Prognostic Value of Body Mass Index in Stage II/III Colon Cancer: Posthoc Analysis From the TOSCA Trial.

Background: High body mass index (BMI) plays a key role in the development of colon cancer (CC). Our post-hoc analysis from the TOSCA trial analyzed the association between BMI and survival outcomes in terms of relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in stage II/III CC patients.

Patients And Methods: Patients enrolled in the TOSCA trial between 2007-2013 with BMI data entered the study.

An Inflammatory Signature to Predict the Clinical Benefit of First-Line Cetuximab Plus Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway has been shown to play a crucial role in several inflammatory conditions and host immune-inflammation status is related to tumor prognosis. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic significance of a four-gene inflammatory signature in recurrent/metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients treated with the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab plus chemotherapy. The inflammatory signature was assessed on 123 R/M HNSCC patients, enrolled in the multicenter trial B490 receiving first-line cetuximab plus platinum-based chemotherapy.

Dynamics of RAS/BRAF Mutations in cfDNA from Metastatic Colorectal Carcinoma Patients Treated with Polychemotherapy and Anti-EGFR Monoclonal Antibodies.

Analysis of plasma-derived cell-free DNA (cfDNA) might allow for the early identification of resistance in metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC) patients receiving anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies. We tested plasma samples from the Erbitux Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Strategy (ERMES) phase III trial of FOLFIRI+Cetuximab in first-line treatment of RAS/BRAF wild-type mCRC. Samples were collected at baseline ( = 37), at 8 weeks of treatment ( = 32), progressive disease (PD; = 36) and 3 months after PD ( = 21).

Immunotherapy in Nonendemic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Real-World Data from Two Nonendemic Regions.

Background: nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a complex disease entity that mainly predominates in endemic regions. Real-world data with immunotherapy from nonendemic regions are limited.

Methods: we collected data from patients with recurrent/metastatic (R/M) NPC treated at a center in Greece and 8 centers in Italy.

A CT-Based Radiomic Signature Can Be Prognostic for 10-Months Overall Survival in Metastatic Tumors Treated with Nivolumab: An Exploratory Study.

Baseline clinical prognostic factors for recurrent and/or metastatic (RM) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with immunotherapy are lacking. CT-based radiomics may provide additional prognostic information. A total of 85 patients with RM-HNSCC were enrolled for this study.

Nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine combination is more effective than gemcitabine alone in locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer - A GISCAD phase II randomized trial.

Background: The role of combination chemotherapy has not yet been established in unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) lacking dedicated randomized trials.

Methods: This phase II trial tested the efficacy of Nab-paclitaxel (NAB-P)/Gemcitabine (G) versus G alone. Patients were randomized, 1:1 to G 1000 mg/m on days 1, 8 and 15 every 28 days versus NAB-P 125 mg/m on days 1, 8 and 15 every 28 days plus G 1000 mg/m on days 1, 8 and 15 every 28 days.

Oxaliplatin plus fluoropyrimidines as adjuvant therapy for colon cancer in older patients: A subgroup analysis from the TOSCA trial.

Background: Previous studies on oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidines as adjuvant therapy in older patients with stage III colon cancer (CC) produced conflicting results.

Patients And Methods: We assessed the impact of age on time to tumour recurrence (TTR), disease-free survival (DFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) in 2360 patients with stage III CC (1667 aged <70 years and 693 ≥ 70 years) randomised to receive 3 or 6 months of FOLFOX or CAPOX within the frame of the phase III, TOSCA study.

Results: Older patients compared with younger ones presented more frequently an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status equal to 1 (10.

The Many Faces of Covid-19 at a Glance: A University Hospital Multidisciplinary Account From Milan, Italy.

In March 2020, northern Italy became the second country worldwide most affected by Covid-19 and the death toll overtook that in China. Hospital staff soon realized that Covid-19 was far more severe than expected from the few data available at that time. The Covid-19 pandemic forced hospitals to adjust to rapidly changing circumstances.

Recent advances in small cell lung cancer: the future is now?

Small cell lung cancer is a relevant clinical issue as it is a highly malignant cancer, often diagnosed in advanced stage. Similarly to non-small cell lung cancer, tobacco smoking is currently the main risk factor. Its incidence, at least in males, has declined over the past decades, due to the worldwide decreased percentage of active smokers.

A dose-dense short-term therapy for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients with high-risk Burkitt lymphoma or high-grade B-cell lymphoma: safety and efficacy results of the "CARMEN" phase II trial.

A few prospective trials in HIV-positive patients with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) or high-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBL) have been reported. Investigated therapies have shown good efficacy but relevant safety problems, with high rates of interruptions, severe mucositis, septic complications, and fungal infections. Here, we report the results of a multicentre phase II trial addressing a new dose-dense, short-term therapy aimed at maintaining efficacy and improving tolerability.

Autoimmune-related encephalitis during treatment with nivolumab for advanced head and neck cancer: a case report.

Introduction: Head and neck cancer represents a variety of tumors involving different organs in the cervical district, burdened by poor prognosis when diagnosed in an advanced stage. Immunotherapy with both anti-PD-1 nivolumab and pembrolizumab has the aim of increasing overall survival for patients with this malignancy. We report the first case of immune-related encephalitis caused by nivolumab in this setting of disease and present a brief review of the literature.

Correction to: Immunohistochemical evaluation of microsatellite instability in resected colorectal liver metastases: a preliminary experience.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. All the authors first name and second name has been inadvertently interchanged. Now the authors name are corrected.

Efficacy and Safety of Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy in Patients Aged ≥ 75 Years With Non-small-cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): An Italian, Multicenter, Retrospective Study.

Introduction: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is predominantly a disease of the elderly population. Over the past few years, immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies named checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) greatly improved the clinical management of a significant proportion of patients with metastatic NSCLC. However, pivotal trials excluded older patients, although, given the favorable clinical profile of ICIs, this treatment may be revealed to be a most valuable option also for these patients.

From CENTRAL to SENTRAL (SErum aNgiogenesis cenTRAL): Circulating Predictive Biomarkers to Anti-VEGFR Therapy.

Background: In the last decade, a series of analyses failed to identify predictive biomarkers of resistance/susceptibility for anti-angiogenic drugs in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). We conducted an exploratory preplanned analysis of serum pro-angiogenic factors (SErum aNgiogenesis-cenTRAL) in 72 mCRC patients enrolled in the phase II CENTRAL (ColorEctalavastiNTRiAlLdh) trial, with the aim to identify potential predictive factors for sensitivity/resistance to first line folinic acid-fluorouracil-irinotecan regimen (FOLFIRI) plus bevacizumab.

Methods: First-line FOLFIRI/bevacizumab patients were prospectively assessed for the following circulating pro-angiogenic factors, evaluated with ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay)-based technique at baseline and at every cycle: Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1), placental derived growth factor (PlGF), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), monocyte chemotactic protein-3 (MCP-3), interleukin-8 (IL-8).

The Slippery Role of Induction Chemotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer: Myth and Reality.

Chemoradiotherapy as an alternative to surgery can be offered to patients affected by loco-regionally advanced head and neck cancer (HNC). Induction chemotherapy is a valid option, supported by few positive trials, but its real efficacy is still a matter of debate. The standard regimen for induction chemotherapy in Europe is a combination of docetaxel (75 mg/m) and reduced dose doses of cisplatin (75 mg/m) and 5-fluorouracil (750 mg/m day, for five consecutive days) (TPF).

Khorana score and thromboembolic risk in stage II-III colorectal cancer patients: a analysis from the adjuvant TOSCA trial.

Background: The risk of venous thromboembolic events (VTE) during adjuvant chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (CRC) is unknown. We aim to evaluate if the Khorana score (KS) can predict this risk, and if it represents a prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) through a analysis of the phase III TOSCA trial of different durations (3- 6-months) of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: A logistic regression model was used to test the associations between the risk of VTE and the KS.

Performance of CT Colonography in Diagnosis of Synchronous Colonic Lesions in Patients With Occlusive Colorectal Cancer.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of CT colonography (CTC) in the diagnosis of synchronous colonic lesions in a cohort of patients with an occlusive colorectal cancer (CRC) causing incomplete colonoscopy. Among 109 patients with CRC causing incomplete colonoscopy who underwent CTC with IV contrast enhancement after cathartic purgation, fecal tagging, and colon distention, 70 (mean age, 70 years) for whom reference standards (surgical reports, first surveillance colonoscopy) were available were evaluated. Per-patient and per-lesion sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive value (PPV) of CTC in the diagnosis of synchronous colonic lesions measuring 6 mm or larger were assessed.

Disseminated cytomegalovirus disease after bendamustine: a case report and analysis of circulating B- and T-cell subsets.

Background: Bendamustine, used for the treatment of indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, is known to cause prolonged myelosuppression and lymphocytopenia and has been associated with the risk of developing serious and fatal infections. While reports of localized CMV infections in asymptomatic patients exist, disseminated CMV disease has not been described.

Case Presentation: We report the first case of disseminated CMV infection in a 75-year-old male diagnosed with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma/Waldenström macroglobulinemia with massive bone marrow infiltration.

Syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone secretion in cancer patients: results of the first multicenter Italian study.

Background: Hyponatremia in cancer patients is often caused by the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). The aim of this observational multicenter study was to analyze the medical and economic implications of SIADH in this setting.

Methods: This study included 90 oncological patients from 28 Italian institutions that developed SIADH between January 2010 and September 2015.

Selection of systemic therapy in patients with locally advanced and recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer: RAND-based expert opinion by an Italian multidisciplinary panel.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a heterogeneous disease often presenting at an already advanced stage. Cisplatin chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for locally advanced disease, although its efficacy varies according to different studies. Thus, treatment selection is a challenge, especially in older patients, who frequently have several comorbidities.

Managing Benign and Malignant Oral Lesions with Carbon Dioxide Laser: Indications, Techniques, and Outcomes for Outpatient Surgery.

 Because of its affinity for water-based tissues, carbon dioxide (CO ) laser has become an instrument of choice for treating oral mucosa conditions, ranging from inflammatory to malignant lesions. The aim of this work is to systematically evaluate the outcomes of laser surgery over a wide range of lesions, while providing a solid and reproducible protocol for CO laser surgery in the outpatient management of oral lesion.  Seventy-eight patients underwent 92 laser outpatient procedures for treatment of a wide range of benign and malignant lesions.

Clinical outcomes and prognostic factors in recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer patients treated with chemotherapy plus cetuximab as first-line therapy in a real-world setting.

Aim: The aims of the study are to evaluate the clinical outcomes of first-line treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy and cetuximab in patients with relapsing/metastatic head and neck cancer (RM HNC) and to identify predictors of treatment response.

Methods: This is a retrospective, observational, longitudinal, real-world study involving 6 oncology centres in Italy. All consecutive patients with RM HNC treated between January 2007 and December 2016 with a first-line therapy consisting of a platinum-based chemotherapy regimen plus cetuximab were included.