Clin Cancer Res
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Emerging evidence indicates that gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the cancer pathogenesis. Although Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) is associated with poor prognosis in multiple cancers, its clinical significance in predicting response to chemotherapy in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. ⋯ We conclude that high levels of intratumoral F. nucleatum have a prognostic significance for predicting poor RFS in patients with ESCC. More importantly, our data indicates that higher F. nucleatum burden correlates with poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, suggesting the possibility that an antibiotic intervention against this bacterium may significantly improve therapeutic response in patients with ESCC.
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Somatic gene mutations have been increasingly recognized to impact prognosis following resection of colorectal liver metastases (CLM). We aimed to determine the impact of combinations of somatic mutations on survival in patients undergoing CLM resection. ⋯ RAS mutation status alone is not sufficient for precisely predicting prognosis after CLM resection.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Nivolumab in Patients with Recurrent or Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: Efficacy and Safety in CheckMate 141 by Prior Cetuximab Use.
Cetuximab, which modulates immune responses, may affect the efficacy of subsequent immunotherapy. Here, we assessed outcomes with nivolumab, by prior cetuximab exposure, in patients with recurrent or metastatic (R/M) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) who had experienced progression within 6 months of platinum-containing chemotherapy. ⋯ Nivolumab appeared to improve efficacy versus IC regardless of prior cetuximab use, supporting its use in patients with R/M SCCHN with or without prior cetuximab exposure. The reduction in risk of death with nivolumab compared with IC was greater in patients without prior cetuximab exposure versus with prior cetuximab exposure.
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Here, we report results of the first phase I study of erdafitinib, a potent, oral pan-FGFR inhibitor. ⋯ Erdafitinib shows tolerability and preliminary clinical activity in advanced solid tumors with genomic changes in the FGFR pathway, at two different dosing schedules and with particularly encouraging responses in urothelial carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.
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Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) accounts for more than 600,000 cases and 380,000 deaths annually worldwide. Although human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated HNSCCs have better overall survival compared with HPV-negative HNSCC, loco-regional recurrence remains a significant cause of mortality and additional combinatorial strategies are needed to improve outcomes. The primary conventional therapies to treat HNSCC are surgery, radiation, and chemotherapies; however, multiple other targeted systemic options are used and being tested including cetuximab, bevacizumab, mTOR inhibitors, and metformin. ⋯ This immunotherapy approval confirmed the critical importance of the immune system and immunomodulation in HNSCC pathogenesis, response to treatment, and disease control. However, although immuno-oncology agents are rapidly expanding, the role that the immune system plays in the mechanism of action and clinical efficacy of standard conventional therapies is likely underappreciated. In this article, we focus on how conventional and targeted therapies may directly modulate the immune system and the tumor microenvironment to better understand the effects and combinatorial potential of these therapies in the context and era of immunotherapy.