We performed a meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) to compare the therapeutic efficacy and adverse events (AEs) of balloon-occluded transarterial chemoembolization (B-TACE) with conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE) in treating early-to-intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The aim of the present systematic review is to assess the effectiveness of nuclear medicine methods to improve the diagnostic accuracy of stereotactic brain biopsies (SBB).

Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) presenting defective mismatch repair (dMMR) and/or high index of microsatellite instability (MSI-H) are suitable candidates for immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab. However, the use of these ICIs as neoadjuvant treatment for non-metastatic and metastatic CRCs with these specific molecular alterations is still controversial. Thus, this systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42021258676) evaluated the benefits, toxicity profile, and clinical outcomes of pembrolizumab and nivolumab as neoadjuvant therapy for CRC with dMMR and/or MSI-H. For this, MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct databases were used. Twenty-five case reports and four randomized clinical trials were included, and the main outcomes analyzed were overall survival, progression-free survival, pathological response through RECIST 1.1, and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, respectively. In general, the evaluated studies were well conducted according to the assessment tools, and the evidence suggests that combinations of nivolumab plus ipilimumab were more effective to treat metastatic CRC with dMMR and/or MSI-H than nivolumab alone. Regarding pembrolizumab, clinical evidence demonstrated its safety and efficiency for patients with this subtype of CRC in metastatic and locally advanced stages. This review indicates therapeutic promising potential of ICIs for patients with dMMR and/or MSI-H CRCs. Additionally, alterations in PI3K and JAK pathways are important mechanisms of resistance and represent an opportunity for the development of new drugs. Therefore, molecular investigations should be performed to uncover causes of therapeutic failure.

Modern surgical guidance in laparoscopic colon cancer procedures could be enhanced by visualizing lymphatic flow during surgery, already helping surgeons in determining the precise extent of digestive resection and could be useful in lymphadenectomy. Related to oncological procedure, lymphadenectomy is mandatory to assess the extension of the disease. To explore this approach, the objective of this review is to examine the use of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging for real-time in vivo identification of lymphatic flow and especially sentinel nodes in patients undergoing elective surgery for colorectal cancer.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) carries significant global mortality rates. Brush cytology presents a potential adjunctive tool for early detection and monitoring of OSCC and oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). This study aims to systematically evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of cytology for detecting OSCC and OPMDs compared to histopathology as the reference standard. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA-DTA guidelines.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks as the sixth most prevalent malignant neoplasm globally and represents the third-leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Epidemiological data indicate that 80-90% of HCC cases demonstrate documented progression from hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis. This fibrotic-carcinogenic continuum represents a complex multistep pathological cascade, with mechanistic insights being progressively revealed through contemporary investigations.

To investigate survival differences based on MRD status at different landmarks and tumor staging in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following surgical resection.

Skeletal muscle index (SMI), a measure of muscle mass derived from pretreatment imaging, has emerged as a potential prognostic factor in cancer. Its role in non-metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC), where curative treatment is possible, remains underexplored.

Evaluating the risk of metastasis at diagnosis and the likelihood of future recurrence is crucial for the effective management of endometrial cancer (EC). While conventional prognostic indicators hold importance, they often fall short in predicting recurrence, especially in low-risk patients. This study evaluates the prognostic value of the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in EC patients.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy in men. While prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening aids early detection, its low specificity leads to unnecessary biopsies and overdiagnosis of low-grade cancers. Blood- and urine-based biomarkers are proposed by clinical guidelines to better identify patients with elevated PSA that can safely avoid more intensive testing (e.g. imaging, biopsy). The current article aims to provide clinicians and researchers with a contemporary assessment of prostate cancer biomarker tests.

To better understand the role of hormone therapy (HT) with postoperative radiotherapy (RT) for nonmetastatic prostate cancer, the DADSPORT Collaboration planned a systematic review and meta-analysis of aggregate data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) chemotherapy is used commonly for pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (pHL) in low- and middle-income countries. The role of radiotherapy (RT) after ABVD in pHL is uncertain.

Aggressive thyroid carcinomas are rare malignancies characterized by a high impact on patient's lives and poor prognosis. The available literature is scarce presenting divergent data concerning the clinical outcomes, prognostic factors and variable mutational signature studies. We aim to collect data from the literature and assemble a systematic review. The literature from 2007 until May 2025 was searched using PubMed. Studies bearing data concerning clinical aspects, prognostic outcomes, or molecular characteristics of differentiated high-grade (DHGTC), poorly differentiated (PDTC), and anaplastic thyroid carcinomas (ATC) were retrieved. Original articles in English, ethically conducted on human patients, were selected. From 688 articles, 39 were included. DHGTC has a good 5-year survival rate (5YSR) of 76%, 23.18% metastasis rate, 42.23%, lymph node involvement (LNI), 61.44% extrathyroidal extension (ETE), majority being diagnosed in stage III. PDTC has an intermediate 5YSR of 65.71%, 21.17% distant metastasis, 32.22% LNI, and 55.19% ETE, majority diagnosed in stage III. ATC has a grim 2-year survival rate of 11.15%, 42.15% metastasis, 44.14%, LNI, and 58.51% ETE, majority presented in stage IV-B. Mutational profiling shows that each carcinoma has its unique set of molecular alterations. Most positive prognostic comes for DHGTC, then PDTC, and finally, ATC.

Metachronous gastric lesions (MGLs) are a significant concern after endoscopic resection (ER) for precancerous lesions and early gastric cancers (EGCs). The follow-up strategy for the development of MGLs after ER remains unclear. The aim of this study was to compare the trend in the cumulative MGL incidence after ER and to identify risk factors of MGLs.

Recent research suggests a link between KRAS mutations and the effectiveness of ICIs, as KRAS-driven tumors may possess unique immunogenic features that influence the tumor microenvironment. These mutations can increase tumor mutation burden (TMB) and neoantigen load, potentially leading to improved responses to ICIs. This meta-analysis aims to consolidate existing evidence on the impact of KRAS mutations as a predictive factor for survival and treatment outcomes in patients with advanced NSCLC treated with ICIs. A comprehensive search strategy was designed by a biostatistician and pulmonologist, targeting PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases up to May 2022. The outcomes assessed included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), reported as log hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding standard errors (SEs). A pooled estimate of the HR effect size was calculated using Review Manager (RevMan, Cochrane Collaboration, London, UK). Heterogeneity among studies was evaluated using the Cochran Q test and the I2 statistic. Ultimately, 10 articles were deemed suitable for inclusion in the systematic review from a total of 8722 screened titles and abstracts. The presence of KRAS+ mutations had a significant prognostic factor for better OS in NSCLC patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors (HR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.79-0.99) and for better PFS in NSCLC patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87). In conclusion, our study indicates that KRAS mutations may serve as a potential positive predictive biomarker in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy.

Although cytokines mediate inflammation and inflammation facilitates cancer progression, few studies have evaluated the association between specific cytokines and the prognostic value of breast cancer. Therefore, this study aims to address the following question: What is the prognostic relevance of serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels on overall survival and treatment response in women with breast cancer? A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies was conducted. The databases consulted included PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and EMBASE. A total of 1748 articles were identified, of which 10 were included in the review. A significant association was found between elevated levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha with poor overall survival and poor treatment response. The meta-analysis showed an HR of 3.74 (95% CI: 1.84-7.6) for elevated IL-6 with high heterogeneity (I2: 61%; p = 0.07) and an HR of 3.13 (95% CI: 1.57-6.23) for TNF-alpha with low heterogeneity (I2: 0%; p = 0.9). The overall response rate was 75% (95% CI: 31-100%; I2: 92%). In conclusion, IL-6 and TNF-alpha emerge as prognostic inflammatory biomarkers in women with breast cancer and are associated with poor survival and poor treatment response. This study highlights the need to establish an international consensus on cutoff points and standardized determination methods to implement these biomarkers in clinical practice.

Purpose: To investigate associations between 18F-FDG-PET/CT semiquantitative and radiomic features with pathologic axillary lymph node (ALN) status in stages I-III breast cancer patients. Methods: A search was conducted across MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases. Quality assessment was performed with QUADAS-2 and the radiomics quality score (RQS). Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results: Most studies were retrospective cohort studies (27/28) and reported only on semiquantitative features (26/28). Most studies were at high risk of bias in patient selection (22/28) and feature extraction (26/28). Semiquantitative features included maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumour volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). Although associations between tumour semiquantitative features and ALN status were reported, the mean/median reported values of tumour SUVmax (3.2-8.6 vs. 2.4-9.4), MTV (2.7-19.2 vs. 1.9-10.5), and TLG (10.6-59.3 vs. 5.6-29.6) in ALN+ vs. ALN- patients were inconsistent between studies. Fourteen studies reported a significantly higher ALN SUVmax in ALN+ patients. Two studies developed models using tumour radiomic features with high accuracy for predicting ALN metastases (81.2% and 80%) but scored low on the RQS. Conclusions: Feature-based analysis of PET/CT demonstrates potential for predicting pathologic ALN status in breast cancer patients. However, establishing a clinically meaningful relationship requires higher quality evidence.

The existence of intraoral basal cell carcinoma (IOBCC) remains controversial, despite reported cases in the literature.

This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound (US)-based artificial intelligence (AI) in assessing cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of oncologic death worldwide. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms that underpin its pathogenesis is essential for identifying novel therapeutic targets. Pseudogenes have historically been regarded as non-functional genomic vestiges but have gained recognition for their contributory roles in the oncogenesis of CRC.