A population-based prognostic study published in JAMA Oncology found cisplatin treatment to be associated with a predictable decrease in the estimated glomerular filtration rate. According to Grant et al, their findings place patients with lower baseline kidney function at the highest risk for developing chronic kidney disease.

Patients with stage II or III breast cancer who participated in a remote weight-loss intervention program lost an average of 4.7% of their baseline body weight after 1 year, whereas those in the education-only control group gained an average 1% of their baseline weight, according to a recent report published by Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD, FASCO, and colleagues in JAMA Oncology. The findings from the Breast Cancer Weight Loss (BWEL) clinical trial set the stage for ongoing research to determine whether weight loss after breast cancer treatment can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and extend survival. 

A topical fluorescent molecular contrast agent, PARPi-FL (a poly[adenosine diphosphate ribose] polymerase 1 [PARP1] inhibitor–targeted fluorescent contrast agent) detected basal cell carcinoma through intact skin in as little as 5 minutes in ex vivo human tissues, according to new preclinical research published by Ricanati et al in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Data confirmed that PARPi-FL is nontoxic to the skin and does not cause systemic side effects, making it a potential tool for the diagnosis and management of basal cell carcinoma.

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Shitara et al, the final overall survival analysis from the phase III KEYNOTE-585 study showed a numeric—but statistically nonsignificant—benefit with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy vs chemotherapy in perioperative therapy for patients with resectable, locally advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers.