Can artificial intelligence overtake human intelligence on the bumpy road towards glioma therapy?

Gliomas are one of the most devastating primary brain tumors which impose significant management challenges to the clinicians. The aggressive behaviour of gliomas is mainly attributed to their rapid proliferation, unravelled genomics and the blood-brain barrier which protects the tumor cells from chemotherapeutic regimens. Suspects of brain tumors are usually assessed by magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. These images allow surgeons to decide on the tumor grading, intra-operative pathology, feasibility of surgery, and treatment planning. All these data are compiled manually by physicians, wherein it takes time for the validation of results and concluding the treatment modality. In this context, the arrival of artificial intelligence in this era of personalized medicine, has proven promising performance in the diagnosis and management of gliomas. Starting from grading prediction till outcome evaluation, artificial intelligence-based forefronts have revolutionized oncological research. Interestingly, this approach has also been able to precisely differentiate tumor lesion from healthy tissues. However, till date, their utility in neuro-oncological field remains limited due to the issues pertaining to their reliability and transparency. Hence, to shed novel insights on the "clinical utility of this novel approach on glioma management" and to reveal "the black-boxes that have to be solved for fruitful application of artificial intelligence in neuro-oncology research", we provide in this review, a succinct description of the potential gear of artificial intelligence-based avenues in glioma treatment and the barriers that impede their rapid implementation in neuro-oncology.

Reduced-dose bevacizumab vs. standard-dose bevacizumab in recurrent high-grade glioma: Which one is better? A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Based on the effective radiological responses, bevacizumab (BEV) has been widely used in the treatment of recurrent high-grade glioma. Although the current standard dose is 5 mg/kg/week, the optimal dosage of BEV is controversial, as few dose-response studies have been performed in recent years. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore the value of reduced-dose bevacizumab versus standard-dose bevacizumab in recurrent high-grade glioma treatment. METHODS: Three major electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library) were searched for eligible documents published before February 2020. Literature on low-dose bevacizumab versus conventional dose in progressive high-grade glioma was included, and the endpoints of eligible researches should be progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). All available data were collected and then analyzed with Stata software. RESULTS: Four cohort studies were evaluated, including 552 patients (reduced-dose BEV group: 257, standard-dose BEV group: 295). Low dose BEV seems to slightly improve survival compared to conventional dose as HR < 1 indicates a protective effect, but no significant differences in OS (HR 0.77; 95 % CI 0.53-1.10; P = 0.151) and PFS (HR 0.66; 95 % CI 0.37-1.20; P = 0.175) were found between the two groups in this study. CONCLUSION: Reduced-dose bevacizumab schedule resulted in similar OS and PFS to standard-dose bevacizumab in recurrent high-grade glioma, with less side effects and less cost of treatment. Therefore, low-dose bevacizumab represents a promising therapeutic option for recurrent high-grade glioma patients. Further prospective randomized trials are needed to confirm our results.

Treatment trends and overall survival in patients with grade II/III ependymoma: The role of tumor grade and location.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of ependymoma (EPN) is guided by associated tumor features, such as grade and location. However, the relationship between these features with treatments and overall survival in EPN patients remains uncharacterized. Here, we describe the change over time in treatment strategies and identify tumor characteristics that influence treatment and survival in EPN. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 18 Registries (1973-2016) database, we identified patients with EPN microscopically confirmed to be grade II (EPN-GII) or III (EPN-GIII) tumors between 2004-2016. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. A sub-analysis was performed by tumor location (supratentorial, posterior fossa, and spine). Change over time in rates of gross total resection (GTR), radiotherapy (RT), and chemotherapy (CS) were analyzed using linear regression, and predictors of treatment were identified using multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: Between 2004-2016, 1,671 patients were diagnosed with EPN, of which 1,234 (74 %) were EPN-GII and 437 (26 %) EPN-GIII. Over the study period, EPN-GII patients underwent a less aggressive treatment (48 % vs 27 %, GTR; 60 % vs 30 %, RT; 22 % vs 2%, CS; 2004 vs 2016; p < 0.01 for all). Age, tumor size, location, and grade were positive predictors of undergoing treatment. Univariate analysis revealed that tumor grade and location were significantly associated with OS (p < 0.0001 for both). In multivariable Cox regression, tumor grade was an independent predictor of OS among patients in the cohort (grade III, HR 3.89 [2.84-5.33]; p < 0.0001), with this finding remaining significant across all tumor locations. CONCLUSIONS: In EPN, tumor grade and location are predictors of treatment and overall survival. These findings support the importance of histologic WHO grade and location in the decision-making for treatment and their role in individualizing treatment for different patient populations.

ENDOCRINOLOGY IN THE TIME OF COVID-19: Clinical management of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs).

In viral pandemics, most specifically Covid-19, many patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs), including phaeochromocytomas, paragangliomas and medullary thyroid carcinoma, may develop Covid-19 in a mild or severe form, or be concerned about the influence of viral infection relative to their anti-tumoral therapy. In general, newly presenting patients should be assessed, and patients recently receiving chemotherapy, targeted therapy or radionuclide therapy, or showing tumour growth, should be closely followed. For previously diagnosed patients, who have indolent disease, some delay in routine follow-up or treatment may not be problematic. However, patients developing acute secretory syndromes due to functional neuroendocrine neoplasms (such as of the pancreas, intestine or lung), phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas, will require prompt treatment. Patients with life-threatening Covid-19-related symptoms should be urgently treated and long-term anti-tumoral treatments may be temporarily delayed. In patients with especially aggressive NENs, a careful judgement should be made regarding the severity of any Covid-19 illness, tumour grade, and the immunosuppressant effects of any planned chemotherapy, immunotherapy (e.g. interferon-alpha), targeted therapy or related treatment. In other cases, especially patients with completely resected NENs, or who are under surveillance for a genetic disorder, a telephone or delayed consultation may be in order, balancing the risk of a delay against that of the possible development of Covid-19.

RGS16 promotes glioma progression and serves as a prognostic factor.

BACKGROUND: RGS protein family members have recently became new potentially promising therapeutic targets in many cancers. However, as a key member of RGS family, RGS16 has seldom been studied in glioma. The present study was designed to investigate the prognostic value and biological function of RGS16 based on large-scale databases and functional assays in vitro. METHODS: Here, we performed comprehensive analysis for the expression characteristic of RGS16 in Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) microarray database with 301 patients and validated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) microarray and RNA sequencing database. Student's t-test, one-way ANOVA test and long-rank test were used to assess differences between groups. Kaplan-Meier survival, univariate and multivariate Cox analysis and ROC curve were used to estimate the survival distributions. Biological implication of abnormal expression of RGS16 in glioma was also explored. Functional analysis of RGS16 was performed in several glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines. R language and SPSS were used for statistical analysis and graphical work. RESULTS: We found that the expression of RGS16 was positively related to the grade of glioma. High level of RGS16 commonly gathered in glioma of mesenchymal subtype and wild-type IDH1. Moreover, higher expression level of RGS16 was found to be significantly correlated with poor prognosis. The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis and ROC curve showed that RGS16 was an independent prognostic factor for glioma patients. Gene ontology analysis, gene set enrichment analysis, and gene set variation analysis suggested that the overexpression of RGS16 tightly related to cell proliferation, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), immune and inflammatory response of glioma. Knockdown of RGS16 in glioma cell lines also showed that RGS16 promoted the malignant progress of glioma cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: RGS16 plays an important role in glioma progression and serves as an independent prognostic factor, especially in GBM patients.

Optimizing Postoperative Surveillance of Pediatric Low-Grade Glioma Using Tumor Behavior Patterns.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric low-grade gliomas are among the most common childhood neoplasms, yet their post-treatment surveillance remains nonstandardized, relying on arbitrarily chosen imaging intervals. OBJECTIVE: To optimize postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) surveillance protocols for pediatric low-grade gliomas. METHODS: Patients aged 0 to 21 yr with pediatric low-grade gliomas, treated between 1990 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The timing of surveillance imaging and radiologic tumor outcomes were extracted, and the effect of patient age, tumor location, histology, and extent of resection as prognostic factors was studied. An algorithm was developed to analyze the detection efficacy and cost of all possible surveillance protocols. RESULTS: A total of 517 patients were included with a median follow-up of 7.7 yr (range: 2-25.1 yr) who underwent 8061 MRI scans (mean 15.6 scans per patient). Tumor recurrence was detected radiologically in 292 patients (56.5%), of whom, 143 underwent reoperation. The hazards ratio (HR) of recurrence was higher in patients who underwent biopsy (HR = 3.60; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.45-5.30; P < .001), subtotal resection (HR = 2.97; 95% CI: 2.18-4.03; P < .001), and near-total resection (HR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.16-3.54; P = .01), compared to patients with gross total resection (GTR). For all patients, an 8-image surveillance protocol at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 60, and 72 mo (total cost: $13 672 per patient) yielded comparative detection rates to the current 15-image protocol ($25 635). For patients who underwent GTR, a 6-image protocol at 0, 3, 9, 24, 36, and 60 mo ($10 254) is sufficient. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that postoperative surveillance of pediatric low-grade gliomas can be effectively performed using less frequent imaging compared to current practice, thereby improving adherence to follow-up, and quality-of-life, while reducing costs.

An Integrative Survival Analysis for Multicentric Low-Grade Glioma.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to perform a survival analysis of patients with multicentric low-grade gliomas (MLGGs) and to assess the influence of various prognostic factors on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival. METHODS: A literature search on Web of Science and PubMed was performed for literature in English published from 1963 to September 2018. Detailed information including demographics, clinical characteristics, treatments, critical events, and time to events for survival analysis were extracted from the included articles. RESULTS: A total of 36 cases from published articles were selected for analysis. Univariate analysis showed that age (<31 years or ≥31 years), grade (pure low grade/low and high grade) and glioma type (astrocytoma/oligodendroglioma) had a significant relationship with PFS. Cox regression analysis showed that tumor grade was an independent prognostic factor for PFS. No factors correlated with overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: This integrative analysis of MLGGs patients revealed that age younger than 31 years, pure MLGG, and oligodendroglioma were significantly associated with improved PFS, and pure MLGGs was an independent prognostic factors for PFS.

More II It than Meets the Eye: Outcomes After Single-Fraction Stereotactic Radiosurgery in a Case Series of Low-Grade Arteriovenous Malformations.

BACKGROUND: Surgical resection is typically cited as the optimal treatment of patients with Spetzler-Martin Grade I-II arteriovenous malformation (AVM). OBJECTIVE: To report our experience with single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for Spetzler-Martin Grade I-II AVM. METHODS: A prospectively maintained registry was reviewed for patients with nonsyndromic Spetzler-Martin Grade I-II AVM having SRS from 1990 to 2011. Patients with <24 mo of follow-up or prior radiotherapy/SRS were excluded, resulting in a study population of 173 patients. Actuarial analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional hazards modeling was performed with excellent outcomes (obliteration without new deficits) as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Median post-SRS follow-up was 68 mo (range, 24-275). AVM obliteration was achieved in 132 (76%) after initial SRS. Eleven additional patients achieved obliteration after repeat SRS for an overall obliteration rate of 83%. The rate of obliteration was 60% at 4 yr and 78% at 8 yr. Post-SRS hemorrhage occurred in 7 patients (4%), resulting in 3 minor deficits (2%) and 1 death (<1%). Radiation-induced complications occurred in 5 patients (3%), resulting in minor deficits only. One hundred and thirty-seven patients (79%) had excellent outcomes at last follow-up. CONCLUSION: SRS is a safe and effective treatment for patients with Spetzler-Martin Grade I-II AVM. Selection bias is likely a contributing factor to explain the superior outcomes generally noted in reported series of microsurgery for patients with low grade AVM.

Varying practices in tumor regression grading of gastrointestinal carcinomas after neoadjuvant therapy: results of an international survey.

Tumor regression grading is routinely performed on neoadjuvantly treated gastrointestinal cancer resections. Challenges in tumor regression grading include grossing standards, multiple grading systems, and difficulty interpreting therapy-induced changes. We surveyed gastrointestinal pathologists around the world for their practices in handling neoadjuvantly treated gastrointestinal cancer specimens and reporting tumor regression using a 23-question online survey. Topics addressed grossing, histologic work-up, tumor regression grading systems, and degree of difficulty identifying and estimating residual cancer within treatment effect. Two-hundred three responses were received, including 173 participants who completed the entire questionnaire. Fifty percent of the participants were from Europe, 29% from North America, 10% from Australia, and 11% from other continents. Ninety-five percent routinely report a tumor regression grade and 92% have standardized grossing and histologic work-up: 27% always completely embed the entire tumor bed, 54% embed the complete tumor site if not a grossly apparent, large mass. Fifty-nine percent use hematoxylin & eosin alone for assessment; the remaining use additional stains. In North America and Australia, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)/College of American Pathologists (CAP)/Ryan system is routinely used for gastroesophageal (71%) and rectal carcinomas (77%). In Europe, the Mandard system is common (36%) for gastroesophageal tumors, followed by AJCC/CAP/Ryan (22%), and Becker (10%); for rectal CA, the Dworak system (30%) is followed by AJCC/CAP/Ryan (24%) and Mandard (14%). This regional differences were significant (p < 0.001 each). Fifty-one percent prefer a four-tiered system. Sixty-six percent think that regressive changes in lymph nodes should be part of a regression grade. Sixty-nine percent consider identifying residual tumor straight-forward, but estimating therapy-induced fibrosis difficult (57%). Free comments raised issues of costs for work-up and clinical relevance. In conclusion, this multinational survey provides a comprehensive overview of grossing and histologic work-up with regards to tumor regression grading in gastrointestinal cancers with partly significant regional differences particularly between North America and Europe.

Prognostic factors of patients with extremity myxoid liposarcomas after surgery.

BACKGROUND: Extremity myxoid liposarcoma (MLS) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma in adults. We performed this study to define distinctive clinical features of extremity MLS by assessing prognostic factors. METHODS: Between 1973 and 2015, 1756 patients with extremity MLS who underwent surgical resection were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database of the US National Cancer Institute. Both overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method (to obtain OS and CSS curves) and a Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Of the 1756 patients with extremity MLS, the mean and median patient age at diagnosis were 47 and 45 years, respectively. More than half (n = 1027, 58.5%) of the patients were male. In terms of location, 10.5% tumors were located in the upper limbs and 89.5% in lower limbs. All patients received local surgery, and about half of the patients (57.2%) received radiation treatment. The 5- and 10-year OS rates of the entire cohort were 86.4% and 75.9%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year CSS rates were 90.5% and 85.2%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, older age, male gender, high tumor grade, and tumor size > 10 cm were found to be independent risk factors of both decreased OS and CSS. Year of diagnosis ≥ year 2000 was significantly associated with an increased CSS. In addition, radiation treatment failed to become an independent risk factor for either OS or CSS. CONCLUSION: We identified age, gender, tumor grade, year of diagnosis, and tumor size as independent prognostic factors for OS and CSS in patients with extremity MLS.

Moving Beyond Gleason Scoring.

CONTEXT.­: The combination of grading and staging is the basis of current standard of care for prediction for most cancers. D. F. Gleason created the current prostate cancer (PCa) grading system. This system has been modified several times. Molecular data have been added. Currently, all grading systems are cancer-cell based. OBJECTIVE.­: To review the literature available on host response measures as reactive stroma grading and stromogenic carcinoma, and their predictive ability for PCa biochemical recurrence and PCa-specific death. DATA SOURCES.­: Our own experience has shown that reactive stroma grading and the subsequently binarized system (stromogenic carcinoma) can independently predict biochemical recurrence and/or PCa-specific death, particularly in patients with a Gleason score of 6 or 7. Stromogenic carcinoma has been validated by 4 other independent groups in at least 3 continents. CONCLUSIONS.­: Broders grading and Dukes staging have been combined to form the most powerful prognostic tools in standard of care. The time has come for us to incorporate measures of host response (stromogenic carcinoma) into the arsenal of elements we use to predict cancer survival, without abandoning what we know works. These data also suggest that our current definition of PCa might need some revision.

Association between De Ritis ratio (aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase) and oncological outcomes in bladder cancer patients after radical cystectomy.

BACKGROUND: New biological prognostic predictors have been studied; however, some factors have limited clinical application due to tissue-specific expression and high cost. There is the need for a promising predictive factor that is simple to detect and that is closely linked to oncological outcomes in patients with urothelial bladder cancer (BC) who have undergone radical cystectomy (RC). Therefore, we investigated the clinical prognostic value of the preoperative De Ritis ratio (aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase) on oncological outcomes in patients with urothelial BC after RC. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated clinicopathological data of 118 patients with non-metastatic urothelial BC after RC between 2008 and 2013 at a single center. The association between the De Ritis ratio and clinicopathological findings was assessed. The potential prognostic value of the De Ritis ratio was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariate Cox analyses were performed to identify the independent predictors of metastasis-free survival, cancer-specific survival, and overall survival. RESULTS: According to the receiver operating curve of the De Ritis ratio for metastasis, we stratified the patients into 2 groups using a threshold of 1.3. A high De Ritis ratio was more likely to be associated with old age and the female sex. Kaplan-Meier estimates revealed that patients with a high De Ritis ratio had inferior metastasis-free survival, cancer-specific survival, and overall survival outcomes (P = 0.012, 0.024, and 0.022, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that a high De Ritis ratio was an independent prognostic factor for metastasis (hazard ratio [HR], 2.389; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.161-4.914; P = 0.018), cancer-related death (HR, 2.755; 95% CI, 1.214-6.249; P = 0.015), and overall death (HR, 2.761; 95% CI, 1.257-6.067; P = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: An elevated De Ritis ratio was significantly associated with worse prognosis in patients who underwent RC for urothelial BC. This ratio might further improve the predictive accuracy for prognosis in BC.

Unintended consequences of decreased PSA-based prostate cancer screening.

BACKGROUND: In May 2012, the US Preventive Services Task Force issued a grade D recommendation against PSA-based prostate cancer screening. Epidemiologists have concerns that an unintended consequence is a problematic increase in high-risk disease and subsequent prostate cancer-specific mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess the effect of decreased PSA screening on the presentation of high-risk prostate cancer post-radical prostatectomy (RP). Nine high-volume referral centers throughout the United States (n = 19,602) from October 2008 through September 2016 were assessed and absolute number of men presenting with GS ≥ 8, seminal vesicle and lymph node invasion were compared with propensity score matching. RESULTS: Compared to the 4-year average pre-(Oct. 2008-Sept. 2012) versus post-(Oct. 2012-Sept. 2016) recommendation, a 22.6% reduction in surgical volume and increases in median PSA (5.1-5.8 ng/mL) and mean age (60.8-62.0 years) were observed. The proportion of low-grade GS 3 + 3 cancers decreased significantly (30.2-17.1%) while high-grade GS 8 + cancers increased (8.4-13.5%). There was a 24% increase in absolute numbers of GS 8+ cancers. One-year biochemical recurrence rose from 6.2 to 17.5%. To discern whether increases in high-risk disease were due to referral patterns, propensity score matching was performed. Forest plots of odds ratios adjusted for age and PSA showed significant increases in pathologic stage, grade, and lymph node involvement. CONCLUSIONS: All centers experienced consistent decreases of low-grade disease and absolute increases in intermediate and high-risk cancer. For any given age and PSA, propensity matching demonstrates more aggressive disease in the post-recommendation era.

PD-1 and PD-L1 are more highly expressed in high-grade bladder cancer than in low-grade cases: PD-L1 might function as a mediator of stage progression in bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancers have been characterized as a tumor group in which the immunological response is relatively well preserved. Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1, B7-H1, CD274) has been shown to be expressed in several malignancies, including bladder cancer. However, the clinicopathological impact of this biomarker has not yet been established. In the present study, a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed using paired normal and cancerous bladder cancer tissue to investigate PD-1/PD-L1 gene expression. METHODS: We examined the mRNA expression of PD-1/PD-L1 by a qPCR using 58 pairs of normal and cancerous human bladder tissue specimens. We also examined the correlation with the expressions of the STAT1 and NFAT genes, which are thought to be upstream and downstream of the PD-L1 pathway, respectively. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between normal and cancerous tissue in the expression of the PD-1 and PD-L1 genes (p = 0.724 and p = 0.102, respectively). However, PD-1 and PD-L1 were both more highly expressed in high-grade bladder cancer than in low-grade bladder cancer (p < 0.050 and p < 0.010). PD-L1 was positively correlated with the expressions of both the STAT1 (r = 0.681, p < 0.001) and the NFATc1 genes (r = 0.444. p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PD-1 and PD-L1 might be a new biomarker that correlates with the pathological grade of bladder cancer. PD-L1 might function as a mediator of stage progression in bladder cancer and STAT1-NFAT pathway might associate this function.

Competitive Testing of the WHO 2010 versus the WHO 2017 Grading of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Data from a Large International Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Joint Cancer Committee (AJCC) modified the grading of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms from a three-tier (WHO-AJCC 2010) to a four-tier system by introducing the novel category of NET G3 (WHO-AJCC 2017). OBJECTIVES: This study aims at validating the WHO-AJCC 2017 and identifying the most effective grading system. METHOD: A total of 2,102 patients were enrolled; entry criteria were: (i) patient underwent surgery; (ii) at least 2 years of follow-up; (iii) observation time up to 2015. Data from 34 variables were collected; grading was assessed and compared for efficacy by statistical means including Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression analysis, Harrell's C statistics, and Royston's explained variation in univariable and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: In descriptive analysis, the two grading systems demonstrated statistically significant differences for the major category sex but not for age groups. In Cox regression analysis, both grading systems showed statistically significant differences between grades for OS and EFS; however, no statistically significant difference was observed between the two G3 classes of WHO-AJCC 2017. In multivariable analysis for the two models fitted to compare efficacy, the two grading systems performed equally well with substantially similar optimal discrimination and well-explained variation for both OS and EFS. The WHO-AJCC 2017 grading system retained statistically significant difference between the two G3 classes for OS but not for EFS. CONCLUSIONS: The WHO-AJCC 2017 grading system is at least equally performing as the WHO-AJCC 2010 but allows the successful identification of the most aggressive PanNET subgroup. Grading is confirmed as probably the most powerful tool for predicting patient survival.

[Pathological assessment of prostate cancer. New problems]. / Valoración patológica del cáncer de próstata. Nuevos problemas.

INTRODUCTION: Currently, the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer requires the pathologist to adopt a fresh approach to the interpretation of biopsies in order to provide the data required for the new forms of therapy. DISCUSSION: The new evaluation criteria of the Gleason system are explained, with the redefinition of histological patterns and degree of malignancy, the incorporation of the so-called prognostic groups and the assessment of the tumour mass. CONCLUSIONS: Updating of histopathological information helps to improve patient management, especially in cases of tumour confined to the prostate, given the possibility of local therapy.

Prostate Cancer Pathology: Recent Updates and Controversies.

Prostate cancer is common, and recent efforts in clinical management have focused on identifying patients who could be candidates from less aggressive management or who could benefit from more aggressive therapy. As prostate cancer histology, especially Gleason score, plays a critical role in predicting patient outcomes, attempts have been made to refine histologic classification and reporting in prostate cancer to facilitate patient risk stratification. This review discusses recent updates in prostate cancer grading and reporting.

Dose-dense temozolomide for recurrent high-grade gliomas: a single-center retrospective study.

There are limited treatment modalities after high-grade gliomas recurrence. MGMT depletion modulated by dose-dense temozolomide (ddTMZ) remains a debated therapy for initial TMZ responders. Patients were selected retrospectively from our practice with diagnosis of high-grade gliomas (WHO grade III or IV), and were followed since the start of ddTMZ until death or change of therapy. Twenty-one patients were reviewed, with a median age of 47 (25-61) years and a median of 5.8 (1.5-38.8) cycles of ddTMZ. The majority were males (71.4%). Sixty-six percent received 21 on/28 off ddTMZ schedule, 28.6% daily, and 1 patient received a 7 days on/7 days off schedule. IDH mutation status was available for 18 (85.7%) patients, with 7 (33.3%) IDH mutant and 11 (52.5%) IDH wild type. MGMT methylation was assessed in 6 (28.6%) of the patients, being MGMT methylated in 3 (14.3%) patients, and non-methylated in 3 (14.3%) patients. The majority of patients (57.1%) were receiving ddTMZ in addition to other forms of therapy, including either bevacizumab (38.1%) or tumor-treating fields (TTFields) (19.1%). Overall ddTMZ was well tolerated, with few adverse events reported. The estimated median overall survival after ddTMZ start was 11 months. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6 months. Outcomes did not vary between patients receiving ddTMZ alone or those using TTFields or bevacizumab as concomitant therapy, but there was a trend to longer survival with the use of concomitant TTFields. Our results demonstrate benefit of ddTMZ after previous treatment with standard TMZ dosing with no apparent increase in treatment-related toxicities. In summary, ddTMZ should be considered in TMZ responsive patients and warrants further investigation.

Tissue-based multigene expression tests for pretreatment prostate cancer risk assessment: current status and future perspectives.

Prostate cancer is a highly prevalent disease with ample spectrum of aggressiveness and treatment options. Low-risk disease can be safely managed by nonintervention strategies, such as active surveillance; however, accurate risk assessment is warranted. Molecular tests have been developed and validated to complement standard clinicopathological parameters and help to improve risk stratification in prostate cancer. Herein, we review selected tissue-based assays, including genomic prostate score, cell cycle progression score and genomic classifier, with particular emphasis on their role in patient risk assessment in a pretreatment setting, in view of their current or potential utilization in active surveillance.