Case report: Tracing in parallel the salivary and gut microbiota profiles to assist Larotrectinib anticancer treatment for fusion-positive glioblastoma.

Oncotherapy can shape intestinal microbiota, which, in turn, may influence therapy effectiveness. Furthermore, microbiome signatures during treatments can be leveraged for the development of personalised therapeutic protocols in cancer treatment based on the identification of microbiota profiles as prognostic tools. Here, for the first time, the trajectory of gut and salivary microbiota in a patient treated with Larotrectinib, a targeted therapy approved for diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase () gene fusion-positive, has been accurately investigated.

Vasari Scoring System in Discerning between Different Degrees of Glioma and IDH Status Prediction: A Possible Machine Learning Application?

(1) The aim of our study is to evaluate the capacity of the Visually AcceSAble Rembrandt Images (VASARI) scoring system in discerning between the different degrees of glioma and Isocitrate Dehydrogenase (IDH) status predictions, with a possible application in machine learning. (2) A retrospective study was conducted on 126 patients with gliomas (M/F = 75/51; mean age: 55.30), from which we obtained their histological grade and molecular status.

Bone Metastases from Gastric Cancer: What We Know and How to Deal with Them.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third cause of cancer-related death worldwide; the prognosis is poor especially in the case of metastatic disease. Liver, lymph nodes, peritoneum, and lung are the most frequent sites of metastases from GC; however, bone metastases from GC have been reported in the literature. Nevertheless, it is unclear how the metastatic sites may affect the prognosis.

Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on cancer immunotherapy in Italy: a survey of young oncologists.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has overwhelmed the health systems worldwide. Data regarding the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients (CPs) undergoing or candidate for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are lacking. We depicted the practice and adaptations in the management of patients with solid tumors eligible or receiving ICIs during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a special focus on Campania region.

Multicenter Single-Arm, Two-Stage Phase 2 Study of Panitumumab in Patients With Cetuximab-Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: The PACER Trial.

Purpose: To assess whether panitumumab is active in patients with cetuximab-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Patients And Methods: Eligible patients had pretreated RAS (renin-angiotensin system) wild-type mCRC that progressed after cetuximab treatment, after having shown either objective response or stable disease. A minimax two-stage design was applied, with progression-free rate at 2 months as the primary end point.

The role of radiation therapy and systemic therapies in elderly with breast cancer.

The focus of this review deals with the management of elderly patients with early stage breast cancer, discussing the role of systemic therapies [endocrine therapy (ET), chemotherapy, novel agents] and radiation therapy (RT). Several studies have evaluated in elderly low risk patients the possibility of omitting the RT but, at the same time, higher locoregional relapse (LR) rates without significant impact on overall survival (OS) were observed in all studies when RT was excluded. Technological improvements [intensity-modulated RT (IMRT), volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), high dose brachy therapy (HDBT)] are very useful in order to reduce cosmetic outcome and improve quality of life of frail patients.

Progress and challenges in the treatment of small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a very aggressive malignancy characterized by high cellular proliferation and early metastatic spread. In fact, although SCLC is a chemosensitive and radiosensitive disease, the initial responsiveness to chemotherapy is usually followed by development of resistance and the prognosis remains poor with a median survival of less than 12 months in patients with extensive disease (ED-SCLC). Furthermore, no significant progress has been made over the last years, with no newly approved drug.

Afatinib: An overview of its clinical development in non-small-cell lung cancer and other tumors.

Afatinib is an oral, irreversible, tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) of EGFR, HER2 and HER4. According to phase I studies, the recommended dose of afatinib was 50mg daily. Rash, acne, diarrhea and stomatitis were the most common adverse events.

How can we improve prognostic models in renal cell carcinoma?

The therapeutic improvements in renal cell carcinoma brought about by the transition from the 'cytokine era' to the 'targeted agents era', have not affected the peculiar prognostic heterogeneity of the disease, nor have they diminished the importance of risk group classification based on easily assessable and commonly available laboratory and clinical variables. In the landmark study conducted by Motzer et al. before biological agents were available, the median survival of patients in the good prognosis group was 20 months, while the patients in the poor-risk group had a median survival time of only 4 months.

Treatment of small cell lung cancer.

Treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains a significant challenge for the oncologists. Attempts to improve the results of first-line treatment have all failed so far and no real progress has been made in last years, emphasizing the need for novel strategies of treatment and the development of validated biomarkers. Patients with limited disease and good performance status should be considered for concomitant chemoradiotherapy, followed by prophylactic cranial irradiation.

New biological treatments for gynecological tumors: focus on angiogenesis.

Introduction: Gynecological tumors are a group of heterogeneous malignancies, with only modest results having been observed thus far with chemotherapy in advanced disease. New insights from pathobiology of these tumors have shed new light on potential new therapeutic targets. Angiogenesis is one of the most important processes involved in tumorigenesis, and effective treatments targeting the angiogenic machinery are now available.

Combining anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and anti-angiogenic strategies in advanced NSCLC: we should have known better….

Drugs directed against Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), namely tyrosine kinase inhibitors erlotinib and gefitinib, and anti-angiogenic agents, namely the anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) antibody bevacizumab, have independently demonstrated clinical benefit in the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and are currently approved for use in clinical practice. Pre-clinical studies have shown promising results with the combination of anti-EGFR and anti-angiogenesis drugs in different tumor models, including NSCLC. Several clinical trials have been conducted to verify if the combination of the two therapeutic strategies could improve the outcome in the setting of advanced NSCLC.

Early PET/CT scan is more effective than RECIST in predicting outcome of patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer treated with preoperative chemotherapy plus bevacizumab.

Unlabelled: Markers predictive of treatment effect might be useful to improve the treatment of patients with metastatic solid tumors. Particularly, early changes in tumor metabolism measured by PET/CT with (18)F-FDG could predict the efficacy of treatment better than standard dimensional Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) response.

Methods: We performed PET/CT evaluation before and after 1 cycle of treatment in patients with resectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer, within a phase 2 trial of preoperative FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab.

Advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations: current evidence and future perspectives.

The identification of activating mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of the EGF receptor (EGFR) predictive of response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) led to a therapeutic revolution in the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To date, eight randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that first-line treatment with TKIs in advanced NSCLC patients harboring activating EGFR mutations is associated with significant improvement in response rate, progression-free survival, quality of life and tolerability, compared with platinum-based chemotherapy. These results prompted the EGFR TKIs as the current standard first-line treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC harboring activating EGFR mutations.

Randomized phase III trial of gemcitabine and cisplatin vs. gemcitabine alone in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and a performance status of 2: the CAPPA-2 study.

Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the evidence of its efficacy among ECOG performance status (PS)2 patients is weak because these patients are usually excluded from clinical trials; concern exists about tolerability and feasibility of standard chemotherapy in these patients. No prospective randomized trial has tested the addition of cisplatin to single-agent chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC and PS2. CAPPA-2 was a multicenter, randomized phase 3 study for first-line treatment of PS2 patients with advanced NSCLC.

Pharmacokinetic evaluation of capecitabine in breast cancer.

Introduction: Capecitabine , an oral prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), is adsorbed in its intact form through the intestine and metabolized to 5-FU in tumour cells. In metastatic breast cancer (MBC), capecitabine is an effective and well-tolerated therapeutic option both in monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapeutic or molecular-targeted agents.

Areas Covered: We summarized data on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of capecitabine.

Integrated therapeutic approaches in the treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a significant challenge for oncologists, despite progress made in recent years in early diagnosis and therapy. This review focuses on integrated therapeutic approaches of patients with locally advanced NSCLC, summarizing the available evidence for patients with potentially resectable disease (stage IIIA-0/3) and with unresectable disease (stage IIIA-4/IIIB) and discussing several key questions related to the use of integrated approaches in NSCLC. Based on current evidence, neoadjuvant platinum-based combination chemotherapy is a treatment option in patients with potentially resectable stage IIIA-0/3: a 2-drug combination of platinum combined with a third-generation drug seems preferable, and at least 3 cycles of chemotherapy should be administered.

Cetuximab in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Cetuximab is a chimeric human-mouse anti-EGF receptor monoclonal antibody. In Phase I studies, no dose-limiting toxicities were observed with cetuximab as a single agent or combined with chemotherapy; pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analyses supported 250 mg/m(2) weekly administration. Skin toxicity, diarrhea and fatigue were the most common toxicities.

Prognostic impact of education level of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer enrolled in clinical trials.

Background: Socioeconomic status can potentially affect prognosis of cancer patients. Our aim was to describe potential differences in demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment, and survival by education level in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) enrolled in clinical trials of first-line treatment.

Methods: Individual data of Italian patients with advanced NSCLC (stage IV, or IIIB with supraclavicular nodes or malignant pleural effusion), ECOG performance status (PS) 0-2, enrolled in four phase III randomized trials conducted between 1996 and 2005 were pooled.

Potentiality and boundaries of use of sorafenib in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: awaiting the results of ongoing clinical trials.

No systemic therapy had been proven effective in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) until 2007, when a large randomized trial with sorafenib demonstrated a clinically relevant prolongation of survival. Currently, sorafenib represents standard treatment for patients with advanced HCC and well-preserved liver function, whilst the evidence about its effectiveness in patients with more severe liver impairment is less robust. A randomized trial to demonstrate the efficacy of sorafenib in Child-Pugh B patients with advanced HCC is currently ongoing.

Gefitinib in non small cell lung cancer.

Gefitinib is an oral, reversible, tyrosine kinase inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that plays a key role in the biology of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Phase I studies indicated that the recommended dose of gefitinib was 250 mg/day. Rash, diarrhea, and nausea were the most common adverse events.