Biomedical subjects

Roberto Cristofani

Publications and source records attributed to Roberto Cristofani.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Ret/PTC activation does not influence clinical and pathological features of adult papillary thyroid carcinomas.

OBJECTIVE: RET proto-oncogene rearrangements (ret/PTCs) represent the most common genetic alterations found in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). Correlation of ret/PTC expression with clinical outcome is controversial. The aim of the present study was to analyze the frequency of RET rearrangements in adult PTCs, and to investigate if ret/PTCs influence biological behavior and clinical features of the cancers. DESIGN: Ret/PTC rearrangements were looked for in tIssue samples of 48 PTCs collected at our institution. Data about clinical and pathological features of the tumors were also reviewed. Three separate association analyses were carried out on the cohort evaluating the effects of, respectively, ret/PTC positivity, preferential RET tyrosine kinase domain (RET-TK) expression, and ret/PTC plus RET-TK positivity, on age, sex, tumor size, staging, number of neoplastic foci, and histological subtype. METHODS: The genetic study was conducted with the RT-PCR-Southern blot technique. Standard Student's t-test and Fisher exact test were applied for the association analyses. RESULTS: The molecular genetic study demonstrated the positivity of ret/PTC1 and ret/PTC3 in 13 of 48 tumors (27.1%), and an exclusive or preferential RET-TK expression in 17 cases (35.4%). None of the three genetico-clinical analyses showed any significant association between ret/PTC expression and the clinical and pathological features of the cancers. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that RET rearrangements may not play any distinctive role in driving histotype development and cancer progression in these neoplasms. Moreover, they weaken the possibility of using ret/PTC as a prognostic marker for papillary thyroid carcinomas.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Biopsy of the sentinel lymph node in the staging of patients with malignant melanoma].

Sentinel node biopsy, in the treatment of stage I and II skin melanomas (according to the American Joint Cancer Committee classification), has been advocated by several authors as the best compromise between radical intent and minimal surgical invasiveness. The authors present their personal experience based on 64 sentinel node biopsies in patients with stage I and II skin melanoma of the trunk and limbs (30 males and 34 females; age range: 29-77 years). Sentinel node detection was radio-guided and was conducted in the armpit in 43 cases and in the groin in the remaining 21. Eleven patients who presented metastatic nodes underwent a regional lymphadenectomy (8 axillary and 3 groin dissections) with low morbidity and no perioperative mortality.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Thyroidectomy for thyroid carcinoma. Our experience].

The surgical management of thyroid carcinoma involves different degrees of lymphadenctomy, according to features such as the nature, the site and the severity of the disease. The authors present their experience in order to contribute to the debate on the standard management of nodal metastasis in well-differentiated thyroid cancers. The authors describe their six years of experience in 302 thyroid cancer patients with a total of 291 thyroidectomies performed. According to the different pathological findings, the treatment involved a monolateral dissection in 42 patients and a bilateral modified neck dissection in 21. A number of anatomical considerations regarding the pathway of lymphatic drains are summarized and follow-up results are also presented. The slow progression of the disease and its low incidence make long-term prospective studies difficult, thus hindering any definitive assessment of lymph node management in well-differentiated thyroid cancers.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Medullary cancer arised in cervical accessory thyroid. Case report].

The Authors present a recent case of a medullary thyroid cancer arised in an ectopic accessory gland, whose definitive diagnosis was only set after the pathologist observation of the resected specimen. The Authors then review the causes of the anomaly and the literature classification of thyroid ectopies together with the commonest clinical, laboratory and imaging diagnostic features. In conclusion Authors indicate the importance of thinking about the possible ectopic thyroidal nature of an undiagnosed cervical mass, in order to recognize an unusual disease thus avoiding a delayed therapy.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Technical and organisational considerations regarding surgical debulking].

The Authors report on their experience with debulking surgery, based on 46 patients affected by advanced cancers and treated between January 2001 and May 2003 to reduce the tumour mass. Thirty-eight out of 46 (82%) were women. The Authors performed 23 pelvic peritonectomies, 16 multicompartmental peritonectomies according to the Sugarbaker technique, 8 hysterectomies with bilateral ovariectomy, 4 ureteral resections with end-to-end reconstruction, 4 pelvic lymphectomies and 2 resections of the bladder. No perioperative mortality is reported, and major morbidity amounted to less than 5%. The Authors stress the problems encountered while performing debulking surgery and are of the opinion that the majority of the problems could be overcome by precise organization in dedicated surgical centres specifically or mainly devoted to surgical debulking.

Adult↗