Association of Parathyroid and Differentiated Thyroid Carcinomas: A Narrative Up-To-Date Review of the Literature.

Aim: Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is a rare endocrine malignancy that represents 0.005% of all malignant tumors. Associated PC and differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is an exceptionally rare condition, and the preoperative diagnostics and proper treatment are challenging. Almost all PCs and the majority of DTCs are diagnosed postoperatively, making correct surgical treatment questionable. Specific guidelines for parathyroid and thyroid carcinomas association treatment are lacking. The purposes of our study were to identify the association between parathyroid and thyroid carcinomas, to analyze the available published data, and to evaluate the possible relationship between preoperative diagnostic and surgical decision-making, and outcome-related issues. Material and methods: We performed a literature review of several databases from the earliest records to March 2022, using controlled vocabulary and keywords to search for records on the topic of PC and WDTC pathological association. The reference lists from the initially identified articles were analyzed to obtain more references. Results: We identified 25 cases of PC and DTC association, 14 more than the latest review from 2021. The mean age of patients was 55, with a female to male ratio of about 3:1. Exposure to external radiation was identified in only one patient, although it is considered a risk factor the development of both PC and DTC. The preoperative suspicion of PC was stated by the authors in only 25% of cases, but suspicion based on clinical, laboratory, ultrasound (US), and fine needle aspiration (FNA) criteria could have been justified in more than 50% of them. With neck ultrasound, 40% of patients presented suspicious features both for PC and thyroid carcinoma. Intra-operatory descriptions of the lesions revealed the highest suspicion (83.3%) of PC, but en bloc resection was recommended and probably performed in only about 50% of the cases. Histopathological examinations of the thyroid revealed different forms of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in most cases. Postoperative normocalcemia was achieved in 72% of patients, but follow-up data was missing in about 25% of cases. Conclusion: Associated PC and DTC is an exceptionally rare condition, and the preoperative diagnostic and treatment of the patients is a challenge. However, in most cases pre- and intraoperative suspicious features are present for identification by a highly specialized multidisciplinary endocrine team, who can thus perform the optimal treatment to achieve curability.

Clinical Outcomes of Enamel Matrix Derivate Used in Surgical and Non-Surgical Treatment of Peri-Implantitis: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies.

Background and objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to assess the available evidence of using enamel matrix derivate in the treatment of peri-implantitis. Materials and methods: Three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched until August 2022 to identify relevant articles. The inclusion criteria consisted in human clinical studies that reported the use of enamel matrix derivate (EMD) in surgical and non-surgical treatment of peri-implantitis. The risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and for non-RCTs ROBINS-I tool. Results: Clinical studies included were published between 2012 and 2022 and consisted of two randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for non-surgical therapy and two RCTs, three prospective cohort studies, and one retrospective case series in surgical therapy. Due to the heterogeneity of patients' characteristics and assessment of peri-implant therapy, statistical analysis could not be achieved. Conclusions: The use of EMD indicated a positive effect on both surgical and non-surgical therapy. However, the available literature is scarce, with low evidence in non-surgical approach and modest evidence in surgical approach using EMD. More RCTs with standardize protocols are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of using EMD in both therapies.

A Systematic Analysis of the Available Human Clinical Studies of Dental Implant Failure in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background and objectives: The aim was to evaluate the current literature on the influence of inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis/Crohn's disease) in dental implant osseointegration in human clinical studies. Materials and methods: This review was conducted under the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were electronic screened to find relevant articles published until October 2021. The inclusion criteria consisted of human clinical studies that reported the use of dental implant in patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. Risk of bias was assessed according to The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology criteria. Results: A total of 786 studies were identified from databases. Of these, six studies were included in the review and reported the use of implants in patients with Crohn's disease. No articles were available for ulcerative colitis. Included articles indicated that Crohn's disease may determine early and late implant failure. Besides Crohn's disease, several patients presented associated risk factors and systemic disease that determined implant failure. Conclusions: The presence of clinical studies on the influence of IBD in implant therapy is low. When recommending an implant therapy to IBD patients, the multidisciplinary team should be aware of side effects and a close collaboration between members of this team is necessary. More data are needed to sustain the effect of IBD on implant therapy.

Does Surgical Margin Width Remain a Challenge for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer? A Retrospective Analysis.

Background and Objectives: Local and distant relapse (LR, DR) in breast cancer vary according to its molecular subtypes, with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) being the most aggressive. The surgical resection margin width (SRMW) for breast-conserving surgery (BCS) has been intensely debated, especially for the aforementioned subtype. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of SRMW on LR following BCS in TNBC patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study including all patients with TNBC for whom BCS was performed between 2005 and 2014. Results: Final analysis included a total of 92 patients, with a median tumor size of 2.5 cm (range 0-5 cm) and no distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis. A total of 87 patients had received neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant chemotherapy, and all patients had received adjuvant whole-breast radiotherapy. After a median follow-up of 110.7 months (95% CI, 95.23-126.166), there were 5 local recurrences and 8 regional/distant recurrences with an overall LR rate of 5.4%. The risk of LR and DR was similar between groups of patients with several SRMW cut-off values. Conclusions: Our study supports a safe "no ink on tumor" approach for TNBC patients treated with BCS.

Topical Corticosteroids a Viable Solution for Oral Graft Versus Host Disease? A Systematic Insight on Randomized Clinical Trials.

Background and Objectives: This research attempts to provide a clear view of the literature on randomized clinical trials (RCTs) concerning the efficacy of topical dexamethasone, clobetasol and budesonide in oral graft versus host disease (GVHD). Materials and Methods: An electronic search of the PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases was carried out for eligible RCTs. Studies were included if they had adult patients with oral GVHD treatment with topical corticosteroids, and if the RCT study was published in English. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess the quality of these studies. Overall, three RCTs were included (an Open, Randomized, Multicenter Trial; a Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial; and an Open-Label Phase II Randomized Trial). Results: The trials involved 76 patients, of which 44 patients received topical dexamethasone, 14 patients received topical clobetasol and 18 patients received topical budesonide. Topical agents were most frequently used when oral tissues were the sole site of involvement. It appears that the best overall response is present for budesonide with no difference between the four arms, followed by clobetasol, and then by dexamethasone. The limitation of the current study is mainly represented by the fact that overall response was derived in two of the studies from other parameters. Moreover, both budesonide and clobetasol were used in only one study each, while two assessed dexamethasone. Conclusions: Based on the clinical trials, all three agents seem to be effective in treating oral GVHD and had a satisfactory safety profile. There is still a need for assessing high quality RCTs to assess the efficacy of these therapies on a larger cohort.

Current evidence on thyroid related adverse events in patients treated with protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are gaining more ground in oncology, they are widely used in the treatment of multiple types of cancers; still important side effects limit their efficacy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the existing medical literature on TKI induced thyroid dysfunction, to assess the adverse effects of targeted therapy on thyroid function in oncological patients and to evaluate the effects of thyroid dysfunction on disease prognosis. We included in this review 22 original studies published between 2010 and 2019. We used the PubMed database to search for articles upon the development of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in TKI treated patients. After a careful review of the existing literature, we selected the relevant studies and cross-referenced the bibliography of each paper. A number of 1641 patients were included in our review. We found that thyroid dysfunction is not a rare side effect of TKI treatment, approximately 33% of the total number of patients presented clinical hypothyroidism. We also studied the necessity of thyroid hormone substitution treatment, a quarter of evaluated patients needed substitution therapy. Multiple studies showed that there is a link between a patient developing hypothyroidism and progression free survival. Hypothyroidism is a frequent side effect of TKI treatment, which affects the quality of life, sometimes even determines physicians to stop TKI treatment altogether. Our study underlines the necessity of TSH baseline testing and monitoring in patients treated with TKI agents.

The impact of proton pump inhibitors on bone regeneration and implant osseointegration.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have become known for the treatment of gastric-acid related disorders. Similar to any other drugs, PPIs have possible adverse reactions, being associated with bone fractures, infections, kidney disease, mineral deficiency, dementia, and pneumonia. Multiple analyses have stated that PPIs therapy may affect bone regeneration and osseointegration process, causing an increased risk of bone fracture, deterioration of bone metabolism and impaired bone healing. In this review, we emphasized the current literature regarding the influence of proton pump inhibitors in the bone regeneration process. Results from the studies suggest a link between PPIs intake and bone regeneration, but several concerns are raised regarding inadequate recipient bone, surgical trauma, limitations on the titanium surface, comorbidities or interference with other pharmacological agents. Further studies are needed to determine whether the impaired bone regeneration process is due to PPI or coexisting factors.

Systemic drugs with impact on osteoarthritis.

Articular cartilage has a complex structure and metabolism which allow for a proper movement within joints. Nevertheless, several systemically administered pharmacological agents have been proved to improve the anabolic response in the case of cartilage lesions. Alendronate, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, collagen hydrolysate, vitamin C, vitamin D, aspirin and strontium ranelate have shown positive results in clinical trials. On the other hand, calcitonin, risedronate, doxycycline, and celecoxib did not slow the progression of cartilage lesions in clinical trials. Other systemic drugs or supplements such as teriparatide, leptin, zoledronic acid, bevacizumab, atorvastatin, omega-3 fatty acid, naringin, MSM, selenium, zinc, magnesium, resveratrol, donepezil, naproxen, etodolac, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), lithium chloride, and rebamipide showed positive results in in vitro and animal studies but clinical trials are needed to confirm the positive impact on cartilage repair. A number of molecules, not currently available on the market, have also shown promising results in cartilage healing, such as licofelone, sclerostin, cyclopamine, cyclodextrin polysulfate, AG-041R, osteoprotegerin, rhMK, ß-cryptoxanthine, NF-κb essential modulator binding domain (NBD), TGF-ß-neutralizing antibody, osteogenic protein-1 (BMP-7), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), and RhBMP-2. Currently available systemic drugs that impair cartilage healing are represented by corticosteroids, vitamin A, and fluoroquinolones.

Mazabraud's syndrome and thyroid cancer, a very rare and confusing association: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Mazabraud's syndrome is defined as the association between fibrous dysplasia and intramuscular myxomas. The syndrome was first described in 1967 and, up until now, less than 100 cases have been reported worldwide. Here we report the association between this rare syndrome and thyroid cancer. When a malignant disease occurs in a patient affected by this syndrome, the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant bone lesions should be undertaken carefully. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 57-year-old Caucasian male, admitted for diffuse bone pain localized in the left leg and for the presence of an indolent, slow-growing mass in the left shoulder. The patient also presented with a thyroid nodule, highly suggestive of a malignancy. The radiologic examination showed multiple osteolytic lesions. The suspicion of multiple myeloma or bone metastases arising from a thyroid cancer was considered. Electrophoresis of proteins was negative and therefore excluded the diagnosis of multiple myeloma; the thyroid surgery was indicated. Thyroidectomy confirmed the papillary thyroid carcinoma, and the bone lesions were considered to be metastases from the thyroid cancer. After surgery, under thyroid-stimulated hormonal conditions, the patient underwent radioiodine therapy and a post-therapy radioiodine whole body scan. The lack of radioiodine uptake, both in the bone lesions and shoulder mass, suggested the possibility of less differentiated, non-avid radioiodine lesions, or the absence of any relation between pathologies. Considering the low level of the specific tumor marker, thyroglobulin, a bone biopsy and resection of the shoulder mass were indicated. The final diagnosis was intramuscular myxoma with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia in the deltoid muscle (Mazabraud's syndrome). A completely incidental cerebral tumor lesion was also discovered. CONCLUSION: During the evolution of a malignant disease, Mazabraud's syndrome, known as the association of intramuscular myxoma with fibrous dysplasia, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of bone metastasis. This is the first report in the literature of Mazabraud's syndrome occurring in a patient with thyroid cancer.

Investigation of thyroid carcinoma over 40 years, using the database of the Ion Chiricuta Institute of Oncology Cluj-Napoca.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyse incidence trends for thyroid cancer (TC) treated at the Ion Chiricuta Institute of Oncology (IOCN), Romania. METHODS: Between 1970 and 2009, 2838 patients at our institute were diagnosed with TC, treated and followed up. We analysed epidemiological data, distribution by age groups,sex, histopathological diagnosis, treatments and 5- and 10-year overall survival rates. RESULTS: TC increased 10-fold in the last decade. Patients' mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 45.6 (±27.8) years. Although women represented 88.8% and men 11.2% of these patients, men's 5-year overall survival rate (89.7%) was lower - but not significantly - than that of women's (97.9%) (p=0.435). Patients aged 46 years and older had the lowest 5- and 10-year overall survival rates (94.9 and 87.8%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Aggressive histology, older age and male gender significantly influenced survival rates. The high incidence of TC underlines the necessity of having a national/ regional TC registry to improve our epidemiological data.

Short Implants versus Standard Implants and Sinus Floor Elevation in Atrophic Posterior Maxilla: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials with ≥5 Years' Follow-Up.

Background and objectives: The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to assess the performance of short implants in comparison with standard implants and sinus floor elevation in atrophic posterior maxilla. Materials and methods: The protocol of the study was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42022375320). An electronic search on three databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) was performed to find randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with ≥5 years' follow-up, published until December 2022. Risk of bias (ROB) was calculated using Cochrane ROB. A meta-analysis was performed for primary (implant survival rate, ISR) and secondary outcomes (marginal bone loss, MBL; biological and prosthetic complications). Results: Of 1619 articles, 5 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The ISR showed a risk ratio (RR) of 0.97 [0.94, 1.00] (CI 95%), p = 0.07. The MBL indicated a WMD of -0.29 [-0.49, -0.09] (CI 95%), p = 0.005. Biological complications showed a RR of 0.46 [0.23, 0.91] (CI 95%), p = 0.03. Prosthetic complications showed a RR of 1.51 [0.64, 3.55] (CI 95%), p = 0.34. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that short implants might be used as an alternative to standard implants and sinus floor elevation. After 5 years, in terms of ISR, standard implants and sinus floor elevation showed a higher survival rate comparted to short implants, although statistical significance was not achieved. Future RCTs with long-term follow-up are needed to draw a clear conclusion on the advantages of one method over another.

Radioiodine-131 Therapy Used for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Can Impair Titanium Dental Implants: An In Vitro Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to assess, in vitro, the effects of radioiodine-131 (I-131) on the structure of titanium implants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 28 titanium implants were divided into 7 groups (n = 4) and irradiated at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, 192 and 384 hours. At the end of the experiment, each sample was investigated via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical measures. RESULTS: The control sample revealed a smooth and compact surface. The small micro-sized porosity is slightly visible at the macroscopic level, but the precise details cannot be observed. A mild exposure to the radioactive solution for 6 to 24 h showed a good preservation of the macro-structural aspects such as thread details and surface quality. Significant changes occurred after 48 h of exposure. It was noticed that the open-circuit potential (OCP) value of the non-irradiated implants move toward more noble potentials during the first 40 min of exposure to the artificial saliva and then stabilizes at a constant value of -143 mV. A displacement of the OCP values toward more negative values was observed for all irradiated implants; these potential shifts are decreasing, as the irradiation period of the tested implants increased. CONCLUSION: After exposure to I-131, the structure of titanium implants is well preserved up to 12 h. The eroded particles start to appear in the microstructural details after 24 h of exposure and their numbers progressively increase up to 384 h after exposure.

Endometrial carcinoma in patients under 40 years of age: insights from the Bulgarian Cancer Registry.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the overall survival (OS) of young women with endometrial cancer (EC) in Bulgaria and the impact of histological type on survival. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a population-wide retrospective study of patients with EC (≤ 40 years at diagnosis) registered at Bulgarian National Cancer Registry (BNCR) between 1993 and 2020. Patients were re-classified according to the 8th edition of the TNM classification. RESULTS: In total, 30 597 patients were registered and histologically confirmed with malignant tumors of the uterine body. From that, 29 065 of them (95%) had ECs, and the rest had sarcomas. Around 1.64% of all malignant tumors of the uterine body are diagnosed in women under the age of 40. Most of them are diagnosed in the early stage. There was no significant difference in median OS for patients diagnosed before or after 2003. In recent years there was a slight improvement in survival and patients from the last cohort of this study had a 5-year survival rate of 92.5%. Patients with favorable pathology (T1, G1/2) had no lymph node involvement at the time of diagnosis and their 10-year survival rate was 94%. CONCLUSIONS: EC in young women is a rare disease. In most cases, patients are diagnosed in early stageT1, G1/2, N0 and their prognosis is excellent. However, the lack of improvement of OS of young patients with EC in the last three decades shows the need for treatment optimization.

Thyroid cancer in children: a 20-year study at a Romanian oncology institute.

Thyroid carcinoma (TC) has an increasing incidence in the last decade and continues to represent the most frequent form of endocrine tumor. The aim of the study was to analyze the pediatric files of TC from the registry of "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta" Institute of Oncology Cluj-Napoca, Romania (IOCN) and to provide the data related to the impact of nuclear fallout of Chernobyl on this pathology. We studied 72 children with TC treated between 1991 and 2010. The mean age was 15.3 years; the ratio female/male was 6.2:1. Twenty-nine children (40.2%) revealed metastasis in regional lymph nodes or lungs at the initial diagnostic. There were 63 differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), 6 cases with medullary cancer (MC), 1 case with anaplastic carcinoma (AC), and 2 mixed cases. All patients underwent total thyroidectomy and the radioiodine was administered in 64 cases (activities between 1.1 - 28.1 GBq I-131). Fifty-two children (80.5%) are free of disease, 8 are in partial remission and 4 children are in evolution of the disease at minimum 12 months of follow-up. The incidence of TC was significantly increased 10 years after the accident. In the years after, the increasing trendline was stopped and at 25 years, the number of cases is stationary. The diagnosis of pediatric TC is made frequently in metastatic disease and the therapies must be conducted for many years till complete remission. A more clear strategy adapted to children is needed in the future.

Structural Changes in Resin-Based Composites in Saliva of Patients with Leukemia before Starting Chemotherapeutic Regimen.

Background: The aim of this in vitro study was to assess the morphological characteristics and stability of dental composites immersed in saliva collected from patients with leukemia. Material and Methods: A total number of five patients without systemic disease and 20 patients with leukemia (acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)) were included for saliva sampling. Composite disks were immersed in the leukemia, control, and artificial environments for 7 days. At the end of the experiment, atomic force microscopy (AFM), color stability (ΔE), and saliva elements analysis were performed. Statistical significance was considered for a p-value under 0.05. Results: The most changed surface resulted for ALL with a roughness that was almost double that of the untreated sample and was significantly increased compared to the healthy saliva. The effect of CLL was not as intense as observed for acute leukemia, but was significantly over the control. ALL seemed to modify structural components of the saliva, which were able to deteriorate the surface of the composite. ALL saliva promoted a significant dissolution of the initial feature of the samples and promoted nano-particle clusterization. All dental composites showed clinically acceptable color change values (ΔE < 3.3) in all four-leukemia salivas; CLL and CML showed large color differences for all composites. The total concentrations of P, Na, and K showed wide ranges of variations, while the coefficient of variation in Fe, Cu, and Mg showed narrow variations between the salvias' investigated. The salivary concentration of zinc decreased considerably in the CLL and CML environments compared to the ALL and AML environments. Fe and Cu were significantly increased in the CML environment. Conclusions: Control and artificial salivas have a mild erosive effect on the surface of dental composites. The acute stage of the disease seems to deteriorate the surface roughness rather than its morphology, however, in the chronic stage, it is the surface morphology that mostly deteriorates.

Thyroid carcinoma associated with other primary neoplasms, a single center study.

Background and aims: Thyroid carcinoma is the most frequent endocrine malignancy. It develops following a complex interaction of environmental and genetic factors. Its incidence is on the rise mostly due to the frequent diagnosis of microcarcinomas (tumor <1 cm). In most cases, it has very good prognosis and survival rates. The incidence of a second primary malignancy in thyroid cancer patients is higher than in the general population. In this article, we focus on the role of BRAF V600E mutation in the development of other primary neoplasms associated with thyroid carcinoma. Methods: This study was conducted in the department of Nuclear Medicine and Genetics of the "Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuța" Institute of Oncology of Cluj-Napoca. We evaluated patients with thyroid carcinoma, who were diagnosed and treated for other malignancies such as breast, colorectal, lung cancer and malignant melanoma. In addition, we tested for the BRAF V600E mutation using paraffin samples of patients. Results: We identified 17 patients that had thyroid carcinoma associated with other primary malignancies. Two of the patients included in the study had three associated primary cancers. The time interval between the diagnoses of two primary neoplasms in the same patient was 6.15 years, with a standard deviation (SD) of 5.39 years. The most common primary tumor associated with thyroid carcinoma in this study was breast cancer. We applied genetic testing for the BRAF V600E mutation in 12 patients. The BRAF V600E mutation positivity rate was 26.9% and most of the cancer associations were metachronous (occurring at least 6 months after thyroid cancer). Conclusions: The BRAF V600E mutation is an important prognostic factor in the neoplasms included in this study, but its presence is not a predictive factor for the appearance of a metachronous or synchronous associated primary neoplasm to thyroid cancer.

Challenges in the Correct Assessment of a Case of Aggressive Thyroid Carcinoma with Synchronous Breast Cancer: A Case Report and Review of the Literature of Essential Role of Radiopharmaceuticals.

Thyroid carcinoma represents a complex pathology that can still be considered a medical challenge, despite having a better prognosis and life expectancy than most other neoplasms; also the scenario of multiple malignancies involving thyroid cancer is nowadays a common reality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the literature regarding the aggressive presentation of synchronous thyroid and breast cancer. In the current paper, we report the case of a 59 years-old woman, diagnosed with invasive ductal breast carcinoma and papillary thyroid carcinoma, presenting a natural history of both aggressive synchronous tumors. At the moment of hospitalization, the diagnosis was breast carcinoma with multiple secondary lesions, suggestive of lung and bone metastases, and nodular goiter. RESULTS: Searching the literature in PUBMED with the terms "thyroid carcinoma and synchronous breast carcinoma, we found 86 studies; introducing the term "aggressive," the result included 4 studies, among which, none showed to be relevant to the terms aggressive and synchronous. A similar search was done in SCOPUS finding 92 documents and after introducing the term aggressive, the number of papers was 8, none including the literature on synchronous aggressive metastatic thyroid and breast carcinoma. A majority of imaging diagnostic tools were used in this particular medical case in order to ensure the best potential outcome. The final diagnosis was papillary thyroid carcinoma with lung and unusual multiple bone metastases and synchronous invasive ductal breast carcinoma with subcutaneous metastases. CONCLUSION: The case illustrates the challenges in the correct assessment of oncologic patients, despite the advances in medical imaging and technologies and underlines the essential role of nuclear medicine procedures in the diagnostic and therapy protocols.

Pituitary Metastases Discovered by 18F-FDG PET/CT During Other Cancers Monitoring: Are There Any Differences of SUVs Between Benign and Malignant Diseases?

F-FDG PET/CT might discover incidental pituitary lesions. We present the case of a 46-year-old woman with breast cancer metastasis in her pituitary. We analyzed 10,347 FDG PET/CT examinations from a tertiary center, finding 4 cases (0.038%) of pituitary metastatic disease from other cancers. We analyzed the differences between SUVmax in cases of physiological high uptake, primary tumor, and hypophysis metastases from other cancers in our database compared with the literature.

Asymptomatic COVID-19 cancer patients incidentally discovered during F18-FDG PET/CT monitoring.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to present the PET/CT imaging features in a small series of asymptomatic patients with known cancer pathologies, infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which were incidentally discovered during their monitoring scan of F18-FDG PET/CT. METHODS: We included in our study a number of five cases (3 female and 2 male) out of 478 patients examined by F18-FDG PET/CT between March - April 2020, with confirmed diagnostic of cancer. Four patients had lung damages suggestive for the mentioned viral infection and 1 patient had multiple lung metastases from thyroid cancer. All patients were asymptomatic for acute respiratory disease at the time of examination, being subsequently confirmed for the viral infection by specific PCR analysis. RESULTS: The asymptomatic positive SARS-CoV-2 cancer patients discovered incidentally in PET/CT F18-FDG represent 0.83% and their imaging characteristics were suggestive for high FDG activity in the lung despite the lack of respiratory symptoms. CONCLUSION: The SARS CoV-2 viral infection in asymptomatic cancer patients is a very rare possibility, but represents a challenging scenario both for the differential diagnosis in cancer and also for the epidemiologic context.

Assessment and Care of Oral Lesions for Patients Who Undergo Radioiodine Treatment for Thyroid Cancer.

Patients with differentiated thyroid cancer who undergo radioiodine treatment often present oral complications with a significant impact on their oral cavity function. Any potential sources of systemic infections like periodontal disease, unfitted dentures, orthodontic appliances, deficient/rough fillings, or traumatic dentition must be treated by the dental practitioner, because they represent the main source of spread and dissemination. Any systemic complication of a dental foci may result from improper dental preparation of the patient before radioiodine therapy and inadequate post-radioiodine therapy oral care. Therefore, all patients proceeding into radioiodine treatment should be addressed by the oncological team to undergo thorough dental check-up and receive appropriate treatment in due time.