INFORMAZIONI SU
GIACOMIN Aurora
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Supervisore:Dr.ssa Cecchin Monitoring of circulating biomarkers to be included in a multiparametric model to improve the therapeutic outcome of LARC patients on neoadjuvant treatment |
| Locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) accounts for one-third of all colorectal cancers (CRCs) diagnosed to date and is treated with standard procedures involving neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (nCRT) or total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) followed by the evaluation of the therapeutic response and the need for surgery or a ‘watch and wait’ approach. Response to the neoadjuvant treatment is variable and so are the associated side effects. Moreover, patients who achieve a complete pathological response are between 15 and 30%. The analysis of peripheral blood samples is becoming increasingly interesting as it is non-invasive but still makes it possible to study the variation of circulating molecular components at different time points during therapy, and thus to anticipate and monitor the clinical evolution of the disease and to adjust the clinical choices accordingly. The aim of this project is to monitor and evaluate the response to neoadjuvant treatment in relation to the dynamic changes of specific circulating tumor biomarkers in LARC patients. Analyses will be performed on an existing set of samples from patients enrolled in a retrospective/prospective observational trial. The findings are aimed to be validated in a prospective clinical trial whose protocol is under definition. Both genomic and immune-related circulating biomarkers will be considered as well as their dynamic modifications in course of treatment. For this purpose, techniques such as NGS sequencing, Droplet Digital PCR, E.L.I.S.A. assays and flow cytometry may be employed. |
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