RESUMEN
Multiple primary malignant tumors are defined by the development of more than one malignancy in a single patient. These can be subdivided into synchronous or metachronous malignant tumors, depending on their time of appearance, relative to the first malignancy. Triple primary malignancies are a relatively rare occurrence in day-to-day practice and triple synchronous or metachronous carcinomas involving a thyroid localization are even less common. In this case series, we report our 20-year experience in diagnosing and managing five patients with triple malignant tumors with thyroid involvement.
RESUMEN
AIM OF STUDY: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the association of thyroid dysfunction occurring in pediatric patients treated for brain tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 255 patients with brain tumors were treated between 2001 and 2018 at the "Prof. Dr. Ion ChiricuÈa" Institute of Oncology, Cluj-Napoca. Due to a minimum follow-up of 4 years, we studied 184 out of the 255 patients. The cohort included 69 girls (37.5%) and 109 boys (62.5%), with a median age of 8.4 years. The evaluated tumors included medulloblastomas (47 patients), astrocytomas (44 patients), ependymomas (22 patients), gliomas (20 patients), germ cell tumors (12 patients), primitive neuroectodermal tumors (4 patients), as well as other types of tumors (15 patients); in 20 of the cases, biopsy could not be performed. RESULTS: There was a 60% overall survival rate; among the 120 surviving patients, 11 (9.1%) were diagnosed with iatrogenic thyroid disease. We observed an important number of iatrogenic thyroid disease cases in this group of patients, thus revealing the importance of long-term thyroid function evaluation in all children who finalized their treatment for brain tumors. Through this study, we aimed to provide an accurate image of the methodology of monitoring for thyroid dysfunction in childhood brain tumor survivors. CONCLUSION: Given the fact that the probability of developing thyroid dysfunction in the pediatric population treated for brain tumors is not rare, we recommend that childhood brain tumor survivors be monitored for iatrogenic thyroid disease, in order to provide early diagnosis and treatment.
RESUMEN
PURPOSE: This review provides an overview of some of the most recent clinical trials which investigated various types of cancer and other diseases, through the use of PET-CT imaging, highlighting the use of immunohistochemical stains or conventional histopathology for the validation or contradiction of their hypothesis. Furthermore, we investigate a potential new direction of research by analyzing the upcoming role of microRNAs in disease confirmation. METHODS: An extensive search of MEDLINE/PubMed and SCOPUS electronic databases was made, using the MeSH terms "positron emission tomography computed tomography" and "immunohistochemistry" as well as "SUV" and "immunohistochemistry", restricting the search by clinical trials and time period. Further searches were made for articles regarding Ki-67 and microRNAs in correlation with metabolic PET-CT uptake. RESULTS: Out of all 389 initial search results, 27 original articles were found relevant to the topic. Their contents were synthesized and discussed regarding the matter at hand. No relevant clinical trials involving microRNAs were found. CONCLUSIONS: Immunohistochemical and histopathologic results remain widely used and indispensable in modern research, concerning PET-CT validation. Possible candidates for diagnosis confirmation, in future research, may reside in the further development of microRNAs.