Retrospective Correlation between First Drug Treatment Duration and Survival Outcomes in Sequential Treatment with Regorafenib and Trifluridine/Tipiracil in Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Real-World Subgroup Analysis.

: Patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) rarely receive third-line or further treatment. In this context, regorafenib (R) and trifluridine/tipiracil (T) are two important novel therapeutic choices with statistically significant increases in overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and disease control, with different toxicity profiles. This study is a subgroup analysis of our larger retrospective study, already published, whose objective was to assess the outcomes of patients when R and T were given sequentially.

Treatment Settings and Outcomes with Regorafenib and Trifluridine/Tipiracil at Third-Line Treatment and beyond in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Real-World Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Background: Patients with refractory mCRC rarely undergo third-line or subsequent treatment. This strategy could negatively impact their survival. In this setting, regorafenib (R) and trifluridine/tipiracil (T) are two key new treatment options with statistically significant improvements in overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and disease control with different tolerance profiles.

Efficacy of third-line anti-EGFR-based treatment versus regorafenib or trifluridine/tipiracil according to primary tumor site in RAS/BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

Background: Right- (R) and left-sided (L) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) exhibit different clinical and molecular features. Several retrospective analyses showed that survival benefit of anti-EGFR-based therapy is limited to RAS/BRAF wt L-sided mCRC patients. Few data are available about third-line anti-EGFR efficacy according to primary tumor site.

Association between Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15) Serum Levels, Anorexia and Low Muscle Mass among Cancer Patients.

The pathophysiology of cancer anorexia is complex and serum biomarkers, including growth and differentiation factor(s) (GDF), may be modulated. We explored the association(s) between GDF-15 serum levels and anorexia and, secondarily, with low muscle mass and body weight loss in cancer patients. We considered gastrointestinal and lung cancer patients (CP) and healthy BMI-matched controls.

Plasma enterobacterial ClpB levels and ClpB- and α-MSH-reactive immunoglobulins in lung cancer patients with and without anorexia.

Objectives: Anorexia represents a common and debilitating clinical problem in patients with several forms of cancer, in particular lung cancer, but its mechanisms are not completely understood. Recently, the caseinolytic-protease-B (ClpB) homologue protein, produced by common gut bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, was identified as an antigen-mimetic of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), an anorexigenic neuropeptide. ClpB was previously detected in human plasma and displayed satietogenic properties; however, its possible relevance to cancer anorexia has not yet been investigated.

The 5-Ws of immunotherapy in head and neck cancer.

The immune checkpoint inhibitors, a class of drugs able to block immune suppressive pathways in order to prime an anticancer immunity, revolutionized standard of care in platinum-refractory recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck carcinoma (R/M HNSCC). The PD-1/ PD-L1 axis is involved in the genesis, maintenance and progression of HNSCC and represents the target of checkpoint inhibitors. HNSCC is an immunosuppressive disease with a high inflammatory component in tumor microenvironment.

Evaluation of Second-line Anti-VEGF after First-line Anti-EGFR Based Therapy in RAS Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: The Multicenter "SLAVE" Study.

Unlabelled: Background: The optimal anti-angiogenic strategy as second-line treatment in wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with anti-EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) based first-line treatment is still debated.

Methods: This multicenter, real-world, retrospective study is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of second-line Bevacizumab- and Aflibercept-based treatments after an anti-EGFR based first-line regimen. Clinical outcomes measured were: objective response rate (ORR), progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse events (AEs) profiles.

Adjuvant chemotherapy in resected colon cancer: When, how and how long?

The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy has been clearly established in the adjuvant setting for node-positive colon cancer. A number of trials in the adjuvant setting have analyzed the efficacy of multiple-agent combinations, including irinotecan, oxaliplatin, bevacizumab and cetuximab. Only oxaliplatin added to fluorouracil/capecitabine has been shown to be superior beyond a fluropyrimidine alone in the adjuvant setting.

Circulating Tumor Cells in Right- and Left-Sided Colorectal Cancer.

Molecular alterations are not randomly distributed in colorectal cancer (CRC), but rather clustered on the basis of primary tumor location underlying the importance of colorectal cancer sidedness. We aimed to investigate whether circulating tumor cells (CTC) characterization might help clarify how different the patterns of dissemination might be relative to the behavior of left- (LCC) compared to right-sided (RCC) cancers. We retrospectively analyzed patients with metastatic CRC who had undergone standard baseline CTC evaluation before starting any first-line systemic treatment.

Evaluation of the efficacy of cisplatin-etoposide and the role of thoracic radiotherapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation in LCNEC.

In small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), the role of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is well established. Large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) shares several clinicopathological features with SCLC, but its optimal therapy is not defined. We evaluated clinical response and survival outcomes of advanced LCNEC treated in first-line therapy compared with SCLC.

Cancer anorexia: hypothalamic activity and its association with inflammation and appetite-regulating peptides in lung cancer.

Background: Energy homeostasis is mediated by the hypothalamus, whose inflammation-induced functional derangements contribute to the onset of anorexia in cancer. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we determined the patterns of hypothalamic activation after oral intake in anorexic (A), non-anorexic (NA) cancer patients, and in controls (C).

Methods: Lung cancer patients were considered.

Merkel cell carcinoma of the retroperitoneum with no identifiable primary site.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an extremely rare primary neuroendocrine neoplasm of the skin that shows aggressive behavior and a poor prognosis. We report a case of a 67-year-old male with a Merkel cell carcinoma which initially presented itself as a large retroperitoneal mass. Pathological and immunohistochemical analysis revealed tissue consistent with neuroendocrine carcinoma.

An unusual presentation of multiple cavitated lung metastases from colon carcinoma.

Background: Consolidation with or without ground-glass opacity is the typical radiologic finding of lung metastases of adenocarcinoma from the gastrointestinal tract. Lung excavated metastases from gastrointestinal carcinoma are very rare.

Case Presentation: The authors describe an unusual presentation of multiple cavitated lung metastases from colon adenocarcinoma and discuss the outcome of a patient.

Cancer chemotherapy and cardiovascular risks: is capecitabine-induced hypertriglyceridemia a rare adverse effect?

Capecitabine is an oral fluoropyrimidine which is transformed to 5-Fluorouracil inside tumor cells, where it achieves high drug concentrations. Capecitabine is an active drug diffusely utilized in the treatment of various types of tumors, such as breast, colorectal, gastric, head and neck carcinoma. In our experience, capecitabine-induced hypertriglyceridemia does not seem to be a rare adverse effect as it is observed in 10% of treated patients.