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Abstract:We report a case of primary small cell carcinoma of the ureter. These tumors are very rare, locally aggressive and with poor prognosis. A 77-year-old man presented with left flank pain and microhematuria. Following diagnosis of ureteral carcinoma, nephroureterectomy was carried out, and adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy were given. The patient had no evidence of recurrence or metastasis, 13 months postoperatively. We provide a bibliographic review and comment on its clinical and pathologic characteristics, diagnostic methods and latest modifications in therapy.

Gastric cancer (GC) still represents the second cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Radical resection is the mainstay of early stages treatment with little impact on overall survival (OS) in the advanced ones. HER-2 is the most relevant biological factor involved. Purpose. This study aims to show the relationship between HER-2 positivity and survival in patients with completely resected GC. Methods. Retrospective study of GC patients diagnosed in 2003–2005 at our institution. Surgical specimens underwent immunohistochemistry (IHC), and in cases +/++/+++ samples underwent also fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) analyses of HER-2 and graduated according to experts' consensus. Results. 120 cases included. Overall expression detected in 7.5%. Correlation between HER-2 positive and female sex, advanced stages or histological grades, or intestinal type was detected. Early recurrences higher in HER-2 positive (66.6% versus 35.4%, P = 0.048). The median DFS for c-erbB-2 positive was 15 months (range 2–67 months), and OS was 25 months (range 10–67 months). In the case of patients with c-erbB-2, negative median DFS was 27 months (range 5–67 months) and OS for this sample is 47 months (range 29–67 months). Conclusions. These results emphasize the relevance of HER-2 positivity in GC as independent prognostic factor and support its current analyses in daily practice.

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