Pulmonary pleomorphic carcinomas are rare malignant tumors that account for 0.1 to 0.4% of all lung cancers. They are notable for their aggressive clinical behavior and poor prognosis. We report here on a patient who is alive and disease-free 12 years after receiving surgical treatment for the rib recurrence of pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma.
Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Prognosis ; Recurrence* ; Ribs

BACKGROUND/AIMS: A primary signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) in the colorectum is unusual. This study evaluated the clinical and colonoscopic characteristics of primary colorectal SRCC. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients diagnosed with a primary colorectal SRCC and 100 patients diagnosed with a primary colorectal nonmucinous adenocarcinoma were enrolled in this study. The medical records and colonoscopic findings were reviewed. RESULTS: The mean age was younger in the SRCC patients than in the nonmucinous adenocarcinoma patients (47.3+/-15.5 years vs. 60.3+/-10.4 years, p<0.001). In SRCC, hematochezia was less frequent while abdominal pain was more common (p<0.001). Duke stages A or B was rare in SRCC (4/28, 14.3% vs. 58/100, 58.0%, p<0.001). The colonoscopic features of Borrmann type 4 was more common in SRCC (10/28, 35.7% vs. 3/100, 3.0%, p<0.001). The occurrence of a tumor in the right colon was more frequent in SRCC (17/28, 60.7% vs. 20/100, 20.0%, p<0.001). The diagnostic yield of the first colonoscopic biopsy was lower in the SRCC patients (85.7% vs. 98.0%, p=0.021). CONCLUSIONS: Primary colorectal SRCC appears to occur in younger patients compared with nonmucinous adenocarcinoma. A more advanced stage and an infiltrative lesion such as Borrmann type 4 appears to be common and the diagnostic yield of a colonoscopic biopsy tends to be low in primary colorectal SRCC.
Abdominal Pain ; Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell* ; Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Medical Records

Parathyroid cysts, which can be divided into functional and non-functional cysts, are rare causes of primary hyperparathyroidism. A technetium-99m-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-sestamibi) parathyroid scan is a sensitive diagnostic tool for the localization, although it sometimes shows a false-negative result. Here we report a case of presumed cystic parathyroid adenoma based on clinical findings and analysis of cystic fluid with negative findings in a parathyroid scan. A 44-year-old male patient visited the hospital due to leg pain and compressive symptoms (dysphagia, hoarseness) that had started 4-5 months before. His serum calcium level was 14.4 mg/dL and his intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) had increased to 478.1 pg/mL. On neck computed tomography, a cystic nodule measuring 6.2 cm was detected in the inferior part of the right thyroid gland. Sestamibi uptake for this nodule was not detected on 2-h delayed imaging, and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography showed only subtle uptake. Fine-needle aspiration was performed and intracystic iPTH had increased to 61,600 pg/mL. Focused parathyroidectomy guided by intraoperative iPTH monitoring led to successful enucleation of the right inferior parathyroid gland. A parathyroid adenoma was confirmed, and his laboratory results had normalized. This study shows that cystic parathyroid adenoma can sometimes be difficult to detect on a 99mTc-sestamibi parathyroid scan.
Adult ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Calcium ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary ; Leg ; Male ; Neck ; Parathyroid Glands ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; Parathyroidectomy ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi ; Thyroid Gland