Texture analysis of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on contrast-enhanced computed tomography: prediction of the response to the first-line chemotherapy.

Objectives: To assess whether tumour heterogeneity, quantified by texture analysis (TA) on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT), can predict response to chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Fifty-three CECT studies of patients with advanced NSCLC who had undergone first-line chemotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. Response to chemotherapy was evaluated according to RECIST1.

Second Italian consensus conference on malignant pleural mesothelioma: state of the art and recommendations.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a relevant public health issue. A large amount of data indicate a relationship between mesothelioma and asbestos exposure. MPM incidence has considerably and constantly increased over the past two decades in industrialized countries and is expected to peak in 2010-2020.

High prevalence of serum antibodies reacting with simian virus 40 capsid protein mimotopes in patients affected by malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Human malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is considered a rare tumor, but recent estimations indicate that one-quarter million people will die of this neoplasm in Europe in the next three decades. The mineral asbestos is considered the main causative agent of this neoplasm. MPM is largely unresponsive to conventional chemotherapy/radiotherapy.

Effects of combined therapies on the survival of pleural mesothelioma patients treated in Brescia, 1982-2006.

Aims And Background: During the 1990's, the traditional unimodal treatments (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy) for malignant pleural mesothelioma started to be combined in bimodal or multimodal strategies. However, recent population-based analyses of the survival of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma indicate that even these treatments have not led to significant improvements in prognosis, which remains very poor. The present study assessed the survival of patients given combined treatments and multimodal therapies in a specialized hospital department.

Expert opinions of the first italian consensus conference on the management of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a very important public health issue. A large amount of data indicates a relationship between mesothelioma and asbestos exposure. The incidence has both considerably and constantly increased over the past 2 decades in the industrialized countries and is expected to peak in 2010-2020.

Translational therapies for malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a highly invasive tumor arising from the mesothelial cells of serosal surfaces. Several chemotherapeutic agents have been tested for the treatment of this disease and doublet cisplatin with antifolates has been demonstrated to have significant efficacy in Phase III studies. However, the benefit of these treatments remains poor and the median survival time of patients is low, ranging between 9 and 17 months.

Accuracy of pleural biopsy using thoracoscopy for the diagnosis of histologic subtype in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Background: Promising results with trimodality therapy combining surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have been obtained in the management of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). However, the histologic subtype has to be taken into account because of its influence on prognosis. The aim of the current study was to analyze retrospectively the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of preoperative thoracoscopy for diagnosis of the histologic subtype of MPM.

Treatment of sonographically stratified multiloculated thoracic empyema by medical thoracoscopy.

Introduction: In cases of empyema, some form of intervention, either chest tube drainage, thoracoscopy, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), or thoracotomy, with or without pleural fibrinolysis, is required. What the best approach is and when and how to intervene is a matter of debate.

Study Objective: To analyze the safety and outcome of medical thoracoscopy in the treatment of multiloculated empyema.

[Survival analysis of malignant mesothelioma treated in Brescia, northern Italy, 1982-2000].

Objective: To study the survival for malignant mesothelioma on general population cases over the 1982-2000 period and to evaluate the effectiveness of the new therapeutic protocols (intrapleural immunotherapy and mulitmodality therapy) to improve the prognosis on the group of selected hospital patients treated from 1996 to 2000.

Design: Survival analysis of malignant mesothelioma on the general population cases and survival analysis for the 1996-2000 period on the selected group of hospital patients.

Setting: The Malignant Mesothelioma Register of the Brescia Province (northern Italy) and Pulmonology Dept.

Minithoracoscopy: a less invasive approach to thoracoscopy.

Study Objectives: To evaluate minithoracoscopy using 3-mm instrumentation for diagnosis of pleural effusions. In the initial phase of the study, minithoracoscopy was used only for small loculated effusions not accessible with standard-sized endoscopes. Indication was later extended to larger nonloculated effusions that could have been examined using conventional thoracoscopy.

Indicators predictive of success of embolisation: analysis of 88 patients with haemoptysis.

Purpose: To identify the risk factors related to relapse of haemoptysis in patients treated with arterial embolisation.

Material And Methods: Eighty-eight patients with haemoptysis (60 M, 28 F; average age 58.9) were examined by bronchial arteriography: 64/88 were subsequently embolised.