Cancers of the anal canal: diagnosis, treatment and future strategies.

Anal cancer is an uncommon cancer; however, it is rising in incidence. There is confusion regarding nomenclature and the distinction between anal canal cancer and anal margin cancer. This article discusses the modern definition, etiology and staging of anal canal and anal margin cancers.

Rectal cancer: prognostic indicators of long-term outcome in patients considered for surgery.

Purpose: Patients and clinicians seek an accurate prognosis after resectional surgery for rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to determine long-term outcomes after potentially curative surgery for rectal cancer with particular focus on factors associated with longer-term survival that are available to surgeons in the early post-operative setting.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of a prospectively gathered database of all primary rectal adenocarcinomas considered for surgery in the University Hospitals of Leicester National Health Service (NHS) Trust between 1998 and 2007.

Linkage analysis of glucokinase gene with NIDDM in Caucasian pedigrees.

NIDDM has a strong genetic component, as evidenced by the high level of concordance between identical twins. The nature of the genetic predisposition has remained largely unknown. Recently, the glucokinase gene locus on chromosome 7p has been shown to be linked to a subtype of NIDDM known as MODY in French and British pedigrees, and glucokinase mutations have been identified.