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Purpose of Review: This review was written in an effort to describe the evolution of power morcellation equipment from their creation to their current state. In addition, this review addresses the continuously evolving equipment involved with power morcellation and looks to describe where the field is headed in the future. In addition, recent professional and federal recommendations have changed the way power morcellation is being approached and has led to the development of contained morcellation systems, which, although in their infancy, are also being proven to be well tolerated options., Recent Findings: This article will review the most current research on electronic power morcellation and the multiple attempts to prove superiority from the many different types of equipment, and also the many different approaches to morcellation. In addition, with the adaptation to contained morcellation, this review will cover research focused on optimizing a containment system and the techniques involved., Summary: In summary, this review is aimed at describing many of the currently available power morcellation products and contained morcellation systems in an effort to allow physicians to understand the different options available, and to discuss well tolerated, effective, and clinically proven techniques that can lead to improved surgical outcomes in the future.

At the beginning of the 19th century, gynaecological cancer, mainly cancer of the uterus and cervix was a dreadful, incurable affection. However, the popularization of the three fundamentals in surgery, anesthesia, asepsis and haemostasis, ushered the golden age of operative gynaecology. During that period distinguished surgeons/gynaecologists such as Friedrich Benjamin Osiander (1759-1822), Elias von Siebold (1775-1828) and Joseph-Claude-Anthelme Récamier (1774-1852) contributed to the development of the operative techniques, providing a therapeutic solution in gynaecological cancer.

Objectives: The recent discovery of the earliest hominin cancer, a 1.7-million-year-old osteosarcoma from South Africa has raised the question of the origin of cancer and its determinants. We aimed to determine whether malignant and benign tumors exist in the past societies., Methods: A review of literature using Medline database and Google about benign and malignant tumors in prehistory and antiquity. Only cases with morphological and paraclinical analysis were included. The following keywords were used: cancer; paleopathology; malignant neoplasia; benign tumor; leiomyoma; myoma; breast cancer; mummies; soft tissue tumor; Antiquity., Results: Thirty-five articles were found in wich there were 34 malignant tumors, 10 benign tumors and 11 gynecological benign tumors., Conclusions: The fact that there were some malignant tumors, even few tumors and probably underdiagnosed, in the past may be evidence that cancer is not only a disease of the modern world. Cancer may be indeed a moving target: we have likely predisposing genes to cancer inherited from our ancestors. The malignant disease could therefore appear because of our modern lifestyle (carcinogens and risk factors related to the modern industrial society)., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The article describes the history of the formation of the St. Petersburg school of oncogynecology based at the Department of Oncogynecology of the N. N. Petrov Research Institute of Oncology since 1927 until the present day. The contribution of the Heads of this Department is characterized in the creation of the St. Petersburg school of oncogynecology for the period of its existence. A brief biography of Professor Y. V. Bokhman is presented who has made the most significant contribution to the development of domestic oncogynecology. The main scientific directions of the Department of Oncogynecology are discussed in historical aspect.

In Rijeka of the 1950s professor Drago Vrbanić was well-known as an excellent gynaecologist and surgeon, especially in the field of gynaecological malignant tumours. He headed the gynaecological and radiology departments of the Sobol Brothers General Hospital, and successfully applied several radiotherapy methods. Later in the 1960s, he introduced modern classification of tumours and multidisciplinary expertise in the diagnostics and treatment of gynaecological cancers. He combined a variety of operation procedures and methods with modern radiotherapy, significantly improving the results of malignant tumour therapy.

A little more than half a century ago, young women were frequently dying of reproductive sequelae such as ectopic pregnancies and gestational trophoblastic disease. Mortality from these conditions was as high as 90% in the case of metastatic choriocarcinoma. If lives could be saved, it was in the operating theater and often at the expense of future reproductive potential. By the 1940s, however, targeted chemotherapy was starting to be explored, and the development of methotrexate for the treatment of childhood leukemia in 1949 eventually resulted in an unexpected, but nevertheless long and happy association with the field of gynecology. Here we trace the origins of methotrexate and how it came to be an effective medical treatment for two life-threatening gynecologic conditions. It illustrates how the contributions of many clinicians and scientists from many disciplines, over the greater part of a century, come together to improve the care of a single patient today.

The Gynecologic Cancer Study Group (GCSG) of the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG) was organized in 1994. The GCSG has developed under the leadership of three successive group representatives, five principal study investigators, the cooperation of group members and the support of several public research funds. At present, 38 institutions are participating as active members of the GCSG of the JCOG. In addition to gynecologic oncologists, medical oncologists, pathologists and radiotherapists are participating in our group. Our group manages female genital malignancies including uterine cervical, endometrial, ovarian, tubal and vulvar cancers. Because the incidences of uterine cervical (in younger women), endometrial and ovarian cancer have increased in Japan in recent years, we are developing new standard treatments especially for these malignancies. As of 31 May 2011, our group has conducted six JCOG clinical trials (three completed and three ongoing) and completed one JCOG accompanying study, which is now in preparation for publication. Our group has also conducted several retrospective studies, and Phase I and II trials independent of the JCOG Data Center. Our aim is to conduct unique and high-quality clinical trials which we can appeal to the world. In this review, we present the organization and achievements of our group, along with a list of participating institutions, as the history of the GCSG of the JCOG.

The profession of medicine has evolved into an extremely specialised occupation. Yet, recent research has neglected the intra-occupational processes influencing medical specialisation. This article aims to correct this oversight. It develops an historical account of intra-occupational factors influencing the decision to establish gynaecologic oncology as American ob/gyn's surgical subspecialty in 1972. Working within the framework initially developed by Everett C. Hughes and his students, the article examines this development as the outcome of a three-party relationship among gynaecologic oncologists, American ob/gyns, and gynaecologic pelvic surgeons. Aggressive movement by the gynaecologic pelvic surgeons challenging the established élite's identity definition for the ob/gyn specialty helped spur official recognition of gynaecologic oncology, a less threatening subspecialty. The article draws theoretical implications from the case regarding the role of a threatening other in influencing the specialisation process., (© 2011 The Author. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2011 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Purpose: Exploration of Howard Atwood Kelly's contributions to gynecologic brachytherapy., Methods and Materials: Review of contemporary journals, texts, newspaper accounts, and the memoirs of Kelly's associates. Information from unpublished material, including Kelly's handwritten notes and diaries, was culled from the Alan Mason Chesney Archives of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions., Results: Despite European reports of radium's efficacy, gynecologists on both sides of the Atlantic resisted its adoption. The endorsement of radium therapy by America's foremost gynecologist, Howard Kelly, was instrumental in its acceptance. His consummate skill as clinician, investigator, publicist, and entrepreneur established brachytherapy as the primary treatment modality for carcinoma of the cervix and vagina. The technique he pioneered in the second decade of the 20th century, a combination of brachytherapy and megavoltage-equivalent teletherapy, presaged modern practice., Conclusion: Principles for the management of female genital neoplasia, outlined by Howard Kelly nine decades ago, remain relevant today., ((c) 2010 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The main objectives of any good staging system - essential to an evidence-based approach to cancer - are: to aid the clinician in planning treatment; to provide indication of prognosis; to assist the physician in evaluating the results of treatment; to facilitate the exchange of information between treatment centers, thus disseminating knowledge; and to contribute to continuing investigations into human malignancies. A good staging system must have 3 basic characteristics: it must be valid, reliable, and practical. The first staging system for gynecological cancers appeared around the turn of the 20th century and applied to the carcinoma of the cervix uteri-the most common cancer affecting women in high income countries at that time. The classification and staging of the other gynecological malignancies was not put forward until the 1950s. Over the years, these staging classifications - with the exception of cervical cancer and gestational trophoblastic neoplasia - have shifted from a clinical to a surgical-pathological basis. This paper reviews the history of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) cancer staging system, how it was developed, and why.

Intracavitary treatment of gynecologic cancers has been the anchor of brachytherapy, and perhaps the greatest success of radiotherapy, for over a century. The woman who first performed the procedure was neither a surgeon nor radiologist, but an electrotherapeutist who began her career as an alienist. She pursued a prolific academic career despite being disabled by a disease that is no longer recognized. The fascinating life of Margaret Cleaves, the initiator of gynecologic brachytherapy, is recounted.

The Cracow Gynaecological Society is the oldest functioning society in Poland. It was established in 1889. The paper introduces the circumstances related to the foundation of the society including a number of new yet unknown facts.

During the past quarter-century, progress has occurred in the area of coordinated care of the patient with gynecologic cancer. This progress is the result of the refined surgical techniques and perioperative management of patients requiring intensive care after radical pelvic surgery. Furthermore, the addition of radiation therapy and chemotherapy has made major contributions to the improvement and quality of life for patients with gynecologic cancer. All formal training programs in gynecologic oncology now include appropriate rotations and experience with these newer techniques and treatment modalities. The gynecologic oncologist should be fully equipped to manage primary treatment and most of the complications related to the care of patients with gynecologic neoplasms. Formal training programs in gynecologic oncology have been fundamental in the attainment of this goal and provide the infrastructure for future developments. It is anticipated that continued worldwide surgical studies in the area of gynecologic oncology will improve the well-being of women who may have cancer.

Slow but steady progress has been made in the earlier diagnosis and better treatment of gynecological cancers, particularly over the last 50 years. Cervical cytology screening programs, where implemented, have led to a remarkable reduction in both the incidence and mortality from clinically invasive cervical cancer. This relatively simple technology has been truly one of the major success stories of modern medicine, but unfortunately this technique has not been uniformly applied to all women in the world, particularly to women in developing countries. New research into cervical cancer etiology, the role of HPV, and the development of vaccines against this virus offer a great hope particularly for developing countries. In addition, the combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy has resulted in a marked improvement in outcome results for women with advanced cervical cancer. Ovarian cancer has seen the development of effective chemotherapy strategies for this disease. Currently this disease remains one of the major scourges in industrialized countries but the continued evolution of knowledge with regard to optimum sequencing of chemotherapeutic agents and surgery offers the prospect for better outcomes, less morbidity and a better quality of life. Ongoing research into the development of newer chemotherapeutic agents and a better understanding of the actual mechanisms regarding the efficacy of chemotherapy and drug resistance offers great promise for the future. Endoscopic surgery for staging and also for therapy shows promise for improved quality of life as well as outcomes for patients in the future and offers the challenge of trying to make this technology readily available to all women in the world. As we gain a better understanding of the molecular basis of disease and health we will truly be able to intervene in a preventive mode in the new millennium.

The development of gynecological radiotherapy and oncology during this century has changed the methods of a diagnosis and treatment of cancer and given better results. From the beginning the gynecologist could only palpate and inspect. Later on roentgen examination was introduced and later still microscopic diagnosis, more advanced diagnostic methods, e.g. endoscopy, ultrasound, isotope examination, advanced microscopic diagnosis and computerized tomography. In parallel with the development in diagnosis, treatment has developed. To start with surgery was the only method available. Later on intracavitary radiation, low energy radiation, endocrine therapy, chemotherapy and high energy treatment became available along with some experimental therapies. Today we have a broad range of therapeutic tools to use. In the future we might use profylaxis more than we do today to prevent cancer and when cancer is already there we might enhance the immune defence or introduce specific immunotherapy with clonal antibodies, specially made for the actual tumour, and consequently surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy will be often less used. It is, of course, impossible in a short paper to review fully the development of gynecological radiotherapy/oncology in Sweden. The following is a short review based on my personal selection of some important and interesting developments in the field of gynecological radiotherapy/oncology, especially treatment of cancer of the cervix uteri (1).

The control of gynaecological cancers in Poland has developed from three factors: 1) the organization of the Committee for Cancer Research and Control in 1906, which considered these activities as extremely important; 2) the personal commitment of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, and 3) the opportunity to train Polish physicians at the Foundation Curie in Paris after 1921, enhanced by the support of Head of the Fondation Professor Claude Regaud in introducing the "Paris Method" as a therapy against cervical cancer, to be provided for patients at the Radium Institute in Warsaw. The separation of gynaecological oncology as an independent branch of oncology occurred in Poland in 1951 when the Gynaecological Oncology Departments were opened first at the Institute of Oncology and later in other oncological clinics. The establishment of the Polish Gynaecological Society in 1992 was the next milestone.

It had been particularly noticeable in the post-war years that a surprisingly large number of women who had undergone cancer treatment (mostly for uterine and breast cancer) had to be readmitted in poor general health soon after their initial discharge home. Although the full treatment regimen then available was applied (such as blood transfusions, vitamin-glucose-infusions, and antibacterial medication), a larger number of deaths occurred, without any trace being found of the presence of residual cancer, early recidive, or second carcinoma. Close medical observation, finally, lead us to conclude that these patients' stamina had been too deeply undermined to be able to overcome the disease and treatment aftermath, caused mainly by chronic under-nourishment, both quantitatively and qualitatively, by often disastrous housing conditions (in refugee camps, cellars, etc.), the emotional strain experienced due to death or imprisonment of the closest relatives, and, in particular, by the resulting obligation to maintain the family, usually through work under very strenuous conditions, as well as by flight and hence loss of the accustomed environment. In cooperation with the social security administrations, these insights brought about the provision of "convalescent cures" of 4-6 weeks duration, with repeat health resort treatments being possible till the end of the third year post-discharge. Again involving the social security institutes, these measures, in the process of our growing knowledge of fact and inter-relationships, were extended to become the disease-specific aftercare treatment provided in rehabilitation clinics.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)