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Giovanni Paganelli

Publications and source records attributed to Giovanni Paganelli.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with pure ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.

HYPOTHESIS: A sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy should not be considered a standard procedure in the treatment of all patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast if the lesion is completely excised by radical surgery and there are free margins of resection. DESIGN: Prospective case series. SETTING: Department of breast surgery of a comprehensive cancer center. PATIENTS: From January 1, 1998, to December 1, 2001, 223 unselected consecutive patients affected by pure DCIS of the breast underwent an SLN biopsy. RESULTS: Metastases in the SLN were detected in 7 (3.1%) of the 223 patients, and complete axillary dissection was subsequently performed in all these patients but 1. Of these 7 patients, 5 had only micrometastases in the SLNs; and in the 6 patients treated with complete axillary dissection, the SLN was the only positive node. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the low prevalence of metastases, an SLN biopsy should not be considered a standard procedure in all patients with DCIS. In patients with pure DCIS in whom the lesion is completely excised by radical surgery, an SLN biopsy could be avoided. It could be considered in patients with DCIS undergoing mastectomy, in whom there exists a higher risk of harboring an invasive component using definitive histologic features, like large solid tumors or diffuse or multicentric microcalcifications; in these patients, an SLN biopsy cannot be performed at a later operation. Complete axillary dissection may not be mandatory if the SLN is micrometastatic.

Adult↗

Localization of avidin in superficial bladder cancer: a potentially new approach for radionuclide therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To verify whether native avidin, made radioactive through the binding with technetium-99m labeled biotin (99mTc-biotin), selectively accumulated in superficial tumor tissues following intravesical administration. METHODOLOGY: A total of fifteen patients with transitional cell bladder cancer were instilled intravesically with radiolabeled avidin. Cold biopsies were obtained from macroscopically normal and tumor tissues before transurethral resection (TUR) and the radioactivity in the samples was measured. RESULTS: Increased accumulation of radiolabeled avidin was observed in tumor tissue compared to normal bladder tissue and in some cases, remarkably high quotients of uptake (q) in tumor versus normal tissues were determined (86 and 44). The three patients instilled with a deglycosylated avidin at neutral pI, who served as a control, showed no significant uptake in either tumor or normal urothelium and no difference in relative uptake (q=1.0). CONCLUSION: This pilot study indicated that intravesical administration of radiolabeled avidin resulted in a preferential accumulation in tumor tissue compared to normal urothelium. The instillation of radiolabeled avidin warrant further investigations in order to explore the possibility to treat superficial bladder neoplasms locally by replacing 99mTc with high energy beta emitting radionuclides associated with biotin.

Aged↗

Sentinel lymph node metastasis in microinvasive breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ductal carcinoma in situ with microinvasion (DCISM) is a separate pathological entity, distinct from pure ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). DCISM is a true invasive breast carcinoma with a well-known metastatic potential. Currently, there is controversy regarding the indication for complete axillary dissection (CAD) to stage the axilla in patients with DCISM. The role of CAD is questioned given its morbidity and reported low incidence of axillary involvement. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) may obviate the need for CAD in these patients without compromising the staging of the axilla and the important prognostic information. METHODS: From March 1996 to December 2002, 4602 consecutive patients with invasive breast carcinoma underwent SLN biopsy. Of these, 41 patients with DCISM were selected. RESULTS: Metastasis in the SLN were detected in 4 of 41 (9.7%) patients. Two of the 4 patients had only micrometastasis in the SLN. In three patients, the SLN was the only positive node after CAD. CONCLUSIONS: SLN biopsy should be considered as a standard procedure in DCISM patients. SLNB can detect nodal micrometastasis and accurately stage the axilla avoiding the morbidity of a CAD. Complete AD may not be mandatory if only the SLN contains micrometastatic disease. Informed consent is very important in the decision not to undergo CAD.

Axilla↗

Receptor-mediated radionuclide therapy with 90Y-DOTATOC in association with amino acid infusion: a phase I study.

The aim of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose of (90)Y-DOTATOC per cycle administered in association with amino acid solution as kidney protection in patients with somatostatin receptor-positive tumours. Forty patients in eight groups received two cycles of (90)Y-DOTATOC, with activity increased by 0.37 GBq per group, starting at 2.96 and terminating at 5.55 GBq. All patients received lysine +/- arginine infusion immediately before and after therapy. Forty-eight percent developed acute grade I-II gastrointestinal toxicity (nausea and vomiting) after amino acid infusion whereas no acute adverse reactions occurred after (90)Y-DOTATOC injection up to 5.55 GBq/cycle. Grade III haematological toxicity occurred in three of seven (43%) patients receiving 5.18 GBq, which was defined as the maximum tolerable activity per cycle. Objective therapeutic responses occurred. Five GBq per cycle is the recommended dosage of (90)Y-DOTATOC when amino acids are given to protect the kidneys. Although no patients developed acute kidney toxicity, delayed kidney toxicity remains a major concern, limiting the cumulative dose to ~25 Gy. The way forward with this treatment would seem to be to identify more effective renal protective agents, in order to be able to increase the cumulative injectable activity and hence tumour dose.

Adult↗

Optimization of antibody labeling with rhenium-188 using a prelabeled MAG3 chelate.

We report the optimization of polyclonal IgG labeling by 188Re using S-benzoyl-MAG(3) as a model for labeling monoclonal antibodies (MoAb). We examined the in vitro stability of the labeled protein and its localization and excretion in mice with induced focal inflammation. Stability in serum was greater than 85.5% after 24 h. Biodistribution and imaging studies following administration to mice showed mainly renal and hepatic excretion and high IT/NT ratios (4.5 and 4.6) at 24 and 48 h, respectively. This indirect method of labeling antibodies using a 188Re-labeled active ester of MAG(3) produced 188Re-MAG(3)-IgG of high in vitro stability and favorable uptake at sites of focal inflammation.

Animals↗

Poly(ethylene glycol)-avidin bioconjugates: suitable candidates for tumor pretargeting.

Avidin-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) conjugates were obtained by derivatization of about 10% of the protein amino groups (four amino groups per protein molecule) with linear 5 kDa PEG or branched 10 or 20 kDa PEGs. Circular dichroism analysis showed that the polymer conjugation neither altered the protein structure nor the environment of the aromatic amino acids which are present at the level of the biotin binding site. Spectroscopic studies were carried out to evaluate the biotin recognition activity of the conjugates either in terms of number of biotin binding sites or avidin/biotin affinity. Avidin-PEG 5 kDa and avidin-PEG 10 kDa displayed over 90% of the native protein biological activity while a reduction in the recognition of biotinylated antibodies of about 25% was found with PEG 20 kDa. In vivo studies demonstrated that the protein immunogenicity was in the order: wild type avidin>avidin-PEG 5 kDa>avidin-PEG 10 kDa>avidin-PEG 20 kDa. By intravenous injection into mice bearing a solid tumor, all conjugates displayed prolonged permanence in the circulation with respect to the native protein. The area under the curve values of avidin-PEG 5 kDa, avidin-PEG 10 kDa and avidin-PEG 20 kDa were about 3-, 7- and 30-times higher than the wild type avidin with reduced accumulation in kidneys and liver. Interestingly, all conjugates accumulated significantly in the tumor mass. In particular, in the case of avidin-PEG 20 kDa, 8% of the injected dose (ID)/g of tissue accumulated in the tumor after 5 h from the administration and over 6% of the ID/g was maintained throughout 72 h.

Animals↗

Receptor-mediated radiotherapy with Y-DOTA-DPhe-Tyr-octreotide: the experience of the European Institute of Oncology Group.

High concentrations of subtype 2 somatostatin tumor receptors (sst(2)) are expressed in numerous tumors, enabling primary and metastatic masses to be localized by scintigraphy after injecting (111)In-labeled somatostatin analogue octreotide. In addition to neuroendocrine tumors, somatostatin receptors have been identified on cancers of the central nervous system, breast, lung, and lymphatic tissue, and the use of radionuclide-labeled somatostatin analogues appeared promising for therapy as well as for diagnosis of such malignancies. The somatostatin analogue [DOTA-(D)Phe(1)-Tyr(3)] octreotide (DOTATOC) possesses favorable characteristics for its potential therapeutic use in that it shows high affinity for sst(2), moderately high affinity for sst(5), and intermediate affinity for sst(3), high hydrophilicity, stable and facile labeling with (111)In and (90)Y. We began to investigate the potential therapeutic applications of (90)Y DOTATOC in 1997 by performing a thorough dosimetric study in 18 patients who were administered (111)In DOTATOC to estimate the absorbed doses during(90)Y-DOTATOC therapy. Then, we moved on and treated an overall number of 256 patients, mostly recruited in 2 distinct protocols with and without the administration of kidney protecting agents, with (90)Y DOTATOC. No major acute reactions were observed up to the activity of 5.55 GBq per cycle. The MTD per cycle was defined as 5.18 GBq. Objective therapeutic responses were documented in more than 20% of patients in terms of partial and complete responses. The present article reports in details our clinical experience (still ongoing) and outcomes with the use of (90)Y DOTATOC.

Adult↗

In- and Y-DOTA-lanreotide: results and implications of the MAURITIUS trial.

The high-level expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTR) on various tumor cells has provided the molecular basis for successful use of radiolabeled peptide analogues as tumor tracers in nuclear medicine. The vast majority of human tumors seem to overexpress one or the other of 5 distinct hSSTR subtype receptors. Whereas neuroendocrine tumors frequently overexpress human(h) SSTR2, intestinal adenocarcinomas frequently express hSSTR3 or hSSTR4, or both of these hSSTRs. In contrast to (111)In-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-(D)he(1)-octreotide (OctreoScan; Mallinckrodt, Petten, NL), which binds to hSSTR2 and 5 with high affinity (K(d)0.1-5 nmol/L), to hSSTR3 with moderate affinity (K(d)10-100 nmol/L), and does not bind to hSSTR1 and hSSTR4, (111)In /(90)Y-DOTA-lanreotide was found to bind to hSSTR2, 3, 4, and 5 with high affinity, and to hSSTR1 with lower affinity (K(d)200 nmol/L). Based on its unique hSSTR binding profile, (111)In-DOTA-lanreotide was suggested to be a potential radioligand for tumor diagnosis, and (90)Y-DOTA-lanreotide suitable for receptor-mediated radionuclide therapy. When directly compared with (111)In-DTPA-(D)he(1)-octreotide and (111)In-DOTA-(D)he(1)-Tyr(3)-octreotide, discrepancies in the scintigraphic imaging pattern are seen in about one third of tumor patients concerning both the tumor uptake as well as the detection of tumor lesions. On a molecular level, these discrepancies seem to be based on a higher high-affinity binding affinity of (111)In-DOTA-(D)he(1)-Tyr(3)-octreotide for hSSTR2 (K(d)0.1-1 nmol/L). Beneficial results of receptor-mediated experimental radionuclide therapy were first reported for high-dose treatment with (111)In-DTPA-(D)he(1)-octreotide, based on the emission of Auger electrons. Phase IIa of the Multicenter Analysis of a Universal Receptor Imaging and Treatment Initiative, a European Study (MAURITIUS), shows in progressive cancer patients (therapy entry criteria) with a calculated tumor dose > 10 Gy/GBq (90)Y-DOTA-lanreotide, the proof-of-principle for treating tumor patients with peptide receptor imaging agents. In the MAURITIUS study, cumulative treatment doses up to 232 mCi (90)Y-DOTA-lanreotide were given as short-term intravenous infusion. Preliminary treatment results in 154 patients indicate stable tumor disease in 41% (63 of 154) of patients and regressive tumor disease in 14% (22 of 154) of tumor patients with different tumor entities expressing hSSTR. No severe acute or chronic hematologic toxicity, change in renal or liver function parameters caused by (90)Y-DOTA-lanreotide treatment were reported for patients in the MAURITIUS trial. In two thirds of patients with neuroendocrine tumor lesions, (90)Y-DOTA-(D)he(1)-Tyr(3)-octreotide showed a higher tumor uptake and should therefore be considered the first choice for experimental receptor-based therapy. Potential indications for (90)Y-DOTA-lanreotide treatment are radioiodine-negative thyroid cancer, hepatocellular cancer, lung cancer, some brain tumors, and possibly melanomas. In conclusion, preclinical data and clinical studies confirm the potential usefulness of radiolabeled lanreotide for tumor diagnosis and therapy. However, careful consideration of the type of radiotracer used for receptor-mediated therapy should be made for the individual patient. Whole-body dosimetry should always be performed to predict doses for tumors and the critical organs, which are kidney and bone marrow.

Heterocyclic Compounds↗

Radioguided sentinel lymph node biopsy in malignant cutaneous melanoma.

The procedure of sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with malignant cutaneous melanoma has evolved from the notion that the tumor drains in a logical way through the lymphatic system, from the first to subsequent levels. As a consequence, the first lymph node encountered (the sentinel node) will most likely be the first affected by metastasis; therefore, a negative sentinel node makes it highly unlikely that other nodes in the same lymphatic basin are affected. Although the long-term therapeutic benefit of the sentinel lymph node biopsy per se has not yet been ascertained, this procedure distinguishes patients without nodal metastases, who can avoid nodal basin dissection with its associated risk of lymphedema, from those with metastatic involvement, who may benefit from additional therapy. Sentinel lymph node biopsy would represent a significant advantage as a minimally invasive procedure, considering that an average of only 20% of melanoma patients with a Breslow thickness between 1.5 and 4 mm harbor metastasis in their sentinel node and are therefore candidates for elective lymph node dissection. Furthermore, histologic sampling errors (amounting to approximately 12% of lymph nodes in the conventional routine) can be reduced if one assesses a single (sentinel) node extensively rather than assessing the standard few histologic sections in a high number of lymph nodes per patient. The cells from which cutaneous melanomas originate are located between the dermis and the epidermis, a zone that drains to the inner lymphatic network in the reticular dermis and, in turn, to larger collecting lymphatics in the subcutis. Therefore, the optimal route for interstitial administration of radiocolloids for lymphoscintigraphy and subsequent radioguided sentinel lymph node biopsy is intradermal or subdermal injection. (99m)Tc-Labeled colloids in various size ranges are equally adequate for radioguided sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with cutaneous melanoma, depending on local experience and availability. For melanomas along the midline of the head, neck, and trunk, particular consideration should be given to ambiguous lymphatic drainage, which frequently requires interstitial administration virtually all around the tumor or surgical scar from prior excision of the melanoma. Lymphoscintigraphy is an essential part of radioguided sentinel lymph node biopsy because images are used to direct the surgeon to the sites of the nodes. The sentinel lymph node should have a significantly higher count than that of the background (at least 10:1 intraoperatively). After removal of the sentinel node, the surgical bed must be reexamined to ensure that all radioactive sites are identified and removed for analysis. Virtually the entire sentinel lymph node should be processed for histopathology, including both conventional hematoxylin-eosin staining and immune staining with antibodies to the S-100 and HMB-45 antigens. The success rate of radioguidance in localizing the sentinel lymph node in melanoma patients is approximately 98% in institutions that perform a high number of procedures and approaches 99% when combined with the vital blue-dye technique. Growing evidence of the high correlation between a sentinel lymph node biopsy negative for cancer and a negative status for the lymphatic basin-evidence, therefore, of the high prognostic value of sentinel node biopsy-has led to the procedure's being included in the most recent version of the TNM staging system and starting to become the standard of care for patients with cutaneous melanoma.

Colloids↗

Clinical application of spectral electromagnetic interaction in breast cancer: diagnostic results of a pilot study.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: There is a need for a cost-effective method to safely reduce the number of diagnostic procedures women undergo for breast cancer. We tested a new procedure for breast cancer diagnosis based on breast tissue response to low level electromagnetic incident waves. METHODS: We tested 101 patients with suspicious palpable breast lesions detected by mammography or ultrasonography, who were scheduled to undergo an open biopsy. Using an electromagnetic field generator (tissue resonance interaction method probe [TRIMprob]), we passed the TRIMprob over the breast area and recorded the signal variation of one or more spectral lines (dB1, dB2, dB3). The results were compared with those of a control group as well as with pathology data obtained from excisional biopsy. RESULTS: No adverse effects of the test were observed. Pathology revealed 86 malignant breast cancers (72 invasive, 14 in situ) and 15 benign conditions. We achieved the best discrimination between normal breasts and lesions using dB1 (dB1 AUC-ROC = 0.8; dB2 AUC-ROC = 0.61; dB3 AUC-ROC = 0.76). With a specificity of 75% to 95%, the sensitivity ranged from 49% to 84%. Tumor or patient variables did not influence the results. CONCLUSIONS: The TRIMprob test was able to provide some degree of discrimination between normal breast tissue and lesions but not between benign and malignant lesions. The lack of influence of patient age and tumor size on test results might be advantageous in terms of early diagnosis in young women. These preliminary results need to be verified and extended in a preclinical-stage disease setting before clinical applicability can be envisaged.

Adult↗