Background: The duodenum is a common site for diverticulum formation. Most of the duodenal diverticula are asymptomatic, incidental findings. Perforation is a rare but potentially lethal complication of duodenal diverticular disease. Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment for perforated duodenal diverticula. In recent years, a few cases were successfully managed either conservatively or with endoscopy. Case presentation: We present two cases of female patients treated in our department for duodenal diverticulum perforation. The first case was treated surgically with a diverticulectomy. The second case was managed conservatively with bowel rest and intravenous antibiotics. Both patients had an uncomplicated postoperative course and were discharged home. Conclusions: Both surgical and conservative treatments are viable options for a perforated duodenal diverticulum in selected patients. Patients with a contained duodenal diverticular perforation can be managed conservatively at the outset. Possibly, the introduction of a classification system for duodenal diverticulum perforation may help clinicians in making essential therapeutic decisions.

Background/Aim: KRAS mutations are reported in 20-25% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their prognostic role is unclear. We studied KRAS and EGFR genotyping in Greek NSCLC patients. Patients and Methods: KRAS and EGFR genotypes were centrally evaluated in 421 NSCLC patients (diagnosed September 1998-June 2013) and associated with clinicopathological parameters. Outcome comparisons were performed in 288 patients receiving first line treatment. Results: Most patients were male (78.6%), >60 years old (63.9%), current smokers (51.1%), with adenocarcinoma histology (63.9%). EGFR and KRAS mutations were found in 10.7% and 16.6% of all histologies, respectively, and in 14.9% and 21.9% of adenocarcinomas. At 4.5 years median follow-up, KRAS status was an independent negative prognostic factor for overall survival (OS, p=0.016). KRAS mutations conferred 80% increased risk of death in patients receiving first-line treatment (p=0.002). Conclusion: The presence of KRAS mutations is an independent negative prognosticator among Greek NSCLC patients and an independent response predictor to first line treatment. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the primary cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with more than one million deaths per year (1). With our increasing understanding of lung cancer biology, we are now able to recognise many molecular subtypes of NSCLC, based on the 531 This article is freely accessible online.

We report the case of a 45-year-old female who presented with acute left abdominal pain and subsequently developed a left partial Brown-Séquard syndrome. Spinal fluid, inflammatory and prothrombotic tests were unremarkable. Magnetic resonance showed a left intraforaminal disc prolapse at the T9–T10 level and a hyperintense lesion on T2-weighted images in the left postero-lateral cord at the T8–T9 level with restricted diffusion on DWI imaging. A diagnosis of spinal cord infarction due to compromise of the left T8 thoracic radicular artery was made. The patient was managed conservatively and at the 3 months follow-up, she was ambulant and able to walk small distances without a walker.

Background: The mechanism of action of bevacizumab and erlotinib is quite different in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study sought to compare the two targeted therapies in terms of sequential tumor response metrics. Patients and Methods: Parameters of radiological tumor response evaluation were assessed at baseline and periodically in 58 patients receiving either bevacizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy (Ν=25) or erlotinib (Ν=33). Results: Bevacizumab-treated patients had lower longest diameter at best response compared to the erlotinib group (p=0.011). The longest diameter, tumor volume and density significantly decreased from baseline to best response for the entire cohort and bevacizumab-treated patients; no difference was found in the erlotinib group. Conclusion: Treatment with bevacizumab substantially improved tumor metrics between baseline and each cycle of treatment, as well as between baseline and best response, in patients with advanced NSCLC.Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the most lethal malignancy worldwide, accounting for the majority of cancer-related deaths in both men and women worldwide (1). Standard platinum-based chemotherapy has reached a therapeutic plateau and new agents with proven survival benefit in specific sub-populations of NSCLC include Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) (2), immunotherapy (3) and anti-angiogenic agents such as the monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) bevacizumab (4). Among those agents, the taxane-derivative docetaxel, the EGFR-TKI erlotinib and bevacizumab have been among the first to gain approval in the treatment of advanced NSCLC, especially in frail patients who could not tolerate platinum-based doublet chemotherapy, and in second-line treatment, after failure of first-line chemotherapy (5).In 2008, the Hellenic Cooperative Oncology group (HeCOG) initiated a randomized phase II study (DOPERLO NCT00783471) to determine the comparative efficacy of intermittent erlotinib/docetaxel chemotherapy, with erlotinib given for twelve consecutive days either before (group A) or after (group B) docetaxel, in chemotherapy-naive patients 2095