20 research outputs found
Three cases of bone metastases in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare, but represent the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. Tumor resection is the treatment of choice for localized disease. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (imatinib, sunitinib) are the standard therapy for metastatic or unresectable GISTs. GISTs usually metastasize to the liver and peritoneum. Bone metastases are uncommon. We describe three cases of bone metastases in patients with advanced GISTs: two women (82 and 54 years of age), and one man (62 years of age). Bones metastases involved the spine, pelvis and ribs in one patient, multiple vertebral bodies and pelvis in one, and the spine and iliac wings in the third case. The lesions presented a lytic pattern in all cases. Two patients presented with multiple bone metastases at the time of initial diagnosis and one patient after seven years during the follow-up period. This report describes the diagnosis and treatment of the lesions and may help clinicians to manage bones metastases in GIST patients
Market and Institutions in Economic Development: Essays in Honour of Paolo Sylos Labini.
Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: Is It Possible Pancreatic Resection? A Case Report
Context Patients with locally advanced pancreatic
cancer are usually treated with chemoradiotherapy
and rarely they became resectable. Herein, we
present the case of a patient with locally advanced
pancreatic cancer. Case report A 56-year-old man
was observed in October 2011 because of high
blood levels of CA 19.9 (>230 U/mL) and the
presence of a pancreatic mass of the uncinate
process (diameter 3.8x3.5 cm) revealed by US and
CT scan. An US-guided biopsy allowed the diagnosis
of well differentiated pancreatic adenocarcinoma,
biliopancreatic type. CT scan showed a vascular
involvement of both superior mesenteric vein and
artery. The disease was defined as locally advanced
unresectable pancreatic cancer. The patient started
chemotherapy with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin.
Five months later, CT scan re-evaluation of the
disease showed a stable disease. Thus, a protocol of
radio-chemotherapy was suggested. Eight months
later from diagnosis, the mass was still
unresectable. Other eight cycles of gemcitabine and
oxaliplatin were performed. In February 2013 a
further CT scan evaluation demonstrated a smaller
lesion (3.5x2.2 cm) and also the vascular
involvement was decreased, still without a normal
fat plane between the tumor and the vessels.
Another cycle of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin was
completed. At the end of May 2013, the 18FDG-PET
was negative; CT scan demonstrated a further
decreased of the mass (maximum diameter: 2.5 cm)
while the mesenteric vessels involvement still
remained. Moreover, the genomic characteristics of
the patient DNA were different from other the
pancreatic cancer. Because of the long-term survival
of the young patient, the partial regression of the
disease and the genomic characteristics of the
tumor, a surgical approach was indicated. The
patient underwent to a total pancreatectomy with
splenectomy plus segmental resection of portal
mesenteric trunk. Pathological diagnosis confirmed
a well-differentiated ductal pancreatic carcinoma,
biliopancreatic type (T4), with R0 resection.
Conclusion Our case suggests that there are locally
advanced pancreatic cancers in which
chemoradiotherapy can allow surgical pancreatic
resection probably because they have particula
Reduction of water evaporation in polymerase chain reaction microfluidic devices based on oscillating-flow
Producing polymeric or hybrid microfluidic devices operating at high temperatures with reduced or no water evaporation is a challenge for many on-chip applications including polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We study sample evaporation in polymeric and hybrid devices, realized by glass microchannels for avoiding water diffusion toward the elastomer used for chip fabrication. The method dramatically reduces water evaporation in PCR devices that are found to exhibit optimal stability and effective operation under oscillating-flow. This approach maintains the flexibility, ease of fabrication, and low cost of disposable chips, and can be extended to other high-temperature microfluidic biochemical reactors