A Radiation Induced Low-Grade Myofibroblastic Sarcoma in the Retropectoral Area After Breast Conserving Surgery: A Case Report.

Low-grade myofibroblastic sarcoma (LGMFS) is a rare type of sarcoma, and its manifestation as a radiotherapy (RT)-induced sarcoma following RT for breast cancer is even more unusual. To date, only one case of RT-induced mammary myofibroblastic sarcoma (MFS) has been reported. Here we present the case of a 49-year-old woman with LGMFS after undergoing breast-conserving surgery for invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), and with a history of RT 16 years prior. Due to the rarity of this disease, previous studies have focused primarily on the pathological findings of MFS. In this report however, we present the clinical and radiological features of LGMFS in the retro pectoral area as a rare type of RT-induced sarcoma.

Atypical Radiological Findings of Capillary Hemangioma in Right Atrium: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac hemangiomas account for only 2.8% of primary cardiac tumors and are caused by the abnormal proliferation of endothelial cells and excess blood vessels. Typical radiological findings of cardiac hemangioma demonstrate intense contrast enhancement. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report the case of a 69-year-old man who presented with a right atrial mass found incidentally with multimodal imaging findings, including echocardiography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This case presented with poor enhancement within right atrial mass on dynamic contrast-enhanced CT scan and gadolinium-enhanced first-pass perfusion image of cardiac MRI. After surgical resection, the pathologic diagnosis of cardiac capillary hemangioma was made. CONCLUSION: Cardiac hemangioma could be included in the differential diagnosis for cardiac neoplasms demonstrating poor enhancements on CT and MRI scans.

PIK3CA Mutations as a Prognostic Factor in Patients With Residual Rectal Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND/AIM: PIK3CA mediates various cellular processes, such as transformation, tumor initiation and proliferation, and resistance to apoptosis. This study was conducted to identify the clinical significance and prognostic effect of PIK3CA mutations in patients with residual rectal cancer who underwent surgery after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded surgical specimens were collected from 128 patients between January 2006 and December 2011 and analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction for hotspot mutations in exons 9 and 20 of the PIK3CA gene. RESULTS: Of the 128 patients, 109 were analyzed and 19 were excluded because of poor DNA quality. Mutations in PIK3CA were identified in three patients (2.8%), all of which were detected in exon 20 of the PIK3CA gene. PIK3CA mutations significantly correlated with lymphatic invasion (p=0.016), lymph node metastasis (p=0.034), and higher pathological disease stage (p=0.040). By univariate analysis, patients with PIK3CA mutations were observed to have significantly shorter cancer-specific survival (CSS) (p=0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.006) than PIK3CA wild-type patients. However, PIK3CA mutations were not an independent prognostic factor for CSS (p=0.319) or DFS (p=0.219) in multivariate modeling. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that PIK3CA mutation plays a role in oncogenesis in rectal cancer and may be considered as a candidate therapeutic approach targeting the PIK3/Akt/mTOR pathway in patients with residual rectal cancer after NACRT.

Terahertz Spectral Properties of PEO-Based Anti-Adhesion Films Cross-Linked by Electron Beam Irradiation.

We investigated the spectral property changes in anti-adhesion films, which were cross-linked and surface-modified through electron beam irradiation, using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). Polyethylene oxide (PEO), which is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, was the main component of these anti-adhesion films being manufactured for testing. The terahertz characteristics of the films were affected by the porosity generated during the freeze-drying and compression processes of sample preparation, and this was confirmed using optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. An anti-adhesion polymer film made without porosity was measured by using the THz-TDS method, and it was confirmed that the refractive index and absorption coefficient were dependent on the crosslinking state. To our knowledge, this is the first experiment on the feasibility of monitoring cross-linking states using terahertz waves. The THz-TDS method has potential as a useful nondestructive technique for polymer inspection and analysis.