Detection of genomic alterations in liquid biopsies from patients with non-small cell lung cancer using FoundationOne Liquid CDx: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Liquid biopsy (LB) is a non-invasive technique to detect genetic alterations by next-generation sequencing (NGS) when tissue biopsy is not available. This study aims to estimate in the Spanish setting, the cost-effectiveness of using FoundationOne Liquid CDx (F1L CDx), a novel blood-derived LB test based on NGS, versus non-molecular diagnosis (non-mDx) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in whom tissue sampling is not feasible. METHODS: A joint model was developed combining a decision-tree with partitioned survival models to calculate the costs and health outcomes over a lifetime horizon, comparing F1L CDx in LB versus non-mDx. Only direct costs (expressed in € of 2023) were included and a 3% discount rate for future costs and effects was considered. Health outcomes were expressed in Life Years (LYs) and Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs). Utilities and treatment efficacy were obtained from the literature. An expert panel of 11 Spanish oncologists determined the treatment allocation and validated all model inputs and assumptions. Several sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the results. RESULTS: In a hypothetical cohort of 1,000 patients, LB using F1L CDx would detect 386 alterations, so those patients could be treated with targeted therapies or enrolled in clinical trials. Cost-effectiveness results showed that F1L CDx provides greater effectiveness than non-mDx (+383.95 LYs and +305.94 QALYs), with an additional cost of €2,898,308. The incremental cost-utility ratio was €9,473/QALY gained. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the cost-effectiveness results. LIMITATIONS: Various limitations inherent to cost-effectiveness analyses were described. CONCLUSION: LB with F1L CDx test is a cost-effective strategy in Spain for patients with advanced NSCLC without tissue sample available for molecular diagnosis, improving the personalized treatment of these patients.

Complete response to encorafenib plus binimetinib in a BRAF V600E-mutant metastasic malignant glomus tumor.

Glomus tumors (GT) are very rare mesenchymal neoplasms arising from glomus bodies, arteriovenous structures located in the dermis and involved in thermoregulation. Although most are benign, they may occasionally present malignant histological features associated with aggressive clinical behavior, metastatic spread, and poor response to conventional chemotherapy. The BRAF V600E mutation has been identified in a subset of malignant GT, highlighting a promising therapeutic target. Here, we report the impressive clinical and morpho-metabolic response of a metastatic BRAF V600E-mutated glomangiosarcoma after treatment with encorafenib and binimetinib.

Prognostic impact of tumor location and gene expression profile in sporadic desmoid tumor.

PURPOSE: Prognostic biomarkers remain necessary in sporadic desmoid tumor (DT) because the clinical course is unpredictable. DT location along with gene expression between thoracic and abdominal wall locations was analyzed. METHOD: Sporadic DT patients (GEIS Registry) diagnosed between 1982 and 2018 who underwent upfront surgery were enrolled retrospectively in this study. The primary endpoint was relapse-free survival (RFS). Additionally, the gene expression profile was analyzed in DT localized in the thoracic or abdominal wall, harboring the most frequent CTNNB1 T41A mutation. RESULTS: From a total of 454 DT patients, 197 patients with sporadic DT were selected. The median age was 38.2 years (1.8-89.1) with a male/female distribution of 33.5/66.5. Most of them harbored the CTNNB1 T41A mutation (71.6 %), followed by S45F (17.8 %) and S45P (4.1 %). A significant worse median RFS was associated with males (p = 0.019), tumor size ≥ 6 cm (p = 0.001), extra-abdominal DT location (p < 0.001) and the presence of CTNNB1 S45F mutation (p = 0.013). In the multivariate analysis, extra-abdominal DT location, CTNNB1 S45F mutation and tumor size were independent prognostic biomarkers for worse RFS. DTs harboring the CTNNB1 T41A mutation showed overexpression of DUSP1, SOCS1, EGR1, FOS, LIF, MYC, SGK1, SLC2A3, and IER3, and underexpression of BMP4, PMS2, HOXA9, and WISP1 in thoracic versus abdominal wall locations. CONCLUSION: Sporadic DT location exhibits a different prognosis in terms of RFS favoring the abdominal wall compared to extra-abdominal sites. A differential gene expression profile under the same CTNNB1 T41A mutation is observed in the abdominal wall versus the thoracic wall, mainly affecting the Wnt/ß-catenin, TGFß, IFN, and TNF pathways.

Marked increase in cryptosporidiosis cases, Spain, 2023.

BackgroundBy mid-September 2023, several event notifications related to cryptosporidiosis had been identified from different regions in Spain. Therefore, a request for urgent notification of cryptosporidiosis cases to the National Surveillance Network was launched.AimWe aimed at assessing the extent of the increase in cases, the epidemiological characteristics and the transmission modes and compared to previous years.MethodsWe analysed data on case notifications, outbreak reports and genotypes focusing on June-October 2023 and compared the results to 2016-2022.ResultsIn 2023, 4,061 cryptosporidiosis cases were notified in Spain, which is an increase compared to 2016-2022. The cumulative incidence was 8.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, sixfold higher than the median of 1.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants 2016-2022. Almost 80% of the cases were notified between June and October. The largest outbreaks were related to contaminated drinking water or swimming pools. Cryptosporidium hominis was the most common species in the characterised samples (115/122), and the C. hominis IfA12G1R5 subtype, previously unusual in Spain, was detected from 76 (62.3%) of the 122 characterised samples.ConclusionsA substantial increase in cryptosporidiosis cases was observed in 2023. Strengthening surveillance of Cryptosporidium is essential for prevention of cases, to better understand trends and subtypes circulating and the impact of adverse meteorological events.

Characterization of wound infections among patients injured during the Ruso-Ukrainian war in a Role 4 hospital.

INTRODUCTION: The management of infections in war wounds is a problem aggravated by the presence of multiresistant bacteria and requires a combined approach with surgery. Literature has identified the risks and patterns of antibiotic resistance in previous armed conflicts, but the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has required the study of specific bacterial resistance patterns. METHODS: We included war-injured patients from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict transferred for treatment to the General Defense Hospital of Zaragoza from May 2022 to October 2023. Epidemiological data, factors related to the injury, presence of infection and microbiological results were collected; These data were subsequently analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 35.6 years; 83% were injured by an explosive mechanism and all received antibiotic therapy prior to transfer. Seventeen patients had skin, soft tissue or joint infection. Correlation was demonstrated with the presence of bone lesion (p 0.03), skin coverage defect (p 0.000) and presence of foreign bodies (p 0.006). Nine patients had monomicrobial cultures, and the most frequently isolated microorganisms were Gram negative bacilli (GNB) and Staphylococcus aureus. Virtually all GNB presented some resistance mechanism. CONCLUSION: Our work shows the correlation of war wound infection with the presence of foreign bodies and affected tissues. Likewise, the presence of polymicrobial wounds is emphasized, with a predominance of GNB and multidrug-resistant S. aureus.

Population-based disease-group analysis of Spanish excess mortality in the early COVID-19 pandemic period.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Increased mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic is not explained exclusively by COVID-19 infection and its complications. We analysed non-COVID-19 causes of mortality in a population analysis based on data from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics. METHODS: Using monthly mortality data in Spain (January 2010-December 2020), we analysed deaths associated with cancer, blood, endocrine, mental, nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive diseases and explored the COVID-19 impact using a difference-in-difference strategy. We calculated monthly interannual variations in mortality and computed percentage change in terms of the log of deaths in month h of year t minus the log of deaths in month h in the previous year t-1. RESULTS: In 2020 in Spain, mortality increased 17.9% compared with 2019. COVID-19 was the leading cause of death (n=60 358), followed by ischaemic heart disease (n=29 654). Throughout 2020, monthly interannual variations in cardiovascular mortality showed an average upward trend of 1.7%, while digestive, cancer and blood diseases showed a downward trend. CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain in 2020, excess mortality was primarily related to cardiovascular mortality while mortality associated with digestive, cancer and blood diseases was reduced.

HMGA1 regulates trabectedin sensitivity in advanced soft-tissue sarcoma (STS): A Spanish Group for Research on Sarcomas (GEIS) study.

HMGA1 is a structural epigenetic chromatin factor that has been associated with tumor progression and drug resistance. Here, we reported the prognostic/predictive value of HMGA1 for trabectedin in advanced soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) and the effect of inhibiting HMGA1 or the mTOR downstream pathway in trabectedin activity. The prognostic/predictive value of HMGA1 expression was assessed in a cohort of 301 STS patients at mRNA (n = 133) and protein level (n = 272), by HTG EdgeSeq transcriptomics and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The effect of HMGA1 silencing on trabectedin activity and gene expression profiling was measured in leiomyosarcoma cells. The effect of combining mTOR inhibitors with trabectedin was assessed on cell viability in vitro studies, whereas in vivo studies tested the activity of this combination. HMGA1 mRNA and protein expression were significantly associated with worse progression-free survival of trabectedin and worse overall survival in STS. HMGA1 silencing sensitized leiomyosarcoma cells for trabectedin treatment, reducing the spheroid area and increasing cell death. The downregulation of HGMA1 significantly decreased the enrichment of some specific gene sets, including the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. The inhibition of mTOR, sensitized leiomyosarcoma cultures for trabectedin treatment, increasing cell death. In in vivo studies, the combination of rapamycin with trabectedin downregulated HMGA1 expression and stabilized tumor growth of 3-methylcholantrene-induced sarcoma-like models. HMGA1 is an adverse prognostic factor for trabectedin treatment in advanced STS. HMGA1 silencing increases trabectedin efficacy, in part by modulating the mTOR signaling pathway. Trabectedin plus mTOR inhibitors are active in preclinical models of sarcoma, downregulating HMGA1 expression levels and stabilizing tumor growth.

Outpatient glucocorticoid use and COVID-19 outcomes: a population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Owing to controversy information surrounds effect of glucocorticoids on the evolution of COVID-19, we evaluate the effects of outpatient glucocorticoid use on the severity and progression of COVID-19 and risk of infection and analyse the effect of window of exposure and dose. METHODS: We conducted a population-based case - control study, involving 4 substudies: (i) Hospitalisation; (ii) Mortality, using subjects hospitalised with a PCR + as cases and subjects without a PCR + as controls; (iii) Progression, including subjects with a PCR + (hospitalised versus non-hospitalised); and (iv) Susceptibility, with all subjects with a PCR + and subjects without a PCR + . Adjusted odds ratios (ORa) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. RESULTS: The outpatient glucocorticoid use was associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation (aOR 1.79; 95% CI 1.56-2.05), mortality (aOR 2.30; 95% CI 1.68-3.15), progression (aOR 1.69; 95% CI 1.43-2.00) and susceptibility (aOR 1.29, 95% CI 1.19-1.41). Furthermore, the effects was observed to be greater at higher doses and the closer that drug use approached the outcome date, with an almost fourfold increase in mortality among users in the previous month (aOR 3.85; 95% CI 2.63-5.62). CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this real-world data study, outpatient glucocorticoid use should be considered in making decisions about intrahospital treatment.

Outpatient Antipsychotic Use and Severe COVID-19: Avoiding the Impact of Age in a Real-World Data Study.

BACKGROUND: The association between use of antipsychotics and COVID-19 outcomes is inconsistent, which may be linked to use of these drugs in age-related diseases. Furthermore, there is little evidence regarding their effect in the nongeriatric population. We aim to assess the association between antipsychotic use and risk of disease progression and hospitalization due to COVID-19 among the general population, stratifying by age. METHODS: We conducted a population-based, multiple case-control study to assess risk of hospitalization, with cases being patients with a PCR(+) test who required hospitalization and controls being individuals without a PCR(+) test; and risk of progression to hospitalization, with cases being the same as those used in the hospitalization substudy and controls being nonhospitalized PCR(+) patients. We calculated adjusted odds-ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), both overall and stratified by age. RESULTS: Antipsychotic treatment in patients younger than 65 years was not associated with a higher risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 (aOR 0.94 [95%CI = 0.69-1.27]) and disease progression among PCR(+) patients (aOR 0.96 [95%CI = 0.70-1.33]). For patients aged 65 years or older, however, there was a significant, increased risk of hospitalization (aOR 1.58 [95% CI = 1.38-1.80]) and disease progression (aOR 1.31 [95% CI = 1.12-1.55]). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our large-scale real-world data study suggest that antipsychotic use is not associated with a greater risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 and progression to hospitalization among patients younger than 65 years. The effect found in the group aged 65 years or older might be associated with off-label use of antipsychotics.

Treatment with fostamatinib in patients with immune thrombocytopenia: Experience from the Andalusian region in Spain-The Fostasur Study.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is characterized by low platelet counts (PLTs) and an increased risk of bleeding. Fostamatinib, a spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been approved as a second-line treatment for ITP. Real-world data on fostamatinib are lacking. This observational, retrospective, multicentre study, conducted in the Andalusia region of Spain, evaluated 44 adult primary ITP patients (47.7% female; median age 58 years; newly diagnosed ITP 6.8%; persistent 13.6%; chronic 79.5%; median four prior treatments) after ≥ 4 weeks of fostamatinib therapy. The median PLT at the initiation of fostamatinib was 15 × 109/L. Common reasons for starting fostamatinib were refractoriness or intolerance to prior therapy, oral medication preference, history of thrombosis and cardiovascular risk. Dosing was individualized based on efficacy and tolerance. After 2 weeks, global response rate was 56.8% (response and complete response). Response rates were 70.5%, 62.5% and 64% at 4 weeks, 12 weeks and at the end of the study respectively. Adverse events were mild, and no patients discontinued as a result. This real-world study demonstrated a response rate similar to fostamatinib as seen in the pivotal clinical trials while including newly diagnosed patients and allowing for individualized dosing.

Impact of prior antihypertensive treatment on COVID-19 outcomes, by active ingredient.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of prior chronic treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs)/ angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), both as a group and by active ingredient, on severity (risk of hospitalization and mortality), progression of and susceptibility to COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted a multiple population-based case-control study in Galicia (north-west Spain). The study data were sourced from medical, administrative and clinical databases. We assessed: (1) risk of hospitalization, by selecting all patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 with PCR + as cases, and a random sample of subjects without a PCR + as controls; (2) COVID-19 mortality risk; (3) risk of disease progression; and (4) susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, considering all patients with PCR + as cases, and the same subjects used in the previous model as controls. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were calculated. RESULTS: ACEIs and ARBs were shown to decrease the risk of hospitalization (aOR = 0.78 [95%CI 0.69-0.89] and aOR = 0.80 [95%CI 0.72-0.90] respectively), risk of mortality (aOR = 0.71 [95%CI 0.52-0.98] and aOR = 0.69 [95%CI 0.52-0.91] respectively), and susceptibility to the virus (aOR = 0.88 [95%CI 0.82-0.94] and aOR = 0.92 [95%CI 0.86-0.97] respectively). By active ingredient: use of enalapril was associated with a significantly lower risk of hospitalization (aOR = 0.72 [95%CI 0.61-0.85]), mortality (aOR = 0.59 [95%CI 0.38-0.92]) and susceptibility to COVID-19 (aOR = 0.86 [95%CI 0.79-0.94]); and use of candesartan was associated with a decreased risk of hospitalization (aOR = 0.76 [95%CI 0.60-0.95]), mortality (aOR = 0.36 [95%CI 0.17-0.75]) and disease progression (aOR = 0.73 [95%CI 0.56-0.95]). CONCLUSION: This large-scale real-world data study suggest that enalapril and candesartan are associated with a considerable reduction in risk of severe COVID19 outcomes.

Durvalumab in combination with chemoradiotherapy for patients with unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer: Results from the phase 1 CLOVER study.

INTRODUCTION: For patients with unresectable, stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), current standard of care is concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) followed by consolidation durvalumab. However, earlier initiation of durvalumab simultaneously with cCRT may increase antitumor activity relative to initiation after cCRT. The phase 1 CLOVER study (NCT03509012) evaluated durvalumab combined with cCRT in patients with advanced solid tumors; we report findings from the NSCLC cohort. METHODS: CLOVER comprised a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) assessment part, followed by an expansion part. In the NSCLC cohort, patients with previously untreated, unresectable, stage III NSCLC were enrolled in three treatment arms: durvalumab every 4 weeks (Q4W) + cisplatin + etoposide + radiotherapy (Arm 1); durvalumab Q4W + carboplatin + paclitaxel + radiotherapy (Arm 2); or durvalumab Q4W + carboplatin or cisplatin + pemetrexed + radiotherapy (non-squamous histology only; Arm 3). Patients received durvalumab until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients were enrolled: 21, 22, and 21 in Arms 1, 2, and 3, respectively. One patient in Arm 1 had DLT (grade 3 aspartate aminotransferase increase and grade 4 alanine aminotransferase increase); no DLTs were observed in Arms 2 or 3. Grade 3/4 adverse events occurred in 76.6 % of patients overall; the most common were neutropenia (51.6 %), leukopenia (20.3 %), and anemia (17.2 %). In a post-hoc analysis, 7.8 % of patients had grade 3 pneumonitis/radiation pneumonitis (grouped term) events. Overall, the objective response rate was 60.9 % (95 % confidence interval [CI], 47.9-72.9); median duration of response was 15.8 months (95 % CI, 9.0-not estimable [NE]). Median progression-free survival was 13.4 months (95 % CI, 8.8-20.1) and median overall survival was not reached (95 % CI, 21.9-NE). CONCLUSION: Durvalumab in combination with cCRT was well tolerated, with a manageable safety profile and showed encouraging antitumor activity in patients with unresectable, stage III NSCLC.

The S-REAL study: Spanish real-world data on unresectable stage III NSCLC patients treated with durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: The S-REAL study aimed to assess the effectiveness of durvalumab as consolidation therapy after definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in a real-world cohort of patients with locally advanced, unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) included in a Spanish early access program (EAP). METHODS: In this multicentre, observational, retrospective study we analysed data from patients treated in 39 Spanish hospitals, who started intravenous durvalumab (10 mg/kg every 2 weeks) between September 2017 and December 2018. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included patient characterization and adverse events of special interest (AESI). RESULTS: A total of 244 patients were followed up for a median of 21.9 months [range 1.2-34.7]. Median duration of durvalumab was 45.5 weeks (11.4 months) [0-145]. Median PFS was 16.7 months (95% CI 12.2-25). No remarkable differences in PFS were observed between patients with programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression ≥ 1% or < 1% (16.7 versus 15.6 months, respectively). However, PFS was higher in patients who had received prior concurrent CRT (cCRT) versus sequential CRT (sCRT) (20.6 versus 9.4 months). AESIs leading to durvalumab discontinuation were registered in 11.1% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: These results are in line with prior published evidence and confirm the benefits of durvalumab in the treatment of LA-NSCLC patients in a real-world setting. We also observed a lower incidence of important treatment-associated toxicities, such as pneumonitis, compared with the pivotal phase III PACIFIC clinical study.

PRPH2-Related Retinal Dystrophies: Mutational Spectrum in 103 Families from a Spanish Cohort.

PRPH2, one of the most frequently inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD)-causing genes, implies a high phenotypic variability. This study aims to analyze the PRPH2 mutational spectrum in one of the largest cohorts worldwide, and to describe novel pathogenic variants and genotype-phenotype correlations. A study of 220 patients from 103 families recruited from a database of 5000 families. A molecular diagnosis was performed using classical molecular approaches and next-generation sequencing. Common haplotypes were ascertained by analyzing single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We identified 56 variants, including 11 novel variants. Most of them were missense variants (64%) and were located in the D2-loop protein domain (77%). The most frequently occurring variants were p.Gly167Ser, p.Gly208Asp and p.Pro221_Cys222del. Haplotype analysis revealed a shared region in families carrying p.Leu41Pro or p.Pro221_Cys222del. Patients with retinitis pigmentosa presented an earlier disease onset. We describe the largest cohort of IRD families associated with PRPH2 from a single center. Most variants were located in the D2-loop domain, highlighting its importance in interacting with other proteins. Our work suggests a likely founder effect for the variants p.Leu41Pro and p.Pro221_Cys222del in our Spanish cohort. Phenotypes with a primary rod alteration presented more severe affectation. Finally, the high phenotypic variability in PRPH2 hinders the possibility of drawing genotype-phenotype correlations.

Endocrine Adverse Events Related To Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment: Relationship Between Antibodies and Severity of Thyroid Dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify predictive and risk factors for the development of immune-related endocrinopathies and to analyze the incidence and characteristics of immune-related endocrinopathies in our population. DESIGN: A retrospective, single-centre cohort carried out at Gregorio Marañón Hospital between January 2018 -December 2019. METHODS: A total of 163 patients were enrolled. In January 2018 and December 2019, we treated patients who underwent ICI treatment in the Medical Oncology Department of General University Hospital Gregorio Marañón, a tertiary care public hospital in Madrid, as part of an observational, retrospective, single-center cohort study. RESULTS: Endocrinopathies were diagnosed in 19.5% of the patients (n = 32). The tumours with the highest incidence of endocrinopathies were non-small cell lung cancer (25,9%), kidney cell cancer (25%) and hepatocarcinoma (20%). Among the 32 patients who developed endocrinopathy, 18,8%, 19,13%, and 21,28% received anti-CTLA-4, anti-PD-1 and anti-PDL-1, respectively. Thyroid dysfunction was the most frequent endocrinopathy (12,8%). A higher percentage of patients with negative antiTPO and antiTG antibodies developed G1 hypothyroidism compared to patients with positive antibodies who developed a higher proportion of G2 hypothyroidism. The presence of an initial phase of thyrotoxicity was not related to greater severity. We observed longer progression-free survival in patients who developed thyroid dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Pre-existing antibodies were independently associated with endocrinopathies. Moreover, our study let us conclude that the presence of thyroid autoantibodies may be related to its severity. It is important to determine anti-thyroid antibodies prior to the start of immunotherapy as a risk factor for thyroid dysfunction, which in turn is a prognostic marker.

A Clear Cell Sarcoma Case: A Diagnostic and Treatment Challenge, with a Promising Response to Trabectedin.

Introduction: Clear cell sarcoma (CCS) is a rare and aggressive soft tissue sarcoma. CCS is characterized by the translocation t(12;22) (q13;q12), involving the fusion of EWSR1 and ATF1 genes, and less frequently the fusion gene EWSR1-CREB1. Usually, CCSs are considered poorly responsive to conventional chemotherapy. However, trabectedin has shown activity against translocation-related sarcomas. Furthermore, preclinical results suggest that trabectedin is a promising antitumor agent for CCS, potentially inducing melanocytic differentiation. Case Presentation: We report the case of a challenging anatomopathological diagnosis in a patient with an aggressive metastatic CCS. Following the diagnosis of CCS, the patient experienced a clinical and radiological tumor response to trabectedin after four lines of treatment. Conclusion: This is a novel report of CCS treated with trabectedin that resulted in a partial response and suggests the need for further research on trabectedin as a therapeutic option for CCS.

Methylation analysis by targeted bisulfite sequencing in large for gestational age (LGA) newborns: the LARGAN cohort.

BACKGROUND: In 1990, David Barker proposed that prenatal nutrition is directly linked to adult cardiovascular disease. Since then, the relationship between adult cardiovascular risk, metabolic syndrome and birth weight has been widely documented. Here, we used the TruSeq Methyl Capture EPIC platform to compare the methylation patterns in cord blood from large for gestational age (LGA) vs adequate for gestational age (AGA) newborns from the LARGAN cohort. RESULTS: We found 1672 differentially methylated CpGs (DMCs) with a nominal p < 0.05 and 48 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) with a corrected p < 0.05 between the LGA and AGA groups. A systems biology approach identified several biological processes significantly enriched with genes in association with DMCs with FDR < 0.05, including regulation of transcription, regulation of epinephrine secretion, norepinephrine biosynthesis, receptor transactivation, forebrain regionalization and several terms related to kidney and cardiovascular development. Gene ontology analysis of the genes in association with the 48 DMRs identified several significantly enriched biological processes related to kidney development, including mesonephric duct development and nephron tubule development. Furthermore, our dataset identified several DNA methylation markers enriched in gene networks involved in biological pathways and rare diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidneys, and metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified several DMCs/DMRs in association with fetal overgrowth. The use of cord blood as a material for the identification of DNA methylation biomarkers gives us the possibility to perform follow-up studies on the same patients as they grow. These studies will not only help us understand how the methylome responds to continuum postnatal growth but also link early alterations of the DNA methylome with later clinical markers of growth and metabolic fitness.

Brief report: High incidence of peridiagnosis thromboembolic events in patients with BRAF-mutant lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to determine if advanced BRAF-mutant NSCLC has a higher thromboembolic events (TEE) rate than the expected. METHODS: Between 2008 and 2021, 182 patients with BRAF-mutant advanced NSCLC (BRAF V600E, n = 70; BRAF non-V600E, n = 112) were retrospectively identified from 18 centers in Spain. Patients received chemotherapy (n = 147), immunotherapy (n = 69), targeted therapy (n = 42), and immunotherapy + chemotherapy (n = 26). RESULTS: Incidence rate of TEE was 26.4 % (95%CI: 19.9 %-32.9 %). A total of 72 TEE were documented among 48 patients, as 18 patients (37.5 %) developed more than one event. Median time to TEE onset was 2 months, 69 % of TEE occurred in the peridiagnostic period (+/- 90 days from cancer diagnosis), and in 16 pts. (33 %) TEE was the form of lung cancer presentation. Although most TEE were only venous (82 %; PE, n = 33; DVT, n = 16), arterial events were reported in 31 % and occurred earlier, or TEE presented in atypical locations (13.9 %). TEE were related to high hospitalization rate (59 %), recurrence (23 %), and mortality (10.4 %) despite appropriate anticoagulant/antiaggregant treatment. Median OS in patients without-TEE was 19.4 months (95%CI: 4.6-34.1), and significantly shorter in patients with arterial-TEE vs venous-TEE vs both of them: 9.9 months (95%CI: 0-23.5) vs 41.7 months (95%CI: 11.3-72.2 m) vs 2.7 months (95%CI: 2.1-3.3), p = 0.001. Neither clinical or molecular features (BRAF V600E/non-V600E), nor cancer treatment was associated to TEE occurrence. Khorana score underperformed to predict thrombosis at cancer diagnosis, as only 19.2 % of patients were classified as high-risk. CONCLUSIONS: Thrombotic events represent a new clinical feature of BRAF-mutant lung cancer. Patients with almost a 30 % incidence of TEE should be offered systematic anticoagulation.

Analysis of correlation of pre-therapeutic assessment and the final diagnosis in endometrial cancer: role of tumor volume in the magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: To evaluate whether the introduction of tumor volume as new parameter in the MRI assessment could improve both concordance between preoperative and postoperative staging, and the identification of histological findings. Methods: A retrospective observational study with 127 patients with endometrial cancer (EC) identified between 2016 and 2021 at the Juan Ramon Jimenez University Hospital, Huelva (Spain) was carried out. Tumor volume was measured in three ways. Analyses of Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC) were performed. Results: Although preoperative MRI had an 89.6% and 66.7% sensitivity for the detection of deep mucosal invasion and cervical stroma infiltration, preoperative assessment had an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.517, underestimating tumor final stage in 12.6% of cases, with a poor agreement between preoperative MRI and postoperative staging (κ=0.082) and low sensitivity (14.3%) for serosa infiltration. The cut-off values for all three volume parameters had good/excellent AUC (0.73-0.85), with high sensitivity (70-83%) and specificity (64-84%) values for all histopathological variables. Excellent/good agreement was found all volume parameters for the identification of deep myometrial invasion (0.71), cervical stroma infiltration (0.80), serosa infiltration (0.81), and lymph node metastases (0.81). Conclusion: Tumor volume measurements have good predictive capacity to detect histopathological findings that affect final tumor staging and might play a crucial role in the preoperative assessment of patients with endometrial cancer in the future.