| 1. |
- Derksen, Jeroen W. G., et al.
(författare)
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European practice patterns and barriers to smoking cessation after a cancer diagnosis in the setting of curative versus palliative cancer treatment
- 2020
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Ingår i: European Journal of Cancer. - : Elsevier. - 0959-8049 .- 1879-0852. ; 138, s. 99-108
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Smoking cessation after a cancer diagnosis is associated with improved overall survival. Few studies have reported oncologists' cessation practice patterns, but differences between the curative and palliative settings have not been described. We aimed to study the oncologist's perceptions on patients' tobacco use, current practices and barriers to providing smoking cessation support, while distinguishing between treatment with curative (C) and palliative (P) intent.Methods: In 2019, an online 34-item survey was sent to approximately 6235 oncologists from 16 European countries. Responses were descriptively reported and compared by treatment setting.Results: Responses from 544 oncologists were included. Oncologists appeared to favour addressing tobacco in the curative setting more than in the palliative setting. Oncologists believe that continued smoking impacts treatment outcomes (C: 94%, P: 74%) and that cessation support should be standard cancer care (C: 95%, P: 63%). Most routinely assess tobacco use (C: 93%, P: 78%) and advise patients to stop using tobacco (C: 88%, P: 54%), but only 24% (P)–39% (C) routinely discuss medication options, and only 18% (P)–31% (C) provide cessation support. Hesitation to remove a pleasurable habit (C: 13%, P: 43%) and disbelieve on smoking affecting outcomes (C: 3%, P: 14%) were disparate barriers between the curative and palliative settings (p < 0.001), but dominant barriers of time, resources, education and patient resistance were similar between settings.Conclusion: Oncologists appear to favour addressing tobacco use more in the curative setting; however, they discuss medication options and/or provide cessation support in a minority of cases. All patients who report current smoking should have access to evidence-based smoking cessation support, also patients treated with palliative intent given their increasing survival.
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| 2. |
- Elfving, Hedvig, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of NTRK immunohistochemistry as a screening method for NTRK gene fusion detection in non-small cell lung cancer
- 2021
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Ingår i: Lung Cancer. - : Elsevier. - 0169-5002 .- 1872-8332. ; 151, s. 53-59
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The small molecule inhibitors larotrectinib and entrectinib have recently been approved as cancer agnostic drugs in patients with tumours harbouring a rearrangement of the neurotrophic tropomyosin receptor kinase (NTRK). These oncogenic fusions are estimated to occur in 0.1-3 % of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Although molecular techniques are most reliable for fusion detection, immunohistochemical analysis is considered valuable for screening. Therefore, we evaluated the newly introduced diagnostic immunohistochemical assay (clone EPR17341) on a representative NSCLC cohort.Methods: Cancer tissue from 688 clinically and molecularly extensively annotated NSCLC patients were comprised on tissue microarrays and stained with the pan-TRK antibody clone EPR17341. Positive cases were further analysed with the TruSight Tumor 170 RNA assay (Illumina). Selected cases were also tested with a NanoString NTRK fusion assay. For 199 cases, NTRK RNA expression data were available from previous RNA sequencing analysis.Results: Altogether, staining patterns for 617 NSCLC cases were evaluable. Of these, four cases (0.6 %) demonstrated a strong diffuse cytoplasmic and membranous staining, and seven cases a moderate staining (1.1 %). NanoString or TST170-analysis could not confirm an NTRK fusion in any of the IHC positive cases, or any of the cases with high mRNA levels. In the four cases with strong staining intensity in the tissue microarray, whole section staining revealed marked heterogeneity of NTRK protein expression.Conclusion: The presence of NTRK fusion genes in non-small cell lung cancer is exceedingly rare. The use of the immunohistochemical NTRK assay will result in a small number of false positive cases. This should be considered when the assay is applied as a screening tool in clinical diagnostics.
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| 3. |
- Lyth, Johan, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Trends in cutaneous malignant melanoma in Sweden 1997-2011: Thinner tumours and improved survival among men
- 2015
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Ingår i: British Journal of Dermatology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0007-0963 .- 1365-2133. ; 172:3, s. 700-706
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Both patient survival and the proportion of patients diagnosed with thin cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) have been steadily rising in Sweden as in most western countries, though the rate of improvement in survival appears to have declined in Sweden at the end of last millennium.Objectives: To analyse the most recent trends in the distribution of tumour thickness (T-category) as well as CMM-specific survival in Swedish patients diagnosed 1997-2011.Methods: This nationwide population-based study included 30 590 patients registered in the Swedish Melanoma Register (SMR) and diagnosed with a first primary invasive CMM 1997-2011. The patients were followed through 2012 in the national Cause-of-Death Register.Results: Logistic and Cox regression analyses adjusting for age at diagnosis, tumour site, and health care region were carried out. The odds ratio for being diagnosed with thicker tumours was significantly reduced (P = 0·0008) and the CMM-specific survival significantly improved in men diagnosed 2007-2011 compared to men diagnosed 1997-2001 (hazard ratio=0·81; 95% CI 0·72-0·91, P = 0·0009) while the corresponding differences for women were not significant. Women were diagnosed with significantly thicker tumours during 2002-2006 and a tendency towards decreased survival was observed compared to those diagnosed earlier 1997-2001 and later 2007-2011.Conclusion: In Sweden, the CMMs of men are detected earlier over time and this seems to be followed by an improved CMM-specific survival for men. Women are still diagnosed with considerably thinner tumours and they experience a better survival than men.
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| 4. |
- Eltahir, mohmo394, et al.
(författare)
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Profiling of donor-specific immune effector signatures in response to rituximab in a human whole blood loop assay using blood from CLL patients
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Immunopharmacology. - : Elsevier. - 1567-5769 .- 1878-1705. ; 90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rituximab is widely used in the treatment of haematological malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the most common leukaemia in adults. However, some patients, especially those with high tumour burden, develop cytokine release syndrome (CRS). It is likely that more patients will develop therapy linked CRS in the future due to the implementation of other immunotherapies, such as CAR T-cell, for many malignancies. Current methods for CRS risk assessment are limited, hence there is a need to develop new methods. To better recapitulate an in vivo setting, we implemented a unique human whole blood "loop" system to study patient-specific immune responses to rituximab in blood derived from CLL patients. Upon rituximab infusion, both complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) profiles were evident in CLL patient blood, coincident with CLL cell depletion. Whereas B cell depletion is induced in healthy persons in the blood loop, only patients display B cell depletion coupled with CRS. With the exception of one donor who lacked NK cells, all other five patients displayed variable B cell depletion along with CRS profile. Additionally, inhibition of CDC or ADCC via either inhibitors or antibody Fc modification resulted in skewing of the immune killing mechanism consistent with published literature. Herein we have shown that the human whole blood loop model can be applied using blood from a specific indication to build a disease-specific CRS and immune activation profiling ex vivo system. Other therapeutic antibodies used for other indications may benefit from antibody characterization in a similar setting.
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| 5. |
- Gremel, Gabriela, et al.
(författare)
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A systematic search strategy identifies cubilin as independent prognostic marker for renal cell carcinoma
- 2017
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Ingår i: BMC Cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2407. ; 17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: There is an unmet clinical need for better prognostic and diagnostic tools for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Methods: Human Protein Atlas data resources, including the transcriptomes and proteomes of normal and malignant human tissues, were searched for RCC-specific proteins and cubilin (CUBN) identified as a candidate. Patient tissue representing various cancer types was constructed into a tissue microarray (n = 940) and immunohistochemistry used to investigate the specificity of CUBN expression in RCC as compared to other cancers. Two independent RCC cohorts (n = 181; n = 114) were analyzed to further establish the sensitivity of CUBN as RCC-specific marker and to explore if the fraction of RCCs lacking CUBN expression could predict differences in patient survival. Results: CUBN was identified as highly RCC-specific protein with 58% of all primary RCCs staining positive for CUBN using immunohistochemistry. In venous tumor thrombi and metastatic lesions, the frequency of CUBN expression was increasingly lost. Clear cell RCC (ccRCC) patients with CUBN positive tumors had a significantly better prognosis compared to patients with CUBN negative tumors, independent of T-stage, Fuhrman grade and nodal status (HR 0.382, CI 0.203-0.719, P = 0.003). Conclusions: CUBN expression is highly specific to RCC and loss of the protein is significantly and independently associated with poor prognosis. CUBN expression in ccRCC provides a promising positive prognostic indicator for patients with ccRCC. The high specificity of CUBN expression in RCC also suggests a role as a new diagnostic marker in clinical cancer differential diagnostics to confirm or rule out RCC.
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| 6. |
- Helgadottir, H., et al.
(författare)
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Survival after introduction of adjuvant treatment in stage III melanoma: a nationwide registry-based study
- 2023
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Ingår i: Jnci-Journal of the National Cancer Institute. - : Oxford University Press. - 0027-8874 .- 1460-2105. ; 41:16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Adjuvant treatments with PD-1 and BRAF+MEK inhibitors statistically significantly prolong recurrence-free survival in stage III cutaneous melanoma. Yet, the effect on overall survival is still unclear. Based on recurrence-free survival outcomes, these treatments have been approved and widely implemented. The treatments have considerable side effects and costs, and overall survival effect remains a highly anticipated outcome. Methods Clinical and histopathological parameters were obtained from the Swedish Melanoma Registry for patients diagnosed with stage III melanoma between 2016 and 2020. The patients were divided depending on if they were diagnosed before or from July 2018, based on the timepoint when adjuvant treatment was introduced in Sweden. Patients were followed up until the end of 2021. In this cohort study, melanoma-specific and overall survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox-regression analyses. Results There were 1371 patients diagnosed with stage III primary melanoma in Sweden in 2016-2020. The 2-year overall survival rates, comparing the 634 patients in the precohort and the 737 in the postcohort, were 84.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 81.4% to 87.3%) and 86.1% (95% CI = 83.4% to 89.0%), respectively, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.91 (95% CI = 0.70 to 1.19, P = .51). Further, no statistically significant overall or melanoma-specific survival differences were seen when comparing the precohort and the postcohort in different subgroups for age, sex, or tumor characteristics. Conclusions In this nationwide population-based and registry-based study, no survival benefit was detected in patients diagnosed before or after the implementation of adjuvant treatment in stage III melanoma. These findings encourage a careful assessment of the current recommendations on adjuvant treatment.
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| 7. |
- Johansson, Anna L. V., et al.
(författare)
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Mortality in women with pregnancy-associated malignant melanoma
- 2014
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Ingår i: The Journal of American Academy of Dermatology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0190-9622 .- 1097-6787. ; 71:6, s. 1093-1101
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Malignant melanoma (MM) is one of the most common malignancies in young women. It remains debated whether a MM diagnosed during pregnancy or lactation has a worse prognosis. Objective: We sought to examine mortality in women with pregnancy-associated MM (PAMM) (diagnosed during pregnancy and up to 2-years postpartum). Methods: This was a population-based cohort study based on information retrieved from the Swedish Cancer and Multi-Generation Registers. Hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals adjusted for age, period, education, parity, and tumor location were estimated. Results: In total, 6857 women and girls aged 15 to 44 years with a diagnosis of cutaneous MM between 1963 and 2009 were identified. Of these, 1019 cases were classified as PAMM. The cause-specific mortality did not differ between PAMM and MM not diagnosed near childbirth (adjusted hazard ratio 1.09, 95% confidence interval 0.83-1.42). Limitations: Information on stage at diagnosis was available only for a subset of patients Conclusion: Overall, the cause-specific mortality in women and girls with PAMM did not differ from that in women and girls with non-PAMM. The current findings do not provide evidence of an adverse prognostic influence of pregnancy or a recent birth.
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| 8. |
- Maleka, Aglaia, et al.
(författare)
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A case report of a patient with metastatic ocular melanoma who experienced a response to treatment with the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib
- 2016
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Ingår i: BMC Cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2407. ; 16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Conjunctival malignant melanoma (CMM) is a rare malignancy and in the advanced setting there is no effective treatment. In contrast, half of cutaneous melanomas have BRAF mutations and treatment with BRAF inhibitors is established for patients with disseminated disease. The most common form of ocular melanoma, uveal melanoma, lacks these mutations, however, their presence has been reported for CMM. Case presentation: We used the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib to treat a 53 year-old female suffering from a BRAFV600E mutated metastatic CMM. The patient benefited from the treatment, a response was evident within a week and she experienced a progression free survival of four months. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first described case of response to vemurafenib treatment in a patient with ocular melanoma.
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| 9. |
- Musher, Benjamin L., et al.
(författare)
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LOAd703, an oncolytic virus-based immunostimulatory gene therapy, combined with chemotherapy for unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer (LOKON001) results from arm 1 of a non-randomised, single-centre, phase 1/2 study
- 2024
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Ingår i: The Lancet Oncology. - : Elsevier. - 1470-2045 .- 1474-5488. ; 25:4, s. 488-500
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is characterised by low immunogenicity and an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. LOAd703, an oncolytic adenovirus with transgenes encoding TMZ-CD40L and 4-1BBL, lyses cancer cells selectively, activates cytotoxic T cells, and induces tumour regression in preclinical models. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of combining LOAd703 with chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Methods LOKON001 was a non-randomised, phase 1/2 study conducted at the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA, and consisted of two arms conducted sequentially; the results of arm 1 are presented here. In arm 1, patients 18 years or older with previously treated or treatment-naive unresectable or metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were treated with standard 28-day cycles of intravenous nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m 2 plus gemcitabine 1000 mg/m 2 (up to 12 cycles) and intratumoural injections of LOAd703 every 2 weeks. Patients were assigned using Bayesian optimal interval design to receive 500 mu L of LOAd703 at 5 x 10 10 (dose 1), 1 x 10 11 (dose 2), or 5 x 10 11 (dose 3) viral particles per injection, injected endoscopically or percutaneously into the pancreatic tumour or a metastasis for six injections. The primary endpoints were safety and treatment-emergent immune response in patients who received at least one dose of LOAd703, and antitumour activity was a secondary endpoint. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02705196, arm 2 is ongoing and open to new participants. Findings Between Dec 2, 2016, and Oct 17, 2019, 23 patients were assessed for eligibility, leading to 22 patients being enrolled. One patient withdrew consent, resulting in 21 patients (13 [62%] men and eight [38%] women) assigned to a dose group (three to dose 1, four to dose 2, and 14 to dose 3). 21 patients were evaluable for safety. Median follow-up time was 6 months (IQR 4-10), and data cutoff was Jan 5, 2023. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events overall were anaemia (96 [8%] of 1237 events), lymphopenia (86 [7%] events), hyperglycaemia (70 [6%] events), leukopenia (63 [5%] events), hypertension (62 [5%] events), and hypoalbuminaemia (61 [5%] events). The most common adverse events attributed to LOAd703 were fever (14 [67%] of 21 patients), fatigue (eight [38%]), chills (seven [33%]), and elevated liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase in five [24%], alkaline phosphatase in four [19%], and aspartate aminotransferase in four [19%]), all of which were grade 1-2, except for a transient grade 3 aminotransferase elevation occurring at dose 3. A maximum tolerated dose was not reached, thereby establishing dose 3 as the highest-evaluated safe dose when combined with nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine. Proportions of CD8 + effector memory cells and adenovirus-specific T cells increased after LOAd703 injections in 15 (94%) of 16 patients for whom T-cell assays could be performed. Eight (44%, 95% CI 25-66) of 18 patients evaluable for activity had an objective response. Interpretation Combining LOAd703 with nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma was feasible and safe. To build upon this novel chemoimmunotherapeutic approach, arm 2 of LOKON001, which combines LOAd703, nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine, and atezolizumab, is ongoing.
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| 10. |
- Naseri, Sedigheh, et al.
(författare)
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CD40 stimulation via CD40 ligand enhances adenovirus-mediated tumour immunogenicity including 'find-me', 'eat-me', and 'kill-me' signalling
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1582-1838 .- 1582-4934. ; 28:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Immunostimulatory gene therapy using oncolytic viruses is currently evaluated as a promising therapy for cancer aiming to induce anti-tumour immunity. Here, we investigate the capacity of oncolytic adenoviruses (LOAd) and their transgenes to induce immunogenicity in the infected tumour cells. Oncolysis and death-related markers were assessed after infection of eight human solid cancer cell lines with different LOAd viruses expressing a trimerized, membrane-bound (TMZ)-CD40L, TMZ-CD40L and 41BBL, or no transgenes. The viruses induced transgene expression post infection before they were killed by oncolysis. Death receptors TRAIL-R1, TRAIL-R2 and Fas as well as immunogenic cell death marker calreticulin were upregulated in cell lines post infection. Similarly, caspase 3/7 activity was increased in most cell lines. Interestingly, in CD40+ cell lines there was a significant effect of the TMZ-CD40L-encoding viruses indicating activation of the CD40-mediated apoptosis pathway. Further, these cell lines showed a significant increase of calreticulin, and TRAIL receptor 1 and 2 post infection. However, LOAd viruses induced PD-L1 upregulation which may hamper anti-tumour immune responses. In conclusion, LOAd infection increased the immunogenicity of infected tumour cells and this was potentiated by CD40 stimulation. Due to the simultaneous PD-L1 increase, LOAd viruses may benefit from combination with antibodies blocking PD1/PD-L1.
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| 11. |
- Niinivirta, Marjut, et al.
(författare)
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Tumoral cubilin is a predictive marker for treatment of renal cancer patients with sunitinib and sorafenib
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0171-5216 .- 1432-1335. ; 143:6, s. 961-970
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Tyrosine kinase inhibitors like sunitinib and sorafenib are commonly used to treat metastatic renal cell cancer patients. Cubilin is a membrane protein expressed in the proximal renal tubule. Cubilin and megalin function together as endocytic receptors mediating uptake of many proteins. There is no established predictive marker for metastatic renal cell cancer patients and the purpose of the present study was to assess if cubilin can predict response to treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.Methods Cubilin protein expression was analyzsed in tumor tissue from a cohort of patients with metastatic renal cell cancer (n = 139) using immunohistochemistry. One hundred and thirty six of the patients were treated with sunitinib or sorafenib in the first- or second-line setting. Thirty of these were censored because of toxicity leading to the termination of treatment and the remaining (n = 106) were selected for the current study.Results Fifty-three (50%) of the tumors expressed cubilin in the membrane. The median progression-free survival was 8 months in patients with cubilin expressing tumors and 4 months in the cubilin negative group. In addition, the overall survival was better for patients with cubilin positive tumors. We also found that the fraction of cubilin negative patients was significantly higher in the non-responding group (PFS ≤3 months) compared to responding patients (PFS >3 months).Conclusions We show for the first time that tumoral expression of cubilin is a positive predictive marker for treatment of metastatic renal cell cancer patients with sunitinib and sorafenib.
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| 12. |
- Plym, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical characteristics, management and survival in young adults diagnosed with malignant melanoma : A population-based cohort study
- 2014
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Ingår i: Acta Oncologica. - 0284-186X .- 1651-226X. ; 53:5, s. 688-696
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Few studies to date have described the clinical features of malignant melanoma in young adulthood. Also, little is known about patterns of care in young patients. We examined and compared clinical characteristics, management and survival between young adult (15-39 years) and older adult melanoma patients in Central Sweden. Material and methods. Patients diagnosed with invasive malignant melanoma between 1997 and 2011 were identified in the Regional Quality Register of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma in Central Sweden, a population-based register covering a source population of about two million. Data on clinical characteristics, management and survival were retrieved and compared according to age at diagnosis. Results. Of 5915 patients included in the study, 584 (9.9%) were between 15 and 39 years of age at diagnosis. Compared with older patients, young adult patients were more likely to be female, with higher proportions of thin, non-ulcerated melanomas, superficial spreading melanoma and melanomas located on the lower extremity. Young adults had shorter waiting times for surgical procedures and a higher proportion received surgical treatment according to guidelines. Overall, young patients had better relative survival than older patients. Age-related survival differences varied by stage of disease at diagnosis, and were most prominent in stage II disease. Conclusion. The observed differences in clinical characteristics, management and survival between young adult and older melanoma patients call for an improved understanding of not only disease etiology but also factors driving management decisions. A better understanding of these differences may help improve care and prognosis for melanoma patients of all ages.
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| 13. |
- Schadendorf, D., et al.
(författare)
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Functional and symptom impact of trametinib versus chemotherapy in BRAF V600E advanced or metastatic melanoma : quality-of-life analyses of the METRIC study
- 2014
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Ingår i: Annals of Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0923-7534 .- 1569-8041. ; 25:3, s. 700-706
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the first quality-of-life assessment of a MEK inhibitor in metastatic melanoma from a phase III study. Trametinib prolonged progression-free survival and improved overall survival versus chemotherapy in patients with BRAF V600 mutation-positive melanoma. Less functional impairment, smaller declines in health status, and less exacerbation of symptoms were observed with trametinib.In a randomized phase III study, trametinib prolonged progression-free survival and improved overall survival versus chemotherapy in patients with BRAF V600 mutation-positive melanoma. Patients' quality of life (QOL) was assessed at baseline and follow-up visits using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core QOL questionnaire. In the primary efficacy population (BRAF V600E+, no brain metastases) from baseline to weeks 6 and 12, patients' global health status scores worsened by 4-5 points with chemotherapy but improved by 2-3 points with trametinib. Rapid and substantive reductions in QOL functionality (e.g. role functioning, 8-11 points at weeks 6 and 12) and symptom exacerbation (e.g. fatigue, 4-8 points; nausea and vomiting, 5 points, both at weeks 6 and 12) were observed in chemotherapy-treated patients. In contrast, trametinib-treated patients reported small improvements or slight worsening from baseline at week 12, depending on the functional dimension and symptom. The mean symptom-scale scores for chemotherapy-treated patients increased from baseline (symptoms worsened) for seven of eight symptoms at week 6 (except insomnia) and six of eight symptoms at week 12 (except dyspnea and insomnia). In contrast, at weeks 6 and 12, the mean symptom-scale scores for trametinib decreased from baseline (symptoms improved) for pain (11-12 points), insomnia (10-12 points), and appetite loss (1-5 points), whereas those for diarrhea worsened (15-16 points). Mixed-model repeated-measures analyses showed significant (P < 0.05) and/or clinically meaningful improvements (small to moderate) from baseline in favor of trametinib for global health; physical, role, and social functioning; fatigue; pain; insomnia; nausea and vomiting; constipation; dyspnea; and appetite at weeks 6 and/or 12. QOL results for the intent-to-treat population were consistent. This first QOL assessment for a MEK inhibitor in metastatic melanoma demonstrated that trametinib was associated with less functional impairment, smaller declines in health status, and less exacerbation of symptoms versus chemotherapy.
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| 14. |
- Staff, Caroline, et al.
(författare)
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Induction of IgM, IgA and IgE Antibodies in Colorectal Cancer Patients Vaccinated with a Recombinant CEA Protein
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Immunology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0271-9142 .- 1573-2592. ; 32:4, s. 855-865
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous clinical studies have indicated that natural IgM antibodies have the ability to induce apoptosis of tumor cells but IgE and IgA may also mediate tumor cell killing (in addition to IgG). The aim of the study was to analyse induction of IgM, IgA and IgE antibodies in patients vaccinated with the tumor associated antigen CEA. Twenty-four resected CRC patients without macroscopic disease were immunized seven times with CEA +/- GM-CSF. Four different dose schedules were used over a 12-month period. IgM, IgA and IgE antibody responses against recombinant CEA were determined by ELISA. Patients were monitored immunologically for 36 months and clinically for 147 months. GM-CSF significantly augmented the anti-CEA response for all three antibody classes. Low dose of CEA tended to induce a higher IgM, IgA or IgE anti-CEA antibody response than higher. Anti-CEA IgA antibodies could lyse CEA positive tumor cells in antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) as well as in complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC). A significant correlation between survival and high IgA anti-CEA titers was noted (p = 0.02) irrespective of GM-CSF treatment. The observation that IgA anti-CEA antibodies were cytotoxic and associated with improved survival might indicate that also these antibodies may exert a clinical anti-tumor effect.
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| 15. |
- Ullenhag, Gustav J., et al.
(författare)
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A Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of Lenalidomide in Combination with Gemcitabine in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
- 2015
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 10:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Lenalidomide have both immunomodulatory and anti-angiogenic properties which could confer anti-cancer effects. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of combining lenalidomide with the standard treatment gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer patients with advanced disease. Patients and Methods Eligible patients had locally advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Patients received lenalidomide days 1-21 orally and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) intravenously (days 1, 8 and 15), each 28 day cycle. Three cohorts of lenalidomide were examined (Cohort I = 15 mg, Cohort II = 20 mg and Cohort III = 25 mg daily). The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of lenalidomide given in combination with gemcitabine was defined as the highest dose level at which no more than one out of four (25%) subjects experiences a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). Patients should also be able to receive daily low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) (e.g. dalteparin 5000 IU s.c. daily) as a prophylactic anticoagulant for venous thromboembolic events (VTEs). Twelve patients (n = 4, n = 3 and n = 5 in cohort I, II and III, respectively) were enrolled in this study. Results Median duration of treatment was 11 weeks (range 1-66), and median number of treatment cycles were three (range 1-14). The only DLT was a cardiac failure grade 3 in cohort III. Frequent treatment-related adverse events (AEs) (all grades) included neutropenia, leucopenia and fatigue (83% each, but there was no febrile neutropenia); thrombocytopenia (75%); dermatological toxicity (75%); diarrhea and nausea (42% each); and neuropathy (42%). Discussion This phase I study demonstrates the feasibility of the combination of lenalidomide and gemcitabine as first-line treatment in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The tolerability profile demonstrated in the dose escalation schedule of lenalidomide suggests the dosing of lenalidomide to be 25 mg daily on days 1-21 with standard dosing of gemcitabine and merits further evaluation in a phase II trial.
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| 16. |
- Ullenhag, Gustav J, et al.
(författare)
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Adoptive T-cell therapy for malignant melanoma patients with TILs obtained by ultrasound-guided needle biopsy
- 2012
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Ingår i: Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-7004 .- 1432-0851. ; 61:5, s. 725-732
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adoptive cell therapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) can mediate objective responses in up to 50% of malignant melanoma patients with a good performance status refractory to standard treatments. Current protocols for generation of TILs rely on open surgery for access to tumor tissue. We obtained tumor material by ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy or surgery from melanoma patients with progressive disease and were able to isolate >5 × 10(6) TILs from 23 of 24 patients who were subsequently treated with these cells. One-third of the individual TIL-positive cultures displayed interferon gamma activity after stimulation with relevant melanoma cell lines. When expanded TILs were used for treatment in combination with daily low dose s.c. IL-2 after prior lymphodepleting chemotherapy, we observed objective clinical responses in one patient treated with TILs obtained from surgery and 4 patients treated with TILs from core biopsies. The results of this study demonstrate for the first time the potential of core biopsies for generation of relevant numbers of TILs that can mediate objective responses in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma. Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy is a robust, safe and inexpensive approach to obtain tumor tissue for TIL generation, and is especially valuable in instances where surgery is contraindicated.
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| 17. |
- Ullenhag, Gustav J., et al.
(författare)
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Clinical and Immune Effects of Lenalidomide in Combination with Gemcitabine in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
- 2017
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose To assess the immunomodulatory and clinical effects of lenalidomide with standard treatment of gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Patients and Methods Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were treated in first line with lenalidomide orally for 21 days of a 28 days cycle and the standard regimen for gemcitabine. In Part I, which we previously have reported, the dose of lenalidomide was defined (n = 12). In Part II, every other consecutive patient was treated with either lenalidomide (Group A, n = 11) or gemcitabine (Group B, n = 10) during cycle 1. From cycle 2 on, all Part II patients received the combination. Results A significant decrease in the proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the frequency of DCs were noted in patients at baseline compared to healthy control donors while the frequencies of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, NK-cells and MDSCs were significantly higher in patients compared to controls. In Group A, a significant increase in the absolute numbers of activated (HLA-DR+) CD4 and CD8 T cells and CD8 effector memory T cells (p<0.01) was noted during treatment. A statistical increment in the absolute numbers of Tregs were seen after cycle 1 (p<0.05). The addition of gemcitabine, reduced most lymphocyte subsets (p<0.05). In Group B, the proportion of lymphocytes remained unchanged during the study period. There was no difference in overall survival, progression free survival and survival rate at one year comparing the two groups. Discussion Patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma had impaired immune functions. Lenalido-mide augmented T cell reactivities, which were abrogated by gemcitabine. However, addition of lenalidomide to gemcitabine seemed to have no therapeutic impact compared to gemcitabine alone in this non-randomized study.
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| 18. |
- Ullenhag, Gustav J, et al.
(författare)
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Durable carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in colorectal carcinoma patients vaccinated with recombinant CEA and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor.
- 2004
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Ingår i: Clinical Cancer Research. - 1078-0432 .- 1557-3265. ; 10:10, s. 3273-3281
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: Previous studies have indicated that carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) might be a suitable immunotherapeutic target in colorectal carcinoma (CRC). The aim of the present study was to analyze the immunological and clinical effects of vaccination with CEA together with the adjuvant granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF).EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Twenty-four resected CRC patients without macroscopic disease were immunized seven times with recombinant CEA at four different dose levels over a 12-month period. Half of the patients received GM-CSF (80 microg/day for 4 consecutive days) at each immunization. Patients were monitored immunologically for 36 months and clinically for 76 months. T-cell response was evaluated by a [(3)H]thymidine incorporation assay, and IgG response was determined by ELISA.RESULTS: Minor local side effects were common. All 12 patients (100%) in the GM-CSF group developed a CEA-specific T-cell as well as an IgG response. The corresponding figures in the CEA alone group were 9 of 12 (75%) and 8 of 12 (66%), respectively. GM-CSF significantly augmented the amplitude of the T-cell response and the IgG titers. No dose-response relationship was noted. The immune responses at 12 months persisted 24 months after the last vaccination. Anti-CEA IgG titers were associated with increased survival (P < 0.05), whereas standard prognostic factors had no relationship, with the exception of serum CEA value.CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination with recombinant CEA and GM-CSF appears to be a nontoxic regimen inducing potent and durable antigen-specific IgG and T-cell response. The results of this study justify more extensive trials with recombinant CEA protein for immunotherapy of CRC.
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| 19. |
- Ullenhag, Gustav J, et al.
(författare)
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Functional HLA-DR T cell epitopes of CEA identified in patients with colorectal carcinoma immunized with the recombinant protein CEA.
- 2004
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Ingår i: Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-7004 .- 1432-0851. ; 53:4, s. 331-337
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A baculovirus-produced recombinant CEA (rCEA) protein comprising the extracellular region was used for vaccination of CRC patients with or without GM-CSF as an adjuvant cytokine. Ten patients with a significant proliferative T cell response against rCEA were selected for T cell epitope mapping. Fifteen-aa-long overlapping peptides covering the entire aa sequence of the external domain of CEA were used in a proliferation assay. In six of the patients a repeatable T cell response against at least one peptide was demonstrated. For the first time, nine functional HLA-DR epitopes of CEA were defined. Two of the peptides were recognized by more than one patient, i.e., two and three patients, respectively. Those 15-mer peptides that induced a proliferative T cell response fitted to the actual HLA-DR type (SYFPEITHI). The affinity of the native peptides for the T cell receptor was in the low to intermediate range (scores 6-19). The 15-mer peptides also contained 9-mer peptide sequences that could be predicted to bind to the actual HLA-ABC genotypes (SYFPEITHI/BIMAS). Blocking experiments using monoclonal antibodies indicated that the proliferative T cell response was both MHC class I and II restricted. The defined HLA-DR T cell epitopes were spread over the entire CEA molecule, but a higher frequency was noted towards the C-terminal. Peptides with a dual specificity may form a basis for production of subunit cancer vaccines, but modifications should be done to increase the T cell affinity, thereby optimizing the antitumoral effects of the vaccine.
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| 20. |
- Ullenhag, Gustav J, et al.
(författare)
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Induction of IgG subclass responses in colorectal carcinoma patients vaccinated with recombinant carcinoembryonic antigen.
- 2002
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Ingår i: Cancer Research. - 0008-5472 .- 1538-7445. ; 62, s. 1364-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is scanty information on the IgG subclass response after vaccination against cancer antigens. The induction and development of the IgG subclass responses in 18 colorectal carcinoma patients vaccinated s.c. seven times with recombinant human carcinoembryonic antigen (rhCEA) over a 12-month period were analyzed by ELISA. The patients were followed for 3 years. Four rhCEA doses were used, and half of the patients also received granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) as an adjuvant. Anti-rhCEA-specific IgG1 and IgG4 responses and, to a lesser degree, IgG2 responses were markedly enhanced by concomitant GM-CSF administration, whereas the antigen dose was of minor importance. Almost no IgG3 response was observed. A significant antibody response was noted within the first weeks for IgG1 and IgG2 but noted several months later for IgG4. The responses gradually increased by repeated immunizations and peaked around 12 months for IgG1 and a few months later for IgG2 and IgG4. A sustained but reduced response was noted for these three subclasses at 24 and 36 months. Interestingly, there was a gradual shift from a predominant IgG1 response at 6 months to an IgG4 response at 15 months. No significant change in total concentrations of the four IgG subclasses was observed comparing prevaccination concentrations with concentrations at 12 months, indicating an antigen-specific effect of GM-CSF administration on the anti-rhCEA response. The clinical significance of the individual IgG subclass antibodies for tumor response is not clear and requires additional studies.
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| 21. |
- Ullenhag, Gustav J., et al.
(författare)
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The TRAIL system is over-expressed in breast cancer and FLIP a marker of good prognosis
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0171-5216 .- 1432-1335. ; 141:3, s. 505-514
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. The tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosisinducing ligand (TRAIL) pathway transmits apoptotic signals. Novel anticancer agents that activate this system are in clinical development, including anti-breast cancer. Methods The tissue microarray technique was applied. We used an array of breast cancer tissues from a large group of patients (> 800) to assess the protein expression of TRAIL-R1, TRAIL-R2, the long isoform of FLICE-inhibitory protein and total FLICE-inhibitory protein (FLIPL and FLIPT). Disease-free survival was examined by Kaplan-Meier estimates and the log-rank test. The independence of prognostic factors was determined by Cox multivariate analysis. Results High intra-tumoral expression of all these proteins of the TRAIL pathway was found. The TRAIL receptors and FLIPL were not associated with survival. On univariate analysis, strong FLIPT expression was associated with a significantly better survival (p = 0.001). On multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model, FLIPT phenotype was significantly associated with a good prognosis in this series (HR 0.52, 95 % CI 0.35-0.78, p = 0.039). Results indicate that this association is valid for all the biological subtypes of breast cancer. The expression of FLIPT was especially high in the luminal subtype, known for its good prognosis. Conclusions These findings support the use of agonistic TRAIL antibodies and drugs targeting FLIP in breast cancer patients. Over-expression of FLIPT but not TRAIL-R1, TRAIL-R2 or FLIPL provides stage-independent prognostic information in breast cancer patients. This indicates a clinically less aggressive phenotype.
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| 22. |
- Valachis, Antonis, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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Improved survival without increased toxicity with influenza vaccination in cancer patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors
- 2021
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Ingår i: Oncoimmunology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 2162-4011 .- 2162-402X. ; 10:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In international guidelines, influenza vaccination is recommended to cancer patients receiving antitumor treatment. Whether this recommendation should include patients treated with the recently introduced and now widely used checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) is unclear. The immune hyperactivation after vaccination in a patient on CPI treatment may strengthen the antitumor immunity and improve patients´ prognosis. On the other hand, the hyperactivation might increase the risk for immune-related adverse events (IRAEs). Furthermore, there is a risk for decreased antitumor effect by the phenomenon of antigenic competition. Only results from few studies addressing survival have been reported and the results from studies on IRAEs are contradictory. We performed a multi-center retrospective cohort study at three Swedish centers in patients with metastatic cancer. All patients previously not treated with CPIs and who received monotherapy with a PD-1 or PD-L1 blocker between January 1st, 2016 until May 31st, 2019 were included. The most common type of malignancy was melanoma (47.8%) followed by non-small cell lung cancer (31.0%). Statistically significant longer PFS and OS were observed in multivariate analyses at 6-month landmark time in the vaccinated compared to the non-vaccinated group after adjustment for age, gender, comorbidity, performance status, CNS metastasis and line of treatment (p = .041 and 0.028, respectively). Furthermore, the incidence of any IRAE grade was comparable between vaccinated and non-vaccinated group (p = .85). In conclusion, the current study indicates that survival improves with influenza vaccination while not increasing the risk for side effects in cancer patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors. Hence, our results strongly support influenza vaccination in cancer patients receiving checkpoint inhibitors.
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| 23. |
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