Neuroendocrine Breast Carcinoma: Interesting Images of an Underdiagnosed Entity.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer of the female gender. A rare subtype of breast cancer is the invasive breast carcinoma (IBC) with neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation. Its incident is believed to be 0.1% to 5% of all breast cancers. We report a rare case of a 66-year old woman who presented with an isolated nodule of the left breast. The patient underwent modified radical mastectomy. Pathology revealed invasive breast carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. Invasive breast carcinoma is an extremely rare group of neoplasms, the exact frequency of which cannot be determined with current data. Therefore, it is necessary for future studies to focus on the pathophysiology of this subtype of breast cancer and on the potential therapeutic approaches.

Pharmaceutical Management of Secondary Hyperparathyroidism and the Role of Surgery: A 5-Year Retrospective Study.

Background and Objectives: Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) poses a common condition among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to the chronic stimulation of the parathyroid glands as a result of persistently low calcium levels. As a first option for medical treatment, vitamin D receptor analogs (VDRAs) and calcimimetic agents are generally used. Apart from cinacalcet, which is orally taken, in recent years, another calcimimetic agent, etelcalcetide, is being administered intravenously during dialysis. Materials and Methods: In a 5-year retrospective study between 2018 and 2023, 52 patients undergoing dialysis were studied. The aim of this study is to highlight the possible effects and/or benefits that intravenously administered calcimimetic agents have on CKD patients. A total of 34 patients (65.4%) received cinacalcet and etelcalcetide while parathormone (PTH) and calcium serum levels were monitored on a monthly basis. Results: A total of 29 out of 33 patients (87.9%) that received treatment with etelcalcetide showed a significant decrease in PTH levels, which rose up to 57% compared to the initial values. None of the included patients needed to undergo parathyroidectomy (PTx) due to either extremely high and persistent PTH levels or severe side effects of the medications. It is generally strongly advised that parathyroidectomies should be performed by an expert surgical team. In recent years, a significant decrease in parathyroidectomies has been recorded globally, a fact that is mainly linked to the constantly wider use of new calcimimetic agents. This decrease in parathyroidectomies has resulted in an important decrease in complications occurring in cervical surgeries (e.g., perioperative hemorrhage and nerve damage). Conslusions: Despite the fact that these surgical complications cannot be easily compared to the pharmaceutical side effects, the recorded decrease in parathyroidectomies is considered to be notable, especially in cases of relapse where a difficult reoperation would be considered based on previously published guidelines.

Frequency of Thyroid Microcarcinoma in Patients Who Underwent Total Thyroidectomy with Benign Indication-A 5-Year Retrospective Review.

Background and Objectives: Incidental thyroid cancers (ITCs) are often microcarcinomas. The most frequent histologic type is a papillary microcarcinoma. Papillary thyroid microcarcinomas are defined as papillary thyroid tumours measuring less than 10 mm at their greatest diameter. They are clinically occult and frequently diagnosed incidentally in histopathology reports after a thyroidectomy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the rate of papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMC) in patients who were thyroidectomised with indications of benign disease. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the histological incidence of PTMC in 431 consecutive patients who, in a 5 year period, underwent a thyroidectomy with benign indications. Patients with benign histology and with known or suspected malignancy were excluded. Results: Histopathology reports from 540 patients who underwent a total thyroidectomy in our department between 2016 and 2021 were reviewed. A total of 431 patients were thyroidectomised for presumed benign thyroid disease. A total of 395 patients had confirmed benign thyroid disease in the final histopathology, while 36 patients had incidental malignant lesions (33 PTMC-7.67%, one multifocal PTC without microcarcinomas-0.23%, two follicular thyroid carcinoma-0.46%). Out of the PTMC patients, 29 were female and four were male (7.2:1 female-male ratio). The mean age was 54.2 years old. A total of 24 out of 33 patients had multifocal lesions, 11 of which co-existed with macro PTC. Nine patients had unifocal lesions. A total of 21 of these patients were initially operated on for multinodular goitre (64%), while 13 were operated on for Hashimoto/Lymphocytic thyroiditis (36%). Conclusions: PTMC-often multifocal-is not an uncommon, incidental finding after thyroidectomy for benign thyroid lesions (7.67% in our series) and often co-exists with other incidental malignant lesions (8.35% in our series). The possibility of an underlying papillary microcarcinoma should be taken into account in the management of patients with benign-especially nodular-thyroid disease, and total thyroidectomy should be considered.

Giant Echinococcosis of the Liver with Suppuration: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Purpose: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a common, complex parasitic disease that constitutes a major public health concern. CE demonstrates high endemicity in areas where dogs are used for herding or where animal husbandry practices involve close contact with livestock. It can clinically manifest with a variety of signs and symptoms, such as cholangitis, jaundice, pancreatitis, external biliary fistula, inferior vena cava obstruction, portal hypertension, and superinfection. The latter can notably be related to suppuration, either by rupture or bacteremia. The aim of this study is to report our 76-year-old patient who presented with a primarily infected giant-suppurated hydatid cyst of the liver and its surgical management. Methods: In this case, the diagnosis was based primarily on clinical presentation, computed tomography (CT) scan, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the patient's abdomen. The surgical procedure of choice was the partial retaining of the pericystic membrane and drainage of the cystic contents (partial pericystectomy). Results: The surgical management and meticulous long-term follow-up of our patient produced a positive outcome without any post-operative complications.

HPV-Induced Anal and Peri-Anal Neoplasia, a Surgeon's Experience: 5-Year Case Series.

Purpose: One of the most known sexually transmitted diseases is Condylomata acuminata (CA), a skin lesion occurring due to infection from Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). CA has a typical appearance of raised, skin-colored papules ranging in size from 1 mm to 5 mm. These lesions often form cauliflower-like plaques. Depending on the involved HPV-subtype (either high-risk or low-risk) and its malignant potential, these lesions are likely to lead to malignant transformation when specific HPV subtypes and other risk factors are present. Therefore, high clinical suspicion is required when examining the anal and perianal area. Methods: In this article, the authors aim to present the results of a five-year case series (2016-2021) of anal and perianal cases of CA. Results: A total of 35 patients were included in this study. Patients were categorized based on specific criteria, which included gender, sex preferences, and human immunodeficiency virus infection. All patients underwent proctoscopy and excision biopsies were obtained. Based on dysplasia grade patients were further categorized. The group of patients where high-dysplasia squamous cell carcinoma was present was initially treated with chemoradiotherapy. Abdominoperineal resection was necessary in five cases after local recurrence. Conclusions: CA remains a serious condition where several treatment options are available if detected early. Delay in diagnosis can lead to malignant transformation, often leaving abdominoperineal resection as the only option. Vaccination against HPV poses a key role in eliminating the transmission of the virus, and thus the prevalence of CA.

A Review of the Significance in Measuring Preoperative and Postoperative Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) Values in Patients with Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC).

Background and Objectives: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) accounts for 1-2% of all thyroid malignancies, and it originates from parafollicular "C" cells. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a tumor marker, mainly for gastrointestinal malignancies. There are references in literature where elevated CEA levels may be the first finding in MTC. The aim of this study is to determine the importance of measuring preoperative and postoperative CEA values in patients with MTC and to define the clinical significance of the correlation between CEA and the origin of C cells. Materials and Methods: The existing and relevant literature was reviewed by searching for articles and specific keywords in the scientific databases of PubMedCentraland Google Scholar (till December 2020). Results: CEA has found its place, especially at the preoperative level, in the diagnostic approach of MTC. Preoperative CEA values >30 ng/mL indicate extra-thyroid disease, while CEA values >100 ng/mL are associated with lymph node involvement and distant metastases. The increase in CEA values preoperatively is associated with larger size of primary tumor, presence of lymph nodes, distant metastases and a poorer prognosis. The clinical significance of CEA values for the surgeon is the optimal planning of surgical treatment. In the recent literature, C cells seem to originate from the endoderm of the primitive anterior gut at the ultimobranchial bodies' level. Conclusions: Although CEA is not a specific biomarker of the disease in MTC, itsmeasurement is useful in assessing the progression of the disease. The embryonic origin of C cells could explain the increased CEA values in MTC.

Neck synovial sarcoma: case presentation.

Head and neck synovial sarcoma (HNSS) is a rare tumor with a few case reports or case series being published in the literature. We present the case of a 68-year-old patient admitted to our department for management of a palpable neck mass. After initial investigation and due to major problems of differential diagnosis, there was performed a wide excision of the tumor. Histopathology examination revealed an HNSS.