Biomedical subjects

Massimo Falconi

Publications and source records attributed to Massimo Falconi.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Overexpression of the Sm-like proto-oncogene in primary and metastatic pancreatic endocrine tumors.

CONTEXT: The cancer associated Sm-like proto-oncogene mRNA has been found to be overexpressed in the majority of pancreatic adenocarcinomas and is necessary for the transformed phenotype in pancreatic cancer cell lines. However, expression levels have not been examined in other types of pancreatic neoplasms, such as pancreatic endocrine tumors. SETTING: Fifteen primary pancreatic endocrine tumors, including five insulinomas and 10 non-functioning tumors, along with seven hepatic metastatic pancreatic endocrine tumors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quantitative expression levels of cancer associated Sm-like mRNA were measured by real-time PCR. Overexpression was defined as a two-fold or greater value when compared to the expression levels found in normal pancreatic islet cells obtained from healthy donors. RESULTS: In primary tumors, four of the 10 non-functioning pancreatic endocrine tumors were found to overexpress cancer associated Sm-like mRNA (40%). Three of the five (60%) insulinomas also overexpressed cancer associated Sm-like mRNA. In total, cancer associated Sm-like mRNA was overexpressed in seven of 15 primary tumors (47%) and in the majority (71%, 5 of 7) of the hepatic metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the cancer associated Sm-like mRNA gene may also play a role in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic endocrine tumors.

Adenoma, Islet Cell↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Open pancreaticogastrostomy after pancreaticoduodenectomy: a pilot study.

Management of the pancreatic stump following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) has always been a main source of concern among pancreatic surgeons. The present pilot study describes the reconstructive technique of anterior transgastric pancreaticogastrostomy (PG) after pylorus-preserving PD. Outcome in 50 patients with "soft" residual parenchyma treated with this technique is also reported. The average duration of the intervention was 351 minutes (range, 240-360); only two patients needed intraoperative transfusion with 2 units of blood. The postoperative period involved complications in 15 cases (30%). In particular, four patients developed pancreatic fistulas (8%), which were grade C in three cases (6%) and grade B in one patient (2%). Two patients (4%) presented with enteric fistula from erosion from a drain. Two patients experienced perianastomotic fluid collections associated with delayed gastric emptying (4%) and a clinically silent 5-cm abdominal collection was observed in an additional case. Bleeding of a gastric ulcer was treated in one case and four patients developed bronchopneumonia. None of the complications required a second surgical intervention and there were no deaths. One patient with a symptomatic fluid collection was treated by ultrasound-guided cutaneous drainage. The mean hospitalization time was 11.1 days (range, 8-25 days). The results obtained in this pilot study appear encouraging and merit further analysis in a randomized comparative trial.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

What preoperative assessment is necessary for insulinomas? Calculating the degree of waste: analysis of 29 cases.

In patients affected with insulinomas the preoperative work-up is debated. The success rate of various localisation procedures seems considerably inferior in respect to intraoperative results. Aim of the study is to evaluate our personal experience with this dichotomy. Twenty nine patients with definitive diagnoses of primary hyperinsulinemia from 1985 until June of 2001 were selected. Sensitivity, diagnostic accuracy, positive predictive value and cost of ultrasound (US) (29 pts.), computerised tomography (CT) (29 pts.), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (16 pts.), selective angiography (18 pts) and intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) (18 pts.) in the localisation of neoplasm were evaluated. The presence of neoplasm was verified at operation or at autopsy in 27 cases (93%). The sensitivity of US, CT, MRI and selective angiography was 52%, 44%, 57% and 82%, respectively, with a cost of non-diagnostic studies equal to 422 [symbol: see text]/patient with a comprehensive waste equal to 43.7% of resources utilised. The sensitivity of IOUS and visualisation or physical exam by the surgeon was 100%, 46% and 96%, respectively. In 2 cases where there was a recurrence of symptoms after surgery, the histological exam of the operative specimen did not have evidence of insulinoma tissue. Surgery with the help of IOUS, preceded by only one pre-op diagnostic imaging technique represents the best approach for establishing the diagnosis of and treating insulinomas.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Integrated project for the translational research on pancreatic ductal carcinoma].

The narrow chances of therapy and the poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer make basic research a crucial way for both a better knowledge and a possible improvement in the treatment of this disease. The very limited availability of pancreatic specimen for genetic and biological studies forced the researchers to plan "in vitro" and "in vivo" models in order to overcome this handicap. Among the animal models, the one according to Fu et al. seemed to be the most helpful and effective approach. Nevertheless, being this model complex and failing in main perspective applications, an enlarged project perpetuating B-lymphocytes of the patients, successfully xenografting from vitally criopreserved specimen and developing cell lines from xenografts was planned. According to the aim of our project, a really perpetual and renewable bank of tumoral and normal tissue from patients suffering from pancreatic carcinoma was obtained. This model is also expected to be an effective approach for the evaluation of experimental chemotherapeutic schedules and new gene therapy assessment.

Animals↗