Citations

Abstract Post-translational modifications (PTM) of tau are implicated in Alzheimer disease (AD) progression and are established biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma; however, the labor-intensive nature of conventional proteomics limits their investigation in histology-specific contexts. We describe the findings of an artificial intelligence-guided laser capture microdissection (LCM) pipeline for harvesting neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) by maturation level into pretangles (pre-NFTs), mature tangles (iNFTs), and ghost tangles (eNFTs) using 38 cases obtained from 2 independent biobanks. We evaluated the performance characteristics of proprietary machine learning algorithms for the subclassification of these NFT categories in anti-pTau217-stained whole slide images of entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, frontal, and parietal cortex sections. Overall precision/recall/F1 scores were highest for Classifier A (0.6/0.46/0.5). The best performing algorithm was used to guide LCM capture and inform NFT enrichment. Targeted proteomics on tau signature peptides (pTau181, pTau217, and TauMTBR) was performed on approximately 1250 NFT collections. The results demonstrated that their abundance increased from pretangles to mature tangles (∼2-11-fold increase), and that this was followed by a sharp reduction in ghost tangles (∼3-116-fold decrease), with pTau217 showing the most drastic change. Pathologist-trained NFT classifiers represent an objective albeit imperfect means to enrich specific morphologic forms permitting coupled LCM-MS (mass spectrometry) to investigate AD-associated PTM.

Abstract Taxanes are frontline chemotherapeutics that stabilize microtubules, induce mitotic arrest, and drive tumor remission. However, their off-target effects in healthy tissues, most notably cutaneous axon degeneration underlying chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), remain poorly understood. Here, we show that paclitaxel induces microtubule fasciculation in epidermal keratinocytes through the mitotic kinesin Eg5, thereby initiating CIPN. Mechanistically, paclitaxel enhances Eg5-dependent fasciculation of detyrosinated (stabilized) microtubules, which constrict and breach the nuclear lamina. This deformation triggers tension-dependent NADPH oxidase-mediated nuclear ROS (X-ROS) formation upstream of mmp13 transcription, a pathway we previously demonstrated drives sensory axon degeneration. Employing a cross-species framework spanning zebrafish, mice, human skin biopsies, and a breast adenocarcinoma cell line, we uncover a conserved paclitaxel–Eg5 mechanism leading to fasciculation of stable microtubules in both healthy epidermis and cancer cells. These findings highlight the dualistic nature of paclitaxel action and underscore the challenge of preserving anticancer efficacy while preventing neurotoxic side effects.

ABSTRACTBackgroundTactile sensory recovery in autologous breast reconstruction (ABR) has been shown to prevent injuries and improve quality of life. However, the studies comparing neurotized versus non‐neurotized outcomes are still controversial due to methodological heterogeneity. This review uses consistent and objective outcomes to evaluate the current evidence's qualitative characteristics and quantitative tactile sensory recovery.MethodsWe conducted a systematic electronic literature search from database inception through 10 February 2024, of the following databases: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, SCOPUS, and CINAHL to identify all studies reporting outcomes of tactile sensory recovery using the Semmes‐Weinstein Measuring scale in free‐flap ABR comparing neurotization versus non‐neurotization. The SWM scale score, demographic characteristics, and surgical features were extracted from each study. Due to the data heterogeneity within the studies, we transformed the data into means and pooled the qualitative information.ResultsWe identified 264 articles. After thorough screening, 12 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the qualitative synthesis. Finally, 7 were quantitatively analyzed with a total of 251 breasts that underwent ABR with free flap neurotization and 244 breasts without neurotization. This revealed a mean SWM score difference of −0.67 and a significant p‐value < 0.05. A subgroup DIEP flap analysis performed for 177 neurotized compared to 175 non‐eurotized flaps yielded a significant mean difference of −0.86 p < 0.05. There were no significant differences between groups in age (48.8 vs. 49.8, p = 0.5), history of chemotherapy (72 vs. 74, p = 0.91), radiotherapy (61 vs. 56, p = 0.84), or follow‐up time (21.85 vs. 25.09 months, p = < 0.05) that could have influenced tactile sensory recovery.ConclusionNeurotization in free‐flap ABR could allow better tactile sensory recovery than the spontaneous sensation gained without it. The additional surgical time required for coaptation is short, and no studies have reported associated complications, making it a safe procedure that can potentially improve patients´ quality of life. Nonetheless, higher‐quality studies, such as randomized control trials with standardized sensation testing and more rigorous methodologies, are needed before making final clinical recommendations.

OBJECTIVE Coexisting medical conditions are increasingly prevalent in surgical populations. The impact of multiple comorbidities on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and endotypes of frequently co-occurring conditions for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) remain unclear. This study explores whether CSM patients with multimorbidity have worse baseline and postoperative PROs and less functional improvement after surgery compared to those with few or no comorbidities. The authors also investigated whether distinct comorbidity endotypes exist among CSM surgical patients and whether they influence postoperative outcomes. METHODS The prospective Quality Outcomes Database (QOD) was used to assess patients undergoing surgery for CSM. Multimorbidity was defined as ≥ 2 chronic conditions, including diabetes, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, arthritis, chronic renal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, depression, and anxiety. Baseline characteristics and 24-month PROs were assessed across multiple-comorbidity status, including modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA), Neck Disability Index (NDI), visual analog scale for neck and arm pain, EQ-5D, and patient satisfaction scores. Clusters were identified from the full cohort using k-medoids, revealing subgroups with similar comorbidity endotypes. RESULTS The final cohort included 1141 CSM patients (83.1% reaching 24-month follow-up), with 761 (66.7%) having 0 or 1 comorbidity and 380 (33.3%) ≥ 2 comorbidities. The multimorbidity cohort was older (mean age 62.6 ± 11.2 vs 59.5 ± 12.0 years, p < 0.001), more likely to be female (52.9% vs 44.7%, p = 0.011), and had a higher BMI (mean 31.1 ± 6.7 vs 29.7 ± 6.2 kg/m 2 , p < 0.001). Multimorbidity patients exhibited worse mJOA, NDI, and EQ-5D scores at baseline and 24 months (p < 0.05). On multivariable analysis, the total number of comorbidities was not significantly associated with any PRO measures. Four comorbidity clusters were identified: low burden, arthritis, diabetes, and high burden. On one-way ANOVA, the baseline mJOA score was significantly different across clusters (p = 0.003). At 24 months, the mJOA score was significantly lower in the diabetes and high-burden endotypes. Twenty-four-month score change and minimal clinically important difference (MCID) achievement of all PROs remained similar across clusters (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS While patients with multimorbidity have worse baseline and postoperative PROs, they achieve similar functional and pain-related improvements following CSM surgery. Similarly, the comorbidity endotypes identified in this QOD cohort suggest that certain patterns of coexisting chronic conditions, such as overlapping diabetes and arthritis, are associated with different levels of disability but may not diminish the effectiveness of surgical intervention.

The translation of AI-generated brain metastases (BM) segmentation into clinical practice relies heavily on diverse, high-quality annotated medical imaging datasets. The BraTS-METS 2023 challenge has gained momentum for testing and benchmarking algorithms using rigorously annotated internationally compiled real-world datasets. This study presents the results of the segmentation challenge and characterizes the challenging cases that impacted the performance of the winning algorithms. Untreated brain metastases on standard anatomic MRI sequences (T1, T2, FLAIR, T1PG) from eight contributed international datasets were annotated in stepwise method: published UNET algorithms, student, neuroradiologist, final approver neuroradiologist. Segmentations were ranked based on lesion-wise Dice and Hausdorff distance (HD95) scores. False positives (FP) and false negatives (FN) were rigorously penalized, receiving a score of 0 for Dice and a fixed penalty of 374 for HD95. The mean scores for the teams were calculated. Eight datasets comprising 1303 studies were annotated, with 402 studies (3076 lesions) released on Synapse as publicly available datasets to challenge competitors. Additionally, 31 studies (139 lesions) were held out for validation, and 59 studies (218 lesions) were used for testing. Segmentation accuracy was measured as rank across subjects, with the winning team achieving a LesionWise mean score of 7.9. The Dice score for the winning team was 0.65 ± 0.25. Common errors among the leading teams included false negatives for small lesions and misregistration of masks in space. The Dice scores and lesion detection rates of all algorithms diminished with decreasing tumor size, particularly for tumors smaller than 100 mm3. In conclusion, algorithms for BM segmentation require further refinement to balance high sensitivity in lesion detection with the minimization of false positives and negatives. The BraTS-METS 2023 challenge successfully curated well- annotated, diverse datasets and identified common errors, facilitating the translation of BM segmentation across varied environments and providing the tools for future development of personalized volumetric reports to patients undergoing BM treatment.

Abstract Most myelofibrosis (MF) drug approvals by Health Authorities are based on 1 or 2 outcome measures such as spleen volume reduction and/or improved quality-of-life. This 1–2 dimensional approach fails to capture the clinical complexity of MF. A European LeukemiaNet (ELN) taskforce developed a composite endpoint which allows multiple outcomes to be simultaneously measured. The panel used the Desirability-Of-Outcome-Ranking (DOOR) method to assign 25 outcomes into 4 quartiles based on a multi-dimensional desirability score and build a 5-layer composite outcome named Desirability-of-Myelofibrosis-Outcomes (DEMYO). Outcome operational definitions were tested by Delphi consensus and correlations with survival validated by a literature review. The outcomes assigned to the first two quartiles were negatively correlated with leukemia-free survival and survival. DEMYO comprehensively captures relevant MF clinical features and meaningful endpoints. Despite DEMYO requires validation based on available trial data, it is expected to improve the quality of Health Authority approvals for new drugs for MF.

e17064 Background: Analyses of clinical trials data suggest thatBlack men have equal or even improved overall survival (OS) with certain treatments for mCRPC compared with other races. Moreover, retrospective analysis of the PROCEED registry indicated that Black men who received Sip-T, an autologous cellular immunotherapy, had longer survival compared with other men with mCRPC. The Abi Race and PANTHER clinical trials prospectively assessed the effect of ARPIs on clinical outcomes among Black and White patient (pt) cohorts, and included pts who had received Sip-T either prior to or during study. We combined data from Abi Race and PANTHER to investigate associations between OS, Sip-T and race. Methods: Data from the Abi Race (N=100) and PANTHER (N=93) studies were retrospectively pooled for this analysis. Propensity scores for Sip-T treatment were calculated based on Karnofsky performance status, race, Gleason score, and study. Kaplan-Meier estimates for OS, with and without inverse propensity score weighting, were generated and stratified by Sip-T use. This analysis was stratified by race to examine whether the relationship between Sip-T use and OS differed by race. Results: Of the 93 Black pts and 100 White patients included from both studies, 123 patients did not receive Sip-T, while 70 patients did (60 before study, 10 on study). Pts who received Sip-T had a median OS (mOS) of 44 months (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 39, NR) compared to 36 months (95% CI 31, 48) for those who did not. Weighted by propensity scores, Black men who received Sip-T had a mOS of 72 months (95% CI 43, NR), while those who did not had a mOS of 38 months (95% CI 30, NR). Among White men, patients who received Sip-T had a mOS of 39 months (95% CI 30, NR), while those who did not had a mOS of 32 months (95% CI 29, 48) (see Table). Conclusions: Our findings from an investigator-led retrospective analysis independent of sponsors provide independent clinical trial support of prior retrospective findings that suggest Black men with mCRPC who receive Sip-T may have a greater OS than White men. While our analysis controlled for factors that may influence the use of Sip-T, it is limited by potential unmeasured confounders or timing of Sip-T. Further, adequately powered prospective trials specifically evaluating outcomes with Sip-T by race in earlier clinical settings are needed. Drug support and funding for Abi Race and PANTHER were provided by Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC. Death counts and median overall survival (mOS) in months by race and Sipuleucel-T use. Black Men White Men Sipuleucel-T use Deaths / Total N No 36 / 64 38 / 59 Yes 12 / 29 24 / 41 Unweighted mOS (95% CI) No 36 (29, NR) 32 (29, 48) Yes 72 (43, NR) 39 (31, NR) Weighted mOS (95% CI) No 38 (30, NR) 32 (29, 48) Yes 72 (43, NR) 39 (30, NR) NR = not reached, mOS = median overall survival, CI = confidence interval.

4558 Background: In the past 7 years, 4 immuno-oncology (IO) based combinations have been approved for mRCC. However, QOL data on these combinations are limited to trials in which collection and reporting was not standardized, which further limits cross trial comparisons. Real-world QOL data with multiple treatment regimens are needed to understand how these regimens are tolerated in practice. Methods: ODYSSEY is a multi-site, prospective observational study of 500 US pts with mRCC. Pts must have mRCC (any histology), no prior ST, and follow up at a PCORnet study site. Exclusion criteria include treatment for cancer except mRCC. The primary objective is to determine patterns of change in QOL and symptom burden of pts with mRCC. Minimally important differences (MID) are 3 points for FKSI-19 total score, 1 point for the FKSI-Disease Related Symptoms (DRS) subscale and 7 points for FACT-G. Results: As of 1/6/25, 392 pts were enrolled of whom 299 were managed with ST. Of pts on ST, 114 were treated with IO-IO, 108 with IO-TKI, 33 with IO alone, 27 with Other, and 18 with TKI alone. Median follow up for all pts is 8.8 months (IQR 2.9, 16.2). IO-IO pts are median age 64 yrs, 81% male, 84% white, 56% prior nephrectomy, 84% clear cell; IO-TKI pts median age 66 yrs, 76% male, 92% white, 43% prior nephrectomy, 66% clear cell; IMDC risk profiles are similar. IO-IO pts are more likely to be KPS 100; whereas, IO-TKI pts have a higher median number of metastatic sites and are more likely to have bone or liver metastasis. With median follow-up of 6.0 (IQR 1.8, 14.9) and 8.8 months (4.5, 17.8) in the IO-IO and IO-TKI cohorts, 17 (15%) and 21 (19%) pts had died with a median time to death of 5.4 (2.5, 6.4) and 5.7 months (4.4, 12.8), respectively. 20 (18%) and 16 (15%) pts on IO-IO and IO-TKI had discontinued therapy at a median of 3.0 (IQR 2.0, 4.0) and 6.4 months (2.4, 13.0), respectively. Rates of discontinuation for disease progression and toxicity are similar. Baseline PROs for pts on ST are shown in the Table (higher score indicates better QOL), with RCT data for reference (NA, not assessed). Conclusions: In our prospective multi-center ODYSSEY study, we demonstrate that real world pts treated with contemporary ST have worse baseline QOL than those enrolled on pivotal RCTs. One-third of IO-IO and IO-TKI pts died or discontinued therapy within 6 months of initiation. Our data on real world vs RCT differences in baseline QOL may partially explain the limitations of current IO combination regimens in practice and support development of alternative treatment approaches. Instrument, Mean (SD) ODYSSEYIO-IO(N=114) CheckMate214(N=425) ODYSSEYIO-TKI(N=108) KEYNOTE426(N=402) CheckMate9ER(N=323) CLEAR(N=351) FKSI-19 total 56.0 (12.5) 60.1 (9.8) 53.8 (11.8) NA 58.7 (10.6) NA FKSI-DRS 27.5 (6.3) 30.7 (4.5) 27.0 (5.8) 32 (4.2) 30.2 (5.2) 31.3 (4.4) FACT-G 82.4 (16.7) 82.6 (15.0) 78.5 (16.0) NA NA NA

4553 Background: AS is a recognized strategy in select pts with mRCC to maximize QOL and delay potential toxicity of systemic therapy (ST); however, only 2 prospective studies of AS in mRCC have been published: only 1 with patient-reported outcomes (PRO) and none in the IO-TKI era. Methods: ODYSSEY is a prospective observational study of 500 US pts with mRCC. Eligible pts must have mRCC (any histology), no prior ST, age ≥19. Pts were excluded if treated for non-mRCC cancers or if not followed at a PCORnet study site. Pts completed QOL surveys at baseline, by phone every 3 months for 2 years and then every 6 months until end of follow up. The primary objective is to determine patterns of change in QOL and symptom burden of pts with mRCC. Minimally important differences (MID) are 3 points for FKSI-19 total score, 1 point for the FKSI-Disease Related Symptoms (DRS) subscale and 7 points for FACT-G. Here we report baseline pt characteristics in AS pts compared to ST pts, and baseline QOL differences between these cohorts. Results: As of 1/6/25, 392 pts were enrolled of whom 299 were managed with ST, and 93 pts deferred ST; of these, 53 pts (57%) were classified as AS. Pts on AS are median age 68 yrs, 66% male, 94% white, 81% clear cell, 50% favorable risk, 44% intermediate risk. Compared with ST pts, AS pts were more likely to have undergone nephrectomy (91% vs 53%), favorable risk profile (50% vs 15%), pancreatic metastasis (15% vs 5%), and longer time since RCC diagnosis (median 58 vs 3.3 months); and less likely to have bone, brain, or liver metastasis. After median 8.8 months follow-up (IQR 2.9, 16.2), 2 pts (4%) on AS had died compared with 45 pts (15%) on ST. One pt (2%) on AS started first-line therapy and 45 pts (15%) discontinued ST. Mean baseline QOL (FKSI-19 total, DRS and FACT-G) for AS and ST ODYSSEY pts is shown in the Table (higher score indicates better QOL), with RCT data for reference (NA, not assessed). ODYSSEY pts on AS had higher QOL for all measures compared with ODYSSEY pts on ST. FSKI-DRS was the same or lower for pts on AS compared to the pivotal trials, while ODYSSEY pts on ST had both lower FKSI-19 total and DRS. Conclusions: In our large prospective cohort from ODYSSEY, pts on AS had higher median QOL scores than pts on ST, but similar to those included in RCTs. These results suggest that some RCT pts could have benefitted from AS. Further follow up is needed to determine long term outcomes in pts on AS and how they respond to deferred ST. Clinical trial information: NCT04919122 . Instrument, Mean (SD) ODYSSEY AS (N=53) ODYSSEY ST (N=299) ODYSSEY Difference, AS vs ST (95% CI) CheckMate 214 (N=425) KEYNOTE 426 (N=402) CheckMate 9ER (N=323) CLEAR (N=351) FKSI-19 total 63.4 (9.2) 56.3 (12.5) 7.0(4.0, 10.1) 60.1 (9.8) NA 58.7 (10.6) NA FKSI-DRS 30.8 (4.2) 27.9 (6.0) 2.9(1.5, 4.7) 30.7 (4.5) 32 (4.2) 30.2 (5.2) 31.3 (4.4) FACT-G 87.9 (14.0) 82.4 (16.7) 5.6(1.1, 10.0) 82.6 (15.0) NA NA NA

ABSTRACTBackgroundDeep learning (DL) models for accurate renal tumor characterization may benefit from multi‐center datasets for improved generalizability; however, data‐sharing constraints necessitate privacy‐preserving solutions like federated learning (FL).PurposeTo assess the performance and reliability of FL for renal tumor segmentation and classification in multi‐institutional MRI datasets.Study TypeRetrospective multi‐center study.PopulationA total of 987 patients (403 female) from six hospitals were included for analysis. 73% (723/987) had malignant renal tumors, primarily clear cell carcinoma (n = 509). Patients were split into training (n = 785), validation (n = 104), and test (n = 99) sets, stratified across three simulated institutions.Field Strength/SequenceMRI was performed at 1.5 T and 3 T using T2‐weighted imaging (T2WI) and contrast‐enhanced T1‐weighted imaging (CE‐T1WI) sequences.AssessmentFL and non‐FL approaches used nnU‐Net for tumor segmentation and ResNet for its classification. FL‐trained models across three simulated institutional clients with central weight aggregation, while the non‐FL approach used centralized training on the full dataset.Statistical TestsSegmentation was evaluated using Dice coefficients, and classification between malignant and benign lesions was assessed using accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curves (AUCs). FL and non‐FL performance was compared using the Wilcoxon test for segmentation Dice and Delong's test for AUC (p < 0.05).ResultsNo significant difference was observed between FL and non‐FL models in segmentation (Dice: 0.43 vs. 0.45, p = 0.202) or classification (AUC: 0.69 vs. 0.64, p = 0.959) on the test set. For classification, no significant difference was observed between the models in accuracy (p = 0.912), sensitivity (p = 0.862), or specificity (p = 0.847) on the test set.Data ConclusionFL demonstrated comparable performance to non‐FL approaches in renal tumor segmentation and classification, supporting its potential as a privacy‐preserving alternative for multi‐institutional DL models.Evidence Level4.Technical EfficacyStage 2.