Background Rare cancers here defined as those with an annual incidence rate less than 6/100,000 in Europe, pose challenges for diagnosis, treatments, and clinical decision-making. Information on rare cancers is scant. We updated the estimates of the burden of rare cancers in Europe, their time trends in incidence and survival, and provide information on centralization of treatments in seven European countries. Methods We analysed data on more than two million rare cancer diagnoses, provided by 83 cancer registries, to estimate European incidence and survival in 2000-2007 and the corresponding time trends during 1995-2007. Incidence rates were calculated as the number of new cases divided by the corresponding total person years in the population. Five-year relative survival (RS) was calculated by the Ederer-2 method. Seven registries

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of odontogenic cysts (OCs) in Sicily and evaluate their distribution during a 20-year period. A cross-sectional retrospective study was carried out in 1,310 cysts of the jaw diagnosed in 12,197 individuals, who consecutively attended the Odontostomatologic Clinic of Palermo from 1986 to 2005. 1,273 cysts were classified as odontogenic, whereas only 37 were nonodontogenic. In the former group, the most frequent lesions were radicular cysts (84.5%), followed by dentigerous OCs (11.4%). Inflammatory radicular cysts were observed more in male gender, younger age at diagnosis and anterior maxilla as site of presentation. Unlike dentigerous cysts, the frequency of radicular cysts decreased from 10. Keywords: odontogenic cysts; epidemiology; demographics. IntroductionOdontogenic cysts (OCs) are relatively rare cystic lesions that affect the maxillofacial region. According to the most recent World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification (1), OCs were classified into two main groups that reflect their pathogenesis. The first group includes radicular cysts, recognizing its inflammatory origin and development as the consequence of advanced caries and dental pulpar necrosis (2), whereas in the second group, lesions of developmental origin namely, dentigerous cysts and keratocysts are included.Although the prevalence of OCs in several European and non-European countries has been reported and different risk factors (dental trauma, sex, long-term chronic phlogistic processes, high caries index in early age and oral hygiene) have been mentioned as contributing to these lesions (2-5), there is still a general lack of data. In Sicily, the only data published is limited to a survey regarding keratocysts observed in the eastern part of the island (6). The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of OCs in our country and evaluate their distribution in relation to social, demographic and behavioral data of the patients who visited for all oral pathological lesions during 20 years. Materials and Methods Study populationA retrospective survey was carried out in 12,197 individuals, who consecutively attended the Odontostomatologic Clinic of the University of Palermo from 1986 to 2005 for all oral pathological lesions.A total of 1,310 patients were diagnosed to be affected by cysts of the jaw (708 males and 602 females; mean age

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The last 2019/20 northern hemisphere influenza season overlapped with the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Italy was the first western country where severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread to a significant extent. In this representative cross-sectional survey, we aimed to describe some opinions and attitudes of the Italian general population towards both influenza vaccination and the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify potential modifiers of the decision-making process regarding the uptake of the 2020/21 influenza vaccine. A total of 2543 responses were analyzed. Although most (74.8%) participants valued influenza vaccination positively and declared that it should be mandatory, some misconceptions around influenza persist. The general practitioner was the main source of trusted information on influenza vaccines, while social networks were judged to be the least reliable. Younger and less affluent individuals, subjects not vaccinated in the previous season, and those living in smaller communities showed lower odds of receiving the 2020/21 season influenza vaccination. However, the COVID-19 pandemic may have positively influenced the propensity of being vaccinated against 2020/21 seasonal influenza. In order to increase influenza vaccination coverage rates multidisciplinary targeted interventions are needed. The role of general practitioners remains crucial in increasing influenza vaccine awareness and acceptance by effective counselling.

Risk for classical KS was approximately fourfold lower in cigarette smokers, a result that requires confirmation by other studies. Identification of how smoking affects KS risk may lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of this malignancy and interventions for its prevention.