Sleep and Cancer

• Suggests new therapeutic approaches to oncology based on the knowledge of sleep mechanisms
• Focuses on standardized protocols regarding psychological therapy for sleep disorders, which are needed in the oncological field
• Illuminates how the prevention and treatment of sleep disturbances in cancer clinical practice improves the course and quality of life of patients and their families

Dr. Maria Paola Mogavero, MD is a Neurologist and Sleep Medicine specialist with extensive experience in sleep research. She currently serves as a Neurology Researcher at the "Vita-Salute" San Raffaele University Sleep Medicine Centre, IRCCS San Raffaele, Milan, Italy, where she is also pursuing a PhD. She is board-certified in Sleep Medicine, having completed a Master’s Degree (II Level) at the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna. Her academic contributions include faculty roles at the World Sleep Academy (World Sleep Society), the Master II Level in Sleep Medicine at Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, the Master II Level in Sleep Clinical Medicine at the University of Foggia, and the Catania High School-University of Catania. In recognition of her outstanding research, Dr. Mogavero received the Wayne Hening Young Investigator Award from the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group in 2022 and 2023 and the New Investigator Award from the World Sleep Society in 2023. She has authored over 80 publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals and contributed to several book chapters. Dr. Mogavero is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences, she has also been a speaker on sleep and cancer at national events and during the World Sleep Congresses (World Sleep Society) and serves as a reviewer for numerous scientific journals. Her primary research interests lie in Neurology and Sleep Disorders, with a particular focus on sleep-related movement disorders in both children and adults, as well as a special focus on the interrelationship between sleep and cancer.

Dr. Giuseppe Lanza, is Full Professor at the University of Catania (Italy). After graduation with honors in Medicine, he trained at the School of Neurology and got the international PhD at the same University. He further trained at the Department of Neuroscience and the Department of Clinical Neurophysiology of the Newcastle University (UK) as a Clinical Research Fellow. At the same Institution, in 2013 he was selected for a Scientific Fellowship promoted by the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS). From 2013, he works as Consultant Neurologist and Clinical Researcher at the Oasi Research Institute–IRCCS in Troina (Italy), which is a WHO Collaborating Center, and where he currently holds the position of Head of the Clinical Neurophysiology Research Unit. More recently, he obtained the Master of Science in Clinical Research and the international “Elio Lugaresi award for Education” by the World Sleep Society for his research in Sleep Medicine. To date, he published 178 scientific papers and the Scopus h-index is 43, along with ~4,000 citations. The primary research interest includes the translational research in Clinical Neurophysiology, mainly based on the application of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques in sleep medicine and its disorders, in chronic cerebrovascular disease, in cognitive impairment and dementia, and in neuropsychiatric manifestations of rare disorders.

Luigi Ferini-Strambi is head physician and director of the Sleep Disorders Center at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele and full professor of Neurology at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, in Milan. He has been President of the Italian Association of Sleep Medicine and the World Association of Sleep Medicine, and Secretary of the International RBD Study Group. He has published more than 500 full papers in International Journals, and several book chapters on various neurological topics (Scopus H-index: 82; Google Scholar Citations Index: 100).

Dr. Raffaele Ferri, MD is the scientific Director of the Oasi Research Institute- IRCCS in Troina, Italy, and chairs its Sleep Research Centre. Dr. Ferri has been involved in clinical research and care for decades, first at the Catholic University in Rome and then at the Oasi Research Institute. Dr. Ferri’s specific areas of interest include most aspects of human sleep; has published over 700 papers, in addition to book chapters. He is as an Associate Editor for Sleep and International Journal of Psychophysiology. Dr. Ferri is the current President of the World Sleep Society and former President of the Italian Association of Sleep Medicine (AIMS) and of the Associazione Scientifica Italiana per la Ricerca e l'Educazione nella Medicina del Sonno (ASSIREM), Member-at-large of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG); he has been Secretary and then Vice-President of the European Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (EURLSSG).