管理潜在地 resectable colorectal 癌症肝转移

Colorectal cancer is a very common malignancy worldwide and development of liver metastases,both synchronous or metachronous,is a common event.Of all patients with metastatic colorectal cancer,up to 77% have a liver-only disease and approximately 10%-20% of patients with colorectal liver metastases are considered resectable at the time of diagnosis.Surgical resection of liver metastases remains the best treatment option and it is associated with a survival plateau and a 20%-25% of long-term survivors.Perioperative chemotherapy for resectable liver metastases may improve resecability of liver metastases and disease free survival,but its impact on overall survival is still unclear and more studies are needed.Moreover,preoperative chemotherapy can increase postoperative complications.Further studies are needed to define the role of adjuvant chemotherapy after a R0 resection of liver metastases and to define the criteria for a better selection of patients candidate to hepatectomy.New strategies such as targeted therapies are emerging with promising results.Optimal management requires a multidisciplinary approach,local and systemic,but it is a still pending question.Colorectal liver metastases represent a major challenge for oncologists and surgeons.In this review will be analyzed available data about assessment and management of the patients with potentially resectable colorectal liver metastases.

Thyroid carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation: Case presentation of a young man

Ectopic thymic tissue can be present in the thyroid gland and a carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation(CASTLE) may arise from such tissue. We are reported the case of a 26-year-old man with CASTLE, with cervical subcutaneous nodules relapse, who showed a good response to treatment with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The problematic aspect of this case was the diagnosis; only on review were we able to make a final diagnosis. CASTLE is a very rare neoplasm. It is important to differentiate this cancer from others tumors such as primary or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck or squamous cell thyroid carcinoma, because the therapy and prognosis are different.Diagnosis is complicated and requires careful histological analysis(CD5- and P63-positive with presence of Hassall's corpuscles); unfortunately there is no gold standard treatment so, in this case, we administered a sandwich of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Pancreatic cancer:New hopes after first line treatment

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancerrelated death worldwide.Extensive research has yielded advances in first-line treatment strategies,but there is no standardized second-line therapy.In this review,we examine the literature trying to establish a possible therapeutic algorithm.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma:Beyond first line,where are we?

Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the most aggressive cancers,with an increasing incidence in recent years.To date,chemotherapy is still the standard of care for advanced metastatic disease,unfortunately providing only a slight advantage in terms of survival.The molecular and cellular characteristics of pancreatic cancer cells,as well as the cells that characterize the pancreatic tumour microenvironment,are the basis of the mechanisms of resistance to treatment.After progression during first-line treatment,few patients are eligible for secondline treatment due to the loss of performance status.To date,a clear survival advantage has not yet been demonstrated for second-line chemotherapy.Precision medicine could be the key to increasing responses to cancer treatment and finally impacting survival in this difficult-to-treat disease.In this review,we analyze current recommendations in the second-line setting and potential future prospects.

New drugs for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer(CRC)represents one of the most frequent malignancies in terms of incidence and mortality,thus representing the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide.In the last decade,few drugs have enriched the treatment landscape of metastatic CRC and have significantly affected prognosis.Unlike other neoplasms,metastatic CRC patients who have exhausted treatment options often still maintain a good performance status.There are many challenges to increasing potential treatment options,notably a better understanding of disease biology and the mechanisms of resistance underlying cancer treatment failure.The development of new drugs for metastatic CRC certainly represents one of the most important challenges in medical oncology.This article discusses the main limitations in the development of new drugs and potential future scenarios.In particular,we addressed three questions:(1)The main limitations of targeted therapy in the treatment of metastatic CRC(mCRC);(2)New target armamentarium that could escape primary and secondary resistance and lead to more personalized mCRC therapy;and(3)Future directions.

Chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity in the treatment of gynecological cancers:State of art and an innovative approach for prevention

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy(CIPN)is a common side effect that occurs in 20%of ovarian cancer patients treated with the combination of carboplatin/paclitaxel(CP).This toxicity is directly correlated with the dose of paclitaxel administered.Several studies have investigated whether different formulations of taxane can induce this side effect at a lower rate,but,unfortunately,no significant improvement was obtained.CIPN can be disabling in the daily lives of patients and can cause dose reduction or early termination of the treatment.Neuropathy can last for months and even years after its onset.Moreover,patients responsive to CP treatment are candidates for a reintroduction of the same drugs when disease relapse occurs,and residual neuropathy can affect the continuation of treatment.There are no approved drugs that mitigate or prevent the onset of CIPN.In this review,we summarize the evidence regarding the incidence of CIPN with different taxane formulations,regimen schedules and prevention systems.In particular,the Hilotherm®Chemo care device is a regional cooling system that lowers the temperature of the hands and feet to reduce the flow of chemotherapy into the capillaries.We used hilotherapy during chemotherapy infusion to prevent the onset of CIPN.Updated data from 44 ovarian cancer patients treated with 6 cycle of CP show that hilotherapy was well tolerated;only two patients(4.5%)stopped hilotherapy because of cold intolerance,and only one patient(2.2%)experienced grade≥2 CIPN.

New active drugs for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer

Newer active drugs have been recently added to the pharmacological armamentarium for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Aflibercept, a recombinant fusion protein composed of the extracellular domains of human vascular endothelial growth factor receptors(VEGFR) 1 and 2 and the Fc portion of human immunoglobulin G1(IgG1), is an attractive second-line option in combination with folfiri for patients who have failed folfox +/- bevacizumab. Ramucirumab, a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that targets VEGFR-2, provided similar results in the same setting. Tas-102, an oral fluoropyrimidine, and regorafenib, a multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, are both able to control the disease in a considerable proportion of patients when all other available treatments have failed. These new therapeutic options along with the emerging concept that previous therapies may also be reitroduced or rechallenged after regorafenib and Tas-102 failure are bringing new hope for thousands of patients and their families.

Tocilizumab as treatment for COVID-19:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUNDThe majority of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have goodprognoses, but some develop a critical illness that can lead to death. Evidenceshows severe acute respiratory syndrome is closely related to the inducedcytokine storm. Interleukin-6 is a key player;its role in systemic inflammation iswell known.AIMTo evaluate the effect of tocilizumab (TCZ), an interleukin-6 receptor antagonist,on the outcomes for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.METHODSPubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, MedRxiv, Science Direct, and theCochrane Library were searched from inception to 9th June 2020 for observationalor prospective studies reporting results of hospitalized adult patients withCOVID-19 infection treated with TCZ. Effect sizes were reported as odds ratios(ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and an OR less than 1 was associatedwith a better outcome in those treated with TCZ.RESULTSOverall 13476 patients (33 studies;n = 3264 received TCZ) with COVID-19pneumonia and various degree of severity were included. Outcome wasimproved with TCZ. In the primary analysis (n = 19 studies reporting data),mortality was reduced in patients treated with TCZ (OR = 0.64, 95%CI: 0.47-0.87;P < 0.01). In 9 studies where risk of death with TCZ use was controlled for othervariables mortality was reduced by 57% (OR = 0.43, 95%CI: 0.27-0.7;P < 0.01).Intensive care need (mechanical ventilation) was also reduced (OR = 0.36, 95%CI:0.14-0.89;P = 0.02).CONCLUSIONIn COVID-19-infected patients treated with TCZ, outcome may be improvedcompared to those not treated with TCZ.