Esophageal cancer is the seventh most common cancer worldwide accounting for over 570,000 new cases in 2018 and ranks sixth in overall cancer-related mortality with over half million deaths.
Gastric carcinoma is the fourth most common malignancy worldwide and remains the second cause of death of all malignancies worldwide.
Outcome still is dismal despite diagnostic and treatment improvements, with a 5-year survival rate of only 10-30 %. Various multimodality therapies are available, but to date, surgery remains the best curative approach.
Our group have a thirty-year experience in treating esophagogastric cancer with research interests in multimodality treatments, surgical treatments and techniques and, in recent years, in minimally invasive surgery and translational research.

Clinical Research:

Multimodal treatment of esophageal and gastric cancer.
Staging and treatment of early esophago-gastric cancer.
Staging and treatment of oligometastatic esophageal and gastric cancer.
Minimally invasive and robotic esophagectomy and gastrectomy for cancer.
E-Health for cancer patients involvement and follow-up.

Basic and Translational Research:

Cancer Cachexia.
Esophago-gastric Cancer Organoids.

Funding

Ordinary Department funding.
A.I.R.C. (P.I. Prof. Marco Sandri).

Publications

1: Pierobon ES, Capovilla G, Moletta L, De Pasqual AL, Fornasier C, Salvador R, Zanchettin G, Lonardi S, Galuppo S, Hadzijusufovic E, Grimminger PP, Stocchero M, Costantini M, Merigliano S, Valmasoni M. Multimodal treatment of radiation-induced esophageal cancer: Results of a case-matched comparative study from a single center. Int J Surg. 2022 Mar;99:106268. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2022.106268.

2: Duan H, Wang T, Luo Z, Wang X, Liu H, Tong L, Dong X, Zhang Y, Valmasoni M, Kidane B, Almhanna K, Wiesel O, Pang S, Ma J, Yan X. A multicenter single-arm trial of sintilimab in combination with chemotherapy for neoadjuvant treatment of resectable esophageal cancer (SIN-ICE study). Ann Transl Med. 2021 Nov;9(22):1700. doi: 10.21037/atm-21-6102.

3: Faron M, Cheugoua-Zanetsie AM, Thirion P, Nankivell M, Winter K, Cunningham D, Van der Gaast A, Law S, Langley R, de Vathaire F, Valmasoni M, Mauer M, Roth J, Gebski V, Burmeister BH, Paoletti X, van Sandick J, Fu J, Ducreux M, Blanchard P, Tierney J, Pignon JP, Michiels S; MANATEC-02 collaborative group. Individual patient data meta-analysis of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery versus upfront surgery for carcinoma of the oesophagus or the gastro-oesophageal junction. Eur J Cancer. 2021 Nov;157:278-290. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.08.014.

4: Sartori R, Hagg A, Zampieri S, Armani A, Winbanks CE, Viana LR, Haidar M, Watt KI, Qian H, Pezzini C, Zanganeh P, Turner BJ, Larsson A, Zanchettin G, Pierobon ES, Moletta L, Valmasoni M, Ponzoni A, Attar S, Da Dalt G, Sperti C, Kustermann M, Thomson RE, Larsson L, Loveland KL, Costelli P, Megighian A, Merigliano S, Penna F, Gregorevic P, Sandri M. Perturbed BMP signaling and denervation promote muscle wasting in cancer cachexia. Sci Transl Med. 2021 Aug 4;13(605):eaay9592. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay9592.

5: Capovilla G, Moletta L, Pierobon ES, Salvador R, Provenzano L, Zanchettin G, Costantini M, Merigliano S, Valmasoni M. Optimal Treatment of cT2N0 Esophageal Carcinoma: Is Upfront Surgery Really the Way? Ann Surg Oncol. 2021 Dec;28(13):8387-8397. doi: 10.1245/s10434-021-10194-9.

6: de Pascale S, Parise P, Valmasoni M, Weindelmayer J, Terraneo F, Cella CA, Giacopuzzi S, Cossu A, Massaron S, Elmore U, Merigliano S, Fumagalli Romario U, On Behalf Of The Italian Society For The Study Of Esophageal Diseases Sisme. Does Pathological Stage and Nodal Involvement Influence Long Term Oncological Outcomes after CROSS Regimen for Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction? A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Feb 7;13(4):666. doi: 10.3390/cancers13040666.

7: Valmasoni M, Pierobon ES, Capovilla G, Piangerelli A, Moletta L, Costantini M, Salvador R, Merigliano S. Providing surgery for cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: experience of a northern Italian referral centre. Br J Surg. 2020 Aug;107(9):e326-e327. doi: 10.1002/bjs.11780.

8: Ruzzo A, Graziano F, Bagaloni I, Di Bartolomeo M, Prisciandaro M, Aprile G, Ongaro E, Vincenzi B, Perrone G, Santini D, Fornaro L, Vivaldi C, Tomasello G, Loupakis F, Lonardi S, Fassan M, Valmasoni M, Sarti D, Lorenzini P, Catalano V, Bisonni R, Del Prete M, Collina G, Magnani M. Glycolytic competence in gastric adenocarcinomas negatively impacts survival outcomes of patients treated with salvage paclitaxel-ramucirumab. Gastric Cancer. 2020 Nov;23(6):1064-1074. doi: 10.1007/s10120-020-01078-0.

9: Valmasoni M, Pierobon ES, Zanchettin G, Briscolini D, Moletta L, Ruol A, Salvador R, Merigliano S. Cervical Esophageal Cancer Treatment Strategies: A Cohort Study Appraising the Debated Role of Surgery. Ann Surg Oncol. 2018 Sep;25(9):2747-2755. doi: 10.1245/s10434-018-6648-6.

10: Valmasoni M, Pierobon ES, De Pasqual CA, Zanchettin G, Moletta L, Salvador R, Costantini M, Ruol A, Merigliano S. Esophageal Cancer Surgery for Patients with Concomitant Liver Cirrhosis: A Single-Center Matched-Cohort Study. Ann Surg Oncol. 2017 Mar;24(3):763-769. doi: 10.1245/s10434-016-5610-8.

People involved

Michele Valmasoni (Associate Professor)
Renato Salvador (Associate Professor)
Lucia Moletta (Assistant Professor)
Sandra Zampieri (Assistant Professor)
Luca Provenzano (Research Fellow)
Stefano Merigliano (Full Professor – Senior Scholar)
Mario Costantini (Associate Professor – Senior Scholar)

Group members

Marco Sandri (Full Professor)
Elisa Sefora Pierobon (Attending Surgeon)
Gianpietro Zanchettin (Attending Surgeon)
Giovanni Capovilla (Attending Surgeon)
Sara Lonardi (Attending Oncologist)
Sabina Murgioni (Attending Oncologist)
Sara Galuppo (Attending Radiation Oncologist)
Roberta Sartori (Research Fellow)
Martina Maino (Research Fellow)