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PURPOSE To present a summary of the recommendations for the treatment and follow-up for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) as acquired through a questionnaire administered to 99 physicians working in the field of prostate cancer in developing countries who attended the Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference for Developing Countries. METHODS A total of 106 questions out of more than 300 questions addressed the use of imaging in staging mCRPC, treatment recommendations across availability and response to prior drug treatments, appropriate drug treatments, and follow-up, and those same scenarios when limited resources needed to be considered. Responses were compiled and the percentages were presented by clinicians to support each response. Most questions had five to seven relevant options for response including abstain and/or unqualified to answer, or in the case of yes or no questions, the option to abstain was offered. RESULTS Most of the recommendations from this panel were in line with prior consensus, including the preference of a new antiandrogen for first-line therapy of mCRPC. Important aspects highlighted in the scenario of limited resources included the option of docetaxel as treatment preference as first-line treatment in several scenarios, docetaxel retreatment, consideration for reduced doses of abiraterone, and alternative schedules of an osteoclast-targeted therapy. CONCLUSION There was wide-ranging consensus in the treatment for men with mCRPC in both optimal and limited resource settings.

PURPOSE To present a summary of the recommendations for the treatment and follow-up for the biochemical recurrence of castration-resistant prostate cancer (PCa) as acquired through a questionnaire administered at the Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference for Developing Countries. METHODS A total of 27 questions were identified as relating to this topic. Responses from the clinician were tallied and are presented in percentage format. Topics included the use of imaging in staging, treatment recommendations across different patient scenarios of life expectancy and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) doubling time, and follow-up for nonmetastatic castration-resistant PCa. RESULTS A consensus agreed that in optimal conditions, positron emission tomography-computed tomography with prostate-specific membrane antigen would be used although in limited resource situations the combined use of CT of the abdomen and pelvic (or pelvic MRI), a bone scan, and a CT of the thorax or chest x-ray was recommended. In cases when PSA levels double in < 10 months, more than 90% of clinicians agreed on the use of apalutamide or enzalutamide, regardless of life expectancy. With a doubling time of more than 10 months, > 54% of experts recommended no treatment independent of life expectancy. More than half of the experts, regardless of resources, recommended follow-up with a physical examination and PSA levels every 3-6 months and imaging only in the case of symptoms. CONCLUSION The voting results and recommendations presented in this document can be used by physicians to support management for biochemical recurrence of castration-resistant PCa in areas of limited resources. Individual clinical decision making should be supported by available data.

Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and immunotherapy improved survival in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Disparities in treatment access are present in healthcare systems globally. The aim of this study was to analyze survival outcomes of mRCC patients treated with first-line TKIs in the public (PHS) and private (PrS) health system in a Brazilian Cancer Center. Materials and Methods: Records from all mRCC patients treated with first-line TKIs from 2007-2018 were reviewed retrospectively. Categorial variables were compared by Fisher's exact test. Survival was estimated by Kaplan-Maier method and survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Prognostic factors were adjusted by Cox regression model. Results: Of the 171 eligible patients, 37 (21.6%) were PHS patients and 134 (78.4%) were PrS patients. There were no difference in age, gender, or sites of metastasis. PHS patients had worse performance status (ECOG ≥2, 35.1% vs. 13.5%, p=0.007), poorer risk score (IMDC poor risk, 32.4% vs. 16.4%, p=0.09), and less nephrectomies (73% vs. 92.5%, p=0.003) than PrS patients. Median lines of therapy was one for PHS versus two for PrS patients (p=0.03). Median overall survival (OS) was 16.5 versus 26.5 months (p=0.002) and progression-free survival (PFS), 8.4 versus 11 months (p=0.01) for PHS and PrS patients, respectively. After adjusting for known prognostic factors on multivariate analysis, PHS patients still had a higher risk of death (HR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.01-2.56, p=0.047). Conclusion: Patients with mRCC treated via the PHS had worse overall survival, possibly due to poorer prognosis at presentation and less drug access.

At the 2018 Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium, sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, significant advances in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were announced. In intermediate-stage disease (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B), interest in combining transarterial chemoembolization and sorafenib has been reignited as a consequence of the TACTICS trial. In advanced-stage disease (BCLC C), external-beam radiotherapy combined with transarterial chemoembolization proved to be superior to sorafenib in patients with portal vein thrombosis according to the START trial. Also, in patients with advanced-stage HCC, the CELESTIAL trial demonstrated survival benefits for patients undergoing treatment with cabozantinib in the second-line setting. Lastly, recent data on the activity of pembrolizumab in patients with HCC highlight the role of immunotherapy in the management of this disease in the years to come.

Background Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play an important role in progression and metastasis, particularly in form of cluster, which is called circulating tumor microemboli (CTM), and can be found in the peripheral blood of cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of CTCs and CTM, and its influence on tumor progression in lung cancer patients. Methods CTCs were isolated by Isolation by Size of Epithelial Tumor cells (ISET®) Technology. The samples of metastatic lung cancer patients were collected before the beginning of systemic chemotherapy. CTCs and CTM were identified according to their morphological features. Results Fifteen patients were analyzed. Patients who had CTM in blood previously the beginning of systemic therapy had poor progression-free survival (PFS) compared to those with absence of CTM, although without statistical significance (median PFS 3.1 months × 6.7 months, p = 0.29). Moreover, patients without any prior treatment had less than 3 CTCs/mL compared to patients previously exposed to chemotherapy, who had 3 CTCs/mL or more (p = 0.31). Additionally, these patients, with prior treatment, showed poor PFS, compared to chemo-naive patients, although without statistical significance (mean PFS: 4.6 months × 7.3 months, p = 0.47). Conclusions We identified, even in a limited number of samples, that an elevated baseline levels of CTCs and the presence of CTM were associated with poor prognosis in patients with metastatic lung cancer. In addition, we showed that an increase of CTCs counts could indicate a pre-existing resistance. However, further studies with a large cohort are needed to support this information.

Introduction We evaluated overall survival (OS) benefit of complete metastasectomy (CM) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) using a propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis to balance groups by age, gender and by the International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium prognostic model (IMDC). Methods We included patients (pts) treated at the AC Camargo Cancer Center between 2007 and 2016. Pairs were matched by age, gender and IMDC. Kaplan–Meier survival estimates and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate OS on CM and no-CM group. Results We found 116 pts with clear cell mRCC. After PSM, the number was reduced to 74 (37 CM, 37 no-CM). The median OS for CM and no-CM was 98.3 months and 40.5 months, respectively (hazard ratio 0.24 95%CI 0.11–0.53 p < 0.001). The OS benefit of CM was confirmed on favourable and intermediate IMDC but was absent on poor IMDC. The CM group received less systemic therapy than the no-CM group. Ten pts in the CM group still have no evidence of disease (NED). Conclusion After matching for age, gender and IMDC, we found CM impacts on OS and also diminishes the need for systemic treatment. Survival benefit was confirmed for favourable/intermediate IMDC but not for the poor IMDC prognostic model. Further studies correlating IMDC and metastasectomy are needed to guide clinical decision-making.

Circulating tumor cells are important markers of tumor progression and can reflect tumor behavior in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Identification of proteins that confer resistance to treatment is an important step to predict response and better selection of treatment for patients. Multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) and Multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 (MRP4) play a role in irinotecan-resistance, and Excision Repair Cross-Complementation group 1 (ERCC1) expression can confer resistance to platinum compounds. Here, we included 34 patients with mCRC and most of them received FOLFIRI or FOLFOX chemotherapy (91.1%). CTCs were isolated by ISET(®) Technology and identified in 30 patients (88.2%), with a median of 2.0 CTCs/mL (0-31.0). We analyzed the immunocytochemical expression of MRP1, MRP4 and ERCC1 only in patients who had previously detectable CTCs, accordingly to treatment received (n = 19, 15 and 13 patients, respectively). Among patients treated with irinotecan-based chemotherapy, 4 out of 19 cases with MRP1 positive CTCs showed a worse progression free survival (PFS) in comparison to those with MRP1 negative CTCs (2.1 months vs. 9.1 months; p = 0.003). None of the other proteins studied in CTCs had significant association with PFS. We analyzed also histological sections of primary tumors and metastases by immunohistochemistry, and found no association with clinicopathological characteristics or with PFS. Our results show MRP1 as a potential biomarker of resistance to treatment with irinotecan when found in CTCs from mCRC patients. This is a small proof-of-principle study and these early findings need to be validated in a larger cohort of patients.

There are few reported cases in the literature of metastasis to the appendix. A 44-year-old patient presented with abdominal pain and changes in the bowel pattern. Thoracic and abdominal computed tomography scans evidenced pulmonary and liver nodules. The pulmonary nodule was biopsied and the hematoxylin-and-eosin (HE) stained slides showed an adenocarcinoma. The immunohistochemistry profile demonstrated positivity for CK7 and TTF-1. The patient underwent an appendectomy. HE stained slides also demonstrated adenocarcinoma infiltrating the entire appendix wall along with the epithelial surface with immunohistochemistry study of the appendix neoplasm showing exactly the same results as seen in the first panel.

Virgílio Souza e Silva,1 Ludmilla Thomé Domingos Chinen,2 Emne A Abdallah,2 Aline Damascena,2 Jociana Paludo,3 Rubens Chojniak,3 Aldo Lourenço Abbade Dettino,1 Celso Abdon Lopes deMello,1 Vanessa S Alves,2 Marcello F Fanelli1 1Department of Clinical Oncology, 2International Research Center, 3Image Department, A. C. Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, Brazil Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer worldwide. New prognostic markers are needed to identify patients with poorer prognosis, and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) seem to be promising to accomplish this.Patients and methods: A prospective study was conducted by blood collection from patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC), three times, every 2months in conjunction with image examinations for evaluation of therapeutic response. CTC isolation and counting were performed by Isolation by Size of Epithelial Tumor Cells (ISET).Results: A total of 54 patients with mCRC with a mean age of 57.3years (31–82 years) were included. Among all patients, 60% (n=32) were carriers of wild-type KRAS (WT KRAS) tumors and 90% of them (n=29) were exposed to monoclonal antibodies along with systemic treatment. Evaluating CTC kinetics, when we compared the baseline (pretreatment) CTC level (CTC1) with the level at first follow-up (CTC2), we observed that CTC1-positive patients (CTCs above the median), who became negative (CTCs below the median) had a favorable evolution (n=14), with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 14.7months. This was higher than that for patients with an unfavorable evolution (CTC1– that became CTC2+; n=13, 6.9months; P=0.06). Patients with WT KRAS with favorable kinetics had higher PFS (14.7months) in comparison to those with WT KRAS with unfavorable kinetics (9.4months; P=0.02). Moreover, patients whose imaging studies showed radiological progression had an increased quantification of CTCs at CTC2 compared to those without progression (P=0.04).Conclusion: This study made possible the presentation of ISET as a feasible tool for evaluating CTC kinetics in patients with mCRC, which can be promising in their clinical evaluation. Keywords: circulating tumor cells, metastatic colorectal cancer, kinetics, ISET

Burnout syndrome is a common occurrence among oncologists. Doctors enrolled in residency programs in clinical oncology are exposed to similar risk factors; however, few data are available in this population. This study assessed the occurrence of burnout and associated factors among first-year residents at Brazilian institutions. The present prospective, multicenter, cohort study was conducted with doctors enrolled in residency programs in clinical oncology at Brazilian institutions affiliated with the public health system. The participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Lipp's Stress Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), upon admission to the program and 6 and 12 months later. Of 37 eligible residency programs in 2009, 11 (30.6 %) agreed to participate in the study. Fifty-four residents, representing 100 % of new admissions to the participating institutions, were included. Most of the participants met the criteria for severe burnout upon admission to the residency programs (emotional exhaustion in 49.0 % and depersonalization in 64.7 %). The scores on MBI domains emotional exhaustion and depersonalization increased significantly (p

We studied the effect of oral and portal vein administration of alloantigens on mouse skin allograft survival. Graft receptor BALB/c mice received spleen cells (30, 90, 150 or 375 x 10(6)) from donor C57BL/6 mice intragastrically on three successive days, starting seven days before the skin graft. Allograft survival was significantly increased with the feeding of 150 x 10(6) allogeneic spleen cells by one gavage (median survival of 12 vs 14 days, P< or =0.005) or when 300 x 10(6) cells were given in six gavage (12 vs 14 days, P

Thymidylate synthase (TYMS) is an important enzyme for 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) metabolism in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. The search for this enzyme in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be a powerful tool to follow‐up cancer patients. mCRC patients were enrolled before the beginning of 5‐FU‐based chemotherapy. The blood was filtered on Isolation by Size of Epithelial Tumor Cells (ISET), and the analysis of TYMS expression in CTCs was made by immunocytochemistry. Additionally, we verified TYMS staining in primary tumors and metastases from the same patients. There were included 54 mCRC patients and 47 of them received 5‐FU‐based chemotherapy. The median CTCs number was 2 per mL. We were not able to analyze immunocytochemistry in 13 samples (9 patients with absence of CTCs and 4 samples due to technical reasons). Therefore, TYMS expression on CTCs was analyzed in 34 samples and was found positive in 9 (26.5%). Six of these patients had tumor progression after treatment with 5‐FU. We found an association between CTC TYMS staining and disease progression (DP), although without statistical significance (P = 0.07). TYMS staining in primary tumors and metastases tissues did not have any correlation with disease progression (P = 0.67 and P = 0.42 respectively). Patients who had CTC count above the median (2 CTCs/mL) showed more TYMS expression (P = 0.02) correlating with worse prognosis. Our results searching for TYMS staining in CTCs, primary tumors and metastases suggest that the analysis of TYMS can be useful tool as a 5‐FU resistance predictor biomarker if analyzed in CTCs from mCRC patients., What's new? Currently, the common treatment strategy for metastatic colorectal cancer patients is 5‐Fluorouracil‐based chemotherapy, which shows high efficacy in a subset of patients. Even those patients, however, can experience disease progression due to 5‐FU resistance. There are indications that the DNA replication and repair enzyme thymidylate synthase (TYMS) may be involved. Here, the authors set to measure circulating tumor cells levels and search for TYMS staining to correlate these findings with clinical outcome. The results suggest that circulating tumor cells represent a powerful tool to follow up 5‐FU resistance in metastatic colorectal cancer patients in real time, by TYMS expression analysis.

CONTEXT: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progresses to distant metastases in most cases. The most frequent sites for distant metastases are the bones, central nervous system, adrenal glands and liver. Dissemination to the skin, myocardium, thyroid gland and intestine may occur, but is rare. CASE REPORT: We describe a case of squamous cell carcinoma in the lungs, with metastases in the colon and thyroid, in a 66-year-old female patient. The lesion was unresectable and chemotherapy was started. The patient evolved with intestinal subocclusion, and colonoscopy showed the presence of a polyp. Biopsy and immunohistochemical analysis on the polyp showed that it was compatible with squamous cell carcinoma of pulmonary origin. At a follow-up consultation, the patient presented a thyroid nodule. A aspiration biopsy and cellblock immunohistochemistry confirmed the squamous cell carcinoma of pulmonary origin. After third-line chemotherapy, the patient progressed with acute obstructive abdomen due to a retroperitoneal mass. She underwent exploratory laparotomy and died due to surgical complications. Metastases to the thyroid and colon are rarely reported in cases of epidermoid carcinoma of the lungs. Gastrointestinal involvement in pulmonary metastases may affect the stomach, small intestine and colon, and cases of bleeding and perforation have already been reported. Although richly vascularized, the thyroid is an infrequent site for metastases. Such sites reflect poor prognoses for the clinical evolution. We did not find any previous reports in the literature, on lung cancer with metastases concomitantly in the colon and thyroid, in a single patient.

A linfangite pulmonar neoplásica (LPN) é a disseminação intrapulmonar de células neoplásicas metastáticas via vasos linfáticos, englobando 6 a 8% das metástases pulmonares. Seu desconforto sintomático tem grande impacto na qualidade de vida (QdV) e seu prognóstico é muito reservado. Nosso objetivo foi avaliar os aspectos clínicos, o tratamento, a QdV e a sobrevida em LPN, em um estudo prospectivo. O seguimento mediano foi de 32 dias; 79% dos pacientes foram seguidos por menos de 6 meses, devido a evolução desfavorável e óbito. A idade mediana dos pacientes foi de 60,5 anos; 65% eram mulheres. A maioria dos sítios primários de neoplasia foram pulmão e mama (88%). A QdV estava comprometida, mas podiam ter algum benefício terapêutico, especialmente com corticosteróides, e a quimioterapia melhorou a sobrevida. Algumas variáveis foram estatisticamente significantes para predizer o status de sobrevida em um mês: Karnofsky performance scale (KPS)>=60%, hemoglobina(Hb)>=10 g/dL, LPN unilateral, PO2>=60 mmHg, tratamento oncológico sistêmico e sem necessidade de ventilação assistida não-invasiva. Preditores significantes de maior sobrevida mediana foram: KPS>=60%, SpO2>=90%, Hb>=10 g/dL, sem hipoxemia (PO2>=60 mmHg), sem necessidade de oxigenioterapia, tratamento com opióide fraco, tratamento oncológico sistêmico e ausência de ventilação assistida. O tratamento sintomático deve ser ativo, oferecendo melhor QdV aos pacientes e familiares e o tratamento etiológico é importante. As avaliações de QdV facilitam a relação médico-paciente, além da informação prognostica ser crucial para ajudar na definição e planejamento terapêuticos, uma vez que análises de parâmetros de custo-benefício e metas realistas são essenciais para cuidados oncológicos paliativos de boa qualidade, especialmente em síndromes com prognóstico reservado, tal como a LPN. Our objective was to evaluate clinical aspects, treatment, QoL, and survival, in NPL in a prospective study. Median follow-up was of 32 days; 79% percent of patients were followed for less than 6 months, due to bad outcome. Median age was 60.5 years; 65% were female. Most primary tumor sites were lung and breast cancers (88%). QoL was compromised, but could have treatment benefit, especially with corticosteroids, and chemotherapy improved survival. Some variables were statistically significant for predicting survival status in one month, such as: Karnofsky performance scale (KPS)>=60%, hemoglobin>=10 g/dL, unilateral NPL, PO2>=60 mmHg, oncological systemic treatment, and no need for noninvasive assisted ventilation. Significant predictors of longer median survival were: KPS>=60%, SpO2>=90%, hemoglobin>=10 g/dL, without hypoxemia (PO2>=60 mmHg), no need for oxygen therapy, weak opioid treatment, systemic oncological treatment, and absence of assisted ventilation. Symptomatic treatment must be active, offering better QoL to patients and their families, and etiological treatment is important. QoL evaluation facilitates patient-physician relationship, and prognostic information is crucial to help in defining treatment plan, since cost-benefit parameter analysis and realistic goals are essential in good-quality palliative cancer care, especially for syndromes with poor prognosis, such as NPL.

INTRODUÇÃO E OBJETIVOS: O tratamento padrão do carcinoma urotelial não músculo invasivo da bexiga (CNMIB) consiste na ressecção transuretral do tumor vesical (RTU) seguida de terapia intravesical com Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Entretanto, cerca de 25-45% dos pacientes não apresentam benefício deste tratamento e, até o momento, não há biomarcadores validados para guiar a seleção de pacientes. A identificação de biomarcadores preditivos de resposta é de fundamental importância para maximizar o uso clínico do BCG em pacientes com maior chance de benefício e potencialmente reduzir o risco de desabastecimento do BCG. Os objetivos deste estudo foram identificar biomarcadores genômicos e caracterizar o mecanismo de benefício da imunoterapia com BCG no tratamento do CNMIB. MÉTODOS: Trinta e cinco pacientes portadores de CNMIB tratados com BCG intravesical no Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo entre 2009 e 2016 foram retrospectivamente identificados. Os pacientes foram classificados como BCG-responsivos (BCG-R) ou não-responsivos (BCG-NR) e material arquivado de tecido tumoral foi obtido para realização do sequenciamento do exoma total. A carga mutacional tumoral (tumor mutational burden; TMB) e a carga de neoantígenos (neoantigen load; NAL) foram correlacionadas com taxa de resposta (TR) e sobrevida livre de recorrência (SLR). A presença de mutações deletérias em genes de reparo de DNA (DDR) foi comparada entre os grupos BCG-R (N= 17) e BCG-NR (N= 18). RESULTADOS: TMB e NAL foram maiores no grupo BCG-R em comparação com BCG-NR, sendo a mediana do TMB de 4,9 vs. 2,8 mutações/Mb (P=0,017) e NAL 100 vs. 65 neoantígenos (P=0,032). Pacientes com alto TMB apresentaram maior TR e SLR em comparação com TMB baixo (TR 71% vs. 28%, P=0,011 e SLR 38 vs. 15 meses, P=0,009) e o mesmo foi observado em pacientes com NAL alto vs. baixo (TR 71% vs. 28%, P=0.011 e SLR 36 vs. 18.5 meses, xii P=0.017). A presença de mutações em genes DDR foi associada a melhor SLR (35.5 vs. 11 meses, P=0,017). CONCLUSÕES: Nesta coorte, melhores desfechos de tratamento com BCG intravesical foram observados em pacientes com TMB alto, NAL alto e mutação em genes DDR. Caso estes resultados sejam confirmados em estudos maiores, TMB pode ser validado como biomarcador preditivo de resposta ao BCG e eventualmente poderá ser incorporado a outros potenciais biomarcadores para maximizar resultados do tratamento. Além disto, os resultados deste estudo indicam que o BCG pode induzir resposta imune anti-tumoral através do reconhecimento de neoantígenos. Estes achados aumentam o entendimento dos mecanismos imunogênicos do BCG e suporta investigação clínica com imunoterapia para o CNMIB. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The standard of care therapy for high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) include complete transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) followed by intravesical therapy with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). However, 25-45% of the patients will not benefit from BCG immunotherapy and, to date, there is no validated predictive biomarker to guide patient selection. The identification of predictive biomarkers is critical to maximize clinical use in patients more likely to benefit from therapy and potentially reduce the risk of BCG supply shortages. The objectives of this study are to identify genomic biomarkers and characterize the underlying mechanism of benefit from BCG immunotherapy in NMIBC. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 35 patients with NMIBC treated with TURBT and intravesical BCG immunotherapy from 2009 to 2016 at the Instituto do Cancer do Estado de São Paulo. Patients were classified as BCG- responsive (BCG-R) and BCG-unresponsive (BCG-UR) and pre-treatment archival index-tumors were obtained for whole-exome sequencing analysis. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) and neoantigen load (NAL) were correlated with BCG response rate (RR) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). The presence of deleterious mutations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes was also compared between BCG-responsive (BCG-R, N= 17) and unresponsive (BCG-UR, N= 18) subgroups. RESULTS: Tumor mutational burden and neoantigen load were higher in BCG-R compared to BCG-UR patients (median TMB 4.9 vs. 2.8 mutations/Mb, P=0.017 and median NAL 100 vs. 65 neoantigens, P=0.032). Improved response rate and recurrence-free survival were observed in patients with high vs. low TMB (RR 71% vs. 28%, P=0.011 and RFS 38.0 vs. 15.0 months, P=0.009) and with high vs. low NAL (RR 71% vs. 28%, P=0.011 and RFS 36.0 vs. 18.5 months, P=0.017). The presence of deleterious mutations in DDR genes was associated with improved RFS (35.5 vs. 11.0 months, P=0.017). CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort, improved outcomes after BCG xiv immunotherapy were observed in patients with high TMB, high NAL and deleterious mutations in DDR genes. If these results are confirmed in larger cohorts, TMB could be a predictive biomarker to BCG and hopefully will be integrated to other biomarkers to maximize the benefit to available therapies. Moreover, our study provides evidence that BCG may induce tumor-specific immune response by enhancing the recognition of neoantigens. These findings improve our understanding of the mechanisms behind BCG-mediated immunity and provide further support for clinical investigation of immunotherapy in NMIBC.

A toxicidade vestibular pode ser definida como danos que uma substância química causa sobre a estrutura e a função vestibular. Entre as drogas que podem causar a vestibulotoxicidade estão os agentes antineoplásicos como os derivados da platina. OBJETIVO: Identificar a frequência de ocorrência de alteração vestibular em pacientes oncológicos tratados com derivados da platina, os sinais e sintomas vestibulares nestes pacientes, e se a alteração vestibular pré-existente exacerba os sintomas eméticos durante a quimioterapia com derivados da platina. METODOLOGIA: Amostra foi composta por pacientes adultos com câncer que realizaram tratamento com drogas derivadas da platina. O protocolo para o monitoramento vestibular foi composto pelo questionário Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) Brasileiro, Testes da Função Vestibular (manobra de Dix-Hallpike e vecto-eletronistagmografia) e pela descrição de sintomas eméticos e tontura durante a quimioterapia e avaliação vestibular. RESULTADOS: Quarenta e oito pacientes realizaram a avaliação vestibular pré-quimioterapia, sendo que 23 (48%) apresentaram avaliação vestibular dentro da normalidade. Dezesseis pacientes submeteram-se ao monitoramento vestibular com avaliação antes e após tratamento, sendo que após o tratamento dois pacientes (12,5%) apresentaram avaliação vestibular dentro da normalidade e 14 (87,5%) apresentaram algum tipo de alteração vestibular, evidenciada somente pela prova calórica. Nenhum paciente referiu queixas vestibulares ao DHI na avaliação pré-tratamento, assim como quase todos os pacientes, exceto um, na avaliação pós tratamento. Apenas um (6,3%) com avaliação vestibular alterada pós-tratamento apresentou grau leve no DHI. A dose de cisplatina entre os pacientes que mostraram piora do quadro vestibular variou entre 160 e 400 mg/m² e dois pacientes foram tratados com carboplatina com dose de 2306 mg/m² e 1801 mg/m². Não houve diferença de manifestação dos sintomas eméticos/tontura durante a avaliação vestibular ou após quimioterapia entre os pacientes com e sem alteração vestibular prévia. Entretanto, os pacientes que referiram sintomas eméticos durante os ciclos de quimioterapia foram aqueles que manifestaram maior desconforto na PC, independente da dose de quimioterapia ou da alteração vestibular. CONCLUSÃO: Alteração vestibular ou a modificação do quadro vestibular ocorreu em 50% dos pacientes com câncer tratados com derivados da platina. O sinal mais frequente de alteração nos testes vestibulares foi a hiporreflexia à prova calórica, sem sintomas vestibulares relatados na vida diária destes pacientes. As alterações vestibulares pré-existentes não exacerbaram os sintomas eméticos durante a quimioterapia Vestibular toxicity may be defined as a damage that chemical substances cause on the structure and the function of the vestibular system. Among the drugs that may cause vestibulotoxicity there are antineoplastic agents, such as those derived from platinum. OBJECTIVE: To identify the frequency of occurrence of vestibular alterations in cancer patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy; the vestibular signs and symptoms in these patients, and whether the pre-existing vestibular alterations exacerbate emetic symptoms during chemotherapy with platinum-based drugs. METHODS: The sample was composed of adults who were treated of the cancer with platinum-based chemotherapy. The vestibular monitoring protocol involved the Brazilian Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Vestibular Function Tests (positioning nystagmus with Dix-Hallpike maneuver and vectoelectronystagmography) and the description of emetic symptoms and dizziness during chemotherapy and vestibular evaluation. RESULTS: Forty-eight subjects performed the pre-treatment vestibular evaluation, and 23 of them (48%) presented vestibular assessment within the normal range. Sixteen patients underwent the vestibular monitoring evaluation before and after treatment: after the treatment two patients (12.5%) showed normal vestibular assessment while 14 (87.5%) showed a vestibular disorder, basically in the caloric tests, but the alteration was considered a modification in their baseline stage in eight patients (50%). None of the patients reported complaints in the pre-treatment assessment, with a DHI scores within the normal range, as well as all the patients, except one, in the post treatment assessment (81,3%). Only one patient (6.3%) had a score above normal (mild complaint) with altered vestibular evaluation in the post treatment assessment. The dose of cisplatin among these patients who had a modification in the vestibular function varied from 160 to 400 mg/m² and two patients were treated with carboplatin with do of 2306 mg/m² and 1801 mg/m². There was no difference of emetic symptoms/dizziness during the chemotherapy or the vestibular evaluation among patients with or without previous vestibular alterations. However, patients who reported more emetic symptoms during chemotherapy cycles were those who showed greater discomfort in the caloric test, regardless of the dosage of chemotherapy or vestibular alteration. CONCLUSION: Vestibular alterations or modification of the baseline alteration were found in 50% of cancer patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. The most common sign of vestibular alteration in the vestibular tests was the hiporeflexia at the caloric test with no reported symptoms in their daily life. The preexisting vestibular alterations did not exacerbate emetic symptoms during chemotherapy