Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are a new, publicly available tool for patients to access health care-related information with unknown reliability related to cancer-related questions. This study assesses the quality of responses to common questions for patients with cancer. From February to March 2023, we queried chat generative pretrained transformer (ChatGPT) from OpenAI and Bing AI from Microsoft questions from the American Cancer Society's recommended "Questions to Ask About Your Cancer" customized for all stages of breast, colon, lung, and prostate cancer. Questions were, in addition, grouped by type (prognosis, treatment, or miscellaneous). The quality of AI chatbot responses was assessed by an expert panel using the validated DISCERN criteria. Of the 117 questions presented to ChatGPT and Bing, the average score for all questions were 3.9 and 3.2, respectively (P < 0.001) and the overall DISCERN scores were 4.1 and 4.4, respectively. By disease site, the average score for ChatGPT and Bing, respectively, were 3.9 and 3.6 for prostate cancer (P = 0.02), 3.7 and 3.3 for lung cancer (P < 0.001), 4.1 and 2.9 for breast cancer (P < 0.001), and 3.8 and 3.0 for colorectal cancer (P < 0.001). By type of question, the average score for ChatGPT and Bing, respectively, were 3.6 and 3.4 for prognostic questions (P = 0.12), 3.9 and 3.1 for treatment questions (P < 0.001), and 4.2 and 3.3 for miscellaneous questions (P = 0.001). For 3 responses (3%) by ChatGPT and 18 responses (15%) by Bing, at least one panelist rated them as having serious or extensive shortcomings. AI chatbots provide multiple opportunities for innovating health care. This analysis suggests a critical need, particularly around cancer prognostication, for continual refinement to limit misleading counseling, confusion, and emotional distress to patients and families.

Low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSC) represents 5% of all epithelial ovarian cancers. They are characterized by indolent growth and KRAS and BRAF mutations, differing from high-grade serous ovarian cancer both clinically and molecularly. LGSC has low response rates to traditional systemic therapies, including chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. The objective of this systematic review was to appraise the literature describing the efficacy of MEK inhibitors in the treatment of LGSC. A comprehensive search was conducted of the following databases: Medline ALL, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Sciences, ClinicalTrials.gov, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICFRP), and International Standard Randomized Controlled Trials Number (ISRCTN) Registry. All studies investigating MEKi in the treatment of LGSC in the adjuvant or recurrent setting for patients 18 years of age or older were included. All titles/abstracts were then screened by 2 independent reviewers (A.K. and C.C.). The full-text articles were then screened. All disagreements were resolved by a third independent reviewer (T.Z.). Two independent reviewers (A.K. and C.C.) extracted data from the studies deemed eligible for final review. A total of 2108 studies were identified in the initial search. Of these, a total of 4 studies met the eligibility criteria for systematic review. In these studies, 416 patients were treated with an MEKi alone. All patients included in the studies were being treated for LGSC in the recurrent setting. Varied results and efficacy of the MEKi were reported in each study. The results highlighted in this systematic review demonstrate varied responses to MEKi for recurrent LGSC. Further research is needed in this field comparing the efficacy to current therapies, as well as to further evaluate the safety and toxicity profile with long-term use of MEKi.

Insurance denials for clinical trials serve as a pertinent barrier for patients to remain trial-eligible, thus hindering the development of therapies and the overall advancement of health care. We present results from an ongoing oncology randomized clinical trial regarding insurance denials and peer-to-peer authorization (P2PA) success rate in allowing patients to remain trial-eligible. The ongoing Spine Patient Optimal Radiosurgery Treatment for Symptomatic Metastatic Neoplasms Phase II trial randomizes spine cancer patients to treatment with spine radiosurgery/stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) versus conventional external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Trial-eligible patients during the first 3 months of enrollment are examined to determine whether the option of SBRT was denied by their insurance. Advocacy for overcoming SBRT denial in P2PA centered on SBRT being recommended as a preferred treatment modality in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, and the recent level I evidence demonstrating the advantages of SBRT over EBRT for symptomatic spine cancer. Of 15 trial-eligible patients, 3 (20%) experienced insurance denials for SBRT. P2PA resulted in the reversal of denials in all 3 patients, allowing each to remain trial-eligible for randomization between SBRT and cEBRT. Despite a clinical oncologic treatment modality for which recent Level 1 evidence is available, the insurance denial rate was 20%. A vigilant P2PA strategy focusing on highlighting National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines and the supporting Level 1 evidence resulted in a very high rate of reversing initial denial.

Most patients receiving curative-intent surgery for pancreatic cancer will experience cancer recurrence. However, evidence that postoperative surveillance testing improves survival or quality of life is lacking. We evaluated the use and characteristics of surveillance with serial imaging and CA 19-9 tumor marker testing at an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who entered surveillance after curative-intent resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We abstracted information from the electronic medical record about oncology office visits, surveillance testing (cross-sectional imaging and CA 19-9 tumor marker testing), and pancreatic cancer recurrence, with follow-up through 2 years after pancreatectomy. We conducted analyses to describe the use of surveillance testing and to characterize the sensitivity and specificity of CA 19-9 tumor marker testing for the identification of cancer recurrence. We identified 90 patients entering surveillance after pancreatectomy. CA 19-9 was the most frequently used surveillance test, followed by CT imaging. Forty-seven patients (52.2%) experienced recurrence within two years of pancreatectomy. Recurrence risk was 58.8% versus 31.8% in patients with elevated versus normal CA 19-9 at diagnosis (P=0.03). Elevated CA 19-9 at any point during surveillance was significantly associated with 2-year recurrence risk (P<0.001). Elevated CA 19-9 had a sensitivity of 83% (95% CI 0.72-0.95) and specificity of 87% (0.76-0.98) for identification of recurrence within 2 years of pancreatectomy. CA 19-9 demonstrates clinical validity for identifying recurrence of pancreatic cancer during surveillance. Surveillance approaches with reduced reliance on imaging should be prospectively evaluated.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic refocused the cancer community on bringing clinical trials closer to patients and increasing access for traditionally underserved communities. Pandemic-era deregulation increased flexibility with telemedicine visits, less frequent testing, and the ability to have tests done locally. This study evaluates the impact of 2020 cancer clinical trial reform on trial accessibility in rural/underserved regions of the mid-West. Publicly available clinicaltrials.gov data was accessed from January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2022 for the 3 leading causes of new cancer cases in Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, and Indiana. Interventional trials were categorized based on location using corresponding "Rural-Urban Commuting Area" codes (urban/metropolitan, suburban/micropolitan, small town/rural, and isolated/rural) and categorized as pre versus postpandemic (using March 15, 2020, when national regulatory guidelines were modified). Locations of trial offerings from pre and postpandemic dates were analyzed by paired t test. Comparison of trial location category by state and cancer type was analyzed by 1-way analysis of variance with pairwise multiple comparisons made using the Tukey-Kramer method. Pandemic-era deregulation had no impact on increasing trial availability in suburban and small-town/rural locales (P = 0.1259). Only 18% of trials were offered outside of urban areas, with 15% in suburban and 3% in small town/rural areas. Results varied by state (P < 0.0001) with Illinois offering the most suburban and small-town trial availability (27%) compared with Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee (18%, 6%, and 2%, respectively). Trial availability in rural versus urban areas did not differ by cancer type (P = 0.07197). More work must be done to increase access to cancer clinical trials in rural and suburban areas of the United States.

Thyroid carcinoma (THCA) is the most common malignant endocrine tumor with low mortality and a relatively good prognosis. Immune genes have attracted much attention as molecular markers of THCA prognosis and potential targets of immunotherapy. Our study analyzed the transcriptome and clinical data of immune-related genes (IRGs) of THCA in gene expression omnibus, the cancer genome atlas-THCA, and ImmPort databases. By univariate Cox regression analysis, 15 genes were significantly correlated with the survival of patients with THCA. Five IRGs (NMU, UBE2C, CDKN2A, COL19A1, and GPM6A) were selected by LASSO regression analysis as independent prognostic factors to construct a disease-free survival-related prognostic risk model. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that there was a significant difference in disease-free survival between high and low-risk groups. The higher the risk score, the worse the survival of patients. Clinical correlation analysis showed that age and Stage stage of patients were correlated with risk score (P < 0.05). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed that there were differences in the expression of 5 IRGs between tumor tissues and normal thyroid tissues. Spearman correlation analysis indicated that the relative expression levels of NMU, CDKN2A, UBE2C, COL19A1, and GPM6A were positively correlated with programmed death-ligand 1 and recombinant a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin 1. Based on the bioinformatics method, we constructed a prognosis evaluation model and risk score system of IRGs in THCA, which provided a reference for predicting the prognosis of patients with THCA.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors are standard therapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutation; however, resistance is common. Combinatorial strategies have been explored to improve survival. This meta-analysis assesses the efficacy and safety of combination therapy versus monotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC who failed first-line EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment. We searched randomized controlled trials from PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrial.gov. The efficacy and toxicity of combination treatment groups were assessed in terms of progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events (AEs). This meta-analysis included 6 randomized controlled trials covering 785 participants. The results showed that the combined regimen arm had no significant improvement of PFS (log hazard ratio = -0.228, 95% CI: -0.543 to 0.087, P = 0.157), ORR (odds ratio = 1.147 [95% CI: 0.577, 2.281], P = 0.695), DCR (odds ratio = 1.578 [95% CI: 0.428, 5.821], P = 0.493), and AEs, including fatigue and diarrhea (odds ratio = 0.833 [95% CI: 0.297, 2.333], P = 0.728 for fatigue and odds ratio = 2.268 [95% CI: 0.544, 9.448], P = 0.261 for diarrhea). Combination therapy may not provide a significant improvement in PFS, ORR, DCR, and incidence of AEs compared with monotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC with EGFR mutations. Further research is needed to investigate the optimal sequencing of combination therapy in patients with NSCLC with different molecular targets to determine the most effective treatment strategy that can improve outcomes and quality of life for these patients.

To systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Randomized controlled trials of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in treating patients with NSCLC were comprehensively retrieved from electronic databases, eligible studies, previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses, guidelines, and conference abstracts. The meta-analysis was performed by the Stata/SE 12.0 software. Eleven randomized controlled trials were eventually included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy significantly improved the objective response rate compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT; 62.46% vs 41.88%, P = 0.003), but the objective response rate of neoadjuvant double-immunotherapy was roughly comparable to that of neoadjuvant single-immunotherapy (15.74% vs 10.45%, P = 0.387). Major pathologic response (MPR) rate and pathologic complete response (pCR) rate of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy and neoadjuvant double-immunotherapy were significantly superior to neoadjuvant CT alone and neoadjuvant single-immunotherapy, respectively. Compared with neoadjuvant CT alone, neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy increased the down-staging rate (40.16% vs 26.70%, P = 0.060), the surgical resection rate (83.69% vs 73.07%, P = 0.231), and R0 resection rate (86.19% vs 77.98%, P = 0.502), but there were no statistically significant differences. Neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy did not increase the postoperative complications rate than neoadjuvant CT alone (40.20% vs 41.30%, P = 0.920). In terms of safety, neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy and neoadjuvant double-immunotherapy did not increase the incidence of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) and the grade 3 or higher TRAEs. In summary, neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy had better clinical efficacy than neoadjuvant CT for patients with NSCLC. MPR rate and pCR rate of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy and neoadjuvant double-immunotherapy were significantly superior to neoadjuvant CT and neoadjuvant single-immunotherapy, respectively, for patients with NSCLC, showing that MPR rate and pCR rate were probably considered as alternative endpoints for survival benefit. TRAEs were comparable between the corresponding groups. The long-term survival outcome of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for patients with NSCLC needs to be further confirmed to better guide clinical practice.

Angiosarcoma is a rare complication of breast-conserving therapy. This study evaluated the change in incidence between 1992 and 2016 of secondary breast angiosarcoma (SBA) in patients with a history of breast cancer and the impact of management strategies for the original breast carcinoma on angiosarcoma treatment. Breast cancer and angiosarcoma cases were abstracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) database. SBAs were defined as angiosarcomas located in the breast occurring after a prior breast cancer diagnosis. Primary breast angiosarcomas (PBAs) were defined as an angiosarcoma diagnosis listed as "one primary only." Incidence rates were estimated using a proportion of the US total population. Survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association of clinicopathologic characteristics on overall survival. Between 1992 and 2016, 193 cases of SBA were reported in the SEER dataset in patients with a prior history of breast cancer. The incidence of breast angiosarcoma in patients with a prior diagnosis of breast cancer increased 3-fold from about 10 cases per 100,000 person-years to about 30 cases per 100,000 person-years over this same period (P=0.0037). For treatment of SBA (n=193), almost all (95%) had surgery. Nine percent received radiation (compared with 35% of patients with PBA, P<0.001) and 23% received chemotherapy (vs. 45% for PBA, P=0.11). We demonstrate an increasing incidence of SBA over the study period. These data can help inform shared decision-making for optimal management of locoregional breast cancer and raise awareness of secondary angiosarcoma.