Publications by authors named "Davide Smussi"

This Policy Review summarises an expert Delphi consensus process on larynx-preservation treatments in patients affected by intermediate-to-advanced laryngeal or hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The experts, who represented all perspectives involved in multidisciplinary management of these patients and included patient representatives, approved 137 consensus statements that cover several relevant areas in the field of larynx-preserving treatments. Statements are grouped in the following topics: granular indications for T2-T3 cancer, indications for T4a cancer, indications for salvage organ-preservation surgery after chemoradiation failure, laryngeal function at baseline, which comorbidities are contraindications and to what extent, organ preservation in older patients: selection criteria, post-treatment surveillance, prognostic and predictive factors, listening to the patient's preferences: tools and implementation, prehabilitation and rehabilitation protocols, and cost-effectiveness of different laryngeal preservation approaches.

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Introduction: The concomitant use of antibiotics, especially beta lactams, during acute EBV infection is widely associated with an increased risk of skin manifestations; the actual pathophysiology and prevalence of this phenomenon are still debated.

Case Report: We present the first reported case of atypical exanthema associated with amoxicillin intake in a patient with EBV-related nasopharyngeal carcinoma. We recorded a pattern in the plasma EBV-DNA load consisting of a significant increase at the onset of the rash with a sudden remission after its resolution.

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Background: Financial toxicity from cancer treatments is rising as an important patient-reported outcome. Its relevance was first assessed in the context of privately financed healthcare system, where the financial hardship caused by out-of-pocket payments negatively affects survival, while fewer evidence exists on its role in countries where care is financed by the public health care system. Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) patients face an increased risk for financial toxicity due to multimodal treatment and relevant out of pocket costs.

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Objectives: A combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is employed in the curative and postoperative treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancers (HNC). Integrated chemoradiation (CRT) treatments result in a non-negligible rate of severe toxic effects. Treatment-related death (TRD) is a crucial topic for physicians involved in the curative treatment of HNC.

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Article Synopsis
  • Laryngeal preservation strategies in LA-LHSCC focus on curing the disease while keeping the larynx functional, reducing the need for total laryngectomy and its negative effects on quality of life.* -
  • Various non-surgical treatments like radiotherapy and chemoradiation have been explored, but reliable predictors for treatment success are still lacking, which poses a significant clinical challenge.* -
  • The PRESERVE trial aims to address this issue by analyzing past data to create a predictive classifier that combines various patient data types, ultimately improving patient selection for laryngeal preservation treatments.*
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This work evaluated the proportion of patients who continue therapy until their last month of life or initiate a new therapy in the last 3 months of life (end of life [EOL]). Data for 486 patients were retrospectively collected. In EOL, 205 (42.

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Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the seventh most commonly diagnosed cancer globally. HNSCC develops from the mucosa of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Methylation levels of septin 9 () and short stature homeobox 2 () genes in circulating cell‑free DNA (ccfDNA) are considered epigenetic biomarkers and have shown predictive value in preliminary reports in HNSCC.

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The treatment of locally advanced (LA) Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is based on surgery followed by (chemo)radiation or on curative (chemo)radiation, depending on site and stage. Despite optimal locoregional treatment, about 50% of patients recur, with a huge impact on prognosis and substantial morbidity. The advent of immunotherapy (IT) with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) changed the paradigm of systemic treatment for recurrent/metastatic (RM) disease, showing activity, efficacy, and safety in both platinum-resistant and platinum-naïve patients.

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Background: Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is an extremely rare malignant tumor with an incidence of about 6 new cases per 10 million inhabitants per year. While several papers have been published on treatments and outcomes of PC patients with loco-regional disease, little is known about the prognosis, treatment strategies, and prognostic factors of patients with distant metastasis.

Materials And Methods: We performed a systematic review and a pooled analysis of histopathologically confirmed PC cases published in literature using the following keywords: "metastasis-metastatic-secondary nodes" AND "parathyroid carcinoma".

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