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ABSTRACT Background & Aims Metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is highly prevalent and increasingly recognized as a multisystem cardiometabolic disorder. The global burden, incidence and prognostic implications of coexisting chronic kidney disease (CKD) in MASLD remain uncertain. Methods In this meta‐analysis, we searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception through September 25, 2025, for observational studies reporting CKD prevalence and/or incidence among adults (≥ 18 years) with MASLD. The primary outcomes were pooled CKD prevalence, estimated using random‐effects models on the logit scale with the Hartung–Knapp adjustment, and pooled CKD incidence (per 1000 person‐years), estimated using random‐effects models with exact Poisson confidence intervals. Secondary outcomes included all‐cause mortality and cardiovascular, renal and cancer outcomes. Results From 2811 records, 36 observational studies met the inclusion criteria. Twenty‐three studies contributed prevalence estimates (575 615 participants; 56 248 CKD cases) and thirteen studies contributed incidence estimates (27 996 new events). The pooled global CKD prevalence among individuals with MASLD was 15.22% (95% CI 9.69–23.12). The pooled CKD incidence was 22.17 per 1000 person‐years (95% CI 11.44–32.89) in the MASLD population. Hypertension (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.29–1.72), dyslipidaemia (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.20–1.24) and diabetes (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.69–2.22) were associated with higher odds of CKD in the MASLD population. All‐cause mortality rates were 18.28 per 1000 person‐years (95% CI 3.45–33.11) in coexistent MASLD and CKD, more than double those in the MASLD‐only population (7.26 per 1000 person‐years (95% CI 2.97–11.56)). Conclusions Coexistent CKD affects one in seven individuals with MASLD worldwide, conferring a more than two‐fold increased risk of all‐cause mortality compared with individuals with MASLD alone.

Background: Colorectal neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs), including small cell (SCNEC) and large cell (LCNEC) subtypes, are rare but aggressive malignancies with limited population-level data. Moreover, prior studies have limited stratification by histologic subtype and anatomic location, despite evidence of disease heterogeneity in colorectal malignancies. This study aimed to characterize the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of colorectal NEC by histologic subtype and tumor location, and to compare them with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and adenocarcinomas (ACs). Methods: A retrospective cohort review was conducted utilizing the SEER database from 2000 to 2022 to identify patients with colorectal SCNEC, LCNEC, NET, and AC. Demographic, clinical, therapeutic and survival data were analyzed and compared using Kaplan–Meier methods, log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: A total of 790 SCNEC, 498 LCNEC, 31,200 NET, and 638,898 AC cases were identified. SCNEC and LCNEC were associated with advanced stage at diagnosis (66% and 55% stage IV, respectively) and inferior survival outcomes compared to NET and AC (median OS (mOS) of 7 and 8 months for SCNEC and LCNEC, respectively, p = 0.0002). Stratified by location, colonic SCNEC had the poorest survival (mOS 5 months), worse than rectal SCNEC (mOS 9 months); this pattern was not observed in LCNEC. Surgical resection was associated with improved OS in both NEC subtypes (HR range 0.25–0.56, all p < 0.012). Radiation therapy was associated with improved survival in NEC overall (SCNEC HR 0.58; LCNEC HR 0.71, both p < 0.05), with the observed benefit appearing greatest in rectal NEC. Demographic factors were associated with survival in NET and AC but had no significant impact in NEC. Conclusions: Colorectal SCNEC and LCNEC are highly aggressive malignancies with poor outcomes, with SCNEC demonstrating modestly inferior outcomes compared to LCNEC. This study demonstrates that both histologic subtype and anatomic site of disease are important determinants of prognosis and treatment response. This supports the concept that colorectal NEC represents a biologically heterogeneous disease, with colonic SCNEC showing the worst outcomes and rectal NEC associated with a potential enhanced response to radiation. These findings support the need for further prospective and molecular studies to better define treatment approaches and targeted therapies for these rare malignancies.

TPS5632 Background: Concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) is the standard of care for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC); however, outcomes remain suboptimal in patients with high-risk disease. Recent studies suggest that integration of immunotherapy (IO) with definitive chemoradiation, or induction chemotherapy prior to CCRT improves outcomes. Whether treatment intensification with induction systemic therapy and IO prior to CCRT and IO further improves disease control remains unknown. Induction chemotherapy may reduce tumor burden, eradicate micrometastatic disease, and improve tumor immunogenicity prior to definitive CCRT. Preclinical and clinical data support synergy between systemic therapy or radiotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade, providing the rationale for evaluating an induction strategy incorporating chemotherapy and immunotherapy before standard CCRT with immunotherapy, followed by maintenance immunotherapy. Optional tumor tissue and blood samples will be collected for exploratory correlative analyses, including immune and molecular biomarkers associated with response, resistance, and patterns of failure. Methods: NRG-GY037 is a prospective, multi-institutional phase III randomized trial conducted through NRG Oncology. A total of 336 patients will be enrolled (168 per arm). Patients will be stratified by FIGO stage (III vs. IVA) and presence or absence of para-aortic lymph nodes (N2). The primary endpoint is progression free survival (PFS). The study has 90% power to detect PFS hazard ratio of 0.65 in the experimental arm. Treatment: Patients with previously untreated, high-risk LACC are randomized to receive either induction chemotherapy with pembrolizumab for 6 weeks followed by CCRT with pembrolizumab and pembrolizumab maintenance, or standard CCRT with pembrolizumab followed by pembrolizumab maintenance. Major Eligibility Criteria: Eligible patients have histologically confirmed cervical carcinoma (squamous, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous), TNM T3 and T4 disease, N0-2, ECOG performance status 0–1, and no prior definitive therapy for cervical cancer. Current Enrollment Status: The trial is actively accruing patients. No efficacy or safety data are available at the time of submission. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT07061977. Clinical trial information: NCT07061977 .

9523 Background: Primary Central Nervous System (CNS) Melanoma is a rare and aggressive malignancy, comprising 1% of melanoma cases and 0.07% of brain tumors. Due to its rarity, its natural history, molecular features and optimal management remain poorly defined. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients at our institution between January 1998 and October 2025 with primary CNS melanoma or melanocytoma with melanoma transformation. Clinical characteristics, molecular profiling, treatments and survival outcomes were collected. Overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: Nineteen patients were identified, including eight (42%) with melanocytoma to melanoma transformation. Median time of transformation was 34.4 months. Thirteen (68%) patients were female with a median age at diagnosis of 59.3 years. Common presenting symptoms were sensory disturbances (58%), pain (53%), motor deficits (37%) and nausea or vomiting (32%). At diagnosis, location of disease was spinal (n=12), intracranial (n=6) and multifocal (n=1). Thirteen patients had leptomeningeal involvement. Molecular profiling was performed in 15 patients, revealing mutations in GNAQ (n=7), GNA11 (n=3), CKIT (n=2), BAP1 (n=1), EIF1AX (n=1), and BRAF v600 (n=1). Thirteen (68%) patients underwent subtotal resection (STR), five (26%) gross total resection (GTR) and one radiation only. Median resected tumor size was 1.7 cm. Seventeen (94%) patients had recurrence at a median of 9.1 months, and four patients underwent repeat surgery. Fourteen (74%) patients received adjuvant radiation and 14 (74%) received immunotherapy, most commonly ipilimumab with nivolumab (71%). Nine patients received chemotherapy: temozolomide (n=5), bevacizumab (n=2) and one each of intrathecal IL-2, tebentafusp, imatinib and encorafenib with binimetininb. Four patients received chemotherapy before immunotherapy. Median OS from diagnosis of CNS melanocytoma or melanoma was 50.9 months (13.4 – 80). Median OS from time of transformation to melanoma or CNS melanoma diagnosis was 24.0 months (11.9 – NA). One-, three- and five-year OS rates were 73%, 53% and 40% respectively. GTR was associated with increased median OS compared to STR (80.0 vs 19.7 months, p= 0.02). Age at diagnosis, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, adjuvant radiation, STR with or without radiation, disease location, leptomeningeal involvement, tumor size >3cm and presence of GNAQ mutation were not associated with survival. Median PFS was 3 months with chemotherapy and 5.7 months with immunotherapy. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the largest single center study of primary CNS melanoma. Outcomes remain poor, with survival primarily associated with GTR. The predominance of GNAQ and GNA11 alterations with rare BRAF v600 mutations highlight the distinct biology of primary CNS melanoma and need for novel targeted therapies.

5004 Background: Patients (pts) with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) treated continuously with testosterone suppression (TS) plus an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) can experience cumulative toxicity. We conducted this single-arm phase 2 trial (NCT05241860) to test the hypothesis that pts who achieve favorable response to TS + ARPI can have prolonged treatment-free interval with testosterone recovery after treatment interruption (TI). Here we report on the primary endpoint. Methods: Eligible pts had mHSPC by conventional imaging with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≥ 5 ng/ml and testosterone ≥ 150 ng/dl prior to starting TS+ARPI, with PSA < 0.2 ng/ml and testosterone < 50 ng/dl at the time of enrollment after having received TS for 540-750 days and ARPI for ≥ 360 days. Prior local therapy, radiation to metastases and docetaxel were permitted. After enrollment, pts discontinued TS and ARPI and were followed with PSA and testosterone levels every 3 months (mo), CT/MRI and bone scan at least every 6 mo, and FACT-P questionnaire for patient-reported outcomes (PROs) every 6 mo. Treatment was resumed for PSA ≥ 5 ng/ml, radiographic change (progressive disease [PD] per RECIST 1.1 on CT/MRI or unconfirmed PD per PCWG3 on bone scan), or prostate cancer-related symptoms. The primary endpoint was proportion of men remaining treatment-free 18 mo after TI with eugonadal testosterone ( > 150 ng/dl). Target enrollment was 75 pts to differentiate 18-mo treatment-free rates of 0.30 (H 0 ) and 0.45 (H a ). Results: Of 79 pts enrolled between 07/2022 and 03/2024, 78 were eligible and underwent TI. Among these 78, median PSA prior to starting TS+ARPI was 19 (range 5-6759), 27 (35%) had high volume disease, 31 (40%) never received local therapy, and 55 (71%) did not receive radiation to metastases. By 18 mo after TI, 67% (52/78) recovered testosterone and 58% (45/78) remained treatment-free; 41% (32/78) remained treatment-free with testosterone recovery (80% CI 33.5-48.9%, one-sided p 0.0249). At median follow-up of 21.2 mo, 35% (27/78) resumed initial TS+ARPI after meeting re-initiation criteria (of whom 1 required treatment switch for PD 9 mo later); 5% (4/78) resumed prior to meeting criteria; 9% (7/78) pursued alternative therapy instead of resuming TS+ARPI per protocol; 5% (4/78) withdrew; 1 died of myocardial infarction prior to resuming treatment. 4 pts died, 1 of prostate cancer. Conclusions: The primary objective was achieved with 41% of favorable responders to TS+ARPI remaining treatment-free with testosterone recovery at 18 mo after TI. Analyses of biomarkers and PROs are in progress, and pts will be followed for long-term outcomes. Support: U10CA180821, U10CA180882, UG1CA189823, https://acknowledgments.alliancefound.org, Veracyte Inc. Clinical trial information: NCT05241860 .

Abstract Background Accurate and efficient dose calculation is essential for online adaptive planning in proton therapy. Deep learning (DL) has shown promising dose prediction results for pencil beam scanning proton therapy (PBSPT) in recent years, but existing DL‐based dose prediction methods still suffer from limited generalizability and an inability to effectively handle outlier clinical cases. This may lead to inaccurate dose delivery to targets or excessive irradiation to organs at risk (OARs), thereby compromising the safety and efficacy of online adaptive proton therapy. Purpose To design a physics‐aware and generalizable AI‐based PBSPT dose prediction method that incorporates underlying physics to enhance generalizability, particularly in handling outlier clinical cases. Methods This study analyzed PBSPT plans of 103 prostate (93 for training and 10 for testing) and 78 lung cancer patients (68 for training and 10 for testing) from our institution, with each case comprising CT images and structure sets. Using the doses generated by our Monte Carlo‐based dose engine as the reference standard, we compared three methods: the region of interest (ROI)‐based method, the beam mask and sliding window method, and the proposed noisy probing dose method, which rapidly generates a low‐statistics dose via uniformly weighted spots on an expanded spot‐placement target volume without optimization. To evaluate the generalizability of these methods to rare treatment planning scenarios, 12 cases with uncommon beam angles or prescription doses were used to assess their performance, which was evaluated using dose‐volume histogram (DVH) indices, 3D Gamma passing rates (3%/2 mm/10%), and Dice coefficients for dose agreement, while prediction times were measured to gauge model efficiency. Results The proposed noisy probing dose method consistently outperformed the ROI‐based and beam mask baselines across all evaluated metrics, with more accurate dose agreement and superior generalizability. For DVH indices, the noisy probing dose method achieved the smallest deviation in clinical target volume (CTV) dose coverage: in prostate cancer, CTV D98 deviation was reduced by 45% (from 0.53 ± 0.22 Gy [RBE] for ROI‐based) and 29% (from 0.41 ± 0.28 Gy [RBE] for beam mask) to 0.29 ± 0.06 Gy [RBE]; in lung cancer, similar improvements were observed, with CTV D98 deviations reduced to 0.34 ± 0.12 Gy [RBE]. The 3D Gamma passing rates improved to 99.65% ± 1.15% for prostate targets and 97.04% ± 1.17% for lung targets. The dice coefficients of the 90% iso‐dose lines were also the highest with the noisy probing dose method (prostate: 0.983 ± 0.005; lung: 0.967 ± 0.01). For the 12 outlier cases, the noisy probing dose method maintained superior generalizability, yielding higher 3D Gamma passing rates (prostate targets: 96.79% ± 0.83%, OARs: 94.29% ± 1.01%; lung targets: 93.38% ± 1.34%, OARs: 93.95% ± 1.32%), demonstrating robust generalizability to rare clinical scenarios. The dose predictions for all testing cases were completed within 0.3 seconds. Conclusions A novel noisy probing dose method was proposed for PBSPT dose prediction in prostate and lung cancer patients. By embedding more proton‐specific physics, this method demonstrated an improvement in the generalizability of dose prediction.

ABSTRACT Richter transformation of Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) into classic Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL-RT) is rare and remains incompletely understood. Two histologic subtypes are recognized: type 1 (CLL/SLL with scattered Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells) and type 2 (HRS cells within a polymorphous inflammatory background). In this multi-institutional study of 77 patients with CHL-RT (27 type 1 and 50 type 2), we characterized immune evasion markers, PD-L1 / PD-L2 copy number alterations, tumor microenvironment, and performed targeted next-generation sequencing on 37 CLL/SLL samples. HRS cells in CHL-RT displayed immune-evasion phenotypes similar to de novo CHL, though PD-L1 expression was lower in type 1 cases. PD-L1/PD-L2 gain/polysomy were frequent (83.3%). CLL/SLL with CHL-RT harbored increased mutations in XPO1, FBXW7, BIRC3, TRAF3 , and HLA-A versus reference CLL/SLL. Similar mutational profiles, demographics, and survival outcomes support a biological continuum between type 1 and type 2 CHL-RT, with distinct genetic features in CLL/SLL predisposing to CHL transformation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Classic Hodgkin lymphoma-type Richter transformation arises from convergent Hodgkin-like immune evasion on a genetically primed CLL/SLL background. Through integrated genomic and tumor microenvironment analyses in a large multicenter cohort, we establish this as a biologically coherent entity and provide rationale for PD-L1/PD-L2-directed therapeutic strategies.

As an emerging tire wear-derived environmental contaminant, 6PPD-quinone (6PPDQ) has raised significant concerns regarding its neurotoxic potential, particularly for children exposed to recycled tire crumb rubber in playgrounds. However, the molecular mechanisms by which 6PPDQ influences neurological disorders such as epilepsy remain poorly understood. In this study, we employed an integrative framework combining network toxicology, bulk analysis of human epileptic brain tissues, Mendelian randomization, and molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate these mechanisms. Our findings, validated through CETSA-WB and SPR, identify 6PPDQ as a direct ligand that binds to and stabilizes neuronal TP53. Through a synergistic double-hit mechanism, 6PPDQ directly engages the TP53 pathway while simultaneously triggering microglial interleukin-6 secretion. These converging pathways lead to the suppression of the master antioxidant regulator Nrf2, resulting in glutathione depletion, excessive reactive oxygen species accumulation, and exacerbated neuronal damage under excitotoxic stress. Experimental validation using glutamate-induced HT22 cell models and microglia–neuron crosstalk systems confirmed that targeting the TP53/Nrf2 axis or scavenging ROS significantly attenuates 6PPDQ-induced neurotoxicity. Our findings highlight critical risks to pediatric neurological health posed by tire-derived contaminants and identify the TP53/Nrf2 axis as a promising therapeutic target. Furthermore, this work provides a robust scientific basis for refining risk assessment frameworks and developing regulatory strategies to mitigate environmental exposure to 6PPDQ.