The challenge of education in colorectal cancer surgery: a comparison of early oncological results, morbidity, and mortality between residents and attending surgeons performing an open right colectomy.

Objectives: Ongoing education in surgical oncology is mandatory in a modern residency program. Achieving acceptable morbidity and mortality rates, together with oncological adequacy, is mandatory. The aim of the study was to compare early surgical outcomes in 2 groups of patients, those operated on by a surgical resident supervised by an attending surgeon and those operated on by 2 attending surgeons.

IL23R, NOD2/CARD15, ATG16L1 and PHOX2B polymorphisms in a group of patients with Crohn's disease and correlation with sub-phenotypes.

Recent genomic research has identified interleukin-23 receptor (IL23R), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 2 caspase-activation recruitment domain 15 (NOD2/CARD15), autophagy related 16-like 1 (ATG16L1) and paired-like homeobox 2b (PHOX2B) as susceptibility loci for Crohn's Disease (CD). Our aim was to investigate these gene variants in a group of CD patients and to analyse the correlation to sub-phenotypes such as gender, smoking habits, disease behaviour at diagnosis, severity of disease and extra-intestinal manifestations. Nineteen patients with CD and 20 healthy controls were included in the study.

Identification by a Digital Gene Expression Displayer (DGED) and test by RT-PCR analysis of new mRNA candidate markers for colorectal cancer in peripheral blood.

Evidence from the literature widely supports the efficacy of screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) in reducing mortality. A blood-based assay, potentially, represents a more accessible early detection tool for the identification of circulating tumour cells originating from a primary tumour site in the body. The present work aimed at identifying a set of specific mRNAs expressed in colon tissue but not in blood cells.

A preliminary audit experience of surgery for rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy.

Aims And Background: A surgical audit is a systematic critical analysis of surgical performance, with the goal to improve the quality of patient care. Rectal cancer surgery is one of the most delicate procedures in the field of surgical oncology, with significant variations in terms of complications from center to center. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy leads to a significant reduction in local recurrences in patients with locally advanced lower and medium rectal cancer.

Nipple discharge: is its significance as a risk factor for breast cancer fully understood? Observational study including 915 consecutive patients who underwent selective duct excision.

Nipple discharge (ND) is a common symptom seen in breast cancer clinics. The primary aim of this study was to identify preoperative risk factors for breast cancer in patients with pathologic ND. The secondary aim was to assess the clinical and pathological effectiveness of physical examination, galactography, cytological examination of the discharge, selective duct excision and ductoscopy.

The EGFR R521K polymorphism influences the risk to develop colorectal cancer.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family members (EGFR, HER2, HER3 and HER4) have been extensively investigated for its possible involvement in cancer development and progression. In colorectal cancer (CRC) EGFR family has been found frequently over-expressed, thus therapy targeting EGFR has been developed. Interestingly, it has been observed that genetic variants in these receptors may alter the therapeutic efficacy of EGFR inhibitors.

Can elderly patients with colorectal cancer tolerate planned surgical treatment? A practical approach to a common dilemma.

Aim: Analysing the effectiveness of a surgical procedure is mandatory in every modern health-care system. The aging of the population stresses the need for a good standard of care. This study tests the hypothesis that porthsmouth-physiologic operative severity score for enumeration of morbidity and mortality (P-POSSUM) and colorectal-POSSUM (CR-POSSUM) would be useful clinical auditing tools in colorectal cancer surgery for aged patients.

Diffuse cavernous haemangioma of the rectum and anus: an unusual case of rectal bleeding with challenging management.

Diffuse cavernous haemangioma of the rectum (DCHR) is an uncommon vascular pathology usually diagnosed in younger patients (5-25 years old) with painless, recurrent rectal bleeding. Here, an unusual case of an older patient with sigmoid adenocarcinoma and concomitant diffuse DCHR from the rectum to the distal edge of the anal canal is reported.The purpose of this article is to report this unusual case and to discuss pitfalls in diagnosis, preoperative assessment and treatment of DCHR.

An easy-to-use solution for clinical audit in colorectal cancer surgery.

Background: Clinical audit has been increasingly required for the accreditation process in every modern healthcare system. Data collection and analysis are excessively time-consuming in everyday practice. The primary aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative database to assist surgeons in monitoring clinical practice outcomes in colorectal cancer surgery.

Sarcomatoid anaplastic carcinoma of the small bowel in cardiac transplant bearer.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma is a rare form of primitive carcinoma of the small bowel; it is considered a variant of adenocarcinoma, histologically characterized by a typical biphasic pattern with epithelial- and mesenchymal-like cells. Twenty-one cases have been described in the literature, presenting as small bowel obstructions (twenty cases) or superior vena cava syndrome (one case). The authors report the case of a 56 year-old man on immunosuppressive therapy for a heart transplant, who underwent surgery after a history of repeated episodes of melena, anemization and bowel obstruction.