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Background: Trabectedin is an antineoplastic drug approved for patients (pts) with advanced soft tissue sarcomas (STS). Interestingly, the radiological evaluation of response during trabectedin therapy is peculiar. Methods: The aim of this single-center retrospective study is to analyze the concordance of response assessment according to RECIST compared with Choi criteria in patients with STS treated with trabectedin between 2009 and 2020 at Regina Elena National Cancer Institute in Rome. Results: We present the preliminary data collected in the last 2 months (mos) on 37 pts who received the diagnosis between 2015 and 2020, with a median age of 52.5 years (range 32–78). The median number of trabectedin cycles administered was four (range 2–50) for a median follow up of 5.83 months (range 1–60). Histological subtypes of STS were five (13.5%) leiomyosarcoma, 14 (37.8%) liposarcoma, nine (24.3%) undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, three (8.1%) synovial sarcoma, and six (16.2%) other rare histological subtypes. Eight pts (21.6%) received trabectedin in the first line setting, 21 (56.8%) in the second line, and seven (18.9%) received it in subsequent lines. One pt received trabectedin as neoadjuvant therapy in a clinical trial (ISG-STS 1001). Median progression-free survival was 3.6 months (CI95% 2.7–4.6); median overall survival was 34.3 months (CI95% 0–75.4). The radiological responses were evaluated with both RECIST and Choi criteria; responses matched in 33 pts (89.2%) but not in four (10.8%). The best responses obtained according to RECIST criteria were two (5.4%) partial response (PR), 13 (35.1%) stable disease (SD), and 22 (59.5%) progressive disease (PD). Instead, two (5.4%), 13 (35.1%), and 22 (59.5%) pts obtained PR, SD, and PD respectively, according to Choi criteria. Cohen’s kappa coefficient of concordance was 0.792 (p-value <0.002). A specialized radiologist performed all imaging examinations using a dedicated workstation in the same center. Conclusion: In this first analysis, the concordance between RECIST and Choi assessments demonstrates no statistically significant difference. Responses did not match for four pts. We are expanding the analysis to all pts included in the original cohort to confirm or deny these initial results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new SARS-CoV-2 virus is a great danger for the worldwide population since there is no known pre-immunity, no specific treatment, and no vaccine. Still, the testing and tracing are the best tools to isolate the infected and prevent the spread of COVID-19. The major goals are to save lives, reduce the mortality rate, increase the survival rate of those are in severe or critical conditions, reduce the hospital stay and accelera­te the recovery. This review summarizes the findings on the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and outlines information about symptoms, testing, disease mechanism, vascular dysfunction, immune responses, treatments, and vaccination. At this time no vaccine is available to prevent COVID-19. A literature review reveals that more research is necessary to investigate the interactions between respiratory viruses, human coronaviruses, and the new SARS-CoV-2 virus in the infected population to guide the design of COVID-19 specific therapeutics and vaccines. Almost every government on earth has realized that daily life cannot return to normal until citizens have built up antibodies to safeguard them from the virus. Scientists and manufacturers worldwide are accelerating COVID-19 vaccine research, and pharmaceutical companies are already investing in the large-scale production of vaccines. A synopsis of the most recent sources presented in this review was the starting point for several COVID-19 research projects in the Regional Cooperation for Health, Science and Technology (RECOOP HST) Association managed by Cedars – Sinai Medical Center to gain a better understanding of the COVID-19 disease.

Alessandra Fabi,1 Diana Giannarelli,2 Paola Malaguti,1 Gianluigi Ferretti,1 Sabrina Vari,1 Paola Papaldo,1 Cecilia Nisticò,1 Mauro Caterino,3 Roy De Vita,4 Marcella Mottolese,5 Laura Iacorossi,6 Francesco Cognetti1 1Department of Medical Oncology, 2Biostatistic Unit, 3Service of Radiology, 4Operative Unit of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Pathology, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy; 5Department of Pathology, 6Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy Background: There is a deep need to improve the care of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients, since even today it remains an incurable disease. Taxanes are considered the most effective cytotoxic drugs for the treatment of MBC, both in monotherapy and in combined schedules, but the need for synthetic solvents contributes to the severe toxicities and may have a negative impact on the efficacy. Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (Nab-paclitaxel) is a colloidal suspension of paclitaxel and human serum albumin initially developed to avoid the toxicities associated with conventional taxanes.Patients and methods: The aim of this prospective, single-center open-label, noncomparative study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel in MBC patients pretreated with taxanes. The patients were treated with nab-paclitaxel as a single agent, 260 mg/m2 on day 1 of each 3-week cycle or 125 mg/m2 weekly. The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR). Secondary objectives were duration of response, clinical benefit rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, and safety.Results: A total of 42 patients (median age 48 years, median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0, triple-negative MBC 19%, all pretreated with a taxane-based therapy, mainly in advanced disease) were enrolled in the study. The ORR was 23.8%, including one complete response (2.4%) and nine partial responses (21.4%); the disease control rate was 50%. The median duration of response was 7.2 months. After a median follow-up of 9 months, the median PFS was 4.6 months. ORR and PFS were similar irrespective of the previous chemotherapy lines, metastatic sites, and biomolecular expression. Nab-paclitaxel was well tolerated, and the most frequent treatment-related toxicities were mild to moderate (grades 1–2).Conclusion: This real-life study shows that nab-paclitaxel has a significant antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in patients pretreated with taxanes and experiencing a treatment failure after at least one line of chemotherapy. Keywords: nab-paclitaxel, metastatic breast cancer, anthracyclines