In recent years, it has been demonstrated that immunotherapy is an effective strategy for the management of solid tumors. The origins of immunotherapy can be traced back to the work of William Coley, who elicited an immune response against sarcoma by injecting patients with a mixture of dead bacteria. Significant progress has been made since, with immune markers within the tumor now being used as predictors of cancer prognosis and manipulated to improve patient survival. While surgery remains central to the management of most patients with solid malignancies, it is important that surgeons consider the different immunotherapy strategies that can be employed to manage disease. Here, we highlight how the immune system influences tumorigenesis and bring attention to how current and future immunotherapies can serve as an adjunct to surgery.

Objectives. To facilitate disease prognosis and improve precise immunotherapy of gastric cancer (GC) patients, a comprehensive study integrating immune cellular and molecular analyses on tumor tissues and peripheral blood was performed. Methods. The association of GC patients' outcomes and the immune context of their tumors was explored using multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) and transcriptome profiling. Potential immune dysfunction mechanism/s in the tumors on the systemic level was further examined using mass cytometry (CyTOF) in complementary peripheral blood from selected patients. GC cohorts with mIHC and gene expression profiling data were also used as validation cohorts. Results. Increased CD4 + FOXP3 + T-cell density in the GC tumor correlated with prolonged survival. Interestingly, CD4 + FOXP3 + T cells had a close interaction with CD8 + T cells rather than tumor cells. High densities of CD4 + FOXP3 + T cells and CD8 + T cells (High-High) independently predicted prolonged patient survival. Furthermore, the interferon-gamma (IFN-c) gene signature and PDL1 expression were up-regulated in this group. Importantly, a subgroup of genomically stable (GS) tumors and tumors with chromosomal instability (CIN) within this High-High group also had excellent survival. The High-High GS/CIN tumors were coupled with increased frequencies of Tbet + CD4 + T cells and central memory CD4 + T cells in the peripheral blood. Conclusion. These novel findings identify the combination of CD8 + T cells and FOXP3 + CD4 + T cells as a significant prognostic marker for GC

Advanced T stage is an independent predictor of local failure in anal squamous cell carcinoma. Most patients can be salvaged, with a positive resection margin being a strong predictor of further relapse and poor outcome. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A515.

Background: As coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continue to rise, healthcare workers have been working overtime to ensure that all patients receive care in a timely manner. Our study aims to identify the impact and outcomes of COVID-19 on colorectal cancers presentations across the five major colorectal units in Melbourne, Australia. Methods: This is a retrospective study from a prospectively collected database from the binational colorectal cancer audit (BCCA) registry, as well as inpatient records. All patients with colorectal cancer between

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This study aims to report the safety profile of complete mesocolic excision and central vascular ligation in patients undergoing robotic surgery for right‐sided colon cancer during the introduction of this technique across two institutions in Australia. This series of 20 patients demonstrates a safe introduction of robotic complete mesocolic excision and central vascular ligation in patients with right‐sided colon cancer, without Clavien III or more complications and no reinterventions. All patients had a complete resection and the lymph node harvest was high in this setting.

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