Biomedical subjects

Piero De Carli

Publications and source records attributed to Piero De Carli.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Epithelial-restricted gene profile of primary cultures from human prostate tumors: a molecular approach to predict clinical behavior of prostate cancer.

The histopathologic and molecular heterogeneity of prostate cancer and the limited availability of human tumor tissue make unraveling the mechanisms of prostate carcinogenesis a challenging task. Our goal was to develop an ex vivo model that could be reliably used to define a prognostic signature based on gene expression profiling of cell cultures that maintained the tumor phenotype. To this end, we derived epithelial cultures from tissue explanted from 59 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy or cistoprostatectomy because of prostate benign hyperplasia/prostate cancer or bladder carcinoma. Patient selection criteria were absence of hormonal neoadjuvant treatment before surgery and diagnosis of clinically localized disease. Using this unique experimental material, we analyzed expression of 22,500 transcripts on the Affymetrix Human U133A GeneChip platform (Affymetrix, Inc., High Wycombe, United Kingdom). Cultures from normal/hyperplastic tissues with a prevalent luminal phenotype and from normal prostate epithelial tissue with basal phenotype (PrEC) served as controls. We have established a large number of prostate primary cultures highly enriched in the secretory phenotype. From them, we derived an epithelial-restricted transcriptional signature that (a) differentiated normal from tumor cells and (b) clearly separated cancer-derived lines into two distinct groups, which correlated with indolent or aggressive clinical behavior of the disease. Our findings provide (a) a method to expand human primary prostate carcinoma cells with a luminal phenotype, (b) a powerful experimental model to study primary prostate cancer biology, and (c) a novel means to characterize these tumors from a molecular genetic standpoint for prognostic and/or predictive purposes.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Cytogenetic profiles as additional markers to pathological features in clinically localized prostate carcinoma.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis for evaluation of 7, 8, X chromosomes and EGFR, LPL, MYC, AR genes in 79 neoplastic foci from 56 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer was performed. We found aneusomy for chromosome 7, 8 and X in 74/77 (96.1%), 56/76 (73.7%), 26/70 (37.1%) of examined foci respectively. No specimen was amplified for EGFR and AR genes, only 2/71 (2.8%) specimens showed MYC gene amplified. LPL deletion was present in 52/76 (68.4%) specimens. Statistically association between Gleason score and both chromosome 7 aneusomy and 8p21 deletion was present. The frequency of chromosome 7 aneusomy was statistically higher in T3-4 cases than T2c and T2a-T2b ones. We considered as unfavorable a genetic set if aneusomy for at least two chromosomes and one altered gene were present. The percentage of tumors, with unfavorable genetic pattern, increased from 36.4 to 75.0% in those with Gleason >7 and from 40.0 to 73.7% in those with stage T3 or more. These alterations could be considered potent genetic markers adjunctive to conventional prognostic parameters. Our objective was to establish specific genetic profiles which may discriminate favorable and unfavorable genetic prognosis tumors.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

PubMed2005

Laparoscopic nephrectomy using Ligasure system: preliminary experience.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The advent of laparoscopic surgery has created new technical challenges and problems. Recently, a new commercially available vessel-sealing technology, the Ligasure system, was introduced. The aim of our study was to compare the effectiveness of this new system with earlier methods in a group of patients affected by renal-cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A series of 30 patients underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for clinically localized renal-cell carcinoma. We always used a transperitoneal approach with a three-trocar technique. Patients were randomly divided in two groups: 15 underwent conventional laparoscopic radical nephrectomy, while 15 underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy using the Ligasure system, which is a bipolar radiofrequency generator. Information analyzed included intraoperative blood loss, operative time, conversion rate, and postoperative course. Statistical analysis was performed with commercially available software. The two groups were compared in term of clinical and pathologic variables using Student's t-test. Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups for baseline characteristics. No conversion occurred in either group. Statistically significant differences were observed between conventional and Ligasure nephrectomy regarding mean intraoperative blood loss (485 mL and 100 mL, respectively; p < 0.05) and mean operative time (164 minutes and 68 minutes, respectively p < 0.05). No statistically difference was observed in the postoperative discharge time. CONCLUSION: The Ligasure vessel-sealing system seems to produce a consistent, reliable, permanent seal of veins, arteries, and tissue bundles by fusing the collagen in vessel walls. By reducing sutures and the number of instrument exchanges in the operating theatre, the Ligasure decreases operating time and blood loss. This new energy-based vessel-ligation device appears to be effective in advanced laparoscopic procedures.

Blood Loss, Surgical↗

PubMed2003

Can patient selection for bladder preservation be based on response to chemotherapy?

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma is given to treat micrometastases and to preserve the bladder. The objective of this study was to evaluate the possibility of bladder preservation in patients with muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma who were treated with neoadjuvant methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (M-VAC) chemotherapy. METHODS: One hundred four consecutive patients with T2-T4,N0,M0 transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder were treated with 3 cycles of neoadjuvant M-VAC chemotherapy. After clinical restaging, 52 patients underwent transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) alone, 13 patients underwent partial cystectomy, and 39 patients underwent radical cystectomy. RESULTS: The median survival for the entire group was 7.49 years (95% confidence interval, 4.86-10.0 years). Forty-nine patients (49%) were T0 at the time of TURB after receiving M-VAC. Thirty-one of 52 patients (60%) who received chemotherapy and underwent TURB alone were alive at a median follow-up of 56 + months (range, 10-160 + months): Twenty-three patients (44%) in that TURB group maintained an intact bladder. Of 13 responding patients with monofocal lesions who underwent partial cystectomy, only 1 patient required salvage cystectomy, and survival generally was good. The 5-year survival rate for this group was 69%. With a long median follow-up of 88 + months (range, 16-158 months), 4 patients (31%) were alive with a functioning bladder. In the radical cystectomy group, the median follow-up was 45 months (range, 4-172 + months), and 15 of 39 patients (38%) patients remained alive. In 77 patients who had their tumors down-staged to T0 or superficial disease, the median follow-up was 63 months (range, 4-172 + months), and the 5-year rate survival was 69%. This is in contrast to a 5-year survival rate of only 26% in 27 patients who failed to respond and had a status >/= T2 after receiving chemotherapy (median follow-up, 31 months; range, 7-156 + months). The median survival for 27 elderly patients (age >/= 70 years; median age, 73 years; range, 70-82 years) was 90 months (7.5 years). For elderly patients who underwent TURB and partial cystectomy, the 5-year survival rate was 67% with a 109-month (9-year) median survival; 47% of patients preserved their bladders intact. The median follow-up of the living elderly patients was 61 months (range, 20-120 + months). CONCLUSIONS: Bladder sparing in selected patients on the basis of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a feasible approach that should be confirmed in prospective, randomized trials. Selected elderly patients are candidates for this approach.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Signaling through estrogen receptors modulates telomerase activity in human prostate cancer.

Sex steroid hormone receptors play a central role in all stages of prostate cancer. Here, we tested whether estrogen receptor (ER) signaling contributes to telomerase activation, an early event in prostate tumorigenesis. Following 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) treatment, both mRNA encoding the catalytic subunit of human telomerase (hTERT) and telomerase activity were promptly induced in human prostate normal epithelial cells, fresh explants from benign prostate hyperplasia, and prostate cancer explants and cell lines. Reporter expression studies and in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed E(2)-dependent hTERT promoter induction and showed that both ERalpha and ERbeta bound this sequence. Crucially, addition of the anti-estrogen 4-hydroxytamoxifen caused a differential recruitment in vivo of ERalpha and ERbeta onto the hTERT promoter and inhibited telomerase activity. Treatment with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole, which prevented testosterone-mediated interaction between ER and the hTERT estrogen response element, resulted in a negative regulation of telomerase activity. Thus, intracellular conversion of androgens to estrogens may contribute to the etiopathogenesis of prostate cancer. Given the present evidence for direct control of hTERT gene expression and telomerase activity in the prostate by the ER, we suggest that this transcriptional regulator represents a possible therapeutic target in prostate cancer.

Aromatase Inhibitors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Immunohistochemical expression and prognostic significance of FAS and GLUT1 in bladder carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS) and Human Erythrocyte Glucose Transporter 1 (GLUT1) are new markers involved in the biological activities of cancer cells. FAS is a multifunctional enzyme that synthesizes palmitate from acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA. GLUT1 is a transmembrane protein normally expressed in perineurium and erythrocytes. FAS and GLUT1 expression have been recently described in many aggressive tumors. We explored the immunohistochemical expression of FAS and GLUT1 in bladder carcinomas to reveal statistical associations with clinico-pathological features and recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-one node- and distant metastasis-negative transitional cell carcinomas from patients with a five-year follow-up were evaluated for FAS and GLUT1 expression. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that low-grade, pTa stage and FAS-negative expression were associated with indolent tumors. Multivariate analysis showed that FAS expression (p = 0.006) and pT1-2 stage tumors (p = 0.001) were independent predictors of recurrence. CONCLUSION: Endogenous fatty acids are an exploitable storage of energy for aggressive human bladder carcinomas. Glucose uptake is not required by bladder tumors.

Analysis of Variance↗