[Gastrointestinal stromal tumors. A case of small intestine stromal tumor (SIST) with an uncertain biological aspect].

Tumors of the small intestine are relatively rare. The diagnosis is difficult to establish because the symptoms are vague and non-specific. Although the small intestine constitutes 75% of the length and over 90% of the mucosal surface area of the gastrointestinal tract, only 1 to 2% of gastrointestinal malignancies occur in this segment.

Cytogenetics and molecular genetics of carcinomas arising from thyroid epithelial follicular cells.

Cytogenetic and molecular analyses of thyroid tumors have indicated that these neoplasms represent a good model for analyzing human epithelial cell multistep carcinogenesis. They comprise, in fact, a broad spectrum of lesions with different phenotypes and variable biological and clinical behavior. Molecular analysis has detected specific genetic alterations in the different types of thyroid tumors.

[Emergency surgery of tumors of the small intestine].

Ten cases of serious complications requiring emergency surgery in patients with tumours of the small intestine are presented: 3 cases of peritonitis due to perforation of a fibroleiomyoma, a jejunal adenocarcinoma, and an ileal lymphosarcoma; 3 invaginations (1 ileocolic due to an ileal polyp, and 2 ileoileal due to lymphoma and polypoid metastasis of melanoma; 3 stenosis (ileal owing to metastasis of melanoma, and duodenal and of the duodenojejunal flexure due to histologically unascertained neoplasias); 1 massive enterorrhagia from ileal anaplastic carcinoma. The frequency of such pictures is not negligible when assessed in terms of emergency surgical pathology and compared with other emergency situations arising in patients with tumours. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult even from the clinical history.