bims-netuvo 2024-06-30 papers

Issue of 2024‒06‒30
five papers selected by
Maksym V. Kopanitsa, The Francis Crick Institute

Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 ;11 1344982

Construction of a preoperative nomogram model for predicting perineural invasion in advanced gastric cancer.

Ruochen Cong, Ruonan Xu, Jialei Ming, Zhengqi Zhu.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a clinical and imaging-based nomogram for preoperatively predicting perineural invasion (PNI) in advanced gastric cancer.Methods: A retrospective cohort of 351 patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent surgical resection was included. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent risk factors for PNI and to construct the nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was assessed using calibration curves, the concordance index (C-index), the area under the curve (AUC), and decision curve analysis (DCA). The disparity in disease-free survival (DFS) between the nomogram-predicted PNI-positive group and the nomogram-predicted PNI-negative group was evaluated using the Log-Rank test and Kaplan-Meier analysis.
Results: Extramural vascular invasion (EMVI), Borrmann classification, tumor thickness, and the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) emerged as independent risk factors for PNI. The nomogram model demonstrated a commendable AUC value of 0.838. Calibration curves exhibited excellent concordance, with a C-index of 0.814. DCA indicated that the model provided good clinical net benefit. The DFS of the nomogram-predicted PNI-positive group was significantly lower than that of the nomogram-predicted PNI-negative group (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: This study successfully developed a preoperative nomogram model that not only effectively predicted PNI in gastric cancer but also facilitated postoperative risk stratification.

Keywords: advanced gastric cancer; nomogram model; perineural invasion; predict; risk

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1344982

Childs Nerv Syst. 2024 Jun 28.

Brachial plexus peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs): clinical and surgical management in the pediatric population.

Fernando Guedes, Evelina Llorian, Vinícius M Henriques, Francisco José Lourenço Torrão-Junior.

PURPOSE: Peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) are rare in pediatric patients, especially in the brachial plexus. Research on PNSTs is lacking. This article presents a retrospective cohort study of pediatric patients diagnosed and treated with PNSTs, specifically brachial plexus tumors.METHODS: All pediatric patients intervened in a single center between 2007 and 2023 with brachial plexus tumors were systemically analyzed.
RESULTS: Eleven pediatric patients with 14 brachial plexus PNSTs were studied. The gender distribution was 64% female and 36% male, with an average age of 10.7 years. Ninety-one percent had a previous NF-1 diagnosis. Right brachial plexus presented a higher prevalence (64%). Pain, Tinel's sign, and stiffness masses were common during diagnosis. Motor deficits were noted in 43% of the patients. Surgery was indicated for symptoms, particularly pain and rapid growth, increasing malignancy risk. Due to suspected malignancy, an en bloc resection with safety margins was performed. Among the patients, 57% received a histopathological diagnosis of MPNST (malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor). Treatment included radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Clinical follow-up was conducted for all cases, involving clinical and oncological evaluations for all MPNSTs.
CONCLUSIONS: This article present a series of pediatric brachial plexus tumors, especially in NF-1, and emphasizes the importance of thorough evaluation for this group. Swift diagnosis is crucial in pediatrics, enabling successful surgery for small lesions with limited neurological symptoms, improving long-term outcomes. Prompt referral to specialized services is urged for suspected masses, irrespective of neurological symptoms. Benign tumor postsurgical progression shows better outcomes than MPNSTs, with complete resection as the primary goal. Needle-guided biopsy is not recommended.

Keywords: BPNST; Brachial plexus; MPNST; Pediatric tumors; Peripheral nerve sheath tumors

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-024-06509-2

Mol Cancer Res. 2024 Jun 24.

Small-cell lung cancer neuronal features and their implications for tumor progression, metastasis, and therapy.

Griffin G Hartmann, Julien Sage.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an epithelial neuroendocrine form of lung cancer for which survival rates remain dismal and new therapeutic approaches are greatly needed. Key biological features of SCLC tumors include fast growth and widespread metastasis, as well as rapid resistance to treatment. Similar to pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, SCLC cells have traits of both hormone-producing cells and neurons. Here we specifically discuss the neuronal features of SCLC. We consider how neuronal G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and other neuronal molecules on the surface of SCLC cells can contribute to the growth of SCLC tumors and serve as therapeutic targets in SCLC. We also review recent evidence for the role of neuronal programs expressed by SCLC cells in the fast proliferation, migration, and metastasis of these cells. We further highlight how these neuronal programs may be particularly relevant for the development of brain metastases, and how they can assist SCLC cells to functionally interact with neurons and astrocytes. A greater understanding of the molecular and cellular neuronal features of SCLC is likely to uncover new vulnerabilities in SCLC cells, which may help develop novel therapeutic approaches. More generally, the epithelial-to-neuronal transition (ENT) observed during tumor progression in SCLC and other cancer types can contribute significantly to tumor development and response to therapy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-24-0265

Cancers (Basel). 2024 Jun 19. pii: 2272. [Epub ahead of print]16(12):

Predictive and Prognostic Factors in Melanoma Central Nervous System Metastases-A Cohort Study.

Estefania Serra, Álvaro Abarzua-Araya, Ana Arance, Roberto Martin-Huertas, Francisco Aya, María Lourdes Olondo, Daniel Rizo-Potau, Josep Malvehy, Susana Puig, Cristina Carrera, Sebastian Podlipnik.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is the cancer with the highest risk of dissemination to the central nervous system (CNS), one of the leading causes of mortality from this cancer.OBJECTIVE: To identify patients at higher risk of developing CNS metastases and to evaluate associated prognostic factors.
METHODS: A cohort study (1998-2023) assessed patients who developed CNS melanoma metastases. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictive factors at melanoma diagnosis for CNS metastasis. Cox regression analysis evaluated the CNS-independent metastasis-related variables impacting survival.
RESULTS: Out of 4718 patients, 380 (8.05%) developed CNS metastases. Multivariate logistic regression showed that a higher Breslow index, mitotic rate ≥ 1 mm2, ulceration, and microscopic satellitosis were significant risk factors for CNS metastasis development. Higher patient age and the location of the primary tumor in the upper or lower extremities were protective factors. In survival analysis, post-CNS metastasis, symptomatic disease, prior non-CNS metastases, CNS debut with multiple metastases, elevated LDH levels, and leptomeningeal involvement correlated with poorer survival.
CONCLUSION: Predictive factors in the primary tumor independently associated with brain metastases include microscopic satellitosis, ulceration, higher Breslow index, and trunk location. Prognostic factors for lower survival in CNS disease include symptomatic disease, multiple CNS metastases, and previous metastases from different sites.

Keywords: brain metastases; cutaneous melanoma; melanoma; microscopic satellitosis; prognostic factors; risk factors; survival analysis

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16122272