An Integrative Approach Uncovers Biomarkers that Associate with Clinically Relevant Disease Outcomes in Vulvar Carcinoma.

Unlabelled: Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) is a rare disease that has a high mortality rate (∼40%). However, little is known about its molecular signature. Therefore, an integrated genomics approach, based on comparative genome hybridization (aCGH) and genome-wide expression (GWE) array, was performed to identify driver genes in VSCC.

Immunohistochemical assessment of PTEN in vulvar cancer: best practices for tissue staining, evaluation, and clinical association.

Background: Pten encodes a well-characterized protein that is important in several cancers due to its tumor suppressor function. Yet, the detection and evaluation of PTEN by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for clinical practice have not been standardized. Thus, in this study, we performed a literature review of protocols for PTEN assessment by IHC and the possible differences in evaluation, based on our experience with vulvar carcinomas.

ROCK1 as a novel prognostic marker in vulvar cancer.

Background: Vulvar carcinoma is an infrequent tumour, accounting for fewer than 3% of all malignant tumours that affect women, but its incidence is rising in the past few decades. In young women, the manifestation of the vulvar carcinoma is often linked to risk factors such as smoking and HPV infection, but most cases develop in women aged over 50 years through poorly understood genetic mechanisms. Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) has been implicated in many cellular processes, but its function in vulvar cancer has never been examined.

Mutational status of VHL gene and its clinical importance in renal clear cell carcinoma.

The most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma is the clear cell type (ccRCC), accounting for 75 % of cases. Inactivation of VHL gene is thought to be an early event in ccRCC carcinogenesis. Our intention was to assess whether VHL mutational status might provide useful predictive or prognostic information in patients with ccRCC.

EGFR expression in vulvar cancer: clinical implications and tumor heterogeneity.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 150 cases of invasive vulvar squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, gene copy number status by fluorescence in situ hybridization was performed in a smaller set of samples. Results were correlated with patient's clinical data and prognostic factors.