Current Opinion in Oncology

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite recent advances in immunotherapy treatment for metastatic, early-stage nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), palliative, adjuvant, neoadjuvant, and perioperative treatment options, further development is needed. Exploring new frontiers of immuno-oncology is necessary. Researchers are interested in a therapeutic vaccination model. RECENT FINDINGS: In this paper, we provide a review of the latest lung cancer therapeutic vaccines.We describe strategies for antigen selection and delivery platforms...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent years have witnessed significant advancements in the treatment of lung cancer with immunotherapy, primarily centered on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Numerous clinical studies have evaluated or are currently evaluating the clinical benefits of neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and perioperative use of ICIs. These findings have notably reshaped the landscape of perioperative treatment for nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). RECENT FINDINGS: Comparing different treatment modes, adding ICIs in the adjuvant phase to neoadjuvant treatment with ICIs and chemotherapy may not improve survival outcomes for patients with resectable NSCLC and may be associated with increased adverse events...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are a diverse group of malignancies that include thymomas (T), thymic carcinomas (TC), and thymic neuroendocrine tumors. Given the rarity of this disease, evidence defining the optimal treatment approach in the advanced/metastatic setting is limited. This article reviews the latest advances in systemic therapy for TETs, with a special focus on immunotherapy and targeted therapy strategies. RECENT FINDINGS: Multiple recent efforts have been made to integrate novel immunotherapies and targeted therapy approaches into the current treatment algorithm for T and TC...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) lung cancer screening has been established in smokers, but its role in never smokers remains unclear. The differences in lung cancer biology between smokers and nonsmokers highlight the importance of a discriminated approach. This overview focuses on the emerging data and implementation challenges for LDCT screening in nonsmokers. RECENT FINDINGS: The first LDCT screening study in nonsmokers enriched with risk factors demonstrated a lung cancer detection rate double that of the phase 3 trials in smokers...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Health disparities or inequities, which are defined as differences in the quality of medical and healthcare between populations among racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, have been validated in numerous studies as determinants of survival and quality of life in different diseases, including cancer.Compared to the improvement in overall survival in developed countries in relation to better diagnostic opportunity and novel therapeutic approaches, low and middle-income countries still have significant barriers in accessing these therapies...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To evaluate and summarize the current clinical efficacy, safety, treatment patterns, and potential biomarkers, to guide future treatment strategies for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), improve patient prognosis, and provide a scientific basis for personalized therapy. RECENT FINDINGS: In recent years, the class of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), with programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors at the helm, has catalyzed groundbreaking advancements within the perioperative treatment milieu for NSCLC...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In this review, we investigated the role of European oncological networks on management and care of patients with central nervous system (CNS) malignancies. RECENT FINDINGS: Within this universe of tumors, malignancies of the central nervous system (CNS) malignancies represent a challenge because of several reasons such as biological complexity, the need of dedicated experienced physicians (surgeons, pathologists, radiologists and neuro-oncologists) and tertiary healthcare providers...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: FLT3 mutations are among the most common myeloid drivers identified in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Their identification is crucial for the precise risk assessment because of the strong prognostic significance of the most recurrent type of FLT3 alterations, namely internal tandem duplications (ITDs). Recent advances in the pathogenesis and biology of FLT3-mutated AML have opened an opportunity for development and application of selective inhibition of FLT3 pathway...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Patients with advanced breast cancer (aBC) treated with PARP inhibitors (PARPi) can eventually experience disease progression for emerging treatment resistance. This review aims to depict the treatment the molecular landscape, and the innovative therapies for patients with PARPi-resistant BRCA-mutated aBC. RECENT FINDINGS: No specific therapy is specifically available in the setting post-PARPi-failure, with antibody-drug conjugates or nonplatinum-based chemotherapy (PBC) representing the best treatment options in this setting...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aims to detail the characteristics and outcomes of duodenal-type follicular lymphoma (DTFL), a rare lymphoma variant. It focuses on integrating recent reports in treatment modalities and highlights emerging insights into the unique biological features of the disease. RECENT FINDING: Recent studies confirm the indolent nature of DTFL, with extended follow-up periods showing favorable outcomes under watchful waiting strategies and a notable proportion of patients experiencing spontaneous remission...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite remarkable advances in molecular characterization, the diagnosis of brain tumors remains challenging, particularly in cases with ambiguous histology or contradictory molecular features. In this context, DNA methylation profiling plays an important role in improving diagnostic and prognostic accuracy. This review aims to provide diagnostic guidance regarding when DNA methylation arrays represent a useful tool for the diagnosis of primary brain tumors. RECENT FINDINGS: Large-scale profiling has revealed that DNA methylation profiles of brain tumors are highly reproducible and stable...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Multiple myeloma is currently treated with a one-size-fits-all approach despite significant heterogeneity in patient outcomes and disease molecular constitution. A personalised approach would tailor therapy to unique patient or disease characteristics. RECENT FINDINGS: Well established prognostic biomarkers such as cytogenetic risk and patient frailty status are being evaluated as potential predictive biomarkers. Specifically, treatment intensity can be augmented in high-risk patients or conversely attenuated in those at lower risk or lower ability to withstand treatment toxicities...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The past two decades have witnessed an impressive expansion in the treatment landscape of multiple myeloma, leading to significant improvements in progression-free; as well as overall survival. However, almost all patients still experience multiple relapses during their disease course, with biological and cytogenetic heterogeneity affecting response to subsequent treatments. The purpose of this review is to provide a historical background regarding the role of alkylating agents and an updated data regarding the use of peptide-drug conjugates such as melflufen for patients with multiple myeloma...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Growth and survival of hormone receptor positive breast cancer cells are dependent on circulating hormones (e.g., estrogen and progesterone). Endocrine therapy improved outcomes in both early and advanced hormone receptor positive breast cancer. These treatments include drugs with different mechanisms of action, namely selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERM), aromatase inhibitors, and selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs). SERDs represent estrogen receptor antagonists, favoring its degradation and thus interfering with proliferation genes transcription and activation...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The use of immunotherapy in recent years has changed the paradigm of treatment in patients with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL), improving outcomes in the relapsed/refractory setting. New strategies are incorporating immunotherapy into front-line regimens to reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy, prolong survival and increase the possibility of treating older patients. The aim of this review was to describe the new strategies, which have incorporated these drugs into front-line regimens for BCP-ALL patients...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Significant advancements have been made in treating metastatic breast cancer (MBC) with antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). However, due to the development of resistance, patients experience disease progression. The aim of this review is to summarize current evidence on ADCs sequencing strategies and combination approaches in the treatment of MBC. RECENT FINDINGS: Concerning HER2 positive MBC, current evidence on the optimal ADC-sequencing is primarily about T-DXd, which demonstrated therapeutic value when used post-T-DM1...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) genomic tests, particularly focusing on the most recent developments and looking at the future prospects of this field, yet to be thoroughly explored. RECENT FINDINGS: HER2DX is a multifeatured assay, retrospectively proved to add prognostic information and to predict pathological complete response (pCR) in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer (EBC) undergoing neoadjuvant treatment containing HER2-directed agents...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In the evolving landscape of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer (BC) management, liquid biopsy offers unprecedented opportunities for guiding clinical decisions. Here, we review the most recent findings on liquid biopsy applications in HER2-positive BC and its potential role in addressing challenges specific to this BC subtype. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies have highlighted the significance of liquid biopsy analytes, primarily circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs), in stratifying patients' prognosis, predicting treatment response, and monitoring tumor evolution in both early and advanced stages of BC...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Central nervous system (CNS) tumors represent a significant unmet medical need due to their enduring burden of high mortality and morbidity. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy emerges as a groundbreaking approach, offering hope for improved treatment outcomes. However, despite its successes in hematological malignancies, its efficacy in solid tumors, including CNS tumors, remains limited. Challenges such as the intricate tumor microenvironment (TME), antigenic heterogeneity, and CAR T-cell exhaustion hinder its effectiveness...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Due to limited access to the tumor, there is an obvious clinical potential for liquid biopsy in patients with primary brain tumors. Here, we review current approaches, present limitations to be dealt with, and new promising data that may impact the field. RECENT FINDINGS: The value of circulating tumor cell-free DNA (ctDNA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for the noninvasive diagnosis of primary brain tumors has been confirmed in several reports...