Faculty Bibliography

Small cell lung cancer remains an aggressive, deadly cancer with only modest effect on survival from standard chemotherapy. However, with the advent of immunotherapy and comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic profiling, multiple new targets are showing promise in the clinical arena, and just recently PD-L1 inhibition has been shown to improve the efficacy of standard chemotherapy in extended disease SCLC. Our increasing understanding of the interactions between different pathways will enable more tailored immuno- as well as targeted therapies based on specific biomarkers and rational combinations. Here we discuss the pre-clinical and clinical strides of 2017 and 2018 that put us on the threshold of a new era in therapeutics that will hopefully translate into significant improvements in survival.

Regulated nucleo-cytoplasmic transport plays a major role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. CRM1 (chromosome region maintenance 1 or exportin 1 or XPO 1) is responsible for the nucleo-cytoplasmic transport of more than 200 proteins, including most of the tumor suppressor proteins (TSP). CRM1 is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, osteosarcoma, glioma, cervical and hematological malignancies. This inspired the development of novel agents that selectively inhibit nuclear exportins (SINEs). In this review we focus on the significance of CRM1 in carcinogenesis and review the new development of SINE inhibitiors in hematological malignancies. Selinexor (KPT-330) as the first-in-human SINE agent represents this novel class of anti-cancer agents.

Target specific oral anticoagulants (dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban) are changing the landscape of anticoagulation. The major drawback is the absence of an effective antidote for severe bleedings and/or prior to procedures. Currently there are a few promising antidotes undergoing clinical trials. This review summarized the latest development in idarucizumab, andexanet alpha and PER977.

ABVD regimen (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) remains the most commonly used front-line therapy for Hodgkin lymphoma. However, atypical and extranodal presentations present challenges to initial therapy, especially in the presence of renal and liver failure. We hereby present two cases of young male patients with atypical presentation of Hodgkin lymphoma with severe abnormal liver function. Patients showed excellent response to cyclophosphamide, etoposide, procarbazine and prednisone (CEPP regimen).