Wonyoung Choi

PURPOSE: Treatment options for recurrent/metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after failure of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment and platinum-based chemotherapy are limited. Preliminary data suggested that monalizumab plus cetuximab had clinical activity in R/M HNSCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: INTERLINK-1 (NCT04590963) was a double-blind, phase III study. Participants with R/M HNSCC who had received immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and progressed despite platinum-based chemotherapy were randomized 2:1 to monalizumab (750 mg, every 2 weeks) or placebo, plus cetuximab (400 mg/m2 loading dose, then 250 mg/m2, weekly). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) in participants with non-oropharyngeal cancer or human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative oropharyngeal cancer (HPV-unrelated analysis set). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival and objective response rate. RESULTS: At data cutoff, 216 participants were randomized in the HPV-unrelated analysis set: 145 to monalizumab plus cetuximab and 71 to placebo plus cetuximab. Median OS was 8.8 months for monalizumab plus cetuximab versus 8.6 months for placebo plus cetuximab (HR, 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 0.66-1.54); median progression-free survival was 3.6 versus 3.8 months, respectively (HR, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.79-1.57); and the objective response rate was 15.2% versus 23.9%, respectively. INTERLINK-1 was terminated after a preplanned interim analysis showed that futility criteria were met (predetermined futility HR >0.874). Grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events were reported in 18.3% and 17.2% of participants treated in the monalizumab and placebo arms, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Monalizumab plus cetuximab did not improve OS compared with placebo plus cetuximab. The safety profile of the combination was consistent with safety observations for cetuximab monotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Smoking rates among Korean adult males is still high despite multifaceted efforts to reduce it. In Korea, there have been several studies on the effectiveness of smoking cessation education for inpatients, health check-ups, and smoking cessation clinics. However, there haven't been any studies on the effectiveness of smoking cessation education conducted outside the hospital. This study investigated effectiveness of brief education on smoking cessation with an expiratory carbon monoxide (CO) measurement outside the hospital among adult male office-workers in Korea. METHODS: From April 1st to May 10th, 2012, we conducted a controlled trial among 95 adult male office workers over the age of 19 who smoke outside, in a public place in Seoul by cluster sampling. For the education group, we provided smoking cessation education for about 5 to 10 minutes, measured the expiratory CO level, and made the subjects complete questionnaires, while only self-help materials on quitting smoking were given to the control group. After 4 weeks, we evaluated the change in the level of motivation or success to quit smoking in both groups via e-mail or mobile phone. RESULTS: In the education group, the level of motivation to quit smoking was improved significantly. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio of improved motivation to quit smoking in the education group was 28.10 times higher than that of the control group. CONCLUSION: Brief education on smoking cessation with expiratory CO measurement conducted outside the hospital could enhance the level of motivation to quit smoking.

Oral cancer is an aggressive malignancy with a survival rate below 50% in advanced stages due to low mutation rates, lack of molecular subtypes, and limited treatment targets. This study presents a pioneering approach to classifying oral cancer subtypes based on the morphology of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) and proposes a therapeutic strategy. We establish 76 cancer and 81 normal PDOs. For cancer PDOs, both manual classification and AI-based scoring are utilized to categorize them into three distinct subtypes: normal-like, dense, and grape-like. These subtypes correlate with unique transcriptomic profiles, genetic mutations, and clinical outcomes, with patients harboring dense and grape-like organoids exhibiting poorer prognoses. Furthermore, drug response assessments of 14 single agents and cisplatin combination therapies identify a synergistic treatment approach for resistant subtypes. This study highlights the potential of integrating morphology-based classification with genomic and transcriptomic analyses to refine oral cancer subtyping and develop effective treatment strategies.

Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) are robust preclinical models for precision oncology. However, most existing protocols depend on surgically resected specimens, limiting their applicability to patients who are ineligible for surgery. Here, we present a protocol for generating PDOs from various clinically accessible specimens—including biopsies (endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy [EUS-FNB], percutaneous liver biopsy [PLB], ascites, and pleural effusion)—across cancer types. We describe steps for specimen transport, tumor cell isolation, culture, biobanking, and high-throughput drug screening, supporting reproducible PDO applications in translational research across diverse clinical settings. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Lee et al. 1 • Protocol for PDO establishment across cancer types • Standardized workflows for PDO generation, cryopreservation, and drug screening • Applicable to surgical and biopsy samples, including EUS-FNB, PLB, and body fluids • Guidelines to overcome practical challenges in organoid establishment Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics. Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) are robust preclinical models for precision oncology. However, most existing protocols depend on surgically resected specimens, limiting their applicability to patients who are ineligible for surgery. Here, we present a protocol for generating PDOs from various clinically accessible specimens—including biopsies (endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy [EUS-FNB], percutaneous liver biopsy [PLB], ascites, and pleural effusion)—across cancer types. We describe steps for specimen transport, tumor cell isolation, culture, biobanking, and high-throughput drug screening, supporting reproducible PDO applications in translational research across diverse clinical settings.

knockdown reversed HFD-induced promotion of PDAC growth.