Report of a vagal paraganglioma at the cervicothoracic junction.

BACKGROUND: Vagus nerve paragangliomas are rare tumors, comprising 0.03% of head and neck neoplasms. These tumors are usually located cephalad to the hyoid bone, and there is only one previously reported case that arose from the lower third of the neck. METHODS: We describe the second reported case of a lower neck vagus nerve paraganglioma that was managed with a limited sternotomy for access and surgical removal. RESULTS: A 66-year-old male presented with a long-standing lesion of the cervicothoracic junction. CT, MRI, and Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT showed an avidly enhancing 5.2 × 4.2 × 11.5 cm mass extending from C6 to approximately T4 level. FNA confirmed the diagnosis. The patient underwent catheter angiography and embolization via direct puncture technique followed by excision of the mass via a combined transcervical and limited sternotomy approach. CONCLUSION: We describe an unusual case of vagal paraganglioma at the cervicothoracic junction with retrosternal extension requiring a sternotomy for surgical excision.

Intrathoracic Extension of a Giant Cell Tumour of the Medial End of Clavicle: A Case Report with Review of Literature.

Introduction: The clavicle is a very rare site for primary bone tumours, and Giant cell tumours of the clavicle are even rarer. Very few cases have been reported in the literature. Method: The authors report a rare presentation of intrathoracic extension of a giant cell tumour of the medial end of the clavicle, in an 18-year-old female. The patient had painful swelling at the sternal end of the clavicle associated with a painful shoulder range of motion. Complete resection of the mass was done, preserving the lateral half of the clavicle. Result and Discussion: At a 3-year follow-up, the patient has a good clinical outcome with no signs of recurrence. Being a very rare entity, no clear guidelines are available for the management of GCT of Clavicle. Adequate resection of the tumour mass remains the mainstay of treatment and has shown promising results. Denosumab has been proved to be effective in some studies, but the high cost of treatment is a major limitation in the Indian scenario. Conclusion: Resection of the tumour mass with partial cleidectomy provided good results in this patient.

Spinal Epidural Capillary Hemangioma With Intrathoracic Extension: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Capillary hemangiomas are hamartomatous congenital vascular malformations that are particularly uncommon in the spinal epidural space, and those with intrathoracic extensions are extremely rare. Although considered benign, capillary hemangiomas can cause rare hemorrhagic complications and risk of spinal cord compression or extension into the neural foramen. Therefore, surgery should be considered even in the absence of neurological symptoms. The literature reports three patients either underwent a partial resection or a complete tumor removal was achieved by accessing the lesion through a posterolateral approach and removing the costotransverse joint. The patient underwent a same-day, two-staged gross total resection of the tumor via combined posterior right-sided T7-T8 complete facetectomy and extradural mass resection with T7 nerve transection, followed by a posterolateral fusion of the T7-T8 vertebra. Stage 2 consisted of a video-assisted intrathoracic approach for the removal of the remaining tumor. The two-stage surgical procedure described in our case report allows for complete removal of intrathoracic and intraspinal portions of the mass with less morbidity.

Malignant phyllodes tumor with chondrosarcomatous differentiation: radiological-pathological correlation.

We present a case of a 63-year-old woman with malignant phyllodes tumor in her left breast. On imaging, a large, dumbbell-shaped, predominantly cystic mass with thin peripheral enhancement was noted. The lesion was causing rib destruction, chest wall invasion, and intrathoracic extension. These aggressive imaging features were considered highly suspicious of a malignant chest wall tumor. Subsequent chest wall resection of the tumor showed breast tissue with a biphasic lesion composed of proliferated spindle cells in loose sheets with extensive islands of atypical cartilage and a scanty epithelial component, including compressed ducts in the periphery of the lesion. A diagnosis of a malignant phyllodes tumor with stromal overgrowth and chondrosarcomatous differentiation was made in view of the presence of a benign epithelial component and negative reaction of the stromal component with a pancytokeratin. To the best of our knowledge, a phyllodes tumor with the radiological features of chest wall invasion and intrathoracic extension has not been described in the literature until now. Malignant phyllodes should be included in the list of differentials along with sarcomas on encountering lesions with such aggressive imaging features.