Primary cardiac vascular tumors are rare in children. We report a 14-year-old girl with hemorrhagic pericardial effusion, cardiac tamponade, and a large right atrial mass. Echocardiogram identified the lesion and tamponade physiology. Pericardial drainage and stabilization preceded computed tomography (CT) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The mass was excised under cardiopulmonary bypass, and the atrial defect was reconstructed with an autologous pericardial patch. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry favored composite hemangioendothelioma of low malignant potential. Postoperative FDG PET-CT showed no residual or metastatic disease. Adjuvant gemcitabine/docetaxel-based chemotherapy was given after multidisciplinary review. Six-month echocardiogram showed no recurrence.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype with limited therapeutic options and poor clinical outcomes. This study evaluated folic acid-functionalized solid lipid nanoparticles co-loaded with docetaxel and erlotinib (FA-DOC/ERL-SLNs) as an oral targeted therapy for TNBC. FA-DOC/ERL-SLNs exhibited the lowest IC₅₀ values of 0.82 ± 0.05 μM and 0.92 ± 0.03 μM in MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells, respectively, with enhanced cellular uptake compared with free drugs and non-targeted SLNs. The formulation also induced higher apoptosis (apoptosis indices of 1.42 and 1.45), greater G2/M cell-cycle arrest, autophagy inhibition, and reduced clonogenicity and migration. Pharmacokinetic studies demonstrated markedly improved oral bioavailability, with AUC₀-t increasing from 1.03 to 45.69 μg·h/mL for docetaxel and from 18.30 to 87.76 μg·h/mL for erlotinib. In 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, FA-DOC/ERL-SLNs reduced tumor volume by approximately 1.5-fold compared with non-targeted SLNs and 2.5-3.0-fold compared with free drugs, without significant body weight loss or systemic toxicity. These findings demonstrate that FA-DOC/ERL-SLNs enhance the efficacy and safety of oral docetaxel-erlotinib combination therapy and represent a promising targeted nanocarrier platform for TNBC treatment.

In today's world, research has evolved a lot in the field of cancer and docetaxel (DTX) has been intensively studied for its ability to cure different types of cancers. However, the intravenous delivery of DTX puts forth various undesirable side effects, while oral delivery has its own solubility and permeability drawbacks. The advancements in research have focused on overcoming these disadvantages by developing novel and efficient DTX-based drug delivery systems. The review aims at identifying challenges faced by DTX and thereby forecasting the different DTX formulations established to surpass them. The successful DTX delivery is mediated by certain efficient nanocarriers, inclusion complexes, etc., effectively destroying the cancerous cells. The current clinical status of these formulations has also been listed in this review. The dedicated efforts of researchers have been fruitful in site-specific targeting of DTX by novel formulations, thus enhancing its antitumor effect. However, this success has been restricted only to preclinical studies and only a few formulations have entered the CTs, while none have received market approval. A deep understanding of the basics of nanoformulations, along with their toxicological insights and flexible production procedures, will help to combat the clinical hurdles faced by them.

Perioperative treatment for resectable gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma is changing rapidly as immune checkpoint inhibition enters a field historically shaped by distinct chemotherapy and surgical paradigms. This review critically appraises contemporary perioperative and adjuvant evidence and proposes a biomarker-informed, regionally adaptable framework for clinical decision-making. We conducted a structured narrative review of perioperative and adjuvant systemic therapy, surgical outcomes, treatment completion, safety, and biomarker evidence in resectable gastric and GEJ adenocarcinoma, with emphasis on randomized phase III trials, mature follow-up, prospective biomarker studies, and relevant regulatory data. MATTERHORN demonstrated significant event-free survival and subsequently overall survival benefits with perioperative durvalumab plus fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel (FLOT), supporting regulatory approvals. In contrast, KEYNOTE-585 increased pathological complete response but did not meet the prespecified event-free survival statistical boundary, while ATTRACTION-5 did not establish postoperative nivolumab after D2 gastrectomy as a new standard. MSI-H/dMMR is the most clinically relevant perioperative biomarker, although chemotherapy-free strategies remain investigational. PD-L1 thresholds validated in advanced disease should not be directly transferred to the curative setting. Pathological response, ypN status, circulating tumor DNA/molecular residual disease, and emerging multimodal risk models are prognostic, but none currently provides validated treatment-effect prediction sufficient to mandate postoperative escalation or de-escalation. Perioperative treatment should integrate resectability, surgical quality, patient fitness, regional chemotherapy backbones, MSI-H/dMMR status, treatment completion, and postoperative recovery. The proposed framework is conceptual rather than a guideline and requires prospective validation.

Discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1), a collagen-activated receptor tyrosine kinase, is essential for tumor cell proliferation, invasion and drug resistance. Our study demonstrated that the expression and phosphorylation of DDR1 were associated not only with the poor outcome of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but also with low sensitivity to docetaxel. Moreover, our kinase profiling identified that anlotinib, an oral small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, could significantly inhibit DDR1 phosphorylation. Further data revealed that anlotinib could increase the sensitivity to docetaxel in cell lines, cell-derived and patient-derived tumor xenografts through down-regulating DDR1 phosphorylation, which no longer existed in DDR1-KO A549 cells. Mechanistically, anlotinib could enhance the sensitivity to docetaxel through inhibiting DDR1-mediated glycolysis. Additionally, the clinical trial demonstrated that anlotinib could increase the efficacy of docetaxel, with an improved overall response rate of 35.6%, a prolonged median progression-free survival by 5.3 months and a median overall survival by 14.0 months compared with historical data. In summary, our study not only highlights the new function of DDR1 in energy metabolism but also provides further evidence for the combination of anlotinib and docetaxel as a preferable strategy in clinical practice.

Myxoid leiomyosarcoma (MLMS) is a rare subtype of uterine leiomyosarcoma, usually occurring in perimenopausal women. We report a 24-year-old female with postoperative recurrence and unusual subcutaneous metastasis of uterine MLMS. Four years prior, she underwent laparoscopic myomectomy for progressive dysmenorrhea, with pathology confirming MLMS. She was admitted for the 6th cycle of adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine plus docetaxel, and imaging examinations suggested MLMS recurrence, followed by laparoscopic total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (pathology confirmed recurrence). Eight months postoperatively, a right lower abdominal subcutaneous mass was found, and biopsy confirmed MLMS metastasis. This case highlights the rarity of MLMS in young women and its atypical subcutaneous metastasis, emphasizing the need for enhanced postoperative surface surveillance to facilitate early detection of recurrence and metastasis.

Polymeric nanoparticles are known for their ability to encapsulate and release various compounds. We hypothesized that encapsulating anti-cancer drugs alongside therapeutic radionuclides could enable combination therapy using brachytherapy and localized chemotherapy. This study was aimed at developing biodegradable polymer-based nanocarriers that can serve as a radiation source for brachytherapy and determining whether this combination of brachytherapy and chemotherapy could offer a higher therapeutic response than conventional brachytherapy. A block polymer consisting of poly(l-lactic acid) and poly(N-n-propylglycine) units was chemically synthesized. Additionally, a poly(l-lactic acid) homopolymer was labeled with the β-ray-emitting radionuclide 64Cu via a chelating moiety. Using a mixture of the block polymer, 64Cu labeled poly(l-lactic acid), and the anti-cancer drug docetaxel, we prepared a core-shell-type polymer micelle in an ice-cooled aqueous solution. This micelle solution was locally injected into the tumor region of mice, and radioactivity distribution was evaluated using an animal positron emission tomography system. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed by monitoring changes in tumor volume over time. The block polymer exhibited thermodynamic behavior, forming micelles in ice-cold conditions. When the temperature of the micelle solution was raised, µm-sized aggregates formed rapidly at 25-30 °C due to the hydrophobization of poly(N-n-propylglycine) units on the micelle surface. Importantly, 64Cu remained stable within the aggregates, while docetaxel was gradually released. After the local injection of the micelle solution into subcutaneously implanted tumors, radioactivity was stably detected at the injection site. The combination of 64Cu brachytherapy and localized docetaxel chemotherapy significantly suppressed cancer progression compared to either 64Cu brachytherapy or docetaxel chemotherapy alone. The thermosensitive micelles developed in this study can be used as a radiation source for brachytherapy, eliminating the need for permanent metal seed insertion. Moreover, combining local anti-cancer therapy with brachytherapy offers higher therapeutic efficacy than conventional brachytherapy alone.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a leading cause of cancer death globally. Platinum‑based drugs, fluoropyrimidines, and docetaxel are standard for advanced disease, but intrinsic and acquired resistance limit the efficacy. This review summarizes chemoresistance mechanisms, focusing on the roles of various cell death pathways in GC chemoresistance, as well as the involvement of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in modulating drug resistance through multiple regulatory mechanisms. We also describe models for establishing resistant cell lines (stepwise dose escalation, high-dose intermittent pulse selection, gene transfection).