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Background/aim: Ovarian cancer (OC) has a high mortality rate and usually presents late in advanced stage, which poses challenges to management. Better understanding of the disease biology and application of radical surgery (RS) to achieve no visible residual tumor, alongside with chemotherapy, may lead to longer survival amongst these patients. Our purpose was to examine the demographic characteristics, surgical morbidity and outcomes of patients undergoing RS for OC., Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study of women undertaking surgery for OC between February 2014 and September 2016 in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary., Results: A total of 121 women had surgery for OC of whom 78 (64.5%) were stage II and above. Of these, 40 (51.3%) women had primary and 38 (48.7%) had interval debulking surgery with 42 (53.8%) having radical surgery. The most common procedures that were performed as part of RS included rectosigmoid resection (n=20, 47.6%), small bowel resection (n=10, 23.8%), splenectomy (n=9, 21.4%). Morbidity outcomes included blood loss >1.5 lt. (n=14, 33.3%), hospitalization >7days (n=31, 73.8%), sepsis (n=8, 19%). There was no short-term mortality. Debulking outcomes were: no macroscopic residual disease (n=36, 85.7%), ≤10 mm disease (n=2, 4.8%), and ≥10 mm disease (n=3, 7.1%)., Conclusion: Our findings support the practise where RS for OC can be offered to selected patients, with good surgery outcomes and low morbidity rates., (Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

With a lifetime risk estimated to be one in eight in industrialized countries, breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer among women worldwide. Patients are often treated with anti-estrogens, but it is common that some tumors develop resistance to therapy. The causation and progression of cancer is controlled by epigenetic processes, so there is an ongoing interest in research into mechanisms, genes and signaling pathways associating carcinogenesis with epigenetic modulation of gene expression. Given the fact that histone deacetylases (HDACs) have a great impact on chromatin remodeling and epigenetics, their inhibitors have become a very interesting field of research., Aim: This review focused on the use of HDAC inhibitors as anticancer treatment and explains the mechanisms of therapeutic effects on breast cancer. We anticipate further clinical benefits of this new class of drugs, both as single agents and in combination therapy. Molecules such as suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, trichostatin A, suberoylbis-hydroxamic acid, panobinostat, entinostat, valproic acid, sodium butyrate, SK7041, FTY720, N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propylpentanamide, Scriptaid, YCW1, santacruzamate A and ferrocenyl have shown promising antitumor effects against breast cancer. HDAC inhibitors consists an attractive field for targeted therapy against breast cancer. Future therapeutic strategies will include combination of HDAC inhibitors and chemotherapy or other inhibitors, in order to target multiple oncogenic signaling pathways. More trials are needed., (Copyright© 2017 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)