Soft Tissue Sarcoma: The Predominant Primary Malignancy in the Retroperitoneum

Purpose. In the clinical work-up of a retroperitoneal mass, the diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma is often not considered. Incidence rates of various malignant and benign retroperitoneal tumours were studied to determine the incidence of soft tissue sarcoma in comparison with other neoplasms in the retroperitoneal space

Melanocytic nevi of the oral mucosa - No evidence of increased risk for oral malignant melanoma: An analysis of 119 cases

Pigmented nevi of the oral mucosa are rare benign melanocytic tumours. Epidemiological data are scanty, and the etiology and pathogenesis of these lesions are poorly understood. Reports are mainly based on isolated cases or a relatively small series of cases. Some reviews have drawn attention to the frequent localization of these lesions on the hard palate, the site of preference for oral malignant melanoma (OMM). However, as yet, there is no direct proof that oral melanocytic nevi (OMNs) constitute precursor lesions of OMM. 119 cases of OMNs, registered at the nationwide Registry of Pathology (PALGA) in The Netherlands during the period 1980-2005, have been evaluated. Subepithelial OMNs were the most commonly recorded lesions (96 cases), followed by blue (10 cases), compound (7 cases) and junctional OMNs (5 cases). Only one case of a combined nevus was recorded. None of the patients developed OMM during a mean follow-up period of 8.6 years. We present an analysis of this series of cases, together with a review of the literature. The findings of the present evaluation do not give support for the hypothesis of OMN being a marker for an increased risk of future development of OMM. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Reply to R. Ferraldeschi et al

Development and application of statistical models for medical scientific researc

Cervix smear abnormalities: linking pathology data in female twins, their mothers and sisters

Mass screening for cervical cancer precursors has decreased the incidence of cervical cancer in several countries, including the Netherlands. Persistent infections of certain types of human papillomavirus are strongly associated with the development of cervical cancer. A number of factors may affect the liability to infection and subsequent progression to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer. This paper examines whether genetic factors are involved in explaining individual differences in liability. Data of 3178 women registered with the Netherlands Twin Register were successfully linked to the nationwide Dutch Pathology database that contains all results of mass screening for cervical cancer. The data from mono- and dizygotic twins and their female relatives were used to disentangle the influence of heritable and environmental factors on cervix smear abnormalities. Results showed that differences in cervix smear results clustered within families and resemblance was stronger in monozygotic twins (correlation 0.37, 95% confidence interval: 0.12–0.58) compared with other first-degree relatives (correlation 0.14, 95% confidence interval: −0.01–0.29). The familial clustering for an abnormal cervix smear is due to shared genetic factors that explain 37% of the variance in liability. The largest proportion of the variation in cervical smear abnormalities is due to unique environmental factors