Mojca Unk

Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the oncologic outcomes for adult patients with primary extremity soft tissue sarcoma (ESTS) treated at the sarcoma referral center in the Republic of Slovenia. Methods: Patients from a prospectively maintained institutional database treated between January 2009 and December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The cohort was stratified into a high-risk group (HRG) and a low-risk group (LRG). Survival analyses focused on the HRG. Multivariable Cox models were constructed for local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and predictors of major wound complications were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Among 315 included patients, 242 (76.8%) were in the HRG. In this group the median age was 61.5 years, 82.6% of tumors were in the lower extremity, and median tumor size was 9.0 cm. The most common histological subtype was undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (28.5%). Clear margins were achieved in 86.8%, major postoperative complications occurred in 19.0%, and 60.7% of patients underwent radiotherapy. Local recurrence developed in 11.2%, regional recurrence in 5.0%, and distant metastasis in 32.6%. The corresponding 5-year overall survival, disease-specific survival, LRFS, and DMFS were 69.8%, 73.7%, 87.9%, and 66.8% in the HRG, respectively. In the LRG, only one local recurrence occurred and the 5-year LRFS was 100.0%. Preoperative radiotherapy showed a borderline association with major wound complications in the HRG (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.00–7.28, p = 0.050). Tumor grade and size remained independent predictors of distant metastases, whereas margin status was not significantly associated with LRFS or DMFS. The primary amputation rate in the whole series was 2.9%. Conclusions: Treatment of primary ESTS patients in a specialized national referral cancer center achieved good overall survival (69.8%), a high limb-salvage rate (97.1%), and good local control, affirming that routine primary amputation is rarely needed. Outcomes in high-risk histologies remained driven mainly by distant metastases and showed clear histology-specific differences, whereas low-risk histologies had excellent outcomes with surgery alone. Preoperative radiotherapy was associated with a higher risk of major wound complications.

Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the oncologic outcomes for adult patients with primary extremity soft tissue sarcoma (ESTS) treated at the sarcoma referral center in the Republic of Slovenia. Methods: Patients from a prospectively maintained institutional database treated between January 2009 and December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The cohort was stratified into a high risk group (HRG) and a low risk group (LRG). Survival analyses focused on the HRG. Multivariable Cox models were constructed for local recurrence free survival (LRFS) and distant metastasis free survival (DMFS), and predictors of major wound complications were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Among 315 included patients, 242 (76.8%) were in the HRG. In this group the median age was 61.5 years, 82.6% of tumors were in the lower extremity, and median tumor size was 9.0 cm. The most common histological subtype was undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (28.5%). Clear margins were achieved in 86.8%, major postoperative complications occurred in 19.0%, and 60.7% of patients underwent radiotherapy. Local recurrence developed in 11.2%, regional recurrence in 5.0%, and distant metastasis in 32.6%. The corresponding 5-year overall survival, disease-specific survival, LRFS, and DMFS were 69.8%, 73.7%, 87.9%, and 66.8% in the HRG, respectively. In the LRG, only one local recurrence occurred and the 5-year LRFS was 100.0%. Preoperative radiotherapy showed a borderline association with major wound complications in the HRG (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.00–7.28, p = 0.050). Tumor grade and size remained independent predictors of distant metastases, whereas margin status was not significantly associated with LRFS or DMFS. The primary amputation rate in the whole series was 2.9%. Conclusion: Treatment of primary ESTS patients in a specialized national referral cancer center achieved good overall survival (69.8%), a high limb salvage rate (97.1%), and good local control, affirming that routine primary amputation is rarely needed. Outcomes in high risk histologies remained driven mainly by distant metastases and showed clear histology specific differences, whereas low risk histologies had excellent outcomes with surgery alone. Preoperative radiotherapy was associated with a higher risk of major wound complications.

Chemoimmunotherapy (CT/IO) with immune checkpoint inhibitors has recently become the standard of care for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). Given the uncertain role of consolidation thoracic radiotherapy (cTRT) in this setting, we conducted a real-world study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cTRT in ES-SCLC patients receiving first-line CT/IO. We performed a retrospective analysis of ES-SCLC patients treated with first-line CT/IO in Slovenia from December 2019 to June 2024. Patient characteristics, treatment patterns, survival outcomes, and adverse events were analyzed, with subgroup comparisons based on cTRT administration. Among 208 patients (median age: 66 years), median overall survival was 12.1 months (95% CI: 10.6–13.7). cTRT was administered to 46 patients (22.1%), who had fewer metastases. cTRT was associated with improved OS (17.0 vs. 10.8 months; p < 0.001) and was an independent OS predictor (HR = 0.58, p = 0.035). Grade ≥ 3 adverse events were similar (26.1% vs. 21.3%), though pneumonitis occurred more frequently with cTRT (6.5% vs. 0%, p = 0.001). cTRT may improve survival in ES-SCLC patients treated with CT/IO, with no significant increase in toxicity apart from pneumonitis. Further prospective studies are needed.

Background: Chemoimmunotherapy (CT/IO) with immune checkpoint inhibitors has recently become the standard of care for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). Given the uncertain role of consolidation thoracic radiotherapy (cTRT) in this setting, we conducted a real-world study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cTRT in ES-SCLC patients receiving first-line CT/IO. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of ES-SCLC patients treated with first-line CT/IO in Slovenia from December 2019 to June 2024. Patient characteristics, treatment patterns, survival outcomes, and adverse events were analyzed, with subgroup comparisons based on cTRT administration. Results: Among 208 patients (median age: 66), median overall survival was 12.1 months (95% CI: 10.6–13.7). cTRT was administered to 46 patients (22.1%), who had fewer metastases and received more maintenance IO cycles. cTRT was associated with improved OS (17.0 vs. 10.8 months; HR = 0.51, p = 0.005) and was an independent OS predictor (HR = 0.55, p = 0.013). Grade ≥3 adverse events were similar (21.7% vs. 21.3%), though pneumonitis occurred more frequently with cTRT (6.5% vs. 0%, p = 0.001). Conclusion: cTRT may improve survival in ES-SCLC patients treated with CT/IO, with no significant increase in toxicity apart from pneumonitis. Further prospective studies are needed.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are soft tissue sarcomas that mostly derive from Cajal cell precursors. They are by far the most common soft tissue sarcomas. Clinically, they present as gastrointestinal malignancies, most often with bleeding, pain, or intestinal obstruction. They are identified using characteristic immunohistochemical staining for CD117 and DOG1. Improved understanding of the molecular biology of these tumors and identification of oncogenic drivers have altered the systemic treatment of primarily disseminated disease, which is becoming increasingly complex. Gain-of-function mutations in KIT or PDGFRA genes represent the driving mutations in more than 90% of all GISTs. These patients exhibit good responses to targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Gastrointestinal stromal tumors lacking the KIT/PDGFRA mutations, however, represent distinct clinico-pathological entities with diverse molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis. In these patients, therapy with TKIs is hardly ever as effective as for KIT/PDGFRA-mutated GISTs. This review provides an outline of current diagnostics aimed at identifying clinically relevant driver alterations and a comprehensive summary of current treatments with targeted therapies for patients with GISTs in both adjuvant and metastatic settings. The role of molecular testing and the selection of the optimal targeted therapy according to the identified oncogenic driver are reviewed and some future directions are proposed.

Background: Approximately 1–4% of lung adenocarcinomas harbour a HER2 mutation. No targeted treatment is approved yet for this NSCLC pt subgroup. Initial results for the treatment of HER2m+ NSCLC with the irreversible ErbB family blocker, afatinib, have been encouraging, with some pts showing notable responses or promising disease control. Pts with HER2m+ NSCLC were included in a global NPU program for afatinib, which was initiated in 2010, and their treatment outcomes are presented here.