Transaxillary robotic thyroid surgery: a preliminary European experience.

Background: Robot-assisted endoscopic transaxillary thyroidectomy is an emerging surgical technique that needs to be evaluated in European patients. We evaluate the feasibility and preliminary results of our experience of this technique in a cohort of patients from within a single European university hospital (Nîmes, France).

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of the first 23 patients, treated consecutively between September 2010 and June 2012.

The use of preoperative routine measurement of basal serum thyrocalcitonin in candidates for thyroidectomy due to nodular thyroid disorders: results from 2733 consecutive patients.

Context: The preoperative routine measurement of basal serum thyrocalcitonin (CT) in candidates for thyroidectomy due to thyroid nodules is currently a subject of debate.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of systematic basal serum CT measurement in improving the diagnosis and surgical treatment of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in patients undergoing thyroidectomy for nodular thyroid disorders, regardless of preoperative CT levels.

Design: We determined basal serum CT levels in 2733 consecutive patients before thyroid surgery and performed a pentagastrin test in patients with hypercalcitoninemia.

Clinical relevance of nine transcriptional molecular markers for the diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in tissue and saliva rinse.

Background: Analysis of 23 published transcriptome studies allowed us to identify nine genes displaying frequent alterations in HNSCC (FN1, MMP1, PLAU, SPARC, IL1RN, KRT4, KRT13, MAL, and TGM3). We aimed to independently confirm these dysregulations and to identify potential relationships with clinical data for diagnostic, staging and prognostic purposes either at the tissue level or in saliva rinse.

Methods: For a period of two years, we systematically collected tumor tissue, normal matched mucosa and saliva of patients diagnosed with primary untreated HNSCC.

Reference gene selection for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma gene expression studies.

Background: It is no longer adequate to choose reference genes blindly. We present the first study that defines the suitability of 12 reference genes commonly used in cancer studies (ACT, ALAS, B2M, GAPDH, HMBS, HPRT, KALPHA, RPS18, RPL27, RPS29, SHAD and TBP) for the normalization of quantitative expression data in the field of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Results: Raw expression levels were measured by RT-qPCR in HNSCC and normal matched mucosa of 46 patients.

Updated definition of level VI lymph node classification in the neck.

Conclusion: This update will enable us to precisely address the involvement pattern of level VI and to standardize treatment procedures in order to refine their indications and eventually improve their results and avoid treatment morbidity.

Background: The neck level classification is being used worldwide to describe the lymph nodes status of the neck. It provides standardized data to properly evaluate and then improve our protocols for the management of neck metastasis in an evidence-based medical manner.

Activating mutations of Gsalpha in kidney cancer.

Purpose: Heterotrimeric G proteins are signal transduction proteins coupled to hormone receptors that activate intracellular second messenger systems, mainly cyclic adenosine monophosphate mediated protein kinase. Recent studies indicate that G proteins may have a major role in oncogenesis as well as in tumor invasiveness and cell proliferation. The involvement of G proteins was formerly thought to be limited to hormonal signal transduction.

DNA-methylation-dependent alterations of claudin-4 expression in human bladder carcinoma.

The expression pattern of tight junction (TJ) proteins is frequently disrupted in epithelial tumors. In particular, isoform- and organ-specific alterations of claudins have been detected in human cancers, highlighting them as interesting tools for the prognosis or treatment of various carcinomas. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for these alterations are seldom identified.

[Solitary fibrous tumours of the kidney].

Solitary fibrous tumours (SFT) are mesenchymal tumours that usually arise from the pleura. Renal SFT are exceptional (9 cases reported in the literature). The authors report a new case discovered during assessment of HT and treated by radical right nephrectomy.

Metachronous renal oncocytomatosis.

A renal oncocytoma is a benign and usually solitary lesion. We present a new case of diffuse oncocytomatosis in one kidney after previous contralateral surgery for an isolated oncocytoma. This very unusual situation must be kept in mind in cases of multifocal oncocytomas, as a recurrence will generally occur after partial surgery.