Radiotherapy prolongs the survival of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients undergone to an immune-modulating treatment with dose-fractioned cisplatin and metronomic etoposide and bevacizumab (mPEBev).

Radiotherapy (RT), together with a direct cytolytic effect on tumor tissue, also elicits systemic immunological events, which sometimes result in the regression of distant metastases (abscopal effect). We have shown the safety and anti-tumor activity of a novel metronomic chemotherapy (mCH) regimen with dose-fractioned cisplatin, oral etoposide and bevacizumab, a mAb against the vasculo-endothelial-growth-factor (mPEBev regimen), in metastatic non-small-cell-lung cancer (mNSCLC). This regimen, designed on the results of translational studies, showed immune-modulating effects that could trigger and empower the immunological effects associated with tumor irradiation.

Androgen receptor in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer: Beyond expression.

In recent years, new therapeutic approaches have reshaped the overall strategy of breast cancer (BC) treatment and have markedly improved patient survival. This is, in part, due to novel therapies for estrogen receptor (ER)-positive BC. Unfortunately, many patients present de novo resistance to these therapies or develop an acquired resistance over time.

Circulating tumor DNA detection in head and neck cancer: evaluation of two different detection approaches.

The use of non-invasive biomarkers such as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in head and neck tumors may be of relevance in early diagnosis and eventually improved outcome. We evaluated two different approaches from two case series in Europe and South America including (i) targeted screening of ctDNA mutations, and (ii) detection of mutations in plasma and oral rinses without previous knowledge of mutational status in tumor samples. Targeted sequencing in 5 genes identified ctDNA mutations in plasma among 42% of HNSCC cases, 67% of who were early stage cases.

Epidemiology of rare cancers and inequalities in oncologic outcomes.

Rare cancers epidemiology is better known compared to the other rare diseases. Thanks to the long history of the European population-based cancer registries and to the EUROCARE huge database, the burden of rare cancers has been estimated the European (EU28) population. A considerable fraction of all cancers is represented by rare cancers (24%).

Treatment challenges in and outside a network setting: Soft tissue sarcomas.

Patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) experienced better outcomes when treated according to existing clinical practice guidelines either at reference institution or dedicated treatment networks. Despite increasing evidence supporting referral to sarcoma specialised units, up to half of patients are not managed according to guidelines, particularly those in the early stage of their disease requiring surgery. Also, criteria to certify expertise of institutions, such as the treatment volume, are debated and health authorities have only recently started identification of these centres and creation of treatment networks in Europe as well as in several countries.

Identification of SRF-E2F1 fusion transcript in EWSR-negative myoepithelioma of the soft tissue.

Myoepithelial neoplasms (MN) are rare and not well-circumstanced entities displaying a heterogeneous spectrum of genetic abnormalities, including EWSR1, FUS and PLAG1 rearrangements. However, in the remaining MN no other fusion gene has been described and knowledge concerning secondary acquired molecular alterations is still poor. Therefore, we screened 5 cases of MN of the soft tissue by RNA sequencing with the aim of identifying novel fusion transcripts.

Alcohol and cigarette consumption predict mortality in patients with head and neck cancer: a pooled analysis within the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium.

Background: This study evaluated whether demographics, pre-diagnosis lifestyle habits and clinical data are associated with the overall survival (OS) and head and neck cancer (HNC)-specific survival in patients with HNC.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a pooled analysis, including 4759 HNC patients from five studies within the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium. Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated including terms reported significantly associated with the survival in the univariate analysis.

New Insights into the Pathogenesis of Celiac Disease.

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune and multisystem gluten-related disorder that causes symptoms involving the gastrointestinal tract and other organs. Pathogenesis of CD is only partially known. It had been established that ingestion of gluten proteins present in wheat and other cereals are necessary for the disease and develops in individuals genetically predisposed carrying the DQ2 or DQ8 human leukocyte antigen haplotypes.

Dissecting the CD93-Multimerin 2 interaction involved in cell adhesion and migration of the activated endothelium.

The glycoprotein CD93 has recently been recognized to play an important role in the regulation of the angiogenic process. Moreover, CD93 is highly expressed in the endothelial cells of tumor blood vessel and faintly expressed in the non-proliferating endothelium. Much evidence suggests that CD93 mediates adhesion in the endothelium.

Adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research recommendations and colorectal cancer risk.

Background: The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) released in 2007 eight recommendations for cancer prevention on body fatness, diet and physical activity. Our aim is to evaluate the relation between adherence to these recommendations and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk.

Methods: We pooled data from two Italian case-control studies including overall 2419 patients with CRC and 4723 controls.

Neurofibromin C terminus-specific antibody (clone NFC) is a valuable tool for the identification of NF1-inactivated GISTs.

An increasing body of evidence supports the involvement of NF1 mutations, constitutional or somatic, in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Due to the large size of the NF1 locus, the existence of multiple pseudogenes and the wide spectrum of mechanisms of gene inactivation, the analysis of NF1 gene status is still challenging for most laboratories. Here we sought to assess the efficacy of a recently developed neurofibromin-specific antibody (NFC) in detecting NF1-inactivated GISTs.

Coagulation and fibrinolysis in gastric cancer.

Coagulation is a highly conserved process occurring after an injury to a blood vessel and resulting in hemostasis. In the thrombus microenvironment, finely orchestrated events restore vessel integrity through platelet activation, adhesion, and aggregation (primary hemostasis), followed by the coagulation cascades, thrombin generation, and fibrin clot deposition (secondary hemostasis). Several studies on cancer have provided insight into dramatic changes to coagulation-related events (i.

Residence in Proximity of a Coal-Oil-Fired Thermal Power Plant and Risk of Lung and Bladder Cancer in North-Eastern Italy. A Population-Based Study: 1995-2009.

This study investigated the risk of lung and bladder cancers in people residing in proximity of a coal-oil-fired thermal power plant in an area of north-eastern Italy, covered by a population-based cancer registry. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) by sex, age, and histology were computed according to tertiles of residential exposure to benzene, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particular matter, and sulfur dioxide (SO2) among 1076 incident cases of lung and 650 cases of bladder cancers. In men of all ages and in women under 75 years of age, no significant associations were observed.

Hypoxic Modulation of HLA-G Expression through the Metabolic Sensor HIF-1 in Human Cancer Cells.

The human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is considered an immune checkpoint molecule involved in tumor immune evasion. Hypoxia and the metabolic sensor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) are hallmarks of metastasization, angiogenesis, and intense tumor metabolic activity. The purpose of this review was to examine original in vitro studies carried out in human cancer cell lines, which reported data about HLA-G expression and HIF-1 mediated-HLA-G expression in response to hypoxia.

Determinants of Last-line Treatment in Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Background: In metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients, the identification of factors helping clinicians in the choice between active therapy versus best supportive care is needed clinically. The aim of the present study was to identify the clinicopathologic factors that could improve the prognostic valuation of MBC patients and clinical decision-making at the end of life.

Patients And Methods: The present study analyzed data from a retrospective series of 522 MBC patients treated at the oncology department (University Hospital of Udine) from January 2004 to June 2014.

Biosensing Technologies for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.

Background And Rationale: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is the clinical practice of measuring pharmaceutical drug concentrations in patients' biofluids at designated intervals to allow a close and timely control of their dosage. This practice allows for rapid medical intervention in case of toxicity-related issues and/or adjustment of dosage to better fit the therapeutic demand. Currently, TDM is performed in centralized laboratories employing instruments, such as immunoassay analyzers and mass spectrometers that can be run only by trained personnel.

Dietary Inflammatory Index and Renal Cell Carcinoma Risk in an Italian Case-Control Study.

Background: The relation between diet-related inflammation and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not been investigated.

Methods: In this study, we explored the association between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and RCC in an Italian case-control study conducted between 1992 and 2004. Cases were 767 patients with incident, histologically confirmed RCC.

Dietary fiber intake and head and neck cancer risk: A pooled analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium.

The possible role of dietary fiber in the etiology of head neck cancers (HNCs) is unclear. We used individual-level pooled data from ten case-control studies (5959 cases and 12,248 controls) participating in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) consortium, to examine the association between fiber intake and cancer of the oral cavity/pharynx and larynx. Odds Ratios (ORs) and their 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) were estimated using unconditional multiple logistic regression applied to quintile categories of non-alcohol energy-adjusted fiber intake and adjusted for tobacco and alcohol use and other known or putative confounders.

Geographical variability in survival of European children with central nervous system tumours.

Survival for childhood central nervous system (CNS) tumours varies across Europe, partly because of the difficulty of distinguishing malignant from non-malignant disease. This study examines bias in CNS tumours survival analysis to obtain the reliable and comparable survival figures. We analysed survival data for about 15,000 children (age <15) diagnosed with CNS between 2000 and 2007, from 71 population-based cancer registries in 27 countries.

HLA-G 3'UTR Polymorphisms Predict Drug-Induced G3-4 Toxicity Related to Folinic Acid/5-Fluorouracil/Oxaliplatin (FOLFOX4) Chemotherapy in Non-Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Polymorphisms in drug-metabolizing enzymes might not completely explain inter-individual differences in toxicity profiles of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) that receive folinic acid/5-fluorouracil/oxaliplatin (FOLFOX4). Recent data indicate that the immune system could contribute to FOLFOX4 outcomes. In light of the immune inhibitory nature of human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G), a non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule, we aimed to identify novel genomic markers of grades 3 and 4 (G3-4) toxicity related to FOLFOX4 therapy in patients with CRC.

Cross-cultural validation of health literacy measurement tools in Italian oncology patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric characteristics of four Health Literacy (HL) measurement tools, viz. Newest Vital Sign (NVS), Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA), Single Item Literacy Screener (SILS) and Single question on Self-rated Reading Ability (SrRA) among Italian oncology patients.

Methods: The original version of the tools were translated from the English language into Italian using a standard forward-backward procedure and according to internationally recognized good practices.

The dose-response relationship between tobacco smoking and the risk of lymphomas: a case-control study.

Background: Previous studies have provided limited support to the association between tobacco smoking and lymphomas with weak evidence of a dose-response relationship.

Methods: We investigated the relationship between tobacco smoking and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and Hodgkin lymphomas (HL) through logistic regression spline models. Data were derived from an Italian hospital-based case-control study (1999-2014), which enrolled 571 NHLs, 188 HLs, and 1004 cancer-free controls.