Adjuvant systemic therapy in early breast cancer and results of a prospective observational multicenter BRIDE study: patients outcome and adherence to guidelines in cancer clinical practice.

Introduction: Evaluation of every breast cancer (BC) patient by multidisciplinary team and application of guidelines are very important to ensure the best treatment and achieve the best outcome.

Methods: The multicenter prospective observational BRIDE study enrolled, from 01/2018 to 02/2021, 1633 BC patients from 19 Italian cancer centers. To evaluate the clinical and biopathological characteristics of BC patients with pathological stage I-II-III treated with surgery followed by adjuvant systemic therapy, type of therapies delivered, outcome and adherence to guidelines, an analysis of 1123 patients out of 1633 patients enrolled in BRIDE study was conducted.

Follow-up of early breast cancer in a public health system: A 2024 AIGOM consensus project.

Breast cancer stands as the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the primary cause of cancer-related mortality among women worldwide, including Italy. With the increasing number of survivors, many are enrolled in regular follow-up programs. However, adherence to recommendations from scientific societies (such as ASCO, ESMO, AIOM) for breast cancer follow-up management varies in daily clinical practice across different cancer centers, potentially resulting in unequal management and escalating costs.

PARP Inhibitors in Brain Metastases from Epithelial Ovarian Cancer through a Multimodal Patient Journey: Case Reports and Literature Review.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the deadliest gynecological malignancy worldwide. Brain metastasis (BM) is quite an uncommon presentation. However, the likelihood of central nervous system (CNS) metastasization should be considered in the context of disseminated disease.

Dual-Energy CT in Oncologic Imaging.

Dual-energy CT (DECT) is an innovative technology that is increasingly widespread in clinical practice. DECT allows for tissue characterization beyond that of conventional CT as imaging is performed using different energy spectra that can help differentiate tissues based on their specific attenuation properties at different X-ray energies. The most employed post-processing applications of DECT include virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs), iodine density maps, virtual non-contrast images (VNC), and virtual non-calcium (VNCa) for bone marrow edema (BME) detection.

Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy in Early Breast Cancer: Results of a Prospective Observational Multicenter BRIDE Study.

To evaluate the rate of early breast cancer (EBC) patients treated with neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAT) in Italy, criteria of patient selection and types of therapies delivered, an analysis of 1276 patients with stage I-II-III was conducted out of 1633 patients enrolled in the multicenter prospective observational BRIDE study. A total of 177 patients (13.9%) were treated with NAT and 1099 (85.

The predictive and prognostic role of metabolic and volume-based parameters of positron emission tomography/computed tomography as non-invasive dynamic biological markers in early breast cancer treated with preoperative systemic therapy.

Introduction: The role of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in early breast cancer treated with preoperative systemic therapy (PST) is not yet established in clinical practice. PET parameters have aroused great interest in the recent years, as non-invasive dynamic biological markers for predicting response to PST.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we included 141 patients with stage II-III breast cancer who underwent surgery after PST.

"OPERATION PHALCO"-Adapted Physical Activity for Breast Cancer Survivors: Is It Time for a Multidisciplinary Approach?

The international literature emphasizes the importance of physical activity (PA) in the first steps after cancer surgery. The regular practice of physical exercise causes positive adaptations on several functional capacities, with positive consequences on patients' quality of life. This project aims to evaluate the effect of a post-operative training protocol, structured by taking into account both cancer-related issues and the presence of comorbidities, on functional capacities and quality of life of breast cancer survivors.

Adherence to oral hormonal anticancer agents in breast cancer.

There is an increasing trend towards using oral antitumoral agents in oncological patients. Compared to parenteral therapy, oral treatment offers convenience for both the patient and the healthcare system, with similar efficacy. However, the benefit deriving from oral drugs will be obtained only if patients adhere strictly to the treatment.

Corrigendum: Results of the ECHO (Eating habits CHanges in Oncologic patients) Survey: An Italian Cross-Sectional Multicentric Study to Explore Dietary Changes and Dietary Supplement Use, in Breast Cancer Survivors.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.

Results of the ECHO (Eating habits CHanges in Oncologic patients) Survey: An Italian Cross-Sectional Multicentric Study to Explore Dietary Changes and Dietary Supplement Use, in Breast Cancer Survivors.

The role of a healthy diet in cancer prevention is well recognized. Recent data indicate that following the same advices can also improve cancer survivors' quality of life. Breast cancer (BC) patients are commonly concerned about diet and nutrition and frequently express the need to obtain health-related information and the will to change their diet and lifestyle.

When and how to treat women with HER2-positive, small (pT1a-b), node-negative breast cancer?

Small (pT1a-b), node-negative (pN0) breast cancer generally has a good prognosis. However, HER2-positive status is associated with an increased risk of relapse and decreased survival even in these tumors. Although there are only few data from prospective randomized trials, results of retrospective studies suggest adjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab may improve outcomes of patients with pT1a-b pN0 HER2-positive breast cancer.

The evolving landscape of criteria for evaluating tumor response in the era of cancer immunotherapy: From Karnofsky to iRECIST.

The objective response is an important endpoint to evaluate clinical activity of new anticancer drugs. Standardized criteria for evaluating response are needed for comparing results of different trials and represent the basis for advances in cancer therapy. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.

The incidence and relative risk of pulmonary toxicity in patients treated with anti-PD1/PD-L1 therapy for solid tumors: a meta-analysis of current studies.

Aim: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against PD-1/PD-L1 have recently entered the therapeutic algorithm of several solid tumors. Among treatment-related adverse events pulmonary toxicity (PT) is of particular interest. We assess the incidence and relative risk (RR) of PT in patients treated with anti-PD1/PD-L1 mAbs.

State of the art of chemotherapy for the treatment of central nervous system metastases from non-small cell lung cancer.

Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without molecular drivers. Despite a low penetration of central nervous system (CNS), chemotherapy drugs demonstrated encouraging activity against CNS metastases from NSCLC. Based on the available data, chemotherapy should be considered as an important part of the multidisciplinary treatment of CNS metastases.

Cathepsin K expression in castration-resistant prostate carcinoma: a therapeutical target for patients at risk for bone metastases.

Background: The lysosomal cysteine protease cathepsin K is involved in bone remodeling and is also expressed in the peritumoral stroma of carcinomas arising from different organs. A new generation of cathepsin K inhibitors blocking the RANKL/RANK pathway are being developed. We sought to investigate cathepsin K expression in a cohort of castration-resistant prostate carcinomas.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Prostate Cancer: A New Frontier?

Despite recent advances in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), agents that provide durable disease control and long-term survival are still needed. It is a fact that a tumor-induced immunosuppressive status (mediated by aberrant activation of inhibitory immune checkpoint pathways as a mechanism to evade host immune surveillance) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of cancer, including prostate cancer (PC), making CRPC patients suitable candidates for immunotherapy. Therefore, growing interest of anticancer research aims at blocking immune checkpoints (mainly targeting CTLA-4 and PD1/PD-L1 pathways) to restore and enhance cellular-mediated antitumor immunity and achieve durable tumor regression.

Investigating BRCA Mutations: A Breakthrough in Precision Medicine of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Despite the development of novel effective therapeutic strategies, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains a disease with a lethal course and a high biological and molecular heterogeneity. To date, germline mutations in the BRCA gene represent one of the main risk factors for developing prostate cancer, with a strong association with aggressive phenotype and poor clinical outcomes. A better understanding of the genomic landscape of prostate cancer has strengthened the idea that "synthetic lethality" of this disease might be useful in cancer-drug discovery, focusing on agents such as platinum compounds and poly (adenosine diphosphate [ADP]-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi).

Targeting Met and VEGFR Axis in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: 'Game Over'?

Despite recent advances that have been made in the therapeutic landscape of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), effective management of bone metastases remains a key goal not yet reached. The receptor tyrosine kinase MET and the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) seem to play an important role in prostate cancer progression and pathological bone turnover, representing potential targets for improving clinical outcomes in mCRPC. Studies evaluating agents that target one or both these pathways have demonstrated modest activity but no improvement in overall survival.

AR-V7 and prostate cancer: The watershed for treatment selection?

The androgen receptor (AR) plays a key role in progression to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Despite the recent progress in targeting persistent AR activity with the next-generation hormonal therapies (abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide), resistance to these agents limits therapeutic efficacy for many patients. Several explanations for response and/or resistance to abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide are emerging, but growing interest is focusing on importance of AR splice variants (AR-Vs) and in particular of AR-V7.

Addressing the expected survival benefit for clinical trial design in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: Sensitivity analysis of randomized trials.

We performed a sensitivity analysis, cumulating all randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in which patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) received systemic therapy, to evaluate if the comparison of RCTs may drive to biased survival estimations. An overall survival (OS) significant difference according to therapeutic strategy was more likely be determined in RCTs evaluating hormonal drugs versus those studies testing immunotherapy, chemotherapy or other strategies. With regard to control arm, an OS significant effect was found for placebo-controlled trials versus studies comparing experimental treatment with active therapies.

Reprofiling Metastatic Samples for Chromosome 9p and 14q Aberrations as a Strategy to Overcome Tumor Heterogeneity in Clear-cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Losses of chromosomes 9p and 14q are associated with worse outcomes in patients affected by clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and are helpful for prognostic risk stratification. Both chromosomal loci harbor several hot-spot molecular pathways suitable for targeted therapeutic interventions. Intratumor heterogeneity may foster tumor adaptation and therapeutic failure.

Metabolic Alterations in Renal and Prostate Cancer.

Background: Cancer metabolism is emerging as a promising research area in genitourinary tumors. Both renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and prostate cancer (PCa) cells exhibit marked alterations of their metabolism. These changes include increased aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect), increased protein and DNA synthesis and de novo fatty acid (FA) synthesis.

Metabolic alterations in renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a metabolic disease, being characterized by the dysregulation of metabolic pathways involved in oxygen sensing (VHL/HIF pathway alterations and the subsequent up-regulation of HIF-responsive genes such as VEGF, PDGF, EGF, and glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT4, which justify the RCC reliance on aerobic glycolysis), energy sensing (fumarate hydratase-deficient, succinate dehydrogenase-deficient RCC, mutations of HGF/MET pathway resulting in the metabolic Warburg shift marked by RCC increased dependence on aerobic glycolysis and the pentose phosphate shunt, augmented lipogenesis, and reduced AMPK and Krebs cycle activity) and/or nutrient sensing cascade (deregulation of AMPK-TSC1/2-mTOR and PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathways). We analyzed the key metabolic abnormalities underlying RCC carcinogenesis, highlighting those altered pathways that may represent potential targets for the development of more effective therapeutic strategies.