Giulia Vitali

Dr. Giulia Vitali


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

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

Representative Publications

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29 April 2022 in Cancers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MARIA ANTONIETTA DE IORISMARIA ANTONIETTA DE IORIS
MARIA ANTONIETTA DE IORIS
FFFrancesco Fabozzi
Francesco Fabozzi
MLMariachiara Lodi
Mariachiara Lodi
GVGiulia Vitali
Giulia Vitali
MPMaria Debora De Pasquale
Maria Debora De Pasquale
Angela MastronuzziAngela Mastronuzzi
Angela Mastronuzzi
The occurrence of cancer in newborns within the first 28 days of life is uncommon, with different clinical presentation from other age groups. Prenatal diagnosis is reported in about half of patients, while a genetic predisposition condition is supposed. The management of a newborn with cancer can be challenging and needs to be tailored according to the histology and the primary tumor site; surgery represents the main strategy, while chemotherapy should be considered with caution because of the higher toxicity and mortality due to different pharmacokinetics in neonates compared to older children. We describe the first Italian series over a 15-year period of patients affected by both benign and malignant neoplastic diseases diagnosed within the first 28 days of life; 74 newborns were diagnosed with neonatal tumors, representing 1.5% of the cancer population in the same period, and a prevalence of germ cell tumors (55%) and neuroblastoma (16%) was observed. Surgery was performed on 80% of patients, while chemotherapy was necessary for about 20% of patients. The 5-year overall survival (OS) exceeded 90%; treatment-related deaths are a major concern, representing 80% of overall deaths. A genetic/syndromic condition was detected in 16% of the population; additionally, a cancer predisposition syndrome (CPS) was identified in about 10% of patients. According to our experience, all newborns affected by cancer should warrant genetic counselling and a screening test for CPS.