Breast cancer constitutes the most common malignant neoplasm in women around the world. Approximately 12% of patients are diagnosed with metastatic stage, and between 5 and 30% of early or locally advanced BC patients will relapse, making it an incurable disease. PD-L1 ligation is an immune inhibitory molecule of the activation of T cells, playing a relevant role in numerous types of malignant tumors, including BC. The objective of the present review is to analyze the role of PD-L1 as a biomarker in the different BC subtypes, adding clinical trials with immune checkpoint inhibitors and their applicable results. Diverse trials using immunotherapy with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 in BC, as well as prospective or retrospective cohort studies about PD-L1 in BC, were included. Despite divergent results in the reviewed studies, PD-L1 seems to be correlated with worse prognosis in the hormone receptor positive subtype. Immune checkpoints inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis have achieved great response rates in TNBC patients, especially in combination with chemotherapy, making immunotherapy a new treatment option in this scenario. However, the utility of PD-L1 as a predictive biomarker in the rest of BC subtypes remains unclear. In addition, predictive differences have been found in response to immunotherapy depending on the stage of the tumor disease. Therefore, a better understanding of tumor microenvironment, as well as identifying new potential biomarkers or combined index scores, is necessary in order to make a better selection of the subgroups of BC patients who will derive benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Aim. To investigate the relation between malnutrition and nosocomial infections (NI) in hospitalized cancer patients. Methods. This observational, cross-sectional, noninterventional, descriptive study was conducted in a 500-bed university hospital in Valencia (Spain). Adult cancer patients admitted to the oncology ward were consecutively enrolled regardless of their nutritional status between November 2019 and March 2020. Patients were nutritionally assessed 24 to 48 hours after admission. Body weight, height and BMI, body composition through measurement of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and muscle strength and functionality using hand grip strength (HGS) were prospectively collected. The diagnosis of malnutrition and sarcopenia was assessed using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria and the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria, respectively. Patients were followed up during their hospital stay or outpatient oncology visits to identify possible NI. Results. A total of 107 patients were included in this study (mean age 66 years; 66.4% were men). The most frequent reason for admission was cancer treatment (19.6%), followed by infections (18.7%) and digestive tract symptoms (18.7%). Overall, 77.5% (83/107) of the patients were malnourished at admission according to the GLIM criteria, while 52.3% (56/107) were sarcopenic. Nosocomial infections (NI) were significantly more frequent in malnourished (52.1%; 25/48) and severely malnourished (42.1%; 8/19) patients, compared with well-nourished patients without malnutrition (25%; 10/40; ). The mean length of hospital stay was 13.9 days, significantly longer in patients with an NI compared to those without infections (18.6 vs. 10.8 days, ). Conclusion. This study evidenced the need to implement a routine protocol for the nutritional assessment and support of cancer patients at risk of malnutrition and sarcopenia to reduce the risk of NI during their hospital stay.

Cancer patients assert that after chemotherapy their cognitive abilities have deteriorated. Cognitive stimulation is the clinical treatment of choice for reversing cognitive decline. The current study describes a computerized home-based cognitive stimulation program in patients who survived breast cancer. It aims to assess safety and effectiveness of cognitive stimulation in the oncology population. A series of 45-min training sessions was completed by the participants. A thorough assessment was performed both before and after the intervention. The mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale, the Cognitive Assessment for Chemo Fog Research, and the Functionality Assessment Instrument in Cancer Treatment–Cognitive Function served as the main assessment tools. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Brief Fatigue Inventory, and Measuring Quality of Life–The World Health Organization data were gathered as secondary outcomes. Home-based cognitive stimulation demonstrated beneficial effects in the oncology population, with no side effects being reported. Cognitive, physical, and emotional improvements were observed, along with decreased interference in daily life activities and a better overall quality of life.

Nowadays, anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) antibodies are the first-line treatment for metastatic malignant melanoma. An infusion reaction is an adverse event that could occur due to monoclonal antibodies administration and requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. In this article, we report on a case of stage IV malignant melanoma treated with nivolumab, in which a severe infusion reaction occurred, manifesting as flushing and hypotension followed by bronchospasm. The switch to pembrolizumab was both a well-tolerated and effective therapeutic alternative.

Background/Objectives: Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is a predictive biomarker in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma for platinum-based chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors. The implementation of HRD testing in routine diagnostics has generated multiple commercial assays that differ in genomic targets, bioinformatic analysis, and HRD scoring strategies. We aimed to assess the analytical performance and feasibility of a locally semi-automated workflow based on the Agilent SureSelect CD HRR17 panel with SeqOne/SomaHRD analysis, and to compare it with established commercial HRD assays currently used in routine clinical practice: Myriad MyChoice CDx and SOPHiA DDM Dx HRD Solution. Methods: Thirty high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma cases diagnosed between 2019 and 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. HRD status was assessed with the Agilent-SeqOne workflow and compared with Myriad (n = 12) and SOPHiA (n = 18). Concordance and correlation between genomic instability metrics were evaluated. Results: The Agilent/SeqOne workflow showed high concordance with both comparison workflows. Genomic instability metrics strongly correlated across assays (R² up to 0.96). A lower proportion of inconclusive classifications was observed with the Agilent/SeqOne workflow. Discordances were mainly observed in borderline cases near classification thresholds. Variant detection was highly concordant within shared genomic regions. Conclusions: The locally semi-automated HRD workflow demonstrated high analytical concordance with established commercial assays in evaluable cases. Operational advantages related to workflow flexibility and local reanalysis support its potential implementation in routine molecular diagnostics.