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The incidence of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma has increased for decades in most Western countries - a trend virtually restricted to women aged50 or 60 years. In southern Europe, conversely, the trends have been insufficiently studied. This article reports a study from Italy.Thirty-eight local cancer registries, currently covering 15,274,070 women, equivalent to 49.2% of the Italian national female population, participated. Invasive cancers registered between 1990 and 2015 with an International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd revision, topography code C51 and morphology codes compatible with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (n = 6294) were eligible. Incidence trends were analysed using joinpoint regression models, with calculation of the estimated annual percent change (EAPC), and age-period-cohort models.Total incidence showed a regular and significant decreasing trend (EAPC, -0.96; 95% confidence interval (CI), -1.43 to -0.48). This was entirely accounted for by women aged ≥60 years (EAPC, -1.34; 95% CI, -1.86 to -0.81). For younger women, the EAPC between 1990 and 2012 was 1.20 (95% CI, 0.34 to 2.06) with a non-significant acceleration thereafter. This pattern did not vary substantially in a sensitivity analysis for the effect of geographic area and duration of the registry. The age-period-cohort analysis revealed a risk decrease in cohorts born between 1905 and 1940 and a new increase in cohorts born since 1945.The decreasing trend observed among older women and the resulting decrease in total rate are at variance with reports from most Western countries. Age-period-cohort analysis confirmed a decreasing trend for earliest birth cohorts and an opposite one for recent ones.

Aim : Lung cancer is a major cause of cancer death worldwide. The aims of this study were to analyze presentation, treatment and survival for lung cancer in northern Italy, and identify factors influencing survival. Methods : A total of 1180 lung cancer cases diagnosed in four north Italian cancer registries (Biella, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Romagna) in 2003–2005 were analyzed. Information on morphology, stage, diagnostic examinations, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical treatment was collected from clinical records. Three-year relative survival and relative excess risks of death were estimated. Results : Overall, 10% of cases were stage I, 50% stage IV, and 12% stage unknown. Romagna – where sophisticated diagnostic examinations were performed more often – had proportionately more microscopically verified cases and resected cases than Biella. Romagna had also high proportions of cases given chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Three-year survival was 14%, range 10% (Biella) to 19% (Romagna); 69% for stage I, 3% for stage IV. Stage I survival was higher in Romagna (82%) than Reggio Emilia and Biella (60–61%) but for operated stage I cases, survival was similar (88%) in Romagna and Biella. The fully adjusted model showed a higher risk of death in Biella (1.23, 95%CI 1.02–1.48) than Modena (reference). Conclusions : Stage and surgery are key factors influencing survival. Centralizing lung cancer treatment to improve diagnostic work-up may improve outcomes.

Background A retrospective study including all patients with non-small cell lung cancer carcinoma in a population-based registry was performed to characterize gender differences in lung cancer and to analyze the factors influencing prognosis in women. Methods We retrieved through the Tuscan Cancer Registry (RTT) archive 2523 lung tumor cases diagnosed during the period 1996–1998 in the provinces of Florence and Prato, central Italy. We compared the prognosis within 464 non-small lung cancer women and 1798 men in a population-based case series. The influence of the following variables on postoperative survival were analyzed: age, cell type, pathologic T and N status, site of tumor and type of surgical resection. Results The age at diagnosis was similar in women and in men. Women were significantly more likely to have adenocarcinoma but less likely to have squamous cell carcinoma compared with men. Fewer pneumonectomies were performed in women than in men. Nevertheless, prognosis was similar in both sexes and type of surgical resection was significant prognostic factor. Conclusions Lung cancer was more frequent in men than in women, but overall survival is similar. Differences in lung cancer histology and rate of pneumonectomies were found between men and women.

A 31-year-old woman with a large placental tumor underwent a caesarean section. After delivery, the lesion, detected by ultrasound examination, was found to originate from the umbilical cord. A live female infant with cyanosis, hypotonia and diffuse edema was delivered. A review of the literature, which revealed 31 cases of umbilical cord hemangioma, showed that this tumor has a polymorphous presentation. Some fetuses and infants died from various causes, indicating that a close follow-up is necessary in these pregnancies

Summary Oncocytic meningioma is a recently described rare variant of meningothelial neoplasms that typically occurs as a large cell tumor with granular cytoplasm. The distinct histological features of numerous cells with granular cytoplasm and the ultrastructural evidence of numerous mitochondria in the cytoplasm differentiate this tumor from other neoplasms with granular appearance. We report an additional case of oncocytic meningioma investigated by ultrastructural and immunohistochemical methods.