Primary intraspinal primitive neuroectodermal tumor: case report of a tumor arising from the sacral spinal nerve root and review of the literature

Primary spinal primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is a rare condition, 18 cases of which have been reported in the literature. In general, this tumor is treated with surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but prognosis is still poor. An 18-year-old female patient with an intradural, extramedullary mass at L3-L5 levels is presented in this report. This is the first female patient with primary spinal PNET at lumbar region, second patient with spinal nerve root origin, and third one with intradural, extramedullary localization ever reported in the literature. After surgery, she was treated with craniospinal radiotherapy and four cycles of combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin alternated with ifosfamide, and VP-16. Currently, she is asymptomatic and alive at 25 months. The histopathologic, radiologic, and clinical findings of the patient are presented and relevant literature is reviewed.     

Radiotherapy combined with aclarubicin and neocarzinostatin in cancer of the gallbladder]

Cancer of the gallbladder is radioresistant. When a case of such was found inoperable, she was subjected to radiotherapy combined with aclarubicin and neocarzinostatin. Therapeutic effectiveness was confirmed at autopsy as she later succumbed to uterine cervical cancer. Thus, the present radiochemotherapeutic regimen would probably provide a means of overcoming those radioresistant inoperable malignancies. Intravenous administrations of appropriate antibiotics such as azthreonam and reniran may probably be helpful in the prevent ion and treatment of septic peritonitis possible during the course of reinforced radiotherapy of the abdomen.     

Usefulness of immediate reconstruction after mastectomy for inflammatory breast cancer with muscle cutaneous flap

CASE 1: A 59-year-old female patient with left inflammatory breast cancer (HER2 type) T4N1M0, stage III B. Although a partial response (PR) was observed after chemotherapy, an increase of the tumor was confirmed, and thus she underwent pectoralis-conserving mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with a rectus abdominis flap. After the surgery, the patient continued to undergo radiotherapy and administration of trastuzumab. At present, after 1 year and 3 months, she is alive with no recurrence. CASE 2: A 67-year-old female patient with left inflammatory breast cancer (triple negative) T4N2M0, stage III B. Since a variety of chemotherapeutics were ineffective, she underwent mastectomy with pectoralis resection and immediate reconstruction with a rectus abdominis flap to control pain/bleeding caused by the increased tumor. Although radiotherapy and chemotherapy were performed after the surgery, lung and hepatic metastases were developed 6 months after the surgery, and she died in the 10th month after the surgery. CONCLUSION: In mastectomy for inflammatory breast cancer, an immediate reconstruction with a muscle cutaneous flap enabled unhesitating mastectomy in a wide area, and thus we consider this will be a useful technique.     

Enfermedad de Hodgkin y cáncer de mama bilateral

A woman diagnosed at the age of 15 of a Hodgkin’s disease, mixed cellularity, received thoracic radiotherapy. At the age of 17 was treated again with radiotherapy because of recurrence. At 30 years old, she was treated of a second recurrence with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. After seven years of complete remission, she was diagnosed a breast carcinoma, and a year later it was detected a second contralateral carcinoma, treated both of them with radical surgery and hormonotherapy. The possibility of developing long-term radiation-induced mammary neoplasms in young women previously irradiated for a Hodgkin’s disease is discussed.

     

Excessive Soft Tissue Reaction after Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in a Woman with Four Different Cancer Diagnoses

Patients experiencing several cancers can be a challenge, as optimal treatment options for the different cancers might interfere with each other. In this case report, we present a woman diagnosed with 4 different types of cancer. She was treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Her performance status was generally good, and she tolerated the treatment very well, except some troublesome side effects in the thoracic soft tissue after stereotactic body radiotherapy.Key Words: Stereotactic body radiotherapy, Soft tissue reaction, Multiple malignancies     

A case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma with complete remission achieved by carboplatin

The patient was a 63-year-old female, who was admitted to the National Nagoya Hospital with complaints of left cervical and bilateral axillary lymphadenopathy on 12 May, 1987. Since May 1985, with the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, she had been successfully treated with combination chemotherapy (VEPA) and radiotherapy at another hospital. Left axillary lymphode biopsy revealed a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large cell type. Then, she was given intravenous administration of carboplatin (400 mg/body) on 26 May, 1987. After a single course of this regimen, the lymphnode swelling subsided, and she achieved complete remission on 6 June. Thereafter, she was placed on the maintenance chemotherapy of carboplatin (400 mg/body) every 5 weeks. Through the whole course of this patient, the serum levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were normal, and she did not notice nausea, vomiting and peripheral neuropathy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of complete response by the administration of carboplatin for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.     

Intramedullary spinal cord metastases from atypical small cell lung cancer: a case report and literature review

Intramedullary spinal cord metastases (ISCM) are usually the result of rapidly progressing systemic malignancy. Lung cancer represents the most common solid tumor associated with the development of ISCM.

We describe a 47-year-old female with atypical small cell lung cancer (SCLC) developing ISCM. After a thoracoscopic biopsy she was treated with combination chemotherapy consolidated by mediastinal radiotherapy leading to complete remission. Three months later, she developed a Brown-Sequard syndrome and an MRI scan revealed ISCM at the T10-T12 levels, and secondary brain lesions. Despite treatment with steroids and thoracic spine/brain radiotherapy, no recovery of her motor function was seen and she died 4 months later due to progressive disease in the CNS.

The present case, adds to the existing list of ISCM cases reported so far for lung cancer, undermine the ominous prognosis and limited treatment options available, and an extensive literature overview and discussion of similar cases is provided.     

Multiple disparate cranial neoplasms

The case of a three-year-old girl with fibrosarcoma of the right orbit is presented. She was initially treated with surgery and later with radiotherapy. After an interval of thirty-three years she developed a suprasellar epidermoid cyst and two years later a right frontal meningioma. The two benign tumors fulfill the usual criteria for irradiation induced tumors and the possible role of radiotherapy in their induction is discussed.     

An autopsy report of pancreatic carcinoma following the achievement of significant prolongation of survival, despite the lack of a definitive diagnosis

A 56-year-old female presented with chief complaints of epigastric discomfort and jaundice. Various examinations led to a differential diagnosis of carcinoma of she pancreas vs. malignant lymphoma. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy achieved a 50% reduction of the tumor mass and the disappearance of her jaundice. The patient survived for twenty-seven months following initial presentation. On post-mortem examination, she was found to have had carcinoma of the head of the pancreas. We studied the relationship between chemotherapy and the survival time in histologically diagnosed, unresectable pancreatic cancer at this hospital over the last ten years.     

Is external palliative radiotherapy for gallbladder carcinoma effective?

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder carcinoma is characterized by delayed diagnosis, ineffective treatment and poor prognosis. Surgical resection has been thought to be the treatment of choice, while the role of radiotherapy as adjuvant or palliative treatment has not been fully clarified in the literature. PATIENT AND METHODS: We present the case of a 45-year-old female, with unresectable gallbladder carcinoma, grade IV, histologically diagnosed during laparotomy. The patient was treated with palliative intent with percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. Furthermore, she received external radiotherapy by (60)Co, using a three-field technique (anterior-posterior and right lateral). The total dose was 3,000 cGy in 10 fractions, with 300 cGy per fraction, 5 days weekly. RESULTS: The patient showed clinico-laboratory improvement and was discharged with a permanent percutaneous transhepatic endoprosthesis. During follow-up (10 and 12 months postirradiation), abdominal CTs showed no local extension of the tumor, while the patient had a good performance status. So far, 1 year after the diagnosis of gallbladder cancer she is still alive. CONCLUSIONS: External radiotherapy seems to be a safe and effective method of palliative management of gallbladder carcinoma. However, further studies are necessary to determine the role of radiotherapy in palliative or adjuvant treatment of gallbladder carcinoma.     

Use of radiation therapy in posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) after liver transplantation

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a common and life-threatening complication of immunosuppression used to prevent rejection of solid organ and bone marrow transplants. There is no standardized treatment algorithm, but numerous management strategies are available. We describe a patient who developed a solitary lymphoproliferative lesion in the porta hepatis 9 months after orthotopic liver transplant. Following reduction in immunosuppression with no response, she was treated with involved field radiotherapy utilizing CT-based treatment planning. A partial radiographic response was obtained, and she has not developed disease in the engrafted liver or systemically. Based on the present case report, involved field radiotherapy seems to be a reasonable treatment option for patients with localized PTLD. Int. J. Cancer (Radiat. Oncol. Invest.) 90:104-109, 2000.     

累及骶髂关节原始神经外胚瘤的整块切除与骨盆环重建术一例报道并文献复习

骶骨和骨盆环处恶性肿瘤的保肢治疗具有相当的挑战性,该部位解剖毗邻关系复杂、存在重要脏器和神经血管等常使手术难以达到恶性骨肿瘤的外科边界。恶性肿瘤一旦侵及骶髂关节,手术过程中需要将肿瘤组织包括骶髂关节一并切除,同时重建骨盆环的完整性,必将增加手术的难度。     

Application of a stent splint to protect intraoral organs from radiation injury in a 97-year-old patient with multiple oral cancers who survived to over 100 years old

Radiation therapy had been used with increasing frequency in recent years in the management of oral cancers of advanced ages. In those cases we have to take good care to maintain the oral health of patients undergoing cancerocidal dose of radiation therapy. Using splints, as a tissue displacer, during radiation, we could treat a 99-year-old female patient without serious radiation sequelae, successfully she survived over 100 year-old. As she visited us at 97 year-old, the primary lesions located on the left upper lip, nose, upper and lower gums were diagnosed as multiple verrucous carcinoma histologically. Seventeen months after the first radiotherapy to the lip, nose and upper jaw, we planned again radiotherapy to the recurrent tumor of the lower gum. In order to eliminate and minimize side effects of the second irradiation for the contiguous intraoral organs, we devised a splint to exclude the tongue and upper gum apart from a radiation field. The splint, as tissue displacer, was made of heat-cured acrylic resin and divided into two pieces which were formed like full denture without artificial teeth. They were applied to the upper and lower jaws. The lower one had a large wing to exclude the tongue from irradiation field. After setting of the splint, she had been clenched slightly with an aid of chin cap. Then we could finish successfully the radiotherapy with 10 MV X-ray 40 Gy as scheduled without serious troubles.     

A case of postoperative rapid brain metastasis originating from stage II a cervical adenosquamous cell carcinoma

Cerebralmetastases from primary cervical carcinomas are very rare with a repeated incidence of 0. 5-1. 2% in various studies. A 46-year-old woman was initially diagnosed and treated for FIGO clinical stage II a cervical carcinoma. She was two gravid, two para. When 40 years old, she had a right hemicolectomy and chemotherapy, due to colon cancer. Her mother also had colon cancer, cervical cancer, and stomach cancer. She had habitually smoked ten/day for 26 years. First, she went to the outpatient clinic, due to abnormal vaginal bleeding. She had a biopsy of her cervix and was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She underwent a radical hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Pathological diagnosis was adenosquamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix with extensive LVSI and pelvic lymph node metastasis (right internalil iac LN), myometrial invasion (depth 10 mm), anterior vaginal wall metastasis, but no metastasis of vaginal stump. She came to our hospital for radiotherapy. The woman received concurrent chemoradiotherapy(CCRT)with weekly CDDP 30 mg/m2 as adjuvant therapy. Shortly after CCRT, she was diagnosed with multiple metastases to the bone, liver, lung, and brain. She received palliative radiotherapy and eventually died four months after being diagnosed. The extremely rapid progression of this patient's disease is unusual. To our knowledge, this is one of the most aggressive cases of cervical adenosquamous cell carcinoma documented.     

Carcinoma of uterine cervix with isolated metastasis to fibula and its unusual behavior: report of a case and review of literature

Bone metastasis from carcinoma cervix is uncommon, especially in the distal appendicular skeleton. A 36 year old lady presented with carcinoma of uterine cervix, FIGO, stage IIb. She was treated with radical radiotherapy. Nine months later, she developed an isolated lytic lesion in right fibula, which turned out to be a metastatic lesion. The patient is doing well, 3 years after the surgical excision of metastasis. This is one of the few documented cases of metastasis to fibula, arising from carcinoma of uterine cervix and probably the first with isolated metastasis of this site. Unlike the dismal outcome commonly seen in patients with bone secondaries, she continues to be disease free and alive at 39 months of follow up, after the development of skeletal metastasis.     

Radiation recall dermatitis from docetaxel

BACKGROUND: Experiences with inflammatory skin reactions after treatment with docetaxel and prior exposure to radiotherapy like a recall phenomenon are very rare. We present the case of an uncommon and severe skin reaction after docetaxel application and prior radiotherapy. PATIENT AND METHODS: A 40-year-old female was treated with an upper body irradiation with electrons because of relapsed breast cancer. In addition, because of metastases of brain and bone she received radiotherapy on the whole brain and the left pelvis. One week after radiotherapy weekly chemotherapy with docetaxel was started. RESULTS: Radiotherapy was well tolerated. There was a cutaneous erythema RTOG grade 1. After second application of docetaxel the patient developed a severe skin erythema, after fourth application confluent desquamations exactly demarcated the previously irradiated skin area. After discontinuation of docetaxel and after antiinflammatory treatment the skin reactions improved rapidly. CONCLUSION: In our opinion the severe skin reaction was clearly associated with the application of docetaxel like a recall phenomenon after previous radiotherapy. In case of severe skin reaction after this therapy it is important to know the possibility of recall phenomenon.     

Neurilemmoma in the nasal fossa

A rare case of neurilemmoma in the nasal fossa in a 40-year old female is reported. She had previous history of malignancy of the cervix, for which she had received radiotherapy. The neurilemmoma was surgically removed.     

Cutaneous angiosarcoma of breast after lumpectomy,axillary lymph node dissection,and radiotherapy for primary breast carcinoma: case report and review of the literature

Malignant neoplasms known to develop after external beam radiation include angiosarcoma. Although angiosarcoma developing in a lymphedematous arm after radical mastectomy is a well-known phenomenon, cutaneous angiosarcoma after radiotherapy for breast carcinoma has been rarely documented. Herein we present a case with cutaneous angiosarcoma that developed in a 69-year-old woman's breast 5 years after she underwent conservative treatment to the breast: lumpectomy, axillary lymph node dissection, and radiation therapy to the breast. The possible relation of the angiosarcoma to the initial radiotherapy, early diagnosis, and treatment is discussed.     

Breast metastasis in osteosarcoma

A young girl with a history of chondroblastic osteosarcoma of the tibia developed a pulmonary metastasis which was treated by metastasectomy, chemotherapy and lung irradiation. Three years later, at the age of 15, she developed a breast mass which was excised and which proved to be a poorly differentiated sarcoma. This was almost certainly a metastasis rather than a radiation-induced second primary tumour, in view of the short interval since radiotherapy. The ultrasonographic features of this lesion are presented here and the differential diagnosis is discussed in this context.     

Osteosarcoma de mama posradioterapia

We present the case of a 69 years old woman who underwent chemotherapy and mantle radiotherapy for non Hodgkin lymphoma. Fifteen years later, she underwent mastectomy for breast mass that was diagnosed as an osteosarcoma at final pathological examination. Radical surgery was the only treatment she received. Postirradiation breast sarcoma are rare and have poorer prognosis than primary breast sarcomas. Surgery is the main treatment. The use of adjuvant treatment is controversial, but there are some data that support the use of chemotherapy in these sarcomas.