neoplasms

Current trends in oxysterols & related sterols

It is now widely accepted that oxysterols are more than metabolic intermediates but are actually bona fide lipid mediators. To qualify as a bona fide lipid mediator, a lipid compound should meet three conditions. First to be endogenous, second to have its levels altered depending on the physiological or pathological situation, and third to induce a signaling response when its levels are altered. As is evident from the papers published in this Special issue, oxysterols largely qualify as bona fide lipid mediators.

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19–Free surgical pathways during the SARS-cov-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2.

Copper-64 labeled nanoparticles for positron emission tomography imaging: A review of the recent literature

Introduction: nuclear medicine plays a crucial role for personalized therapy, mainly in oncology. chemotherapy and radiotherapy present some disadvantages and research is shifting toward nanotechnology with significant improvements in therapy and diagnosis of several cancers. indeed, nanoparticles can be tagged with different radioisotopes for single photon emission computed tomography (SPecT) and positron emission tomography (PeT) imaging and for therapy. This review describes the current state of the art of 64copper-labeled nanoparticles for PeT imaging of cancer.

Focal breast lesion characterization according to the BI-RADS US lexicon: role of a computer-aided decision-making support

The breast imaging-reporting and data system (BI-RADS) lexicon was first developed in 2003 by the American College of Radiology (ACR), in an attempt to standardize image interpretation, reporting and teaching breast imaging, including ultrasound (US) [1]. Despite this validation, the variability in the assessment of focal breast lesions (FBLs) with the use of BI-RADS US lexicon is still an issue, in particular for some of the descriptors, such as margin and echo pattern of lesion.

Ultrasound in the assessment of tumor response in the age of targeted and immuno-oncology therapies back to the future

In Oncology, ultrasound has been long considered among the least convincing imaging techniques to evaluate response to chemoteraphy. The inter-operator variability, reduced panoramic view, and the impossibility of providing information about lung and bones were justified reasons for considering computed

Adenomyoepithelioma of the breast: case report and literature review

Adenomyoepithelioma are uncommon tumors. The majority of them occur in women in the fifth and sixth decades who usually present with a self-palpated, solitary breast mass or a lesion identified on mammography. We report the case of adenomyoepithelioma of the breast with malignant transformation of both myoepitheliel and epithelial components diagnosed as malignancy during the preoperative stage in a seventy-six year old woman.

What cancer patients actually know regarding medical cannabis? A cross-sectional survey with a critical analysis of the current attitudes

Background: In Italy medical cannabis is a prescription drug since 1998. Even though it could not be considered a therapy as such, it is indicated as a symptomatic treatment also in cancer patients, to cure iatrogenic nausea/vomiting and chronic pain. Patients and methods: We conducted a knowledge survey about medical cannabis among cancer patients referred to two outpatient cancer care centers and a home care service. Results: From February to April 2018, 232 patient were enrolled; 210 patients were on active disease-oriented treatment (90.5%), while 22 (9.5%) not.

Another side of the association between body mass index (BMI) and clinical outcomes of cancer patients receiving programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/ Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) checkpoint inhibitors: A multicentre analysis of immune-re

Background: Several studies have found an association between higher body mass index (BMI) and improved clinical outcomes in cancer patients receiving programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) checkpoint inhibitors. In a previous study, we found that overweight/obese patients were significantly more likely to experience any grade immune-related adverse events (irAEs) compared to non-overweight patients.

Palliative- and non-palliative indications for glucocorticoids use in course of immune-checkpoint inhibition. Current evidence and future perspectives

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors significantly reshaped treatment landscapes in several solid tumors. Concurrently with disease-oriented therapies, cancer patients often require proper management of drug-related adverse events and/or cancer-related symptoms. Glucocorticoids (GC) are a cornerstone of symptom management in advanced cancer care and in the management of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) due to immune-modulating therapies. Moreover, GC are often administered in patients with autoimmune diseases (AID), either alone or in combination with other treatments.

© Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" - Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma