Citations

Abstract The recent development of imaging and sequencing technologies enables systematic advances in the clinical study of lung cancer. Meanwhile, the human mind is limited in effectively handling and fully utilizing the accumulation of such enormous amounts of data. Machine learning-based approaches play a critical role in integrating and analyzing these large and complex datasets, which have extensively characterized lung cancer through the use of different perspectives from these accrued data. In this review, we provide an overview of machine learning-based approaches that strengthen the varying aspects of lung cancer diagnosis and therapy, including early detection, auxiliary diagnosis, prognosis prediction, and immunotherapy practice. Moreover, we highlight the challenges and opportunities for future applications of machine learning in lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) are commonly utilized in the management of brain metastases. Treatment-related imaging changes (TRICs) are a frequently observed clinical manifestation and are commonly classified as imaging-defined radiation necrosis. However, these findings are not well characterized and may predict a response to SRS and ICIs. The objective of this study was to investigate predictors of TRICs and their impact on patient survival. METHODS This retrospective multicenter cohort study was conducted through the International Radiosurgery Research Foundation. Member institutions submitted de-identified clinical and dosimetric data for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), melanoma, and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) brain metastases that had been treated with SRS and ICIs. Data were collected from March 2020 to February 2021. Univariable and multivariable Cox and logistic regression analyses were performed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate overall survival (OS). The diagnosis-specific graded prognostic assessment was used to guide variable selection. TRICs were determined on the basis of MRI, PET/CT, or MR spectroscopy, and consensus by local clinical providers was required. RESULTS The analysis included 697 patients with 4536 brain metastases across 11 international institutions in 4 countries. The median follow-up after SRS was 13.6 months. The median age was 66 years (IQR 58–73 years), 54.1% of patients were male, and 57.3%, 36.3%, and 6.4% of tumors were NSCLC, melanoma, and RCC, respectively. All patients had undergone single-fraction radiosurgery to a median margin dose of 20 Gy (IQR 18–20 Gy). TRICs were observed in 9.8% of patients. The median OS for all patients was 24.5 months. On univariable analysis, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS; HR 0.98, p < 0.001), TRICs (HR 0.67, p = 0.03), female sex (HR 0.67, p < 0.001), and prior resection (HR 0.60, p = 0.03) were associated with improved OS. On multivariable analysis, KPS (HR 0.98, p < 0.001) and TRICs (HR 0.66, p = 0.03) were associated with improved OS. A brain volume receiving ≥ 12 Gy of radiation (V12Gy) ≥ 10 cm3 (OR 2.78, p < 0.001), prior whole-brain radiation therapy (OR 3.46, p = 0.006), and RCC histology (OR 3.10, p = 0.01) were associated with an increased probability of developing TRICs. The median OS rates in patients with and without TRICs were 29.0 and 23.1 months, respectively (p = 0.03, log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS TRICs following ICI and SRS were associated with a median OS benefit of approximately 6 months in this retrospective multicenter study. Further prospective study and additional stratification are needed to validate these findings and further elucidate the role and etiology of this common clinical scenario.

ImportancePathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer strongly correlates with overall survival and has become the standard end point in neoadjuvant trials. However, there is controversy regarding whether the definition of pCR should exclude or permit the presence of residual ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).ObjectiveTo examine the association of residual DCIS in surgical specimens after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer with survival end points to inform standards for the assessment of pathologic complete response.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThe study team analyzed the association of residual DCIS after NAC with 3-year event-free survival (EFS), distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS), and local-regional recurrence (LRR) in the I-SPY2 trial, an adaptive neoadjuvant platform trial for patients with breast cancer at high risk of recurrence. This is a retrospective analysis of clinical specimens and data from the ongoing I-SPY2 adaptive platform trial of novel therapeutics on a background of standard of care for early breast cancer. I-SPY2 participants are adult women diagnosed with stage II/III breast cancer at high risk of recurrence.InterventionsParticipants were randomized to receive taxane and anthracycline-based neoadjuvant therapy with or without 1 of 10 investigational agents, followed by definitive surgery.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe presence of DCIS and EFS, DRFS, and LRR.ResultsThe study team identified 933 I-SPY2 participants (aged 24 to 77 years) with complete pathology and follow-up data. Median follow-up time was 3.9 years; 337 participants (36%) had no residual invasive disease (residual cancer burden 0, or pCR). Of the 337 participants with pCR, 70 (21%) had residual DCIS, which varied significantly by tumor-receptor subtype; residual DCIS was present in 8.5% of triple negative tumors, 15.6% of hormone-receptor positive tumors, and 36.6% of ERBB2-positive tumors. Among those participants with pCR, there was no significant difference in EFS, DRFS, or LRR based on presence or absence of residual DCIS.Conclusions and RelevanceThe analysis supports the definition of pCR as the absence of invasive disease after NAC regardless of the presence or absence of DCIS.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01042379.

Abstract Purpose: Development of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2)–specific inhibitors poses unique challenges in drug design because of BCL-2 homology domain 3 (BH3) shared homology between BCL-2 family members and the shallow surface of their protein–protein interactions. We report herein discovery and extensive preclinical investigation of lisaftoclax (APG-2575). Experimental Design: Computational modeling was used to design “lead” compounds. Biochemical binding, mitochondrial BH3 profiling, and cell-based viability or apoptosis assays were used to determine the selectivity and potency of BCL-2 inhibitor lisaftoclax. The antitumor effects of lisaftoclax were also evaluated in several xenograft models. Results: Lisaftoclax selectively binds BCL-2 (Ki &lt; 0.1 nmol/L), disrupts BCL-2:BIM complexes, and compromises mitochondrial outer membrane potential, culminating in BAX/BAK-dependent, caspase-mediated apoptosis. Lisaftoclax exerted strong antitumor activity in hematologic cancer cell lines and tumor cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, or Waldenström macroglobulinemia. After lisaftoclax treatment, prodeath proteins BCL-2‒like protein 11 (BIM) and Noxa increased, and BIM translocated from cytosol to mitochondria. Consistent with these apoptotic activities, lisaftoclax entered malignant cells rapidly, reached plateau in 2 hours, and significantly downregulated mitochondrial respiratory function and ATP production. Furthermore, lisaftoclax inhibited tumor growth in xenograft models, correlating with caspase activation, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 cleavage, and pharmacokinetics of the compound. Lisaftoclax combined with rituximab or bendamustine/rituximab enhanced antitumor activity in vivo. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that lisaftoclax is a novel, orally bioavailable BH3 mimetic BCL-2–selective inhibitor with considerable potential for the treatment of certain hematologic malignancies.

Objective Heart failure (HF) imposes a substantial burden and the prevalence of HF is high in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). HF results in multiple hospital admissions, but whether HF subtypes worsen long-term outcomes and renal function in patients with CKD remains inconclusive. Methods The study comprised 10 904 patients with CKD aged ≥20 years who underwent echocardiography between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2018. The patients were stratified into four groups: non-HF, HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The primary end points were all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) and adverse renal outcomes. Results In inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted method, the risk of all-cause mortality and MACEs relative to the non-HF group was greatest in the HFrEF group (HR 3.18 (95% CI 2.57 to 3.93) and HR 3.83 (95% CI 3.20 to 4.59)), followed by the HFmrEF (HR 2.75 (95% CI 2.22 to 3.42) and HR 3.08 (95% CI 2.57 to 3.69)) and HFpEF (HR 1.85 (95% CI 1.59 to 2.15) and HR 2.43 (95% CI 2.16 to 2.73) groups. In addition, the HFrEF group had the greatest risks of end-stage renal disease (HR 2.58 (95% CI 1.94 to 3.44)) compared with other groups. Conclusions HF is associated with subsequent worse clinical outcomes, which may be more pronounced in patients with HFrEF, followed by those with HFmrEF and those with HFpEF relative to non-HF group.

Background. Elderly patients with chronic diseases (CDs) have a higher predilection for falls, with more severe consequences once they fall. Therefore, it is necessary to explore an effective way to prevent falls in elderly patients with CDs. Objective. To clarify the clinical effects of outpatient health education on fall prevention and self-health management in elderly patients with CDs. Methods. This retrospective study enrolled 102 elderly patients with CDs who received treatment in the School of Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, between January 2019 and December 2020. Patients intervened by routine nursing were assigned to the regular group (n = 48), and those additionally treated with outpatient health education were included in the research group (n = 54). Assessment of patients’ negative emotions (NEs) adopted the Self-Rating Anxiety/Depression Scale (SAS/SDS), determination of their sense of self-efficacy employed the Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I), and their self-care capacity evaluation used the Exercise of Self-Care Agency (ESCA). Patients’ falls, hospitalization time, fall prevention knowledge, fall prevention-related health behavior, and nursing satisfaction were recorded. Results. After the nursing intervention, lower SAS, SDS, and FES-I scores were determined in the research group versus the regular group; the total ESCA score assessed from various dimensions was higher in the research group; the research group also exhibited a markedly lower incidence of falls, and shorter hospitalization time than the regular group, with better mastery of fall prevention knowledge, fall prevention-related health behavior and nursing satisfaction. Conclusions. Outpatient health education intervention can prevent senile patients with CDs from falling, promote their rehabilitation, and enhance their mastery of fall prevention knowledge; moreover, it can improve patients’ healthy behaviors to prevent falls, mitigate their NEs, and improve their sense of self-efficacy and self-care ability, which has high clinical application value.