Sinziana Ionescu

Dr. Sinziana Ionescu

Surgery, Medical UNiversity Carol Davila, Bucharest, Bucureşti, Romania
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

12Years (2015-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
7 December 2022 in Life
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
ANAlin Codrut Nicolescu
Alin Codrut Nicolescu
MIMarius-Anton Ionescu
Marius-Anton Ionescu
MCMaria Magdalena Constantin
Maria Magdalena Constantin
IAIOAN ANCUTA
IOAN ANCUTA
Sinziana IonescuSinziana Ionescu
Sinziana Ionescu
DTDiamant Thaçi
Diamant Thaçi
Psoriasis is not optimally controlled in spite of newly developed treatments, possibly due to the difficulty of objectively quantifying the disease’s severity, considering the limitations of the clinical scores used in clinical practice. A major challenge addresses difficult-to-treat areas, especially in the absence of significant body surface involvement. It is controversial whether the severity evaluation of patients with several affected areas (having at least one difficult-to-treat area) should be done differently from current methods. Scores used for special areas (PSSI, NAPSI and ESIF) allow an accurate assessment of disease severity in difficult-to-treat areas, but the issue of whether to integrate these scores into PASI, BSA or DLQI remains. The review’s purpose resides in providing an overview of the main current issues in determining psoriasis severity in patients with psoriasis in difficult-to-treat areas and suggesting possible solutions for the optimal integration of the area assessment in current scores: severity can be either established according to the highest calculated score (PASI or PSSI or NAPSI or ESIF) or by adding a correction factor in the calculation of PASI for special areas.

28 August 2023 in Diagnostics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Laurentiu SimionLaurentiu Simion
Laurentiu Simion
VRVlad Rotaru
Vlad Rotaru
CCCiprian Cirimbei
Ciprian Cirimbei
LGLaurentia Nicoleta Gales
Laurentia Nicoleta Gales
Daniela Cristina StefanDaniela Cristina Stefan
Daniela Cristina Stefan
Elena ChitoranElena Chitoran
Elena Chitoran
(1) Introduction: A Romanian woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer every two hours; the country ranks second in Europe in terms of the mortality and incidence rate of this disease. This paper aims to identify the main reasons that have led to this situation, focusing on the measures taken by the Romanian Ministry of Health for the prevention of this type of cancer—national programs for cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination. (2) Materials and methods: We performed a study based on the available secondary data from the National Statistics Institute, World Health Organization and Bucharest Institute of Oncology in order to assess the burden associated with cervical cancer and place it in the context of known global and European incidence and mortality rates, thus evaluating the importance of this health issue in Romania. The second component of our study was a cross-sectional study. Here, we used a 14-question questionnaire applied to the women participating in the National Screening Program for Cervical Cancer and aimed to evaluate the women’s level of knowledge about screening and HPV vaccination and their access cervical-cancer-specific healthcare services. (3) Results: The results of this research show that a high percentage of women postpone routine checks due to a lack of time and financial resources and indicate that a low level of knowledge about the disease and the specific preventive methods determines the low participation in screening and HPV vaccination programs implemented in Romania, contributing to the country’s cervical cancer situation. (4) Conclusions: The national programs have complicated procedures, are underfunded and do not motivate healthcare workers enough. This, combined with the lack of information for the eligible population, adds up to an extremely low number of women screened and vaccinated. Our conclusion is that the Romanian Ministry of Health must take immediate action by conducting major awareness campaigns, implementing measures to make the programs functional and ensuring coherent funding.

13 June 2024 in Cancers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Elena ChitoranElena Chitoran
Elena Chitoran
VRVlad Rotaru
Vlad Rotaru
MMMadalina Nicoleta Mitroiu
Madalina Nicoleta Mitroiu
CDCristiana-Elena Durdu
Cristiana-Elena Durdu
RBRoxana-Elena Bohiltea
Roxana-Elena Bohiltea
Laurentiu SimionLaurentiu Simion
Laurentiu Simion
(1) Background: Currently, an increasing number of women postpone pregnancy beyond the age of 35. Gynecological cancers affect a significant proportion of women of reproductive age, necessitating the development of fertility preservation methods to fulfill family planning. Consequently, providing treatment options that preserve fertility in women diagnosed with gynecological cancers has become a crucial component of care for survivors. (2) Methods: We conducted an extensive search of relevant scientific publications in PubMed and Embase databases and performed a narrative review, including high-quality peer-reviewed research on fertility after being treated for gynecologic cancers, reporting pregnancy rates, birth rates, and pregnancy outcomes in cancer survivors as well as therapeutic options which partially preserve fertility and methods for obtaining a pregnancy in survivors. (3) Discussion: The medicine practiced today is focused on both treating the neoplasm and preserving the quality of life of the patients, with fertility preservation being an important element of this quality. This leads to an improved quality of life, allowing these women to become mothers even in the seemingly adverse circumstances posed by such a pathology. However, although there are guidelines on female fertility preservation in the context of neoplasms, an analysis shows that physicians do not routinely consider it and do not discuss these options with their patients. (4) Conclusions: Advancements in medicine have led to a better understanding and management of gynecological neoplasms, resulting in increased survival rates. Once the battle against these neoplasms is won, the issue of preserving the quality of life for these women arises, with fertility preservation being an important aspect for women who have not yet fulfilled their family planning desires at the time of diagnosis. It is important for patients to be informed about the available options for fertility preservation and to be encouraged to make informed decisions in collaboration with their medical team. Standardized recommendations for onco-fertility into guidelines should be taken into consideration in the future.

19 September 2025 in Diagnostics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Elena ChitoranElena Chitoran
Elena Chitoran
VRVlad Rotaru
Vlad Rotaru
AGAisa Gelal
Aisa Gelal
Sinziana IonescuSinziana Ionescu
Sinziana Ionescu
Giuseppe GulloGiuseppe Gullo
Giuseppe Gullo
Laurentiu SimionLaurentiu Simion
Laurentiu Simion
Background/Objectives: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in oncology has the potential to improve decision making, particularly in managing the risk associated with targeted therapies. This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning-based clinical decision support system (CDSS) capable of predicting complications associated with Bevacizumab or its biosimilars and to translate the resulting predictive model into a clinically applicable tool. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 395 records from patients treated with Bevacizumab or biosimilars for solid tumors. Pretherapeutic variables, such as demographic data, medical history, tumor characteristics and laboratory findings, were retrieved from medical records. Several machine learning models (logistic regression, Random Forest, XGBoost) were trained using 70/30 and 80/20 data splits. Their predictive performances were compared using accuracy, AUC-ROC, sensitivity, specificity, F1-scores and error rate. The best-performing model was used to derive a logistic-based risk score, which was further implemented as an interactive HTML form. Results: The optimized Random Forest model trained on the 80/20 split demonstrated the best balance between accuracy (70.63%), sensitivity (66.67%), specificity (73.85%), and AUC-ROC (0.75). The derived logistic risk score showed good performance (AUC-ROC = 0.720) and calibration. It identified variables, such as age ≥ 65, anemia, elevated urea, leukocytosis, tumor differentiation, and stage, as significant predictors of complications. The final tool provides clinicians with an easy-to-use, offline form that estimates individual risk levels and stratifies patients into low-, intermediate-, or high-risk categories. Conclusions: This study offers a proof of concept for developing AI-supported predictive tools in oncology using real-world data. The resulting logistic risk score and interactive form can assist clinicians in tailoring therapeutic decisions for patients receiving targeted therapies, enhancing the personalization of care without replacing clinical judgment.

26 June 2022 in Diagnostics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Sinziana IonescuSinziana Ionescu
Sinziana Ionescu
ANAlin Codrut Nicolescu
Alin Codrut Nicolescu
MMMarian Marincas
Marian Marincas
OMOctavia Luciana Madge
Octavia Luciana Madge
LSLaurentiu Simion
Laurentiu Simion
Male breast cancers are uncommon, as men account for less than 1 percent of all breast carcinomas. Among the predisposing risk factors for male breast cancer, the following appear to be significant: (a) breast/chest radiation exposure, (b) estrogen use, diseases associated with hyper-estrogenism, such as cirrhosis or Klinefelter syndrome, and (c) family health history. Furthermore, there are clear familial tendencies, with a higher incidence among men who have a large number of female relatives with breast cancer and (d) major inheritance susceptibility. Moreover, in families with BRCA mutations, there is an increased risk of male breast cancer, although the risk appears to be greater with inherited BRCA2 mutations than with inherited BRCA1 mutations. Due to diagnostic delays, male breast cancer is more likely to present at an advanced stage. A core biopsy or a fine needle aspiration must be performed to confirm suspicious findings. Infiltrating ductal cancer is the most prevalent form of male breast cancer, while invasive lobular carcinoma is extremely uncommon. Male breast cancer is almost always positive for hormone receptors. A worse prognosis is associated with a more advanced stage at diagnosis for men with breast cancer. Randomized controlled trials which recruit both female and male patients should be developed in order to gain more consistent data on the optimal clinical approach.

18 January 2024 in Life
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Laurentiu SimionLaurentiu Simion
Laurentiu Simion
IPIna Petrescu
Ina Petrescu
Elena ChitoranElena Chitoran
Elena Chitoran
VRVlad Rotaru
Vlad Rotaru
CCCiprian Cirimbei
Ciprian Cirimbei
IDIoana Mihaela Dogaru
Ioana Mihaela Dogaru
(1) Importance of problem: Breast cancer accounted for 685,000 deaths globally in 2020, and half of all cases occur in women with no specific risk factor besides gender and age group. During the last four decades, we have seen a 40% reduction in age-standardized breast cancer mortality and have also witnessed a reduction in the medium age at diagnosis, which in turn means that the number of mastectomies performed for younger women increased, raising the need for adequate breast reconstructive surgery. Advances in oncological treatment have made it possible to limit the extent of what represents radical surgery for breast cancer, yet in the past decade, we have seen a marked trend toward mastectomies in breast-conserving surgery-eligible patients. Prophylactic mastectomies have also registered an upward trend. This trend together with new uses for breast reconstruction like chest feminization in transgender patients has increased the need for breast reconstruction surgery. (2) Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the types of reconstructive procedures, their indications, their limitations, their functional results, and their safety profiles when used during the integrated treatment plan of the oncologic patient. (3) Methods: We conducted an extensive literature review of the main reconstructive techniques, especially the autologous procedures; summarized the findings; and presented a few cases from our own experience for exemplification of the usage of breast reconstruction in oncologic patients. (4) Conclusions: Breast reconstruction has become a necessary step in the treatment of most breast cancers, and many reconstructive techniques are now routinely practiced. Microsurgical techniques are considered the “gold standard”, but they are not accessible to all services, from a technical or financial point of view, so pediculated flaps remain the safe and reliable option, along with alloplastic procedures, to improve the quality of life of these patients.