The APC gene is mutated both in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and sporadic colorectal cancers. It had been previously shown that the APC gene product interacts with beta-catenin, a key element in the Wnt-1 signaling pathway. This pathway is initiated by the growth factor Wnt-1 and ends up in the nucleus where it activates transcription factors of the Lef/Tcf family although the targets of the latter were still unknown. This has just been accomplished by the identification of the c-MYC oncogene as the relevant target of the Wnt-1/APC pathway in the development of human colorectal cancers. Indeed, under appropriate conditions (presence of growth factors, for example), c-MYC is an essential determinant of cell proliferation.

Ovarian carcinomas are known to have a poor prognosis, not only because their diagnosis is often made in late time, but the risk of recurrence after initial treatment is high. This overview was made to explain the different approaches while dealing with a patient with an ovarian carcinoma. A particular interest went to the familial history of ovarian cancer, concerning a very short population, as shown in the recent data. Prognostic factors, the way of diagnosis, and the histologic classification were also explained in detail. Ovarian cancer is more often found out at an advanced stage of the disease, that's the reason why the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer was extensively studied, with the recent approaches of the new drugs; for instance, the use of combinations with taxoides in the first part of treatment, or a numerous of other agents, particularly at the time of the recurrence, like the camptothecines, the gemcitabine, or the new derivatives of platinum. The management of the patient after initial treatment (follow up, maintenance therapy) were also included in this overview. As for the "borderline" tumors, a peculiar chapter was devoted to them.