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 …

Metronomic Chemotherapy (mCHT) in HER2-ve Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC) Patients (PTS): When Care Objectives Meet Patients’ Need. Preliminary Results of the Victor-6 Study

TP53 Mutation in exon 5 and S-Phase Fraction but not Mutations in Ras gene family and DNA-ploidy are Indipendent prognostic indicators in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

RUOLO DELL’ECOCOLOR DOPPLER TISSUTALE NELLA VALUTAZIONE DELLA CARDIOTOSSICITÀ DA CHEMIOTERAPICI

Docetaxel and oxaliplatin in the second-line treatment of platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer: a phase II study.

ABSTRACT Background A prospective phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the combination docetaxel (Taxotere) (DTX) and oxaliplatin (OXA) in ovarian cancer patients recurring after a platinum-free interval (PFI) >12 months. Patients and methods DTX, 75 mg/m2, was administered by 60 min i.v. infusion, followed by OXA, 100 mg/m2, given by a 2 h i.v., on day 1 every 21 days. Results From October 2003 to June 2006, 43 ovarian cancer patients were enrolled. Median PFI was 26 months. All patients were available for response evaluation: 17 complete responses and 12 partial responses were registered, for an overall response rate of 67.4%. The median response duration …

Phase I-II trial of gemcitabine-based first-line chemotherapies for small cell lung cancer in elderly patients with performance status 0-2: the G-STEP trial.

Introduction: Treatment of elderly patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is based on scanty evidence. Methods: Patients with extensive SCLC, age >70 years, and performance status 0-2 were eligible for a study looking for optimal two-drug combination of gemcitabine (Gem) with vinorelbine (Vin), etoposide (Eto), cisplatin (Cis), or carboplatin (Car). Gemcitabine dose was the same (1000 mg/m2, days 1-8) in all combinations. A two-stage minimax flexible design for response was applied to GemVin combination (Vin 25 mg/m2, days 1-8). For GemCar, GemCis, GemEto, a phase I-II Bayesian design was applied, looking for the optimal dose of the partner drugs. Objective response rate ≥60% and un…

Stereotactic Radiotherapy for the Treatment of Patients With Oligo-progressive Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Receiving Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor: Data From the Real World

Aim This retrospective observational study evaluated the role of hypo-fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) in patients with oligo-progressive metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with first-line oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). Data on local control, delay of further progression, and safety are reported. Patients and methods Between January 2010 and December 2016, 28 patients with mRCC who showed oligo-progressive disease while receiving first-line pazopanib were treated with hypofractionated SRT to progressive metastatic sites to delay the change of systemic therapy. First and second progression-free survival (PFS-1 and PFS-2) were recorded, as well as objective res…

Home therapy for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in cancer patients

Outpatient treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) has become a common practice in uncomplicated patients. Few data are still present in patients with comorbidity (such as cancer) or concomitant symptomatic pulmonary embolism. Cancer patients with DVT are often excluded from home treatment because they have a higher risk of both bleeding and recurrent DVT. We tested the feasibility and safety of the Home Treatment (HT) program for acute DVT a PE in cancer patients. Patients were treated as outpatients unless they required admission for other medical problems, were actively bleeding or had pain that requires parenteral narcotics. Outpatient treatment was with low molecular weight heparin (LM…

WhatsApp Messenger use in oncology: a narrative review on pros and contras of a flexible and practical, non-specific communication tool.

The spread of instant messenger systems provides an excellent opportunity and a helpful tool to healthcare professionals. WhatsApp instant messenger use is widely prevalent among health professionals, cancer patients, caregivers and the general population. It is a quick and easy communication tool that may also be used on personal computers and business purposes. WhatsApp instant messenger and other similar tools may be a very useful complement for e-medicine. Instant messaging systems may be helpful, especially in rural areas, in medium- or low-income countries, or to avoid unnecessary travels, improve knowledge and awareness of cancer, monitor home care and support the delivery of home ca…

Metastatic seeding of colon adenocarcinoma manifesting as synchronous breast and chest wall localization: report of a case.

Colon carcinoma rarely metastasizes to the breast and it is usually associated with a poor prognosis. Even rarer is metastatic seeding of colon cancer cells in an intramammary location after surgery. Including a primary breast malignancy in the differential diagnosis of such cases is mandatory. We report a rare case of double seeding implantation of colon adenocarcinoma inside the breast parenchyma and intercostal muscles 6 years after resection of a pulmonary metastasis from colon adenocarcinoma. The metastasis was revealed by the presence of bone metaplasia in the intercostal muscles. We discuss how negative immunostaining for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and HER-2, along w…

Y179C, F486L and N550H are BRCA1 variants that may be associated with breast cancer in a Sicilian family: results of a 5-year GOIM (Gruppo Oncologico dell'Italia Meridionale) prospective study.

Background Over 600 different pathogenic mutations have been identified in the BRCA1 gene. Nevertheless, numerous missense mutations of unknown biological function still exist. Understanding of biological significance of these mutations should help in genetic counselling to carriers and their families. Patients and methods A total of 104 patients with breast and/or ovarian cancer whose genetic counselling answered the criteria of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO 2003), were prospectively screened for mutations in all coding exons of the BRCA1 gene by automatic direct sequencing. Results During these mutational screening procedures one case presented three mutations classified…

A Case of Follicular Tumor of Uncertain Malignant Potential (FT-UMP) with Glomeruloid Features Showing Capsular Mucinous Degeneration

The most recent revision of the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumours of Endocrine Organs introduced a new variant of follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC). It is characterized by a “glomeruloid” architectural pattern of growth. We present a case of follicular tumor with glomeruloid features, with Alcian Blue positive mucinous stromal degeneration in foci of questionable capsular microinvasion. At our knowledge, this the second case of glomeruloid follicular tumor in the literature and the first case in which Alcian Blue staining was used to investigate capsular invasion. Moreover, RAS mutation further supports that this is a variant of follicular tumor with uncertain malig…

Cigarette smoking habit does not reduce the benefit from first line trastuzumab-based treatment in advanced breast cancer patients.

Many ErbB2-positive cancers may show intrinsic resistance, and the frequent development of acquired resistance to ErbB-targeted agents represents a substantial clinical problem. The constitutive NF-κB activation in some HER-2/neu positive breast cancer may represent a potential cause of resistance to trastuzumab therapy. Preclinical data revealed that 4-(N-Methyl-N- nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), the tobacco-specific nitrosamine is able to enhance NF-κB DNA binding activity and theoretically to increase the resistance to trastuzumab. Two hundred and forty-eight women with pathologically confirmed, uni- or bidimensionally measurable, HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC…

GRUPPO ONCOLOGICO ITALIA MERIDIONALE. NOVEL ASSOCIATION WITH GEMCITABINE AND DOCETAXEL AS SALVAGE CHEMOTHERAPY IN METASTATIC BREAST CANCER PREVIOUSLY TREATED WITH ANTHRACYCLINES: RESULT OF A NULTICENTER PHASE II STUDY

Cetuximab and gemcitabine in elderly or adult PS2 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: The cetuximab in advanced lung cancer (CALC1-E and CALC1-PS2) randomized phase II trials

Background:Two parallel randomized phase 2 trialswere performed to choose the optimal way of combining cetuximab with gemcitabine in the first-line treatment of elderly (CALC1-E) and adult PS2 (CALC1-PS2) patients with advanced NSCLC. Methods: Stage IV or IIIB NSCLC patients, aged ≥70 years with PS 0–2 for CALC1-E or aged <70 with PS2 for CALC1-PS2, not selected for EGFR expression,were eligible. Patients were randomized to concomitant (gemcitabine, for a maximum of 6 cycles, plus cetuximab until progression) or sequential (gemcitabine, for a maximum of 6 cycles, followed by cetuximab) strategy. A selection design, with 1-year survival rate as the primary endpoint, was applied, requiring 58…

A new germline mutation in BRCA1 gene in a sicilian family with ovarian cancer

A group of 103 sicilian patients with hereditary and familiar breast and/or ovarian cancer were screened for Breast Cancer 1 gene (BRCA1) mutations by direct sequencing PCR products spanning the coding region and partial intronic regions of the BRCA1 gene. In this study, we report a new germline mutation in BRCA1 gene, not previously reported in the BIC database, in a woman with ovarian cancer at 46 years old. Mother's proband has been diagnosed the same histotype of ovarian cancer at 42 age. The mutational analyses that shown a 4843delC frameshift mutation in exon 16 of BRCA1 gene was extended to other family members including the proband's brother and her two sons. Direct automatic sequen…

Terapia di seconda linea del carcinoma gastrico avanzato con la combinazione Irinotecan (Cpt 11) + Mitomicina (MMc). Studio di fase II del Gruppo Oncologico dell’Italia Meridionale (prot. GOIM 2106) VII CONGRESSO NAZIONALE G.O.I.M. ROMA 23-25 Giugno 2004

TP53 in gastric cancer: mutations in the l3 loop and LSH motif DNA-binding domains of TP53 predict poor outcome.

The aim of this study was to clarify whether specific p53 mutations may have biological relevance in terms of disease relapse or death in gastric carcinomas (GC). Resected specimens from a consecutive series of 62 patients with GC undergoing potentially curative surgery were prospectively studied. The mutational status of exons 5-8 of the p53 gene was investigated in 62 cases using the PCR-SSCP and sequencing. Presence of microsatellite instability (MSI) was evaluated in 56 cases by analyzing loci highly sensitive of MSI. Twenty mutations of p53 were detected in 17 of the 62 cases analyzed (27%). Ten mutations (50%) occurred in highly conserved domains. According to the p53 specific functio…

Residual neurotoxicity in ovarian cancer patients in clinical remission after first-line chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel: the Multicenter Italian Trial in Ovarian cancer (MITO-4) retrospective study.

Abstract Background Carboplatin/paclitaxel is the chemotherapy of choice for advanced ovarian cancer, both in first line and in platinum-sensitive recurrence. Although a significant proportion of patients have some neurotoxicity during treatment, the long-term outcome of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy has been scantly studied. We retrospectively assessed the prevalence of residual neuropathy in a cohort of patients in clinical remission after first-line carboplatin/paclitaxel for advanced ovarian cancer. Methods 120 patients have been included in this study (101 participating in a multicentre phase III trial evaluating the efficacy of consolidation treatment with topotecan, and 19 treated …

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 …

Eribulin Mesylate for the Treatment of Metastatic Hormone-refractory and Triple-negative Breast Cancer: A Multi-institutional Real-world Report on Efficacy and Safety

Objective Eribulin mesylate (EM) is a fully synthetic macrocyclic ketone analogue of the marine natural product halichondrin. EM has been reported to be active in metastatic breast cancer. In this paper, we report efficacy and safety of data of EM in a retrospective, real-world series of patients with poor prognosis, hormone-refractory, or triple-negative metastatic breast cancer. Materials and methods The analysis was carried out at 4 interrelated oncology centers. EM was delivered at the dose of 1.4 mg/m2 in 100 mL of normal saline over 2 to 5 minutes on days 1 and 8 every 21 days. EM was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Side effects were reported every cycle …

DNA ploidy and S-phase fraction, but not p53 or NM23-H1 expression, predict outcome in colorectal cancer patients. Result of a 5-year prospective study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine TP53 and NM23-H1 immunoreactivity, DNA ploidy, and S-phase fraction (SPF) in a series of 160 patients undergoing resective surgery for primary operable colorectal cancer (CRC) and to establish whether these alterations have any clinical value in predicting CRC patients' prognosis. Methods: TP53 and NM23-H1 expressions were evaluated on paraffin-embedded tissue by immunohistochemistry and DNA-ploidy and SPF on frozen tissue by flow-cytometric analysis. Results: The median follow-up time in our study group was 71 months (range 34-115 months). P53 protein expression was associated with distal tumors (P &lt; 0.05) and DNA aneuploid tumors (P &lt; …

Abemaciclib-associated Diarrhea: An Exploratory Analysis of Real-life Data

Background/Aim: Abemaciclib is a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor approved in combination with endocrine therapy for treating hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative early and advanced breast cancer patients. The safety profile of abemaciclib is characterized by frequent gastrointestinal toxicity, especially diarrhea. Therefore, we performed an exploratory analysis of clinical factors that may be potentially associated with diarrhea in patients treated with abemaciclib plus endocrine therapy. Patients and Methods: Factors potentially predisposing to diarrhea were selected, such as age ≥70 years, concomitant medications and diseases, diet, and use…

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…

PANHER study: a 20-year treatment outcome analysis from a multicentre observational study of HER2-positive advanced breast cancer patients from the real-world setting

Background: The evolution of therapeutic landscape of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer (BC) has led to an unprecedented outcome improvement, even if the optimal sequence strategy is still debated. To address this issue and to provide a picture of the advancement of anti-HER2 treatments, we performed a large, multicenter, retrospective study of HER2-positive BC patients. Methods: The observational PANHER study included 1,328 HER2-positive advanced BC patients treated with HER2 blocking agents since June 2000 throughout July 2020. Endpoints of efficacy were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Patients who received a first-l…

Adherence, compliance and persistence to oral antineoplastic therapy: a review focused on chemotherapeutic and biologic agents

Introduction: To date, orally administered chemotherapy and biologic agents represent a significant percentage of all antineoplastic treatments in several types of cancer, which are most likely to increase in the near future. In this scenario, the issue of adherence and persistence to oral therapy is a key issue since poor compliance to oral antineoplastic treatments may negatively influence patients' clinical outcomes and, in turn, cause an increase in costs, number of hospitalizations and time spent in the hospital. Areas covered: The issue of adherence to new oral chemotherapeutic and/or biologic agents has not been deeply evaluated and data published in medical literature are quite scar…

Randomized phase III trial of adjuvant epirubicin followed by cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) versus CMF followed by epirubicin in patients with node-negative or 1–3 node-positive rapidly proliferating breast cancer

International audience; Adjuvant cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil (CMF) have proven highly effective in rapidly proliferating breast cancer (RPBC). It has also been seen that sequential administration of doxorubicin and CMF is superior to their alternation, especially in indolent tumors. In a phase III study, we evaluated whether adjuvant epirubicin (E) followed by CMF is superior to the inverse sequence in RPBC. Patients with node-negative or 1-3 node-positive RPBC (Thymidine Labeling Index > 3% or histological grade 3 or S-phase > 10% or Ki67 > 20%) were randomized to receive E (100 mg/m i.v. d1, q21 days for 4 cycles) followed by CMF (600, 40, 600 mg/m i.v. d1 and 8, q2…

Radium-223 treatment in castration resistant bone metastatic prostate cancer. Should be the primary tumor always treated?

Introduction: Radium-223 (223Ra) improves symptoms and survival in patients with bone metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Study aim: To evaluate the impact of a previous radical prostatectomy (RP) on the outcome of 223Ra therapy in mCRPC patients. The primary prostate tumor left untreated could progress during 223Ra treatment. Materials and methods: mCRPC symptomatic patients treated with 223Ra were enrolled. Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone analogue was maintained. No other anticancer therapy was given. 223Ra was administered i.v. at the dose of 55 kBq/kg every 4 weeks for 6 cycles. Patients were stratified according to previous RP or not. Hematological toxicity w…

Breast Cancer in Two Ex‑Votos, A Millennia Apart: Patients’ Hope and Faith Expressed Through the Centuries in Votive Offerings

A votive offering or ex-voto includes a variety of usually non-professional artworks offered to divinities and placed in religious sites to fulfill a vow or in gratitude for recovery from an illness or injury. Unfortunately, the ancient period lacks a scientifically verifiable understanding of the true nature of cancer and its natural history and, consequently, a lack of effective treatment. This paper discusses two ex-votos potentially related to breast cancer distant more than 2000 years, one from the other. The ex-votos convey the complex relationship of humans with illness through an art expression stemming from the heart and minds of ordinary people.

Escalating doses of paclitaxel and epirubicin in combination with cisplatin in advanced ovarian epithelial carcinoma: a phase I–II study

Our objective was to identify a new active three-drug combination regimen consisting of paclitaxel (PTX), epirubicin (EPI) and cisplatin as first-line line chemotherapy for advanced ovarian carcinoma. A phase I study was carried out to evaluate the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) and the maximally tolerated dose (MTD) of PXT and EPI in combination with a fixed dose of cisplatin every 4 weeks. Side-effects were recorded according to the NCI Common Toxicity Criteria. Patients were treated in cohorts of three with fixed-dose cisplatin 80 mg/m 2 and EPI 80 → 100 mg/ m 2 and PXT 100 → 160 mg/m 2 until DLT was reached. Once MTD was identified, a single-step phase II study was therefore carried out t…

Additional file 1 of Loss of HER2 and decreased T-DM1 efficacy in HER2 positive advanced breast cancer treated with dual HER2 blockade: the SePHER Study

Additional file 1.

The prognostic relevance of HER2-positivity gain in metastatic breast cancer in the ChangeHER trial

Breast cancer (BC) heterogeneity is composite in nature, with a wide variety of factors concurring to define several pathological entities, which differ by clinical presentation, pathologic features, therapy administered, and inherent outcomes1. Additional sources of breast cancer heterogeneity may raise during the disease course. In BC patients whose disease was initially diagnosed in the early stage and subsequently progressed with metastatic involvement of one single or multiple site/s, the molecular characteristics of metastatic lesions do not necessary mimic those of the disease initially diagnosed. A well-depicted molecular landscape is crucial for subtype definition, prognostic evalu…

Oral vinorelbine and capecitabine as first-line therapy in metastatic breast cancer: a retrospective analysis

A retrospective analysis of 70 patients with triple-negative or hormone-resistant advanced breast carcinoma who had not previously received chemotherapy was carried out. Patients received oral vinorelbine 60 mg/m2 on day 1 and 8, plus capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 bid for 14 consecutive days every 3 weeks. Overall response rate was 53% with a 9% complete response rate. Stable disease was recorded in 27% of the cases. Median progression-free survival was 7.9 months and median overall survival was 29.2 months. Toxicity was generally mild and easily manageable. These data demonstrate that this combination is feasible, safe and active as first-line treatment of triple-negative fully hormone-resistant…

Mitoxantrone + Prednisone versus Taxotere + Prednisone nel trattamento del carcinoma prostatico ormonorefrattario (cpor ). Studio randomizzato di fase II del Gruppo Oncologico dell’Italia Meridionale (GOIM ). VII CONGRESSO NAZIONALE G.O.I.M. ROMA 23-25 Giugno 2004

Liposomal-encapsulated doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide as first-line therapy in metastatic breast cancer: a phase II multicentric study

Abstract Background The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin (TLC D-99) plus cyclophosphamide (CTX) as first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer in light of the potential cardioprotective effect of TLC D-99 as compared with conventional doxorubicin. Materials and methods Sixty-seven patients as defined according Simon's two-stage phase II design were enrolled. They received TLC D-99 at the dosage of 60 mg/m2 plus CTX 600 mg/m2, with cycles repeated every 3 weeks. Cardiac function was assessed by ultrasonography at baseline and every two cycles. Results The principal characteristics of the 67 enrolled patients were a…

Molecular detection of TP53, Ki-Ras and p16INK4A promoter methylation in plasma of patients with colorectal cancer and its association with prognosis. Results of a 3-year GOIM (Gruppo Oncologico dell'Italia Meridionale) prospective study

BACKGROUND:Despite the improvement in detection and surgical therapy in the last years, the outcome of patients affected by colorectal carcinoma (CRC) remains limited by metastatic relapse. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of free tumor DNA in the plasma of CRC patients in order to understand its possible prognostic role. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ki-Ras, TP53 mutations and p16(INK4A) methylation status were prospectively evaluated in tumor tissues and plasma of 66 CRC patients. RESULTS: In 50 of the 66 primitive tumor cases (76%) at least one significant alteration was identified in Ki-Ras and/or TP53 and/or p16(INK4A) genes. Eighteen of the 50 patients presented the same …

Axillary Nodal Burden in Breast Cancer Patients With Pre-operative Fine Needle Aspiration-proven Positive Lymph Nodes Compared to Those With Positive Sentinel Nodes

BACKGROUND/AIM: Recent years have seen a considerable shift to a more conservative management of the axilla in patients with positive axillary sentinel lymph nodes. The aim of this study was to determine whether some breast cancer patients with a preoperative ultrasound-guided needle aspiration biopsy proven positive node could potentially be spared an axillary lymph node dissection according to the ACOSOG Z0011 trial criteria. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed involving 623 breast cancer patients who underwent axillary lymph node dissection after either ultrasound-guided needle aspiration biopsy proven positive node or sentinel lymph node biopsy. RESULTS: Patients …

A phase 2 study of Oxaliplatin ( O ) – Capecitabine( C ) chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer ( MBC ) patients pretreated with Anthracyclines and taxanes VII CONGRESSO NAZIONALE G.O.I.M. ROMA 23-25 Giugno 2004

Topotecan compared with no terapy and carboplatin/paclitaxel in patients with ovarian cancer: Multicenter Italian Trials in Ovarian Cancer (MITO-1) randomized study

Nm-23-H1 expression does not predict clinical survival in colorectal cancer patients

The gene Nm23, which encodes for a nucleoside diphosphate kinase, has been defined as a metastasis-suppressor gene because of the inverse correlation between its expression and the metastatic capacity of the tumor cells. For colorectal cancer, however, the findings are equivocal. The aim of our study was to assess, in 160 patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC), the expression of the Nm23-H1 protein and to evaluate its possible associations with traditional clinicopathologic variables, with DNA-ploidy and proliferative activity (S-phase fraction, SPF), and with disease-free and overall survival of patients. Nm23-H1 expressions were evaluated on paraffin-embedded tissue by im…

Patients With Cancer and COVID-19: A WhatsApp Messenger-Based Survey of Patients' Queries, Needs, Fears, and Actions Taken

PURPOSE This descriptive investigation was undertaken at three oncology units to report queries, needs, and fears related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) of patients with cancer and to avoid uncontrolled treatment delays or withdrawal, behavioral mistakes, and panic. PATIENTS AND METHODS All queries spontaneously delivered through the WhatsApp instant messaging system commonly used by patients to communicate with oncology units were collected and grouped by homology in five categories. Responses to the queries were given according to recommendations by the Italian Association of Medical Oncology through WhatsApp and by subsequent phone calls. Patients were also…

A phase II study of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin oxaliplatin and cyclophosphamide as second-line treatment in relapsed ovarian carcinoma

We carried out a phase II nonrandomized study to examine the level of activity of oxaliplatin, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide in a patient population with relapsed ovarian cancer pretreated with platinum derivatives and paclitaxel. Patients received oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2), pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (30 mg/m2), and cyclophosphamide (750 mg/m2). A total of 49 patients (39 assessable for toxicity and response) were enrolled in this trial. Neutropenia grade 3 was observed in six patients (15%) and anemia grade 3 in one patient (0.2%). Fatigue grade 1–2 occurred in 26 patients (66%), nausea/vomiting grade 1 in 23 patients (58%), and alopecia grade 1–2 in 19 patients …

Gastric and Rectal Metastases from Malignant Melanoma Presenting with Hypochromic Anemia and Treated with Immunotherapy

The authors present a case of an 80-year-old Caucasian male with multiple gastric and rectal metastases from malignant melanoma presenting with hypochromic anemia as the sole symptom of disease without evidence of cutaneous and ocular tumor localization. The patient had a medical history positive for malignant lentigo melanoma of the occipital region of the scalp and early stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and prostatic carcinoma treated with radiation therapy. The authors make some considerations on intestinal involvement by metastatic melanoma and discuss the choice of not treating with endoscopic procedures the gastric metastatic lesions most likely responsible for the clinical sig…

Abemaciclib: safety and effectiveness of a unique cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor

Introduction: The discovery and the clinical availability of novel cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 inhibitors have profoundly changed the therapeutic scenario of metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast carcinoma. Among these inhibitors, abemaciclib can induce potent and sustained cell cycle arrest and immune system stimulation. Areas covered: This review summarizes the safety profile and clinical efficacy data on abemaciclib alone or in combination with aromatase inhibitors or fulvestrant in metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast carcinoma. The management of patients treated with abemaciclib is the object of this paper. Expert opinion: As shown in phase 2 and 3 clinical trials on …

Epirubicina (EPI ) e Docetaxel (DOC ) come chemioterapia primaria ( C P ) nel trattamento del carcinoma mammario localmente avanzato ( CMLA ). VII CONGRESSO NAZIONALE G.O.I.M. ROMA 23-25 Giugno 2004

Metronomic oral vinorelbine in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer progressing after nivolumab immunotherapy: a retrospective analysis

Purpose The availability of immune checkpoint inhibitors has deeply changed the therapeutic scenario of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Up until now, chemotherapy still represents the first-line treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC not harbouring genetic mutations or lacking high expression of programmed death ligand even if the addition of immunotherapy to first-line chemotherapy has recently been shown to improve clinical outcome. We carried out a multi-institutional retrospective analysis on third-line chemotherapy with metronomic oral vinorelbine (VNR) in a series of patients with metastatic NSCLC pre-treated with first-line chemotherapy and second-line …

Second-line Eribulin in Triple Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer patients. Multicentre Retrospective Study: The TETRIS Trial

Introduction: Large and consistent evidence supports the use of eribulin mesylate in clinical practice in third or later line treatment of metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Conversely, there is paucity of data on eribulin efficacy in second line treatment. Methods: We investigated outcomes of 44 mTNBC patients treated from 2013 through 2019 with second line eribulin mesylate in a multicentre retrospective study involving 14 Italian oncologic centres. Results: Median age was 51 years, with 11.4% of these patients being metastatic at diagnosis. Median overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) from eribulin starting were 11.9 (95%CI: 8.4-15.5) and 3.5 months (95…

Gemcitabine and oxaliplatin combination chemotherapy in advanced biliary tract cancers

Background Biliary tract cancers are uncommon tumors with a poor prognosis and most patients present with invasive and inoperable disease at diagnosis. Chemotherapy represents a palliative treatment, with poor response rates and a median survival of less than 6 months. Oxaliplatin and gemcitabine have shown an interesting activity as single agents in this group of patients. Patients and methods We carried out a multicenter phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined oxaliplatin and gemcitabine in locally advanced and metastatic biliary tract carcinoma. The schedule of chemotherapy included oxaliplatin 100 mg/m2 on day 1 and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, every 21…

Impressive Objective Response to Nab-Paclitaxel plus Trastuzumab as Fifth Line Therapy in an Elderly HER-2 Positive Breast Cancer Patient

Background: Agent targeting HER-2 pathway plus chemotherapy has represented a major progress in the management of patients with breast cancer. However, the role of late-line treatment in heavily pretreated patients is still largely unclear. In the last decade, nab-paclitaxel has shown significant activity and good toxicity profile in metastatic breast cancer. Case Presentation: We report the case of a 76-year-old Caucasian woman with metastatic HER-2 positive ductal infiltrating breast carcinoma treated with a combination of weekly nab-paclitaxel and trastuzumab as fifth-line therapy. She had previously received first-line paclitaxel and trastuzumab, second-line vinorelbine and trastuzumab,…

Metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT) in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients: results of the VICTOR-6 study

Abstract Purpose Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a subtype of breast cancer which lacks the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2): TNBC accounts for approximately 20% of newly diagnosed breast cancers and is associated with younger age at diagnosis, greater recurrence risk and shorter survival time. Therapeutic options are very scarce. Aim of the present analysis is to provide further insights into the clinical activity of metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT), in a real-life setting. Methods We used data included in the VICTOR-6 study for the present analysis. VICTOR-6 is an Italian multicentre retrosp…

Impact of BMI on HER2+ metastatic breast cancer patients treated with pertuzumab and/or trastuzumab emtansine. Real-world evidence

Body mass index (BMI) is a main indicator of obesity and its association with breast cancer is well established. However, little is known in the metastatic setting, especially in HER2-positive patients. We assessed the influence of BMI on clinical outcomes of patients treated with pertuzumab and/or trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) for HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (mBC). BMI was addressed as a categorical variable, being classified on the basis of the following ranges, that is, 18.5-24.9, 25-29.9, and 30.0-34.9, namely, normal weight, overweight, and Class I obesity. The outcomes chosen were progression-free survival to first-line chemotherapy (PFS1) and overall survival (OS). Overall (N = 70…

DNA aneuploidy and high proliferative activity but not K-ras-2 mutations as independent predictors of clinical outcome in operable gastric carcinoma: Results of a 5-year Gruppo Oncologico dell'Italia Meridionale (GOIM) prospective study

BACKGROUND The prognostic value of DNA ploidy, S-phase fraction (SPF) and K-ras-2 mutations in gastric carcinoma (GC) has not yet been clearly defined. The aim of this study was to clarify the association between biomolecular variables, tumor characteristics, and clinical outcome in GC patients. METHODS Resected specimens from a consecutive series of 69 patients with GC who underwent potentially curative surgery were studied prospectively. DNA ploidy and SPF were assessed by flow cytometry on multiple frozen tumor samples, whereas K-ras-2 mutations were detected by polymerase chain reaction followed by single-strand conformation polymorphism. All the patients involved in this study were fol…

The HERBA trial: a retrospective study on patients (pts) with HER2-positive (HER2+ve) breast cancer (BC) and brain metastases (BMs)

Letter to the Editor: statistics and clinical perception of patients’ reported outcomes for palbociclib and abemaciclib: a sliding doors story

Detection and quantification of mammaglobin in the blood of breast cancer patients: can it be useful as a potential clinical marker? Preliminary results of a GOIM (Gruppo Oncologico dell'Italia Meridionale) prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Mammaglobin is expressed mainly in mammary tissue, overexpressed in breast cancer (BC) and rarely in other tissue. The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of transcript MGB1 detection and to evaluate the role of MGB1 as potential clinical marker for the detection of disseminated cancer cells in the blood of BC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 23 BC tissues, 36 peripheral blood BC samples and 35 healthy peripheral blood samples was prospectively recruited to investigate MGB1 expression by means of a quantitative Real Time RT-PCR assay. RESULTS: MGB1 overexpression in tissue samples of BC patients is significantly associated only …

Alexithymia and copyng style in women going to visit in a breast cancer center

Safety of trastuzumab, alone or in combination, in elderly patients with HER2-positive breast cancer: A 5-year case series.

e11056 Background: Breast cancer (BC) is frequent in the elderly and is burdened by high recurrence and death rates, due mostly to undertreatment. Trastuzumab (T), in combination with chemotherapy (CT) or hormonotherapy (HT), is a well-established treatment strategy for early and advanced HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer, but has been poorly studied in the elderly setting due to its infrequency. The aim of our study is to assess the safety of T in elderly patients with HER2+ BC. Methods: Between 2005 and 2010, consecutive HER2+ breast cancer patients of ≥70 years of age referred to two oncology centers and that received T-based therapy were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were tr…

The use of zoledronic acid in patients with bone metastases from prostate carcinoma: Effect on analgesic response and bone metabolism biomarkers

Zoledronic acid is a bisphosphonate that is effective in the treatment of complications of metastatic bone disease. We have carried out a perspective study on 24 consecutive patients with prostate cancer metastatic to bone to verify the effect of zoledronic acid on analgesic response and a possible relationship with the levels of bone metabolism biomarkers. Eligibility for this study required prostate cancer patients with metastatic bone disease and pain not controlled by analgesics. Patients were excluded from the study if they were receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy or radiation therapy within three months. Eighteen patients (75%) were considered responder to acid zoledronic, only 6 patient…

Salvage Therapy With Oral Metronomic Cyclophosphamide and Methotrexate for Castration refractory Metastatic Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate Resistant to Docetaxel

Objective To investigate the activity and toxicity of metronomic chemotherapy with low-dose oral cyclophosphamide (CTX) and methotrexate (MTX) in patients with metastatic CRPC that progresses after docetaxel. Patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that progresses after docetaxel may benefit from receiving further chemotherapy. Methods Patients were treated with CTX 50 mg/d p.o. plus MTX 2.4 mg p.o. twice per week without rest periods. All patients received simultaneous luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response was defined as a 50% reduction on 2 evaluations at least 4 weeks apart. Objective response was measured according to …

L'impiego del Tachosil in chirurgia epatica

Il controllo delle perdite ematiche intra e post-operatorie caratterizza da sempre la chirurgia resettiva epatica. Nel corso degli ultimi anni notevoli progressi sono stati compiuti in tale ambito, grazie all'adozione di materiali e strumentari sempre più specifici ed efficaci che consento l'esecuzione di interventi resettivi con minime perdite ematiche ed una significativa riduzione dell'incidenza di complicanze emorragiche post-operatorie. Vengono presentati 2 casi di resezione epatica realizzata utilizzando un manipolo a radiofrequenza senza eseguire il clampaggio del peduncolo epatico e senza l'utilizzo di clips o legature per le piccole perdite dalla trancia di sezione. Un buon control…

Is G8 geriatric assessment tool useful in managing elderly patients with metastatic pancreatic carcinoma?

Abstract Aim This paper aims to analyze the usefulness of the G8 geriatric oncology questionnaire in patients with advanced/metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (aPAC) and its possible association with different clinical outcomes. Methods Patients age > 70 years were screened with the G8 tool and treated with intravenous nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m2 and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 for 3 consecutive weeks followed by one-week rest as prescribed after clinical evaluation by treating oncologists. Patient’s charts were evaluated for type and severity of toxicity, 2 cycle rate of completion, discontinuation rate, delays, dose reductions, and other outcomes response rates, progression-free, and overall su…

Loss of HER2 and decreased T-DM1 efficacy in HER2 positive advanced breast cancer treated with dual HER2 blockade: the SePHER Study

AbstractBackgroundHER2-targeting agents have dramatically changed the therapeutic landscape of HER2+ advanced breast cancer (ABC). Within a short time frame, the rapid introduction of new therapeutics has led to the approval of pertuzumab combined with trastuzumab and a taxane in first-line, and trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) in second-line. Thereby, evidence of T-DM1 efficacy following trastuzumab/pertuzumab combination is limited, with data from some retrospective reports suggesting lower activity. The purpose of the present study is to investigate T-DM1 efficacy in pertuzumab-pretreated and pertuzumab naïve HER2 positive ABC patients. We also aimed to provide evidence on the exposure to d…

Is There Still a Role for Endocrine Therapy Alone in HR+/HER2- Advanced Breast Cancer Patients? Results from the Analysis of Two Data Sets of Patients Treated with High-Dose Fulvestrant as First-Line Therapy in the Real-World Setting: The EVA and GIM-13 AMBRA Studies

&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Background:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Different studies suggest that fulvestrant 500 mg every 28 days (HD-FUL) could be an active treatment in HR+ advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients even treated with aromatase inhibitors in the adjuvant setting. The aim of this analysis is to describe the outcome of ABC patients treated with HD-FUL as first-line treatment in terms of median duration of treatment and the overall response rate in a real-world setting. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; For the purpose of the present analysis, we considered two data sets of HR+ ABC patients collected in Italy between 2012 and 2015 (EVA and GIM-13 AMBRA studies). &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Res…

Fulvestrant and trastuzumab in patients with luminal HER2-positive advanced breast cancer (ABC): an Italian real-world experience (HERMIONE 9)

Purpose: The most appropriate therapy for HR + /HER2-positive (HER2 +) advanced breast cancer (ABC) is a matter of debate. Co-targeting of both receptors represents an attractive strategy to overcome the cross-talk between them. Methods: The HERMIONE 9 is an observational retrospective multicentric study which aimed to describe the clinical outcome of patients with HR + /HER2 + ABC who received the combination of Fulvestrant (F) and Trastuzumab (T) as part of their routine treatment at 10 Italian Institutions. Results: Eighty-seven patients were included. Median age was 63 (range, 35–87) years. The median number of previous treatments was 3 (range, 0–10) and F and T were administered as ≥ 3…

Safety and activity of trastuzumab-containing therapies for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer: our long-term clinical experience (GOIM study).

Background: Trastuzumab is widely used as the treatment of choice for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Patients and methods: Seventy patients, median age 57 years and range 31-81 years, were included in our retrospective analysis with the aim to evaluate safety and activity of trastuzumab-containing therapies. Results: We observed for first-line treatment response rate (RR) 41%, stable disease (SD) 47% and time to progression (TTP) 8 months (range 1-44). Corresponding numbers for second line were RR 23%, SD 62% and (TTP) 9 months (range 3-23) and beyond second line RR 22%, SD 78% and (TTP) 9 months (range 4-19). Overall survival was 19.2 months (3-62 months). The median cumulat…

sj-docx-1-tam-10.1177_17588359211059873 ��� Supplemental material for PANHER study: a 20-year treatment outcome analysis from a multicentre observational study of HER2-positive advanced breast cancer patients from the real-world setting

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-tam-10.1177_17588359211059873 for PANHER study: a 20-year treatment outcome analysis from a multicentre observational study of HER2-positive advanced breast cancer patients from the real-world setting by Laura Pizzuti, Eriseld Krasniqi, Isabella Sperduti, Maddalena Barba, Teresa Gamucci, Maria Mauri, Enzo Maria Veltri, Icro Meattini, Rossana Berardi, Francesca Sofia Di Lisa, Clara Natoli, Mirco Pistelli, Laura Iezzi, Emanuela Risi, Nicola D���Ostilio, Silverio Tomao, Corrado Ficorella, Katia Cannita, Ferdinando Riccardi, Alessandra Cassano, Emilio Bria, Maria Agnese Fabbri, Marco Mazzotta, Giacomo Barchiesi, Andrea Botticelli, Giuliana D���Auria, Anna Ceribe…

Carboplatin plus paclitaxel versus carboplatin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin as first-line treatment for patients with ovarian cancer: the MITO-2 randomized phase III trial

Purpose Carboplatin/paclitaxel is the standard first-line chemotherapy for patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Multicentre Italian Trials in Ovarian Cancer-2 (MITO-2), an academic multicenter phase III trial, tested whether carboplatin/pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) was more effective than standard chemotherapy. Patients and Methods Chemotherapy-naive patients with stage IC to IV ovarian cancer (age ≤ 75 years; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 2) were randomly assigned to carboplatin area under the curve (AUC) 5 plus paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 or to carboplatin AUC 5 plus PLD 30 mg/m2, every 3 weeks for six cycles. Primary end point was progression-free survival (…

Specific TP53 and/or Ki-ras mutations as independent predictors of clinical outcome in sporadic colorectal adenocarcinomas: results of a 5-year Gruppo Oncologico dell'Italia Meridionale (GOIM) prospective study

BACKGROUND: Although Ki-ras and TP53 mutations have probably been the genetic abnormalities most exhaustively implicated and studied in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, their significance in terms of disease relapse and overall survival has not yet clearly been established. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was carried out on paired tumor and normal colon tissue samples from a consecutive series of 160 previously-untreated patients, undergoing resective surgery for primary operable sporadic CRC. Mutations within the TP53 (exons 5-8) and Ki-ras (exon 2) genes were detected by PCR-SSCP analyses following sequencing. RESULTS: Mutation analyses of exons 5 to 8 of the TP53 gene showe…

Stereotactic Radiotherapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer in Neoadjuvant and Exclusive Settings: A Systematic Review

&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Introduction:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common tumors; better screening policies and multidisciplinary approach allow personalized treatment. Radiotherapy (RT) plays a central role in the multimodal approach in BC, and recent evidence has shown the non-inferiority of hypofractionated treatments. The aim of this study was to describe the feasibility and validity of stereotactic RT (SBRT) in BC in a neoadjuvant and exclusive setting. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; A PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase systematic review was conducted to assess the role of radiomics in BC. The search strategy was “breast [All Fields] AND “stereotactic” [Al…

Time to initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with rapidly proliferating early breast cancer

Aim To evaluate the optimal time interval from definitive surgery to commencing chemotherapy in early breast cancer (EBC). Patients and methods The relationship between time to initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy (TTC), calculated in weeks, and disease-free (DFS) or overall survival (OS), was assessed in 921 EBC patients with rapidly proliferating tumours (thymidine labelling index &gt;3% or G3 or Ki67 &gt;20%), randomised in a phase III clinical trial (NCT01031030) to receive chemotherapy with or without anthracyclines (epirubicin → cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil (CMF) versus CMF → epirubicin versus CMF). DFS, OS and 95% confidence intervals (95% confidence interval (CI)) …

Gastric and Rectal Metastases from Malignant Melanoma Presenting with Hypochromic Anemia and Treated with Immunotherapy

The authors present a case of an 80-year-old Caucasian male with multiple gastric and rectal metastases from malignant melanoma presenting with hypochromic anemia as the sole symptom of disease without evidence of cutaneous and ocular tumor localization. The patient had a medical history positive for malignant lentigo melanoma of the occipital region of the scalp and early stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and prostatic carcinoma treated with radiation therapy. The authors make some considerations on intestinal involvement by metastatic melanoma and discuss the choice of not treating with endoscopic procedures the gastric metastatic lesions most likely responsible for the clinical sig…

Additional file 2 of Loss of HER2 and decreased T-DM1 efficacy in HER2 positive advanced breast cancer treated with dual HER2 blockade: the SePHER Study

Additional file 2.

Hematologic toxicity of radium-223 in elderly patients with metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer: a real-life experience

Background: Treatment with radium-223 has been shown to increase survival and to delay skeletal events related to bone metastases of patients with metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC). This treatment has also proved to be well tolerated, and hematological toxicity, in particular anemia, represents the most represented adverse event. Materials and methods: We evaluated the hematologic toxicity of Ra-223 treatment in a real-life experience of 38 patients from two Italian cancer centers, with bone metastases from mCRPC. The main endpoint of the study was the evaluation of the efficacy and tolerability of treatment with radium-223, with greater reference to hematological toxi…

Clinical presentation and treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Aims and background Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), although rare, are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms affecting the gastrointestinal tract. We present our experience in the treatment of localized and metastatic disease and a review of literature. Patients and methods Nine patients were observed from April 2002 to July 2004. Eight tumors were in the gastric area and J was in the small bowel. In 5 cases, complete surgical removal was performed, and none of these patients underwent adjuvant therapy. The remaining 4 cases, with locally advanced or recurrent disease, were treated with imatinib. Results The patients with localized disease treated only by surgery did not relapse. I…

NEPA as antiemetic prophylaxis after failure of 5HT3-RA plus dexamethasone in patients receiving carboplatin and gemcitabine chemotherapy: A monocentric real-life experience

Introduction Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) may affect adherence to planned chemotherapy treatments and compromise patients’ quality of life during the therapy. NEPA is an oral fixed combination of netupitant, a highly-selective NK1-RA and palonosetron, a 5HT3-RA, approved for the prevention of acute and delayed CINV. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NEPA with dexamethasone for CINV prophylaxis in the challenging setting of carboplatin and gemcitabine combination chemotherapy, after failure of prophylaxis with 5HT3 receptor antagonist. Methods Eligible patients were undergoing carboplatin and gemcitabine combination chemotherapy for metastati…

Detection and clinical relevance of free-circulating tumor DNA in blood of patients with colorectal cancer. Proceeding of ICACT Fifteenth International Congress on Anticancer Treatment February 9th 12th 2004, Paris accepted for oral presentation

Current Role of Intraoperative Frozen Section Examination of Sentinel Lymph Node in Early Breast Cancer.

Background/Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the current role of frozen section in identifying patients who could benefit from an immediate axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), following the criteria of the ASOCOG Z0011 and IBCSG 23-10 trials. Patients and Methods: A retrospective review was performed involving 2,079 patients with early breast cancer who underwent conservative surgery or total mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy. Results: Sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy were 63.8% and 90.3%, respectively. Sensitivity was significantly higher (p&lt;0.001) in finding macrometastases (81.8%) compared to micrometastases (11.9%). Frozen section was useful only in 7.7% of th…

Effects of the number of removed lymph nodes on survival outcome in patients with sentinel node-negative breast cancer.

Abstract Background Sentinel lymph node biopsy is the gold standard surgical technique for axillary staging in patients with clinically node-negative. However, it is still uncertain what is the optimal number of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) to be removed to reduce the false-negative rate. The aim of this study was to investigate whether patients with a single negative SLN have a worse prognosis than those with two or more negative SLNs. Methods A retrospective review was conducted on a large series of SLN-negative breast cancer patients. Survival outcomes and regional recurrence rate were evaluated according to the number of removed SLNs. Secondly, the contribution of different adjuvant ther…

Metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT) in HER2-ve advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients (pts): What has changed over the time? Preliminary results of the VICTOR-6 study

e12552 Background: mCHT is the minimum biologically effective dose of a chemotherapeutic agent, given at regular dosing regimen with no prolonged drug free interval, that leads to anti-tumor activity. Old regimens included Cyclophosphamide-Methotrexate (CM), whereas in the last years new regimens, such as Vinorelbine (VRL) and Capecitabine (CAPE)-based have been developed. Aim of this observational retrospective ongoing study is to describe the use of mCHT in ABC pts across 5 years and the clinical characteristics of the pts together with efficacy of old (CM-like) vs new (VRL/CAPE-based) metronomic regimens in terms of response and disease control. Methods: We retrospectively identified fr…

Weekly Paclitaxel (T) and pegylated liposomal Doxorubicin (PLD) as first line treatment in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients.VII CONGRESSO NAZIONALE G.O.I.M. ROMA 23-25 Giugno 2004

Harmful Interference of Detoxifying Diets and Nutraceuticals with Adherence to Abemaciclib in Advanced Estrogen Receptor-Positive, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2-Negative Breast Cancer: A Case Report

Many cancer patients use integrative therapies with a combination of natural products and diets. In the Western world, integrative medicine is often not shared with oncologists even during antineoplastic treatments. This behavior stems from the unmet needs of cancer patients who may feel oncologists’ underestimation of their symptoms and spiritual aspects. This case report demonstrates the potential harm of inadequate diet and nutraceutical intake in a 68-year-old woman with metastatic estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative breast cancer. Her care team recommended hormone therapy with abemaciclib plus fulvestrant. Her diarrhea started after 10 days of …

Does Smoking Cessation at Primary Diagnosis Reduce the Recurrence Risk of Nonmuscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer? Results of a Prospective Study.

&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Introduction:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Evidence that smoking cessation at first diagnosis of nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) reduces the risk of recurrence is lacking. The aim of our prospective study was to analyze the association between patients’ changes in smoking habits after diagnosis and recurrence-free survival (RFS). &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Patients:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; After transurethral resection of primary NMIBC, patients were classified as “ex-smokers,” i.e., those definitively stopping, and as “active smokers,” i.e., those continuing or restarting to smoke. Smoking status was reassessed every 3 months during the first year and every 6 months thereafter. Data …

TP53 mutations and S-phase fraction but not DNA-ploidy are independent prognostic indicators in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

ToprospectivelyevaluatetheprognosticsignificanceofTP53,H-,K-,andN-Rasmutations,DNA-ploidyandS-phasefraction(SPF) in patients affected by locally advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Eight-one patients (median follow-up was 71 months) who underwent resective surgery for primary operable locally advanced LSCC were analyzed. Tumor DNA was screened for mutational analysis by PCR/SSCP and sequencing. DNA-ploidy and SPF were performed byflow cytometric analyses. Thirty-six patients (44%) had, at least, a mutation in the TP53 gene. Of them, 22% (8/36) had double mutations and 3% (1/36) had triplemutations.Intotal,46TP53mutationswereobserved.Themajority(41%)oftheseoccurinexon5(19/46),…

Virtual Multidisciplinary Tumor Board: A Narrative Review Focused on Lung Cancer

Article full text The above summary slide represents the opinions of the authors. For a full list of declarations, including funding and author disclosure statements, please see the full text online (see “read the peer-reviewed publication” opposite). © The authors, CC-BY-NC 2021.

TP53 mutations and S-Phase fraction are independent prognostic indicators in locally advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Larynx tumor is a rare neoplasia that represent only the 2% of all human tumor. In particular, the 90% of tumor that occur in this organ correspond to the laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). From the biomolecular point of view, it was shown that the TP53 gene mutations are the most common events observed in the early phases of LSCC carcinogenesis. However, them prognostic significance remains controversial. Besides, the prognostic significance of DNA ploidy has been well established for other solid tumors, but its role in LSCC is still controversial. The aim of this study was, therefore, to prospectively evaluate the prognostic significance of TP53 mutations, DNA-ploidy and S-phase fr…