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Fournier's gangrene, described for the first time by Alfred Jean Fournier in 1883, is a very uncommon disease. It is characterized by an acute process of cellulites and necrotizing fasciitis of the external genitalia, perineum and abdominal wall; its mortality rate is about 30-50%. We retrospectively reviewed 10 patients affected by Fournier's gangrene admitted to our Department of Urology from 1997 to 2006. At a mean follow-up of 37 months (range 0-108) 7 patients are alive and disease free, 1 patient is alive bearing the signs of the gangrene, and 2 patients died because of the disease complications. We have noted that patients' survival depends on early intervention and extremely aggressive approach: The combination of these factors with antibiotic therapy and supportive care have made this disease treatable and curable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of our study is to describe 10 cases of association between Renal Cell Carcinoma and female Breast Cancer, and to investigate the possible causes of this association according to the evidences found in Literature. This because a certain number of female patients we operated on for Renal Cell Carcinoma showed in their clinical history also a Primary Breast Cancer. There are many reports about the association between Renal Cell Carcinoma and other primary malignancies. The histologic type of Renal Cell Carcinoma usually associated to a second primary cancer is the papillary one. According to our experience, among 665 women affected with Breast Cancer, 10 of them suffered also from Renal Cell Carcinoma, whereas it was much more rare the association between female Breast Cancer and other primary malignancies. In 6 of these 10 cases the Renal Cell Carcinoma had a papillary histologic type, and in these 6 patients we found the most aggressive cases of Breast Cancers. The ethiologic factors that can usually cause either Renal Cell Carcinoma or primary female Breast Cancer were absent in clinical history. We concluded that during the follow up of female patients affected with Renal Cell Carcinoma, especially if it has a papillary histologic type, it is necessary to look for the presence of other malignancies, most of all Breast Cancer. Further investigations will be needed to clear up the reason of this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]