No abstract

The interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) cytokine is thought to counteract tumor angiogenesis/metastasis. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL-1RA gene (rs4251961 T/C and rs579543 C/T) influence IL-1RA circulating levels with highest production in carriers of the homozygous rs4251961 T/T and rs579543 T/T genotypes. A total of 180 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer were categorized as high IL-1RA producers if they were carriers of at least one of the rs4251961 T/T or rs579543 T/T genotypes (T/T carriers). Median survival times were 35.8 months (95% confidence interval: 29.7-43.7 months) and 28.6 months (95% confidence interval: 25.6-30 months) in 56 T/T carriers and in 124 non-T/T carriers, respectively. The favorable association between T/T carriers' status and survival was significant in the multivariate analysis (P ¼ 0.018). Also, T/T carriers and non-T/T carriers were prevalent among patients with Karnofsky performance status 90-100 and 70-80, respectively (P ¼ 0.002). These findings encourage additional studies in this field and the evaluation of a recombinant-IL-1RA for anticancer activity.

Cancer is one of the several comorbidities that have been linked with chronic cutaneous inflammatory diseases namely psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis and hidradenitis suppurativa. Although the chronic inflammatory state, typical of the diseases, may induce pro-tumorigenic effects, the debate whether or not the drugs currently used in clinical practice do in facts increase a patient’s risk of malignancy remains largely unsolved. The therapeutic armamentarium has been greatly enhanced at least in the last two decades with the advent of biologics, a heterogeneous group of laboratory-engineered agents with more in the pipeline, and other targeted small molecules. Among the organ systems, skin results as one of the most commonly affected, non-melanoma skin cancers being the main drug-induced manifestations as side effect in course of these treatments. The objective of the study is to systematically review the cutaneous malignancy risk of the newer therapies through an overview of meta-analyses and observational studies on the topic.

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating the paradigm shift towards patient-tailored brain tumor management, achieving optimal onco-functional balance for each individual. AI-based models can positively impact different stages of the diagnostic and therapeutic process. Although the histological investigation will remain difficult to replace, in the near future the radiomic approach will allow a complementary, repeatable and non-invasive characterization of the lesion, assisting oncologists and neurosurgeons in selecting the best therapeutic option and the correct molecular target in chemotherapy. AI-driven tools are already playing an important role in surgical planning, delimiting the extent of the lesion (segmentation) and its relationships with the brain structures, thus allowing precision brain surgery as radical as reasonably acceptable to preserve the quality of life. Finally, AI-assisted models allow the prediction of complications, recurrences and therapeutic response, suggesting the most appropriate follow-up. Looking to the future, AI-powered models promise to integrate biochemical and clinical data to stratify risk and direct patients to personalized screening protocols.