Prevalence of BRCA1 mutations in familial and sporadic greek ovarian cancer cases.

Germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes contribute to approximately 18% of hereditary ovarian cancers conferring an estimated lifetime risk from 15% to 50%. A variable incidence of mutations has been reported for these genes in ovarian cancer cases from different populations. In Greece, six mutations in BRCA1 account for 63% of all mutations detected in both BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

Perforated endometrial appendicitis in pregnancy.

Background: Endometriosis is a common disorder in women of reproductive age. A rare localization is the appendix, which, in most cases, is an incidental finding during appendectomies. The incidence of symptomatic appendiceal endometriosis or endometrial appendicitis might be increased in pregnancy.

Carcinosarcoma of the submandibular salivary gland.

We report a rare case of submandibular salivary gland carcinosarcoma ('true' malignant mixed tumour) which occurred in a 77-year-old man. Microscopic examination showed a neoplasm comprised of sarcomatous elements (chondrosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and osteosarcoma) with tabular salivary ductal adenocarcinoma. A short review of the literature is also presented and the poor prognosis of these tumours, in spite of complete surgical removal and additional radiation therapy and chemotherapy, is discussed.

Findings of computerised nuclear morphometry of papillary thyroid carcinoma in correlation with known prognostic factors.

The aim of this study was the evaluation of the usefulness of nuclear morphometry in the pathology of papillary thyroid carcinoma by computer-aided image analysis and the statistical comparison of nuclear morphometric parameters with age of patients, tumor size and the presence or not of thyroid capsule invasion. Thirty three cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma were classified in two groups according to patients' age (group I: < 45 years and group II: > 45 years), according to tumor's size (group I: < 2.5 cm, group II: > 2.

Changing trends in management of carotid body tumors.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the preoperative diagnostic modalities and aggressive operating management as well as the determination of benefit of preop embolization on the course of carotid body tumor (CBT). Between 1975 and 1993, 14 patients were treated for CBT in our department. The preoperative evaluation included angiography (14/14, 100%), Duplex scanning (6/14, 43%), and CT scanning (9/14, 64%).