clinical and surgical features of lower brainstem hemangioblastomas in von hippel-Lindau disease

none5BACKGROUND: In the context of von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL), the medulla oblongata is a relatively frequent site of growth of hemangioblastomas, posing related clinical and surgical difficulties. Their management requires a close correlation between clinical evolution and morphological surveillance. In order to describe their clinical and surgical features, we reviewed our experience in the treatment of these lesions. METHODS: Between 2001 and 2009, 14 patients (9 female and 5 male, mean age 34 years) underwent removal of 15 lower brain stem hemangioblastomas. Based on the review of the clinical records and outpatient long-term follow-up visits, their clinical course was analyzed. Functional evaluation was measured with the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) on admission, at discharge and at the last follow-up. The mean follow-up period was 30.8 months (range 4-99). RESULTS: All the operated hemangioblastomas were located in the dorsal medulla oblongata, in the context of multiple lesions, cerebellar and/or spinal. In ten patients hemangioblastomas were located in a median position at the obex area; in four cases a lateral location was observed. Cystic component was absent in two cases. Clinical onset preceded surgery by a mean of 8.5 months. Preoperatively three patients showed a KPS lower than 80, ten patients between 80 and 90, and one patient scored 100 (asymptomatic). There was no surgical mortality. Nine out of 14 patients showed a temporary surgical morbidity. One patient required a tracheostomy. At follow-up ten patients scored a KPS better than before the operation, while the other four patients remained stable. Permanent morbidity was observed in three patients. CONCLUSIONS: Lower brain stem hemangioblastomas in the context of VHL show an often gradual onset of signs and symptoms except for patients who develop an obstructive hydrocephalus. Although transient surgical complications are possible, surgery provides favorable long-term results.nonePAVESI G; BERLUCCHI S; MUNARI M; MANARA R; SCIENZA R; OPOCHER G.Pavesi, G; Berlucchi, S; Munari, M; Manara, R; Scienza, R; Opocher, Giusepp

Role of the Genetic Study in the Management of Carotid Body Tumor in Paraganglioma Syndrome

AbstractDiagnosis of carotid body tumor (CBT) was made in a 36 years old woman. The pre-operative examination included genetic analysis of the succinate dehydrogenase that showed a mutation in his subunit D responsible of multiple paraganglioma at slow growth. Subsequently a thoraco-abdominal CT and indium111 octreotide body scan were performed and another paraganglioma was detected in the anterior mediastinum. CBT was surgically removed; differently the thoracic lesion due to his benign genetic profile was not treated. During a 3-years follow-up the thoracic paraganglioma as expected, didn't increase. Genetic analysis of succinate dehydrogenase, should be performed in the management of CBT

Optic pathway glioma in type 1 neurofibromatosis: Review of its pathogenesis, diagnostic assessment, and treatment recommendations

Type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF1) is a dominantly inherited condition predisposing to tumor development. Optic pathway glioma (OPG) is the most frequent central nervous system tumor in children with NF1, affecting approximately 15-20% of patients. The lack of well-established prognostic markers and the wide clinical variability with respect to tumor progression and visual outcome make the clinical management of these tumors challenging, with significant differences among distinct centers. We reviewed published articles on OPG diagnostic protocol, follow-up and treatment in NF1. Cohorts of NF1 children with OPG reported in the literature and patients prospectively collected in our center were analyzed with regard to clinical data, tumor anatomical site, diagnostic workflow, treatment and outcome. In addition, we discussed the recent findings on the pathophysiology of OPG development in NF1. This review provides a comprehensive overview about the clinical management of NF1-associated OPG, focusing on the most recent advances from preclinical studies with genetically engineered models and the ongoing clinical trials

Laparoscopic splenectomy for splenic hamartoma : a case report

Hamartoma is a rare splenic benign tumor usually accidentally detected as a radiologic finding. Preoperative diagnosis poses a challenge and thus surgery becomes necessary to confirm the clinical suspicion. Laparoscopic splenectomy has gained consensus as a standard surgical procedure particularly for autoimmune hematological diseases. This former experience has allowed this technique to be extended to other splenic pathologies. Here we report a case of total laparoscopic splenectomy for a bulky splenic hamartoma in a young male patien

Intraoperative ultrasound for prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma biological behavior : prospective comparison with pathology

Background & Aims Preoperative prediction of both microinvasive hepatocellular carcinoma and histological grade of hepatocellular carcinoma is pivotal to treatment planning and prognostication. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether some intraoperative ultrasound features correlate with both the presence of same histological patterns and differentiation grade of hepatocellular carcinoma on the histological features of the primary resected tumour. Methods All patients with single, small hepatocellular carcinoma that underwent hepatic resection were included in this prospective double-blind study: the intraoperative ultrasound patterns of nodule were registered and compared with similar histological features. Results A total of 179 patients were enclosed in this study: 97 (54%) patients (34% in HCC 642 cm) had a microinvasive hepatocellular carcinoma at ultrasound examination, while 82 (46%) patients (41% in HCC 642 cm) at histological evaluation. Statistical analysis showed that diameters 642 cm, presence of satellites and microinvasive hepatocellular carcinoma at ultrasound examination were the variables with the strongest association with the histological findings. In the multivariate analysis, the vascular microinfiltration and infiltrative hepatocellular carcinoma aspect were independent predictors for grading. Conclusions In patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, the prevalence of microinvasive hepatocellular carcinoma is high, even in cases of HCC 642 cm. Intraoperative ultrasound findings strongly correlated with histopathological criteria in detecting microinvasive patterns and are useful to predict neoplastic differentiation. The knowledge of these features prior to treatment are highly desired (this can be obtained by an intraoperative ultrasound examination), as they could help in providing optimal management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Biliary and pancreatic stenting : devices and insertion techniques in therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic ultrasonography

Stents are tubular devices made of plastic or metal. Endoscopic stenting is the most common treatment for obstruction of the common bile duct or of the main pancreatic duct, but also employed for the treatment of bilio-pancreatic leakages, for preventing post- endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis and to drain the gallbladder and pancreatic fluid collections. Recent progresses in techniques of stent insertion and metal stent design are represented by new, fully-covered lumen apposing metal stents. These stents are specifically designed for transmural drainage, with a saddle-shape design and bilateral flanges, to provide lumen-to-lumen anchoring, reducing the risk of migration and leakage. This review is an update of the technique of stent insertion and metal stent deployment, of the most recent data available on stent types and characteristics and the new applications for biliopancreatic stents

A Novel Mutation in the Upstream Open Reading Frame of the CDKN1B Gene Causes a MEN4 Phenotype

PubMed ID: 23555276This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Impact of COVID-19 on the oncological outcomes of colorectal cancer surgery in northern Italy in 2019 and 2020: multicentre comparative cohort study

BACKGROUND: This study compared patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery in 20 hospitals of northern Italy in 2019 versus 2020, in order to evaluate whether COVID-19-related delays of colorectal cancer screening resulted in more advanced cancers at diagnosis and worse clinical outcomes. METHOD: This was a retrospective multicentre cohort analysis of patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery in March to December 2019 versus March to December 2020. Independent predictors of disease stage (oncological stage, associated symptoms, clinical T4 stage, metastasis) and outcome (surgical complications, palliative surgery, 30-day death) were evaluated using logistic regression. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 1755 patients operated in 2019, and 1481 in 2020 (both mean age 69.6 years). The proportion of cancers with symptoms, clinical T4 stage, liver and lung metastases in 2019 and 2020 were respectively: 80.8 versus 84.5 per cent; 6.2 versus 8.7 per cent; 10.2 versus 10.3 per cent; and 3.0 versus 4.4 per cent. The proportions of surgical complications, palliative surgery and death in 2019 and 2020 were, respectively: 34.4 versus 31.9 per cent; 5.0 versus 7.5 per cent; and 1.7 versus 2.4 per cent. Cancers in 2020 (versus 2019) were more likely to be symptomatic (odds ratio 1.36 (95 per cent c.i. 1.09 to 1.69)), clinical T4 stage (odds ratio 1.38 (95 per cent c.i. 1.03 to 1.85)) and have multiple liver metastases (odds ratio 2.21 (95 per cent c.i. 1.24 to 3.94)), but were not more likely to be associated with surgical complications (odds ratio 0.79 (95 per cent c.i. 0.68 to 0.93)). CONCLUSION: Colorectal cancer patients who had surgery between March and December 2020 had an increased risk of advanced disease in terms of associated symptoms, cancer location, clinical T4 stage and number of liver metastases

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells from Fat Tissue of Breast Cancer Microenvironment Present Altered Adipogenic Differentiation Capabilities

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells able to differentiate into multiple cell types, including adipocytes, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes. The role of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) in cancers is significantly relevant. They seem to be involved in the promotion of tumour development and progression and relapse processes. For this reason, investigating the effects of breast cancer microenvironment on ADSCs is of high importance in order to understand the relationship between tumour cells and the surrounding stromal cells. With the current study, we aimed to investigate the specific characteristics of human ADSCs isolated from the adipose tissue of breast tumour patients. We compared ADSCs obtained from periumbilical fat (PF) of controls with ADSCs obtained from adipose tissue of breast cancer- (BC-) bearing patients. We analysed the surface antigens and the adipogenic differentiation ability of both ADSC populations. C/EBP\u3b4 expression was increased in PF and BC ADSCs induced to differentiate compared to the control while PPAR\u3b3 and FABP4 expressions were enhanced only in PF ADSCs. Conversely, adiponectin expression was reduced in PF-differentiated ADSCs while it was slightly increased in differentiated BC ADSCs. By means of Oil Red O staining, we further observed an impaired differentiation capability of BC ADSCs. To investigate this aspect more in depth, we evaluated the effect of selective PPAR\u3b3 activation and nutritional supplementation on the differentiation efficiency of BC ADSCs, noting that it was only with strong differentiation stimuli that the process took place. Furthermore, we observed no response in BC ADSCs to the PPAR\u3b3 inhibitor T0070907, showing an impaired activation of this receptor in adipose cells surrounding the breast cancer microenvironment. In conclusion, our study shows an impaired adipogenic differentiation capability in BC ADSCs. This suggests that the tumour microenvironment plays a key role in the modulation of the adipose microenvironment located in the surrounding tissue