Gino Kim In

Emerging chemotherapy agents in lung cancer: nanoparticles therapeutics for non-small cell lung cancer

The introduction of nanotechnology has brought about major progress in modern medicine. Nanotechnology involves the use of nanosized materials, or those measured at the level of 1 nanometer, or one-billionth of a meter. In the treatment of cancer, nanotechnology has been used to delivery cytotoxic agents with higher drug content, improved targeting to tumor sites, and decreased accumulation into nontumor organs. These nanoparticle chemotherapy agents have superior efficacy and less toxicity compared to standard chemotherapy, and have been studied in various solid and hematologic malignancies. A number of nanoparticle chemotherapy drugs have been developed in recent years, a number of which have had success in lung cancer as well as other tumor sites. The first of these to be approved for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is Abraxane, or albumin-bound paclitaxel. In this review, we discuss the rationale and the approach for the use of nanoparticle technology in chemotherapy, as well as the unique advantages that these drugs provide. Afterwards, we will focus on emerging nanoparticle agents that have demonstrated promising clinical data for the treatment of advanced NSCLC.

Treatment of advanced, metastatic soft tissue sarcoma: latest evidence and clinical considerations:

Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a biologically heterogeneous malignancy with over 50 subtypes. Historically, there have been few systemic treatment options for this relatively rare disease. Traditional cytotoxic agents, such as anthracyclines, alkylating agents, and taxanes have limited clinical benefit beyond the first-line setting; across all high-grade STS subtypes, median overall survival remains approximately 12–18 months for advanced metastatic disease. The development of targeted therapies has led to recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of four new treatments for high-grade STS in the advanced metastatic setting. Among these, olaratumab is most notable for its improvement in overall survival for patients with anthracycline-naïve disease. Further progress in STS management will rely on novel trial design, subtype-specific therapies and validation of biomarkers to tailor therapy. Immunotherapy has shown promise as a new, but yet undiscovered frontier in the management of STS.

Chemotherapy for Good- Risk Nonseminomatous Germ Cell Tumors Current Concepts and Controversies

The rate of diagnosis of germ cell tumors has remained fairly constant. By the International Germ Cell Cancer Consensus Classification, roughly 60% of all metastatic germ cell tumors are classified as good risk. This group of patients has an excellent prognosis, with greater than 90% expectation of cure. Treatment standards have not changed much in recent years. This article focuses on key concepts in the development of the currently accepted first-line regimens and addresses some evolving areas of interest, if not controversy.

Skin Cancer Prevention Among Hispanics: a Review of the Literature

Purpose of ReviewWe review the existing scientific literature regarding skin cancer in Hispanics to aid in formulating a research agenda for prevention targeted to this at-risk population.Recent FindingsHispanics are a diverse population with a rising incidence of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. Compared with non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics have poorer disease outcomes and higher rates of acral lentiginous melanoma, an aggressive subtype. Hispanics practice suboptimal sun protection and skin surveillance behaviors and experience rates of sunburn comparable with non-Hispanic whites. Despite these risk behaviors, little skin cancer education and prevention has been targeted to this population.SummaryFurther research is warranted to understand the interplay of biological, psychosocial, cultural, and health care factors influencing skin cancer prevention behaviors and outcomes in Hispanics. We recommend future investigation into the histological, sociocultural, and health care differences and disparities among Hispanics and within subpopulations to develop tailored, culturally informed prevention strategies.

Abstract 2711: Spatiotemporal progression patterns in metastatic lung cancer treated with bevacizumab

Proceedings: AACR 107th Annual Meeting 2016; April 16-20, 2016; New Orleans, LA We describe a Markov chain mathematical model of lung cancer progression based on a longitudinal dataset of 722 lung cancer patients. Specifically, we investigate the patterns of metastatic spread in lung cancer and how the VEGF inhibitor, bevacizumab, alters these metastatic patterns. Stochastic models were used to simulate metastatic spread by means of random walk processes on directed graphs. We created spatiotemporal diagrams of cancer progression to analyze the differences between patients treated and not treated with bevacizumab. Patients with squamous lung cancer or brain metastases at baseline were ineligible for bevacizumab and excluded from analysis. Our results demonstrated that not only does bevacizumab extend survival, but it also alters patterns of metastatic spread. Patients treated with bevacizumab were characterized by greater heterogeneity in their pathways of metastatic progression, compared to those patients not treated with bevacizumab, which showed more homogeneity in their pathways. Furthermore, we quantify this spread and characterize metastatic sites as ‘spreaders’ and ‘sponges’ based on their probability of spreading the disease. Citation Format: Jeremy M. Mason, Paul K. Newton, Gino K. In, Sonia Lin, Peter Kuhn, Jorge J. Nieva. Spatiotemporal progression patterns in metastatic lung cancer treated with bevacizumab. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2711.