Publications by authors named "Nicoletta Ranallo"

Introduction: Lu-PRRT in neuroendocrine tumors is usually delivered with a total cumulative activity (TCA) of 29.6 GBq, divided into 4 cycles and with fixed interval between cycles (IBCs) of 8 weeks. Based on previous radiobiological studies, reducing IBC could improve efficacy without increasing toxicity.

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  • Adipose tissue, or body fat, is more than just a fat store; it helps in cancer growth by providing energy and sending signals that promote tumor activity.
  • Cancer can make fat cells act differently, which creates a cycle that helps the tumor grow even more.
  • The review also talks about how being obese can increase cancer risks and how different diets can influence cancer's development and new treatments for it.
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  • Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor with a poor prognosis, typically treated with surgery followed by radiotherapy and temozolomide; a trial is assessing the addition of Dendritic Cell vaccination (DCvax) to standard therapy.* ! -
  • The study is a phase II trial involving 9 patients, focusing on progression-free survival (PFS) and safety, with DCvax administered after standard treatment and showing promising early immune response results.* ! -
  • Initial findings indicate that the combination therapy is well-tolerated and achieves the initial study endpoints, allowing enrollment of additional patients to continue the research.* !
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Recurrence of meningiomas after surgery and radiotherapy deserves specific attention because of the lack of active third-line therapies. Somatostatin receptors are usually overexpressed on the cell membrane of meningiomas, and this has led the way to a radionuclide theranostic approach. Diagnoses with Ga-DOTA-octreotide and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with Y/Lu-DOTA-octreotide are currently possible options within experimental protocols or as compassionate use in small patient groups.

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Background: Neuroendocrine Carcinomas (NECs) prognosis is poor.No standard second-line therapy is currently recognized after failure of platinum-based first-line treatment. FOLFIRI and CAPTEM regimens have shown promising activity in preliminary studies.

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Purpose: The aims of our retrospective study investigated the role of immune system in glioblastoma (GBM), which is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults characterized by a poor prognosis. The recurrence rate remains high, probably due to "immune-desert" tumor microenvironment (TME) making GBM hidden from the anti-tumoral immune clearance. Considering this, we aimed to create a panel of prognostic markers from blood and tumor tissue correlating with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

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  • - *We conducted a worldwide study on patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) who tested positive for COVID-19, analyzing 280 patients over two years from June 2020 to May 2022.* - *SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates decreased over the study period (47.5% in 2020 to 17.4% in 2022), with notable statistics showing 22.8% experienced COVID-19-related pneumonia and 5% mortality, mainly influenced by age and diabetes.* - *Findings suggest that while the NEN patient population shares similarities with the general population, older age, non-GEP tumor sites, and diabetes increase COVID-19 risks, highlighting the need
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A second-line standard of treatment has not yet been identified in patients with soft tissue sarcomas (STS), so identifying predictive markers could be a valuable tool. Recent studies have shown that the intratumoral and inflammatory systems significantly influence tumor aggressiveness. We aimed to investigate prognostic values of pre-therapy neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), systemic inflammatory index (SII), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) of STS patients receiving second-line treatment.

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Introduction: Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are a rare group of tumors exceptionally heterogeneous, with clinical presentation ranging from well differentiated more indolent tumors to poorly differentiated very aggressive forms. Both are often diagnosed after the metastatic spread and require appropriate medical treatment. A high priority need in the management of this disease is the identification of effective therapeutic strategies for advanced and metastatic patients.

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  • Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare cancers, with some patients experiencing severe symptoms due to functioning neuroendocrine tumors (F-NETs) that secrete bioactive peptides; existing treatment options are limited.
  • A study analyzed data from 68 patients with progressive metastatic F-NETs who were unresponsive to current treatments, finding that most experienced symptom relief and good disease control with 177 Lu-DOTATATE.
  • Results indicated a median progression-free survival of 33 months and a 2-year overall survival rate of 87.8%, with better outcomes for those who responded to treatment and manageable adverse effects reported.
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In recent years, BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) and MEK inhibitors (MEKi), together with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have changed the therapeutic strategy of cutaneous melanoma, both in adjuvant and metastatic settings. These inhibitors have significantly improved the clinical outcome for patients with melanoma, including in both BRAF-mutated and BRAF-wild type disease. Some preclinical and clinical studies have revealed that BRAFi and MEKi are able to influence T- and B-cell activation, and to modulate immune system activation within the tumor microenvironment.

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Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare neoplasms frequently characterized by an upregulation of the mammalian rapamycin targeting (mTOR) pathway resulting in uncontrolled cell proliferation. The mTOR pathway is also involved in skeletal muscle protein synthesis and in adipose tissue metabolism. Everolimus inhibits the mTOR pathway, resulting in blockade of cell growth and tumor progression.

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Introduction: Neuroendocrine carcinomas are very aggressive tumors with few treatment options. DLL3 seems to be an optimal target for therapeutic intervention, as it is expressed mainly on the membrane of tumor cells with neuroendocrine origin.

Areas Covered: In this article, we outline the preclinical and clinical studies published in the last years on DLL3 in neuroendocrine neoplasm, above all of lung origin.

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In the last few decades, the incidence and prevalence of neuroendocrine tumors has been increasing. The theragnostic approach, that allows the diagnosis and treatment of different neoplasms with the same ligand, is a typical nuclear medicine tool. Applied for years, is also pivotal in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) where it has improved the diagnostic accuracy and the therapeutic efficacy with impact on patient's survival.

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Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has been declared a global pandemic of unprecedented proportions. Italy is a country which has been heavily affected. Cancer patients are at a higher risk owing to their intrinsic fragility related to their underlying disease and oncologic treatment.

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Background: The Gustave Roussy Immune (GRIm)-Score takes into account neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), serum albumin concentration and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and its prognostic value has been investigated in patients treated with immune check-point inhibitors (ICIs). To further assess the prognostic and predictive value of baseline GRIm-Score (GRImT0) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) patients, we separately investigated two cohorts of patients treated with first-line pembrolizumab or chemotherapy. We also investigated whether GRIm-Score at 45 days since treatment initiation (GRImT1) and GRIm-Score difference between the two timepoints may better predict clinical outcomes (GRImΔ = GRImT0 - GRImT1).

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Fungal compounds have long been used for centuries as food supplements. β-glucans have been identified as the most interesting molecules with beneficial effects in several chronic diseases. studies have shown that they are able to elicit the immune cells maturation and activation with the result of an increased release of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines and a stimulation of anti-bacterial activity of macrophages and neutrophils.

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Introduction: Melanoma is one of the most common cancers in younger people. The incidence of cutaneous melanoma is increasing in patients of both sexes, with female patients generally living longer than their male counterparts. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate and confirm the sex-based difference in survival of melanoma patients and the relationship of this difference with pathological features.

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Purpose: After coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the WHO, a response from the Italian Health System to react to an unprecedented condition became necessary and sudden. The COVID-19 pandemic has required oncologists to redefine clinical organization and patient management. The purpose of our study was to document the difficulties emerging during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Italian oncology.

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Fluoropyrimidines are widely used in the treatment of solid tumors, mainly gastrointestinal, head and neck and breast cancer. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the rate-limiting enzyme for catabolism of 5-FU and it is encoded by gene. To date, many known polymorphisms cause DPD deficiency and subsequent increase of 5-FU toxicity.

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