Variation in gynecological oncology follow-up practice: attributable to cancer centers or to patient characteristics? A Piedmont Regional Oncology Network Study.

Aims And Background: Although guidelines recommend minimalist follow-up, there is wide variability in gynecological oncology practice. The aims of this study were to describe between-center differences in the follow-up of endometrial, ovarian, and uterine cervical cancer; to identify the determinants of test prescription; to estimate the related costs; and to assess the weight of center habits and patient characteristics as sources of unexplained variability.

Methods And Study Design: The medical records of patients treated between August 2004 and July 2005 for gynecological malignancies and followed up for the detection of recurrent disease were retrospectively collected from 29 centers of the Piedmont Oncology Network.

Peritoneal psammocarcinoma diagnosed by a Papanicolau smear: a case report.

Background: Serous psammocarcinoma is a rare variant of epithelial neoplasia that can arise from the ovaries or peritoneum. It is characterized by massive psammoma body formation, invasiveness and low grade cytologic features.

Case: A 70-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital; a bimanual examination with cervicovaginal smear was performed.

Diacylglycerol kinase is required for HGF-induced invasiveness and anchorage-independent growth of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Background: Estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancers have a worse prognosis than ER-positive cancers, being more aggressive and overexposed to stimuli leading to their progression. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been associated with proliferation, migration and invasion of tumor cells, and several tumors, including those of breast cancer, produce HGF and overexpress its receptor. Diacylglycerol kinases (Dgks), which phosphorylate diacylglycerol to phosphatidic acid, are key regulators of cell signaling.