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Biomedical subjects

A Italiano

Publications and source records attributed to A Italiano.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Comparison of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene and protein in primary non-small-cell-lung cancer and metastatic sites: implications for treatment with EGFR-inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Very recent studies have suggested that EGFR gene copy number and expression obtained by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) should be used to predict which lung cancer patients are expected to respond to anti-EGFR treatments. However, it is still not known whether EGFR expression differs in metastases compared to primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: EGFR status was analysed by IHC and FISH on tumor samples of primary NSCLC and at least one distant metastatic lesion in 30 patients. RESULTS: Ten cases (33.3%) showed primary tumor/metastasis discordance by IHC analysis (n = 30): in seven cases, EGFR was expressed in the primary tumor but not in the metastasis, while three samples showed EGFR expression in the metastasis but not in the primary tumor (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.331, P = 0.0074). By FISH (n = 26), seven (27%) cases were discordant: six cases showed a high-level of EGFR polysomy in the primary tumor but not in the metastasis and one case showed a high-level of EGFR polysomy in the metastasis but not in the primary sample (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.52, P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: EGFR expression is not stable during metastatic progression in a significant proportion of NSCLC. These findings have to be considered in future prospective studies.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Home infusions of biphosphonate in cancer patients: a prospective study.

The objective of the study was to determine outcome and satisfaction of cancer patients treated by home-infusions of biphosphonates. 107 patients entered the study and 97 of them chose to receive infusions of zoledronic acid (Z) in the home setting. Patient satisfaction and quality of care (QoC) were assessed by a 22-item questionnaire. Changes from baseline were determined for bone pain using a 0-10 cm visual analogue scale pain score (VAS). Patients expressed a high level of satisfaction specifically with regard to nursing care. Seventy patients experienced a significant decrease in the median pain score during the home-therapy phase not due to an increased use of analgesic therapy (P = 0.03). Z was well tolerated with no major adverse events. The authors conclude that home infusions of biphosphonates, on the condition that the supportive care team is well-organized, is a safe procedure that could be advantageous for patients by increasing satisfaction and compliance with treatment.

Bone Density Conservation Agents↗
PubMed2005

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status in primary colorectal tumors correlates with EGFR expression in related metastatic sites: biological and clinical implications.

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). There are several potential strategies to target EGFR. However, monoclonal antibodies and low molecular weight tyrosine kinase inhibitors are the most advanced in clinical development. The majority of studies so far have merely required EGFRs to be expressed by CRC cells. The detection of EGFR expression is usually performed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the primary tumor. There are few data regarding the EGFR status in the corresponding distant metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: EGFR status was analyzed by IHC in 80 patients (31 male, 49 female) with CRC (70 colon, 10 rectum) and at least one distant metastatic lesion. Metastatic sites analyzed (n=80) were liver (79 patients) and lung (one patient). RESULTS: EGFR reactivity was similar in the primary tumor and the related metastases. Among the 80 paired primary/metastatic tumors, only five (6.3%) showed discordance in EGFR status: two cases with EGFR expression in the primary tumor but not in the metastasis, and three samples with EGFR expression in the metastasis but not in the primary tumor. CONCLUSIONS: Between the paired primary tumors and distant metastatic lesions, 94% of samples had concordant EGFR status when analyzed by IHC.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Sigmoid volvulus in west Africa: a prospective study on surgical treatments.

To evaluate the efficacy of different types of surgery, we performed a prospective, randomized trial in 31 consecutively hospitalized patients with sigmoid volvulus. These patients represented 8 percent of 377 cases of emergency surgery. At the time of surgery, the patients were divided into two groups according to the absence (Group A) or presence (Group B) of bowel gangrene. At random, each group was assigned two surgical treatments. Seventeen patients entered Group A and underwent mesosigmoidopexy (seven patients) or resection and primary anastomosis (10 patients). Fourteen patients entered Group B and underwent Hartmann's procedure (eight patients) or resection and primary anastomosis (six patients). Overall mortality was four patients among 31 (13 percent), with a significant prevalence in the group with gangrene (21.4 percent vs. 5.8 percent). In Group A, the rate of success in patients treated with resection-anastomosis was higher than that in patients undergoing mesosigmoidopexy (90 percent vs. 71.5 percent). In Group B, a meaningful difference was observed between the rate of success of patients undergoing Hartmann's procedure and that of those undergoing resection and primary anastomosis (87.5 percent vs. 50 percent). The mortality rates were 12.5 percent and 33.3 percent, respectively. The results of our study show that the therapeutic approach to sigmoid volvulus should be diversified according to the absence or presence of gangrenous colon. The treatment of choice seems to be resection with primary anastomosis in patients with viable colon and Hartmann's procedure in patients with gangrenous colon.

Adolescent↗