METHODS: A systematic search was performed in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (WoS) databases in June 2022. Patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy and periodic rs-fMRI assessments were included. A meta-analysis was performed to determine the potential of rs-fMRI for detecting brain changes.
RESULTS: Ten studies with a total of 513 subjects (head and neck cancer patients, n = 437; healthy controls, n = 76) were included. A significance of rs-fMRI for detecting brain changes in the temporal and frontal lobes, cingulate cortex, and cuneus was demonstrated in most studies. These changes were reported to be associated with dose (6/10 studies) and latency (4/10 studies). A strong effect size (r = 0.71, p
AREAS COVERED: The differential bacterial composition identified from BEVs isolated from biofluids between patients and healthy controls may be valuable for detecting diseases. Therefore, BEVs may serve as novel diagnostic markers. Literature search on PubMed and Google Scholar databases was conducted. In this special report, we outline the commonly used approach for investigating BEVs in biofluids, the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of V3-V4 hypervariable regions, and the recent studies exploring the potential of BEVs as biomarkers for various diseases.
EXPERT OPINION: The emerging field of BEVs offers new possibilities for the diagnosis of various types of diseases, although there remain issues that need to be resolved in this research area to implement BEVs in clinical applications. Hence, it is important for future studies to take these challenges into consideration when investigating the diagnostic value of BEVs.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were part of a prospective multicentre observational study recruiting people with bladder cancer for a urine biomarker study (DETECT II; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02781428). A mixed-methods approach comprising (1) a questionnaire to assess patients' experience with cystoscopy and patients' preference for cystoscopy vs urinary biomarker, and (2) semi-structured interviews to understand patient views, choice and reasons for their preference.
RESULTS: A urine biomarker with an MAS of 90% would be accepted by 75.8% of patients. This was despite a high self-reported prevalence of haematuria (51.0%), dysuria/lower urinary tract symptoms (69.1%) and urinary tract infection requiring antibiotics (25.8%). There was no association between MAS with patient demographics, adverse events experienced, cancer characteristics or distance of patients' home to hospital. The qualitative analysis suggested that patients acknowledge that cystoscopy is invasive, embarrassing and associated with adverse events but are willing to tolerate the procedure because of its high sensitivity. Patients have confidence in cystoscopy and appreciate the visual diagnosis of cancer. Both low- and high-risk patients would consider a biomarker with a reported sensitivity similar to that of cystoscopy.
CONCLUSION: Patients value the high sensitivity of cystoscopy despite the reported discomfort and adverse events experienced after it. The sensitivity of a urinary biomarker must be close to cystoscopy to gain patients' acceptance.