Simone Scagnoli

Bio: Simone Scagnoli is an academic researcher from Sapienza University of Rome. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & Internal medicine. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 28 publications receiving 161 citations. Previous affiliations of Simone Scagnoli include Policlinico Umberto I.

Adjuvant chemotherapy in resected colon cancer: When, how and how long?

Abstract: The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy has been clearly established in the adjuvant setting for node-positive colon cancer. A number of trials in the adjuvant setting have analyzed the efficacy of multiple-agent combinations, including irinotecan, oxaliplatin, bevacizumab and cetuximab. Only oxaliplatin added to fluorouracil/capecitabine has been shown to be superior beyond a fluropyrimidine alone in the adjuvant setting. As such, standard treatment options include fluorouracil (FU) or capecitabine with or without oxaliplatin. However, oxaliplatin is associated with cumulative dose-dependent neurotoxicity, characterized by distal or perioral paresthesias or dysesthesias; for this reason, in this review we discuss the results of the International Duration Evaluation of Adjuvant Chemotherapy (IDEA) trial. The IDEA trail is the largest prospective clinical trial ever conducted in colorectal cancer, wherein patients were treated with either 3 months or 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy. In the era of cancer gene expression-based subtyping, the Colorectal Cancer Subtyping Consortium has proposed a four-subgroup molecular classification system for colorectal cancer, consisting of CMS1 (immune), CMS2 (canonical), CMS3 (metabolic) and CMS4 (mesenchymal). In this review, we present and analyze the available data on efficacy and toxicity of the combination regimen approved for treatment of resected colon cancer, and discuss the questions of when, how and how long we need to treat such patients.

CDK4/6 Inhibitor Treatments in Patients with Hormone Receptor Positive, Her2 Negative Advanced Breast Cancer: Potential Molecular Mechanisms, Clinical Implications and Future Perspectives.

Abstract: Hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer is the most common breast cancer subtype, and endocrine therapy (ET) remains its therapeutic backbone. Although anti-estrogen therapies are usually effective initially, approximately 50% of HR+ patients develop resistance to ET within their lifetime, ultimately leading to disease recurrence and limited clinical benefit. The recent addition of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and CDK6 inhibitors (palbociclib, ribociclib, abemaciclib) to ET have remarkably improved the outcome of patients with HR+ advanced breast cancer (ABC) compared with anti-estrogens alone, by targeting the cell-cycle machinery and overcoming some aspects of endocrine resistance. However, which patients are the better candidates for these drugs, which are the main characteristics for a better selection of patients or if there are predictive biomarkers of response, is still unknown. In this review we reported the mechanism of action of CDK4/6 inhibitors as well as their potential mechanism of resistance, their implications in clinical practice and the forthcoming strategies to enhance their efficacy in improving survival and quality of life of patients affected with HR+, HER2-, ABC.

Ramucirumab as Second-Line Therapy in Metastatic Gastric Cancer: Real-World Data from the RAMoss Study.

Abstract: Ramucirumab—alone or combined with paclitaxel—represents one of the main options for patients failing first-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer. The RAMoss study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy profile of ramucirumab in the “real-life setting”. Patients from 25 Italian hospitals started therapy consisting of ramucirumab 8 mg/kg i.v. d1,15q28 with or without paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 i.v. d1,8,15q28. The primary endpoint was safety, and secondary endpoints were overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). One hundred sixty-seven patients with disease progression on first-line therapy received ramucirumab as monotherapy (10%) or combined with paclitaxel (90%). Median treatment duration was 4 months (1–17 months). Global incidence of grade (G) 3–4 toxicity was 9.6%, and for neutropenia 5.4%; treatment was discontinued due to toxicity in 3% of patients. The most frequent adverse events (AE) were G1–2 fatigue (27.5%), G1–2 neuropathy (26.3%), and G1–2 neutropenia (14.9%). ORR was 20.2%. Stable disease was observed in 39.2% of patients, with a disease control rate of 59.4%. With a median follow-up of 11 months, median PFS was 4.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.1–4.7), whereas median OS was 8.0 months (95% CI: 7.09–8.9). In a multivariate analysis, ECOG performance status <1 or ≥1 (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.0–1.27, p = 0.04) and the presence versus absence of peritoneal metastases (HR 1.57, 95% CI 1.63–2.39, p = 0.03) were independent poor prognostic factors. These “real-life” efficacy data on ramucirumab treatment are in line with previous randomized trials. Ramucirumab is well tolerated in daily clinical practice.

Reversal of Tumoral Immune Resistance by Inhibition of Tryptophan 2,3-Dioxygenase (TDO): Design, Synthesis and Preclinical Evaluation of a Novel TDO Inhibitor.

Abstract: Tryptophan catabolism mediated by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) is an important mechanism of peripheral immune tolerance contributing to tumoral immune resistance, and IDO1 inhibition is an active area of drug development. Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) is an unrelated hepatic enzyme that also degrades tryptophan along the kynurenine pathway. Here, we show that enzymatically active TDO is expressed in a significant proportion of human tumors. In a preclinical model, TDO expression by tumors prevented their rejection by immunized mice. We developed a TDO inhibitor, which, upon systemic treatment, restored the ability of mice to reject TDO-expressing tumors. Our results describe a mechanism of tumoral immune resistance based on TDO expression and establish proof-of-concept for the use of TDO inhibitors in cancer therapy.

IDO Expression in Cancer: Different Compartment, Different Functionality?

Abstract: Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is a cytosolic haem-containing enzyme involved in the degradation of tryptophan to kynurenine. Although initially thought to be solely implicated in the modulation of innate immune responses during infection, subsequent discoveries demonstrated IDO1 as a mechanism of acquired immune tolerance. In cancer, IDO1 expression/activity has been observed in tumor cells as well as in the tumor-surrounding stroma, which is composed of endothelial cells, immune cells, fibroblasts, and mesenchymal cells. IDO1 expression/activity has also been reported in the peripheral blood. This manuscript reviews available data on IDO1 expression, mechanisms of its induction, and its function in cancer for each of these compartments. In-depth study of the biological function of IDO1 according to the expressing (tumor) cell can help to understand if and when IDO1 inhibition can play a role in cancer therapy.