Mariella Izzo

Dr. Mariella Izzo


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

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

Representative Publications

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30 October 2025 in Cancers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
VCVincenzo Ciccone
Vincenzo Ciccone
MGMarina Garofano
Marina Garofano
RSRosaria Del Sorbo
Rosaria Del Sorbo
GMGabriele Mongelli
Gabriele Mongelli
MIMariella Izzo
Mariella Izzo
BABramanti Alessia
Bramanti Alessia
Background: Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies in men and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Early detection is essential to ensure curative treatment and favorable outcomes, but traditional diagnostic approaches—such as serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, digital rectal examination (DRE), and histopathological confirmation following biopsy—are limited by suboptimal accuracy and variability. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) has improved diagnostic performance but remains highly dependent on reader expertise. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers promising opportunities to enhance diagnostic accuracy, reproducibility, and efficiency in prostate cancer detection. Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and reporting timeliness of AI-based technologies compared with conventional diagnostic methods in the early detection of prostate cancer. Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched for studies published between January 2015 and April 2025. Eligible designs included randomized controlled trials, cohort, case–control, and pilot studies applying AI-based technologies to early prostate cancer diagnosis. Data on AUC-ROC, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and time-to-reporting were narratively synthesized due to heterogeneity. Risk of bias was assessed using the QUADAS-AI tool. Results: Twenty-three studies involving 23,270 patients were included. AI-based technologies achieved a median AUC-ROC of 0.88 (range 0.70–0.93), with median sensitivity and specificity of 0.86 and 0.83, respectively. Compared with radiologists, AI or AI-assisted readings improved or matched diagnostic accuracy, reduced inter-reader variability, and decreased reporting time by up to 56%. Conclusions: AI-based technologies show strong diagnostic performance in early prostate cancer detection. However, methodological heterogeneity and limited standardization restrict generalizability. Large-scale prospective trials are required to validate clinical integration.

13 June 2025 in Preprints.org
Verified
Preprint
Open access
PDF file
MIMariella Izzo
Mariella Izzo
FNFrancesco Negri
Francesco Negri
RGRosario Gnazzo
Rosario Gnazzo
NBNicola Bertini
Nicola Bertini
FVFrancesco Verrengia
Francesco Verrengia
VCVincenzo Ciccone
Vincenzo Ciccone
Vascular tumours of the kidney are a heterogeneous group of lesions showing common characteristics with malignant neoplasms, making it significantly challenging the pre-operative diagnosis. Among these lesions, anastomotic hemangioma (AH) is a recently recognised variant of hemangioma of the genito-urinary tract characterized by a complex vascular structure. In this case report, we present the case of an 85-year-old patient with an incidental diagnosis of renal mass. The multidisciplinary decision to proceed with nephrectomy, with subsequent benign histological result, highlights the uncertainty surrounding the preoperative evaluation of renal tumours This case highlights the importance of evaluation and multidisciplinary approach in the management of renal masses, particularly for rare lesions such as AH. Knowledge of these pathological entities is crucial for clinicians to avoid misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment and to improve the quality of care in patients with renal tumours. Increasing awareness of these variants may also influence improvement in imaging strategies and diagnostic guidelines, promoting a more conservative approach in the presence of suspicious, but potentially benign, lesions.