The aim was to compare two standard chemotherapy regimens combined with bevacizumab as first-line treatment in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

The treatment paradigm in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has changed in the recent years. Sunitinib has been established as a new standard for first-line therapy. We studied the prognostic significance of baseline characteristics and we compared the risk stratification with the established Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) model.

Background: The shift towards an earlier diagnosis of breast cancer (BC) highlights the need for biomarkers that would identify patients at risk for relapse and metastatic spread and indicate the potential value of additional treatment strategies. Osteopontin (OPN) is a matricellular protein that has been suggested to be a potential biomarker in BC. In the present study, we used archived BC patient samples to assess the clinical utility of OPN. Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples from 975 patients were collected from two large phase III randomized adjuvant chemotherapy trials (HE10/97 and HE10/00) that included patients with high risk BC. All tissue samples were assessed for ER, PgR, Ki67 and HER2 protein expression. OPN protein and mRNA expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results: OPN mRNA expression data were available for 814 patients, whereas OPN protein expression data were available for 546 patients. The majority of patients were ER/PgR-positive (78.3%), HER2-negative (76.5%) and Ki67-positive (55.2%) and had received adjuvant radiation therapy (76.8%) and hormonal therapy (81.1%). OPN mRNA expression was significantly associated with age (60.9% in high OPN tumors vs. 54.1% in low OPN tumors, p = 0.047), ER/PgR-negative status (25.7 vs. 17.2%, p = 0.004) and BC subtypes (p = 0.021). In addition, high OPN mRNA expression was significantly associated with reduced DFS (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.00–1.59, Wald’s p = 0.050) and OS (HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.05–1.78, p = 0.019), while it retained its prognostic significance for both DFS (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.10–1.77, p = 0.007) and OS (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.61–2.05, p = 0.003) in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: We showed that high OPN mRNA expression is associated with decreased DFS and OS in a large cohort of BC patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy in a clinical trial setting. Our results suggest that OPN may serve as a prognostic factor and a potential target for therapy. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry; HE10/97 ACTRN12611000506998; HE10/00 ACTRN12609001036202

Background/Objectives: Ovarian and endometrial cancers present significant health burdens due to their substantial morbidity and mortality. Surgery delay is hypothesized to negatively impact patient outcomes, yet evidence remains inconsistent. This systematic review aims to comprehensively evaluate current evidence regarding the effects of treatment delay on survival and quality of life in these patients. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane Library, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases, complemented by a manual screening of reference lists, with studies included up to March 2025. Two independent reviewers screened and assessed the methodological quality using the ROBINS-E tool and extracted the data from the studies. Due to substantial methodological and clinical heterogeneity, results were synthesized qualitatively through narrative synthesis. Results: Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising predominantly retrospective cohort analyses. Treatment delays consistently correlated with decreased survival and advanced disease stages. Among studies, optimal intervals from diagnosis to treatment were varied from 2 to 8 weeks. Patient-reported outcomes indicated heightened anxiety, increased distress, and poor satisfaction with prolonged delays. Healthcare system factors such as resource allocation, geographic disparities, and socioeconomic inequalities significantly contributed to delays. Quantitative survival metrics supported a clear negative association between treatment delays and survival, although paradoxical outcomes in select subgroups highlighted underlying complexities. Conclusions: This systematic review underscores the critical importance of minimizing delays in the treatment of ovarian and endometrial cancers to improve patient survival and psychological outcomes. Identified healthcare system barriers demand targeted policy interventions to ensure timely and equitable access to tertiary healthcare infrastructures. Future research should prioritize standardizing delay definitions to strengthen and homogenize evidence.

(1) Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery is used in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer. However, no tool can safely predict if complete cytoreduction after 3–4 cycles can be achieved. This study aims to investigate if the KELIM score can be a triage tool in the identification of patients that will be ideal candidates for interval debulking surgery (IDS). (2) Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the records of patients with high-grade serous advanced ovarian cancer that were treated in the 1st Department of Obstetrics–Gynecology, 2012–2022, with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by IDS. Patient characteristics, oncological outcome and follow-up information were collected. The primary outcome was the association of the KELIM score with residual disease. (3) Results: 83 patients were categorized into two groups: Group A (51 patients) with favorable (≥1) and Group B (32 patients) with unfavorable (<1) KELIM scores. A statistically significant correlation between KELIM and residual disease (p < 0.05) exists, showing that patients with a favorable KELIM score can achieve a complete IDS. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant difference in overall survival (p = 0.017), but no difference was observed in progression-free survival (p = 0.13); (4) Conclusions: KELIM seems to safely triage patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and decide who will benefit from IDS.

Introduction Nail toxicity represents one of the most common cutaneous adverse effects of both classic chemotherapeutic agents and new oncologic drugs, including targeted treatments and immunotherapy. Objectives We aimed to provide a comprehensive literature review of nail toxicities derived from conventional chemotherapeutic agents, targeted therapies (EGFR inhibitors, multikinase inhibitors, BRAF and MEK inhibitors) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), including clinical presentation, implicated drugs and approaches for prevention and management. Methods Retrieved literature from PubMed registry database was reviewed to include all articles published up to May 2021 relevant to the clinical presentation, diagnosis, incidence, prevention, and treatment of oncologic treatment-induced nail toxicity. The was searched for relevant studies. Results A wide spectrum of nail toxicities is associated with both, conventional and newer anticancer agents. The frequency of nail involvement, especially with immunotherapy and new targeted agents remains unknown and patients with different cancer types receiving different regimens may develop the same nail disorder, whereas patients with the same type of cancer under the same chemotherapeutic treatment may develop different types of nail alterations. The underlying mechanisms of the varying individual susceptibility and the diverse nail responses to various anticancer treatments need further investigation. Conclusion Early recognition and treatment of nail toxicities can minimize their impact, allowing better adherence to conventional and newer oncologic treatments. Dermatologists, oncologists and other implicated physicians should be aware of these burdensome adverse effects in order to guide management and prevent impairment of patients’ quality of life.