Publications by authors named "Loizzi Vera"

Background: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPis) are effective treatment options for patients with advanced ovarian cancer (OC). A typical adverse event (AE) of these agents is haematological toxicity, which represents the leading cause of treatment modification and discontinuation. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to analyse the risk of haematological AEs, including anaemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia due to the use of PARPis in patients with OC.

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Objectives: Endometrial carcinosarcoma is a rare, aggressive high-grade endometrial cancer, accounting for about 5% of all uterine cancers and 15% of deaths from uterine cancers. The treatment can be complex, and the prognosis is poor. Its increasing incidence underscores the urgent requirement for personalized approaches in managing such challenging diseases.

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Background/objectives: Uterine carcinosarcomas (UCSs) are rare and aggressive malignancies with limited epidemiological data. This study aims to evaluate the clinical and pathological features and prognostic factors of UCS in a retrospective cohort of 80 patients, contributing to improved management strategies.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of UCS cases treated from 1995 to 2024 at three institutions.

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Article Synopsis
  • The rise in endometrial cancer diagnoses has led to more patients receiving extensive surgical treatments, which come with risks of complications like lymphedema and bleeding.
  • Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN) sampling is a technique used successfully in breast cancer surgery that offers crucial information with less risk to patient outcomes, and it is also feasible for endometrial cancer patients.
  • There is currently a lack of consensus on key aspects of SLN sampling for endometrial cancer, so this review aims to analyze existing literature to help standardize the procedure.
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Objectives: In our previous article, we proposed the novel four-handed technique (FHT) for total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH), which, according to us, is more helpful compared to the traditional TLH route. The objectives of the study were to analyze the FHT-TLH feasibility and efficiency by comparing some surgical outcomes recorded from 750 FHT-TLH performed in our hospital to literature data about the traditional TLH route and to underline the great opportunity this novel technique offers to the young specialists and residents to be more confident with gynecological laparoscopy.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective analysis carried out by collecting data regarding patient characteristics and surgical outcomes (operative time, blood loss, surgical complications, use of analgesics, and length of hospitalization) from 750 hospital records of women who underwent FHT-TLH (with or without adnexectomy) due to benign or malignant pathology from January 2015 to December 2021 at our hospital.

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Objective: To evaluate the reproductive outcomes of patients bearing BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 mutations.

Methods: In this retrospective observational cohort study, we assessed data from BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 carriers, analyzing demographics, oncological history, and reproductive outcomes. Statistical analysis compared BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 carriers.

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Background: Accurate characterization of newly diagnosed a solid adnexal lesion is a key step in defining the most appropriate therapeutic approach. Despite guidance from the International Ovarian Tumor Analyzes Panel, the evaluation of these lesions can be challenging. Recent studies have demonstrated how machine learning techniques can be applied to clinical data to solve this diagnostic problem.

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BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are responsible for a higher incidence of breast and ovarian cancer (from 55% up to 70% vs. 12% in the general population). If their functions have been widely investigated in the onset of these malignancies, still little is known about their role in fertility impairment.

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In recent years, immuno-oncology has revolutionized the cancer treatment field by harnessing the immune system's power to counteract cancer cells. While this innovative approach holds great promise for improving cancer outcomes, it also raises important considerations related to fertility and reproductive toxicity. In fact, most young females receiving gonadotoxic anti-cancer treatments undergo iatrogenic ovarian exhaustion, resulting in a permanent illness that precludes the vocation of motherhood as a natural female sexual identity.

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Article Synopsis
  • This text appears to reference a correction made to a previously published article in the journal Frontiers in Oncology.
  • The specific article is identified by its Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.3389/fonc.2023.1247291.
  • The correction might involve updates or clarifications to the original research findings or data presented in the article.
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Objectives: The objective of this multicenter retrospective study aimed to evaluate the association of clinical variables and the incidence of ovarian cancer in patients with BRCA 1-2 mutation carriers who underwent risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO).

Design: Patients with a pathogenic mutation of BRCA 1-2 genes and with no evidence of disease are considered eligible. The exclusion criterion was the refusal to undergo the surgery.

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Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in women in the world, with an estimated worldwide mortality of over 207'000 women every year. This cancer, due to the current lack of adequate screening techniques, is commonly diagnosed late and has a poor prognosis. The oral contraceptive pill is considered the most effective prevention strategy for ovarian cancer in the general population, being associated with a decreased incidence while also having a substantial positive impact on the mortality rate, which is reduced by up to 50%.

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The preoperative evaluation of myometrial tumors is essential to avoid delayed treatment and to establish the appropriate surgical approach. Specifically, the differential diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is particularly challenging due to the overlapping of clinical, laboratory and ultrasound features between fibroids and LMS. In this work, we present a human-interpretable machine learning (ML) pipeline to support the preoperative differential diagnosis of LMS from leiomyomas, based on both clinical data and gynecological ultrasound assessment of 68 patients (8 with LMS diagnosis).

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Endometrial osseous metaplasia (EOM) is an uncommon clinical entity with the presence of bone in the endometrium which requires clinical and therapeutic framework. It is also described by various other names such as endometrial ossification, ectopic intrauterine bone, and heterotopic intrauterine bone. Ossification could have various locations as the cervix the ovary, and the vagina.

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Recent advances in anticancer treatment have significantly improved the survival rate of young females; unfortunately, in about one third of cancer survivors the risk of ovarian insufficiency and infertility is still quite relevant. As the possibility of becoming a mother after recovery from a juvenile cancer is an important part of the quality of life, several procedures to preserve fertility have been developed: ovarian surgical transposition, induction of ovarian quiescence by gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a) treatment, and oocyte and/or ovarian cortical tissue cryopreservation. Ovarian tissue cryostorage and allografting is a valuable technique that applies even to prepubertal girls; however, some patients cannot benefit from it due to the high risk of reintroducing cancer cells during allograft in cases of ovary-metastasizing neoplasias, such as leukemias or NH lymphomas.

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Background: The majority of female cancer patients undergoing anticancer treatments are at risk of experiencing 'cancer treatment-related infertility', which can result in permanent damage to their reproductive prospects. Among the fertility preservation methods, ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) has emerged as an alternative for these patients. The Cancer Institute of Bari initiated a research program to assess the feasibility of OTC.

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Cornual pregnancy (CP) is a subtype of ectopic pregnancy that is implanted in the interstitial segment of the fallopian tube which is defined as the tubal section crossing uterine muscular tissue. Widely recognized risk factors for CP are endometriosis, uterine leiomyomata, or pelvic inflammatory disease; all these diseases can cause tubal anatomic changes and consequently alter embryo physiological implant process. Many treatment options are available for this condition each one must be tailored according to patient and operating scenario.

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Introduction: Endometrial cancer (EC) represents 3.4% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases and is responsible for 2.1% of all cancer-related deaths.

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Oocyte donation (OD) has greatly improved over the last three decades, becoming a preferred practice of assisted reproductive technology (ART) for infertile women wishing for motherhood. Through OD, indeed, it has become possible to overcome the physiological limitation due to the ovarian reserve (OR) exhaustion as well as the poor gamete reliability which parallels the increasing age of women. However, despite the great scientific contribution related to the success of OD in the field of infertility, this practice seems to be associated with a higher rate of major risky events during pregnancy as recurrent miscarriage, infections and placental diseases including gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia and post-partum hemorrhage, as well as several maternal-fetal complications due to gametes manipulation and immune system interaction.

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Article Synopsis
  • Uterine arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are a rare, high-risk cause of uterine bleeding that can be difficult to diagnose through ultrasound.
  • Two cases during the postpartum period showed episodes of bright red blood loss linked to AVMs, which were confirmed via imaging techniques like transvaginal ultrasound and angiography.
  • There are currently no established guidelines for managing AVMs, but the cases discussed opted for a conservative treatment approach to preserve the patients' fertility, aiming to contribute to the limited existing literature on the topic.
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Article Synopsis
  • Ovarian cancer diagnoses were estimated at 19,880 in 2022, with 15%-25% of cases having a familial link, particularly involving BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, which necessitate careful timing for preventive surgeries.
  • A study analyzed clinical data from 184 patients to develop a machine learning model aimed at identifying high-risk BRCA-mutated individuals and optimizing the timing for risk-reducing surgeries.
  • The machine learning model demonstrated solid performance with an accuracy of 83.2% and offered insights into personalizing care for BRCA-mutated patients, marking a novel approach in this area.
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Cervical cancer (CC) is characterized by genomic alterations in DNA repair genes, which could favor treatment with agents causing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), such as trabectedin. Hence, we evaluated the capability of trabectedin to inhibit CC viability and used ovarian cancer (OC) models as a reference. Since chronic stress may promote gynecological cancer and may hinder the efficacy of therapy, we investigated the potential of targeting β-adrenergic receptors with propranolol to enhance trabectedin efficacy and change tumor immunogenicity.

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Objectives: Apical prolapse involves the upper vagina or vaginal vault after hysterectomy. Treatment is indicated for symptomatic women, and surgical approach is considered for women who failed or refused conservative therapy. We performed 10 pickups of autologous fascia, used for robotic sacrocolpopexy (RSCP).

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