Advances in the endoscopic management of malignant biliary obstruction.

Biliary obstruction is common in pancreatobiliary malignancies and has a negative impact on the patient's quality of life, postoperative complications, and survival rates. Particularly in the last decade, there has been enormous progress regarding the diagnostic and therapeutic options in patients with malignant biliary obstruction. Endoscopy has given a new insight in this direction and novel techniques have been developed for the better characterization and treatment of malignant strictures.

hMSH2 is the most commonly mutated MMR gene in a cohort of Greek HNPCC patients.

Germline mutations in genes encoding proteins involved in DNA mismatch repair are responsible for the autosomal dominantly inherited cancer predisposition syndrome hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). We describe here analysis of hMLH1 and hMSH2 in nine Greek families referred to our centre for HNPCC. A unique disease-causing mutation has been identified in seven out of nine (78%) families.

Staging of ampullary and pancreatic carcinoma: comparison between endosonography and surgery.

Background: The aim of the study was to update our previously published data on the clinical TNM staging of ampullary and pancreatic carcinoma by endosonography.

Methods: Endosonography was performed in 70 patients with pancreatic cancer and in 32 patients with ampullary carcinoma. TNM staging was carried out before surgery and compared with findings of histology and/or surgery.