Dear Colleagues,

Both gynecological cancers and breast cancer affect women worldwide. Scientific and medical research data indicate that the frequency, as well as mortality rate of such cancers, are continuously rising. Therefore, improving patient survival requires further development of improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Significant progress has been made in targeted therapy for gynecological cancers based on emerging knowledge of the molecular and genetic characteristics of tumors. Over the last decade there have been significant advances and developments in our understanding of factors affecting women’s cancer risk, our ability to identify individuals at increased risk and risk stratify populations, as well as to implement and evaluate strategies for screening and prevention. The typical age-incidence curve for endometrial cancer shows that most cases are diagnosed after the menopause, with the highest incidence around the seventh decade of life. The appearance of symptoms early in the course explains why most women with endometrial cancer have early-stage disease at presentation. Breast cancer is the most common global malignancy and the leading cause of cancer deaths. Despite this, undergraduate and postgraduate physicians exposure to breast cancer is limited, impacting on the ability of clinicians to accurately recognize, assess and refer appropriate patients. Ovarian cancer is an aggressive disease that is frequently detected at advanced stages and is initially very responsive to platinum-based chemotherapy. However, the majority of patients relapse following initial surgery and chemotherapy, highlighting the urgent need to develop new therapeutic strategies. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. In the United States, its incidence and mortality have been declining due to the wide scale implementation of cytological screening programs.

Dr. Giuseppe Gullo, Dr. Guglielmo Stabile and Dr. Valentina Billone
Guest Editors