Patient with malignant vulvar neoplasm: case report

Background: Vulvar carcinoma most often occurs on the outer surface area of the female genitalia. The vulva is the area of skin that surrounds the urethra and vagina, including the clitoris and labia. It is quite rare cancer of the female reproductive system and accounts for 3-4% of all genitourinary tract neoplasms. Though it can occur at any age, vulvar cancer is most common in older adults. When present in young women it is mostly associated with human papillomavirus (HPV)–related dysplasia. The most common histology is squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva. Case study: This report presents a patient with verified planocellular vulvar carcinoma who underwent radical hysterectomy with adnexectomy and lymphadenectomy due to cervical neoplasm (squamous cell carcinoma). After chemo-radio therapy, the patient underwent radical vulvectomy and two months later, resection of the distal urethra and vulvar and vaginal reconstruction with gracilis muscle. Full-thickness skin graft was used to reconstruct the distal part of the urethra. Conclusion: Combination of flaps and full-thickness skin graft can be used in reconstruction of vulva and urethra

Novel Epigenetic Biomarkers in Pregnancy-Related Disorders and Cancers

As the majority of cancers and gestational diseases are prognostically stage- and grade-dependent, the ultimate goal of ongoing studies in precision medicine is to provide early and timely diagnosis of such disorders. These studies have enabled the development of various new diagnostic biomarkers, such as free circulating nucleic acids, and detection of their epigenetic changes. Recently, extracellular vesicles including exosomes, microvesicles, oncosomes, and apoptotic bodies have been recognized as powerful diagnostic tools. Extracellular vesicles carry specific proteins, lipids, DNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs of the cells that produced them, thus reflecting the function of these cells. It is believed that exosomes, in particular, may be the optimal biomarkers of pathological pregnancies and cancers, especially those that are frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage, such as ovarian cancer. In the present review, we survey and critically appraise novel epigenetic biomarkers related to free circulating nucleic acids and extracellular vesicles, focusing especially on their status in trophoblasts (pregnancy) and neoplastic cells (cancers)