Selected Articles from This Issue

The overall aims of this study were to describe the association between body composition measures obtained from pre-HCT CT images and early-onset. In this cohort of adults who underwent allogeneic HCT, Bhandari and colleagues found significant associations between body composition measurements obtained from pre-HCT CT imaging studies and early-onset glucose intolerance after HCT. The components of body composition that 10 increased risk for glucose intolerance differed by BMI; in non-overweight patients, skeletal muscle loss increased this risk, while visceral adiposity was associated with increased risk in overweight/obese patients. These findings suggest that multiple mechanisms underlie the development of glucose intolerance and/or DM after HCT and highlight the importance of improving DM risk characterization according to pre-HCT body composition phenotype.

Fortunato, Huber, and colleagues, performed peripheral blood high resolution flow cytometry of lung cancer screening volunteers to define an immune classifier discriminating early-stage lung cancer patients from controls. In parallel, a gene signature encompassing the most relevant immune cell subsets defined by the classifier was selected to identify a final diagnostic model. Globally, this immune classifier comprises phenotypic and molecular features of key immune cellular elements such as monocytic and PMN MDSC, intermediate monocytes and activated cytotoxic T cells. By applying a chained-rule simulation approach, the immune classifier was estimated to reduce unnecessary procedures in the 48% of screening participants with a false positive CT result.

Menstrual and reproductive factors affected the gender disparity in liver cancer incidence, but the evidence was inconsistent. This study by Tuo and colleagues was the first population-based cohort evaluating the associations between menstrual and reproductive factors and liver cancer risk in Chinese women. The authors found that HRT and injective contraceptives were positively associated with liver cancer risk, while live births' number, menopausal age and reproductive period reduced the risk. The findings suggested that female sex hormones could play roles on liver carcinogenesis, which would be important for the prevention and control of liver cancer.

The complex nature of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), implying a different epidemiological pattern of the subtypes, requires an accurate and timely assessment of the burden of the disease. Accordingly, this study by Lorenzoni and colleagues report an updated overview of the incidence and mortality of OPC worldwide based on GLOBOCAN-2020 estimates. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates, male-to-female ratios, and incidence-to-mortality ratios were estimated and compared between genders, by country and across world regions. Results highlighted substantial geographical and gender variability, probably related to the different distribution of OPC subtypes. This overview might help guide future studies, support planning and prioritization of prevention and treatment programs.