Papers
2
Total Citations
107
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2
About
Maria Picchio is a leading urologic oncologist whose research focuses on advancing surgical precision in prostate cancer management, particularly through the integration of molecular imaging and radioguided surgery. Her major contributions center on the clinical application of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioguided surgery (RGS) to improve the detection of lymph node metastases during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. In her landmark 2022 prospective phase II study (94 citations), she demonstrated that PSMA-RGS can effectively identify nodal invasion during extended pelvic lymph node dissection, offering a real-time, targeted approach to staging. Her subsequent 2024 work (13 citations) refined this technique by establishing the optimal target-to-background ratio for defining RGS positivity, a critical step toward standardizing the procedure. Picchio’s research directly addresses the challenge of occult nodal disease, potentially sparing patients unnecessary extended dissections while improving oncologic outcomes. Her work has been instrumental in bridging nuclear medicine and surgical oncology, earning her recognition as a pioneer in PSMA-guided interventions. For students and researchers, Picchio exemplifies how translational research can transform intraoperative decision-making, with her studies providing a roadmap for integrating molecular imaging into routine surgical practice.
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