Failure to recognize preoperatively high-risk endometrial carcinoma is associated with a poor outcome.

Objective: To evaluate the misdiagnosis between endometrial biopsy and definitive surgical pathology and to assess whether the failure in recognizing preoperatively high-risk endometrial carcinoma (EC) can impact oncological outcomes.

Study Design: A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate patients with EC diagnosed by preoperative endometrial biopsy who subsequently underwent surgical staging between 2006 and 2013 at our institution. In patients with a surgical diagnosis of high-risk EC, histotype and grade change between the endometrial biopsy and surgical specimen (discordance diagnosis) were evaluated and correlated to survival outcomes.

Sonographic findings in postmenopausal women with a prior endometrial ablation: interpretation and management of women with endometrial thickening and bleeding.

Objective: To understand the meaning of endometrial thickening and bleeding in postmenopausal women who had previously undergone endometrial ablation (EA).

Design: Retrospective observational study. Canadian Task Force III.

Physicochemical features and transfection properties of chitosan/poloxamer 188/poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoplexes.

The aim of this study was the evaluation of the effects of two emulsifiers on the physicochemical and technological properties of low molecular weight chitosan/poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoplexes and their transfection efficiency. Nanospheres were prepared using the nanoprecipitation method of the preformed polymer. The mean diameter and surface charge of the nanospheres were investigated by photocorrelation spectroscopy.

DJ-1 in endometrial cancer: a possible biomarker to improve differential diagnosis between subtypes.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to characterize the well-defined endometrial cancer (EC) type I (endometrioid [EEC] G1-G2) versus the prototype of EC type II (serous [ESC]) and to evaluate the expression of specific biomarkers differentially expressed between 2 well-defined types, in those EC subtypes (such as EEC G3) disputed between types I and II.

Methods: Data from 25 patients (10 EEC G1-G2, 8 EEC G3, 5 ESC, and 2 clear cell) submitted to the surgical treatment were collected. Two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis were performed on 5 EEC G1-G2 and 5 healthy endometrial samples of the same patients.

Gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, levofolinate, 5-fluorouracil, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and interleukin-2 (GOLFIG) versus FOLFOX chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer patients: the GOLFIG-2 multicentric open-label randomized phase III trial.

The GOLFIG-2 phase III trial was designed to compare the immunobiological activity and antitumor efficacy of GOLFIG chemoimmunotherapy regimen with standard FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy in frontline treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. This trial was conceived on the basis of previous evidence of antitumor and immunomodulating activity of the GOLFIG regimen in mCRC. GOLFIG-2 is a multicentric open/label phase III trial (EUDRACT: 2005-003458-81).

Adjuvant use of platelet gel for wound breakdown prevention in advanced vulvar cancer surgery: a retrospective study.

Objective: The aggressive surgical strategy adopted for vulvar cancer is related to a high complication rate, usually consisting in infections and wound breakdown. Considering that platelet gel concentrate improves reparation of cutaneous lesions, the aim of the current retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of platelet gel application in women who had undergone radical surgery for vulvar cancer.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed record charts of 25 women referred to our academic departments with a diagnosis of vulvar cancer and who had undergone radical vulvectomy plus inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy between January 2007 and December 2011.

Systemic inflammatory status at baseline predicts bevacizumab benefit in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Bevacizumab is a humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody able to produce clinical benefit in advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients when combined to chemotherapy. At present, while there is a rising attention to bevacizumab-related adverse events and costs, no clinical or biological markers have been identified and validated for baseline patient selection. Preclinical findings suggest an important role for myeloid-derived inflammatory cells, such as neutrophils and monocytes, in the development of VEGF-independent angiogenesis.

Nanoparticle albumin bound Paclitaxel in the treatment of human cancer: nanodelivery reaches prime-time?

Nanoparticle albumin bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) represents the first nanotechnology-based drug in cancer treatment. We discuss the development of this innovative compound and report the recent changing-practice results in breast and pancreatic cancer. A ground-breaking finding is the demonstration that nab-paclitaxel can not only enhance the activity and reduce the toxicity of chromophore-diluted compound, but also exert activity in diseases considered refractory to taxane-based treatment.

Prophylactic salpingectomy in premenopausal low-risk women for ovarian cancer: primum non nocere.

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare ovarian function and surgical outcomes between patients affected by benign uterine pathologies submitted to total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) plus salpingectomy and women in which standard TLH with adnexal preservation was performed.

Methods: We retrospectively compared data of 79 patients who underwent TLH plus bilateral salpingectomy (group A), with those of 79 women treated by standard TLH without adnexectomy (sTLH) (group B). Ovarian reserve modification, expressed as the difference between 3 months post-operative and pre-operative values of Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Antral Follicle Count (AFC), mean ovarian diameters and Peak Systolic Velocity (PSV), was recorded for each patient.

A retrospective analysis of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in ovarian cancer: do we still need it?

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is the sixth most common cancer in women. Currently, carboplatin/paclitaxel ± bevacizumab is the cornerstone of front-line treatment. Conversely, the therapeutic options for recurrent or progressive disease are not well defined.

Improvement in chronic pelvic pain after gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue (GnRH-a) administration in premenopausal women suffering from adenomyosis or endometriosis: a retrospective study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the improvement in catamenial chronic pelvic pain (CPP) after Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone analogue (GnRH-a) administration in women affected by adenomyosis or endometriosis. We retrospectively analysed clinical data of 63 premenopausal women with clinical suspect of adenomyosis (15 women, Group A) or endometriosis (48 women, Group B), which received GnRH-a in order to reduce CPP intensity during the time on surgery waiting list. Main outcome measures were variation of CPP intensity, numbers of days requiring analgesics and lost work productivity before and three months after GnRH-a administration.

Role of gemcitabine-based combination therapy in the management of advanced pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Gemcitabine is the mainstay treatment for advanced disease. However, almost all up-to-date trials, that evaluated the benefit of gemcitabine-combination schedules, failed to demonstrate an improvement in overall survival (OS).

Role of systemic chemotherapy in the management of resected or resectable colorectal liver metastases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Liver metastases are a common event in patients with colorectal cancer. Surgical resection, if feasible, produces a survival benefit. We performed a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCT) and meta-analysis to address the question if current available studies support the use of systemic chemotherapy as an adjunct to surgery in resected/resectable patients.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of ABCC5 and ABCG1 transporter genes correlate to irinotecan-associated gastrointestinal toxicity in colorectal cancer patients: a DMET microarray profiling study.

Recent findings have disclosed the role of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1*28 on the haematological toxicity induced by irinotecan (CPT-11), a drug commonly used in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). We investigated the pharmacogenomic profile of irinotecan-induced gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity by the novel drug-metabolizing enzyme and transporter (DMET) microarray genotyping platform. Twenty-six mCRC patients who had undergone to irinotecan-based chemotherapy were enrolled in a case (patients experiencing ≥ grade 3 gastrointestinal, (GI) toxicity) - control (matched patients without GI toxicity) study.

Challenging the current approaches to multiple myeloma-related bone disease: from bisphosphonates to target therapy.

Bone disease (BD) is the hall-mark clinical feature of multiple myeloma (MM), accounting up to 60% of patients with bone pain at diagnosis and 60% with a pathologic fracture during the course of their disease. Experimental models, which recapitulate in vivo the human bone marrow microenvironment (HBMM) in immunodeficient mice have been recently developed as valuable tool for the study of MM pathophysiology as well as the experimental treatment of BD. At present, bisphosphonates are the mainstay treatment of MM-related BD.

BRCA1/2 genetic background-based therapeutic tailoring of human ovarian cancer: hope or reality?

Ovarian epithelial tumors are an hallmark of hereditary cancer syndromes which are related to the germ-line inheritance of cancer predisposing mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Although these genes have been associated with multiple different physiologic functions, they share an important role in DNA repair mechanisms and therefore in the whole genomic integrity control. These findings have risen a variety of issues in terms of treatment and prevention of breast and ovarian tumors arising in this context.

Loss of BRCA1 function increases the antitumor activity of cisplatin against human breast cancer xenografts in vivo.

Background: Previous reports suggested a central role of BRCA1 in DNA-damage repair mechanisms elicited by cell exposure to anti-tumor agents. Here we studied if BRCA1-defective HCC1937 or BRCA1-reconstituted HCC1937/(WT)BRCA1 human breast cancer xenografts (HBCXs) generated in SCID mice were differentially sensitive to cisplatin (CDDP) in vivo and we investigated potential molecular correlates of this effect.

Results: CDDP induced almost complete growth inhibition of BRCA1-defective HBCXs, while BRCA1-reconstituted HBCXs were only partially inhibited.

In vivo anti-myeloma activity and modulation of gene expression profile induced by valproic acid, a histone deacetylase inhibitor.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a well-tolerated anticonvulsant that exerts anti-tumour activity as a histone deacetylase inhibitor. This study investigated the in vitro and in vivo activity of VPA against multiple myeloma (MM) cells. In vitro exposure of interleukin-6-dependent or -independent MM cells to VPA inhibited cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner and induced apoptosis.