Carcinoid syndrome from small bowel endocrine carcinoma in the absence of hepatic metastasis.

An 80-year-old male patient presented with abdominal pain, paroxysmal diaphoresis, diarrhoea and vomiting. CT scan revealed a small bowel endocrine carcinoma (or 'carcinoid' tumour), but the absence of hepatic disease. The lesion was excised 'en-bloc'. Intra-operatively, there was wide fluctuation in blood pressure associated with tumour manipulation, with hyper- and hypotension. Carcinoid syndrome usually occurs from gastrointestinal tumours when hepatic metastases occur, causing flushing, diarrhoea, bronchoconstriction and murmurs from cardiac valvular lesions. This patient did not have radiological evidence of hepatic metastasis, but the syndrome could still occur with midgut tumours via local invasion of the retroperitoneal circulation, or by action of substances other than serotonin that do not undergo hepatic metabolism.

Extraocular muscle enlargement as a paraneoplastic effect of breast carcinoma in a male patient.

The authors report a rare case of a male patient who was diagnosed with breast cancer following investigations for proptosis secondary to extraocular muscle enlargement. A 65-year-old man presented with complaints of double vision and proptosis. CT scan of the orbits showed bilateral superior rectus muscle enlargement. On further investigation, the patient was detected to have a right breast mass. Biopsy of the mass showed an intermediate-grade carcinoma in situ. The patient underwent a right radical mastectomy following which his proptosis and symptoms of double vision resolved. Repeat MRI scans showed reduction in the size of the superior rectus muscle after mastectomy. Extraocular muscle enlargement has not been previously identified as a paraneoplastic effect of breast carcinoma in a male patient. Extraocular muscle enlargement can be a presenting feature of malignancies, and an appropriate systemic workup for the occult primary when all other preliminary tests are negative should be considered.

Improved Thyroid Hypoechogenicity Following Bariatric-Induced Weight Loss in Euthyroid Adults With Severe Obesity-a Pilot Study.

Background: Obesity may affect both biochemical thyroid function tests; and thyroid morphology, as assessed using ultrasound scans (US). The aim of the present pilot study was to explore whether weight loss achieved by bariatric surgery alters thyroid US morphology including gray-scale measurements; and/or function in euthyroid adults with severe obesity. Methods: Euthyroid adults (>18 years) with body mass index (BMI) ≥40 kg/m2 and negative thyroid peroxidase antibodies were assessed at baseline (pre-surgery) and after achieving at least 5% weight loss of their baseline body weight following bariatric surgery. Anthropometric assessments, biochemical/hormonal measurements (TSH, free-T4, free-T3, reverse-T3, and leptin) and thyroid US with gray-scale histogram analysis were performed at the baseline and post-surgery follow-up. Results: Ten Caucasian, euthyroid patients (women/men: 8/2; age: 48.6 ± 3.1 years; BMI: 51.4 ± 1.8 kg/m2) successfully completed this study with significantly decreased body weight (>5% weight loss), waist circumference and serum leptin levels post-surgery (mean post-surgery follow-up duration: 16.5 ± 2.5 months). In parallel to the observed bariatric-induced weight loss, thyroid US echogenicity increased by 25% (p = 0.03), without significant changes in thyroid volume. No significant changes in thyroid function tests were detected. No significant correlations were observed between the increase in thyroid echogenicity and the decreases in anthropometric parameters and circulating leptin. Conclusion: Our results indicate that in euthyroid adults with severe obesity, marked weight loss achieved by bariatric surgery is associated with a parallel significant increase in the thyroid US echogenicity, suggesting that morphological changes of the thyroid in obesity are reversible with weight loss. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03048708.