BackgroundSERPINE1 has attracted considerable attention in tumor biology, but its clinical importance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is not yet clear. We therefore examined whether SERPINE1 expression is related to survival in patients with HNSCC.MethodsWe searched three major databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library) and identified observational studies reporting survival outcomes in relation to SERPINE1 expression through November 11, 2024. From eligible reports we extracted data on progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS) and disease-free survival (DFS), and calculated pooled hazard ratios (HRs) using random-effects models.ResultsEleven studies including 733 individuals with HNSCC met the inclusion criteria. Across these cohorts, higher SERPINE1 expression was consistently linked with shorter OS (HR 2.81, P = 0.003) and shorter DFS (HR 1.57, P = 0.004). In contrast, no clear associations were observed for PFS or DSS (P ≥ 0.05).ConclusionCurrent evidence suggests that increased SERPINE1 expression is associated with an unfavorable prognosis in HNSCC, particularly for OS and DFS. Larger prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and to determine how SERPINE1 assessment might be incorporated into risk stratification and treatment planning for patients with HNSCC.

In younger, fit patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), intensive chemotherapy (IC) followed by consolidation or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the standard approach. The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate younger patients with AML treated with hypomethylating agents (HMA) plus venetoclax.

Radiation therapy is a cornerstone of treatment for solid tumors, yet it often induces lymphopenia, a condition linked to poorer clinical outcomes. This scoping review synthesizes evidence from systematic reviews to evaluate the prognostic impact of severe radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) on overall survival (OS) in patients with solid tumors. A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Cochrane Central, and EMBASE using the following keywords: "radiation," "lymphopenia," "solid tumors," "survival AND mortality," and "systematic review AND meta-analysis," up to November 30, 2023. Reviews reporting the prognostic relationship between RIL and survival were included, and pooled adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses examined the impact of grade 3 or higher RIL across different tumor types. Of 21 identified reviews, 10 were included, covering 93 studies and 11,565 patients. The adjusted incidence rate of severe lymphopenia averaged 26.7% (range: 18.6-88.0%). The pooled aHR for OS was 1.72 (95% CI: 1.33-1.87) for grade ≥3 RIL versus grade 0-2 RIL, and 1.59 (95% CI: 1.31-1.92) for grade 4 RIL versus grade 0-3 RIL. Significant prognostic effects were observed in esophageal, head and neck, pancreatic, cervical, central nervous system, and lung cancers. Genitourinary tumors showed associations with medium-high radiation doses to pelvic and iliac bone marrow. Severe RIL consistently predicts poorer OS, emphasizing the need for prospective studies to address RIL prevention and management, especially in the era of immunotherapy.

Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection is a major risk factor for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and cervical cancer. Although HPV vaccines effectively prevent infections with vaccine-covered HPV types, they do not eliminate established infections. Additionally, not all HPV types associated with cervical cancer are covered by the vaccine. Therefore, treatment strategies for HPV-related cervical lesions remain an important clinical challenge. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library to identify studies evaluating the efficacy of focused ultrasound in treating HPV and cervical low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL). Ten eligible observational studies were included. Study quality was assessed using the MINORS criteria, and evidence quality was evaluated based on GRADE guidelines. A meta-analysis was performed using Stata 12.0 software. Focused ultrasound treatment led to HPV clearance in 74% of cases (ES = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.64-0.85, P < 0.001). Additionally, 94% of women with LSIL histology before treatment had a normal cervical biopsy at follow-up (ES = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.92-0.97, P < 0.001), and 87% of women with abnormal ThinPrep cytology (TCT) results had normal cytology at follow-up (ES = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.78-0.96, P < 0.001). Compared to the observation group, focused ultrasound treatment was significantly more effective in clearing HPV (OR = 3.58, 95% CI: 2.21-5.81, P < 0.001). Similarly, focused ultrasound was superior to interferon treatment for HPV clearance (OR = 4.22, 95% CI: 1.12-15.96, P = 0.034). The quality of evidence across studies was rated as low to moderate. This meta-analysis demonstrates that focused ultrasound achieves a 74% HPV clearance rate and 94% LSIL resolution in women with cervical LSIL and concurrent hrHPV infection. While superior to observation and interferon, the evidence remains low-to-moderate due to the observational nature and geographic concentration of included studies. Future multicenter RCTs are essential to validate these results and assess long-term outcomes, including recurrence and obstetric safety.

Background/Objective: Although most melanocytic lesions are diagnosed as benign or malignant by histopathologic evaluation, with or without the aid of immunohistochemistry, diagnosis may remain uncertain in a minority of cases. Assessment of copy number abnormalities (CNAs) may provide sufficient additional evidence to favor either a benign or malignant diagnosis in both pediatric and adult cases and in melanocytic lesions of various subtypes, including Spitzoid, mucosal, and acral. CNAs are common in melanomas, while they are rare, with few exceptions, in benign lesions. Detection of CNAs by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and chromosomal microarray (CMA) has been well established for melanocytic lesions, with advantages and disadvantages for each. The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the utility of CNA testing for the diagnosis of melanoma, across subtypes, when a lesion remains ambiguous after histopathologic and immunohistochemical assessment. In addition, the utility of CNAs to determine prognosis in established diagnoses of melanoma was also evaluated. Methods: The Cancer Genomics Consortium Working Group for Melanocytic Lesions reviewed published data from January 1998 through September 2022 of CNAs in melanocytic lesions detected by either FISH or CMA and conducted a meta-analysis of the findings. Results: Specific abnormalities common in primary cutaneous melanomas of various subtypes and uveal melanomas were enumerated. Differences in CNAs found in primary versus metastatic lesions were also determined, and published evidence for prognosis was summarized. Conclusions: The working group established evidence-based recommendations for the use of CNA testing for evaluation of ambiguous melanocytic lesions.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy represents a promising frontier in oncology, but its application to high-grade gliomas (HGG) is challenged by the blood-brain barrier, limited efficacy, and significant toxicities associated with systemic administration. Locoregional delivery has the potential to address these shortcomings. This systematic review evaluates the safety and efficacy of locoregional vs systemic CAR-T cell delivery for HGG.

Modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) is one of the latest advancements in the field of oncological hyperthermia. Previous studies investigating mEHT revealed that it is safe and effective; however, no meta-analysis was conducted either in cervical or ovarian cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with standard chemotherapy (CT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) have shown promising results in recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for advanced or recurrent cervical cancer (CC). However, comprehensive evidence is needed to evaluate their efficacy and safety, particularly in the context of patient subgroups and immune response mechanisms. This meta-analysis aimed to synthesize data from RCTs and apply trial sequential analysis (TSA) to validate findings.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has a poor prognosis, largely due to immune escape. The programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptor and its ligand, PD-L1, play critical roles in this immune evasion. Consequently, blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway with immune checkpoint inhibitors has become an established therapeutic strategy.

Esophageal cancer exhibits peak incidence in Asia and Africa, representing the sixth most common malignancy and seventh leading cause of global cancer mortality. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) constitutes 90% of esophageal cancer cases. The European Medicines Agency approved programmed death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors plus chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for high PD-1-expressing ESCC.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains a clinically aggressive and lethal disease. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), as a minimally invasive biomarker, has shown prognostic utility in several solid tumors. However, its clinical relevance in mCRPC has not been comprehensively elucidated.

Microsatellite instability (MSI), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positivity are emerging biomarkers in gastric cancer prognosis and treatment selection, particularly in immunotherapy. This review evaluates their prognostic significance through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The International System for Reporting Serous Fluid Cytopathology (TIS) provides a standardized framework for classifying serous fluid cytology into five diagnostic categories: nondiagnostic, negative for malignancy, atypical, suspicious for malignancy, and malignant. Although TIS has been widely adopted for pleural and peritoneal fluids, its application in pericardial effusion cytology remains limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of TIS in pericardial effusion samples and estimate the associated risk of malignancy for each category.

To evaluate whether the omission of axillary surgery impacts clinical outcomes in patients with early-stage breast cancer and clinically negative lymph nodes.

The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the false-negative rate (FNR) of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) performed in patients with early-stage cervical cancer (ECC), and to study the risk factors affecting FNR.

This network meta-analysis aimed to compare and rank the efficacy and safety of acupuncture-related therapies (ARTs) for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in improving insulin resistance (IR), reproductive endocrine outcomes, and ovarian morphology.

This study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immunotherapy combination regimens in locally advanced resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and evaluate the pros and cons of different regimens and their impacts on survival by integrating network meta-analysis (NMA) and real world studies (RWS). ESCC accounts for approximately 90% of global esophageal cancer cases, with over half occurring in China. Although neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy improves prognosis, unmet clinical needs persist; the optimal neoadjuvant immunotherapy regimen remains controversial. Current large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) suffer from limited sample sizes and fail to adequately reflect the treatment realities of patients in the Chinese real-world setting.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The majority of patients with HCC are diagnosed at an advanced stage, resulting in limited treatment options. In recent years, numerous clinical trials have confirmed that immunotherapy, particularly anti-programmed cell death 1 (anti-PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), has emerged as a promising treatment for advanced HCC. However, in real-world practice, the clinical efficacy of adding immunotherapy to locoregional therapies remains unknown, representing a knowledge gap.

Ovarian cancer (OC) remains one of the most lethal gynecologic malignancies, with nearly 80% of patients diagnosed at advanced stages due to the absence of early symptoms and the nonspecific nature of later clinical manifestations. This highlights the urgent need for robust molecular biomarkers that can refine patient stratification and guide personalized therapeutic approaches. A major determinant of OC aggressiveness is the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a transcriptionally driven program that represses epithelial identity while promoting mesenchymal traits, thereby enhancing invasion, dissemination, recurrence, and resistance to therapy. EMT dysregulation is widespread in OC and fuels tumor heterogeneity, metastatic spread, and chemoresistance. To investigate the contribution of EMT-related genes in OC biology, we analyzed whole-genome sequencing and RNA-seq data from 419 patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Pan-Cancer Atlas, assessing their genomic and transcriptomic alterations. We integrated these findings with transcriptomic and drug-sensitivity data from the CTRPv2 portal, performing Pearson correlation analyses to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities associated with EMT gene expression. Our analysis identifies recurrent genomic and transcriptomic alterations across several EMT-associated genes. Notably, we identified a four-EMT gene signature (EFNA1, OVOL2, GATA3, and DSG2) whose expression correlates with differential sensitivity to VEGFR and EGFR inhibitors in OC cell lines. Overall, these results suggest that EMT-driven molecular changes contribute to the onset and progression of OC and highlight a subset of EMT genes as promising predictive biomarkers for targeted therapy responses.

The combination of disitamab vedotin (DV), a novel human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeting antibody-drug conjugate, with immunotherapy represents a promising strategy for locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. However, comprehensive evidence regarding its efficacy and safety is lacking. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize available data on this combination regimen.