tumors (mNSGCT) is currently guided by the IGCCCG classification, which incorporates tumor markers, organs involved with metastatic disease, and primary site but not histologic subtype. We aimed to evaluate whether specific histological components provide additional prognostic information in a large international mNSGCT cohort. Patient and MethodsWe analyzed clinical, pathologic, and outcome data from 662 patients with mNSGCT across mult...

BackgroundA retrospective study in Nature recently reported improved overall survival (OS) when COVID-19 mRNA vaccination was administered around initiation of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Whether this association depends on vaccination timing relative to ICI treatment remains unclear. MethodsWe conducted a single-centre retrospective cohort study of patients receiving palliative-intent ICI therapy at a UK tertiary cancer centre (October 2014-December 2025). Two vaccination exposu...

BackgroundLeptomeningeal disease (LMD) is a serious complication of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) with poor survival. This single-institution retrospective study compares overall survival (OS) among MBC patients with LMD based on CSF parameters (glucose, protein, and WBC count) MethodologyMBC patients who were diagnosed with LMD between 2010-2023 at Wilmot Cancer Institute were screened for eligibility. Only those with available data on CSF glucose, protein, and WBC count were included. OS was...

BackgroundMeningioma-induced hyperostosis (MIH) is a frequent radiographic finding, yet its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understoodWhile hyperostosis has traditionally been treated as a binary phenomenon, the aim of this study was to determine whether MIH represents a heterogenous process with distinct radiological subtypes associated with genetic associations. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the records and imaging of patients with meningiomas resected between 2021-2024 at a single i...

ObjectiveCervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infections; however, there are no molecularly defined subtypes, and few approved targeted therapies. We defined molecular subtypes and tested targeted agents. MethodsPublic datasets were analyzed; cell lines were treated with drugs; and donor T cells and their proliferation were measured. ResultsWe define three molecular subtypes: I, Wild type for PIK3CA/no YAP1 amplification; II, PIK3CA mutation/no YAP1 amplification; III, PIK3C...

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is highly prevalent in South-Asia, driven by additional region-specific exposures such as chewing tobacco and betel nut. Despite therapeutic advances, five-year survival rate remains around 50-60%, underscoring urgent need to identify novel therapeutic targets and improve disease-free survival. This study was designed to identify both somatic and germline drivers contributing to HNC pathogenesis. Through whole-exome sequencing of 103 patients, we detected mutations in ...

Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy have represented promising treatments for NSCLC patients leading to prolonged survival. However, the majority of patients with advanced NSCLC have a poor prognosis. The identification and development of biomarkers for stratifying responders and non responders to immune checkpoint inhibitors contribute to unravel the mechanism of immune checkpoint pathway and the immune tumor interaction underlying the re...

BackgroundProstate cancer (PCa) is the most prevalent male cancer in the U.S., accounting for 29% of new cancer diagnoses. Multiparametric MRI (MP-MRI), including T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, is an effective tool for detecting PCa; however, accuracy varies, and false-positives may lead to unnecessary biopsies or overtreatment. Radio-pathomic maps (RPMs), derived from MP-MRI and machine learning, have been advantageous in differentiating clinically sig...