Publications by authors named "Caterina Fumagalli"

Melanoma is known for its remarkable histopathological heterogeneity, capable of mimicking both epithelial and mesenchymal neoplasms. We report the case of a 46-year-old male who was externally diagnosed with sarcoma and presented with a subcutaneous pre-sternal mass comprising a proliferation of epithelioid-histiocytoid cells, hemosiderin deposition, and chronic inflammation, closely resembling an angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma (AFH). A peripheral pseudo-capsule and a pericapsular lymphocytic cuff were also observed.

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Recurrent KMT2A and YAP1 related fusions have recently been reported in various mesenchymal neoplasms of different histogenesis. First, YAP1::KMT2A fusions have been described in a subset of MUC4-negative sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcomas (SEF), while VIM::KMT2A fusions in a handful of cases associated with an undifferentiated spindle cell phenotype lacking stromal hyalinization. On the other hand, YAP1 gene rearrangements have been reported in a wide spectrum of sarcomas, including vascular neoplasms such as epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE).

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Background: Recent advancements in identifying druggable molecular drivers in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), have transformed treatment paradigms. In recent years, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) has gained momentum as an essential tool for in-depth simultaneous analysis of multiple genes, thereby streamlining the diagnostic process in LUAD. Despite this, the implementation of NGS testing in both the US and Europe remains suboptimal.

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Poor long-term survival in localized high-risk soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) of the extremities and trunk highlights the need to identify new prognostic factors. CXCR4 is a chemokine receptor involved in tumor progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between CXCR4 expression in tumor tissue and survival in STSs patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy.

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Background And Aim: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-obligate precursor of invasive breast cancer with highly variable clinical behavior, but risk stratification is still challenging. We sought to identify immune-related gene expression signatures of pure DCIS associated with different risks of breast cancer recurrence.

Methods: A retrospective nested case-control study of 143 pure DCIS was performed including 70 women with subsequent ipsilateral breast event (IBE, in situ or invasive; cases) and 73 DCIS women with no IBE and matched for age, tumor size, treatment, hormone receptors/HER2 status, and follow-up time (controls).

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Background: Histopathological and molecular features have been proposed to hold prognostic information, but few have been validated. The aim of this retrospective study was to validate the Genetic And Morphological Evaluation ('GAME') score and assess the impact of histological characteristics on the prognosis in patients with colorectal liver metastases.

Methods: Data were collected from 176 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer undergoing liver resection at Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau.

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Background: Endometrial cancers with more than one molecular feature- mutations (POLEmut), mismatch repair protein deficiency (MMRd), p53 abnormality (p53abn)-are called 'multiple classifiers'.

Objective: To describe our cohort of multiple classifiers and to report the results of a review on their incidence and the techniques used to identify them.

Methods: Multiple classifiers identified at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, between April 2019 and Decmber 2022, were included.

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Undifferentiated sarcomas characterized by a primitive monomorphic round to spindle cell phenotype and often non-specific immunoprofile remain difficult to subclassify outside molecular analysis. The increased application of RNA sequencing in clinical practice led to significant advances and discoveries of novel gene fusions that furthered our understanding and refined classification of otherwise undifferentiated neoplasms. In this study, we report an undifferentiated round to spindle cell sarcoma arising in the femur of a 34-year-old female.

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Thyroid nodules are commonly encountered in clinical practice, affecting up to 50% of the population. The large majority of thyroid lumps are benign incidental findings detected by imaging, while approximately 5-15% harbor malignancy. For a target patient's care, it is of paramount importance to identify and treat thyroid malignancy, while preventing unnecessary invasive surgery in patients with benign lesions.

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Background: Reprogramming of immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) presents an attractive therapeutic strategy in cancer. The aim of this study was to explore the role of macrophage CD5L protein in TAM activity and assess its potential as a therapeutic target.

Methods: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against recombinant CD5L were raised by subcutaneous immunization of BALB/c mice.

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Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a very rare and aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma originating from Merkel cells, typically with a skin nodule; however, it exceptionally presents with only a basin lymph node localization, with neither a cutaneous primary site nor distant metastases. From 1996 to 2020, among patients with histologically confirmed MCC managed at a neuroendocrine neoplasm-referral center, we selected those with an exclusive nodal basin, no distant metastasis, and an unknown primary site defined by cross-sectional and physical examination. A total of 55 out of 310 patients fulfilled the selection criteria.

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Background: Homologous recombination repair (HRR) is the main mechanism of repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Its deficiency (HRD) is a common feature of epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs). BRCA1/2 mutations and/or other aberrations in genes of HRR are well known causes of HRD and genomic instability.

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Objective: To compare the risk class attribution with to those with according to the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology/European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology/European Society of Pathology (ESGO/ESTRO/ESP) 2020 guidelines on endometrial cancer, with a focus on risk group migration. Additionally, to evaluate the capability of a novel molecular analysis algorithm to reduce the number of required tests.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study including all consecutive patients with endometrial cancer undergoing surgery and comprehensive molecular analyses between April 2019 and December 2021.

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The establishment of PARP inhibitors in the treatment of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) has prompt BRCA assessment at the time of diagnosis. We described our five years of experience of tumor BRCA testing, as part of a multidisciplinary workflow for the management of EOC patients. We used a BRCA next-generation sequencing (NGS) test for profiling formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) EOCs of 762 consecutive patients, with a success rate of 99.

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Article Synopsis
  • About one-third of ER+ metastatic breast cancers have mutations in the estrogen receptor α (ESR1), primarily linked to resistance to treatments.
  • This study found that ESR1 mutations were present in distant recurrences of breast cancer, not in local ones, indicating a specific role for these mutations in metastasis.
  • Further research showed that these mutations alter cell adhesion properties, leading to more compact circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters in patients, suggesting that targeting these mutations could be a potential therapeutic strategy for advanced breast cancer.
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Breast tumor heterogeneity is a major challenge in the clinical management of breast cancer patients. Both inter-tumor and intra-tumor heterogeneity imply that each breast cancer (BC) could have different prognosis and would benefit from specific therapy. Breast cancer is a dynamic entity, changing during tumor progression and metastatization and this poses fundamental issues to the feasibility of a personalized medicine approach.

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Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) have remarkably modified the way solid tumors are managed, including breast cancer. Unfortunately, only a relatively small number of breast cancer patients significantly respond to these treatments. To maximize the immunotherapy benefit in breast cancer, several efforts are currently being put forward for the identification of i) the best therapeutic strategy (i.

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Background: We report here for the first time, a comprehensive characterization of biological and clinical features of early-stage triple negative Invasive Lobular Carcinomas(TN-ILCs) METHODS: We analyzed all consecutive patients with early-stage TN-ILC operated at two reference cancer-centers between 1994 and 2012. Primary objective was to assess the invasive disease-free survival(iDFS). Co-primary objective was to assess biological features of TN-ILCs, including molecular intrinsic subtypes based on PAM-50 assay, expression of androgen receptor (AR) and mutational status of ERBB2-gene.

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Lung cancer is the most frequent cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide [...

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An increasing number of driver genomic alterations with potential targeted treatments have been identified in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Much less is known about the incidence and different distribution of concurrent alterations, as identified by comprehensive genomic profiling in oncogene-addicted NSCLCs. Genomic data from advanced NSCLC consecutively analyzed using a broad next-generation sequencing panel were retrospectively collected.

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While evidence suggests an increasing incidence of tongue cancer in young adults, published findings regarding the prognostic role of age at diagnosis are inconsistent. We performed a meta-analysis of the literature to highlight key points that might help in understanding the association between age of oral tongue cancer patients at diagnosis and their prognosis. According to age at diagnosis, a systematic literature review of all published cohort studies assessing the recurrence risks and mortality associated with tongue cancer was conducted.

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