Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a ubiquitous fatal fibrotic mucosal disease with multifactorial etiology and complex pathogenesis. The role of mast cells in the pathophysiology of OSMF remains uncharted territory owing to a dearth of studies. Thus, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to unentangle the mysteric role of mast cells in the pathogenesis, progression of fibrosis and malignant transformation of OSMF. Using various databases, full-text articles that investigated mast cell concentrations in OSMF were entailed for review. A modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale was employed to evaluate the risk of bias in all articles and Review Manager was utilized for meta-analysis. Twenty and fourteen qualified articles, respectively, were included for qualitative and quantitative data synthesis. Progressive amplification of mast cell density is linked with fibrosis-induced malignant transformation of OSMF. The fixed-effect model also confirmed that significantly upregulated mast cell counts have a decreased risk of association with control as well as a significantly increased risk of being associated with early-stage fibrosis and malignant transformation of OSMF. This review authenticates the mechanistic effects of mast cells in the pathogenesis, chronicity, progression of fibrosis and malignant transformation of OSMF.

Dual immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy might improve the outcome of adult patients with untreated metastatic BRAF-mutant melanoma. We synthesised the evidence of its effect on overall survival (OS) and adverse events.

Epidemiology of prolactin-secreting pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (PRL-PitNETs) remains scarce and inconsistent. It is a heterogeneous disease regarding age at onset, sex, and tumour characteristics. We aimed to assess temporal epidemiological trends in PRL-PitNETs.

Peritoneal recurrence is a significant concern after curative resection of colorectal cancer (CRC), with systemic chemotherapy providing limited prevention. Prophylactic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (PIC) using platinum-based agents offers a potential strategy to reduce recurrence and improve survival.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) relapse remains high after curative-intent treatment due to occult minimal residual disease. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a noninvasive biomarker. Systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library up to November 2024 identified studies evaluating plasma ctDNA in non-metastatic HCC patients undergoing curative-intent treatment. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were pooled using random-effects models; sensitivity and specificity for predicting recurrence were summarised. Ten retrospective studies (n = 793) met inclusion criteria. Postoperative ctDNA positivity was associated with shorter RFS (HR 4.48; 95% CI 2.56-7.82; I² = 78%; p < 0.001) and worse OS (HR 2.99; 95% CI 1.94-4.61; I² = 47%; p < 0.001). Baseline ctDNA detection predicted reduced RFS (HR 3.54; 95% CI 1.97-6.38; I² = 35%; p < 0.001). Sensitivity ranged 33-82% and specificity 41-100%, reflecting methodological heterogeneity. Leave-one-out analyses confirmed robustness. Plasma ctDNA is a potent prognostic marker of recurrence and survival in non-metastatic HCC. Prospective trials incorporating ctDNA could optimise postoperative surveillance and guide adjuvant therapy selection.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the prognostic value of pre-treatment hematological parameters, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and mean platelet volume (MPV), in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

In colon cancer (CC), lymph node (LN) (micro)metastases determine the need for adjuvant chemotherapy. Routine single-section hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) may miss (micro)metastases, resulting in understaging. Histopathological ultrastaging using serial sectioning (SS) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) can improve metastasis detection, for example in the context of organ-preserving surgery using a sentinel lymph node (SLN) procedure. This review evaluates SS and IHC for detecting LN (micro)metastases and aims to identify the ultrastaging method with the highest detection rate. Isolated tumor cells were analyzed separately and were not considered indicative of nodal upstaging.

In patients with early-stage colorectal cancer (CRC), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing is increasingly used to detect minimal residual disease (MRD) after curative-intent surgery. This information can guide decisions on adjuvant chemotherapy and surveillance. Two main approaches exist, tumor-informed (TI) and tumor-agnostic (TA), however, their diagnostic accuracy in clinical practice remains unclear. We conducted a bivariate diagnostic meta-analysis to compare sensitivity and specificity of TI versus TA ctDNA assays for detecting recurrence in patients with resected CRC. Subgroup analyses were performed based on landmark versus serial sampling strategies. In the serial-sampling setting, TI assays demonstrated markedly higher sensitivity than TA assays (0.88 vs. 0.59; p = 0.001), with no significant differences in false-positive rates. The landmark analyses did not show statistically significant differences between approaches. The results underscore the importance of sampling strategy when selecting a ctDNA test. When longitudinal monitoring is feasible, TI assays provide the most reliable detection of recurrence. This meta-analysis supports tailoring ctDNA testing to the clinical context, prioritizing TI approaches for serial surveillance to better guide adjuvant decision-making and improve patient outcomes.

This systematic review and meta-analysis compared the diagnostic performance and complication profiles of transperineal biopsy (TPBx) versus transrectal biopsy (TRBx) for prostate cancer, incorporating recent randomized and large observational studies.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of systemic treatment combined with radiotherapy (RT) as the first-line treatment for de novo advanced esophageal cancer (EC).

To comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant therapy combined with immunotherapy in patients with MMR-proficient/microsatellite stable (pMMR/MSS) non-metastatic rectal cancer.

Presurgical molecular therapy (PMT) including tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) showed various outcomes for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with tumor thrombus (TT). We aimed to evaluate the impact of PMT on Mayo level or TT height and the treatment-related adverse events (AEs).

The management of metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) has shifted from a purely systemic approach to an integrated paradigm incorporating local and metastasis-directed therapies. Advances in imaging and improved characterization of the oligometastatic state have stimulated renewed interest in aggressive multimodal treatment strategies.

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the role of radiotherapy (RTx) in patients with unresectable or metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).

Robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALRP) is becoming increasingly adopted for prostate cancer; however, it is associated with a steep but achievable learning curve. The effect of that curve - particularly on positive surgical margin (PSM) rates, a key oncological outcome - remains underexplored.

Mismatch repair deficient (MMRd) endometrial carcinomas (EC) constitute 30 % of ECs and emerging evidence suggests that MLH1 promoter hypermethylated (MLH1ph) tumours may be more aggressive than previously recognized. This study aimed to evaluate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in MLH1ph ECs compared to non-MLH1ph MMRd ECs.

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors in premenopausal women and often necessitate fertility-sparing treatments. Relugolix, an oral GnRh antagonist has emerged as a promising non-surgical option. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the efficacy and safety of relugolix for symptomatic uterine fibroids.

The development of treatments for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) has made significant advances over the past decade. Although clinical trials for novel drugs targeting HER2-positive AGC are ongoing, current clinical management still faces challenges. Therefore, further comparison of the effectiveness of such combination therapies is needed.

Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) represent approximately 16% of primary brain tumors. Tumor consistency, whether soft or hard, directly affects surgical strategy, extent of resection, and risk of complications. This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on the use of artificial intelligence and radiomics to predict the consistency of PitNETs. A systematic search was conducted to identify studies that evaluated the prediction of PitNET consistency using radiomics and artificial intelligence algorithms. Study quality was assessed using the Radiomics Quality Score and the QUADAS-2 tool. Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted. Nine studies comprising 935 patients were included, with 67.8% having soft and 32.2% hard tumors. Radiomics models, using varied MRI protocols and primarily manual segmentation, selected an average of 10.4 features from 691.8 extracted. Pooled diagnostic performance showed an accuracy of 84%, sensitivity 86%, specificity 78%, and area under the curve 0.91. Considerable heterogeneity (I² up to 100%) was observed due to differences in MRI acquisition, segmentation, and subjective definitions of tumor consistency. None of the studies included external validation. Radiomics and artificial intelligence show potential in the preoperative prediction of PitNET consistency, which may assist surgical planning and reduce complications. However, methodological heterogeneity, subjective reference standards, and lack of external validation limit the generalizability of current results. Standardized imaging protocols and multicenter validation are required before clinical implementation.

Immunotherapy has redefined the therapeutic paradigm in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). However, the potential role of consolidative thoracic radiotherapy (cTRT) in this context remains unresolved. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of cTRT in patients with ES-SCLC treated with chemoimmunotherapy, with particular focus on patients with baseline liver and brain metastasis.