Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix were previously shown to be tumors occurring in female offspring exposed prenatally to diethylstilbestrol. This report describes the first clinical case of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the ovary linked to early diethylstilbestrol exposure in utero.A 45-year-old woman presented with a self-discovered lump in the lower abdominal quadrant. She underwent surgery and staging that revealed clear cell adenocarcinoma confined to the left ovary. Foci of high-grade squamous neoplastic proliferation, inflammation, and a paratubal cyst were also present on the pathology specimen. Medical records established unequivocally that the patient's mother received diethylstilbestrol therapy throughout the pregnancy.Our case is consistent with clear cell adenocarcinoma, probably related to diethylstilbestrol exposure in utero. It reinforces the need for continued vigilance in individuals prenatally exposed to this drug.
Cetuximab and osimertinib are epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) inhibitors used in the treatment of several malignancies. These agents have been associated with several skin lesions, the most common being papulopustular acneiform rash involving the face, neck, chest and back. Herein, we describe a unique toxic effect of these agents involving the fingertips and lateral aspects of fingers in a small patient series. The lesions presented approximately 4 weeks into treatment were cut-like and caused local discomfort/pain. Application of a colloidal solution allowed for partial resolution of these lesions in one patient, while discontinuation of the drug led to the disappearance of the lesions in another. Thus, we call for awareness of this unique skin toxicity with the use of EGFR inhibitors in patients with cancer.
The standard first-line therapy for glioblastoma consists of maximal surgical resection, followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Optimal management for older glioblastoma patients is unknown as they have not been extensively studied in clinical trials. We report data from a series of 156 consecutive glioblastoma patients treated at our institution from 2007 to 2017. Compared to glioblastoma patients aged 70 or less, the patients older than 70 were less likely to undergo surgical resection (34% vs. 64%; p = 0.0003), be treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (37% vs. 59%; p = 0.01) or radiation therapy (36% vs. 56%; p = 0.03). Disease-specific survival was significantly shorter in this age group (4.7 vs. 15.3 months; p = 0.002). Nonetheless, when older patients did undergo surgery or chemotherapy, the proportional improvement in cancer-specific survival was similar to the one recorded in younger patients, which is concordant with the findings of other published reports. A multidisciplinary input from neurosurgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, oncology pharmacists and geriatricians remain paramount for the optimal management of glioblastoma in patients older than 70.
An elderly patient who presented with bilateral perinephric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and concomitant oncocytoma of the same location is reported. To our knowledge, the anatomic proximity of the two tumors at the level of kidneys has not been previously described. Because of the patient's other medical conditions, systemic chemotherapy was not deemed feasible. Subsequently, the proliferation had a favorable response to single-agent monoclonal antibody rituximab.
Although the incidence of malignant melanoma in African Americans is considerably lower than in Caucasians, African Americans have a less-favorable prognosis related to later presentation and more deeply invasive lesions at diagnosis.To review the current literature addressing the specific clinical, histopathologic, and molecular features of melanoma in darkly pigmented individuals.We reviewed the most up-to-date literature pertaining to melanoma in this patient population, including data from clinical studies, epidemiologic analyses, and molecular and genetic studies.Several studies have suggested differences between lightly and darkly pigmented populations with regard to clinicopathologic character and the underlying genetic processes affecting its pathogenesis.Further investigation is warranted to better elucidate the clinical and underlying biological differences in melanoma between Caucasians and African Americans. Such research may help to ameliorate the disparities in melanoma outcomes through improved screening, public health measures aimed at prevention, and potentially novel targeted therapeutic approaches.
Introduction Clinical indications of immune checkpoint inhibitors have expanded to a variety of malignancies. Approximately one in six patients with hepatocellular carcinoma respond to programmed death 1 inhibitors nivolumab and pembrolizumab. Case report We report herein a patient with synchronous metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma and advanced papillary thyroid carcinoma treated with nivolumab in the second-line therapy. Management and outcome: The hepatocellular carcinoma showed a durable response to the second-line agent nivolumab. Remarkably, the patient’s papillary thyroid carcinoma also responded to this programmed death 1 inhibitor. Discussion To our knowledge, this is the first case report showing the efficacy of nivolumab in the treatment of metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma. Further studies with immune checkpoint inhibitors in papillary thyroid carcinoma seem warranted.
The purpose of this study was to obtain new details of three-dimensional left ventricular wall motion related to ventricular remodeling in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.Cardiac-gated, phase-contrast measurements using navigator-gated, high temporal resolution, tissue phase mapping were obtained on 19 patients (66 ± 7 years old) before and after CABG. Left ventricular motion patterns and myocardial velocities were recorded for radial, circumferential and longitudinal motion. Radial, circumferential and longitudinal velocity curves were obtained separately for 16 ventricular segments. Ventricular torsion rate and longitudinal strain rate were also derived pre- and post-surgery.After CABG, there was a significant improvement in apical contraction, with an apparent paradoxical decrease in the radial inward motion of the septal segments at the left ventricular base. Despite improved ventricular contractility during systole, peak longitudinal and rotational velocities decreased or showed no significant changes. An altered pattern of rotational motion with decreased initial counter-clockwise rotation at the beginning of systole and subsequent lower amplitude of reversed motions in diastole was also noted in most left ventricular segments. Lower peak clockwise rotational velocities were recorded in the basal anteroseptal segment with relatively higher values in the rest of the basal segments.Our results suggest that post-operative changes after CABG are limiting ventricular rotational and longitudinal motions, despite an increase in ventricular contractility due to revascularization. At the ventricular base, the restrained rotational motion of basal anteroseptal segment, located proximally to the right ventricular insertion, and higher rotational velocities of the rest of the segments are pushing the septum toward the right ventricle during ventricular twisting. At the ventricular apex, the restrain in rotational motion caused by post-operative adhesions is affecting all apical segments due to a much smaller left ventricular diameter at this level. The rotating apex and the apical septum are similarly displaced toward the right ventricle during ventricular twisting.
