Primary osteosarcoma of the breast: case report

Mammary sarcomas are very uncommon and make up less than 1% of all primary breast malignancies

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: real-life experience of a Moroccan center

Introduction : Les tumeurs stromales gastro-intestinales (GIST) sont des tumeurs mésenchymateuses rares qui ont connu récemment beaucoup de progrès tant sur le plan diagnostique que thérapeutique. Matériel et Méthodes : Notre expérience porte sur 23 cas de GIST colligés à l’hôpital militaire Moulay Ismail de Meknès sur une période de 6 ans (depuis janvier 2011 jusqu’à décembre 2016). Résultats : L’âge moyen de nos patients était de 54,2 ans (de 28 à 73 ans) avec une prédominance masculine plus marquée (16 hommes/7 femmes). Les épigastralgies constituaient le principal mode de révélation de la maladie (73,9 %). La localisation gastrique était la plus fréquente (69,6 %). A l’endoscopie digestive, Il s’agissait le plus souvent d’une masse sous muqueuse (21,7 %). Le type cellulaire fusiforme était prédominant (73,9 %). La tumeur était localisée dans 47,8 % des cas, localement avancée dans 8,7 % des cas et métastatique dans 43,5 % des cas. Le traitement a consisté en une résection chirurgicale carcinologique complète dans 65,2 % des cas. Le traitement médical à base d’imatinib était préconisé chez 20 cas dont 12 cas en situation adjuvante et les autres en situation métastatique. Avec un recul moyen de 3 ans, une rémission complète a été obtenue dans 52,2 % des cas. Conclusion : Les GIST sont des tumeurs rares au Maroc. Elles sont souvent localisées dans l’estomac. La chirurgie dans les GIST localisées doit être macroscopiquement complète. L’imatinib est un traitement « à la carte ». Une étude multicentrique à l’échelle nationale permettrait une analyse plus approfondie du profil des GIST au Maroc.Introduction: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are rare mesenchymal tumors that have recently undergone much progress both diagnostically and therapeutically. Material and methods: Our experience concerns 23 cases of GIST collected at the Moulay Ismail military hospital in Meknes over a period of 6 years (from January 2011 to December 2016). Results: The average age of our patients was 54.2 years (28 to 73 years) with a higher male predominance (16 men / 7 women). Epigastralgia were the main mode of disclosure of the disease (73.9%). Gastric localization was the most common (69.6%). Digestive endoscopy most often showed a submucosal mass (21.7%). The fusiform cell type was predominant (73.9 %). The tumor was localized in 47.8% of cases, locally advanced in 8.7 % of cases and metastatic in 43.5% of cases. Therapeutic management consisted of complete surgical resection in 65.2% of cases. Medical treatment with imatinib was recommended in 20 cases including 12 cases in adjuvant situation and the others in metastatic situation. With a mean follow-up of 3 years, complete remission was obtained in 52.2% of cases. Conclusion: GIST are rare tumors in Morocco. They are often located in the stomach. Surgery in localized GIST should be macroscopically complete. Imatinib is an “at card” treatment. A multicenter nationwide would allow further analysis of GIST profile in Morocco

Is there any advantage to combined trastuzumab and chemotherapy in perioperative setting her 2neu positive localized gastric adenocarcinoma?

We report here a 44-year-old Moroccan man with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma with overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) by immunohistochemistry who was treated with trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy in perioperative setting. He received 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of trastuzumab, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine. Afterwards, he received total gastrectomy with extended D2 lymphadenectomy without spleno-pancreatectomy. A pathologic complete response was obtained with a combination of trastuzumab and oxaliplatin and capecitabine. He received 3 more cycles of trastuzumab containing regimen postoperatively

Active screen plasma surface co-alloying of 316 austenitic stainless steel with both nitrogen and niobium for the application of bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

AbstractAustenitic stainless steel has been researched as a promising candidate material for bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, its interfacial contact resistance (ICR) is about 16 times higher that of the Department of Energy (DOE) target (10 mΩ cm2), which leads to undesirable fuel cell performance. In this work, a new hybrid plasma surface engineering process, based on active screen plasma co-alloying, has been developed to simultaneously alloy 316 austenitic stainless steel (316 SS) surfaces with both nitrogen and niobium. The results demonstrated that the layer structure of the modified surfaces can be tailored by adjusting the treatment conditions. All the plasma treated 316 SS samples exhibited significantly reduced ICR below the DOE target of 10 mΩ cm2. The corrosion resistance of the N/Nb co-alloyed 316 SS was much better than active screen plasma nitrided and marginally better than the untreated material

Lung cancer revealed by multiple metastases of the scalp

Skin metastases of lung cancer are rare. They are symptoms of progressive disease and usually a sign of a poor prognosis. We report a case of 69-years-old man with no significant medical history, never smoker, which consulted a dermatologist for scalp nodules that appeared for more than 16 months in the scalp and gradually and slowly increased in size which the largest measure at admission between 1.5 cm and 4.0 cm. A biopsy was performed by the dermatologist and showed a scapular location of a squamous cell carcinoma. A brain CT objectified lesion of the vault of the skull next to a scalp injury and thoraco-abdominal pelvic CT showed a 3cm lesion in the lower lobe of the left lung with hilar lymphadenopathy ipsilateral. Bone scintigraphy showed secondary lesions in the thoracic spine (D6, D7) and lumbar spine (L2, L3) clinically asymptomatic. The patient is currently in 1st line chemotherapy (carboplatin-gemcitabine + Bisphosphonates) with a bad tolerance and poor response after the third cycle. The Pan African Medical Journal. 2016;2

Giant basal cell carcinoma of the eyelid: a case history

Basal cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer and rare, aggressive forms of basal cell carcinoma can invade and destroy nearby muscles, nerves and bone. Very rarely, basal cell carcinoma can spread to other areas of the body. We report the case of a 70-year-old woman who present 3 years ago a small nodule in the right upper eyelid neglected until a very important increase in its volume what motivated a consultation in ophthalmology and in which a biopsy was in favor of an infiltrating basal cell carcinoma. The clinical examination at admission found a patient with poor performance status (3-4) who has a huge ulcerated lesion with open air exposure of the right eye (almost anophthalmia). The lesion extends from the upper right eyelid in the right nasal cavity. The CT scan of the skull shows a skin tumor process allure of 52x44x40 mm, centered on the roof of the right orbit with ipsilateral extension; intracranial and endo sinusienne and an osteolytic lesion of the cranial vault and the temporo-mandibular right joint. The patient received a hemostatic and analgesic palliative radiotherapy of 30 Gy in 10 fractions of 3 Gy. She died 09 months after the end of irradiation in Intensive care unit due to septic shock.The Pan African Medical Journal 2016;2

Exophthalmos Revealing a Krukenberg Tumor: A Case Presentation and Review of the Literature

Background: Krukenberg tumor is a well-known ovarian metastasis, usually of signet ring cell carcinoma in female patients. In the literature, there are a few documented cases of ocular metastasis in patients with Krukenberg tumor. Case Presentation: We report the case of a 35-year-old single Moroccan woman. She presented chronic pelvic pain, hematemesis and blurring of vision in the left eye. Clinical examination showed a pelvic mass and an exophthalmos with a divergent strabismus in the left eye. Pelvic and abdominal ultrasound showed a right tissular ovarian mass. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis revealed an ovarian tumor and bone metastasis. Orbital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a hypertrophy of the left inferior rectus muscle behind the exophthalmos. Stomach endoscopy revealed an ulcerated and protruded mass of the antro-fundic junction. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry showed an infiltration of the gastric mucosa by atypically isolated signet ring cells similar to the tumor cells found in the ovarian histopathological exams. Discussion: Krukenberg tumor is an uncommon metastatic tumor of the ovary. This article provides an overview of the major pathological manifestations of Krukenberg tumor, patient characteristics, clinical and laboratory features of the disease, prognostic factors, and current knowledge about its pathogenesis