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Undoubtedly, the development of COVID-19 vaccines displays a critical step towards ending this devastating pandemic, considering their protective benefits in the general population. Yet, data regarding their efficacy and safety in cancer patients are limited. Herein we provide the initial analysis of immune responses after the first dose of vaccination in 21 breast cancer patients receiving cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors. The levels of neutralizing antibodies post vaccination were similar to the matched healthy controls, whereas no safety issues have been raised. Further exploration is needed to reduce the uncertainty of SARS-CoV-2 immunity among cancer patients under treatment.

Objective: Vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 provides significant protection against the infection in the general population. However, limited data exist for cancer patients under systemic therapy. Methods: In this cohort, we prospectively enrolled cancer patients treated with PARPi as well as healthy volunteers in order to study the kinetics of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (NAbs) after COVID-19 vaccination. Baseline demographics, co-morbidities, and NAb levels were compared between the two groups. Results: The results of the cohort of 36 patients receiving PARP inhibitors are presented here. Despite no new safety issues being noticed, their levels of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies were significantly lower in comparison to matched healthy volunteers up to day 30 after the second dose. Conclusions: These results suggest that maintaining precautions against COVID-19 is essential for cancer patients and should be taken into consideration for the patients under treatment, while further exploration is needed to reduce the uncertainty of SARS-CoV-2 immunity among cancer patients under treatment.

Data regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-10 vaccines among cancer patients are lacking. Factors such as age, underlying disease and antineoplastic treatment confer negatively to the immune response due to vaccination. The degree of immunosuppression though may be lessen by targeted treatments like the androgen receptor-targeted agents (ARTA) that are commonly used in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Herein, we report our data on 25 patients with prostate cancer under treatment with ARTA who were vaccinated for COVID-19. Our data suggest that these patients develop neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 similarly to healthy volunteers. No safety issues were noted.

Recent advances in glioblastoma (GB) research have shed light on the molecular characteristics, the defected intracellular signaling pathways, and the genetic and epigenetic alterations involved in their pathogenesis. Despite constant efforts, GB remains an aggressive malignant tumor with limited therapeutic approaches, poor prognosis, and a low survival rate. Emerging evidence points towards the crucial impact of epigenetic post-translational modifications in cancer development with emphasis on the regulatory role of histone deacetylation in several key cellular processes, including metabolic pathways, regulation of stress response, senescence, proliferation, DNA repair, and apoptosis. The silent information regulator proteins (Sirtuins) are deacetylases of histone and non-histone proteins that have been recently implicated in the initiation as well as in the progression of GB. Herein, we provide a critical overview of the emerging functional role and mechanism of action of the seven Sirtuins (SIRT1-7) in GB and discuss their potential targeting options in clinical practice.

Background: High grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is the most lethal type of epithelial ovarian cancer, with a prevalence of germline BRCA1/2 mutations as high as 20%. Our objective is to determine whether the location of mutations in the different domains of the BRCA1/2 genes affects the clinical outcome of HGSOC patients. Methods: A total of 51 women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutated ovarian cancer were identified. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Results: In our study cohort, 35 patients were carriers of germline mutations in BRCA1 and 16 in BRCA2. The median PFS time following completion of the primary therapy was 23.8 months (95% CI 20.1–27.5) and the median OS was 92.9 months (95% CI 69.8–116.1) in all BRCA carriers. After multivariate analysis, no significant association among the location or type of BRCA1/2 mutation with PFS or OS was identified. Notably, significant differences in PFS between carriers of identical mutations in the same BRCA gene were detected. Conclusions: Among HGSOC patients, BRCA1/2 carriers with mutations in different locations of the genes show no significant difference in survival outcomes, in terms of PFS and OS, suggesting the potential effect of other genetic abnormalities and co-contributing risk factors.

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e17594 Background: CA-125 ELIMination Rate Constant K (KELIM) is considered a marker of chemosensitivity in ovarian cancer patients and its prognostic and predictive significance in Neo-adjuvant Chemotherapy (NACT) treated patients has been established through prospective trials. Limited data exist regarding the feasibility of its application in the real-world setting. Under this perspective, we undertook a retrospective study of the predictive and prognostic significance of KELIM in ovarian cancer patients treated with NACT in our institution. Methods: Medical records of women with aEOC treated with NACT at Alexandra Hospital from 2010 to 2019 were retrospectively identified. Clinicopathological data, treatment and survival data were analysed. Modeled CA-125 KELIM score was calculated from the available online tool ( https://www.biomarker-kinetics.org/CA-125-neo ). Kaplan-Meier Survival curves were generated using SPSS; survival differences were estimated using the long-rank test. Results: 99 patients treated with 3-4 cycles of NACT with Paclitaxel and Carboplatin with available at least three CA125 measurements within 100 days from the beginning of chemotherapy were included. Median age was 66.6 years (25th-75th percentile was 59.8 and 74.5 years respectively) and median numbers of CA125 measurements were 3. KELIM score < 1 (unfavorable) had 56 patients (56.6%) while score ≥1 had 43 patients (43.4%). All patients had high grade serous histology and 72 patients were treated with debulking surgery (72.8%). BRCA1/2 mutation status was known in 66 patients, among them 18 patients (27.3%) were positive for the presence of BRCA1/2 mutations. Favorable KELIM score was predictive of both increased PFS [mPFS 16.6 months (95% CI 12.6-20.5) in favorable group vs 11.9 months (95% CI 10.6-13.4) in unfavorable, p < 0.001] and OS [mOS 44.7 months (95% CI 40.2-49.1) in favorable group vs 27.2 months (95% CI 18.5-35.9) in unfavorable, p = 0.013]. Predictive and prognostic significance of KELIM was retained in multivariate analysis when other prognostic parameters as age, ECOG-PS, quality of debulking surgery were taken into account. Bevacizumab administration post NACT increased statistical significantly both PFS and OS only in patients with unfavorable KELIM score. There was no statistical correlation between favorable KELIM score and presence of BRCA1/2 mutations, however our analysis is limited by the small number of patients. Conclusions: KELIM score can be easily applied in common clinical practice of ovarian cancer patients treated with NACT and provide valuable prognostic and predictive information. Despite in our analysis no correlation with presence of BRCA1/2 mutations was found further investigation is warranted, since PARP inhibitors constitute the established maintenance treatment in the frontline setting.