Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) expression on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and metastatic breast cancer outcome: results from the TransMYME trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic value of IGF-1R expression on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in a prospective randomized clinical trial comparing chemotherapy plus metformin with chemotherapy alone in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients.

Methods: CTCs were collected at baseline and at the end of chemotherapy. An automated sample preparation and analysis system (CellSearch) were customized for detecting IGF-1R expression.

The risk of post-thrombotic syndrome in patients with proximal deep vein thrombosis treated with the direct oral anticoagulants.

The novel direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) have been shown to be at least as effective as and safer than conventional anticoagulants for the initial and long-term treatment of venous thromboembolic disorders. However, the rate of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in patients with deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) treated with the DOACs is unknown. With the adoption of the Villalta scale, we assessed the rate of PTS at the end of the follow-up period in a consecutive series of 309 outpatients with acute proximal DVT who had received at least 3 months of treatment with a DOAC and had been followed-up for up to 3 years.

Tocilizumab therapy in rheumatoid arthritis with interstitial lung disease: a multicentre retrospective study.

Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most severe extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although it is responsible of 10-20% of all RA mortality, no controlled studies are available for the treatment of RA-ILD and its therapeutic approach is still debated.

Aims: To analyse the evolution of ILD in a population of RA patients treated with tocilizumab (TCZ).

Factors influencing the perception of protective isolation in patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A multicentre prospective study.

Objectives: To identify which factors can influence the patients' perception of protective isolation following Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT).

Methods: This is a prospective study conducted in 10 Italian centres, members of the Italian Group of stem cell transplant (GITMO). Patients' perception of protective isolation was assessed using the ISOLA scale between 7 and 9 days post-transplant.

Evaluation of unmet clinical needs in prophylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolism in high-risk patient groups: cancer and critically ill.

Background: Clinical practice shows that venous thromboembolism (VTE) presents a substantial burden in medical patients, and awareness and advocacy for its primary and secondary prevention remains inadequate. Specific patient populations, such as those with cancer and the critically ill, show elevated risk for VTE, bleeding or both, and significant gaps in VTE prophylaxis and treatment exist in these groups.

Objective: To present novel insights and consolidated evidence collected from experts, clinical practice guidelines and original studies on the unmet needs in thromboprophylaxis, and on the treatment of VTE in two high-risk patient groups: patients with cancer and the critically ill.

Development and initial validation of a questionnaire to assess patients' perception of protective isolation following haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test a questionnaire assessing patients' perception of protective isolation following haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The conceptual framework for developing the questionnaire was a three-dimensional model that emerged from a metasynthesis: isolation-related suffering, relationship with oneself and relationship with others. Item selection was performed through a focus group, comparison with the findings of two phenomenological studies, and content validity with 22 experts.

Apheresis treatment of cryoglobulinemic vasculitis: A multicentre cohort study of 159 patients.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of apheresis therapy (AT) in treating the clinical manifestations of patients with complicated cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV).

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 159 CV patients attending 22 Italian Centers who underwent at least one AT session between 2005 and 2015. The response to AT was evaluated on the basis of a defined grading system.

Residual vein obstruction in patients diagnosed with acute isolated distal deep vein thrombosis associated with active cancer.

After acute proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) the thrombotic mass decreases, especially during the first months of anticoagulation. The persistence of residual vein obstruction (RVO) may predict future recurrence in patients with cancer-associated DVT. We aimed to evaluate the proportion of patients with RVO after an episode of cancer associated isolated distal DVT (IDDVT), to identify variables associated with RVO, and to provide initial evidence of its association with recurrent VTE.

An association between residual vein thrombosis and subclinical atherosclerosis: Cross-sectional study.

Background: The association between venous and arterial thrombotic disorders is still unclear. We assessed the association between residual vein thrombosis (RVT) and subclinical atherosclerosis in a cohort of patients with unprovoked (or associated with weak risk factors) proximal deep-vein thrombosis (DVT).

Methods: In a multicenter cross-sectional study, consecutive patients over 40years free from atherosclerotic disorders received the ultrasound assessment of the leg vein system and that of carotid arteries approximately three months after an episode of proximal DVT.

Increased SHISA3 expression characterizes chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients sensitive to lenalidomide.

Lenalidomide is a therapeutically effective drug in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Twenty-seven CLL patients were treated with lenalidomide in a phase II clinical trial. Ten patients were grouped as responders (R) and 6 as nonresponders (NR).

Clinical course of isolated distal deep vein thrombosis in patients with active cancer: a multicenter cohort study.

Unlabelled: Essentials Isolated distal deep vein thrombosis (IDDVT) is frequently associated with cancer. No study has specifically evaluated the long-term clinical course of cancer-associated IDDVT. Patients with cancer-associated IDDVT are at very high risk of symptomatic recurrence and death.

Recanalization rate in patients with proximal vein thrombosis treated with the direct oral anticoagulants.

Background: The recanalization rate in patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the legs treated with the direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) is unknown.

Methods: In an Italian cohort, we investigated the rate of residual vein thrombosis (RVT) after three and/or six months in 352 patients with proximal DVT who had been treated with the DOACs as a stand-alone therapy or lead-in parenteral anticoagulants, and compared it to that recorded in a historical cohort of 1094 patients in which vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) had been employed. In both cohorts, RVT was defined as the ultrasound persistence of thrombotic material resulting in a diameter of at least 4mm of incompressibility of the proximal veins.

Immunohistochemical Detection of Hematopoietic Cell-specific Protein-Tyrosine Phosphatase (Tyrosine Phosphatase SHP-1) in a Series of Endometrioid and Serous Endometrial Carcinoma.

In this study, we evaluated the expression of SHP-1 (PTPN6) in endometrioid (Ec) and serous (Sc) subtypes of endometrial carcinoma by immunohistochemical analysis. In total, 114 patients with Ec carcinoma and 48 patients with Sc carcinoma were enrolled in this study. The correlation between the type of histology, the grade of tumor, the stage of development, and immunoreactivity to SHP-1 was evaluated.

Prevalence of Pulmonary Embolism among Patients Hospitalized for Syncope.

Background: The prevalence of pulmonary embolism among patients hospitalized for syncope is not well documented, and current guidelines pay little attention to a diagnostic workup for pulmonary embolism in these patients.

Methods: We performed a systematic workup for pulmonary embolism in patients admitted to 11 hospitals in Italy for a first episode of syncope, regardless of whether there were alternative explanations for the syncope. The diagnosis of pulmonary embolism was ruled out in patients who had a low pretest clinical probability, which was defined according to the Wells score, in combination with a negative d-dimer assay.

Immunoglobulin G fragment C receptor polymorphisms and efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy plus trastuzumab and lapatinib in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Lapatinib enhances antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity of trastuzumab. FcγR polymorphisms have been associated with both ADCC and clinical activity of trastuzumab in HER2+ breast cancer (BC) patients (pts). We analyzed FcγRIIa-H131R and FcγRIIIa-V158F polymorphisms in the CHER-LOB trial population of HER2+ BCs treated with preoperative chemotherapy plus trastuzumab (arm A), lapatinib (arm B) or both (arm C).

Characteristics of the case mix, organisation and delivery in cancer palliative care: a challenge for good-quality research.

Objectives: Palliative care (PC) services and patients differ across countries. Data on PC delivery paired with medical and self-reported data are seldom reported. Aims were to describe (1) PC organisation and services in participating centres and (2) characteristics of patients in PC programmes.

OC-01 - Clinical history of cancer patients with isolated distal deep vein thrombosis: a multicenter cohort study.

Introduction: Isolated distal deep vein thrombosis (IDDVT) accounts for one-fourth to one-half of all deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the leg. Patients with IDDVT are frequently treated for a shorter period of time compared to patients with proximal DVT and/or pulmonary embolism (PE) due to a perceived lower risk of recurrence. About 10-20% of patients with venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) have concomitant cancer.

Primary prophylaxis of VTE in cancer outpatients.

Cancer patients have a significantly higher risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared to non-cancer patients and several studies suggest that VTE risk among ambulatory cancer patients varies widely. Recently, predictive models capable of risk-stratifying a broad range of ambulatory cancer outpatients have been developed and validated; using the Khorana model a score of 2 is associated with an intermediate-high risk for VTE. However, the use of VTE prophylaxis in ambulatory patients who have cancer remains controversial.

Acupuncture As an Integrative Approach for the Treatment of Hot Flashes in Women With Breast Cancer: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (AcCliMaT).

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of acupuncture for the management of hot flashes in women with breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial comparing acupuncture plus enhanced self-care versus enhanced self-care alone. A total of 190 women with breast cancer were randomly assigned.

The Carina© middle ear implant: surgical and functional outcomes.

The Carina© system (Cochlear Ltd, Sydney, Australia) is a totally implantable prosthesis designed to meet the needs of acoustic amplification in adults with moderate-to-severe sensorineural or mixed hearing loss. It mechanically stimulates the ossicles or labyrinthine windows. The object of this study was to update surgical and functional results obtained in a consistent sample of Carina© recipients.

Prognostic value of MGMT promoter status in non-resectable glioblastoma after adjuvant therapy.

Background: Methylation of MGMT promoter has been identified as a favourable predictive factor of benefit from XRT/TMZ → TMZ. Patients with non-resectable glioblastoma (GBM) generally exhibit a poor prognosis, even after XRT/TMZ. Few data are available concerning the predictive value of MGMT promoter methylation in this population.

Uncemented fully hydroxyapatite-coated hip stem for intracapsular femoral neck fractures in osteoporotic elderly patients: a multicenter study.

There is still debate over the limits of age and bone stock quality of patients on whom to use an un-cemented straight stem coated with hydroxyapatite (HA). We studied a group of 244 patients with a displaced intracapsular fracture of the femoral neck who underwent cementless hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty. 143 patients were reviewed at the two-year follow up.