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BACKGROUND: Hereditary ovarian cancers (HOC) represent about 23% of ovarian cancer (OC) cases: they are most frequently related to germline mutations in the BRCA genes. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare CA125/HE4 serum levels and Computed Tomography (CT) features at time of ovarian cancer (OC) diagnosis in two populations: BRCA mutant and BRCA wild-type (WT) OC, and to investigate the relationship between this laboratory and radiological biomarker and BRCA mutation status. METHODS: This retrospective study included 60 newly diagnosed OC patients with FIGO stage IIIC-IV disease, tested for BRCA1/2 germline mutation status of which preoperative CT scan and serum tumor marker assay were available. RESULTS: The median level of CA125 (708 U/mL) was significantly higher (p 2 cm (p = 0.000099), increased frequency of lymphadenopathies (p = 0.019), and metastasis (p = 0.052) compared to patients with BRCA WT. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor markers and CT patterns may help in identifying BRCA mutation status in OC directing patients towards a personalized treatment.

One of the most urgent needs worldwide is to vaccinate against SARS-CoV-2 as many people as possible. We evaluated humoral response to Comirnaty vaccine in Thalassemia Major patients (TM). We measured SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies against Spike protein in 57 TM patients and 58 healthy blood donors (HBD). TM and HBD subjects revealed a homogeneous serological response to the Comirnaty (Mean ± SD; TM = 1917,21 ± 1384,49; HBD = 2039,81 ± 1064,44; p = 0,5884). No statistically significant differences were observed among two groups. Interestingly, we observed in 73.3% of asplenic patients Ab-S titres above 800 BAU, whereas only in 26% of non splenectomized patients showed Ab-S titres above 800 BAU). This differences were statistically significant p 0.039. Further measurement on other Ab types was needed for better understanding humoral response to Comirnaty.