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Background With aging of the population and improvements in diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care, the number of cancer survivors in the United States has increased; updated prevalence estimates are needed. Methods Cancer prevalence on January 1, 2022, was estimated using the Prevalence Incidence Approach Model, utilizing incidence, survival, and mortality. Prevalence by age decade, sex, and time from diagnosis was calculated. The percentage of cancer survivors in the projected US population by age and sex was calculated as the ratio of the sex-specific projected prevalence to the sex-specific projected US population. Results There were an estimated 18.1 million US cancer survivors as of January 1, 2022. From 2022 to 2030, the number of US cancer survivors is projected to increase to 21.6 million; by 2040, the number is projected to be 26 million. Long-term survivors are highly prevalent; in 2022, 70% of cancer survivors had lived 5 years or more after diagnosis, and 11% of cancer survivors had lived 25 years or more after diagnosis. Among all US females aged 40-54 years, 3.6% were cancer survivors; among females aged 65-74 years, 14.5% were cancer survivors; among females aged 85 years and older, 36.4% were cancer survivors. Among all US males aged 40-54 years, 2.1% were cancer survivors; among males aged 65-74 years, 16% were cancer survivors; and among those aged 85 years and older, 48.3% were cancer survivors. Conclusions Cancer survivors are growing in number. In the United States, most cancer survivors are long-term and very long-term survivors, representing a substantial proportion of the US population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secukinumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against interleukin-17 approved for the treatment of psoriasis and spondyloarthritis. The favorable oncological profile of secukinumab in patients with a history of malignancy has been shown in patients with psoriasis. However, systematic data to this regard have not been published yet for patients with spondyloarthritis. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the oncological safety of secukinumab in patients affected by this group of diseases. We performed a retrospective study in which we identified from our cohort patients with spondyloarthritis treated with secukinumab and with a history of malignancy. These patients' baseline demographic, treatment, rheumatological, and oncological data were collected. The neoplastic outcome (i.e., cancer recurrence or progression) after secukinumab start was then analyzed. Our study included 22 patients with spondyloarthritis. The most frequently reported oncological diagnosis was breast cancer (9 [41%] patients). Secukinumab was started after a median of 24 months following cancer diagnosis. At this time point, all but three patients were in oncological remission. No case of cancer relapse or progression was recorded over a median follow-up of 30 months. In the largest cohort reported to date to this regard, secukinumab was not associated with oncological recurrence or progression in patients with spondyloarthritis with a history of malignancy. Secukinumab may, therefore, represent a safe option in this clinical scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are saturated fatty acids consisting of six or fewer carbon atoms, have been found to be closely associated with the biological behavior of malignant tumors. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review on the role of SCFAs in regulating cell cycle, apoptosis, tumor angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, protein regulatory pathways, and histone regulation in promoting the development of malignant tumors. Furthermore, we discuss the potential therapeutic strategies targeting SCFAs for treating malignant tumors. This review offers a theoretical foundation for investigating the mechanisms by which SCFAs impact malignant tumors and provides insights into developing novel treatment targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer segmentation using multi-parametric prostate magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) is more opted by biomedical engineers and researchers because of its proven capability in detecting and diagnosis the sarcoma. Additionally, mp-MRI delivers added privileges in early detection of premature stages of cancer, which further helps in timely diagnosis and controlling mortality rates worldwide. In this paper, Possibilistic Exponential Spatial Fuzzy Clustering (PESFC) approach is proposed for segmenting the region of interest (ROI) i.e. cancerous region in prostate capsule. The proposed methodology is evaluated on openly available dataset (I2CVB) considering 3.0 T three different mp prostate MRI modalities i.e., T2 weighted (T2w), Dynamic Contrast Enhanced (DCE) images and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) Maps derived from Diffusion Weighted Images (DWI). The proposed methodology is compared with other clustering techniques (Kmeans, Fuzzy C-Means clustering (FCM), Hierarchical clustering and Intuitionistic—FCM) and it is proved that proposed approach shows best performance in comparison with other methods by achieving accuracy of 89.63% at the cost of extra computational overhead. It is concluded that proposed segmentation methodology is foremost suitable for cancerous region demarcation and act as a reliable second opinion to aid radiologist in other diagnostic procedures. The proposed method is helpful to radiologist in minimizing reading time, decreasing the risk of under -/over diagnosis, refine the need of proficiency in radiology reading and facilitate large scale screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive method that uses biofluid samples instead of tissue samples for cancer diagnosis. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles secreted by donor cells and act as mediators of intercellular communication in human health and disease. Due to their important roles, exosomes have been considered as promising biomarkers for liquid biopsy. However, traditional methods for exosome isolation and cargo detection methods are time-consuming and inefficient, limiting their practical application. In the past decades, many new strategies, such as microfluidic chips, nanowire arrays and electrochemical biosensors, have been proposed to achieve rapid, accurate and high-throughput detection and analysis of exosomes. In this review, we discussed about the new advance in exosome-based liquid biopsy technology, including isolation, enrichment, cargo detection and analysis approaches. The comparison of currently available methods is also included. Finally, we summarized the advantages and limitations of the present strategies and further gave a perspective to their future translational use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer continues to pose significant challenges to the medical community. Early detection, accurate molecular profiling, and adequate assessment of treatment response are critical factors in improving the quality of life and survival of cancer patients. Accumulating evidence shows that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) shed by tumors into the peripheral blood preserves the genetic and epigenetic information of primary tumors. Notably, DNA methylation, an essential and stable epigenetic modification, exhibits both cancer- and tissue-specific patterns. As a result, ctDNA methylation has emerged as a promising molecular marker for noninvasive testing in cancer clinics. In this review, we summarize the existing techniques for ctDNA methylation detection, describe the current research status of ctDNA methylation, and present the potential applications of ctDNA-based assays in the clinic. The insights presented in this article could serve as a roadmap for future research and clinical applications of ctDNA methylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common cancer complication. Clinical and economic implications of different recurrent MPE treatment pathways have not been evaluated fully. What clinical outcomes, complications, health care resource use, and costs are associated with various rapidly recurrent MPE treatment pathways? This retrospective cohort study using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Medicare data (2011-2015) included patients 66 to 90 years of age with rapidly recurrent MPE. Rapid recurrence was defined as receipt of a second pleural procedure within 14 days of the first thoracentesis, including nondefinitive repeated thoracentesis or a definitive treatment option including chest tube, indwelling pleural catheter (IPC), or thoracoscopy. Among 8,378 patients with MPE, 3,090 patients (36.9%) had rapidly recurrent MPE (mean ± SD age, 75.9 ± 6.6 years; 45.6% male; primary cancer, 62.9% lung and 37.1% other). Second pleural procedures were nondefinitive thoracentesis (62.3%), chest tube (17.1%), IPC (13.2%), or thoracoscopy (7.4%). A third pleural procedure was required more frequently if the second pleural procedure was nondefinitive thoracentesis vs chest tube placement, IPC placement, or thoracoscopy (70.3% vs 44.1% vs 17.9% vs 14.4%, respectively). The mean number of subsequent pleural procedures over the patient's lifetime varied significantly among the procedures (1.74, 0.82, 0.31, and 0.22 procedures for patients receiving thoracentesis, chest tube, IPC, and thoracoscopy, respectively; P <. 05). Average total costs after the second pleural procedure to death adjusted for age at primary cancer diagnosis, race, year of second pleural procedure, Charlson comorbidity index, cancer stage at primary diagnosis, and time from primary cancer diagnosis to diagnostic thoracentesis were lower with IPC ($37,443; P <.0001) or chest tube placement ($40,627; P =.004) vs thoracentesis ($47,711). Patients receiving thoracoscopy ($45,386; P =.5) incurred similar costs as patients receiving thoracentesis. Early definitive treatment was associated with fewer subsequent procedures and lower costs in patients with rapidly recurrent MPE. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Granular cell tumors of breast are rare neoplasms, majority of which are benign. Their imaging appearances are often indistinguishable from breast cancer. They may demonstrate a few differentiating features and unlike breast cancer, typically follow a benign course. Histopathology and immunochemistry form the cornerstone of diagnosis of granular cell tumor. In this article, we presented a series of three cases of granular cell tumors with variable presentations. Our goal is to increase familiarity for these neoplasms and for the readers to be able to distinguish them from the more common entity of breast cancer, as their prognosis and management differ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has developed a novel data resource, the Cancer Information and Population Health Resource (CIPHR), for conducting catchment area evaluation and cancer population health research that links the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry (NCCCR) to medical and pharmacy claims data from Medicare, Medicaid, and private plans operating within North Carolina. This study's aim was to describe the CIPHR data and provide examples of potential cohorts available in those data. Methods We present the underlying populations included in the NCCCR and claims data before linkage and demonstrate estimated sample sizes when these data are linked and commonly used insurance enrollment criteria are applied. Results Data for the years 2003-2020 are present in CIPHR and include 947 977 cancer cases from the NCCCR and 21.6 million enrollees in public and private health insurance (cancer and noncancer cases). When limited to first or only cancers (n = 672 377), 86% could be linked to insurance enrollment for at least 1 month during 2003-2020 (n = 582 638), with 62% of individuals linking to enrollment during the month of cancer diagnosis. Among all registry cancer cases, 47% (n = 317 898) had continuous insurance enrollment for at least 12 months before and after cancer diagnosis. Conclusion CIPHR illustrates the utility of establishing and maintaining a statewide, comprehensive cancer population health database. This resource serves to characterize the cancer center catchment area and aids in tracking cancer outcomes and trends in care delivery as well as identifying disparities that require intervention and policy focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (18F-FDG PET) represents a valuable functional molecular imaging technique. Through non-invasive means, 18F-FDG PET allows for the assessment of glucose metabolic activity in living biological systems. Its utility in oncology is well established, with applications in tumor diagnosis, staging, and treatment monitoring. The purpose of this study is to conduct a literature review assessing the indicative value and effect on the clinical management of 18F-FDG PET/CT for various cancer types based on the current literature. Materials and Methods: An inclusive search of the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases was performed to identify relevant studies published from 2022 to the present. Records were screened according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A full-text review of the eligible studies was independently conducted by two reviewers. Results: Twenty-one primary research articles met the inclusion criteria and encompassed several cancer types. Evidence demonstrates superior detection, characterization, and staging compared with anatomical imaging alone. Advantages have been substantiated for head/neck, lung, and brain cancers, as well as lymphomas. The significant associations between 18F-FDG uptake and clinical features validated the molecular profiling capacity. Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET provides crucial metabolic tumor information, augmenting conventional approaches. Specific diagnostic values have been established for diverse oncological applications. While technical refinements are ongoing, 18F-FDG PET plays an expanding role in multimodal cancer algorithms according to guidelines. Continued investigation aims to further optimize these techniques and clarify their comparative effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the quest for early cancer diagnosis, early identification and treatment are paramount. Recently, ctDNA detection has emerged as a viable avenue for early screening of cancer. The examination of ctDNA in fluid biopsies has gained substantial attention in tumor diagnosis and therapy. Both the scientific community and industry are actively exploring this field. However, developing cost-effective, portable, and real-time ctDNA measurement methods using conventional gene detection equipment poses a significant challenge. This challenge has led to the exploration of alternative approaches. Electrochemical biosensors, distinguished by their heightened sensitivity, remarkable specificity, affordability, and excellent portability, have emerged as a promising avenue for ctDNA detection. This review is dedicated to the specific focus on ctDNA detection, highlighting recent advancements in this evolving detection technology. We aimed to reference previous studies related to ctDNA-targeted cancer detection using electrochemical biosensors to advocate the utilization of electrochemical biosensors in healthcare diagnostics. Further research is imperative for the effective integration of ctDNA analysis into point-of-care cancer testing. Innovative approaches utilizing multiple markers need to be explored to advance this technology and make substantial contributions to societal well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After breast cancer diagnosis, individuals have to cope with various psychological, social, and physical consequences. One such consequence is chronic pain, which can persist even after the completion of active treatments and detrimentally impact quality of life. The published literature highlights the impact of chronic pain on cognitive functions and on decision-making processes. However, little is known about the imbalance in decision-making among cancer survivors suffering from chronic pain. This study aims to explore the cognitive impairment associated with risky decision-making in breast cancer survivors experiencing chronic pain, using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Sixty women voluntarily participated in this prospective, cross-sectional study. Among them, twenty had a history of breast cancer and exhibited a significant level of chronic pain, twenty had previously received a cancer diagnosis but did not experience chronic pain, and twenty had not been diagnosed with cancer. The results revealed that women with chronic pain tend to make significantly more disadvantageous choices in the IGT compared to the other groups. Moreover, participants with chronic pain tend to believe that circumstances will change regardless of their efforts to achieve something. This way of thinking may contribute to reinforcing the observed imbalance in decision-making. Our hypothesis suggests that chronic pain may trigger a "Cascade Effect", exerting multiple influences on decision-making and behaviors. The cognitive overload provoked by chronic pain in breast cancer survivors may not only affect individual cognitive functions, but also have a "Cascade Effect" on other psychological dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intricate interplay between the host and its microbiota has garnered increasing attention in the past decade. Specifically, the emerging recognition of microorganisms within diverse cancer tissues, previously presumed sterile, has ignited a resurgence of enthusiasm and research endeavors. Four potential migratory routes have been identified as the sources of intratumoral microbial "dark matter," including direct invasion of mucosal barriers, spreading from normal adjacent tissue, hematogenous spread, and lymphatic drainage, which contribute to the highly heterogeneous features of intratumor microbiota. Importantly, multitudes of studies delineated the roles of intratumor microbiota in cancer initiation and progression, elucidating underlying mechanisms such as genetic alterations, epigenetic modifications, immune dysfunctions, activating oncogenic pathways, and inducing metastasis. With the deepening understanding of intratumoral microbial composition, novel microbiota-based strategies for early cancer diagnosis and prognostic stratification continue to emerge. Furthermore, intratumor microbiota exerts significant influence on the efficacy of cancer therapeutics, particularly immunotherapy, making it an enticing target for intervention in cancer treatment. In this review, we present a comprehensive discussion of the current understanding pertaining to the developmental history, heterogeneous profiles, underlying originations, and carcinogenic mechanisms of intratumor microbiota, and uncover its potential predictive and intervention values, as well as several inevitable challenges as a target for personalized cancer management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Extracellular vesicles represent a heterogeneous family of lipid bilayer-enclosed particles naturally released by all cytotypes into the extracellular space. They can act as mediators of cell–cell communication. Recently, the applications of extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been of great interest in translational cancer research. The advances in next-generation omics technologies allow us to discover EVs' selective cargo packaging and as EV roles in horizontal transport, non-invasive biomarkers, and as new therapeutic options. Herein, discussing recent studies, information on extracellular vesicle (EV) biogenesis, morphological characteristics, isolation, and current detection methods is summarized. In recent years, knowledge of cell-released extracellular vesicle (EV) functions has undergone rapid growth. EVs are membrane vesicles loaded with proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and bioactive molecules. Once released into the extracellular space, EVs are delivered to target cells that may go through modifications in physiological or pathological conditions. EVs are nano shuttles with a crucial role in promoting short- and long-distance cell–cell communication. Comprehension of the mechanism that regulates this process is a benefit for both medicine and basic science. Currently, EVs attract immense interest in precision and nanomedicine for their potential use in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapies. This review reports the latest advances in EV studies, focusing on the nature and features of EVs and on conventional and emerging methodologies used for their separation, characterization, and visualization. By searching an extended portion of the relevant literature, this work aims to give a summary of advances in nanomedical applications of EVs. Moreover, concerns that require further studies before translation to clinical applications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of prostate, breast, and thyroid cancers has increased in China over the past few decades. Whether and how much these increases can be attributed to overdiagnosis are less understood. This study aimed to estimate the proportion of overdiagnosis among these three cancers in China during 2004–2019. The age-specific cancer incidence, cancer mortality, and all-cause mortality in China were extracted from the Global Burden of Diseases 2019. The lifetime risk of developing and that of dying from each cancer were calculated using the life table method. The proportion of overdiagnosis of a cancer was estimated as the difference between the lifetime risk of developing the cancer and that of suffering from the cancer (including death, metastasis, and symptoms caused by the cancer), further divided by the lifetime risk of developing the cancer. The highest possible values of these parameters were adopted in the estimation so as to obtain the lower bounds of the proportions of overdiagnosis. Sensitivity analyses assuming different lag periods between the diagnosis of a cancer and death from the cancer were performed. The results showed that the lifetime risk of developing prostate, breast, and thyroid cancer increased dramatically from 2004 to 2019 in China, while the increase in the lifetime risk of dying from these cancers was less pronounced. The proportions of overdiagnosis among prostate, breast, and thyroid cancers were estimated to be 7.88%, 18.99%, and 24.92%, respectively, in 2004, and increased to 18.20%, 26.25%, and 29.24%, respectively, in 2019. The increasing trends were statistically significant for all three cancers (all p < 0.001). In sensitivity analyses, the proportions of overdiagnosis decreased, but upward trends over time remained for all three cancers. In conclusion, the overdiagnosis of prostate, breast, and thyroid cancers in China increased from 2004 to 2019, with the highest proportion seen in thyroid cancer and the most rapid increase seen in prostate cancer. Multifaceted efforts by policy makers, guideline developers, and clinicians are needed to tackle this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: T cells, the "superstar" of the immune system, play a crucial role in antitumor immunity. T‐cell receptors (TCR) are crucial molecules that enable T cells to identify antigens and start immunological responses. The body has evolved a unique method for rearrangement, resulting in a vast diversity of TCR repertoires. A healthy TCR repertoire is essential for the particular identification of antigens by T cells. Methods: In this article, we systematically summarized the TCR creation mechanisms and analysis methodologies, particularly focusing on the application of next‐generation sequencing (NGS) technology. We explore the TCR repertoire in health and cancer, and discuss the implications of TCR repertoire analysis in understanding carcinogenesis, cancer progression, and treatment. Results: The TCR repertoire analysis has enormous potential for monitoring the emergence and progression of malignancies, as well as assessing therapy response and prognosis. The application of NGS has dramatically accelerated our comprehension of TCR diversity and its role in cancer immunity. Conclusions: To substantiate the significance of TCR repertoires as biomarkers, more thorough and exhaustive research should be conducted. The TCR repertoire analysis, enabled by advanced sequencing technologies, is poised to become a crucial tool in the future of cancer diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: The relationship between sarcoidosis and the occurrence of neoplasia deserves to be investigated, but this relation has been observed in different and heterogeneous populations, leading to conflicting data. To clarify the causal relationship between these two diseases, different risk factors (e.g., smoking), concurrent comorbidities, corticosteroid therapy, and metastasis development—as an expression of cancer aggressiveness—were investigated. Methods: In a retrospective study on 287 sarcoidosis outpatients at the Pneumological Department of the Gemelli Foundation (Rome, Italy) between 2000 and 2024, the diagnosis of cancer was recorded in 36 subjects (12.5%). Results: The reciprocal timeline of the diseases showed three different scenarios: (1) cancer preceding sarcoidosis or sarcoid-like reactions (63.8%); (2) cancer arising after sarcoidosis diagnosis (8.3%); and (3) sarcoidosis accompanying the onset of malignancy (27.8%). Only two subjects with sarcoidosis and cancer showed metastasis, and one of them was affected by lymphoma. Conclusions: These data suggest that granulomatous inflammation due to sarcoidosis may assume an ambivalent role as a "double-edged sword", according to the M1/M2 macrophage polarization model: it represents a protective shield, preventing the formation of metastasis through the induction of immune surveillance against cancer while, on the other hand, it can be a risk factor for carcinogenesis due to the persistence of a chronic active inflammatory status. Low-dose steroid treatment was administered in only 31.6% of the cancer–sarcoidosis subjects for less than six months to control inflammation activity, with no promotive effect on carcinogenesis observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent decades, machine-learning (ML) technologies have advanced the management of high-dimensional and complex cancer data by developing reliable and user-friendly automated diagnostic tools for clinical applications. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is an essential staining method that enables the identification of cellular origins by analyzing the expression of specific antigens within tissue samples. The aim of this study was to identify a model that could predict histopathological diagnoses based on specific immunohistochemical markers. Methods: The XGBoost learning model was applied, where the input variable (target variable) was the histopathological diagnosis and the predictors (independent variables influencing the target variable) were the immunohistochemical markers. Results: Our study demonstrated a precision rate of 85.97% within the dataset, indicating a high level of performance and suggesting that the model is generally reliable in producing accurate predictions. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the feasibility and clinical efficacy of utilizing the probabilistic decision tree algorithm to differentiate tumor diagnoses according to immunohistochemistry profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a promising source of early biomarkers for cancer diagnosis. They are enriched with diverse molecular content, such as proteins, DNA, mRNA, miRNA, lipids, and metabolites. EV proteins have been widely investigated as potential biomarkers since they reflect specific patient conditions. However, although many markers have been validated and confirmed using external cohorts of patients and different analytical approaches, no EV protein markers are approved for diagnostic use. This review presents the primary strategies adopted using mass spectrometry and immune-based techniques to identify and validate EV protein biomarkers. We report and discuss recent scientific research focusing on cancer biomarker discovery through EVs, emphasizing their significant potential for the tempestive diagnosis of several cancer typologies. Finally, recent advancements in the standardization of EV isolation and quantitation through the development of easy-to-use and high-throughput kits for sample preparation—that should make protein EV biomarkers more reliable and accessible—are presented. The data reported here showed that there are still several challenges to be addressed before a protein vesicle marker becomes an essential tool in diagnosing cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the magnitude of the potential underestimation of the proportion of cancer cases attributable to excess weight, known as population attributable fraction (PAF), due to potential bias from prediagnostic weight loss already present at baseline of cohort studies and to overcome it as much as possible. Methods: Data from the UK Biobank cohort participants aged 40–69 without prior cancer diagnosis were analyzed. We assessed the magnitude of associations of excess weight with the incidence of obesity-related cancers combined, and separately for gastrointestinal (GI) and other cancers. Using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, hazard ratios (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI), and PAFs for excess weight at baseline were estimated for various periods of time after weight measurements. Findings: Of 458,660 participants, 20,218 individuals developed obesity-related cancers during a median 11.0-year follow-up, comprising 8,460 GI, and 11,765 non-GI cancers. PAFs were much higher for cancers occurring more than four years after recruitment than for cancers occurring within the initial four years: 17.7% versus 7.2%, 21.4% versus 11.7% for GI, non-GI and all obesity-related cancers combined, respectively. With respect to total cancer (including cancers with no established relationship with excess weight), PAFs were estimated as 5.1% and 8.8% for the 0–4 and 4-14-year periods of follow-up. Conclusion: The proportion of cancers attributable to excess weight is likely substantially larger than previously estimated based on cohort studies with short follow-up time or no or only limited exclusion of the early years of follow-up from the analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing prominence of social networks has changed the field of death by allowing people to share their personal experience of dying or surviving the death of loved ones. This paper features a case study through which we examine the mediational role of new technologies in end-of-life experiences in young cancer patients. The case study revolves around an Instagram account created by a young Spanish woman after being diagnosed with a cancer that would ultimately end her life. The thematic analysis carried out on the 196 posts focuses on three of the main topics addressed in the account: (1) the visibilisation of cancer and its impact on the daily lives of young patients; (2) the life lessons learnt from the experience of cancer; (3) a critique of the traditional imaginary of cancer, understood in terms of an individual struggle, together with the denunciation of the lack of social protection for young cancer patients. Ultimately, the analysis shows how Instagram acts in this case as a mediational tool through which the account's creator not only relates to her community of followers, but also to herself and to her own illness, giving rise to different meaning-making and self-regulating functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging has been reported for its role in differentiating several types of malignant tumors. However, there was still limited bibliometric analysis that summarizes the global research trends in the field of CEUS for diagnosing cancer. The present study aimed to observe the trend by which the research field has grown over the years and propose a possible future trend. Methods: Bibliometric analysis was performed on publications data retrieved from the Scopus database with specific search for keywords. The data search was completed within a day (1 June 2024) to avoid possible bias due to the regular updating mechanism of the Scopus database. Data were limited to publications in the form of articles published from the beginning of publication until 2023. The data including bibliographical profiles, the annual trend, and the study hotspots were analyzed and visualized using VOSviewer. Results: Since 1994, the annual publication outputs of 2605 identified documents were increased with an average growth rate of 2.35%. The top three most productive countries were China China (50.67%), Japan (10.17%), and the United States (9.21%). Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology published the most articles related to the subject. The research in the Medicine area was receiving the most interest, followed by Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology area. A total of 4032 keywords were classified into eight clusters including contrast-enhanced ultrasound, breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, diagnosis, liver, contrast media, metastasis, and sonazoid. Conclusion: This bibliometric study demonstrated global trends of CEUS in the field of diagnosing malignancy. Besides its low cost and no-radiation advantages, CEUS is a promising diagnostic modality for differentiating malignant lesions. Research in this field can still be developed in a wide range of locations and types of malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor markers such as carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) are generally useful in ruling out malignancy of hepatic cysts. The patient was a 72-year-old man who had a ruptured liver cyst in the right liver, which had been noted since he was 67 years old at another hospital. The initial laboratory tests demonstrated elevated CA19-9 (193 784.3 U/mL). We made the diagnosis with a simple ruptured liver cyst from magnetic resonance imaging and cytological examination of ascites, and laparoscopic fenestration with drainage of the abdominal fluid was performed. Pathological diagnosis of the resected wall cyst was non-parasitic simple hepatic cyst with acute inflammation and hemorrhage. The patient's serum levels of CA19-9 were 164.0 U/mL on postoperative day 23. The follow-up abdominal computed tomography scan performed 2 months later did not any finding of tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced rectal cancers owing to its ability to downstage primary tumours. Some patients can achieve pathological complete response after neoadjuvant therapy, and can adopt a "watch and wait" treatment strategy to avoid overtreatment. Therefore, it is essential to develop strategies for predicting responses to neoadjuvant therapy. Radiomics has shown great potential in extracting tumour features from high-throughput medical images for the construction of mathematics models for predicting the effects of anticancerous therapies. Herein, we explored MRI-based radiomics and found that it can predict responses of locally advanced rectal cancers to chemoradiation. Efficient radiomics model allow early-stage prediction of the effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on locally advanced rectal cancers. It helps clinicians to make informed therapeutic decisions. In this review, we discuss the workflow of radiomics, and summarize the clinical application of MRI-based radiomics in predicting pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy of locally advanced rectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates a rigorous approach to the initial phases of scale development when evaluating an existing construct, dyadic efficacy, in a new population. Cancer-related dyadic efficacy represents a couples' confidence in their conjoint abilities to manage the effects of cancer. Two samples of individuals diagnosed with cancer and their partners, along with a professional panel, contributed lay and content expertise, respectively. Thematic analysis was used to describe cancer-related dyadic efficacy and identify content domains. Cancer-related dyadic efficacy was conceptualized as multidimensional, consistent with relational functioning, and distinct from self-efficacy. A pool of 50 items was developed to assess eight content domains grouped into three main themes: dyadic efficacy for managing (a) illness intrusions, (b) emotional responses and (c) communication and care for children. This paper responds to calls for more rigorous reporting of the qualitative procedures required to establish a conceptual grounding for a new scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The psychological impact of cancer is becoming well‐acknowledged. Given its prevalence, practitioners will encounter cancer in their therapy rooms. There is limited research on the experience and application of psychodynamic therapy for clients with cancer. This study generates a new understanding through the experience of psychodynamic practitioners. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with eight UK psychodynamic therapists on their lived experience of working with client(s) with a recent (less than 5 years) diagnosis of cancer. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings reveal that psychodynamic therapists' experience with clients with cancer is emotionally demanding, mentally stimulating and deeply personal. They point to the unique space that psychodynamic therapy provides and highlight some of the challenges. The analysis is understood through the framework of psychodynamic theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is one of the most common diseases around the world. For cancer diagnosis, pathological examination is the most effective method. But the heavy and time-consuming workflow has increased the workload of the pathologists. With the appearance of whole slide image (WSI) scanners, tissues on a glass slide can be saved as a high-definition digital image, which makes it possible to diagnose diseases with computer aid. However, the extreme size and the lack of pixel-level annotations of WSIs make machine learning face a great challenge in pathology image diagnosis. To solve this problem, we propose a metric learning-based two-stage MIL framework (TSMIL) for WSI classification, which combines two stages of supervised clustering and metric-based classification. The training samples (WSIs) are first clustered into different clusters based on their labels in supervised clustering. Then, based on the previous step, we propose four different strategies to measure the distance of the test samples to each class cluster to achieve the test samples classification: MaxS, AvgS, DenS and HybS. Our model is evaluated on three pathology datasets: TCGA-NSCLC, TCGA-RCC and HER2. The average AUC scores can be up to 0.9895 and 0.9988 over TCGA-NSCLC and TCGA-RCC, and 0.9265 on HER2, respectively. The results showed that compared with the state-of-the-art methods, our method outperformed. The excellent performance on different kinds of cancer datasets verifies the feasibility of our method as a general architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Striking the right balance between early cancer diagnosis and the risk of excessive testing for low-risk symptoms is of paramount importance. Patient-centred care must also consider patient preferences for testing. Aim: To investigate the diagnostic testing preferences of the Australian public for symptoms associated with oesophagogastric (OG), bowel, or lung cancer. Design and setting: One of three discrete-choice experiments (DCEs) related to either OG, bowel, or lung cancer were administered to a nationally representative sample of Australians aged ≥40 years. Method: Each DCE comprised three scenarios with symptom positive predictive values (PPVs) for undiagnosed cancer ranging from 1% to 3%. The numerical risk was concealed from participants. DCE attributes encompassed the testing strategy, GP familiarity, test and result waiting times, travel duration, and test cost. Preferences were estimated using conditional and mixed logit models. Results: A total of 3013 individuals participated in one of three DCEs: OG (n = 1004), bowel (n = 1006), and lung (n = 1003). Preferences were chiefly driven by waiting time and test cost, followed by the test type. There was a preference for more invasive tests. When confronted with symptoms carrying an extremely low risk (symptom PPV of ≤1%), participants were more inclined to abstain from testing. Conclusion: Access-related factors, particularly waiting times and testing costs, emerged as the most pivotal elements influencing preferences, underscoring the substantial impact of these systemic factors on patient choices regarding investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation has been linked to adverse health outcomes, yet it is unclear whether neighborhood-level social determinants of health (SDOH) measures affect overall survival in adolescent and young adult patients with cancer. Methods This study used a diverse cohort of adolescent and young adult patients with cancer (N = 10 261) seen at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Zip codes were linked to Area Deprivation Index (ADI) values, a validated neighborhood-level SDOH measure, with higher ADI values representing worse SDOH. Results ADI was statistically significantly worse (P  < .050) for Black (61.7) and Hispanic (65.3) patients than for White patients (51.2). Analysis of ADI by cancer type showed statistically significant differences, mainly driven by worse ADI in patients with cervical cancer (62.3) than with other cancers. In multivariable models including sex, age at diagnosis, cancer diagnosis, and race and ethnicity, risk of shorter survival for people residing in neighborhoods with the least favorable ADI quartile was greater than for individuals in the most favorable ADI quartile (hazard ratio = 1.09, 95% confidence interval = 1.00 to 1.19, P  = .043). Conclusion Adolescent and young adult patients with cancer and the worst ADI values experienced a nearly 10% increase in risk of dying than patients with more favorable ADI values. This effect was strongest among White adolescent and young adult survivors. Although the magnitude of the effect of ADI on survival was moderate, the presence of a relationship between neighborhood-level SDOH and survival among patients who received care at a tertiary cancer center suggests that ADI is a meaningful predictor of survival. These findings provide intriguing evidence for potential interventions aimed at supporting adolescent and young adult patients with cancer from disadvantaged neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is a formidable threat to human life, a cure for which in advanced stages remains challenging. Early detection and treatment of cancer are paramount, yet a substantial number of cancer patients receive diagnoses at an advanced stage, resulting in a lower 5-year survival rate. Early-stage cancers, however, frequently elude detection. Conventional tumor screening techniques, such as tumor biopsy, serve as essential means for an early cancer diagnosis. However, these procedures are invasive and may inadvertently facilitate cancer metastasis. A current research focal point involves liquid biopsy technologies, offering a potential solution to mitigate the above-mentioned issues, but often exhibiting low sensitivity. A research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has recently pioneered an innovative approach to enhance the sensitivity of liquid biopsy for cancer diagnosis. By administering a pre-treatment agent 1-2 h prior to sampling, a greater than 10-fold increase in collected ctDNA was obtained. Subsequent tumor analysis using ctDNA not only demonstrated heightened sensitivity in detecting small tumors (>75%) but also presented a promising avenue for early clinical cancer detection and diagnosis. This discovery holds significant potential for advancing the prospects of early cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of thigh muscle assessed by CT images to predict overall mortality in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). This was a multicenter cohort study including adults (≥ 18 years old) newly diagnosed with CRC, who performed a diagnostic computed tomography (CT) exam including thigh regions. CT images were analyzed to evaluate skeletal muscle (SM in cm2), skeletal muscle index (SMI in cm2/m2), and skeletal muscle density (SMD in HU). Muscle abnormalities (low SM, SMI, and SMD) were defined as the values below the median by sex. Kaplan–Meyer curves and hazard ratios (HRs) for low SM, SMI and SMD were evaluated for overall mortality, stratified by sex. A total of 257 patients were included in the final analysis. Patients' mean age was 62.6 ± 12.1 years, and 50.2% (n = 129) were females. In males, low thigh SMI was associated with shorter survival (log-rank P =.02). Furthermore, this low thigh SMI (cm2/m2) was independently associated with higher mortality rates (HR adjusted 2.08, 95% CI 1.03–4.18). Our additional findings demonstrated that low SMD was independently associated with overall mortality among early-stage patients (I–III) (HR adjusted 2.78, 95% CI 1.26–6.15). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tackling inequities in cancer outcomes is a global health priority. One avenue for improving early diagnosis of cancer is to ensure people know when and how to seek help for cancer symptoms and that this knowledge (and behaviour) is equitably distributed across the population. In this perspective piece we highlight the challenges in understanding sociodemographic differences in help-seeking behaviour (for example, how help-seeking is defined / conceptualised and subsequently assessed), as well as challenges with using existing datasets that are now more readily accessible than ever. Addressing these will strengthen methodological approaches to understand inequities in help-seeking and ways to tackle them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid biopsies have been identified as a viable source of cancer biomarkers. We aim to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of cell-free DNA integrity (cfDI) in liquid biopsies for cancer. A comprehensive literature search was conducted through PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to June 2024. Seventy-two study units from forty-six studies, comprising 4286 cancer patients, were identified and evaluated. The Quality Assessment for Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy-2 (QUADAS-2) was used to assess study quality. Meta-regression analysis was employed to investigate the underlying factors contributing to heterogeneity, alongside an evaluation of publication bias. The bivariate random-effect model was utilized to compute the primary diagnostic outcomes and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios of cfDI in cancer diagnosis were 0.70 and 0.77, 3.26 and 0.34, respectively. The overall area under the curve was 0.84, with a diagnostic odds ratio of 10.63. This meta-analysis suggested that the cfDI index has a promising potential as a non-invasive and accurate diagnostic tool for cancer. Study registration: The study was registered at PROSPERO (reference No. CRD42021276290). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Cancer, a health problem with an increasing incidence, poses many financial and moral difficulties to the patient and his family. An individual diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy has increased care needs throughout the course of the disease in many areas. It is important to consider it holistically to meet the needs of patients. This study was conducted to examine the effects of the cancer needs of patients receiving ambulatory chemotherapy on their health perceptions. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 384 outpatient chemotherapy patients. Data were collected with a sociodemographic information form, the Cancer Needs Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Perception of Health Status Scale. Results: The mean scores of the study group were 130±12.38 on the total “Cancer Needs Questionnaire" and 2.92±0.68 on the total "Perception of Health Status Scale". A high-level and very significant positive correlation was found between the total scores of both scales (p≤0.05). It was determined that the cancer needs of the study group highly significantly predicted their health perceptions (p=0.000). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that patients with cancer receiving ambulatory chemotherapy had a high level of cancer needs and poor health perceptions and that these two characteristics showed a high, positive, and very significant relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Breast carcinoma may display no symptoms in its initial stages; therefore, screening programs are crucial for the early identification of breast malignancies. Moreover, in patients who exhibit breast-related symptoms, breast carcinomas may be located distally from the symptomatic area. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, anatomical location, and imaging techniques employed in the detection of these incidental malignancies within the symptomatic one-stop breast clinic. METHODS: All individuals who presented at department of Radiology at DHQ hospital exhibiting breast-related symptoms during a two-year timeframe were incorporated into the research. We conducted a correlation analysis between the initial symptoms of patients subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer and the results obtained from imaging modalities (mammography and ultrasound). Incidental malignancies were delineated as histologically verified breast carcinomas that were non-palpable, distant from the symptomatic region, and solely detected through imaging techniques. RESULTS: During the investigative timeframe, a total of 281 female patients were ascertained to have breast cancer from 440 individuals evaluated. A subset of thirty-six patients (12.8%) who received a diagnosis of breast cancer presented with incidental malignancies that were exclusively detected through imaging modalities. The predominant instances of contralateral incidental cancers were discerned utilizing both mammography and ultrasound (US), with all patients being over the age of 35 years. CONCLUSION: We suggest mammography of both breasts and US of the symptomatic breast in order to identify incidental cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Successful patient-focused drug development involves selecting and measuring outcomes in clinical trials that are important to patients. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration's definition of clinical benefit includes how patients feel, function, or survive. Patients are considered the experts in describing how they feel and function. In cancer trials, patient-reported measures of physical function provide insight into how patients function at baseline, benefit from the interventions being studied, and the impact of treatment side effects. We conducted a qualitative study with adults diagnosed with cancer to describe facets of physical function from their perspective and to identify which facets are most important to this patient population. Methods: Using concept elicitation and cognitive interviewing techniques, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 72 adults ≥ 22 years of age with cancer who received treatment with an anticancer drug or biologic within six months of the interview. We selected participants using purposive sampling with the aim to elicit diverse experiences regarding how they may interpret and respond to questions related to physical function. Participants were presented with patient-reported outcome (PRO) items representative of PRO measures used in cancer and general populations. Results: Five facets of how physical function relates to activities were defined from the patient perspective: ability, difficulty, limitation, satisfaction, and completion. More than half of the participants indicated that ability was the most important facet of physical function. The next most important were satisfaction (18.3%), limitation (14.1%), difficulty (5.6%), and completion (2.8%). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that we must be more specific about the facets of physical function that we set out to assess when we use PRO measures to describe the patient experience. These results have implications for the specificity of physical function facets when measured in cancer clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Prostate cancer can significantly impact mental wellbeing, creating uncertainty and morbidity. This study described patterns of psychotropic medication and mental health service use, as a proxy measure for mental health problems, 5 years before and 5 years after prostate cancer diagnosis. Methods: Population‐based registry data were linked with Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medicare Benefits Schedule data for all prostate cancer patients diagnosed in South Australia between 2012 and 2020 (n = 13,693). We estimated the proportion and rates of psychotropic medication and mental health service use before and after diagnosis. Multivariable adjusted interrupted time series analyses (ITSA) were conducted to uncover temporal patterns. Results: Fifteen percent of men commenced psychotropic medications and 6.4% sought out mental health services for the first time after diagnosis. Psychotropic medication use rose from 34.5% 5 years before to 40.3% 5 years after diagnosis, including an increase in use of antidepressants (from 20.7% to 26.0%) and anxiolytics (from 11.3% to 12.8%). Mental health service use increased from 10.2% to 12.1%, with the increase mostly being general practice mental health visits (from 7.8% to 10.6%). Multivariable ITSA indicated a significant rise in medication and service utilisation immediately before and in the first 2 years following prostate cancer diagnosis. Conclusion: There is a clear increase in psychotropic medication use and mental health service use around the time of prostate cancer diagnosis. Mental health outcomes of men with prostate cancer may be improved with early mental health screening, particularly during the diagnosis process, to enable early intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: This study aimed to characterize the prevalence and correlates of cannabis use and the methods and reasons for use among recently diagnosed cancer survivors in a population sample within Washington state. Methods: We identified individuals diagnosed with invasive cancers in the prior 6 to 17 months from April 2020 to December 2020 using the Seattle-Puget Sound Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry. Participants (n = 1,515) completed a questionnaire, including demographics, medical history, cannabis use, and other substance use. Cancer characteristics and date of diagnosis were obtained from SEER registry data. We calculated weighted prevalence estimates and logistic regression models to evaluate correlates of cannabis use. Results: Overall, 41.3% of survivors reported cannabis use at any time after diagnosis, most commonly via edibles (60.5%) and smoking (43.8%). The most frequently reported reasons for use were sleep (54.5%), mood, stress, anxiety, and depression (44.3%), pain (42.3%), and recreation (42.3%). Cannabis use was associated with younger age, race (White vs. Asian), less education, former or current smoking, consuming more than 2 alcohol-containing drinks per day, having late-stage cancer, and cancer site. Conclusion: In this first evaluation of cannabis use in a registry-linked, population-based sample of survivors of all cancer types, based in a state where recreational and medical cannabis have been legal for a decade, approximately 2 in 5 survivors reported post-diagnosis use. Given how common cannabis use is among cancer survivors, there is a great need to understand its impact on cancer treatment outcomes and the overall health of cancer survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The cancer experienced in adolescent and young adult (AYA) could disturb developmental changes and long-term life. The current AYA guidelines and research for survivorship were developed and reported according to the general age range of 15–39 years; however, expected life events vary by diagnosed age. We aimed to examine the social, psychological, and physical well-being of AYA cancer survivors by age at diagnosis using a multinational representative dataset focusing on age at diagnosis. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using the US and Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 2007 to 2018. Participants diagnosed with any cancer aged 15–39 years and were aged > 18 years at the survey year were defined as AYA cancer survivors. AYA were classified into three groups based on their diagnosed age: adolescent survivors (diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 19, n = 45), young adult survivors (diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 29, n = 238), and late young adult survivors (diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 39, n = 539). We also selected an age-, sex-, race-, and survey year-matched general population with 1:5 ratio among participants without cancer (N = 4110). Results: The average age of the survey was 29.1, 43.7, and 48.7 years for AYA survivors diagnosed during adolescence, young adulthood, and late young adulthood, respectively. Adolescent survivors had more non-couple marital status (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.34; 95% CI, 1.10–1.64) and unemployed (aOR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.05–1.61) compared to late young adult survivors. Comparing with the matched general, adolescent survivors were more in poor general health (aOR, 4.65; 95% CI, 2.09–10.38) and unemployed (aOR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.12–4.24) and late young adult survivors were more non-couple (aOR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.05–1.86). Conclusion: This study provides evidence for future studies on long-term health, which may vary according to age at the time of diagnosis among AYA with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is a significant global public health issue with increasing morbidity and mortality rates. To address this challenge, novel drug carriers such as nano-materials, liposomes, hydrogels, fibers, and microspheres have been extensively researched and utilized in oncology. Among them, polymer microspheres are gaining popularity due to their ease of preparation, excellent performance, biocompatibility, and drug-release capabilities. This paper categorizes commonly used materials for polymer microsphere preparation, summarizes various preparation methods (emulsification, phase separation, spray drying, electrospray, microfluidics, and membrane emulsification), and reviews the applications of polymer microspheres in cancer diagnosis, therapy, and postoperative care. The current status and future development directions of polymer microspheres in cancer treatment are analyzed, highlighting their importance and potential for improving patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Following a cancer diagnosis, restricted participation in daily life is common. Restricted participation can be temporary or long lasting. The aim of this study was to characterize how daily life participation is impacted following a cancer diagnosis. Methods: Eligible individuals included adults (>18 years) with any stage/grade brain, breast, colorectal, or lung cancer in any phase of treatment or post‐treatment. Participants completed a semi‐structured interview about how their life participation was impacted following their cancer diagnosis. Data were analyzed through team‐based thematic analysis. Results: Forty adults, 10 per disease category, participated. Four themes were identified that supported or hindered daily life participation: (1) self‐expectations, (2) expectations of others, (3) awareness of mortality, and (4) symptoms and side effects of cancer. Participants discussed how their cancer experience resulted in a reprioritization of what they valued doing in their life. However, many survivors struggled to adapt and described a tension between their need to adapt to their current life circumstances and their contrasting desire to stay connected with their pre‐cancer selves through daily life participation. The mental health challenges associated with decreased participation were also outlined by participants. Conclusions: Cancer survivors' daily life participation is influenced by expectations from themselves and others, awareness of mortality, and disease symptoms/side effects. Future interventions can target these domains to supports survivors' life participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The high incidence of prostate cancer causes prostatic samples to significantly affect pathology laboratories workflow and turnaround times (TATs). Whole-slide imaging (WSI) and artificial intelligence (AI) have both gained approval for primary diagnosis in prostate pathology, providing physicians with novel tools for their daily routine. Methods A systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was carried out in electronic databases to gather the available evidence on the application of AI-based algorithms to prostate cancer. Results Of 6290 articles, 80 were included, mostly (59%) dealing with biopsy specimens. Glass slides were digitized to WSI in most studies (89%), roughly two-thirds of which (66%) exploited convolutional neural networks for computational analysis. The algorithms achieved good to excellent results about cancer detection and grading, along with significantly reduced TATs. Furthermore, several studies showed a relevant correlation between AI-identified histologic features and prognostic predictive variables such as biochemical recurrence, extraprostatic extension, perineural invasion, and disease-free survival. Conclusions The published evidence suggests that AI can be reliably used for prostate cancer detection and grading, assisting pathologists in the time-consuming screening of slides. Further technologic improvement would help widening AI's adoption in prostate pathology, as well as expanding its prognostic predictive potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions in cancer care. We hypothesized that the greatest disruptions in diagnosis occurred in screen-detected cancers. We identified patients (≥18 years of age) with newly diagnosed cancer from 2019 to 2020 in the US National Cancer Database and calculated the change in proportion of early-stage to late-stage cancers using a weighted linear regression. Disruptions in early-stage diagnosis were greater than in late-stage diagnosis (17% vs 12.5%). Melanoma demonstrated the greatest relative decrease in early-stage vs late-stage diagnosis (22.9% vs 9.2%), whereas the decrease was similar for pancreatic cancer. Compared with breast cancer, cervical, melanoma, prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers showed the greatest disruptions in early-stage diagnosis. Uninsured patients experienced greater disruptions than privately insured patients. Disruptions in cancer diagnosis in 2020 had a larger impact on early-stage disease, particularly screen-detected cancers. Our study supports emerging evidence that primary care visits may play a critical role in early melanoma detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer has been demonstrating a reduction in the number of cases over the past decades, largely attributed to advancements in public health practices and increased accessibility to educational initiatives for the general population. Nevertheless, it persists as the third leading cause of mortality globally among both men and women. These fatalities are typically associated with delayed disease detection. The current study assessed the levels of homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folic acid as a means of establishing a screening biomarker profile that could be integrated into routine testing protocols to facilitate swift diagnosis of the illness. A total of 207 control subjects and 207 individuals with gastric cancer were scrutinized, with biochemical measurements conducted using chemiluminescence for homocysteine, folic acid, and vitamin B12. The two groups were matched based on age, tumor location, subtype, tumor classification, presence of Epstein-Barr Virus infection (EBV), and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Significant statistical variances were identified in the mean levels of the triad of substances among cancer patients when compared to the control group for all corresponding variables. In conclusion, our study indicated that analyzing the triad of homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folic acid holds diagnostic value for gastric cancer and could potentially serve as an effective screening marker for this type of cancer in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin cancer is common and deadly, needs to be detected and treated properly. Deep learning algorithms like UNet have shown potential results in medical imaging. Such approaches still struggle to capture fine‐grained details and scale differences in skin lesions‐based occlusions' appearance, size etc. This research proposes a redesign UNet, the Multi‐Scale Pyramid Attention Network (MSPAN), to improve skin cancer lesion segmentation. The input data is processed at numerous scales with varied receptive fields. This enhances the network's ability to identify lesion locations by capturing local and global context. Attention approaches also help the network to suppress noise by focusing on informative features. We have evaluated MSPAN model on the publicly available ISIC2018 benchmark dataset for skin lesion segmentation. The method surpasses traditional UNet and other current methods in accuracy and effectiveness. The model also has a post‐processing to estimate lesion area for fast inference, making it suitable for extensive screening. Redesigned UNet with the Multi‐Scale Pyramid Attention Network improves skin cancer lesion segmentation. The model's ability to collect fine‐grained information and handle occlusions allows for more accurate skin cancer diagnosis and treatment. The MSPAN design can improve computer‐aided diagnosis systems and help dermatologists make precise clinical decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The diagnosis of cancer creates immediate psychosocial distress for patients. New cancer patients are required to make important decisions about their treatment. Thus, it is essential to investigate their communication needs. This study examines the association between patient-centered communication and newly diagnosed cancer patients' trust in their healthcare providers, satisfaction with the care visits, and perception of technology use during the visits. Methods: We collected data from the Hackensack Meridian Health between February 2021 and May 2022. One hundred thirty-five participants were included in the study. Results: The findings captured the significant effect of patient-centered communication on the trust in doctors and satisfaction with care services. However, no association was noticed with the perception of EHR use among this population. Discussion: In the first visits after cancer diagnosis, patients need to build strong communication with their doctors to build trust in them. Future studies should focus on testing the hypotheses longitudinally to validate the findings in other phases of the cancer care continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomy of breast cancer classification is a challenging problem, and early diagnosis is highly important. Histopathology images provide microscopic-level details of tissue samples and play a crucial role in the accurate diagnosis and classification of breast cancer. Moreover, advancements in deep learning play an essential role in early cancer diagnosis. However, existing techniques involve unique models for each classification based on the magnification factor and require training numerous models or using a hierarchical approach combining multiple models irrespective of the focus of the cell features. This may lead to lower performance for multiclass categorization. This paper adopts the DenseNet161 network by adding a learnable residual layer. The learnable residual layer enhances the features, providing low-level information. In addition, residual features are obtained from the convolution features of the preceding layer, which ensures that the future size is consistent with the number of channels in DenseNet's layer. The concatenation of spatial features with residual features helps better learn texture classification without the need for an additional texture feature extraction module. The model was validated for both binary and multiclass categorization of malignant images. The proposed model's classification accuracy ranges from 94.65% to 100% for binary and multiclass classification, and the error rate is 2.78%. Overall, the suggested model has the potential to improve the survival of breast cancer patients by allowing precise diagnosis and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]