Single stage laparoscopic cholecystectomy with intraoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for cholecysto-choledocholithiasis. Lesson learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Choledocholithiasis, a common complication of gallstone disease, poses significant risks including cholangitis and pancreatitis. Various treatment approaches exist, including single-stage and two-stage techniques, with recent literature suggesting advantages of the single-stage approach in terms of outcomes and cost-effectiveness. This study evaluates the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of single-stage laparoscopic cholecystectomy combined with intraoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (LC + iERCP) compared to the previously adopted two-stage approach.

Antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity-inducing anti-EGFR antibodies as effective therapeutic option for cutaneous melanoma resistant to BRAF inhibitors.

Introduction: About 50% of cutaneous melanoma (CM) patients present activating BRAF mutations that can be effectively targeted by BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi). However, 20% of CM patients exhibit intrinsic drug resistance to BRAFi, while most of the others develop adaptive resistance over time. The mechanisms involved in BRAFi resistance are disparate and globally seem to rewire the cellular signaling profile by up-regulating different receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).

Autophagy in BRAF-mutant cutaneous melanoma: recent advances and therapeutic perspective.

Macroautophagy, hereafter referred to as autophagy, represents a highly conserved catabolic process that maintains cellular homeostasis. At present, the role of autophagy in cutaneous melanoma (CM) is still controversial, since it appears to be tumor-suppressive at early stages of malignant transformation and cancer-promoting during disease progression. Interestingly, autophagy has been found to be often increased in CM harboring BRAF mutation and to impair the response to targeted therapy.