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Patients with non–small-cell lung cancer were randomly assigned to three cycles of chemotherapy with or without nivolumab, an anti–PD-1 antibody. Event-free survival was longer with nivolumab than without it (31.6 months vs. 20.8 months), and the percentage of patients with a pathological complete response was 24.0% and 2.2%, respectively.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy plus chemotherapy improves event-free survival (EFS) and pathologic complete response (0% residual viable tumor (RVT) in primary tumor (PT) and lymph nodes (LNs)), and is approved for treatment of resectable lung cancer. Pathologic response assessment after neoadjuvant therapy is the potential analog to radiographic response for advanced disease. However, %RVT thresholds beyond pathologic complete response and major pathologic response (≤10% RVT) have not been explored. Pathologic response was prospectively assessed in the randomized, phase 3 CheckMate 816 trial (NCT02998528), which evaluated neoadjuvant nivolumab (anti-programmed death protein 1) plus chemotherapy in patients with resectable lung cancer. RVT, regression and necrosis were quantified (0–100%) in PT and LNs using a pan-tumor scoring system and tested for association with EFS in a prespecified exploratory analysis. Regardless of LN involvement, EFS improved with 0% versus >0% RVT-PT (hazard ratio = 0.18). RVT-PT predicted EFS for nivolumab plus chemotherapy (area under the curve = 0.74); 2-year EFS rates were 90%, 60%, 57% and 39% for patients with 0–5%, >5–30%, >30–80% and >80% RVT, respectively. Each 1% RVT associated with a 0.017 hazard ratio increase for EFS. Combining pathologic response from PT and LNs helped differentiate outcomes. When compared with radiographic response and circulating tumor DNA clearance, %RVT best approximated EFS. These findings support pathologic response as an emerging survival surrogate. Further assessment of the full spectrum of %RVT in lung cancer and other tumor types is warranted. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT02998528 . Analysis of the phase 3 CheckMate 816 trial shows that the depth of pathologic response as assessed by percent residual viable tumor is correlated with event-free survival following neoadjuvant immunotherapy plus chemotherapy, supporting pathologic response as a biomarker of survival.

In the open‐label, phase III CheckMate 816 study (NCT02998528), neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy demonstrated statistically significant improvements in event‐free survival (EFS) and pathological complete response (pCR) versus chemotherapy alone in patients with resectable non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here we report efficacy and safety outcomes in the Japanese subpopulation. Patients with stage IB–IIIA, resectable NSCLC were randomized 1:1 to nivolumab plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone for three cycles before undergoing definitive surgery within 6 weeks of completing neoadjuvant treatment. The primary end‐points (EFS and pCR) and safety were assessed in patients enrolled at 16 centers in Japan. Of the Japanese patients randomized, 93.9% (31/33) in the nivolumab plus chemotherapy arm and 82.9% (29/35) in the chemotherapy arm underwent surgery. At 21.5 months' minimum follow‐up, median EFS was 30.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 16.8–not reached [NR]) with nivolumab plus chemotherapy versus 19.6 months (95% CI, 8.5–NR) with chemotherapy; hazard ratio, 0.60 (95% CI, 0.30–1.24). The pCR rate was 30.3% (95% CI, 15.6–48.7) versus 5.7% (95% CI, 0.7–19.2), respectively; odds ratio, 7.17 (95% CI, 1.44–35.85). Grade 3/4 treatment‐related adverse events were reported in 59.4% versus 42.9% of patients, respectively, with no new safety signals identified. Neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy resulted in longer EFS and a higher pCR rate versus chemotherapy alone in Japanese patients, consistent with findings in the global population. These data support nivolumab plus chemotherapy as a neoadjuvant treatment option in Japanese patients with resectable NSCLC. We report efficacy and safety outcomes in the Japanese subpopulation of patients with resectable non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the global, randomized, open‐label, phase III CheckMate 816 study (NCT02998528). At a minimum follow‐up of 21.5 months, neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone resulted in longer event‐free survival (median, 30.6 [95% CI, 16.8–not reached] vs. 19.6 [95% CI, 8.5–not reached] months) and a higher pathological complete response rate (30.3% [95% CI, 15.6–48.7] vs. 5.7% [95% CI, 0.7–19.2]) in Japanese patients, consistent with findings in the global population; no new safety signals were identified. Results support the use of neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy in Japanese patients with resectable NSCLC.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for human health, which is crucial for antioxidant defense, immune function, and disease prevention. Se deficiency affects around 40 countries worldwide, with China being one of the most severely impacted. While previous research has explored factors influencing soil Se content, such as the parent material, climate, and soil properties, the dominant controlling mechanisms across different spatial scales remain a subject of debate, especially in the Se-rich coastal regions of southeastern China. This study focuses on Fujian Province, using hotspot analysis and geographically weighted regression (GWR) to systematically examine the spatial distribution of soil Se and its key influencing factors. Hotspot analysis reveals multi-scale patterns in Se distribution: at the 1 km scale, Se hotspots are closely linked to metal minerals like sulfide and coal deposits; at the 2 km scale, Se-rich carbonate rocks and carbonaceous mudstones dominate; and, at the 10 km scale, Se accumulation is mainly controlled by organic matter and low-temperature conditions in high-altitude areas (≥1200 m). GWR analysis further clarifies the nonlinear relationships between soil Se and key environmental factors: organic matter strongly correlates with Se in coastal regions but weakly in land, indicating that this relationship is modulated by factors such as weathering intensity and clay content. The mobility of Se increases in alkaline soils (pH > 8.5), thus reducing its content; meanwhile, in acidic soils (pH < 4.5), its fixation is more complex. In acidic, low-aluminum settings, iron oxides adsorb Se effectively, whereas organic matter becomes the main carrier under alkaline conditions. Precipitation affects Se via atmospheric deposition and leaching, temperature promotes sulfide substitution through deposition but also accelerates the breakdown of organic matter, and altitude influences Se through hydrothermal variations. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of the multi-factor mechanisms controlling soil Se in the Se-rich coastal areas of southeastern China at a regional scale, offering a scientific basis for the sustainable use of Se-enriched land resources.

Let C k ( n ) denote the family of all connected graphs of order n with chromatic number k . In this paper we show that the conjecture proposed by Tomescu which if x ≥ k ≥ 4 and G ∈ C k ( n ) , then P ( G , x ) ≤ ( x ) k ( x - 1 ) n - k holds under the additional condition that G has an independent cut-set T of size at most 2 such that the number of components in G \\ T is equal to the independence number of G .

BackgroundWe explored whether the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can be characterized by incorporating a composite of duration of response (DOR) to complement traditional Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria for objective response rate (ORR) in an intent-to-treat (ITT) population. Furthermore, the correlation of this novel endpoint, characterized by the restricted mean time in response (RMTR), with overall survival (OS) will be examined.MethodsWe analyzed ORR alone or in combination with DOR (RMTR) in available phase I, II, and III trials evaluating nivolumab monotherapy or in combination with ipilimumab across solid tumor types. ORR was evaluated per RECIST V.1.1. DOR was estimated using individual patient data in ITT populations regardless of RECIST response, with non-responders imputed as zero. Associations between ORR alone or RMTR and OS were evaluated in the ITT population. DOR curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier product limit method, and 6-month RMTR, a measure of response durability, was derived from the area under the curves. For ORR and RMTR in the ITT population, the strength of association with OS was analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients (r).ResultsNivolumab treatment was associated with longer response durations than active control in responder and ITT populations. Similarly, ORR and RMTR were both significantly correlated with OS (ORR vs OS: r=0.684, p=0.02; RMTR vs OS: r=0.695, p=0.018).ConclusionsCombining ORR and DOR (RMTR) to objectively characterize tumor shrinkage in an ITT patient population is a novel approach that appears to correlate well with OS in patients treated with nivolumab monotherapy or in combination with ipilimumab. This endpoint may provide a more complete characterization of tumor shrinkage to incorporate into the design of future ICI clinical trials. However, confirmation of this approach will require further research.

BackgroundPathologic response assessment after neoadjuvant treatment is the potential analog to radiographic response for advanced disease, with regard to study design, clinical care, and accelerated regulatory approvals. A standardized system for assessing degree of pathologic response in the primary tumor (PT) and lymph nodes (LNs) as a survival surrogate is an unmet need. It is also a prerequisite for determining whether patients with versus without LN involvement benefit from neoadjuvant therapy. Here, in a pre-specified exploratory analysis from CheckMate 816, we report the first in-depth assessment of the full spectrum of percent residual viable tumor (RVT; beyond pathologic complete response) in both the PT and LNs and its association with event-free survival (EFS). This study represents the first prospective use of such a pan-tumor scoring system in a phase 3 registrational trial.MethodsPathologic response was prospectively assessed in the randomized phase 3 study of neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in patients with resectable non-small cell lung carcinoma. Percentages of RVT, regression, and necrosis were quantified (0%-100%) in the PT and LNs using pan-tumor immune-related pathologic response criteria (irPRC). Pathologic features scored using this system were tested for association with EFS. An exploratory comparison between pathologic response, radiographic response, and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) clearance was performed.ResultsIn both treatment arms and regardless of pathologic evidence of LN involvement, EFS was improved in patients with 0% versus >0% RVT-PT (HR=0.18). RVT-PT predicted EFS for nivolumab plus chemotherapy (AUC=0.74); 2-year EFS rates were 90%, 60%, 57%, and 39% for patients with 0%-5%, >5%-30%, >30%-80%, and >80% RVT, respectively. Each 1% increase in RVT associated with a 0.017 increase in HR for EFS. Combining pathologic response from PT+LNs helped differentiate outcomes. An increase in%necrosis was not observed in paired pre- and on-treatment specimens in either treatment arm. Further, necrosis within the on-treatment specimens was associated with lower EFS rates, arguing against necrosis as a histologic feature of treatment effect. When pathologic response was compared to radiographic response and ctDNA clearance, pathologic response best approximated EFS.ConclusionsPercent RVT associates with improved EFS, supporting pathologic response as an emerging survival surrogate. Given the prognostic value of%RVT, its assessment using routine surgical pathology workflows, and a scoring system generalizable to any solid tumor type, it is also anticipated to become a biomarker for guiding subsequent adjuvant therapy. Further assessment of clinically-relevant%RVT cutoffs in PT+LN is warranted.AcknowledgementsFunding for this study was provided by Bristol Myers Squibb and Ono Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.Trial RegistrationNCT02998528Ethics ApprovalThis study was approved by the Johns Hopkins University Institutional Review Board.

In this article, we provide some new results on the divisibility of certain coefficients of the chromatic polynomials of connected graphs, and characterize connected nonplanar graphs of order n that minimize the absolute values of coefficients of the chromatic polynomials. Moreover, we also present a sufficient condition that a graph is planar in term of certain coefficients of its chromatic polynomial.

In this paper it is provided that a functional equation for enumerating rooted nearly cubic planar maps with the valency of root-vertex, the size and the valency of root-face of the maps as three parameters. In particular, the number of rooted nearly cubic planar maps with the valency of root-vertex and the size as two parameters, as an answer to open problem in 1989, can be also derived.

Neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy significantly improved pathological complete response and event-free survival in patients with resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a phase 3 trial. Data are needed on overall survival. In this open-label, phase 3 trial, patients with stage IB to IIIA resectable NSCLC were randomly assigned to receive nivolumab plus chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone for three cycles, followed by surgery. The primary end points were event-free survival and pathological complete response. Here, we report the results of the planned analysis of overall survival. A total of 358 patients were concurrently assigned to receive nivolumab plus chemotherapy (179 patients) or chemotherapy alone (179 patients). The final analysis of overall survival significantly favored neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy over chemotherapy (hazard ratio for death, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.523 to 0.998; P = 0.048). At a median follow-up of 68.4 months, the 5-year overall survival was 65.4% with nivolumab plus chemotherapy and 55.0% with chemotherapy alone, with consistency across most subgroups. In exploratory analyses, the 5-year overall survival in the nivolumab-plus-chemotherapy group was 95.3% (95% CI, 82.7 to 98.8) among the patients with a pathological complete response and 55.7% (95% CI, 46.9 to 63.7) among those without such a response; survival was 75.0% among the patients with presurgery clearance of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and 52.6% among those without such clearance. No new safety signals were observed. Three cycles of neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival among patients with resectable NSCLC as compared with chemotherapy alone. (Funded by Bristol Myers Squibb; CheckMate 816 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02998528.).