Education
1999 – 2004: High School Diploma at the Liceo Classico Statale “Francesco Maurolico” (Messina, Italy) with full marks
2004 – 2010 M.D., University of Messina School of Medicine (Magna Cum Laude), Thesis Advisor – Prof. Vincenzo Adamo, discussing a degree thesis on “Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with EGFR TKIs: Erlotinib vs. Gefitinib. Our Experience”.
2011 – 2016 Residency, Medical Oncology, University of Messina (Magna Cum Laude), Thesis
Advisor – Prof. Vincenzo Adamo, discussing a degree thesis on “Influence of EGFR
mutational status on metastatic behavior in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer”.
2016 – 2019 PhD in Medical and Surgical Biotechnologies at the University of Messina.
- From October 2016 to March 2019 at the Medical Oncology Unit of A.O. Papardo (Messina, Italy) (Prof. V. Adamo)
- From March 2019 to September 2019 e at the Division of Thoracic Medical Oncology and Early Clinical Trials at the University of Maryland Medical Center, Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (Baltimore, USA), (Prof. C. Rolfo)
Thesis Advisor – Prof. Vincenzo Adamo, discussing a degree thesis on “Exosomal PD-L1 expression and dynamic changes of immune response associated cytokines as predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint blockage with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer”
Academic background
Current role – Assistant Professor
Previous experiences:
- From February 2020 to September 2024 Medical Oncologist at the Medical Oncology Unit of the Papardo Hospital (Messina, Italy).
- From March 2019 to September 2019 Research scholar at the Division of Thoracic Medical Oncology and Early Clinical Trials at the University of Maryland Medical Center, Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (Baltimore, USA) (Director Prof. C. Rolfo)
Membership and leadership roles
- 2023-2025 Member of the Education Committee of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)
- 2023-2025 Member of the Membership Committee of the International Society of Liquid Biopsy (ISLB)
- 2023-2025 Member of the Executive Board of Sicilian Section of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM)
- 2020-2021 Observer, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Membership Committee
- 2017-2019 Member of the Executive Board of Sicilian Section of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM)
- 2015-2017 Member of the Executive Board of Sicilian Section of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM)
- 2019-present General Member, International Society of Liquid Biopsy (ISLB)
- 2016-present General Member, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)
- 2014-present General Member, Italian Association of Thoracic Oncology (AIOT)
- 2012-present General Member, Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM)
- 2012-present General Member, European Society For Medical Oncology (ESMO)
Editorial board member of several peer-reviewed international journals, including the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, BMC Medicine, and the Journal of Liquid Biopsy.
The main areas of interests are the study and treatment of thoracic malignancies and the identification of predictive biomarkers to immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies through liquid biopsies.
Clinical research include the condution of phase II-III clinical trials as principal investigator (PI) or sub-investigator (S-I) in lung cancer patients. PI/S-I of multiple prospective and retrospective observational studies through widespread collaborations with prestigiuos national and international institutions.
Translational research is based on the evaluation of both tissue and circulating predictive and/or prognostic biomarkers to targeted therapies and immunotherapy-based therapies in patients with thoracic malignancies, collaborating with leading experts in the field.
Main research fields:
- Thoracic oncology
- Targeted therapies
- Immunotherapy
- Circulating tumor DNA analyses
- Extracellular vesicles
- Russo A, Lee JK, Pasquina LW, Del Re M, Dilks HH, Murugesan K, Madison RW, Lee Y, Schrock AB, Comment L, Dietrich M, Oxnard GR, Rolfo C. Liquid Biopsy of Lung Cancer Before Pathological Diagnosis Is Associated With Shorter Time to Treatment. JCO Precis Oncol. 2024 Jan;8:e2300535. doi: 10.1200/PO.23.00535. PMID: 38295321.
- de Miguel-Perez D, Russo A, Arrieta O, Ak M, Barron F, Gunasekaran M, Mamindla P, Lara-Mejia L, Peterson CB, Er ME, Peddagangireddy V, Buemi F, Cooper B, Manca P, Lapidus RG, Hsia RC, Cardona AF, Naing A, Kaushal S, Hirsch FR, Mack PC, Serrano MJ, Adamo V, Colen RR, Rolfo C. Extracellular vesicle PD-L1 dynamics predict durable response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors and survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2022 Jun 2;41(1):186. doi: 10.1186/s13046-022-02379-1. PMID: 35650597.
- Russo A, Russano M, Franchina T, Migliorino MR, Aprile G, Mansueto G, Berruti A, Falcone A, Aieta M, Gelibter A, Russo A, Barni S, Maio M, Martelli O, Pantano F, Iacono D, Calvetti L, Quadrini S, Roca E, Vasile E, Imperatori M, Occhipinti M, Galvano A, Petrelli F, Calabrò L, Pasquini G, Intagliata S, Ricciardi GRR, Tonini G, Santini D, Adamo V. Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), and Outcomes with Nivolumab in Pretreated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): A Large Retrospective Multicenter Study. Adv Ther. 2020 Mar;37(3):1145-1155. doi: 10.1007/s12325-020-01229-w. Epub 2020 Jan 30. PMID: 32002809.
- Russo A, Franchina T, Ricciardi GR, Fanizza C, Scimone A, Chiofalo G, Giordano A, Adamo V. Influence of EGFR mutational status on metastatic behavior in non squamous non small cell lung cancer. 2017;8(5):8717-8725.
- Rolfo C, Russo A. Liquid biopsy for early stage lung cancer moves ever closer. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2020 May 26. doi: 10.1038/s41571-020-0393-z