Publications by authors named "Francesco Saverio Cerqua"

Background: The recent advances in precision oncology for lung cancer treatment has focused attention on the importance of obtaining appropriate specimens for tissue diagnosis as well as comprehensive molecular profiling. CT scan-guided biopsies and bronchoscopy are currently the main procedures employed for tissue sampling. However, growing evidence suggests that ultrasound-guided biopsies may represent an effective as well as safe approach in this diagnostic area.

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Identification of risk factors for severe outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection is an important issue in COVID-19 management. Much attention has been focused on comorbidities as well as drugs taken by patients. Usage of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) appears to potentially influence disease course.

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Since the beginning of 2020, the new pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 and named coronavirus disease 19 (COVID 19) has changed our socio-economic life. In just a few months, SARS-CoV-2 was able to spread worldwide at an unprecedented speed, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths, especially among the weakest part of the population. Indeed, especially at the beginning of this pandemic, many reports highlighted how people, suffering from other pathologies, such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, are more at risk of severe outcomes if infected.

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Viral infections are frequent among patients with thoracic malignancies prompted by dysregulation of innate and adaptative immune response. Clinical symptoms and radiological findings of both viral pneumonia and lung adenocarcinoma may overlap resulting in diagnostic and clinical  challenges.We present the case of a women admitted to our department presenting with an acute manifestation of coronavirus OC43 pneumonia with underlying undiagnosed lung adenocarcinoma.

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Objective: Preoperative functional evaluation is central to optimizing the identification of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are candidates for surgery. The minute ventilation/carbon dioxide output (VE/VCO2) slope has proven to be a predictor of surgical complications and mortality. Pulmonary rehabilitation programs (PRPs) could influence short-term outcomes in patients with COPD undergoing lung resection.

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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and majority of patients are diagnosed in advanced/metastatic disease stage. Sites of distant metastases mainly include contralateral lung, lymph nodes, brain, bones, adrenal glands and liver; skeletal muscles metastases (SMMs) are less common. Psoas muscle and diaphragm metastases are mainly found during autopsy, as their involvement commonly is asymptomatic.

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Thoracic surgery remains the better therapeutic option for non-small cell lung cancer patients that are diagnosed in early stage disease. Preoperative lung function assessment includes respiratory function tests (RFT) and cardio-pulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Vo2 peak, FEV1 and DLCO as well as recognition of performance status, presence of co-morbidities, frailty indexes, and age predict the potential impact of surgical resection on patient health status and survival risk.

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The fibrous tumors of the pleura are rare primary tumors, accounting for 5% of malignant pleural neoplasms, which generally originate from sub-mesothelial mesenchymal tissue of the visceral pleura. These tumours generally exhibit clinical benign behavior although 12% of solitary fibrous tumors can be malignant and have worse outcomes. These tumors are considered "giant" when the lesion > 15 cm.

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Background: Laryngeal cancer is the second most common respiratory neoplasm after lung cancer. Laryngectomy is a well established treatment for larynx cancers which involve relevant anatomic alterations. Spirometry is an essential investigation tool for diagnosis and severity of respiratory diseases, difficult to perform in laryngectomees.

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Unlabelled: We report a case of 31 years-old female suffering from complicated giant bulla in the right upper pulmonary lobe. The patient was admitted to our hospital with a radiologic diagnosis of hydro - pneumothorax treated by chest tube in a first time, and later, for prolonged air leaks, by uniportal VATS with a single 4-cm skin incision. We have observed a giant ruptured bulla in right upper lobe, so we have performed bullectomy and mechanical pleurodesis.

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Unlabelled: The solitary fibrous tumour of the visceral pleura is a rare neoplasm that derives from mesenchymal cells adjacent to the mesothelial tissue of pleura. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice in benign lesions and healing resulting in half of malignant. Local recurrence can occur in malignant cases, but it is very rare in solitary benign tumors.

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