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The Authors review the natural history of colorectal cancer from the point of view of molecular biology and genetics from aberrant crypts foci and familiar adenomatous polyposis to hereditary non polyposis colon cancer and sporadic colorectal cancer. They carry out international literature about basis knowledges, experimental trials and personal studies. Up to day traditional colorectal cancer surgical treatments and adjuvant or neoadjuvant pharmacological therapy cannot be modified, nevertheless "new drugs generation" known as signal transduction inhibitor could, in the future, prove to be an effective cancer treatment. The Authors highlight recent experimental clinical trials probably able to prevent sporadic colorectal cancer spreading and precursor evolution.

In the industrialized West countries the breast cancer represents the most frequent malignant neoplasia in the women. From over 30 years we have a progressive increase of frequency of breast carcinoma. Mortality is substantially unchanged. The Authors, on the base of casuistry accumulated in five years of activity, trace a diagnostic-therapeutic run to the purpose to favour a line of behavior, practice and actual, for the management of breast cancer.

The Authors report their experience with gastric polyps based upon 3,384 endoscopies performed from October 1992 to August 1995. The incidence of cystic polyps with respect to the examinations performed and to the number of gastric polyps found was 0.45% and 21.3% respectively. The cases were taken into account with respect to sex, age, number of lesions, location, size and association to Gardner's syndrome. A comparison between the observed cases and a comprehensive review of the relevant Literature was performed.

Gastric haemangiomas are an infrequent histological type of gastrointestinal benign tumors. Diagnosis is based on imaging but only pathological examination can give certainty. Endoscopic resection, according some specific criteria, is the gold standard procedure. Authors present a case of cavernous haemangioma diagnosed and treated by endoscopic procedure.

The Authors report the case of a 83 year old woman with large cystic polyps of the stomach. Gastric cystic polyps are polypoid lesions which may develop following functional disorders such as increased mucosal stimulation by gastrin, or excessive retention of gastric secretions. The incidence of these polyps is variable, depending on their being underestimated since they are not always macroscopically visible. The case here reported is very interesting not only for the number of lesions (over 50), but also for their size (5-25 mm in diameter).

On a study population of 131 patients the Authors evaluate possible differences related to the use of H2 blockers. Patients were divided in 2 groups: one (70 cases) studied before the introduction of H2 blockers and the other (61 cases) treated with H2 blockers. The influence of endoscopy for the early diagnosis of gastric cancer was also considered. The Authors conclude that H2 blockers do not have a negative influence from a surgical point of view, however the correct diagnosis may often be delayed and this is not acceptable for an era in which early diagnosis is feasible.

The Authors point out the basis for a better characterisation of colo-rectal cancer and precursory lesions. In fact the etiology of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), aberrant crypt foci (ACF), hereditary non polyposis colon cancer syndrome (HNPCC) seems to be correlated to molecular pathology. Therefore the Authors review colo-rectal cancer natural history which frequently appears to be not related to clinical evolution.

Intranuclear DNA imaging may be considered as a marker of the biological behaviour of neoplasias. However, some questions fundamentally related to the interpretation of cytometric data, to the correlation with other histomorphological parameters and to tissue sampling concerning staging and prognostic evaluation of colon cancer patients are still unsolved. A way to solve this problem may be to perform multiple full thickness samplings.

The authors report the case of a 39-year old woman who had a fast and dramatic weight loss after an intestinal bypass performed elsewhere. The result was a generalized skin flakiness which caused dissatisfaction and psychological unbalance of the patient. Three plastic surgeries were therefore programmed and performed at different moments: mastopexy, abdominoplasty and upper thigh dermolipectomy. No immediate or late complications were observed, even after 2 years. The authors stress the importance of a correct planning of a plastic surgery as a solution to the generalized tissue flakiness in the formerly obese patient.

The Authors evaluate new possible models for the staging of colorectal cancer based on clinico-morphological, histo-pathological and bio-immunological parameters. Particularly, they evaluate the possibility of studying host's immunological response against tumor spread by the examination of the "in situ" cellular responses. This study was performed by cytotoxic test and immunohistochemical evaluation of the lymphocytes. The latter seems to give better results compared to the first in the evaluation of the host's immunological response.