Contralateral Axillary Lymph Node Metastasis in a Patient with Relapsed Breast Cancer: Locoregional Event or Distant Metastasis Disease?

INTRODUCTION: Contralateral axillary lymph node metastasis (CAM) is a rare clinical condition in patients with breast cancer. It can be explained from hematogenous spread from the original primary tumor (stage IV) to aberrant regional lymphatic drainage to the contralateral axilla. However, according to the current clinical guidelines, regardless of its origin, CAM is considered as metastatic disease. CASE PRESENTATION: A 68-year-old woman presented with relapsed right breast cancer; lymphoscintigraphy showed only one sentinel lymph node (SLN) in the contralateral axilla (left region). Twenty-four hours later, the patient underwent upper internal quadrantectomy and bilateral selective lymph node biopsy. The final pathological analysis revealed one contralateral macrometastasis (>4 mm) in one left SLN. Subsequently, second-level left lymphadenectomy was performed. Currently the patient is being treated with chemotherapy, with appropriate clinical response. DISCUSSION: Our patient was considered to be node-positive rather than having metastatic disease since the preoperative lymphoscintigraphy demonstrated contralateral lymphatic drainage. Through preoperative scan in patients with relapsed breast cancer with clinically negative lymph nodes and CAM, it is possible to identify those cases that would benefit from therapy with curative intention.

Concordancia analítica de la tiroglobulina estimulada con tirotropina recombinante humana y tras privación hormonal previa a la terapia con 131I en pacientes con cáncer diferenciado de tiroides / Concordance between thyroglobulin determinations after diagnostic recombinant human TSH stimulation and after hormone withdrawal prior to131I therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer

Objetivos: Comparar los resultados de tiroglobulina obtenidos ante estimulación con tirotropina recombinante humana (rhTSH) con fines diagnósticos y tras privación hormonal previa a la terapia con 131I. Pacientes y método: Se evaluó a 31 pacientes en seguimiento por cáncer diferenciado de tiroides (CDT) a los que se indicó dosis terapéutica de 131I. Fueron sometidos de forma consecutiva a ambos protocolos de estimulación, y el tratamiento con radioyodo distó 1-2 meses del procedimiento diagnóstico con rhTSH. Se realizaron determinaciones analíticas de TSH, tiroglobulina (Tg) y anticuerpos anti-Tg por métodos inmunométricos. Resultados: Las medianas de Tg obtenidas tras rhTSH y privación fueron de 1,10 y 1,80 ng/ml, respectivamente. Analizados como positivos o negativos, dichos valores mostraron un índice kappa de concordancia de 0,633. Los casos discordantes mostraron una mayor elevación de Tg en estímulo con rhTSH (3 casos) y sólo en 1 caso se obtuvo un resultado negativo con estimulación con rhTSH que luego se positivizó en la dosis ablativa. Conclusiones: El estímulo con rhTSH consigue elevaciones diagnósticas de TSH en todos los casos aplicados. Los valores de Tg obtenidos con ambos estímulos muestran un grado de concordancia elevado (AU)

Objectives: To compare the results of thyroglobulin (Tg) determination after diagnostic recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) stimulation and after hormone withdrawal prior to 131I therapy. Patients and method: Thirty-one patients followed-up for differentiated thyroid cancer were evaluated. In all patients 131I therapy was indicated. All patients underwent both stimulation methods, with an interval of 1-2 months between diagnostic rhTSH administration and radioiodine therapy. Laboratory determinations of TSH, Tg and Tg antibodies were carried out by immunometric methods. Results: Median Tg values obtained after rhTSH stimulation and hormone withdrawal were 1.10 and 1.80 ng/ml, respectively. Considered as positive or negative, these values showed a kappa value of 0.633. Discordant cases showed greater elevation after rhTSH stimulation (3 patients). Only one patient showed a negative result after rhTSH stimulation, which was then positive after the ablative dose. Conclusions: Stimulus with rhTSH achieved diagnostic elevations of TSH in all patients. Tg levels after both stimulation methods showed a high degree of agreement (AU)