Extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer in patients receiving atezolizumab plus carboplatin-etoposide: stratification of outcome based on a composite score that combines gene expression profiling and immune characterization of microenvironment.

Purpose: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease with a dismal prognosis. The addition of immune checkpoints inhibitors to standard platinum-based chemotherapy in first-line setting achieves a durable benefit only in a patient subgroup. Thus, the identification of predictive biomarkers is an urgent unmet medical need.

Infective Endocarditis in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease: Never Stop Digging-The Role of Multimodality Imaging.

A challenging case of infective endocarditis in a young woman with repaired tetralogy of Fallot and a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis is described. Despite the presence of multiple confounding factors, a multidisciplinary approach with the use of multimodality cardiac imaging allowed a correct diagnosis and effective medical treatment. ().

Mid-term follow-up after COVID-19 vaccination in adults with CHD: a prospective study.

Background: Long-term data on COVID-19 vaccine safety, immunogenicity, and acceptance in adults with CHD are lacking.

Methods: This is a prospective study including adults with CHD patients undergoing COVID-19 vaccination from January 2021 to June 2022. Data on adverse events, antispike IgG titre, previous or subsequent COVID-19 infection, booster doses, and patients' attitude towards vaccination were collected.

COVID-19 vaccination in adults with congenital heart disease: Real-world data from an Italian tertiary centre.

Background: real-world data on COVID-19 vaccine safety, immunogenicity and acceptance in adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) are lacking.

Methods: ACHD patients who were offered COVID-19 vaccination from January to June 2021 were included. Data on adverse events, on patients' attitude towards vaccination and antispike IgG titre were retrospectively collected.

Cancer Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) Regarding the Policies Implemented to Contain the Spread of Sars-CoV-2 and Vaccination Campaign at Veneto Institute of Oncology.

Purpose: The SARS-CoV-2 spread has impacted Healthcare systems. COVID-19 pandemic has had consequences for patients with cancer, being associated with delays in diagnosis, in treatment And follow-up care, increase in overall infection rates and higher mortality. A survey on COVID-19 and a vaccination-questionnaire were developed at different times of the outbreak, to evaluate cancer patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) on the policies implemented to reduce the infection from SARS-CoV-2 and on the timing and methods of COVID-19 vaccination.

Prognostic Relevance of Thyroid Disorders in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease.

Adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) are frequently affected by thyroid diseases (TDs). However, the clinical relevance of TD in ACHD remains unknown. We aimed to describe the prevalence of TD in the ACHD population and to ascertain whether TD are associated with worse outcome.

Glycosaminoglycan Profiling in Patients' Plasma and Urine Predicts the Occurrence of Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) progression. Here, we used genome-scale metabolic modeling to elucidate metabolic reprogramming in 481 ccRCC samples and discovered strongly coordinated regulation of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) biosynthesis at the transcript and protein levels. Extracellular GAGs are implicated in metastasis, so we speculated that such regulation might translate into a non-invasive biomarker for metastatic ccRCC (mccRCC).

Role of dose exposure and inflammatory status in a single center, real-world analysis of sunitinib in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Unlabelled: AIM, PATIENTS & METHODS: To evaluate the real-world setting use of sunitinib, we reviewed data of our patients from January 2007 to December 2014.

Results: In 114 patients, sunitinib was used as first-line TKI. Out of 110 evaluable patients, 5 complete responses, 37 partial responses, 42 stabilizations were reported.

Adjuvant Carboplatin Treatment in 115 Patients With Stage I Seminoma: Retrospective Multicenter Survey.

Background: The administration of carboplatin AUC 7 has become a standard adjuvant option for patients undergoing orchiectomy for stage I seminoma, in alternative to radiotherapy on retroperitoneal lymphnodes or surveillance. The toxicity of AUC 7 carboplatin appeared manageable in the pivotal trial of Oliver et al, but dose ranges were not reported. Fear of toxicity may induce arbitrary dose reductions, which may potentially compromise patients' outcome.

Development of an oncological-multidimensional prognostic index (Onco-MPI) for mortality prediction in older cancer patients.

Purpose: A multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) based on a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) has been developed and validated in independent cohorts of older patients demonstrating good accuracy in predicting one-year mortality. The aim of this study was to develop a cancer-specific modified MPI (Onco-MPI) for mortality prediction in older cancer patients.

Methods: We enrolled 658 new cancer subjects ≥70 years (mean age 77.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for soft tissue sarcomas: a 10-year mono-institutional experience.

Purpose: The role of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) for soft tissue sarcomas (STS) is not standard practice. We investigated effectiveness and tolerability of ACT in patients (pts) with operated high-risk STS in clinical practice.

Methods: Medical records of pts with localized STS referred to Istituto Oncologico Veneto, Padova, from January 1, 2003 to July 07, 2012 were reviewed.

First-Line sunitinib in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease: clinical outcome and patterns of radiological response.

Unlabelled: von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) is a rare hereditary condition caused by germline alteration of VHL gene predisposing to renal carcinoma and multiple other tumors. Since acquired dysregulation of VHL-dependent pathways is often present in patients with sporadic RCC treated with the anti-angiogenic drug sunitinib, there is a strong rationale to use the same drug in VHL patients with progressive disease in the kidneys or other sites. Our primary objective was to evaluate the activity of sunitinib in terms of progression-free survival.

Soft tissue limb and trunk sarcomas: diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

This review focuses on epidemiology, aetiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, management, prognosis and follow-up of soft tissue sarcomas (STS) involving limbs and trunk. Any patient with a suspected STS should be referred to a specialized sarcoma centre and managed by a multidisciplinary group. The standard treatment is surgical excision followed by adjuvant radiotherapy (RT).

Response to trabectedin in a patient with advanced synovial sarcoma with lung metastases.

Trabectedin is an alkylating agent registered in Europe for the treatment of advanced metastatic soft-tissue sarcomas, whose activity has been documented mainly in liposarcomas or leiomyosarcomas. Here, we report the response achieved in a patient with lung metastases from synovial sarcoma. A man with a large synovial sarcoma of the axilla underwent three cycles of neoadjuvant epirubicin+ifosfamide before complete excision, followed by three additional cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Treatment of malignant gliomas in elderly patients: a concise overview of the literature.

Gliomas are the most frequent primary brain tumors and the incidence data has increased in the elderly population. Unfortunately, prospective studies on this population are few and so the right treatment is unknown. In the elderly patients no standard treatment has been established and therefore the optimal treatment should be individualized.

The combination of carmustine wafers and fotemustine in recurrent glioblastoma patients: a monoinstitutional experience.

Background: To date, there is no standard treatment for recurrent glioblastoma. We analyzed the feasibility of second surgery plus carmustine wafers followed by intravenous fotemustine.

Methods: Retrospectively, we analyzed patients with recurrent glioblastoma treated with this multimodal strategy.

Bi-weekly liposomal doxorubicin for advanced breast cancer in elderly women (≥ 70 years).

Background: We conducted a multicenter prospective trial to assess tolerability and activity of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in women ≥ 70 years with locally-advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: All patients underwent Multidimensional Geriatric Assessment (MGA). Frail patients were excluded.

Cancer-induced hypercalcemia.

Cancer-induced hypercalcemia (CIH) occurs in 5% to 30% of patients with cancer during the course of their disease, depending on the type of tumor. This review provides information on the pathophysiology and treatment of CIH. Enhanced bone resorption is the primary cause of CIH and the release of tumor-derived mediators induces this increase in osteoclast-mediated resorption.

Chemotherapy and targeted agents for elderly women with advanced breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide, and represents the leading cause of death in the female population. Incidence of breast cancer increases with age, and older patients are more likely to have disseminated disease at diagnosis. For those patients who relapse after endocrine treatment or in which the tumor does not express hormone receptors, chemotherapy should be considered.

Relationship between oral contraceptive therapy and estrogen receptor status in patients with breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women, and the hormone receptor status is one of the most important prognostic factors in patients with BC. The aim of this study was to establish whether a relationship exists between the hormone receptor rate and the main classic risk factors in patients with BC.

Patients And Methods: The data regarding a series of 351 consecutive women (median age 57 years, range 26-85 years) who had undergone curative surgery for primary BC was retrospectively reviewed.