Mauro Caini

Superselective ophthalmic artery infusion of melphalan for intraocular retinoblastoma: preliminary results from 140 treatments

Purpose:  To report our experience in superselective ophthalmic artery infusion of melphalan (SOAIM) for intraocular retinoblastoma.

Successful Treatment of Macular Retinoblastoma With Superselective Ophthalmic Artery Infusion of Melphalan

PURPOSE To report our experience with superselective ophthalmic artery infusion of melphalan (SOAIM) for macular retinoblastoma to obtain tumor control while preserving as much useful vision as possible. METHODS Five patients with newly diagnosed unilateral retinoblastoma involving the macula were selected within a group of patients eligible for SOAIM as the primary treatment. RESULTS The mean tumor basal dimension and thickness in this group of five patients with macular retinoblastoma were 11.6 and 12.3 mm, respectively. The stage at diagnosis ranged from II to VB (Reese-Ellsworth) or B to D (International Classification System). Tumor regression with SOAIM was achieved in all cases with regression patterns type I in four cases and III in one case. CONCLUSIONS SOAIM can be of value in the treatment of macular retinoblastoma. It may allow the salvage of the residual eyesight with a low rate of complications due to the local and systemic toxicity related to chemotherapy.

The prognostic value of biological markers in paediatric Hodgkin lymphoma

BACKGROUND Many biological and inflammatory markers have been proposed as having a prognostic value at diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), but very few have been validated in paediatric patients. We explored the significance of these markers in a large population of 769 affected children. PATIENTS AND METHODS By using the database of patients enrolled in A.I.E.O.P. (Associazione Italiana di Emato-Oncologia Pediatrica) trial LH2004 for paediatric HL, we identified 769 consecutive patients treated with curative intent from 1st June 2004 to 1st April 2014 with ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine), or hybrid COPP/ABV (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, procarbazine, doxorubicin, bleomycin and vinblastine) regimens. RESULTS On multivariate analysis with categorical forms, the 5-year freedom from progression survival was significantly lower in patients with stage IV or elevated value of platelets, eosinophils and ferritin at diagnosis. Furthermore, stage IV and eosinophils seem to maintain their predictive value independently of interim (after IV cycles of chemotherapy) positron emission tomography. CONCLUSION Using the combination of four simple markers such as stage IV and elevated levels of platelets, ferritin and eosinophils, it is possible to classify the patients into subgroups with very different outcomes.