Investigation of Complement Activation Product C4d as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker for Lung Cancer
[EN] Background There is a medical need for diagnostic biomarkers in lung cancer. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of complement activation fragments. Methods We assessed complement activation in four bronchial epithelial and seven lung cancer cell lines. C4d, a degradation product of complement activation, was determined in 90 primary lung tumors; bronchoalveolar lavage supernatants from patients with lung cancer (n = 50) and nonmalignant respiratory diseases (n = 22); and plasma samples from advanced (n = 50) and early lung cancer patients (n = 84) subjects with inflammatory lung diseases (n = 133), and asymptomatic individuals enrolled in a lung cancer computed tomography screenin…
Beyond the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: opportunities to optimize clinical trial implementation in oncology.
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic affected millions of people globally with lasting effects on society, patients, investigators and health institutions. Clinical trials, our best tool to improve cancer treatment for patients through testing the clinical value of a new treatment, have been affected by the pandemic. The pandemic footprint represents both a risk of compromising development of new therapies and an opportunity to elicit discussion over a portfolio of broader reforms, applicable irrespective of pandemics, in order to improve the design and implementation of clinical trials in oncology. The administrative load should be reduced, without affecting the quality of research and principle…