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Surgery is the primary treatment for early-stage lung cancer. Adjuvant therapy is offered to patients who are at a high risk of recurrence, however, determining the patients that would benefit from additional therapy is often difficult. In this study, we aimed to develop a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for post-surgery lung cancer prognostication integrating a multi-modality deep learning model (DLM). Pre-operative medical images and clinical, surgical, and pathological information were fed into an externally validated DLM. A CDSS was then developed to display the patient information and DLM results for potential clinical use. Four oncologists evaluated each patient’s recurrence probability, their confidence level, and their post-surgery recommendations both with and without the DLM information. The CDSS DLM information demonstrated the potential to improve user prediction performance and confidence. This exploratory study is the first to integrate a multi-modality DLM for prognostication with a CDSS, as well as the first study of clinician attitudes towards CDSSs for lung cancer.

Background Survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC) experience long-term physical and psychosocial effects post-treatment, however, often receive fragmented survivorship care. Evidence-based survivorship guidelines exist, but implementation remains limited. Poor coordination, insufficient communication, and lack of tailored support contribute to unmet patient needs. Treatment Summary and Survivorship Care Plans (TSSP) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) may improve self-efficacy and adherence to survivorship care recommendations. This study aims to evaluate whether a personalized TSSP along with a one-time MI counselling session improves physician implementation of survivorship care recommendations, patient satisfaction with post-treatment care, and quality of life (QoL) among HNC survivors. Methods/design This study is a prospective, single-centre, two-arm, superiority randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months post-baseline visit. A total of 252 HNC survivors (stage I–IVA, aged ≥ 18 years, 3–6 months post-definitive treatment, English-speaking, with no metastatic or residual disease) will be recruited by a trained research assistant through the Survivorship Clinic at Victoria Hospital in London, Canada. Recruitment began in May 2025. Participants will be randomized to either the intervention group (TSSP and MI session) or the control group (usual care only). The intervention consists of a 45-min MI session delivered by a trained nurse practitioner, focused on exploring the top 3 patient survivorship symptoms/concerns, providing resources and referrals, and goal-setting related to survivorship care recommendations. The primary outcome is the proportion of patient-identified survivorship symptoms/concerns addressed by primary care providers (PCP) at 12 months post-baseline between study groups, with secondary assessments at 3 and 6 months. Secondary outcomes include patient satisfaction with the TSSP and MI session, patient satisfaction with care and information, QoL, and PCP feedback on the utility of the TSSP. Descriptive statistics will be reported, and intention-to-treat analyses will be conducted using mixed-effects models to evaluate group differences over time. Discussion This study will contribute new evidence on the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating a scalable, combined TSSP and MI counselling intervention into routine HNC survivorship care. By promoting patient-centered communication, this approach may empower survivors to engage in self-management and improve long-term health outcomes. Findings will inform best practices for survivorship care planning and support the implementation of patient-tailored interventions across various oncology settings. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06127784. Registered on Nov. 6, 2023; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06127784 .

Background Transoral surgery (TOS), particularly transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has become the preferred modality in the United States for the treatment of early stage oropharyngeal cancer, largely due to assumptions of fewer toxicities and improved quality of life compared to primary radiotherapy (RT). However, these assumptions are based on retrospective analysis, a subset of which utilize primary RT groups not limited to T1-2 stage tumors for which transoral robotic surgery is FDA approved. Thus, there is potential for underestimating survival and overestimating toxicity, including treatment related mortality, in primary RT. Methods Consecutive cases of early T-stage (T1–T2) oropharyngeal cancer presenting to the London Health Sciences Centre between 2014 and 2018 treated with RT or chemoradiation (CRT) were reviewed. Patient demographics, treatment details, survival outcomes and toxicity were collected. Toxicities were retrospectively graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events criteria. Results A total of 198 patients were identified, of which 82% were male and 73% were HPV-positive. Sixty-eight percent of patients experienced a grade 2 toxicity, 48% a grade 3 and 4% a grade 4. The most frequent toxicities were dysphagia, neutropenia and ototoxicity. The rates of gastrostomy tube dependence at 1 and 2 years were 2.5% and 1% respectively. There were no grade 5 (fatal) toxicities. HPV-positive patients experienced improved 5-year overall survival (86% vs 64%, p = 0.0026). Conclusions Primary RT or CRT provides outstanding survival for early T-stage disease, with low rates of severe toxicity and feeding tube dependence. This study provides a reference for comparison for patients treated with primary transoral surgery.

Background Radiation-induced mucositis (RIM) pain confers substantial morbidity for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing radiotherapy alone (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT), often reducing treatment compliance. However, no standard currently exists for the treatment of RIM, and high dose opioid therapy, with its associated side effects and increased risk for chronic opioid use, remains the cornerstone of HNC pain management. The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to compare multimodal analgesia using analgesic medications with different mechanisms of action, to the institutional standard of opioid analgesia alone, in order to ascertain the optimal analgesic regimen for the management of RIM pain in HNC patients. Methods In this open-label, single-institution, non-inferiority, randomized clinical trial, sixty-two patients with mucosal head and neck malignancies treated with curative-intent radiation will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio, stratified by RT or CRT, between Arm 1: opioid analgesia alone as per the institutional standard, or Arm 2: multimodal analgesia using Pregabalin, Acetaminophen, and Naproxen, in addition to opioids, if required. The primary endpoint is the average 11-Numeric Rating Scale (11-NRS) score for pain during the last week of radiation treatment. Secondary endpoints include: average weekly opioid use, duration of opioid requirement, average daily 11-NRS score for pain, average weekly opioids dispensed, quality of life, hospitalizations for analgesic medication-induced complications, time to feeding tube insertion, weight loss, toxicity, treatment interruptions, and death within 3 months of completing RT treatment. Patients are eligible once analgesia is required for moderate 4/10 pain. Discussion This study will assess the efficacy and safety of multimodal analgesia and its impact on opioid requirements, clinical outcomes, and quality of life, as a potential new standard treatment for RIM pain in HNC patients undergoing definitive RT or CRT. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04221165 . Date of registration: January 9, 2020. Appendix 2 reports the World Health Organization trial registration dataset.

Background Patients with resected oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) are often treated with adjuvant radiation (RT) ± concomitant chemotherapy based on pathological findings. Standard RT volumes include all surgically dissected areas, including the tumour bed and dissected neck. RT has significant acute and long-term toxicities including odynophagia, dysphagia, dermatitis and fibrosis. The goal of this study is to assess the rate of regional failure with omission of radiation to the surgically dissected pathologically node negative (pN0) hemi-neck(s) compared to historical control, and to compare oncologic outcomes, toxicity, and quality of life (QoL) profiles between standard RT volumes and omission of RT to the pN0 neck. Methods This is a multicentre phase II study randomizing 90 patients with T1–4 N0–2 OCSCC with at least one pN0 hemi-neck in a 1:2 ratio between standard RT volumes and omission of RT to the pN0 hemi-neck(s). Patients will be stratified based on overall nodal status (nodal involvement vs. no nodal involvement) and use of concurrent chemotherapy. The primary endpoint is regional failure in the pN0 hemi-neck(s); we hypothesize that a 2-year regional recurrence of 20% or less will be achieved. Secondary endpoints include overall and progression-free survival, local recurrence, rate of salvage therapy, toxicity and QoL. Discussion This study will provide an assessment of omission of RT to the dissected pN0 hemi-neck(s) on oncologic outcomes, QoL and toxicity. Results will inform the design of future definitive phase III trials. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03997643 . Date of registration: June 25, 2019, Current version: 2.0 on July 11 2020.

Background Patients with human papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPC) have substantially better treatment response and overall survival (OS) than patients with HPV-negative disease. Treatment options for HPV+ OPC can involve either a primary radiotherapy (RT) approach (± concomitant chemotherapy) or a primary surgical approach (± adjuvant radiation) with transoral surgery (TOS). These two treatment paradigms have different spectrums of toxicity. The goals of this study are to assess the OS of two de-escalation approaches (primary radiotherapy and primary TOS) compared to historical control, and to compare survival, toxicity and quality of life (QOL) profiles between the two approaches. Methods This is a multicenter phase II study randomizing one hundred and forty patients with T1–2 N0–2 HPV+ OPC in a 1:1 ratio between de-escalated primary radiotherapy (60 Gy) ± concomitant chemotherapy and TOS ± de-escalated adjuvant radiotherapy (50–60 Gy based on risk factors). Patients will be stratified based on smoking status (< 10 vs. ≥ 10 pack-years). The primary endpoint is OS of each arm compared to historical control; we hypothesize that a 2-year OS of 85% or greater will be achieved. Secondary endpoints include progression free survival, QOL and toxicity. Discussion This study will provide an assessment of two de-escalation approaches to the treatment of HPV+ OPC on oncologic outcomes, QOL and toxicity. Results will inform the design of future definitive phase III trials. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03210103 . Date of registration: July 6, 2017, Current version: 1.3 on March 15, 2019.

Background Emerging randomized data, mostly from phase II trials, have suggested that patients with oligometastatic cancers may benefit from ablative treatments such as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR). However, phase III data testing this paradigm are lacking, and many studies have examined SABR in the setting of metachronous oligometastatic disease. The goal of the SABR-SYNC trial is to assess the effect of SABR in patients with oligometastatic cancers and a synchronous primary tumor. Methods One hundred and eighty patients will be randomized in a 1:2 ratio between standard of care (SOC) palliative-intent treatments vs. SOC + ablative therapy (SABR preferred) to all sites of known disease. Randomization will be stratified based on histology and number of metastases at enrollment. SABR may be delivered in 1-, 3- and 5-fraction regimens, with recommended doses of 20 Gy, 30 Gy, and 35 Gy, respectively. Non-SABR local modalities (e.g. surgery, thermal ablation, conventional radiation) may be used for treatment of the primary or metastases at the discretion of the treating physicians, if those modalities are clinically preferred. The primary endpoint is overall survival, and secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, time to development of new metastatic lesions, time to initiation of next systemic therapy, quality of life, and toxicity. Translational endpoints include assessment of circulating tumor DNA and immunological predictors of outcomes. Discussion SABR-SYNC will provide phase III data to assess the impact of SABR on overall survival in a population of patients with synchronous oligometastases. The translational component will attempt to identify novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers to aid in clinical decision making. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05717166 (registration date: Feb. 8, 2023).

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) from different subsites have distinct presentations and prognosis. In this study, we carried out a multiomic comparison of LSCC subsites. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) LSCC cohort was analyzed in the R statistical environment for differences between supraglottic and glottic cancers in single nucleotide variations (SNVs), copy number alterations (CNAs), mRNA abundance, protein abundance, pathway overrepresentation, tumor microenvironment (TME), hypoxia status, and patient outcome. Supraglottic cancers had significantly higher overall and smoking-associated SNV mutational load. Pathway analysis revealed upregulation of muscle related pathways in glottic cancer and neural pathways in supraglottic cancer. Proteins involved in cancer relevant signaling pathways including PI3K/Akt/mTOR, the cell cycle, and PDL1 were differentially abundant between subsites. Glottic and supraglottic tumors have different molecular profiles, which may partially account for differences in presentation and response to therapy.

We present the case of a woman diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) while undergoing chemoradiation for locally advanced cervix cancer. This diagnosis had implications for the treatment of her cancer, and a number of important decisions had to be made. We present the issues that arose and how her oncologic care was managed.We present the case of a woman diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) while undergoing chemoradiation for locally advanced cervix cancer. This diagnosis had implications for the treatment of her cancer, and a number of important decisions had to be made. We present the issues that arose and how her oncologic care was managed.

Loss of the 3p chromosome arm has previously been reported to be a biomarker of poorer outcome in both human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and HPV-negative head and neck cancer. However, the precise operational measurement of 3p arm loss is unclear and the mutational profile associated with the event has not been thoroughly characterized. We downloaded the clinical, single nucleotide variation (SNV), copy number aberration (CNA), RNA sequencing, and reverse phase protein assay (RPPA) data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and The Cancer Proteome Atlas HNSCC cohorts. Survival data and hypoxia scores were downloaded from published studies. In addition, we report the inclusion of an independent Memorial Sloan Kettering cohort. We assessed the frequency of loci deletions across the 3p arm separately in HPV-positive and -negative disease. We found that deletions on chromosome 3p were almost exclusively an all or none event in the HPV-negative cohort; patients either had <1% or >97% of the arm deleted. 3p arm loss, defined as >97% deletion in HPV-positive patients and >50% in HPV-negative patients, had no impact on survival (p > 0.05). However, HPV-negative tumors with 3p arm loss presented at a higher N-category and overall stage and developed more distant metastases (p < 0.05). They were enriched for SNVs in TP53, and depleted for point mutations in CASP8, HRAS, HLA-A, HUWE1, HLA-B, and COL22A1 (false discovery rate, FDR < 0.05). 3p arm loss was associated with CNAs across the whole genome (FDR < 0.1), and pathway analysis revealed low lymphoid–non-lymphoid cell interactions and cytokine signaling (FDR < 0.1). In the tumor microenvironment, 3p arm lost tumors had low immune cell infiltration (FDR < 0.1) and elevated hypoxia (FDR < 0.1). 3p arm lost tumors had lower abundance of proteins phospho-HER3 and ANXA1, and higher abundance of miRNAs hsa-miR-548k and hsa-miR-421, which were all associated with survival. There were no molecular differences by 3p arm status in HPV-positive patients, at least at our statistical power level. 3p arm loss is largely an all or none phenomenon in HPV-negative disease and does not predict poorer survival from the time of diagnosis in TCGA cohort. However, it produces tumors with distinct molecular characteristics and may represent a clinically useful biomarker to guide treatment decisions for HPV-negative patients.