Hormonal Agents in Localized and Advanced Prostate Cancer: Current Use and Future Perspectives.

Prostate cancer (PC) is generally a hormone-dependent tumor. Androgen deprivation therapy ( has been the standard of care in metastatic disease for more than 80 years. Subsequent studies have highlighted the efficacy of ADT even in earlier disease settings such as in localized disease or in the case of biochemical recurrence (BCR).

Navigating the ICI Combination Treatment Journey: Patterns of Response and Progression to First-Line ICI-Based Combination Treatment in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitors or other ICIs has significantly improved the prognosis for patients with mccRCC. This marks a major milestone in the treatment of mccRCC. Nonetheless, most patients will discontinue first-line therapy.

Synthetic Lethality by Co-Inhibition of Androgen Receptor and Polyadenosine Diphosphate-Ribose in Metastatic Prostate Cancer.

Androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPI) and polyadenosine diphosphate-ribose inhibitors (PARPi) are part of the standard of care in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). There is biological evidence that the association of ARPI and PARPi could have a synergistic effect; therefore, several ongoing clinical trials are investigating the efficacy of this combination with preliminary results that are not perfectly concordant in identifying patients who can obtain the most benefit from this therapeutic option. The purpose of this review is to describe the PARPi mechanisms of action and to analyze the biological mechanisms behind the interplay between the androgen receptor and the PARPi system to better understand the rationale of the ARPI + PARPi combinations.

How to Improve the Quality of Life of Patients with Prostate Cancer Treated with Hormone Therapy?

Prostate cancer (PC) is a hormone-sensitive tumor. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the cornerstone of systemic therapy for patients with intermediate or high-risk localized, recurrent, and metastatic prostate cancer. Although generally well tolerated, ADT can lead to short- and long-term adverse events that can worsen the quality of life of patients with PC.

Therapeutic sequencing in advanced renal cell carcinoma: How to choose considering clinical and biological factors.

In the last fifteen years a better understanding of the biological processes promoting tumour growth and progression led to an impressive revolution in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treatment landscape. Angiogenesis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of RCC. These biological evidences led to targeted therapies interfering with vascular endothelial growth factor and mammalian target of rapamycin pathway.

Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma: Have We Take the Road to the Personalized Medicine?

Urothelial cancer is a lethal malignancy characterized by a wide diffusion in Western countries due to a larger exposure to known risk factors, such as aromatic amines, tobacco smoke and benzene [...

New emerging targets in advanced urothelial carcinoma: Is it the primetime for personalized medicine?

In recent years the introduction of immunotherapy has importantly changed the treatment landscape of advanced urothelial carcinoma. Several immune checkpoint inhibitors are now the standard of care as maintenance treatment after disease control with platinum-based first-line chemotherapy (avelumab), in subsequent lines (pembrolizumab) or as upfront therapy in platinum-ineligible patients (atezolizumab or pembrolizumab). Moreover, personalized therapy based on tumor molecular features has been developed.

Role of radium-223 discontinuation due to adverse events in castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. A retrospective monocentric analysis.

Background: Radium 223 (Ra-223) was approved for the treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients with bone-only disease, following demonstration of significant improvement in overall survival (OS). To date, there are no validated prognostic factors useful in predicting outcome of mCRPC patients treated with Ra-223. Our retrospective study aims to evaluate the prognostic role of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events in mCRPC patients treated with Ra-223, and to identify which factors correlate with the toxicity onset.

Prognostic factors in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer patients treated with radium-223: a retrospective study.

Background: Our study aims to identify baseline prognostic factors in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with radium-223.

Methods: Data about demographics, ECOG performance status, lymph node (LN) involvement, local treatment for prostate cancer, previous systemic treatments, cells blood count, PSA, ALP, albumin, LDH, bone protecting agents use (BPA), analgesic use and survival were collected. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed.

Are tyrosine kinase inhibitors an effective treatment in testicular metastases from kidney cancer? Case report.

Testicular metastases from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are extremely rare. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are the cornerstone of systemic therapy for metastatic RCC. We report a case of testicular metastasis in a 72-year-old patient with RCC that developed 17 years after nephrectomy and response to TKI treatment, a retrospective literature search on testicular metastases from RCC, and the indirect evidence described in the literature on the efficacy of chemotherapy and target therapy on testicular lesions.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC): fatter is better? A review on the role of obesity in RCC.

Obesity represents a well-known risk factor for renal cell carcinoma development. Several studies evaluated the relationship between obesity and outcome in patients with non-metastatic and metastatic renal cell carcinoma using different parameters such as BMI, visceral fat area and s.c.

Prognostic role of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer treated with abiraterone or enzalutamide.

Background: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are markers of systemic inflammation associated with poor outcome in several solid tumors. We retrospectively investigated the prognostic role of PLR and, secondly, NLR in mCRPC patients treated with abiraterone acetate (AA) or Enzalutamide (E), both in pre- and postdocetaxel setting.

Methods: Two hundred twenty-five mCRPC patients treated with AA or E with basal blood count were divided in three groups according to PLR (PLR1<128; PLR2 128-190; PLR>190) and in two groups according to NLR (<3 vs.

Prognostic role of the duration of response to androgen deprivation therapy in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer treated with enzalutamide or abiraterone acetate.

Background: Our retrospective study aims to evaluate the prognostic role of duration of response to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with enzalutamide (E) or abiraterone acetate (AA).

Materials And Methods: Data about ADT start and duration were available in 255 (82%) of 311 patients treated with AA or E. Patients were divided in three groups according to ADT response (group 1 [G1]: <12 months; group 2 [G2]: 12-36 months; group 3 [G3]: >36 months).

Interactions between androgen receptor signaling and other molecular pathways in prostate cancer progression: Current and future clinical implications.

In last years several improvements have been made in the management of prostate cancer (PCa). Androgen receptor (AR) is considered the main driver in PCa growth and progression and most drugs are directed against AR pathway. Once PCa spreads outside the prostate, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) represents the cornerstone of treatment in hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC).

Italian survey on the clinical management of non-small cell lung cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: A lesson for the second wave.

This study investigated the clinical management of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients during the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Italy. A 29-questions survey was sent to 95 Italian thoracic oncologists, with 77 % of them declaring significant changes in the outpatients management and treatment. The results of this survey pointed out a significant delay of lung cancer diagnosis along with a relevant reduction of patients' accrual within clinical trials.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Cancer Patients: A Picture of an Italian Unit.

The world, and Italy on the front lines, has experienced a major medical emergency due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Cancer patients are one of the potentially most vulnerable cohorts of people, but data about their management are still few. In this monocentric retrospective study we included all SARS-CoV-2 oncological patients accepted, between March 27th and April 19th 2020, at the Onco-COVID Unit at San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, one of the few Italian oncological-COVID wards.

Bipolar androgen therapy in prostate cancer: Current evidences and future perspectives.

Testosterone suppression by androgen deprivation therapy is the cornerstone of prostate cancer treatment. New-generation hormone therapies improved overall survival in castration-resistant prostate cancer. More recent trials showed a further increase in overall survival when enzalutamide or abiraterone are associated with androgen deprivation therapy in hormone-sensitive disease.

Prognostic role of early PSA drop in castration resistant prostate cancer patients treated with abiraterone acetate or enzalutamide.

Background: Previous studies demonstrated a predictive value of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics for treatment outcome. Our retrospective study evaluates the prognostic role of early PSA drop in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients receiving abiraterone acetate (AA) or enzalutamide (E).

Methods: All mCRPC patients treated with AA or E at the San Luigi Hospital in Orbassano between 2010 and 2018 and at the Ordine Mauriziano Hospital in Turin between 2014 and 2018 were included in this retrospective study.

Quality of life assessment and reporting in colorectal cancer: A systematic review of phase III trials published between 2012 and 2018.

Background: In this study, our aim was to describe quality of life (QoL) prevalence and heterogeneity in QoL reporting in colorectal cancer phase III trials.

Methods: We included all phase III trials evaluating anticancer drugs in colorectal cancer patients published between 2012 and 2018 by 11 major journals.

Results: Out of the 67 publications identified, in 41 (61.

Quality of life analysis in lung cancer: A systematic review of phase III trials published between 2012 and 2018.

Objectives: We previously reported that quality of life (QoL) is not included among trial endpoints and QoL results are underreported in a significant proportion of phase III oncology trials. Here we describe QoL adoption, reporting and methodology of QoL analysis in lung cancer trials.

Materials And Methods: We selected all primary publications of lung cancer phase III trials assessing anticancer drugs published between 2012 and 2018 by 11 major journals.

Quality-of-Life Assessment and Reporting in Prostate Cancer: Systematic Review of Phase 3 Trials Testing Anticancer Drugs Published Between 2012 and 2018.

Quality of life (QoL) is not included among the end points in many studies, and QoL results are underreported in many phase 3 oncology trials. We performed a systematic review to describe QoL prevalence and heterogeneity in QoL reporting in recently published prostate cancer phase 3 trials. A PubMed search was performed to identify primary publications of randomized phase 3 trials testing anticancer drugs in prostate cancer, issued between 2012 and 2018.