Adjuvant high-dose interferon-{alpha} for resected melanoma in a patient with HIV infection.

Adjuvant interferon (IFN)-alpha remains the standard adjuvant therapy for intermediate and high-risk melanoma after definitive surgical resection. Data addressing the role and safety of adjuvant immunotherapy in HIV-infected patients with melanoma are lacking. We report on an HIV(+) patient who received IFN-alpha as adjuvant treatment for high-risk melanoma. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of such an approach.

Carcinoma tubárico primitivo y polimiositis / Primary primitive fallopian tube carcinoma and polymiositis

Los autores aportan un caso de asociación de un carcinoma tubárico primitivo a una polimiositis. Se trata de una paciente de 53 años, que consultó por dolores pelvianos, metrorragias y leucorreas amarillentas, con una masa pelviana de difícil movilización y móvil a la exploración clínica, y una masa laterouterina derecha con hidrosálpinx en la ecografía pelviana. El diagnóstico definitivo lo aportó el examen ana tomoclínico de la pieza de anexectomía derecha. La histerectomía total sin conservación anexial no dejó residuo tumoral. La paciente perdió contacto con nosotros sin tratamiento complementario y reconsultó 3 años después por una impotencia funcional de los miembros superiores, seguida de los inferiores, mialgias, alteraciones de la deglución y aparición de una adenopatía supraclavicular izquierda. Los exámenes clínicos, paraclínicos y anatomopatológicos mostraron que se trataba de un adenocarcinoma tubárico derecho con recaída ganglionar pelviana y metastásica supraclavicular izquierda, con polimiositis paraneoplásica. La paciente se ha beneficiado de 6 sesiones de quimioterapia, después de radioterapia en el hueco subclavicular izquierdo, a la dosis de 45 Gy. La respuesta al tratamiento ha sido excelente, y la paciente está en remisión completa después de un margen de 50 meses tras el diagnóstico. La asociación de cáncer de la trompa con una polimiositis es excepcional, y es necesaria una terapia antineoplásica rápida para tratar el cáncer y la polimiositis paraneoplásica (AU)

We report a case of a primitive fallopian tube carcinoma associated with polymyositis. A 53­year-old woman consulted for pelvic pain, metrorrhagia, and leukorrhea. Physical examination revealed a renitent and mobile mass in the pelvis. Ultrasonography showed a right lateral uterine mass with hydrosalpinx. Pathological examination of the right annexectomy specimen provided the definitive diagnosis. No residual tumor was found at total hysterectomy with bilateral annexectomy. The patient was lost to follow-up for 3 years without complementary treatment and then consulted again for functional disability first of the upper limbs and subsequently of the lower limbs with myalgia, swallowing disorders and left supraclavicular node enlargement resulting from pelvic relapse of the right fallopian tube adenocarcinoma and left supraclavicular metastasis with paraneoplastic polymyositis. The patient was given 6 courses of chemotherapy with radiotherapy (45 Gy) centered on the left clavicular region. The patient showed excellent response to treatment, and remains in complete remission 50 months after diagnosis. The association of fallopian tube carcinoma with polymyositis is exceptional, requiring rapid treatment effective against the cancer and paraneoplastic polymyositis (AU)

Differentiated thyroid cancer and outcome in iodine deficiency.

AIMS: Factors influencing prognosis and long-term outcome of thyroid cancer have been described by several groups. We wished to asses the previously described prognostic factors in a moderately iodine deficient region in Hungary. METHODS: Four hundred and fifty-four out of 492 patients who had surgery for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC, 386 cases) and follicular thyroid cancer (FTC, 106 cases) between 1971 and 1998 were analyzed. Survival curves were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: The 10 and 20-year survival rates were 87.9 and 84% for PTC, and 78.2 and 78.2% for FTC. In PTC, extrathyroidal invasion (p<0.0001), lymph node metastasis (p<0.0001), distant metastasis (p<0.0001), and age over 40 years (p=0.002) were significant adverse predictors. In FTC, extrathyroidal invasion (p=0.003) distant metastases (p<0.0001), and age over 40 years (p=0.011) were significant adverse predictors. CONCLUSION: Iodine intake did not appear to influence survival. The incidence of follicular cancer, which has less favourable prognosis, was higher in iodine deficient regions. This supports the importance of iodine supplementation in these areas.

A case of pancreatic cancer with the sign of Leser-Trélat.

A case of 79-year-old man with pancreatic cancer associated with the sign of Leser-Trélat was presented. Abdominal CT scanning was performed and a pancreatic tail tumor involving the spleen and the greater omentum as well as ascitic retention were detected. Ba-enema study showed the stenosis of the sigmoid colon, suggesting the peritoneal disseminations. Absolute non-curative operation of side-to-side transverso-sigmoidostomy was performed for colonic stenosis, and biopsy of the disseminated omental tumor was performed, which was histologically diagnosed as well differentiated papillary adenocarcinoma compatible with pancreatic cancer. The postoperative course was uneventful and at present the patient was followed at outpatient clinic. To our knowledge, this case is the first report with pancreatic cancer associated with the sign of Leser-Trélat in Japan.

Primary hyperparathyroidism and nonmedullary thyroid cancer.

Of 2,058 patients who had surgically proven primary hyperparathyroidism at the Mayo Clinic from 1965 through 1979, 51 or 2.5 percent had associated nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma. A history of radiation exposure to the head and neck was obtained in 14 of 43 patients questioned. Thyroid disease consisted of grade 1 papillary adenocarcinoma in 48 cases and pure follicular adenocarcinoma in 3 cases. The parathyroid disease included 41 single adenomas and 5 cases of parathyroid hyperplasia; 5 patients had 2 adenomas. At follow-up, none of the patients had evidence of metastatic thyroid carcinoma. Ten patients were receiving calcium or vitamin D supplementation for protracted hypocalcemia presumably due to the increased insult to the parathyroids from combined bilateral thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. More consecutive thyroidectomy, along with parathyroid autotransplantation when indicated, will provide definitive treatment of the thyroid cancer and at the same time minimize the risk of postoperative hypoparathyroidism.