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OBJECTIVE: In patients with breast cancer and positive hormone receptors, aromatase inhibitors are effective in reducing the risk of recurrences and are active in progressing the disease in this setting. On the other hand, fatigue and painful musculoskeletal side effects can significantly reduce treatment compliance. With no further treatment options to control these symptoms, non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as oxygen-ozone therapy, may play a role in managing rheumatologic symptomatology inasmuch. We have previously reported evidence on the effectiveness of oxygen-ozone in the treatment of pain and fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia patients and in oncological patients as well. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, we reported 6 cases of patients (mean age 64 yrs, all Caucasian females) with breast cancer upon treatment with anastrozole (Arimidex®), suffering from musculoskeletal pain, weakness and fatigue, and therefore treated with oxygen-ozone major autohemotherapy according to the Italian Scientific Society of Oxygen Ozone Therapy (SIOOT) protocol. Pain was measured with a 10-item Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and fatigue with a 7-item Fatigue Scoring Scale (FSS). RESULTS: A reduction of at least 66% of pain (from 9.43 ±0.54 SD to 2.36 ±1.32 SD, p<0.001) and 66.26% of fatigue were obtained for all the cases. Pain and fatigue disappeared within one month from ozone therapy, and a healthy painless state lasted for many months following the oxygen-ozone therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The oxygen-ozone therapy is a sound opportunity for breast cancer patients to reduce anti-aromatase-induced pain, fatigue, and musculoskeletal symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic generated concerns about the healthcare of patients with cancer, not simply because of the formidable impact of COVID-19 patients in the public healthcare system, but also due to the overlapping pathognomonic signs of many forms of lung cancer with lung injuries associated with COVID-19. This report tries to shed light on the issue. We evaluated the great concern of people suffering from lung cancer and also infected with SARS-CoV-2 by discussing evidence and data from current literature. Lung cancer in Italy has represented more than 1 case/4 (27%) in the latest ten years and nevertheless, even due to the concurrence of many complex interplays between COVID-19 and cancer even at the immune level, a consensus protocol and expert guidelines to diagnose and treat lung cancer upon SARS-CoV-2 infection are yet lacking. New insights and consensus panels should be therefore proposed, even at the simplistic level about if priority must be either given to COVID-19 or to cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART) has deeply modified the outcome of HIV patients by improving their overall survival and ameliorating their quality of life (QoL). The prolongation of these patients’ survival has led to an increased risk of highly diffused non-infectious diseases, e.g., cardiovascular diseases, endocrine disease, neurological diseases, and cancer. The management of antiretroviral therapy and anticancer agents (AC) can be challenging, due to the possible drug-drug interactions (DDI) between AC and ART. For this reason, a multidisciplinary approach is always preferred as demonstrated by the GICAT (Italian Cooperation Group on AIDS and Tumors). This review aims to analyze the current scientific data regarding the possible effects of ART on the management of HIV-positive cancer patients and to evaluate the possible DDIs that must be taken into consideration when co-administrating ART and AC. A collaboration between all the involved professional figures, particularly infectious disease specialists and oncologists, represents the key to the correct managing of these patients in order to guarantee the best oncological outcome possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a concerning chronic disease showing as widespread pain, muscle stiffness, sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue, and depressed mood, for which no sound therapy is yet available to date. In this article we assessed a wider patients' cohort the efficacy of oxygen-ozone autohemotherapy (O2-O3-AHT) previously reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A number of 200 FM-patients accessed the study and were treated with 3-4 runs of O2-O3-AHT, following their signed consent. A modified 10 points-PI-NRS were used to evaluate pain intensity before and after the conclusion of the complete ozone-treatment cycle (1 month). Kruskall-Wallis' test and other statistics were used at p<0.05 level of significance. RESULTS: A quite complete rehabilitation of the musculoskeletal function and of the overall arthralgia was observed in 76% of the patients at one month of follow-up. The number of patients having a reduction in the PI-NRS score from 10 (the maximal observed) to 3 (including 10-1 and 10-2) following only two runs of O2-O3-AHT was 23.5%, whereas only 17.5% did not show any significant improvement (ΔPI-NRS = 0 o r 1), so a ssessing that the efficacy of O2-O3-AHT, independently from ages, encompassed at least 41% in a moderate way and 64.5% of the treated patients, as a whole. CONCLUSIONS: Oxygen-ozone autohemotherapy represents a formidable therapeutic approach for FM, deserving further studies to be made in order to fully elucidate ozone effect of this pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]