The Long-Term Benefit of Liver Transplantation for Hepatic Metastases From Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Selection criteria and benefit of liver transplantation for hepatic metastases from neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) remain uncertain. Eighty-eight consecutive patients with metastatic NETs eligible for liver transplantation according to Milan-NET criteria were offered transplant (n = 42) versus nontransplant options (n = 46) depending on list dynamics, patient disposition, and age. Tumor burden between groups did not differ.

Drug-eluting beads versus conventional chemoembolization for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aim: Solid demonstrations of superior efficacy of drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization with respect to conventional chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma patients are lacking. The aim of the study was to compare these two techniques in two large cohorts of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Methods: A single center series of 249 early/intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent "on demand" chemoembolization in the period 2007-2011 was analyzed.

Radioembolization of hepatocarcinoma with (90)Y glass microspheres: development of an individualized treatment planning strategy based on dosimetry and radiobiology.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to optimize the dosimetric approach and to review the absorbed doses delivered, taking into account radiobiology, in order to identify the optimal methodology for an individualized treatment planning strategy based on (99m)Tc-macroaggregated albumin (MAA) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images.

Methods: We performed retrospective dosimetry of the standard TheraSphere® treatment on 52 intermediate (n = 17) and advanced (i.e.

Prediction of survival in patients with thin melanoma: results from a multi-institution study.

Purpose: Cutaneous melanoma incidence is increasing. Most new cases are thin (≤ 1 mm) with favorable prognoses, but survival is nonetheless variable. Our aim was to investigate new prognostic factors and construct a nomogram for predicting survival in individual patients.

Accuracy and prognostic value of sentinel lymph node biopsy in head and neck melanomas.

Background: Debate remains around the accuracy and prognostic implications of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for melanoma arising in the head and neck (HN) areas because several analyses have shown discordances between clinically predicted lymphatic drainage pathways and those identified by lymphoscintigraphy. This study assesses the accuracy and prognostic value of SLNB in this critical anatomic region.

Methods: Retrospective review of a prospectively collected melanoma database identified 331 patients with HN melanomas from January 2000 to December 2012.

A dosimetric treatment planning strategy in radioembolization of hepatocarcinoma with 90Y glass microspheres.

Aim: Our goal was to limit liver toxicity and to obtain good efficacy by developing a dosimetric treatment planning strategy. While several dosimetric evaluations are reported in literature, the main problem of the safety of the treatment is rarely addressed. Our work is the first proposal of a treatment planning method for glass spheres, including both liver toxicity and efficacy issues.

Where on earth to publish? A sample survey comparing traditional and open access publishing in the oncological field.

Background: The paper intends to help scientific authors to make the best choice of journals in which to publish, by describing and comparing journal features in the area of oncology. For this purpose, the authors identified impact factor (IF) ranking, cost options and copyright conditions offered to authors wishing to publish in full open access (OA), subscription-based or hybrid journals.

Methods: Data referring to articles published in 2010 by three Italian research institutions (National Institute of Health - Rome (ISS), Regina Elena National Cancer Institute - Rome (IRE), National Cancer Institute - Milan (INT) in journals (78) managed according to different business models, all listed in the Journal Citation Reports, subject category Oncology, were collected and analysed.

The use of polytetrafluoroethylene to facilitate the vascular access in recurrent melanoma to limbs.

Introduction: Melanoma with recurrent loco-regional metastases to limbs often makes difficult a second surgical approach because of the adhesions affecting the vascular access. Our aim was to evaluate whether the placement of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane around vessels might facilitate a surgical re-approach.

Presentation Of Case: We reported a case of a 64-year-old male with a melanoma on the left foot who developed in transit metastases after LND.

Yttrium-90 radioembolization for intermediate-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a phase 2 study.

Unlabelled: Yttrium-90 radioembolization (Y90RE) is a novel approach to radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), never tested in phase 2 studies. Fifty-two patients with intermediate (n.17) to advanced (n.

miRNA profiling in colorectal cancer highlights miR-1 involvement in MET-dependent proliferation.

Altered expression of miRNAs is associated with development and progression of various human cancers by regulating the translation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. In colorectal cancer, these regulators complement the Vogelstein multistep model of pathogenesis and have the potential of becoming a novel class of tumor biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we measured the expression of 621 mature miRNAs in 40 colorectal cancers and their paired normal tissues and identified 23 significantly deregulated miRNAs.

Need, feasibility and convenience of dosimetric treatment planning in liver selective internal radiation therapy with (90)Y microspheres: the experience of the National Tumor Institute of Milan.

In most centres, the choice of the optimal activity to be administered in selective intra-arterial radioembolization with microspheres is nowadays based on empirical models which do not take into account the evaluation of tumour and non tumour individual absorbed dose, despite plenty of published data which showed that local efficacy is correlated to tumour absorbed dose, and that the mean absorbed dose is a toxicity risk factor. A pitfall of the crudest, empirical tumour involvement method are 20 deaths in a single centre which adopted it to administer the whole liver, or the need of systematic 25% subjective reduction of activity prescribed with body surface area method. In order to develop a possibly safer and more effective strategy based on real individual dosimetry, we examine first external beam liver radiation therapy results.

Pure desmoplastic melanoma: a melanoma with distinctive clinical behavior.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the excision margin necessary for desmoplastic melanoma (DM).

Background: DM consists of 2 histologic subtypes, pure DM (PDM) and mixed DM (MDM), differing in extent of fibrotic component. We investigated clinical and therapeutic determinants of prognosis in these DM entities.

Highly tumorigenic lung cancer CD133+ cells display stem-like features and are spared by cisplatin treatment.

The identification of lung tumor-initiating cells and associated markers may be useful for optimization of therapeutic approaches and for predictive and prognostic information in lung cancer patients. CD133, a surface glycoprotein linked to organ-specific stem cells, was described as a marker of cancer-initiating cells in different tumor types. Here, we report that a CD133+, epithelial-specific antigen-positive (CD133+ESA+) population is increased in primary nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with normal lung tissue and has higher tumorigenic potential in SCID mice and expression of genes involved in stemness, adhesion, motility, and drug efflux than the CD133(-) counterpart.

Pulmonary nodules: volume repeatability at multidetector CT lung cancer screening.

Purpose: To assess in vivo volumetric repeatability of an automated software algorithm in pulmonary nodules detected during a lung cancer screening trial.

Materials And Methods: This study was approved by an institutional review board. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Plasma retinol and prognosis of postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

Background: The role of retinol (vitamin A) in breast cancer prognosis has never been investigated in postmenopausal women. We prospectively assessed the long-term prognostic role of retinol plasma levels in a cohort of postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

Patients And Methods: We investigated 208 women self-reported as postmenopausal operated on for T(1-2)N(0)M(0) breast cancer who participated in a chemoprevention trial as controls and never received chemotherapy or hormone therapy.

Predicting survival after liver transplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma beyond the Milan criteria: a retrospective, exploratory analysis.

Background: Patients undergoing liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma within the Milan criteria (single tumour View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Biology, prognosis and response to therapy of breast carcinomas according to HER2 score.

Background: The standardization of the HER2 score and recent changes in therapeutic modalities points to the need for a reevaluation of the role of HER2 in recently diagnosed breast carcinoma.

Patients And Methods: A multicenter, retrospective study of 1794 primary breast carcinomas diagnosed in Italy in 2000/2001 and scored in HER2 four categories according to immunohistochemistry was conducted.

Results: Ductal histotype, vascular invasion, grade, MIB1 positivity, estrogen and progesterone receptor expression differed significantly in HER2 3+ tumors compared with the other categories.

Plasma testosterone and prognosis of postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

Purpose: High endogenous testosterone is associated with increased breast cancer (BC) risk. We designed this study specifically to assess the long-term prognostic role of testosterone in a cohort of postmenopausal BC patients.

Patients And Methods: We considered 194 postmenopausal women, operated on for early BC (T1-2N0M0), who never received chemotherapy or hormonal therapy, and who participated in a fenretinide BC prevention trial as untreated controls.

Radiation effects on development of HER2-positive breast carcinomas.

Purpose: Neither hormone-related nor genetics risk factors have been associated with the development of highly proliferative HER2-positive breast carcinomas. Because the majority of HER2-positive tumors present the amplification of the oncogene, we asked whether genomic instability triggered by irradiation might be involved in the induction of HER2-overexpressing breast carcinomas.

Experimental Design: Sixty-six infiltrating breast carcinomas from patients treated with radiation therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma or other pediatric solid tumors and a control series of 61 consecutive sporadic breast tumors were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for HER2 expression with HercepTest.

Prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence with alpha-interferon after liver resection in HCV cirrhosis.

Tumor recurrence after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can occur early (<2 years) or late (>2 years) as metastases or de novo tumors. Interferon (IFN) has the potential for chemoprevention against hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis. A predetermined group of 150 HCV RNA-positive patients undergoing resection of early- to intermediate-stage HCC was stratified into 80 HCV-pure (hepatitis B anticore antibody [anti-HBc]-negative) and 70 mixed HCV+hepatitis B virus (HBV) (anti-HBc-positive) groups, then randomized to IFN-alpha (3 million units 3 times every week for 48 weeks [n = 76]) versus control (n = 74).

Sentinel and nonsentinel node status in stage IB and II melanoma patients: two-step prognostic indicators of survival.

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic significance of sentinel node biopsy in the management of stage IB and II melanoma patients, and to evaluate the status of nonsentinel nodes as a "second step key factor" to assess the prognosis of these patients.

Patients And Methods: We conducted an analysis of data collected in a prospective database.

Results: From February 1994 to June 2005, 1,108 consecutive patients with stage IB and II melanoma were submitted to sentinel node biopsy; 176 patients (15.

Fifteen-year results of a randomized phase III trial of fenretinide to prevent second breast cancer.

Purpose: The synthetic retinoid fenretinide administered for 5 years for prevention of second breast cancer showed no difference after a median of 8 years, but a possible reduction in premenopausal women. We conducted a long-term analysis in a subgroup of women who were regularly followed up in a single center.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed data after a median follow-up of 14.

Proposal of a novel system for the staging of thymic epithelial tumors.

Background: We designed and assessed a new TNM staging system (herein called the INT [Istituto Nazionale Tumori] system) for thymic epithelial tumors in order to overcome the perceived drawbacks of Masaoka's system, which represents the current standard.

Methods: In all, 123 cases were evaluated. The histologic types according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification were as follows: subtype A: 5 cases; AB: 40; B1: 16; B2: 29; B3: 16; and C: 17 cases.

Study of sunbathing in children: the preliminary evaluation of a prevention program.

Aims And Background: Sunburn during childhood is associated with an increased risk for developing melanoma in an adult age. The aim of the present study was to define the validity of our educational program in order to teach the positive effects and risks of sun exposure during childhood.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a population-based, case-control study in primary schools of three towns in Northern Italy (Brescia, Bergamo and Trento) between 2001 and 2002.