RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Parathyroid cancer (PC) is a rare sporadic or hereditary malignancy whose histologic features were redefined with the 2022 WHO classification. A total of 24 Italian institutions designed this multicenter study to specify PC incidence, describe its clinical, functional, and imaging characteristics and improve its differentiation from the atypical parathyroid tumour (APT). METHODS: All relevant information was collected about PC and APT patients treated between 2009 and 2021. RESULTS: Among 8361 parathyroidectomies, 351 patients (mean age 59.0 ± 14.5; F = 210, 59.8%) were divided into the APT (n = 226, 2.8%) and PC group (n = 125, 1.5%). PC showed significantly higher rates (p < 0.05) of bone involvement, abdominal, and neurological symptoms than APT (48.8% vs. 35.0%, 17.6% vs. 7.1%, 13.6% vs. 5.3%, respectively). Ultrasound (US) diameter >3 cm (30.9% vs. 19.3%, p = 0.049) was significantly more common in the PC. A significantly higher frequency of local recurrences was observed in the PC (8.0% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.022). Mortality due to consequences of cancer or uncontrolled hyperparathyroidism was 3.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatic hyperparathyroidism, high PTH and albumin-corrected serum calcium values, and a US diameter >3 cm may be considered features differentiating PC from APT. 2022 WHO criteria did not impact the diagnosis.
RESUMO
Gastrointestinal stromal tumours are uncommon neoplasias arising from stromal tissue of the intestinal wall. Discovery of the protooncogene c-kit and the presence of the CD117 protein on the neoplastic cells of the majority of gastrointestinal stromal tumours may suggest their possible origin from Cajal cells. The clinical symptoms of gastrointestinal stromal tumours are related to tumour size and are generally aspecific: acute or chronic bleeding, abdominal pain and palpable mass are some of the most common signs. Digestive endoscopy or US-endoscopy for gastroduodenal tumours, ultrasonography and CT scans are the procedures of choice in the evaluation of the location, size, invasion of adjacent organs and metastases. Surgery is the only curative therapy for gastrointestinal stromal tumours. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy are of no use for metastatic disease, but good results are obtained with ST1571 in advanced disease. In the absence of metastases, it is quite difficult to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. The most important prognostic factors are number of mitoses and tumour size. We report here on 4 consecutive cases of gastrointestinal tumours, 2 gastric and 2 duodenal, which presented with acute gastrointestinal bleeding.