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BACKGROUND: Primary intraspinal malignant melanoma is a very rare tumor that most often occurs in the cervical, thoracic, or thoracolumbar segment. CASE SUMMARY: A rare case of primary thoracolumbar malignant melanoma is described. A 45-year-old female patient complained of low back pain with numbness and fatigue in both lower limbs. MR revealed an intradural space-occupying lesion at the thoracic 12 to lumbar 1 level. The tumor was partially excised, and a malignant melanoma was confirmed by histopathology. CONCLUSION: Primary intraspinal malignant melanoma has rarely been reported, and surgical resection and related characteristics and diagnoses have been discussed.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the impact of the number of harvested lymph nodes (LNs) on the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with clinical node-negative (cN0) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 2247 patients with cN0 NSCLC between 2001 and 2014 were included. Scatter plots of hazard ratios from Cox proportional hazards models against the number of harvested LNs were created, and curves were fitted using a LOWESS smoother. Chow test was used to determine the cut-off points for the optimal number of harvested LNs. Long-term survival was compared between groups divided by the cut-off points. RESULTS: The increasing numbers of harvested LNs and N2 level LNs were independent factors favoring OS and DFS. Seventeen LNs and 10 N2 level LNs were determined as the optimal cut-off points. The patients with ≥17 harvested LNs had a better OS (P = .001) and DFS (P = .002), while the patients with ≥10 harvested N2 level LNs also had a better OS (P < .001) and DFS (P = .001). The increasing numbers of harvested LNs and N2 level LNs were independent prognostic factors associated with prolonged OS and DFS only in patients with clinical T2 (cT2) NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS: The increasing numbers of harvested LNs and N2 level LNs were associated with better OS and DFS in cN0 NSCLC patients that were suitable for lobectomies. At least 17 LNs and 10 N2 level LNs were required to be harvested, especially in cT2 patients.