The aim of our study was to compare the characteristics and time to initial physician contact in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at a large Hungarian cancer center. This was a retrospective study of patients 18 years or older presenting at the regional cancer center of Pécs Clinical Center with HNSCC between 1 January 2017, and 15 March 2020 (the pre-COVID-19 period) and between 16 March 2020, and 13 May 2021 (the COVID-19 period). Demographic and clinical data were collected, and the time between initial symptom onset and initial physician contact (TTP) was determined. Descriptive and exploratory statistical analyses were performed. On average, the number of patients diagnosed with HNSCC per month during the pandemic decreased by 12.4% compared with the pre-COVID-19 period. There was a significant increase in stage I and stage II cancers (from 15.9% to 20.3% and from 12.2% to 13.8%, respectively; p < 0.001); a decrease in stage III and IVa,c cancers; and a significant increase in stage IVb cancers (from 6% to 19.9%; p < 0.001) during the pandemic. The median TTP increased during the pandemic from 43 to 61 days (p = 0.032). To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the effect of COVID-19 on patients with HNSCC in the Central–Eastern European region. We found a bidirectional shift in cancer stages and increased TTP during the pandemic. Our findings highlight the necessity for more nuanced analyses of the effects of COVID-19.

Background: Rectal cancer constitutes nearly one-third of all colorectal cancer diagnoses, and certain clinical and molecular markers have been studied as potential prognosticators of patient survival. The main objective of our study was to investigate the relationship between the expression intensities of certain proteins, including growth-hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRH-R), Hsp90, Hsp16.2, p-Akt and SOUL, in specimens of locally advanced rectal cancer patients, as well as the time to metastasis and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates. We also investigated whether these outcome measures were associated with the presence of other clinical parameters. Methods: In total, 109 patients were investigated retrospectively. Samples of pretreatment tumors were stained for the proteins GHRH-R, Hsp90, Hsp16.2, p-Akt and SOUL using immunhistochemistry methods. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to show the relationships between the intensity of expression of biomarkers, clinical parameters, the time to metastasis and the 10-year OS rate. Results: High levels of p-Akt, GHRH-R and Hsp90 were associated with a significantly decreased 10-year OS rate (p = 0.001, p = 0.000, p = 0.004, respectively) and high expression levels of p-Akt and GHRH-R were correlated with a significantly shorter time to metastasis. Tumors localized in the lower third of the rectum were linked to both a significantly longer time to metastasis and an improved 10-year OS rate. Conclusions: Hsp 90, pAkt and GHRH-R as well as the lower-third localization of the tumor were predictive of the 10-year OS rate in locally advanced rectal cancer patients. The GHRH-R and Hsp90 expression levels were independent prognosticators of OS. Our results imply that GHRH-R could play a particularly important role both as a molecular biomarker and as a target for the anticancer treatment of advanced rectal cancer.

Background/objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic affected cancer care globally. Our objective was to analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of kidney cancer (KC) patients between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods. We also aimed to assess how KC was discovered—incidentally or symptomatically—and identify factors predicting the mode of discovery and advanced-stage disease. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 400 patients aged 18 years or older diagnosed with kidney cancer (KC) at a large regional Hungarian clinical center during two time periods: the pre-COVID-19 period (1 January 2019 to 15 March 2020) and the COVID-19 period (16 March 2020 to 13 May 2021). Demographic and clinical information, including the mode of cancer discovery, was collected for all patients. Results: During the pandemic, monthly kidney cancer diagnoses declined by 10.3%. The proportion of female patients rose significantly from 31.9% to 42.9% (p = 0.023). Incidental tumor detection decreased from 82.4% to 72.4% (p = 0.018), while symptomatic presentation increased from 14.2% to 19.4%, although not significantly (p = 0.166). Non-incidental detection was associated with a 3.42-fold increase in odds of advanced cancer pre-pandemic and a 2.03-fold increase during the pandemic. Symptomatic presentation raised these odds by 4.51 and 2.76 times, respectively. Conclusions: Our study revealed changes in kidney cancer detection during the pandemic, including a rise in the proportion of female patients and a decline in case numbers, likely due to reduced incidental findings. Non-incidental discovery and symptom presence remained predictors of advanced-stage disease, although the odds were lower. Various factors—such as changes in healthcare access and gender-related differences in health-seeking behavior—may possibly explain these changes. Our findings support the critical role of incidental detection in high-risk populations.

Small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) remains one of the most aggressive lung cancers and continues to pose a major challenge for precision oncology. Despite its morphological uniformity, SCLC exhibits marked molecular heterogeneity with recurrent, potentially targetable genomic alterations. Comprehensive profiling is often hindered by limited tissue availability and the need for rapid therapeutic intervention. We performed genomic profiling of 55 primary and metastatic SCLC samples using a 324-gene hybrid-capture next-generation sequencing panel. Consistent with prior reports, nearly all tumors exhibited biallelic TP53 and RB1 inactivation. Recurrent alterations involved the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway (62%), chromatin regulators (42%), and NOTCH signaling genes (15%). PTEN mutations were enriched in brain metastases. Frequent copy-number gains affected SOX2, NKX2-1, MYC-family genes, and CCNE1. Two novel recurrent amplifications of potential clinical significance were identified: TYRO3 (33%) and SDHA (13%). TYRO3, a TAM family receptor tyrosine kinase, and SDHA, a mitochondrial enzyme involved in succinate metabolism, may contribute to tumor progression and represent emerging therapeutic vulnerabilities. These findings underscore the genomic diversity of SCLC and highlight the potential utility of broad next-generation sequencing in uncovering new molecular targets for precision therapy.

Background: Durvalumab consolidation following radiochemotherapy is now the standard treatment for unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT offers valuable insights not just for staging but also for tumor characterization via radiomics, which can potentially predict histology, immunophenotype, and prognosis. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT scans from stage IIIA–IIIB NSCLC patients treated at the Clinical Centre, University of Pécs. All biopsy samples were classified histologically (squamous vs. adenocarcinoma) and tested for PD-L1. Lung tumors were segmented using MEDISO InterViewTM FUSION software (version 3.12.002.0000). with an SUVmax threshold of four. Imaging features were extracted and compared based on histology, PD-L1 status, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)-based prognosis groups. Statistical analyses were performed with Jamovi (v2.6.44), using Shapiro–Wilk, t-test/ANOVA, Mann–Whitney/Kruskal–Wallis, or Chi-square tests as appropriate. Results: Fifty-six patients were included (38 PD-L1-positive, 18 -negative). Among PD-L1-positive cases, poor versus good NLR prognosis groups differed in maximum diameter (p = 0.046), short-zone emphasis (p = 0.026), and zone-length non-uniformity (p = 0.027). Focusing on PD-L1-positive squamous carcinoma, maximum diameter, metabolic tumor volume, busyness, and coarseness showed significant differences (all p < 0.05). SUVmax, mean SUV, SUVpeak, and complexity were higher in squamous than in adenocarcinoma subtypes. PD-L1-positive and -negative squamous tumors differed in zone percentage (p = 0.039) and long-zone high gray-level emphasis (p = 0.024), while no significant differences were observed among adenocarcinomas. Conclusions: [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT radiomics showed potential for differentiating NSCLC histological subtypes and for identifying PD-L1-associated imaging patterns in squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, certain metabolic features were associated with NLR-based prognostic groups in PD-L1-positive patients.