Publications by authors named "Casali P"

Background: Pazopanib is part of the therapeutic armamentarium for the treatment of patients with advanced non-adipocytic soft tissue sarcomas (STS) who have received prior chemotherapy, but its optimal use in STS histologies is still left to be further defined.

Design And Methods: Data on STS patients treated with pazopanib in Italy have been prospectively collected from July 2013 to December 2019 through a drug monitoring registry managed by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA). This nationwide observational cohort study included patients with advanced STS who received pazopanib.

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Background: The marine drug trabectedin has shown unusual effectiveness in the treatment of myxoid liposarcoma (MLPS), a liposarcoma characterized by the expression of the FUS-DDIT3 chimera. Trabectedin elicits a significant transcriptional response in MLPS resulting in cellular depletion and reactivation of adipogenesis. However, the role of the chimeric protein in the mechanism of action of the drug is not entirely understood.

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Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) is a rare tumor hallmarked by the loss of INI1/SMARCB1 expression. Apart from this alteration, little is known about the biology of ES. Despite recent advances in treatment, the prognosis of ES remains unsatisfactory.

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Introduction: Primary (PAS) and radiation-associated angiosarcomas (RAAS) of the breast are rare tumors of vascular origin with poor survival. In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to assess the impact of multidisciplinary treatment optimization on the prognosis of patients who underwent surgery at a national referral center.

Materials And Methods: Cases of operable angiosarcoma of the breast evaluated by a multidisciplinary team including surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists expert in the field and treated from January 2012 to January 2023 were retrieved from a prospectively maintained database.

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Article Synopsis
  • Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is difficult to treat with traditional chemotherapy, prompting researchers to explore new therapies such as sirolimus and identify biomarkers for tumor aggressiveness.
  • Scientists created a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model from an advanced EHE patient to test sirolimus and to study serum levels of Growth/Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15) as a potential biomarker.
  • The results indicated sirolimus was more effective than doxorubicin in reducing tumor growth and GDF-15 levels, establishing GDF-15 as a promising biomarker for EHE aggressiveness and potentially indicating the effectiveness of sirolimus in patients.
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Article Synopsis
  • Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare type of cancer with unique features, but its natural history and best treatment practices are not well understood.
  • The EURACAN project has created a registry to gather prospective data on newly diagnosed EHE patients to enhance understanding of the disease.
  • The study will involve collecting comprehensive patient data from specialized hospitals to identify prognostic factors, treatment efficacy, and to monitor the disease's progression and outcomes over time.
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Background: This is a multicentre, single-arm, phase II study aimed at further exploring the activity of trabectedin as second-/further-line treatment in retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma (LMS) and well-differentiated/dedifferentiated liposarcoma (LPS).

Materials And Methods: The primary endpoint was the growth modulation index (GMI) defined as the ratio between PFS under trabectedin (PFS) and during previous chemotherapy treatment: time to progression (TTP-1). Secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR) and PFS.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study analyzed how anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) affects immune cells' spatial distribution in high-risk soft tissue sarcomas (STS) and how this relates to patient outcomes.
  • - Researchers examined various tumor areas for specific immune cells using advanced pathology techniques and created a sarcoma immune index (SIS) to predict disease-free and overall survival rates.
  • - Findings revealed that certain immune cell types, particularly PD-1+ and CD20+ B-cells, correlated with prognosis differently based on their locations within the tumor, highlighting NAC's role in altering tumor immune characteristics.
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Humanized mice are limited in terms of modeling human immunity, particularly with regards to antibody responses. Here we constructed a humanized (THX) mouse by grafting non-γ-irradiated, genetically myeloablated Kit mutant immunodeficient pups with human cord blood CD34 cells, followed by 17β-estradiol conditioning to promote immune cell differentiation. THX mice reconstitute a human lymphoid and myeloid immune system, including marginal zone B cells, germinal center B cells, follicular helper T cells and neutrophils, and develop well-formed lymph nodes and intestinal lymphoid tissue, including Peyer's patches, and human thymic epithelial cells.

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Background: We report on a series of consecutive patients with localized radiation-associated angiosarcoma (RAAS) of the breast region (BR) treated at two Italian sarcoma reference centers.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all cases of primary, localized, resectable RAAS of the BR, treated at one of the two participating institutions from 2000 to 2019. Relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated.

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Purpose Of Review: Liposarcomas (LPSs) represent the most common soft tissue sarcoma (STS) subtype, and exhibit distinct clinical molecular features according to histological subgroup. Chemotherapy (ChT), and in particular anthracycline-based schedules, still remains the standard of treatment for all LPS forms. However, given the increasing knowledge gained throughout last years about LPS molecular biology and their genomic profiling, new therapeutic alternatives with targeted drugs are now to be considered.

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Angiosarcoma (AS) represents a rare and aggressive vascular sarcoma, posing distinct challenges in clinical management compared to other sarcomas. While the current European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) clinical practice guidelines for sarcoma treatment are applicable to AS, its unique aggressiveness and diverse tumor presentations necessitate dedicated and detailed clinical recommendations, which are currently lacking. Notably, considerations regarding surgical extent, radiation therapy (RT), and neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy vary significantly in localized disease, depending on each different site of onset.

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Purpose: To study plasma levels, efficacy and tolerability of imatinib in a patient affected by metastatic GIST treated with oral Imatinib and undergoing hemodialysis.

Patients And Methods: The patient suffered from metastatic GIST to the liver having a mutation of exon 9 of KIT. He was on hemodialysis and received first-line treatment with imatinib 400 mg/day.

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About 500,000 patients with rare adult solid cancers (RASC) are diagnosed yearly in Europe. Delays and unequal quality of management impact negatively their survival. Since 2017, European reference networks (ERN) aim to improve the quality of care of patients with rare disease.

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Aggressive angiomyxoma (AA) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm, which is commonly diagnosed in females and located in the perineal and pelvic region. Tissue specimens of AA patients often show positivity for estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PgR), while some cases of androgen receptor (AR) positivity have been reported in males. When feasible, surgical excision represent the most effective treatment of AA; however, when experiencing advanced or recurrent disease, local disease control could be achieved with systemic hormonal treatment.

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Background: Mesenchymal neoplasms of the uterus encompass a diverse group of tumors, with varying characteristics and origins, collectively accounting for 8% of uterine malignancies. The most common variants include uterine leiomyosarcoma, low-grade and high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma, adenosarcoma, and undifferentiated sarcoma. Clinical presentation is often nonspecific and can lead to delayed diagnosis.

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Purpose: A randomized trial was conducted to compare neoadjuvant standard (S) anthracycline + ifosfamide (AI) regimen with histology-tailored (HT) regimen in selected localized high-risk soft tissue sarcoma (STS). The results of the trial demonstrated the superiority of S in all STS histologies except for high-grade myxoid liposarcoma (HG-MLPS) where S and HT appeared to be equivalent. To further evaluate the noninferiority of HT compared with S, the HG-MLPS cohort was expanded.

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Background: To investigate the activity of regorafenib in advanced solitary fibrous tumour (SFT).

Methods: An Italian monocentric investigator-initiated exploratory single-arm Phase II trial was conducted of regorafenib in adult patients with advanced and progressive SFT, until progression or limiting toxicity. Prior treatment with antiangiogenics was allowed.

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Insulin resistance (IR) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are relevant concerns in the elderly population; as the world's population ages, IR and CVD are two universal public health problems. While a link between IR a CVD has been established, the mediating mechanisms are uncertain and rigorous investigations are needed to fully elucidate them. The study aimed at assessing the relationship between epicardial fat (EF), an indicator of cardiovascular risk, and IR in Italian free-living elderly (n = 89).

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Purpose: According to the World Health Organization classification system, uterine leiomyosarcomas (ULMS) are high-grade. A diagnosis of smooth-muscle tumors of uncertain malignant potential (STUMP) is made when Stanford Criteria for ULMS are not met. When a STUMP recurs, the tumor is diagnosed as ULMS and medical treatment is the same as for ULMS.

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Background: To explore the correlation between pathological and radiological response to preoperative treatments and outcome in surgically treated patients with myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS).

Methods: All consecutive patients with primary localized MFS and UPS of the extremities and trunk wall surgically treated with curative intent at our center (2005-2021) were included. Clinical data including residual visible tumor (VT%) on surgical specimen and Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor (RECIST) were retrieved.

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Background: Camelina sativa oil is one of the richest dietary sources of omega-3, with polyunsaturated fatty acids amounts of over 50%, linolenic acid content of around 40-45%, and linoleic acid of about 15%. Moreover, this oil is a valuable source of antioxidants which provide oxidative stability. All those features raise interest in considering Camelina oil as an alternative and sustainable oil source providing stable omega-3-rich emulsions for functional food production.

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Maturation of antibody responses entails somatic hypermutation (SHM), class-switch DNA recombination (CSR), plasma cell differentiation, and generation of memory B cells, and it is thought to require T cell help. We showed that B cell Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-B cell receptor (BCR) (receptor for antigen) coengagement by 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl acetyl (NP)-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ( lipid A polysaccharide O-antigen) or TLR5-BCR coengagement by flagellin induces mature antibody responses to NP and flagellin in βδ and NSG/B mice. TLR-BCR coengagement required linkage of TLR and BCR ligands, "linked coengagement.

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Importance: Preclinical data about the synergistic activity of radiotherapy (RT) and trabectedin have been reported. The combination of trabectedin and RT in treating myxoid liposarcomas appears worth exploring.

Objective: To explore the effectiveness and safety of trabectedin combined with RT.

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