The role of imaging in renal and extra-renal rhabdoid tumours

Rhabdoid tumour of the kidney is an uncommon malignancy with a poor prognosis that usually occurs in childhood. Certain imaging features may help distinguish this lesion from the much more common Wilmstumour ‘. Extra-renal rhabdoid tumours appear to have no specific imaging characteristics.     

Intraluminal calcifications in the small bowel of newborn infants with total colonic aganglionosis

Intraluminal calcifications were found in the small bowel of 4 newborns with total colonic aganglionosis. Abdominal radiography demonstrated circular aggregations of small punctate calcific densities in the right lower quadrant and evidence of bowel obstruction. There was a microcolon in each case. The calcifications, which resemble those seen in small intestinal atresia and stenosis, are probably related to fetal intestinal stasis, and may be differentiated from those due to meconium peritonitis.     

Magnetic resonance imaging of the brainstem: normal structure and basic functional anatomy

Normal structure and basic functional anatomy of the brainstem were studied using anatomic sections obtained with a cryomicrotome whole-organ sectioning technique. Major tracts and nuclei were identified and their function summarized. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brainstem was performed on 10 normal volunteers. By comparing these images with the corresponding anatomic sections, normal structures, including major tracts and nuclei, were identified. Knowledge of location and function of clinically important brainstem nuclei and tracts is necessary for optimal magnetic resonance image interpretation.     

Iron chelation: a potential therapeutic strategy in oesophageal cancer

Raised intracellular iron has been identified as a potential aetiological factor in the development of several epithelial malignancies, including those of the gastrointestinal tract. The mechanism behind this increase is thought to include disorders of iron uptake and storage. Several iron chelators have been identified as potential anti-tumour agents, with much work undertaken to ascertain the exact mode of action. Despite this, there is little known about the role that these drugs play in the cellular iron metabolism of oesophageal cancer. Consequently, the present study looks to review the relationship of two clinically important iron-chelating agents, deferoxamine and deferasirox, on cellular iron uptake and storage in oesophageal squamous and adenocarcinoma. This provides important evidence for the debate about the role these agents have in the clinical management of such tumours.

Linked Article

This article is a commentary on Ford et al., pp. 1316–1328 of this issue. To view this paper visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.12045