Incidence patterns and review of Hodgkin lymphoma in the Republic of Armenia.

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) accounts for roughly 10% of all lymphomas and 0.6% of all malignant tumours analysed worldwide yearly. Data regarding HL in developing world are exceptionally constrained. The main objective of this research is to investigate the incidence patterns of HL within the Republic of Armenia and to portray disease distribution according to age and sex. There is a very strict evidence on the frequency of HL in Armenia. The results of our research find out that the frequency of HL in Armenia has not changed altogether over the past 15 years and is comparable to that detailed from the USA and Europe.

Overview of Cancer Control in Armenia and Policy Implications.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Armenia. Over the past two decades, the country has seen a significant rise in cancer morbidity and mortality. This review aims to provide up-to-date info about the state of cancer control in Armenia and identify priority areas of research. The paper analyzes published literature and local and international statistical reports on Armenia and similar countries to put numbers into context. While cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment are improving, the prevalence of risk factors is still quite high and smoking is widespread. Early detection rates are low and several important screening programs are absent. Diagnosis and treatment methods are not standardized; there is a lack of treatment accessibility due to insufficient government coverage and limited availability of essential medicines. Overall, there is room for improvement in this sector, as research is limited and multidisciplinary approaches to the topic are rare.

Hepatoduodenal lymph node metastasis mimicking Klatskin tumor in a patient with sigmoid colon mucinous cancer.

We report a case of a 48-year-old female patient, who presented with abdominal pain, jaundice, and lack of appetite. Ultrasound showed intrahepatic biliary dilatation with retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy. Further magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography detected Klatskin tumor. Computed tomography (CT) confirmed the Klatskin tumor with liver metastases and retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy. Biopsy from the hepatic lesion identified mucinous adenocarcinoma, likely originating from bile ducts. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was performed 3 times with stents placed in the left and right hepatic bile ducts. Later the patient had hematochezia and was referred to colonoscopy. Tubulovillous adenoma with dysplasia was diagnosed with signs of in situ cancer. Preoperative CT was done for further staging: new pulmonary metastases were discovered. Sigmoid colon was resected. Histopathology verified a poorly differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma within the tubulovillous adenoma. Intraoperative biopsies of porta hepatis mass resembled metastatic lymph nodes in hepatoduodenal ligament, mimicking Klatskin tumor. Retrospective analysis of CT data demonstrated presence of sigmoid colon tumor.

Denosumab treatment for progressive skull base giant cell tumor of bone in a 14 year old female - a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Giant cell tumor of bone (GCT) is a rare primary bone tumor, which can metastasize and undergo malignant transformation. The standard treatment of GCT is surgery. In patients with unresectable or metastatic disease, additional therapeutic options are available. These include blocking of the receptor activator of NF-kappa B ligand (RANKL) signaling pathway, which plays a role in the pathogenesis of GCT of bone, via the anti-RANKL monoclonal antibody denosumab. CASE PRESENTATION: Herein we report on a female teenager who presented in a very poor clinical condition (cachexia, diplopia, strabismus, dysphonia with palsy of cranial nerves V, VI, VIII, IX, X, XI and XII) due to progressive disease, after incomplete resection and adjuvant radiotherapy, of a GCT which affected the cervical spine (C1 and C2) as well as the skull base; and who had an impressive clinical response to denosumab therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the youngest patient ever reported with a skull base tumor treated with denosumab. CONCLUSION: In situations when surgery can be postponed and local aggressiveness of the tumor does not urge for acute surgical intervention, upfront use of denosumab in order to reduce the tumor size might be considered. Principally, the goal of denosumab therapy is to reduce tumor size as much as possible, with the ultimate goal to make local surgery (or as in our case re-surgery) amenable. However, improvement in quality of life, as demonstrated in our patient, is also an important aspect of such targeted therapies.