0000000000011642
AUTHOR
Giuseppe Altavilla
Significance of P16INK4A hypermethylation gene in primary head/neck and colorectal tumors: it is a specific tissue event? Results of a 3-year GOIM (Gruppo Oncologico dell'Italia Meridionale) prospective study
Background Methylation of the p16 promoter is one of the most frequent mechanisms of gene inactivation; its incidence is extremely variable according to the type of tumor involved. Our purpose was to analyze the hypermethylation of the p16 promoter in laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (LSCC), salivary gland (SG) tumors and in colorectal cancer (CRC), to detect any possible association with the clinicopathological features and to determine the prognostic significance of the p16 gene in the tumors analyzed. Patients and methods The hypermethylation of the p16 promoter was prospectively analyzed, by MSP, in a consecutive series of 64 locally advanced LSCC patients, in a consecutive series of …
High-dose radiotherapy for oligo-progressive NSCLC receiving EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors: Real world data
Background/aim Local ablative treatments for oligo-progressive, EGFR mutated non-small cell lung cancer (mut-NCSLC) may improve long-term disease control and survival. We analyzed the efficacy of hypo-fractionated, high-dose radiation therapy (HDRT), in association with prolonged EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in oligo-progressive, EGFR mutant-NSCLC. Patients and methods Progression-free survival-1 (PFS-1, date from initiation of TKI therapy until oligo-progression or death), and progression-free survival-2 (PFS-2, date of focal progression until further progression or death) were evaluated. Results Thirty-six patients were analyzed. The median PFS 1 was 12.5 months. HDHRT consisted …
EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy continuation with high-dose hypofractionated radiotherapy in EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with oligoprogressive disease.
e21580 Background: EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) represent the standard first-line therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with activating EGFR mutations. However, despite initial marked responses, tumors invariably develop acquired resistance to TKIs. Oligoprogression is commonly observed during treatment with oncogene-directed therapies, including EGFR TKIs, and refers to patients who experience disease progression only in limited sites as a result of heterogeneous mechanisms of resistance. The use of local ablative treatments for these resistant lesions may extend the duration of TKI therapy and potentially improve long-term disease control and survival…
Anthracyclines and regional myocardial damage in breast cancer patients. A multicentre study from the Working Group on Drug Cardiotoxicity and Cardioprotection, Italian Society of Cardiology (SIC)
Abstract Aims In breast cancer (BC) patients treated with anthracyclines-based therapies, we aim at assessing whether adjuvant drugs impact cardiac function differently and whether their cardiotoxicity has a regional pattern. Methods and results In a multicentre study, 146 BC patients (56 ± 11 years) were prospectively enrolled and divided into three groups according to the received treatments: AC/EC-Group (doxorubicin or epirubicin + cyclophosphamide), AC/EC/Tax-Group (AC/EC + taxanes), FEC/Tax-Group (fluorouracil + EC + taxanes). Fifty-six patients of the total cohort also received trastuzumab. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) were calculated …
A narrative review of MET inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer with MET exon 14 skipping mutations
Treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has radically improved in the last years due to development and clinical approval of highly effective agents including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and oncogene-directed therapies. Molecular profiling of lung cancer samples for activated oncogenes, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS1) and BRAF, is routinely performed to select the most appropriate up-front treatment. However, the identification of new therapeutic targets remains a high priority. Recently, MET exon 14 skipping mutations have emerged as novel actionable oncogenic alterations in NSCLC, sensiti…
Immunotherapeutic Advances for NSCLC.
Abstract Immunotherapy with antibodies against PD-1 or PD-L1, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy, has revolutionized treatment paradigms of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients without oncogenic driver alterations. These agents, namely immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have also widely demonstrated a remarkable efficacy in locally advanced as well as in early-stage NSCLC. Assessment of tumor PD-L1 expression by immunohistochemistry has entered into routine clinical practice to select patients for immunotherapy, even though its predictive role has long been debated. Despite improved survival outcomes over standard chemotherapy, treatment with ICIs is associated with i…