Disease- Area Surgical Oriented Research
Disease-Oriented Research – Melanoma
Medical Division of Melanoma Aaron GOLDHIRSCH, MD Director (ad interim)
STAFF Medical Oncology Unit of Melanoma Director: Pier Francesco Ferrucci, MD Senior Vice Director: Emilia Cocorocchio, MD, Biologist: Chiara Martinoli, PhD, (Fondazione Grazia Focacci) Fellows: Salvatore Alfieri, MD Medical Oncologist, Angelo Battaglia, MD (School of Medical Oncology, Univ. Catania)
The Division and the incorporated Unit are devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers and soft tissue sarcoma in strict cooperation with the EIO Division of Melanoma and soft tissue Sarcomas. The activity ranges from sophisticated diagnostic procedures, dermatologic and molecular biology researches, to the surgical and medical treatments of melanoma and soft tissue sarcoma patients. Because of the complexity of these items, the multidisciplinary approach within the melanoma and sarcoma program allow our Team to develop competent and comprehensive treatment options for each patient which requires coordination between a variety of specialties, including: • Dermatology • Dermatopathology/Surgical Pathology • Surgical Oncology • Medical Oncology • Radiology • Radiotherapy • Psycho-oncology • Basic Research and Immunology
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Activities 2012.
Melanoma. In the context of the Multidisciplinary team and the Melanoma Cancer Center, patients with advanced disease are mainly enrolled in chemo-, targeted and immuno-therapeutic clinical trials and treated within the Medical Oncology Unit of Melanoma. The group participated to the development of the antiBRAF and anti-CTLA4 targeted therapy, the first 2 drugs impacting on survival in advanced melanoma patients. These drugs revolutionized our therapeutic approach, widening the options and expanding hope for a cure in many patients affected by this disease. In the meantime, new clinical trials exploring the combination of targeted therapies with chemotherapy and/or immunotherapies started, offering new opportunity to induce durable responses which could impact on quality of life of our patients. Interestingly, our Team include a molecular biologist working on basic research at IEO-Campus and a Psycho-oncologist offering, if requested, support to all the patients undergoing specific surgical or medical treatments and their family. Finally, adjuvant targeted therapy options as per histology are under evaluation through participation in 2 international clinical trials. Sarcoma The Task Force on Sarcoma started his work at the end of 2011 and involve medical oncologists, surgeons, pathologists, radiotherapists and radiologists in order to offer a comprehensive approach also to patients affected by this disease. Clinical trials and innovative treatments are offered as part of this strict collaboration within different professionals. Publications Ferrucci PF, Tosti G, Pietro A, Passoni C, Pari C, Tedeschi I, Cataldo F, Martinoli C, Testori A. Newly identified tumor antigens as promising cancer vaccine targets for malignant melanoma treatment. Curr Top Med Chem. 2012 Jan 1;12(1):11-31. IF: 4.112
Danielli R, Ridolfi R, Chiarion-Sileni V, Queirolo P, Testori A, Plummer R, Boitano M, Calabrò L, Rossi CD, Giacomo AM, Ferrucci PF, Ridolfi L, Altomonte M, Miracco C, Balestrazzi A, Maio M. Ipilimumab in pretreated patients with metastatic uveal melanoma: safety and clinical efficacy. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2012 Jan;61(1):41-8. Epub 2011 Aug 11. IF: 4.293
S1470-2045(12)70324-8. Epub 2012 Aug 13. IF: 22.59
Di Giacomo AM, Ascierto PA, Pilla L, Santinami M, Ferrucci PF, Giannarelli D, Marasco A, Rivoltini L, Simeone E, Nicoletti SV, Fonsatti E, Annesi D, Queirolo P, Testori A, Ridolfi R, Parmiani G, Maio M. Ipilimumab and fotemustine in patients with advanced melanoma (NIBIT-M1): an open-label, single-arm phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2012 Sep;13(9):879-86. doi: 10.1016/
Maio M, Nicolay HJ, Ascierto PA, Belardelli F, Camerini R, Colombo MP, Queirolo P, Ridolfi R, Russo V, Fonsatti E; NIBIT, Parmiani G. Eighth annual meeting of the Italian network for tumor biotherapy (NIBIT), Siena, October 7-9, 2010. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2011 Jun;60(6):901-7. Epub 2011 Mar 24. IF: 4.293.
Di Pietro A, Tosti G, Ferrucci PF, Testori A. The immunological era in melanoma treatment: new challenges for heat shock protein-based vaccine in the advanced disease. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2011 Oct;11(10):1395-407. Epub 2011 Jul 30. IF: 3.279.
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