Atypical presentation of primary renal squamous cell cancer: a case report

Renal squamous cell cancer is one of the rare primary urothelial tumors with only a handful of cases reported in literature. Because of high grade, advanced and late presentation, they herald a grave prognosis. They are frequently associated with calculus disease, smoking, phenacetin consumption and foci of squamous metaplasia due to chronic irritation. Nephroureterectomy is the treatment of choice for such tumors. We hereby present a case of 59 year old female who presented with squamous cell cancer of renal pelvis. The case presented here is different from what has already been reported in literature, as the patient had no antecedent risk factors for renal squamous cell carcinoma.-------------------------------------------------Cite this article as: Pahwa M, Pahwa AR, Girotra M, Chawla A. Atypical presentation of primary renal squamous cell cancer: a case report. Int J Cancer Ther Oncol 2014; 2(1):02015.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14319/ijcto.0201.

A Rare Double Primary Tumor of the Pancreas and the Esophagus

Primary pancreatic cancer with synchronous primary tumors from other organs is extremely rare. Hereditary conditions, such as Lynch syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, and hereditary pancreatitis, are linked to 10% of pancreatic cancers and may increase the risk of secondary malignancies from other organs. Only three cases of synchronous cancers of the pancreas and esophagus have been reported in the literature. Interestingly, patients with double primary tumors have been observed to have better overall survival than those with pancreatic cancers alone. We report the fourth such case of a 54-year-old male diagnosed with a double primary cancer of the pancreas and the esophagus diagnosed with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)

Role of endoscopic ultrasound/SpyScope in diagnosis and treatment of choledocholithiasis in pregnancy

Cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis occur frequently in pregnancy and their management can be complicated. Traditional endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the first line treatment for choledocholithiasis, but in addition to its baseline risks, fluoroscopy poses an additional radiation risk to the fetus. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is an accurate modality for detecting common bile duct stones, but its role has not been defined in pregnancy. We describe an alternative management strategy to conventional ERCP in a pregnant patient with choledocholithiasis and cholangitis detected using EUS and choledochoscopy

Endoscopic ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration and biopsy of pancreatic cysts

Pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are often incidentally found on cross-sectional imaging. Long strides have been made in the past decade with improved quality and optics of cross-sectional imaging and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), but a singular reliable test to appropriately characterize and risk-stratify PCLs has still eluded us. EUS allows high-resolution imaging of the pancreatic parenchyma and the ductal system, for assessment of PCL characteristics, with features concerning for malignancy and additionally provides an opportunity to sample the cyst to obtain fluid or cells for further diagnostic testing. This presents new sets of challenges, which include devising suitable equipment or needles and techniques for reliable and safe tissue acquisition, as well as provision of an adequate cytology or tissue sample to the pathologist, in order to arrive at an accurate diagnosis. This article will review the current role of EUS in the diagnosis and characterization of PCLs, with a focus on available strategies and pitfalls of cytology, cyst-fluid biomarkers, and biopsy acquisition techniques; and future directions to increase the yield and accuracy