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Introduction: Breast cancer is the most diagnosed tumor and a leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Taxanes are the most used chemotherapeutic agents and are strictly connected to neurotoxicity. Taxane-induced neuropathy (TIN) significantly impacts patients' quality of life (QOL). Early identification and management of TIN could improve preventive strategies to preserve patients' QOL during and after breast cancer treatment., Objective: This prospective, observational study aimed to evaluate the taxane-induced neuropathy (TIN) in early breast cancer patients treated with weekly paclitaxel at an earlier stage and identify any correlation between TIN and QOL., Methods: Data from stage I-III breast cancer patients treated with taxane-based therapy between 2018 and 2022 were collected at the Medical Oncology Unit of the University Hospital of Cagliari. Peripheral neuropathy was evaluated using the NCI-CTCAE scale (National Cancer Institute, Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) at every drug administration. In contrast, QOL was assessed using EORTC QLC-CIPN20 and FACT-Taxane questionnaire at baseline (T0), after 4 weeks (T1) and 12 (T2) weeks of treatment. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between neurotoxicity and QOL., Results: Neurotoxicity incidence peaked at the third, fourth, and sixth week of treatment, with patients reporting grade 1 and 2 neurotoxicity. Simultaneously with increasing doses of paclitaxel, significant differences in QOL were observed in early treatment cycles relating to TIN presentation. Patients with higher neurotoxicity grades reported lower QOL scores., Conclusions: Despite the absence of effective treatments to prevent paclitaxel-induced neurotoxicity, symptoms are managed through dosage reduction, delay, or treatment interruption. Future research should focus on identifying neuroprotective measures to avoid an irreversible decline in the quality of life for breast cancer survivors., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Available data on Mismatch Repair system (MMR) deficiency are conflicting and derived from small studies. Our study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic implications of MMR status in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC)., Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 318 patients affected by LARC treated in Italy at the Medical Oncology Units of the University Hospital of Cagliari, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori Milan, and AOU Ospedali Riuniti Ancona. All patients underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The primary objective was major TRG while secondary objectives were pathological complete response, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS)., Results: One hundred sixty patients (148 pMMR and 12 dMMR) were included in the exploratory cohort and 158 (146 pMMR and 12 dMMR) were included in the validation cohort. A major TRG has been shown in 42.6% and 43.1% patients with pMMR in exploratory and validation cohort, respectively; while no major TRG have been shown in dMMR patients in both cohorts. Exploratory and validation cohorts showed a statistically significant higher mDFS in pMMR patients compared to dMMR: NR vs. 14 months and NR vs. 17 months, respectively., Conclusion: Our results indicated an association between dMMR and poor response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy and they represent a hypothesis-generating data for new neoadjuvant strategies., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: The transmembrane glycoprotein CD44, the major hyaluronan (HA) receptor, has been proven to regulate cell growth, survival, differentiation, and migration. It is therefore widely considered to be involved in carcinogenesis. Its role as a new therapeutic target in solid tumors is under evaluation in clinical trials. The prognostic value remains controversial. Here, we aimed to investigate the correlation between CD44 expression and the clinicopathological features and survival in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients., Methods: Data from 65 mCRC patients of the Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari were retrospectively collected from 2008 to 2021. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed at the Pathology Division, University Hospital of Cagliari on 3 μm thick sections obtained from paraffin blocks. The intensity of immunohistochemical staining was subclassified into four groups: score 0 if negative or weak membrane staining in less than 10% of tumor cells; score 1+ if weak membrane staining in at least 10% of tumor cells or moderate membrane staining in less than 10% of tumor cells; score 2+ if moderate membrane staining in at least 10% of tumor cells or intensive membrane staining in less than 10% of tumor cells; score 3+ if intense membrane staining in at least 10% of tumor cells. Based on this score, we distinguished patients into low CD44 expression (score 0, 1+, 2+) and high CD44 expression (score 3+). Statistical analysis was performed with MedCalc (survival distribution: Kaplan-Meier; survival comparison: log-rank test; association between categorical variables: Fisher's exact test)., Results: Patients' median age was 66 years (range 49-85). Regarding CD44 expression, score was 0 in 18 patients, 1+ in 15 patients, 2+ in 18 patients, and 3+ in 14 patients. Median overall survival (mOS) was 28.1 months (95%CI: 21.3-101). CD44 overexpression (3+) was correlated with poor prognosis ( p = 0.0011; HR = 0.2), with a mOS of 14.5 months (95%CI 11.7 to 35.9) versus 30.7 months (95%CI 27.8 to 101) in lower CD44 expression. Higher CD44 expression was associated with clinically poor prognostic features: age ≥ 70 years ( p = 0.0166); inoperable disease ( p = 0.0008); stage IV at diagnosis ( p = 0.0241); BRAF mutated ( p = 0.0111), high-grade tumor ( p = 0.0084)., Conclusions: CD44 markedly correlated with aggressive tumor behavior and contributed to the earlier progression of disease, thus suggesting its role as a novel prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for mCRC patients.

The working programme 'Emerging risk identification by applying data analytical tools' was delivered by the Digital Food Chain Education, Research, Development, and Innovation Institute (Digital Food Institute, DFI) on the field of emerging risks at the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Hungary. The Institute is the University's research and education unit that provides data analysis and research along the whole food chain and takes networking in this area to a new level. The Fellow joined the hub of experts and researchers in the field of food chain safety data analysis, responsible for protecting public health concerning food in Hungary. The programme consisted of several different activities to provide an overview of the different tools that can be employed in the emerging risk identification process and prepare various stakeholders for new food chain safety issues. The programme was split into four modules to run over the one-year fellowship covering different areas of data analysis and emerging risk identification. The aim was to be fully integrated with the organisation's work experience, increase knowledge of scientific aspects relevant in the field of data analysis and visualisation tools in the emerging risk identification area, and implement the results into various EU stakeholders' environments assessments., (© 2022 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KgaA on behalf of the European Food Safety Authority.)

Background: The value of salivary cortisol measurement to study stress-related adrenal response is controversial. The study aim was to assess the role of salivary cortisol measurement to detect time-related changes of adrenal response in critically ill patients., Patients and Methods: Patients with organ failure, sepsis or trauma were prospectively recruited in the Emergency Department. Serum and salivary cortisol were measured at baseline (T0) and after 48 h (T48). In 33 patients ACTH test was also done., Results: Fifty-five patients were studied and classified as septic (22) or non-septic (33). We found a significant correlation between serum and salivary cortisol at T0 and T48. No patient had baseline serum cortisol < 276 nmol/L and salivary cortisol significantly decreased at T48 in almost all patients. A delta serum cortisol < 250 nmol/L after ACTH was found in only 4 patients who showed elevated baseline cortisol levels., Conclusion: We found that reduced baseline and post-ACTH cortisol levels are uncommon in our samples. In patients able to provide adequate saliva samples, salivary cortisol may be used to check the degree of stress-induced response and appears as a suitable tool for multiple measurements over time., (Copyright © 2019 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Context: Patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS) have a mortality rate four times higher than age- and sex-matched subjects, mainly due to cardiovascular events. Serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels are increased in patients with cardiovascular disease and/or excess bone resorption., Objective: The aim of the study was to assess serum OPG and soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (sRANKL) levels in CS and their possible relationship with coronary risk profile., Design and Setting: We conducted a cross-sectional study at a tertiary referral center., Patients: We studied 48 adult patients with CS and 48 age- and sex-matched controls. Twenty-six patients had pituitary-dependent CS; five patients had CS caused by ectopic ACTH secretion; and 17 patients had adrenal-dependent CS, accounted for by cortisol-secreting adenoma (n = 9), ACTH-independent macronodular bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (n = 4), or World Health Organization stage II cortisol-secreting carcinoma (n = 4). Patients underwent assessment of the absolute coronary risk and measurement of bone mineral density by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Serum OPG and total sRANKL were measured by ELISA., Results: Serum OPG (but not sRANKL) levels were significantly higher in CS patients than in controls (P < 0.01). In patients, serum OPG showed a positive correlation with age (r = 0.36; P = 0.01). OPG levels were higher in patients with the metabolic syndrome [median, 1262 (range, 199-2306) pg/ml vs. 867 (412-2479) pg/ml; P = 0.03], and showed a positive correlation with the absolute coronary risk (r = 0.36; P = 0.01). Serum OPG levels were higher in patients with pituitary-dependent CS in comparison with adrenal-dependent CS., Conclusions: In patients with CS, serum OPG levels are increased and appear to be associated with coronary risk.