About the Authors

Federico Ambrogi

Affiliation Unit of Medical Statistics, Biometry and Bioinformatics “Giulio A. Maccacaro”, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, Italy

Marco Fornili

Affiliation Unit of Medical Statistics, Biometry and Bioinformatics “Giulio A. Maccacaro”, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, Italy

Patrizia Boracchi

Affiliation Unit of Medical Statistics, Biometry and Bioinformatics “Giulio A. Maccacaro”, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, Italy

Marco Trerotola

Affiliation Unit of Cancer Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and CeSI, Fondazione ‘G. D'Annunzio’, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy

Valeria Relli

Affiliation Unit of Cancer Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and CeSI, Fondazione ‘G. D'Annunzio’, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy

Pasquale Simeone

Affiliation Unit of Cancer Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and CeSI, Fondazione ‘G. D'Annunzio’, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy

Rossana La Sorda

Affiliations Unit of Cancer Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and CeSI, Fondazione ‘G. D'Annunzio’, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy, MediaPharma s.r.l., CeSI, University ‘G. D'Annunzio’, Chieti, Italy

Rossano Lattanzio

Affiliations Unit of Cancer Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and CeSI, Fondazione ‘G. D'Annunzio’, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy, MediaPharma s.r.l., CeSI, University ‘G. D'Annunzio’, Chieti, Italy

Patrizia Querzoli

Affiliation Section of Surgical Pathology, Department of Experimental and Diagnostic Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

Massimo Pedriali

Affiliation Section of Surgical Pathology, Department of Experimental and Diagnostic Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

Mauro Piantelli

Affiliations Unit of Cancer Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and CeSI, Fondazione ‘G. D'Annunzio’, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy, MediaPharma s.r.l., CeSI, University ‘G. D'Annunzio’, Chieti, Italy

Elia Biganzoli

Contributed equally to this work with: Elia Biganzoli, Saverio Alberti

Affiliations Unit of Medical Statistics, Biometry and Bioinformatics “Giulio A. Maccacaro”, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milano, Italy, Fondazione IRCCS, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy

Saverio Alberti

Contributed equally to this work with: Elia Biganzoli, Saverio Alberti

s.alberti@unich.it

Affiliations Unit of Cancer Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and CeSI, Fondazione ‘G. D'Annunzio’, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy, Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences – Physiology and Physiopathology, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy, Oncoxx Biotech s.r.l., Chieti, Italy

Competing Interests

This study was partly funded by Oncoxx Biotech, and Dr. Saverio Alberti is President of this company. This affiliation does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. A patent related to this work is “Anti-Trop-2 monoclonal antibodies and uses thereof in the treatment and diagnosis of tumors” – PCT/IT2009/000035.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: SA. Performed the experiments: VR PS MT RLS RL. Analyzed the data: PQ RL M. Pedriali FA MF PB EB M. Piantelli. Wrote the paper: FA EB SA. Managed the revision of the manuscript: MT.