Treatment in Milan (Italy)

Professor Santoro is heavily involved in research, with interest in many topics, such as the development of new cancer drugs and new biological therapies, interests for solid and haematological tumours, and not only he treats cancer survivors but also patients with comorbidities.

He has worked in Humanitas Research Hospital for 22 years. Professor Santoro’s post-graduate research was carried out at the Unité de Development Therapeutique (Institut de Cancerologie et d’Immunogenetique, Villejuif of Paris) from 1974 to 1975, and in the Division of Medical Oncology of the National Cancer Institute of Milan from 1976 to 1977. 

In 1977, he specialized in Clinical and Laboratory Haematology at University of Rome. In 1979, he completed his fellowship post-graduate work in the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York and later, at Stanford University. In 1980, he specialized in oncology at the University of Genoa. 

Current Teaching Activity: Professor Santoro worked as Contract Professor at the Specialization School in Clinical Pathology ad Pavia University from 1992 to 1997. Also, from 1993 to 2002 he has been President of the Rare Tumour Group. Now he is full professor at Humanitas University. 

Current Positions: 

• .Since 1997, he is the Director of the Department of Medical Oncology and Haematology, at Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Milan. Also, he is Member of the Ethics Committee of Istituto Clinico Humanitas and Director of Clinical Research in the same Institute since 2007.
• - Since 2008, he is Member of the Planning Committee, Ministry of Work and of Health and Social Politics, Rome, Italy.
• - Since October 2008, Professor Santoro is Counsellor of the Board of Directors of the Fondazione Humanitas for Research of Rozzano, Italy.
• - Since November 2008, he is Expert Member of the National Centre for the Prevention and Control of Disease, Ministry of Work and of Health and Social Politics (Rome, Italy).
• - Since February 2009, he is National Representative preparatory actions for the "European Partnership for Action against Cancer" Ministry of Work and of Health and Social Politics (Rome, Italy).
• - Since February 2009, Professor Santoro is member of National Italian Committee on the Research Network in Oncology, Ministry of Work and of Health and Social Politics (Rome, Italy).
• - Since May 2009, he is Coordinator of the Oesophageal-Stomach Cancer Group Coordinator of the Liver and Biliary Tree Cancer Group, Regional Oncology Commission – Lombardy Oncology Network.

In addition, Professor Santoro’s unique expertise was recognized through numerous awards, such as the Managing Doctor of the Year award (2013), the City of Siena S. Caterina d’Oro Award (2013, Serra Association Award for scientific research) and social and healthcare commitment (Salerno, 2009). 

Publications: santoro%a - Search Results - PubMed (nih.gov) 

Dr. Giuseppe Marinari is a specialist in general surgery (1991) and nutrition (1995). He started his career in Bariatric Surgery in 1987 and, since then, he has performed over 7000 bariatric procedures, mainly Sleeve Gastrectomy, Gastric Bypass, and Biliopancreatic Diversion. Dr. Giuseppe Marinari has international experience, and he is one of the leading Bariatric surgeons in Italy. Over the past 10 years, he has focused on the implementation of a high-volume centre (>1250 procedures in 2019). Since 2016, he adopted an Enhanced Recovery After Bariatric Surgery (ERABS) protocol, to improve benefits for the patient. In essence, this means a faster recovery and an early return to daily activities, with a very high patient approval rating.

Obesity is a complex condition that encompasses a variety of comorbidities. Therefore, the role of a bariatric surgeon is multidisciplinary, including the understanding (and sometimes treating) of comorbidities as well as performing surgery.

Bariatrics interested Dr. Giuseppe Marinari at first because it was a new and growing field. He then developed an appreciation for the multidisciplinary aspect. Now Dr. Giuseppe Marinari is eager to help people transform their lives.

Dr. Giuseppe Marinari  was mentored by Prof. N. Scopinaro at the University Hospital in Genoa, Italy. He invented the biliopancreatic diversion (with or without duodenal switch), a malabsorptive bariatric operation. Dr. Marinari is now Director of the Bariatric Center. He has international experience and is one of the leading surgeons in his field. He performs both restrictive and malabsorbative bariatric procedures, mainly using the laparoscopic approach. In Humanitas Reasearch Hospital patients are treated by a multi-disciplinary team. The patients are given full attention and support throughout all the steps along the treatment.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=marinari+giuseppe

Dr. Federico Pessina is the Cranial Neurosurgey Unit Director.

Medical areas of interest: Brain tumors, glioblastomas, low grade gliomas, brain metastases, meningiomas, neuromas, cavernous angiomas, brain aneurysms

Surgical treatment with brain mapping techniques, awake and minimally invasive surgery of all central nervous system tumors.

Surgical treatment of highly complex tumors of the skull base and cranio-cervical hinge: meningiomas, neuromas, craniopharyngiomas, brain stem tumors.

All the tumor pathologies described above are addressed after multidisciplinary multi-specialist evaluation.

The surgical approach is customized to the patient and to the type of lesion, making use of the most advanced intraoperative techniques for malignant brain tumors (neuronavigation, intraoperative neurophysiology, intraoperative CT) and more complex approaches (anterior, posterior and combined petroosectomies, minimally invasive accesses) for benign diseases of the skull base such as meningiomas and neuromas.

Research areas of interest: Experimental protocols in the treatment of glioblastomas

- Prospective protocols in the treatment of brain metastases

- Role of surgical removal and integrated treatments in glioblastomas and malignant brain tumors

- Intracranial meningiomas

- Cadaver lab dissection

Author of more than 60 scientific publications and 5 book chapters, he is member of Italian Society of Neurosurgery (SINCH).

In 2018 he joined the Scientific Committee of European Society of Neuroncology (EANO) and the Skull Base Surgery Committee of World Federation of Neurosurgical Society (WFNS).

Specialized training: 

Prof. Pessina obtained his Degree in Medicine and Surgery in University of  Insubria,  Varese, where he also completed his Residency Program.

From 2007 to 2008 he covered the role of Clinical Fellow in Neurosurgery in Lausanne University Hospital, focusing on image-guided intrinsic brain tumors resection and vascular neurosurgery

In 2018 he covered the Skull Base fellow position in Lariboisiere Hospital, Paris, fully dedicating to skull base surgery and hands-on dissection practice and teaching.

Since 2022, he is Full Professor in Neurosurgery (MED/27) in Humanitas University

Additional information of interest:

Member of the Scientific Committee of the European Association of Neuroncology (EANO)

Publications:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Pessina+Federico

Dr. Daniela Pini is the Head of the Cardio-respiratory rehabilitation Unit.

Medical areas of interest: Dr. Daniela Pini has been working and researching heart failure and has gained considerable experience in the management of advanced forms of this pathology. She is also very interested in the evaluation and "overall" management of patients suffering from this disease, which mainly affects elderly people and who already have other chronic diseases, which, if neglected, can easily impair the effectiveness of treatment for heart failure itself.

Research areas of interest: new therapies for advanced heart failure: replacement therapy of the heart with mechanical assistance devices to the circulation or heart transplant. New drugs and devices. Multidisciplinary patient management programs.

Further information of interest: thanks to the high competence of cardiosurgeons, electrophysiologists and hemodynamists, Humanitas can count, as a clinical cardiologist, on a team that allows it to offer the patient all the range of therapeutic options for heart failure.

From June 2000 to October 2001 she was Visiting Assistant Professor at the Cardiovascular Division Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. During this period, she worked in the Heart Failure/Heart Transplantation Program, where she participated in the management of patients with advanced heart failure waiting for transplantation, dealing in particular with medical complications in patients with mechanical assistance devices. She has also worked with kidney, kidney-pancreas, pancreas-insulae, lung, liver and heart transplant teams, dealing with the multiple aspects of managing solid organ transplant recipients.

She worked in the Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital, at the Cardiomyopathy and Heart Transplantation Service, dealing mainly with patients with advanced heart failure and undergoing a cardiac transplant.

Dr. Pini is a member of the coordination committee of the Decompensation Area of the National Association of Medical Hospital Cardiologists – ANMCO. In the last two years she has been mainly concerned on building a network of “heart failure clinics” on the national territory.

Dr. Corrado Lodigiani has been assistant at the Thrombosis Centre of Humanitas research Hospital from 1998 to 2013 and he became Unit Director in 2013. 

Humanitas Thrombosis Center is a state-of-the-art service for the proper management of the diagnosis and therapy of venous thromboembolic pathology (deep and superficial venous thrombosis, pulmonary thromboembolism, visceral venous thrombosis) and arterial (myocardial infarction, cerebral stroke, peripheral arterial disease). 
Other also rare diseases treated are atypical thrombosis, such as the vascular circulation of the retina, the hearing system and the placental circulation during pregnancy. 

Dr. Lodigiani adopts the multidisciplinary approach and works in collaboration with all medical and surgical specialties. In particular, he carries out clinical and instrumental diagnostics (vascular ecocolordoppler) and research on the causes, diagnosis and therapy of thrombotic and bleeding disorders, congenital and acquired. His clinical activity also involves the diagnosis and management of patients suffering from bleeding diseases, such as haemophilia, von Willebrand’s disease and platelet diseases.

Medical areas of interest:  

In recent years, he has devoted himself with particular interest to the testing, in the role of Principal Investigator in International Clinical Studies, of new antithrombotic drugs and, above all, anticoagulants, which are about to be marketed and will constitute a valid and safe alternative to traditional oral anticoagulant therapy (DOACs). He is also working, with great interest, on researching the causes of idiopathic infertility and the usefulness and effectiveness of some therapeutic strategies, such as the use of anticoagulant drugs, improving the results of artificial insemination procedures. He is the author of numerous articles in international scientific journals and speaker at numerous national and international conferences.

Prof. Romano Lutman is the Head Oncological and interventional radiology Unit.

Medical areas of interest: 
diagnostic and interventional oncology, in particular linked to percutaneous imaging-guided procedures.
He has performed over 3000 CT guided lung biopsies and numerous international trials on anticancer drugs.

Research areas of interest: 
advanced oncological diagnostics. Percutaneous minimally invasive imaging-guided diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in oncology.

Previous experience:  
- 1991-1996 Orthopaedic Institute of Gaetano Pini, Italy
Assistant Physiatrist
- 1991-1991 Hospital of the Piemonte region , Italy
Specialist doctor in sports medicine

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=lutman r

Dr. Paolo Omodei is the Unit Director of the Autonomous section of Clinical Gastroenterology.

He graduated with honors in the academic year 1988-89 at the Università degli studi of Milan. He specialized in Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy in 1994. Winner of the competition for PhD in Research in Clinical Methodology in the academic year 1994-95. In 1996 he won the public competition for Assistant at the Gastroenterology Service of the Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital in Milan. He held this post until June 1997. From 1997 to 1999 he held the position of Assistant at the Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy Unit of Humanitas Clinical Institute, directed by prof. Alberto Malesci. From 2000 to 2006, he held the position of Assistant of the Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy Unit of the Humanitas Clinical Institute. Since 2006 he has been Head of the Section of Emergency Gastroenterology and Head of Gastroenterology at the Humanitas Clinical Institute. He is Professor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Milan.

1996-1997 Hospital of Niguarda, Milan, Italy
Assistant in the Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy Services directed by Prof. Raffaele Arcidiacono

1987-1996 Polyclinic Hospital, Milan, Italy
Specialising in Gastroenterology in the Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy service of the Institute of Internal Medicine directed by Prof. Nicola Dioguardi.
Volunteer medical specialist in the Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy service in the Institute of Internal Medicine directed by Prof. Nicola Dioguardi.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Omodei P

Born in 1955, Prof. Paolo Emanuele Levi Setti graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Milan School of Medicine in 1982 and specialized in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the same University in 1988.

At the beginning of his career he was involved in the early developments of ultrasound imaging in obstetrics and gynaecology and more recently in the new applications of transvaginal and colour flow technology. From 1977 to 1982 microsurgery and endoscopy were his main interest in the investigation and treatment of female infertility.

Surgical applications in the animal model of new approaches to pelvic pathology were the first studies he published in literature. From 1985 to 1989 fetal blood sampling and prenatal diagnosis had a main role in his interest in research development. In this period, he participated in many published studies in this research area and one of the greatest experiences in the world was reported in the field of echographic surgery.

Results of in vitro fertilization, implantation, intrauterine embryo transfer, assisted reproduction in sexually transmitted diseases, evaluation of the uterine cavity in infertile patients and cryopreservation, are the main aspects of his present day scientific interest. In 1984, together with a group of colleagues, he founded one of the first centres in Italy operating in assisted reproduction. From 1988 to 1996 Prof. Levi Setti chaired the Infertility and Assisted Reproduction Unit of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology – S. Paolo Biomedical Institute – University of Milan School of Italy operating in assisted reproduction. 

From 1989 to 1996 he coordinated the first European centre for assisted reproduction for HIV serodiscordant couples. Since 1994 he is a visiting lecturer at the 1st postgraduate School in Obstetrics and Gynecology and he is a visiting lecturer in the graduate course of Obstetrics and Gynaecology – University of Milan, School of Medicine.
Involved since the earliest development of endoscopy in gynaecology, he followed the evolution of this surgical approach performing, in over 25 years of activity, more than 15.000 procedures and mentoring an impressive number of fellows in this area. His Department has run for many years one of the largest ART programs in our country and in Europe. His research interest has, over the last few years, focused on the mechanisms of implantation, on the preservation of female and male fertility and on the complications and outcome of assisted reproduction. His Department performed the probably larger number of oocyte’s freezing procedures in infertile patients in Europe and is now a recognised expert in fertility preservation in oncological and fertility deferring patients. He has been the scientific organizer of several international meetings and training courses in Reproductive Medicine. 

Member of many international institutions in the field of reproductive medicine (American Society for Reproductive Medicine, European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, International Society for Fertility Preservation), he was elected President of the Italian Fertility and Sterility Society (SIFES e MR) onto the board in 1999 and in 2003 and for two mandates (2009-2001 and 2011-2013). 

He is the author of more than 100 published articles, reviews and chapters in books. 

From 2004 Prof. Levi Setti collaborates with the Italian Ministry of Health in revising data of the National Medically Assisted Reproduction Register. In December 2010 he was nominated scientific coordinator of an experimental project for an ART Network in Lombardy County. Since 1996 Prof. Levi Setti works at the Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan and is currently chair of the Department of Gynaecology and heads the Division of Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine. In May 2011 he was appointed, for the period July 2011- June 2016, as Adjunct Professor at Yale University, School of Medicine. In June 2013 he supervised and is actually personally directing the Humanitas Fertility Center, where over 3.500 ART procures are performed annually.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=levi sett

Dr. Paola Maria Magnoni has graduated in general medicine and radiodiagnostics at Università degli Studi of Milan and is the Ultrasound Unit Director of Humanitas Research Hospital, where she dedicates especial attention to internal, oncological, breast, endocrinology and loop ultrasound, performing over 5000 examinations of which 500 needle biopsy annually.

Medical areas of interest: Ultrasound in all its fields of use, especially:

Diagnostic ultrasound: internal, oncological, intestinal loops, endocrinology.

Interventional ultrasound: superficial needle biopsies of areas such as breast, thyroid, soft parts; and deep needle biopsies of areas such as abdominal organs, liver, kidney pancreas; retroperitoneum; paracentesis, thoracentesis, drainage and inflections.

Research areas of interest: sarcomas, early diagnosis in oncological pathologies, iconographic study of IBD, senology, endocrinology.

Dr. Nunzio Paolo Nuzzi has graduated at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan) and carried out his specialisation in neuroradiology. He is the Unit director of Interventional radiology at Humanitas Research Hospital.

Medical areas of interest: interventional neuroradiology, cerebrovascular diseases, ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke, brain aneurysms, brain and spinal arteriovenous malformations and arterial-venous fistulas (AVF), intracranial stenosis and neck stenosis.

Research areas of interest: new biomedical devices for the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases. Clinical research on minimally invasive endovascular procedures.

Prof. Eduardo Nobile Orazio is the Neurology Unit Director in Humanitas Research Hospital. 

His main areas of interest and specialisation are: diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular diseases, in particular polyneuropathies, also including those of immunological origin such as Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS) and the different clinical variants, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), and the polyneuropathies associated with monoclonal gammopathy, the neuropathies and paraneoplastic neuronopathies and neuropathies in the course of haematologic diseases and from chemotherapy. 

Immunological diagnosis of autoimmune diseases of the peripheral and central nervous system, diagnosis and treatment of motor neurone disease with suspected paraneoplastic or immune genesis, diagnosis and treatment of Multiple Sclerosis and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system such as autoimmune and paraneoplastic encephalitis, diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and extrapyramidal diseases.

His areas of research are clinical and immunological diagnosis and treatment of the immune mediated polyneuropathies and, in particular, GBS, CIDP, MMN and polyneuropathy associated with monoclonal gammopathy including POEMS.

Prof. Eduardo Nobile Orazio has written over 230 scientific publications, held more than 85 university seminars or conferences. He has been a member of the SIN since 1991, of the European Neurological Society since 1989 until 2014, when he joined the European Academy of Neurology. Prof. Eduardo Nobile Orazio has also been a member of the American Academy of Neurology since 1998 and of the American Neurological Association since 2012.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Nobile-Or  

Prof. Nicola Portinaro is the Director of the Orthopaedic Paediatric and neuro-orthopaedic Unit at Humanitas Research Hospital, and is Professor of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at the University of Milan. 

He was appointed as Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, and from 2000 until now, Honorary Special Senior Lecturer at University of Bristol, UK. Founder and Scientific Director of "Ariel Foundation", a non profit foundation for pediatric neurological disabilities founded in 2002. 

The team of Professor Portinaro is one of the internationally recognized leading teams in the field of paediatric orthopaedics and neuro-orthopaedic surgery with an experience of over 100 bone surgerical procedures on lower limb every year, including 50 pelvic osteotomies and more than 300 surgical procedures on muscles and tendons (lightening, transfer…). He is specialized in the treatment of lower and upper limb deformities related to Cerebral Palsy, Spina Brifida, Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip, Perthes Disease, clubfoot and alteration in skeletal development. 

A considerable part of his activity is in scientific research, with several experimental works with the goal of detecting uknown anchors aspects of diseases treated by him. His research fields include the study of genomic and proteomic of extracellular matrix proteins in different diseases. 

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=portinaro 

Prof. Marco Montorsi is the Director of the Department of General and digestive surgery unit in Humanitas Research Hospital and he is Professor of General Surgery at the Humanitas University. His academic career started in the the Humanitas University of Milan, where he entered in 1980 as Assistant Professor and was appointed as Professor of Surgery in 2001.

His main interests are in the field of digestive diseases and in the surgical treatment of the related pathologies, mainly hepatico-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) and colorectal pathologies. He is indeed the Director of the Department of Surgery in Humanitas Research Hospital where a great volume of major abdominal surgeries is routinely performed. Around 250 -300 hepatic and pancreatic resections and 350 colorectal resections.
He began performing laparoscopic colorectal surgery in the early 90s and gained a lot of experience in this field. The vast majority of colorectal tumours diagnosed in the department of Surgery is submitted to laparoscopic resection thus allowing a smooth and safe disease course. A robotic approach with the new Da Vinci equipment is now available for patients with rectal tumours.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) with dedicated instruments is also offered to selected patient with low-sited rectal tumours so sparing major abdominal approach.

A routine policy of strict interaction with the Dept. of Oncology is active for patients needing a perioperative chemo- and radiotherapy with the aim of full integration for a better care and results.

Prof. Marco Montorsi is also Humanitas University President with over 10 years of experience in didactic and clinic teaching to medical students.

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=montorsi+marco

Dr. Lucia Torracca is leading the Cardiac Surgery Unit at Humanitas Research Hospital. She received her training at Ospedali Civili di Brescia and at Ospedale San Raffaele with Professor Ottavio Alfieri, were she improved her knowledge in the mitral disease focusing in the reparative and preservative approaches. At the same institution she led the minimal invasive and robotic division before moving to Ospedali Riuniti Di Ancona to be chief of the Cardiac Surgery Complex Unit. Dr. Torracca has performed more than 55 hundred cardiac surgeries. Thanks to her surgical and academic curriculum, she has been an active member of the steering committee of the European Society editing Guidelines for the treatment of heart diseases.

Together with her team in Humanitas, she can approach every cardiac disease affecting adults, especially focusing on the minimal invasive approach to reparative valve disease. State of the art technologies are regularly explored and implemented in the Open Heart dedicated Operating Room and Intensive Care Unit to ensure best outcomes, shorter hospital stay and fewer surgical complications.

The surgical expertise of Dr. Torracca go from open heart circulatory-arrest procedure to off-pump and/or trans-catheter procedures (MitraClip or TransApical Aortic Valve Implants).

Dr. Torracca and her team can claim the highest rate of mitral valve repair in Bi-leaflet prolapse (Barlow Disease) hitting almost 99% of conservative approach in minimal invasiveness at the time of surgery, maintaining >95% success rate at long term follow up: this option is further advantageous in the youngest patient population allowing restrain from anticoagulation therapy and perfectly normal quality of life.

Author or co-author of 151 publications in national and international scientific journals.