Association between post-operative hPG80 (circulating progastrin) detectable level and worse prognosis in glioblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Patients with glioblastomas have a dismal prognosis, and there is no circulating predictive or prognostic biomarker. Circulating progastrin, hPG80, is a tumor-promoting peptide present in the blood of patients with various cancers that has been shown to have prognostic value. We evaluated the prognostic value of plasma hPG80 in patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase-wild type glioblastoma after surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multicentric retrospective study in glioblastoma patients treated with standard radio-chemotherapy was conducted. The hPG80 levels were measured in plasma EDTA samples collected after surgery with an ELISA DxPG80.lab kit (Biodena Care, Montpellier, France), which has a detection threshold of 1.2 pM. The relationship between post-operative hPG80 plasma levels, in combination with other known prognostic factors, and patients' progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was evaluated. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients were assessable. Plasma samples were collected after tumor biopsy (B), partial resection (PR), and complete resection (CR) for 22, 25, and 22 patients, respectively. At a median concentration of 5.37 pM (interquartile range 0.00-13.90 pM), hPG80 was detected in 48 (70%) patients (hPG80+). CR was associated with significant lower values of hPG80 levels: the median value was 0.7 versus 9.1 pM for PR (P = 0.02) and 8.3 pM for B (P = 0.004). The hPG80 detection rate was also significantly lower: 50% (CR) versus 72% (PR) versus 86% (B) (P = 0.005). The median follow-up was 39 months [22.4 months-not reached]. hPG80 post-operative detection was associated with numerically shorter PFS (6.4 versus 9.4 months, P = 0.13) and OS (14.5 versus 20.9 months, P = 0.11). In multivariate analysis, hPG80 was a prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: Circulating hPG80 could serve as a new prognostic biomarker after surgery in patients with glioblastoma treated with radio-chemotherapy.

Peripheral neck nerve tumor: A 73-case study and literature review.

OBJECTIVES: Peripheral neck nerve tumors are rare and mostly benign neoplasms. The exceptional malignant forms are very aggressive, and diagnosis is difficult. The objective of this study was to evaluate diagnostic and therapeutic management and identify possible predictive factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted of 73 patients treated for peripheral neck nerve tumor between 1995 and 2015. RESULTS: Mean age was 44years. The main presenting symptom was a cervical mass, isolated or associated with signs related to the affected nerve structure. Diagnosis was suspected by slow progression of a firm mass, featuring T1 hyposignal and T2 hypersignal on magnetic resonance imaging. Surgery was performed in 99% of cases, completed by adjuvant chemotherapy in case of malignant neuroblastic tumor. Type 1 neurofibromatosis and sudden increase in mass with or without associated pain suggested malignant transformation. Age below 10years suggested neuroblastic tumor. CONCLUSION: Neck nerve tumors are very often benign with low degenerative potential. Surgery is the treatment of choice after risk/benefit analysis. However, there is no clearly defined consensus regarding the timing of surgery for these lesions.

Masson's tumor revealed by an intracerebral hematoma. Case report and a review of the literature.

We report the case of a 56-year-old woman who underwent total resection of a Masson's tumor or intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH), which was discovered due to a left temporal intracerebral hematoma revealed by aphasia. IPEH is more often localized on cutaneous and subcutaneous locations, intracranial IPEH are rare and only approximately twenty cases have been published to date. These tumors are a benign vascular lesion composed of papillary intravascular proliferation of epithelial cellular associated thrombosis with fibrin deposits responsible for vascular lumen obliteration. Differential diagnoses of neurological locations of IPEH are more often an angiosarcoma, or meningioma, and metastasis. Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI) and CT-scan are not specific. On CT-scan the lesion is hypodense without calcification with a peripheral enhancement and on MRI a hyposignal T1 with homogeneous enhancement and a hypersignal T2. Arteriography may reveal a tumoral blush and arterio-venous shunt or arterial pedicles which can be embolized. The age of discovery is between 12 and 70 with a female predominance. IPEH are often localized close to the venous sinus or can be developed in a vascular malformation, thrombus or aneurysm. The curative treatment is total resection but recurrence has been reported, long-term follow-up with MRI is recommended.

[Familial colloid cyst of the third ventricle: case report and review of the literature]. / Kystes colloïdes familiaux du troisième ventricule : cas clinique et revue de la littérature.

Colloid cysts of the third ventricle are rare benign lesions. We report here an exceptional familial case defined by the evidence of two colloid cysts in two relatives of the first degree, a mother and her daughter in our description. Only 15 cases are reported in the literature. The main differences compared with sporadic cases are an earlier age of discovery and a female predominance. In case of familial colloid cyst, we have to recover a brain MRI screening of all the relatives of the first degree.