A Comprehensive Review of Immunotherapy Clinical Trials for Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Alone or in Combination, Novel Antibodies, Cellular Therapies, and Vaccines.

Urothelial cancer is an immune-responsive cancer, but only a subset of patients benefits from immune checkpoint inhibition. Currently, single-agent immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and the combination of pembrolizumab with the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin are approved to treat patients with metastatic UC (mUC). Approval of first-line nivolumab in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin is expected imminently. Many treatment approaches are being investigated to better harness the immune system to fight mUC. In this review, we summarize the landmark clinical trials of ICIs that led to their incorporation into the current standard of care for mUC. We further discuss recent and ongoing clinical trials in mUC, which are investigating ICIs in combination with other agents, including chemotherapy, antibody-drug conjugates, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and novel antibodies. Lastly, we review novel approaches utilizing bispecific antibodies, cellular therapies, and vaccines. The landscape of immunotherapy for mUC is rapidly evolving and will hopefully lead to better outcomes for patients.

Breast Cancer in the Elderly: An Observational Study Investigating Compliance of Screening Mammography in an Underserved Community.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of breast cancer increases with age. Individuals living in higher socioeconomic communities also have higher incidence secondary to early detection of breast cancer from increased accessibility to mammograms. This retrospective study studied the percentage of new breast cancer cases in the elderly between 2010 and 2019, and investigated the compliance of screening mammography in some of the medically underserved suburbs of southern Chicago. METHODS: The parameters used to power this study include "age greater than 70" and "2010 to present" at the time the study was first initiated. The final data set contained 381 electronic health records (EMRs) that met the parameters of interest. We specifically looked at method of diagnosis, stage at diagnosis, date of last normal screening mammogram, hormone status, histology, race, and smoking history. RESULTS: Thirty percent of the breast cancer patients diagnosed at our institution were over 70 years of age between 2010 and 2019. Of the 381 patients included in the overall sample, 45% were diagnosed with breast cancer by screening mammogram, and 52% of individuals in the 70 - 75 age group were diagnosed with breast cancer by screening mammography. Only 40% of individuals in the 75+ age group were diagnosed with breast cancer by screening mammogram (P = 0.0234). Furthermore, in the overall sample, 63% had a normal screening mammogram at some time prior to their breast cancer diagnosis. In the 70 - 75 age group, 76% had a normal screening mammogram at some time prior to their breast cancer diagnosis. In the 75+ age group, only 54% had a normal screening mammogram at some time prior to their breast cancer diagnosis (P < 0.0001). Individuals in both age groups were more likely to have early-stage breast cancers and luminal A hormone expression. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased compliance to screening mammography is observed in the elderly living in underserved communities. Since the elderly are underrepresented in research, organizations do not have sufficient information to recommend screening mammography in the elderly. With increasing life expectancy, observational studies have demonstrated a mortality benefit with screening mammography by early detection of breast cancer, favorable breast cancer characteristics and potentially higher cure rates. Socioeconomic factors also affect screening compliance and likely influenced the results of our study. Future studies should investigate how individual factors influence screening mammography compliance in the elderly in underserved communities.