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Italy, home to one of the world’s oldest populations, has traditionally shown geographic differences in cancer incidence, with rates decreasing from north to south. The cancer registries that have been accredited by the Italian Cancer Registry Network (AIRTUM), during the last 20 years altogether cover the 90 % of the Italian population, aiming to improve data quality, standardize procedures, and promote research. This study presents the methodological approaches used for data collection, quality control, and analysis to describe current patterns of cancer incidence, mortality, and survival across Italy's three macro-areas (North, Central, South). Estimates of incidence rates and case numbers for 2025 were also produced. Data from 34 accredited cancer registries were analyzed, comprising over 4.6 million cases from 1981 to 2020, with a detailed focus on the 2008–2017 period, which includes over 3 million cases. Cancer incidence and mortality data were collected according to ICD-O-3 and ICD-10 classifications and processed for statistical analysis using tools such as SEERPrep, SEERStat, and the Joinpoint Regression Program. Age-standardized rates were calculated, and incidence and mortality trends from 2013 to 2017 were modeled. Five-year cumulative net survival was estimated using the Pohar-Perme method to adjust for competing risks. Survival trends were analyzed by geographic areas and cancer sites, revealing regional disparities in cancer outcomes. •Cancer registries provide affordable population-based statistics on cancer epidemiology.•Incidence, mortality and survival are the main indicators used for cancer surveillance.•Appropriate methodologic approaches make comparisons intelligible.•In Italy there are historical differences in cancer figures by macro-areas.•There is a need to provide cancer statistics updated to the pre-Covid-19 era in Italy.

Cancer incidence and mortality trends represent epidemiological indicators of fundamental importance for public health systems. The study's aim is to present recent (2013–2017) short-term cancer incidence and mortality trends in Italy, including 80 % of the Italian population, for different cancer sites by sex, age group, and areas. Joinpoint Regression models were employed. A significantly decreasing trend in the incidence of all cancers was observed for men in Italy (-1.9 % per year), particularly for cancers of the lung (-2.5 %), liver (-3.9 %), stomach (-2.8 %), colorectal (-2.2 %), prostate (-3.4 %), and leukaemias (-3.2 %). The only significant increase was seen for skin melanoma (+5.2 % per year). Among women, overall cancer incidence remained stable, with a decrease in the North (-0.6 %) and an increase in the South and Islands (+0.9 %). Decreasing trends were observed for colorectal (-1.9 %), stomach (-3.5 %), liver (-4.0 %%), and leukaemias (-2.0 %) cancers, while incidence increased for skin melanoma (+6.0 % per year), and lung cancer (2.3 %). Cancer mortality declined consistently in both sexes (-1.8 % per year in men and −0.6 % in women), across different areas, and age groups. The observed trends in men and women partly reflect the impact of risk factors affecting both sexes at different times, mainly in the case of tobacco and lung cancer. Also, some trends may be linked to organized screening initiatives (e.g. colorectal) or the decrease in opportunistic screening (e.g. prostate). The snapshot of cancer trends in Italy may highlight new opportunities for strengthening prevention activities and advancing research on early detection and target treatments. [Display omitted] •We observed decreasing incidence and mortality trends in men and stable incidence and decreasing mortality trends in women.•Skin melanoma incidence increased in both sexes, while lung cancer increased in women and decreased in men.•Stomach, colorectal, liver and leukaemias incidence decreased in both sexes.•We highlighted the need to improve cancer prevention initiatives and research in diagnostic and treatments in Italy

We report the results of the quality assessment on data collected by cancer registries belonging to the Italian network of Cancer Registries (AIRTUM). For all malignant cancers diagnosed in 2013–2017, overall percentages of cases known from the death certificate only (DCO), and those of cases with cyto-histological confirmation (MV), were provided. The overall percentage of DCOs was small (1.2 %). The percentage of microscopic verification was overall high (87.6 %), with some variations among registries. DCO proportion varied from 0.1 % for cutaneous melanoma to 3.8 % for liver and pancreatic tumours. Differences across sites in MV proportion were linked to the different diagnostics. The rate of cases lost to follow-up was on average very low (0.7 %). This quality evaluation confirmed that data provided by the Italian cancer registries were affordable. •Data from Italian cancer registries have long been included in IARC and ENCR publications.•Data from cancer registries should not be produced only for cancer registries.•Quality indices should also address aspects that are more useful and understandable for other stakeholders.•The Italian network of cancer registries (AIRTUM) has provided updated cancer statistics

The demographic transition, together with changes in lifestyles and the exposure to other risk factors, contributed to a rising burden of chronic degenerative diseases, including cancer, in Italy. We provided updated figures on cancer incidence and mortality in Italy during the period 2013–2017, using data provided by 34 population-based cancer registries from the AIRTUM network. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) per 100,000 were estimated, stratified by sex, cancer site or type, and macroarea. The cumulative risk (number of individuals who need to be followed over a lifetime for one to develop cancer), stratified by cancer site and sex, was estimated. Overall, 1,359,053 incident cancer cases (52.8 % in men) were registered during the surveillance period. The ASR for all malignant tumours was 657.1 per 100,000 among men and 475.5 per 100,000 among women. We documented the highest ASRs for all cancer sites in both sexes (males: 685.7 per 100,000, females: 496.1 per 100,000) in the North, followed by the Center (males: 646.6 per 100,000, females: 488.1 per 100,000), and the South and Islands (males: 626.7 per 100,000, females: 435.4 per 100,000). Mortality rates are less than half that of incidence rates (SMR was 331.8 per 100,000 men and 188.8 per 100,000 women), with negligible differences among Italian areas. One man out of two and 1 women out of three may develop a cancer in their lifetime. Despite incidence and mortality figures in Italy were almost aligned with the ones documented in Europe, our findings recalled the importance for policy-makers to implement national policies and community-based prevention strategies aimed at reducing the cancer burden. •The study, covering 80 % of Italian population, analyzes data from 34 Cancer Registries of the AIRTUM network for the period 2013–2017 (1359053 cases).•Incidence rates (ASR): men 657.1/100,000, women 475.5/100,000. Mortality rates (ASMR): men 331.8/100,000, women 188.8/100,000.•The cumulative risk of developing cancer is 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women.•Most frequent cancers: Men: Prostate (18 %), Lung (15 %), Colorectal (13 %). Women: Breast (31 %), Colorectal (12 %), Lung (7 %).•Geographic Differences in incidence and mortality were present and their ranking depended on cancer site.

Background/Objectives: The increasing incidence of cancer during pregnancy is a growing public health concern, driven by delayed parenthood and rising maternal age. Pregnancy-associated cancer (PAC) presents complex clinical challenges, necessitating a balance between maternal cancer treatment and fetal safety. Historically considered incompatible with favorable pregnancy outcomes, evidence now suggests that pregnancy can often proceed without affecting cancer prognosis. A 2022 study in Italy provided the first population-based PAC estimates by linking cancer registries (CRs) and hospital discharge records (HDRs). This study aimed to update PAC estimates to 2019, covering 30% of the Italian population and addressing prior data limitations. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal analysis was conducted on women aged 15–49 diagnosed with malignant cancers between 2003 and 2019. Data from 21 Italian CRs were linked with HDRs to identify PAC cases, defined as obstetric hospitalizations occurring for women diagnosed with cancer in our study cohort in the period spanning from one year before to two years after a cancer diagnosis. All malignant cancers, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers, were analyzed. PAC rates were calculated per 1000 pregnancies, and trends were assessed using log-linear and JoinPoint regression models. Results: Among 131,774 women diagnosed with cancer, 6329 PAC cases were identified, with a PAC rate of 1.43 per 1000 pregnancies, consistent with global estimates. Thyroid (24.4%) and breast cancer (23.2%) were the most common. Analyzing the PAC rate by pregnancy outcome, in the period 2015–2019, this increased for both childbirths and miscarriages but decreased for voluntary terminations. Most hospitalizations (54%) occurred pre-diagnosis, peaking at diagnosis, especially for breast cancer (69%). Conclusions: PAC incidence is rising, particularly for live births and miscarriages, underscoring the need for multidisciplinary care and robust epidemiological insights to guide clinical management.

Background This study aims to estimate the long‐term risk of metastatic recurrence (MR) among Italian women with breast cancer (BC) by period, age, stage, and surrogate molecular profile. Methods Data on 59,968 women below age 75 years diagnosed in 1997–2017 with stage I‐III BC from 7 population‐based Italian cancer registries were analyzed. We used a novel modeling method, based on an illness–death process coupled with a mixture cure model, to estimate relative survival and MR risks up to 15 years after BC diagnosis according to calendar period, age, stage, and profile. Results The risk of MR for the entire cohort at 15 years decreased from 20.6% in 1997–2006 to 12.3% in 2007–2017, when MR risk within 15 years was 3.0% for stage I, 16.0% for stage II, and 42.7% for stage III. The conditional risk of MR decreased with time since diagnosis, with stage I–III triple‐negative BC having a higher risk of developing MR in the first 5 years regardless of age (16.0% at age 15–54 years and 18.3% at 55–74 years), but < 1% once they survived for 5 years without recurrence. In contrast, hormone receptor‐positive BC had a lower but persisting risk of MR of about 6% for both age groups in the first 10 years, halving to about 3% in the following 5 years after diagnosis. Conclusions This study provides a population‐based estimate of the long‐term risk of MR for women with BC by major prognostic factors. These findings may help in tailoring follow‐up strategies through informative risk stratification.

Mitochondrial oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are involved in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Novel reliable, circulating biomarkers related to these processes were searched in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples. Paired CSF and plasma samples from 20 subjective memory complaints (SMC) subjects, 20 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD subjects, and 20 Alzheimer’s dementia (ADd) patients were analyzed. Protein amounts of manganese-containing superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) level, DNase I, and matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9) activities were determined. As for SOD2, an MCI male-specific significant increase in both biofluids and an ADd male-specific significant decrease in plasma were found. No significant differences were demonstrated in cf-mtDNA level. An ADd-specific significant increase in plasma DNase I and MMP-2 activities was found. A SMC female-specific significant higher value in CSF MMP-9 activity in comparison to male counterparts was demonstrated. The present results suggest a male patient-specific (MCI and ADd) regulation of SOD2 expression in plasma and support an ADd-specific increase in plasma DNase I and MMP-2 activities. Therefore, the potential of SOD2 amount, DNase I, and MMP-2 activities in plasma as new markers of ADd should be explored. The SMC female-specific high activity of MMP-9 might contribute to AD female-sex bias.

Advanced biofuels incorporation into the transportation sector, particularly cellulosic bioethanol, is crucial for attaining carbon neutrality by 2050, contributing to climate changes mitigation and wastes minimization. The world needs biofuel to be commercially available to tackle the socioeconomic challenges coming from the continued use of fossil fuels. Cynara cardunculus (cardoon) is a cheap lignocellulosic raw biomass that easily grows in Mediterraneous soils and is a potential renewable resource for a biorefinery. This work aimed to study the bioethanol production from cardoon hemicellulosic hydrolysates, which originated from dilute sulfuric acid hydrolysis pretreatment. A detoxification step to remove released microbial fermentative inhibitors was evaluated by using both activated carbon adsorption and a nanofiltration membrane system. The Scheffersomyces stipitis CBS5773 yeast and the modified Escherichia coli MS04 fermentation performances at different experimental conditions were compared. The promising results with E. coli, using detoxified cardoon by membrane nanofiltration, led to a bioethanol volumetric productivity of 0.30 g·L−1·h−1, with a conversion efficiency of 94.5%. Regarding the S. stipitis, in similar fermentation conditions, volumetric productivity of 0.091 g·L−1·h−1 with a conversion efficiency of 64.9% was obtained. Concluding, the production of bioethanol through detoxification of hemicellulosic cardoon hydrolysate presents a suitable alternative for the production of second-generation bioethanol, especially using the modified E. coli.

The evaluation of kidney biopsies performed by expert pathologists is a crucial process for assessing if a kidney is eligible for transplantation. In this evaluation process, an important step consists of the quantification of global glomerulosclerosis, which is the ratio between sclerotic glomeruli and the overall number of glomeruli. Since there is a shortage of organs available for transplantation, a quick and accurate assessment of global glomerulosclerosis is essential for retaining the largest number of eligible kidneys. In the present paper, the authors introduce a Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system to assess global glomerulosclerosis. The proposed tool is based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). In particular, the authors considered approaches based on Semantic Segmentation networks, such as SegNet and DeepLab v3+. The dataset has been provided by the Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantations (DETO) of Bari University Hospital, and it is composed of 26 kidney biopsies coming from 19 donors. The dataset contains 2344 non-sclerotic glomeruli and 428 sclerotic glomeruli. The proposed model consents to achieve promising results in the task of automatically detecting and classifying glomeruli, thus easing the burden of pathologists. We get high performance both at pixel-level, achieving mean F-score higher than 0.81, and Weighted Intersection over Union (IoU) higher than 0.97 for both SegNet and Deeplab v3+ approaches, and at object detection level, achieving 0.924 as best F-score for non-sclerotic glomeruli and 0.730 as best F-score for sclerotic glomeruli.

Cholesterol accumulation in macrophages leads to the formation of foam cells and increases the risk of developing atherosclerosis. We have verified whether hydroxytyrosol (HT), a phenolic compound with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, can reduce the cholesterol build up in THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells. We have also investigated the potential mechanisms. Oil Red O staining and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assays were utilized to detect cellular lipid accumulation and cholesterol content, respectively, in THP-1 macrophages foam cells treated with HT. The impact of HT on cholesterol metabolism-related molecules (SR-A1, CD36, LOX-1, ABCA1, ABCG1, PPARγ and LRX-α) in foam cells was assessed using real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analyses. Finally, the effect of HT on the adhesion of THP-1 monocytes to human vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) was analyzed to study endothelial activation. We found that HT activates the PPARγ/LXRα pathway to upregulate ABCA1 expression, reducing cholesterol accumulation in foam cells. Moreover, HT significantly inhibited monocyte adhesion and reduced the levels of adhesion factors (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) and pro-inflammatory factors (IL-6 and TNF-α) in LPS-induced endothelial cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that HT, with its ability to interfere with the import and export of cholesterol, could represent a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of atherosclerotic disease.