Development and external validation of a predictive multivariable model for last-weeks survival of advanced cancer patients in the palliative home care setting (PACS).

Purpose: Various prognostic indexes have been proposed to improve physicians' ability to predict survival time in advanced cancer patients, admitted to palliative care (PC) with a survival probably to a few weeks of life, but no optimal score has been identified. The study aims therefore to develop and externally validate a new multivariable predictive model in this setting.

Methods: We developed a model to predict short-term overall survival in cancer patients on the basis of clinical factors collected at PC admission.

L1CAM promotes ovarian cancer stemness and tumor initiation via FGFR1/SRC/STAT3 signaling.

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSC) have been implicated in tumor progression. In ovarian carcinoma (OC), CSC drive tumor formation, dissemination and recurrence, as well as drug resistance, thus contributing to the high death-to-incidence ratio of this disease. However, the molecular basis of such a pathogenic role of ovarian CSC (OCSC) has been elucidated only to a limited extent.

PEGylated recombinant human hyaluronidase (PEGPH20) pre-treatment improves intra-tumour distribution and efficacy of paclitaxel in preclinical models.

Background: Scarce drug penetration in solid tumours is one of the possible causes of the limited efficacy of chemotherapy and is related to the altered tumour microenvironment. The abnormal tumour extracellular matrix (ECM) together with abnormal blood and lymphatic vessels, reactive stroma and inflammation all affect the uptake, distribution and efficacy of anticancer drugs.

Methods: We investigated the effect of PEGylated recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 (PEGPH20) pre-treatment in degrading hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid; HA), one of the main components of the ECM, to improve the delivery of antitumor drugs and increase their therapeutic efficacy.

Retinoic Acid Sensitivity of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells Characterized by Constitutive Activation of the notch1 Pathway: The Role of Rarβ.

Triple-negative breast cancer () is a heterogeneous disease that lacks effective therapeutic options. In this study, we profile eighteen cell lines for their sensitivity to the anti-proliferative action of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). The only three cell lines (, and ) endowed with ATRA-sensitivity are characterized by genetic aberrations of the -gene, causing constitutive activation of the NOTCH1 γ-secretase product, N1ICD.

THE SPACE DIMENSION AT THE MICRO LEVEL: MASS SPECTROMETRY IMAGING OF DRUGS IN TISSUES.

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has seen remarkable development in recent years. The possibility of getting quantitative or semiquantitative data, while maintaining the spatial component in the tissues has opened up unique study possibilities. Now with a spatial window of few tens of microns, we can characterize the events occurring in tissue subcompartments in physiological and pathological conditions.