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Adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies have radically altered the treatment landscape for renal cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma. However, studies have reported negative data regarding adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies. Thus, this study aimed to assess the role of adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for both renal cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma. A systematic review and network meta‐analysis were conducted in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses statement. Multiple databases were searched for articles published as of February 2023. Studies were deemed eligible if they evaluated disease‐free survival in patients with renal cell carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma receiving adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Five studies met the inclusion criteria. In a network meta‐analysis, pembrolizumab was shown to be the most effective regimen for patients with renal cell carcinoma, whereas nivolumab was found to be the most effective regimen for patients with urothelial carcinoma. Additionally, these results were consistently observed in a sub‐analysis of the T stage. The present analysis provides findings that support the usefulness of adjuvant nivolumab therapy in urothelial carcinoma and adjuvant pembrolizumab therapy in renal cell carcinoma, in agreement with the currently available guidelines. However, the caveat is that the randomized controlled trials included in this analysis differed in important respects despite being similar in study design. Therefore, with these differences in mind, care needs to be taken when selecting patients for these immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies to maximize their benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Even though postoperative chemotherapy can eliminate residual tumor cells in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), severe adversity, weakened immunity and drug resistance are still problems. Adjuvant cytokine‐induced killer (CIK) cell therapy is an alternative to CRC patients after surgery. The present study investigated the efficacy of adjuvant CIK cell therapy combined with chemotherapy in postoperative CRC patients. Methods: This retrospective analysis included 137 postoperative CRC patients, including 71 who received adjuvant chemotherapy alone (control group) and 66 who received adjuvant immunotherapy based on CIK cells combined with chemotherapy (CIT group). Results: Long‐term follow‐up study indicated that overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) were significantly longer in the CIT group than in the control group. Subgroup analyses showed that CIT treatment significantly improved OS and PFS of CRC patients classified as stage II and N0 stage and in patients with primary tumors in the rectum. Increasing the number of CIK infusions resulted in better prognosis. CRC patients aged < 65 years were found to benefit more from CIT‐based therapy than patients aged ≥ 65 years. A retrospective case–control study indicated that the primary tumor expression of signalling lymphocytes activating molecule family 7 (SLAMF7) was associated with increased efficacy of CIT treatment. Conclusions: Adjuvant CIT therapy was an effective therapeutic strategy for postoperative CRC patients prolonging OS and PFS. Patient age, tumor stage and expression of SLAMF7 may be potential indicators of the efficacy of CIT therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine oral malignant melanoma is locally invasive and highly metastatic. At present, the best option for local control is en bloc excision followed by radiation if excision margins are incomplete. Adjuvantly, the role of chemotherapy is dubious while immunotherapy appears encouraging. This retrospective study evaluated 155 dogs with oral malignant melanomas (24 stage I, 54 stage II, 66 stage III and 11 stage IV) managed in a single institution. The aim was to evaluate the differences in median survival time (MST) and disease-free interval (DFI) between dogs which, at presentation, were treated surgically with a curative intent (group 1) vs those marginally excised only (group 2). MST in group 1 was longer than in group 2 (594 vs 458 days), but no significant difference was found (P = .57); a statistical difference was, however, found for DFI (232 vs 183 days, P = .008). In the subpopulation of vaccinated dogs, the impact of adjuvant anti-CSPG4 DNA electrovaccination was then evaluated (curative intent, group 3, vs marginal, group 4); a significant difference for both MST (1333 vs 470 days, respectively, P = .03) and DFI (324 vs 184 days, respectively, P = .008) was found. Progressive disease was significantly more common in dogs undergoing marginal excision than curative intent excision for both the overall population (P = .03) and the vaccinated dogs (P = .02). This study pointed out that, after staging, wide excision together with adjuvant immunotherapy was an effective approach for canine oral malignant melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported post-surgery 1-year survival rate for oral canine malignant melanoma ( cMM) is around 30%; novel treatments are needed as the role of adjuvant chemotherapy is unclear. This prospective study regards adjuvant electrovaccination with human chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan-4 (hCSPG4)-encoded plasmid in 23 dogs with resected II/ III-staged CSPG4-positive oral cMM compared with 19 dogs with resected only II/ III-staged CSPG4-positive oral cMM. Vaccination resulted in 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month survival rate of 95.6, 73.9, 47.8 and 30.4%, respectively [median survival time ( MST) 684 days, range 78-1694, 8 of 23 dogs alive] and 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month disease-free interval ( DFI) rate of 82.6, 47.8, 26.1 and 17.4%, respectively ( DFI 477 days, range 50-1694). Non-vaccinated dogs showed 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month survival rate of 63.2, 26.3, 15.8 and 5.3%, respectively ( MST 200 days, range 75-1507, 1 of 19 dogs alive) and 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month DFI rate of 52.6, 26.3, 10.5 and 5.3%, respectively ( DFI 180 days, range 38-1250). Overall survival and DFI of vaccinated dogs was longer in those <20 kg. In vaccinated and non-vaccinated dogs local recurrence rate was 34.8 and 42%, respectively while lung metastatic rate was 39 and 79%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE To investigate the utility of an individualized chemo/immunotherapy regimen of intravesical therapy based on the results of an assessment of in vitro cytotoxicity. PATIENTS AND METHODS Intravesical adjuvant chemo/immunotherapy was given to 47 patients based on the results of in vitro cytotoxicity assay of the responses of cultured autologous tumour cells to various cytotoxic drugs (mitomycin-C, doxorubicin and cisplatin) and immunomodulating agents (bacillus Calmette–Guérin, BCG and interferon-α2b). Intravesical therapy was given as single- or double-drug regimens according to the assay results: 16 (34%) patients showed cytotoxicity to a single drug and 31 (66%) showed maximum cytotoxicity to a combination of immunomodulators and cytotoxic agents. The efficacy of treatment in terms of tumour-free survival and recurrence rate was compared with 40 patients receiving intravesical BCG according to International Protocol (control group). RESULTS In the in vitro assay group, seven patients (15%) had tumour recurrence, compared to 15 (38%) in the control group ( P = 0.02). In the in vitro group, one of 16 patients on a single drug and six on the double-drug regimen had a recurrence. The patients given BCG with cytotoxic drugs had no recurrences, but 29% of patients given interferon-α2b combinations had recurrences. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed a longer recurrence-free survival in the in vitro group (75%) than in the control group (49%) at 48 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION Intravesical therapy based on an in vitro cytotoxicity assay is an attempt to give individualized therapy, and to increase tumour-free survival in these patients, with no side-effects. Recurrences in seven patients in the in vitro group might be due to a defective host immune response, or to expansion of a subclone of tumour cells resistant to all treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diagnosis and therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer is developed herein by combining thermosensitive liposomal (TSL)‐based photothermal/photodynamics therapy (PTT/PDT) with chemotherapy and adjuvant immunotherapy. IR820, a photothermal agent, paclitaxel (PTX), an antitumor drug, and imiquimod (R837), a Toll‐like‐receptor‐7 agonist, are coencapsulated into a TSL drug delivery system. These formed PTX‐R837‐IR820@TSL complexes exhibit excellent optical properties, good dispersibility, and stability. Under NIR light irradiation, the measurement of singlet oxygen production and thermal efficiency indicate promising potential of PTX‐R837‐IR820@TSL complexes for PTT and PDT. Confocal microscopy and small animal NIR imaging demonstrate tumor targeting ability of the liposomal complexes to gastric cancer cells. In vitro cell viability assays and in vivo animal experiments show prominent antitumor efficiency of PTX‐R837‐IR820@TSL complexes upon NIR light irradiation. This excellent therapeutic efficacy is attributed to the simultaneous chemotherapy and PTT/PDT. Furthermore, the liposomal complexes under NIR irradiation would ablate tumors to generate a pool of tumor‐associated antigens, which is able to promote strong antitumor immune responses in the presence of those R837‐containing liposomal complexes acted as adjuvant. These results indicate that the multifunctional liposomal complexes could realize a remarkable synergistic therapeutic outcome in gastric carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]