Prognostic Role of Circulating Tumor Cells in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Large, Multicenter, Prospective Trial.

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) correlate with adverse prognosis in patients with breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer. Little data are available for renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Materials And Methods: We designed a multicenter prospective observational study to assess the correlation between CTC counts and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic RCC treated with an antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitor as a first-line regimen; overall survival (OS) and response were secondary objectives.

Surgical Management and Reconstruction of Diaphragm, Pericardium and Chest Wall in Mesothelioma Surgery: A Review.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive disease arising from parietal pleura. Surgery is a valuable option in the frame of a multimodality treatment. Several surgical approaches have been standardized with the aim of a macroscopic complete resection; these often require homolateral diaphragm and pericardial resection and reconstruction.

COVID-19 Pneumonia and ROX index: Time to set a new threshold for patients admitted outside the ICU.

Unlabelled: High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is used to treat acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) even outside the ICU and the ROX index (pulse oximetry/fraction of inspired oxygen/respiratory rate) may predict HFNC failure.

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was therefore to verify whether the ROX index is an accurate predictor of HFNC failure for COVID-19 patients treated outside the intensive care unit (ICU) and to evaluate the validity of the previously suggested threshold.

Design: Multicenter study.

Surgical treatment scenario for osteoblastoma of the pelvis: Long-term follow-up results.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of different treatments for pelvic Osteoblastoma (OB).

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 34 patients affected by primary pelvic OB from 3 oncologic referral centers. Patients with a minimum follow-up of 24 months were included.

Insulin Signaling in Arthritis.

Inflammatory arthritis is burdened by an increased risk of metabolic disorders. Cytokines and other mediators in inflammatory diseases lead to insulin resistance, diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Accumulating evidence in the field of immunometabolism suggests that the cause-effect relationship between arthritis and metabolic abnormalities might be bidirectional.

Multigene tests for breast cancer: the physician's perspective.

Breast cancer is the most common tumour in women and the first cause of death for cancer in the female population. Preserving the quality of life has therefore become an important objective in the management of the disease. The benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with HR+ HER2- early breast cancer should always be balanced against its potential short and long-term adverse effects, and identifying the appropriate patients for whom chemotherapy can offer the highest clinical benefit is critical.

Validation of a biomarker tool capable of measuring the absorbed dose soon after exposure to ionizing radiation.

A radiological or nuclear attack could involve such a large number of subjects as to overwhelm the emergency facilities in charge. Resources should therefore be focused on those subjects needing immediate medical attention and care. In such a scenario, for the triage management by first responders, it is necessary to count on efficient biological dosimetry tools capable of early detection of the absorbed dose.

Basic of machine learning and deep learning in imaging for medical physicists.

The manuscript aims at providing an overview of the published algorithms/automation tool for artificial intelligence applied to imaging for Healthcare. A PubMed search was performed using the query string to identify the proposed approaches (algorithms/automation tools) for artificial intelligence (machine and deep learning) in a 5-year period. The distribution of manuscript in the various disciplines and the investigated image types according to the AI approaches are presented.

Clinical Outcomes of Metastatic Renal Carcinoma Following Disease Progression to Programmed Death (PD)-1 or PD-L1 Inhibitors (IO): A Meet-URO Group Real World Study (Meet-Uro 7).

Objectives: The aim of our study was to collect data about of the outcome of metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients who progressed after immune checkpoint inhibitors in order to enhance data about efficacy and safety of treatment beyond immune-oncology (IO).

Materials And Methods: A total of 162 eligible patients, progressing to IO, were enrolled from 16 Italian referral centers adhering to the Meet-Uro association. Baseline characteristics, outcome data and toxicities were retrospectively collected.

Ibrutinib in association with venetoclax for the treatment of mantle-cell lymphoma: a multicenter case series.

Introduction: Mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL) with relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease after intensive chemotherapy have few effective treatment options. Ibrutinib showed a promising median progression-free survival (PFS) with manageable toxicity. The BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax showed encouraging results in R/R MCL patients and preclinical models suggest a potential synergistic effect of dual BTK and BCL2 inhibition.

Performance of Comprehensive Complication Index and Clavien-Dindo Complication Scoring System in Liver Surgery for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: We aimed to assess the ability of comprehensive complication index (CCI) and Clavien-Dindo complication (CDC) scale to predict excessive length of hospital stay (e-LOS) in patients undergoing liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: Patients were identified from an Italian multi-institutional database and randomly selected to be included in either a derivation or validation set. Multivariate logistic regression models and ROC curve analysis including either CCI or CDC as predictors of e-LOS were fitted to compare predictive performance.

Role of PET/CT and Therapy Management of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (panNENs) are heterogeneous neoplasms with neuroendocrine differentiation that show peculiar clinical and histomorphological features, with variable prognosis. In recent years, advances in knowledge regarding the pathophysiology and heterogeneous clinical presentation, as well as the availability of different diagnostic procedures for panNEN diagnosis and novel therapeutic options for patient clinical management, has led to the recognition of the need for an active multidisciplinary discussion for optimal patient care. Molecular imaging with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has become indispensable for the management of panNENs.

Incidence and outcomes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Background: Patients with cancer are at increased risk of complicated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but it is still unclear if the risk of mortality is influenced by cancer type or ongoing anti-cancer treatments. An interesting debate concerning the potential relationship between androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and SARS-CoV-2 infection has recently been opened in the case of prostate cancer (PC), and the aim of this multi-centre cohort study was to investigate the incidence and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostrate cancer (mCRPC).

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of patients with mCRPC who developed SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recorded their baseline clinical characteristics, their history of PC and SARS-CoV-2 infection, and their oncological status and treatment at the time of infection.

Excision Repair Cross Complementation Group 1 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Nivolumab in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

We hypothesized that non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with a tumor positive for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Excision Repair Cross Complementation Group 1 (ERCC-1) gene could be more genetically instable and consequently more responsive to a programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) blockade. We evaluated the and SNPs by pyrosequencing assay, on tumor specimens from two independent cohorts of patients who relapsed after one or more prior systemic treatments for advanced NSCLC and who received nivolumab (3 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks) as part of the Italian Expanded Access Program. We aimed to assess the outcome of enrolled subjects according to the SNPs , to evaluate the role of these polymorphisms as putative biomarkers associated with a response/clinical benefit to anti-PD-1 therapies.

Systemic Inflammation Is Associated with Oncological Outcome in Patients with High-Grade Myxofibrosarcoma of the Extremities: A Retrospective Analysis.

Background: The aim of this retrospective study is to verify whether preoperative systemic inflammatory markers (serum C-reactive protein [CRP] and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio [NLR]) can help in predicting the disease-specific survival (DSS) and local recurrence (LR) rate in adult patients affected by localized myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) of the extremities.

Methods: We reviewed 126 adult patients with primary, localized MFS of the limbs. We analyzed DSS and LR.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in High-Risk Soft Tissue Sarcomas: Final Results of a Randomized Trial From Italian (ISG), Spanish (GEIS), French (FSG), and Polish (PSG) Sarcoma Groups.

Purpose: To determine whether the administration of histology-tailored neoadjuvant chemotherapy (HT) was superior to the administration of standard anthracycline plus ifosfamide neoadjuvant chemotherapy (A+I) in high-risk soft tissue sarcoma (STS) of an extremity or the trunk wall.

Patients And Methods: This was a randomized, open-label, phase III trial. Patients had localized high-risk STS (grade 3; size, ≥ 5 cm) of an extremity or trunk wall, belonging to one of the following five histologic subtypes: high-grade myxoid liposarcoma (HG-MLPS); leiomyosarcoma (LMS), synovial sarcoma (SS), malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST), and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS).

Differential expression of the five redox complexes in the retinal mitochondria or rod outer segment disks is consistent with their different functionality.

Purpose: The retinal rod outer segment (OS) disk membranes, devoid of mitochondria, conducts oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos). This study aimed at identifying which proteins expressed in the retinal rod OS disks determined the considerable adenosine-5'-triphosphate production and oxygen consumption observed in comparison with retinal mitochondria.

Procedures: Characterization was conducted by immunogold transmission electron microscopy on retinal sections.

Autologous internal limiting membrane transplant for recurrent idiopathic macular holes.

Purpose: To report a series of recurrent idiopathic macular holes treated by means of a free autologous internal limiting membrane flap and compare visual and anatomic results to a control group undergoing further internal limiting membrane peeling and novel gas tamponade.

Methods: Retrospective surgical series of 15 consecutive patients receiving autologous internal limiting membrane flap compared to 14 patients operated on for internal limiting membrane peeling enlargement. Autologous internal limiting membrane flap was created after brilliant blue G staining, internal limiting membrane lifting, perfluorocarbon bubble injection and creation of a wide internal limiting membrane free flap translocated underneath perfluorocarbon liquid, to the macular hole bed.