A Biodegradable "One-For-All" Nanoparticle for Multimodality Imaging and Enhanced Photothermal Treatment of Breast Cancer.

Silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag2S-NP) hold promise for various optical-based biomedical applications, such as near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging, photoacoustics (PA), and photothermal therapy (PTT). However, their NIR absorbance is relatively low, and previous formulations are synthesized using toxic precursors under harsh conditions and are not effectively cleared due to their large size. Herein, sub-5 nm Ag2S-NP are synthesized and encapsulated in biodegradable, polymeric nanoparticles (AgPCPP). All syntheses are conducted using biocompatible, aqueous reagents under ambient conditions. The encapsulation of Ag2S-NP in polymeric nanospheres greatly increases their NIR absorbance, resulting in enhanced optical imaging and PTT effects. AgPCPP nanoparticles exhibit potent contrast properties suitable for PA and NIRF imaging, as well as for computed tomography (CT). Furthermore, AgPCPP nanoparticles readily improve the conspicuity of breast tumors in vivo. Under NIR laser irradiation, AgPCPP nanoparticles significantly reduce breast tumor growth, leading to prolonged survival compared to free Ag2S-NP. Over time, AgPCPP retention in tissues gradually decreases, without any signs of acute toxicity, providing strong evidence of their safety and biodegradability. Therefore, AgPCPP may serve as a "one-for-all" theranostic agent that degrades into small components for excretion after fulfilling diagnostic and therapeutic tasks, offering good prospects for clinical translation.

A biodegradable "one-for-all" nanoparticle for multimodality imaging and enhanced photothermal treatment of breast cancer.

Silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag 2 S-NP) have been proposed for various optical-based biomedical applications, such as near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging, photoacoustics (PA) and photothermal therapy (PTT). However, their absorbance is relatively low in the NIR window used in these applications, and previous formulations were synthesized using toxic precursors under harsh conditions and have clearance issues due to their large size. Herein, we synthesized sub-5 nm Ag 2 S-NP and encapsulated them in biodegradable, polymeric nanoparticles (AgPCPP). All syntheses were conducted using biocompatible reagents in the aqueous phase and under ambient conditions. We found that the encapsulation of Ag 2 S-NP in polymeric nanospheres greatly increases their NIR absorbance, resulting in enhanced optical imaging and photothermal heating effects. We therefore found that AgPCPP have potent contrast properties for PA and NIRF imaging, as well as for computed tomography (CT). We demonstrated the applicability of AgPCPP nanoparticles as a multimodal imaging probe that readily improves the conspicuity of breast tumors in vivo . PTT was performed using AgPCPP with NIR laser irradiation, which led to significant reduction in breast tumor growth and prolonged survival compared to free Ag 2 S-NP. Lastly, we observed a gradual decrease in AgPCPP retention in tissues over time with no signs of acute toxicity, thus providing strong evidence of safety and biodegradability. Therefore, AgPCPP may serve as a "one-for-all" theranostic agent that degrades into small components for excretion once the diagnostic and therapeutic tasks are fulfilled, thus providing good prospects for translation to clinical use.

The Stage at Presentation and Oncologic Outcomes for Agent Orange Exposed and Non-Exposed United States Veterans Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: It is unknown if Agent Orange (AO)-exposed veterans have worse outcomes than unexposed Veterans after prostate cancer treatment. We evaluated oncologic outcomes based on AO exposure history, accounting for known prognostic covariates not previously studied. METHODS: US military Veterans diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma born between 1930 and 1956 were identified from our prospectively gathered institutional database. Evaluable patients had to have known AO exposure status, age, National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk group, Charlson comorbidity score, smoking status, and type of initial therapy. The risk of death, metastasis, and progression stratified by initial therapy was analyzed using Cox regression. RESULTS: Seventy AO-exposed and 561 non-exposed Veterans were identified (median follow-up, 10.0 years). AO-exposed veterans (AOeV) were slightly younger (64.0 vs 65.7 years; P = .013) at diagnosis and presented at more advanced stages (stage 4: 14.3% vs 2.5%) than non-AOeV. There was no difference for overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; P = .576; metastasis-free survival (HR, 1.5; P = .212), or progression-free survival (HR, 0.67; P = .060) between AOeV vs non-AOeV in analyses stratified by treatment received accounting for other prognostic covariates. Cigarette smoking was associated with a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of death over those who quit or never smoked. CONCLUSION: Although AOeV do present at a younger age and higher clinical stages than non-AOeV, the oncologic outcomes after accounting for treatments received and other prognostic covariates are similar.

Describing the Spectrum of Patient Reported Outcomes after Radical Prostatectomy: Providing Information to Improve Patient Counseling and Shared Decision Making.

PURPOSE: Preoperative counseling incorporating the best case, the worst case and the most likely outcome scenarios aid patient decision making. This information is not readily available for prostate cancer counseling because most patient reported outcomes are presented as averages, which minimize individual patient experiences. Using the EPIC (Expanded Prostate Index Composite) we present data to characterize the best case and the worst case after prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The EPIC bowel, urinary irritation, continence and sexual function scores were measured in 1,418 men stratified by baseline function who underwent prostatectomy. Patient level functional trajectories were modeled using a Bayesian hierarchical model. The 5-year best and worst case outcomes were defined as the upper 95th and the lower 5th percentiles, respectively. RESULTS: Five years after surgery in patients with good baseline urinary continence the best case was a score of 100.0 (95% credible interval 100.0-100.0) and the worst case was 54.4 (95% credible interval 42.2-63.7). Among men with good baseline sexual function who underwent nerve sparing surgery the best case was 83.9 points (95% credible interval 74.1-93.1) and the worst case was 17.6 (95% credible interval 7.5-26.1). The differences between best and worst case for bowel and urinary irritation were relatively small (11.4 and 13.6 points, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Prostatectomy exerted a minimal negative impact on urinary irritation and bowel function with minimal variability. There was a larger range in patient experience for urinary continence and sexual function with most patients experiencing a significant functional decline. Future studies of best and worst case outcomes of multiple treatment modalities may provide valuable information for shared decision making in prostate cancer treatment.