BJMO - 2024, issue 3, may 2024
E. Landeloos MD
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have become the standard of care in previously untreated melanoma, reaching a median overall survival exceeding three years. While particularly successful in some, a significant portion of patients will never obtain treatment benefit. Over a decade of research has revealed a complex and dynamic interaction between a myriad of cancer-intrinsic and -extrinsic factors driving immune evasion, which emerge during tumour formation and shift early during treatment. In this review, we discuss primary resistance mechanisms to immune checkpoint inhibition in melanoma, and consider predictive biomarkers and their potential clinical implications.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(3):75–81
Read moreBJMO - 2024, issue 3, may 2024
H. Van Poppel MD, PhD, M.J. Roobol PhD, L.D. Venderbos PhD, P. Basu MD, PhD, A. Chandran MD, PhD, R. van den Bergh MD, PhD, V. Vasilyeva , E. Briers PhD, PRAISE-U Consortium
Prostate cancer (PCa) is a significant health challenge for men globally and is the number two cancer-related killer of men in Northern and Western Europe. Over the years, researchers have conducted several randomised trials in order to assess the impact of screening for PCa on disease-specific mortality. Historical screening trials mainly relied on relatively simple protocols that used fixed prostate-specific antigen (PSA) thresholds and/or digital rectal examination for the indication to perform a biopsy. Current PCa screening practices across European Union (EU) member states vary in approaches and implementations. However, opportunistic PCa screening, which is associated with no significant decrease in mortality but a risk of overdiagnosis, is still prevalent. In 2022, the EU Council published updated recommendations, which incorporated PCa screening and encouraged evidence-based and person-centred cancer screening programmes. In alignment with these guidelines, the PRAISE-U project is committed to rationalising PCa screening in Europe.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(3):82–8)
Read moreBJMO - volume 18, issue 2, march 2024
D. Schrijvers MD, PhD, S. Mignon MD, M. Brands MD, S. van Roy MD, S. De Schepper MD, N. Van Bruaene MD, D. Nevens MD, PhD, N. Meireson MD
Head and neck cancer is a complex cancer that involves multiple disciplines (surgery, radiotherapy, systemic therapy). The timely start of surgery and radiotherapy is of utmost importance since the time between the start of treatment is related to overall survival. A delay in surgery increases overall mortality by 6%, while a delay in radiotherapy increases overall mortality by 9%. In this article, the importance of a short time to start treatment in patients with head and neck cancer is discussed.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(2):46–8)
Read moreBJMO - volume 18, issue 1, february 2024
M. Claes MSc, E. Vandaele MSc, J. Robijns PhD, J. Mebis MD
Cancer treatment options are steadily improving, but the resulting side effects remain a significant burden. Some of these adverse events can occur in the genitourinary system and often lack a comprehensive management approach. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBM) uses visible or (near)-infrared light to stimulate tissue regeneration. This narrative review discusses the most common cancer therapy-related adverse events in the genitourinary sphere, the causative factors, their current treatment options, and the possible use of PBM in their management strategies. The findings suggest that PBM has the potential to be effective in the treatment of gynaecological cancer therapy-related complications, but further research is required.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(1):4–9)
Read moreBJMO - volume 18, issue 1, february 2024
Y. Van Herck MD, O. Bechter MD, PhD
Systemic treatment for irresectable or metastatic malignant melanoma has transformed over the past decade. For patients harbouring a BRAF V600 mutation, two standard treatment options exist, namely targeted therapy or anti-PD1 based therapy. For all other patients, immune checkpoint blockade based on monoclonal antibodies against anti-PD1 is considered the standard-of-care. Combination therapy with other checkpoint blockers such as anti-CTLA4 or anti-LAG3 are characterised by an improved outcome but are also associated with higher toxicity – which in case of the anti-PD1/anti-CTLA4 combination can be considerable. Up to date, patient selection for either monotherapy or combination therapy is largely based on patients’ demographics. Recent data suggest that treatment naïve patients with a BRAF V600 mutation have a better outcome when combination therapy with anti-CTLA4/anti-PD1 is given in first-line and BRAF/MEK inhibitory therapy is postponed to second-line. Patients who have exhausted their standard-of-care options should be included in a clinical trial and most scientific activity is evolving in the field of the immunotherapy refractory setting. A staggering number of different targets engaged in increasingly diverse subpopulations of immune effector- and regulator cells including the tumoral and stromal compartment are being explored in both the pre-clinical and clinical setting. These efforts will undoubtedly pave the way for the next transformation in the treatment of patients with malignant melanoma.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(1):10–16)
Read moreBJMO - volume 17, issue 7, november 2023
N. Willers MD, P. Enzlin PhD, P. Neven MD, PhD, S.N. Han MD, PhD
The improvements in breast cancer treatment have resulted in an increased survival rate and a growing number of breast cancer survivors. These survivors have to learn to cope with the side effects of breast cancer treatment. These side effects often have an important impact on patient’s general and sexual well-being. In clinical care, sexual side effects are often un(der)recognised because physicians and patients experience barriers to discussing sexuality-related issues. It is, nevertheless, important and relevant to discuss sexuality during the various stages of (breast) cancer treatment. For young women at the start of breast cancer treatment, fertility-related questions may arise. During the different phases of breast cancer treatment, sexual functioning and sexual experience may be altered by the physical, psychosocial, and relational impact of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. This article aimed to highlight easy-to-use methods to discuss sexuality proactively for any healthcare provider involved in the care of the cancer patient. Mentioning sexuality in the early stages of (breast) cancer treatment and addressing sexual sequelae of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve patients’ quality of life.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2023;17(7):252–8)
Read moreBJMO - volume 17, issue 6, october 2023
K. Vande Loock PhD, E. Van der Stock MSc, A. Debucquoy PhD, K. Emmerechts MSc, N. van Damme PhD, E. Marbaix MD
The Belgian Virtual Tumourbank (BVT) network has been set up in order to facilitate the search for samples scattered among eleven Belgian tumour biobanks that collect and store residual human tumour samples locally. To achieve this, the central database (BVTr) collects patient, technical and oncological data of human residual samples stored locally in a harmonised and standardised way. In parallel, the catalogue (BVTc) enables researchers to trace the samples required for their oncology research. The implementation of automatic and manual data quality control steps guarantees a high quality of associated data from residual tumour samples and associated materials. This article presents the results of a new quality control study on breast sample data and the possibilities for researchers searching for samples. The BVT catalogue is a valuable source of information for oncology research. The ultimate goal is to promote multidisciplinary cancer research to benefit all cancer patients.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2023;17(6):206–10)
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