Exploring the surgical landscape of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasia in Austria: Results from the ASSO pNEN study group.

Introduction: Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasia (pNEN) show increasing incidence and management is complex due to biological heterogeneity. Most publications report isolated high-volume single-centre data. This Austrian multi-centre study on surgical management of pNENs provides a comprehensive real-life picture of quality indicators, recurrence-patterns, survival factors and systemic treatments.

Comparison of a prototype reverse hybridization assay and MethyLight for detection of SFRP2 promotor methylation in fecal DNA.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a novel nonquantitative methylation-specific reverse hybridization (MSRH) assay to detect secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (SFRP2) promotor methylation in fecal DNA.

Methods: SFRP2 promoter methylation was investigated in stool DNA isolated from 18 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and 22 healthy controls using the MSRH assay based on methylation-specific DNA amplification followed by reverse hybridization of biotinylated amplicons to sequence-specific methylation detection probes, with MethyLight serving as a reference method.

Results: SFRP2 promotor methylation as determined by MSRH vs.

Patient satisfaction in out-of-hospital emergency care: a multicentre survey.

Background: There is only limited information on patient satisfaction with emergency medical services (EMS). The aim of this multicentre survey was to evaluate patient satisfaction in five out-of-hospital physician-based EMS in Austria and Switzerland.

Methods: The psychometrically tested and standardized questionnaire 'patient satisfaction in out-of-hospital emergency care' was used for this survey.

Verrucous carcinoma of the endometrium: a rare and challenging diagnosis.

Verrucous carcinoma of the endometrium is an exceedingly rare disease with only a few cases reported in the literature. We describe the case of a 68-year-old postmenopausal patient who presented with vaginal discharge. PAP smears were repeatedly reported negative and an endometrial curettage 2 years prior to the diagnosis only showed fragments of benign squamous epithelium.

Endometrial cancer: accuracy of the finding of a well differentiated tumor at dilatation and curettage compared to the findings at subsequent hysterectomy.

The objective of this study was to examine the accuracy of the finding of a histologically well differentiated endometrial carcinoma at dilatation and curettage (D & C) prior to hysterectomy. A retrospective multicentric chart review of 137 endometrial cancer patients was conducted, including all patients in whom a well differentiated endometrial carcinoma had been diagnosed by D & C. Histopathologic grading as determined by D & C was compared with the grading established at the final histologic examination after hysterectomy.

Impact of hysteroscopy on disease-free survival in clinically stage I endometrial cancer patients.

Recent data strongly suggest tumor cell dissemination of endometrial carcinoma cells in the course of fluid hysteroscopy. In patients who had endometrial cancer which was (except for peritoneal cytology) confined to the uterus, the disease-free survival (DFS) of 135 patients who underwent hysteroscopy prior to staging laparotomy was compared with the DFS of 127 patients without hysteroscopy. After a median follow-up of 23 months, 10 patients experienced tumor recurrence.