A 26-Year-Old Male with Mesothelioma Due to Asbestos Exposure

Mesothelioma is a malignancy with poor prognosis, with an average 5-year survival rate being less than 9%. This type of cancer is almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos. A long exposure can cause mesothelioma and so can short ones, as each exposure is cumulative. We report a case of a 26-year-old male who was exposed to asbestos during his primary school years from the age of 6 to 12. Although the tumor mainly affects older men who in their youth were occupationally exposed to asbestos, malignant mesothelioma can also occur in young adults. A medical history was carefully taken and asbestos exposure was immediately mentioned by the patient. We conducted biopsy on the right supraclavicular lymph node. The patient was not a candidate for surgery, and chemotherapy treatment was initiated. While patient's chemotherapy is still ongoing, no other similar cases of students or teachers have been traced up to date from his school. The school building was demolished in January 2009

Systemic therapy of Cushing’s syndrome

Cushing’s disease (CD) in a stricter sense derives from pathologic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion usually triggered by micro- or macroadenoma of the pituitary gland. It is, thus, a form of secondary hypercortisolism. In contrast, Cushing’s syndrome (CS) describes the complexity of clinical consequences triggered by excessive cortisol blood levels over extended periods of time irrespective of their origin. CS is a rare disease according to the European orphan regulation affecting not more than 5/10,000 persons in Europe. CD most commonly affects adults aged 20–50 years with a marked female preponderance (1:5 ratio of male vs. female). Patient presentation and clinical symptoms substantially vary depending on duration and plasma levels of cortisol. In 80% of cases CS is ACTH-dependent and in 20% of cases it is ACTH-independent, respectively. Endogenous CS usually is a result of a pituitary tumor. Clinical manifestation of CS, apart from corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH-), ACTH-, and cortisol-producing (malign and benign) tumors may also be by exogenous glucocorticoid intake. Diagnosis of hypercortisolism (irrespective of its origin) comprises the following: Complete blood count including serum electrolytes, blood sugar etc., urinary free cortisol (UFC) from 24 h-urine sampling and circadian profile of plasma cortisol, plasma ACTH, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone itself, and urine steroid profile, Low-Dose-Dexamethasone-Test, High-Dose-Dexamethasone-Test, after endocrine diagnostic tests: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultra-sound, computer tomography (CT) and other localization diagnostics. First-line therapy is trans-sphenoidal surgery (TSS) of the pituitary adenoma (in case of ACTH-producing tumors). In patients not amenable for surgery radiotherapy remains an option. Pharmacological therapy applies when these two options are not amenable or refused. In cases when pharmacological therapy becomes necessary, Pasireotide should be used in first-line in CD. CS patients are at an overall 4-fold higher mortality rate than age- and gender-matched subjects in the general population. The following article describes the most prominent substances used for clinical management of CS and gives a systematic overview of safety profiles, pharmacokinetic (PK)-parameters, and regulatory framework

Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in malignant pleural mesothelioma: a possible guardian for long-term survival

Paul Zarogoulidis,1,2 Maria Mavroudi,1 Konstantinos Porpodis,1 Kalliopi Domvri,1 Antonios Sakkas,3 Nikolaos Machairiotis,1 Aikaterini Stylianaki,1 Anastasios Tsiotsios,1 Nikolaos Courcoutsakis,4 Konstantinos Zarogoulidis11Pulmonary Department-Oncology Unit, “G Papanikolaou” General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece; 2Pulmonary Department-Interventional Unit, Ruhrland Klinik, University of Essen, Essen, Germany; 3Department of Pathology, “G Papanikolaou” General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece; 4Department of Radiology, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, GreeceAbstract: Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive malignancy of the pleura correlated with exposure to asbestos, with a medium survival of 11–12 months after diagnosis. A case of a 67-year-old male who had previously worked in the asbestos industry and is a current smoker is reported. The computed tomography evaluation revealed a right pleural mass with pleural thickening, and the pleural biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma. He was treated with chemotherapy consisting of etoposide, paclitaxel, and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride. After completion of chemotherapy, radiologic evaluation confirmed a reduction of pleural thickening and improvement in his symptoms. A complete presentation of each drug formulation and characteristics are also included in this paper. The patient’s follow-up is continuing, and computed tomography reveals stable disease 9 years after initial examination.Keywords: mesothelioma, asbestos, pegylated liposomal doxorubici

Pelvic schwannoma in the right parametrium

Nikolaos Machairiotis,4 Paul Zarogoulidis,3 Aikaterini Stylianaki,1 Eleni Karatrasoglou,4 Georgia Sotiropoulou,4 Alvin Floreskou,4 Eleana Chatzi,4 Athanasia Karamani,4 Georgia Liapi,5 Eleni Papakonstantinou,5 Nikolaos Katsikogiannis,1 Nikolaos Courcoutsakis,2 Christodoulos Machairiotis4 1Surgery Department, 2Radiology Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece; 3Pulmonary Department, G Papanikolaou General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece; 4Obstetric Gynecology Department, 5Pathology Department, Thriasio General Hospital, Athens, Greece Abstract: Neurilemomas are benign usually encapsulated nerve sheath tumors derived from the Schwann cells. These tumors commonly arise from the cranial nerves as acoustic neurinomas but they are extremely rare in the pelvis and the retroperitoneal area (less than 0.5% of reported cases), unless they are combined with von Recklinghausen disease (type 1 neurofibromatosis). We report the case of a 58-year-old female with pelvic schwannoma, 6.5 × 5.5 cm in size, in the right parametrium. This is the first case reported in the literature. Based on the rarity of this tumor and in order to ensure optimum treatment and survival for our patient, we performed laparotomy with total abdominal hysterectomy and en-block tumor excision. A frozen section was taken during the surgery before complete resection of the mass, which was ambiguous. Because of the possibility of malignancy, complete excision of the mass was performed, with pelvic blunt dissection. Histological examination showed a benign neoplasm, originating from the cells of peripheral nerve sheaths; diagnosis was a schwannoma. There were degenerative areas, including cystic degeneration, hemorrhagic infiltrations, ischemic foci with pycnotic cells, and collagen replacement. Pelvic schwannomas are rare neoplasms that can be misdiagnosed. Laparoscopy is a safe and efficient option for approaching benign pelvic tumors and might offer the advantage of better visualization of structures due to the magnification in laparoscopic view, especially in narrow anatomic spaces. Keywords: pelvis, schwannoma, laparoscopy, neoplas

Williams–Campbell syndrome: a case report

Maria Konoglou1, Konstantinos Porpodis2, Paul Zarogoulidis2, Nikolaos Loridas1, Nikolaos Katsikogiannis3, Alexandros Mitrakas2, Vasilis Zervas2, Theodoros Kontakiotis2, Despoina Papakosta2, Panagiotis Boglou4, Stamatia Bakali5, Nikolaos Courcoutsakis6, Konstantinos Zarogoulidis21First Pulmonary Clinic, "G. Papanikolaou" General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; 2Pulmonary Department, "G. Papanikolaou" General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; 3Surgery Department (NHS), University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Greece; 4Pulmonary Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece; 5Microbiology Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece; 6Radiology Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, GreeceIntroduction: Williams–Campbell syndrome, also known as bronchomalacia, is a rare disorder characterized by a deficiency of cartilage in subsegmental bronchi, leading to distal airway collapse and bronchiectasis. There have been few reports about patients affected by saccular bronchiectasis, paracicatricial emphysema, and diminished cartilage. These are all characteristic of Williams–Campbell syndrome.Case presentation: This report presents a 57-year-old woman with progressive dyspnea, cough, sputum production, and fever. The clinical and laboratory examination revealed that the patient had a respiratory infection due to bronchiectasis caused by Williams–Campbell syndrome, which was undiagnosed in the patient until then.Conclusion: Although a rare syndrome, when patients' signs and symptoms include recurrent respiratory infections, bronchiectasis, productive cough, and dyspnea, Williams–Campbell syndrome should be included in the differential diagnosis.Keywords: bronchietasis, Williams–Campbell syndrome, bronchomalaci

A case of typical pulmonary carcinoid tumor treated with bronchoscopic therapy followed by lobectomy

Konstantinos Porpodis1, Michael Karanikas2, Paul Zarogoulidis1, Theodoros Kontakiotis1, Alexandros Mitrakas2, Agisilaos Esebidis2, Maria Konoglou3, Kalliopi Domvri1, Alkis Iordanidis4, Nikolaos Katsikogiannis5, Nikolaos Courcoutsakis4, Konstantinos Zarogoulidis11Pulmonary Department, "G Papanikolaou" General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; 21st University Surgery Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece; 31st Pulmonary Department, "G Papanikolaou" General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; 4Radiology Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece; 5Surgery Department (NHS), University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, GreeceAbstract: Carcinoid bronchopulmonary tumors represent approximately 25% of all carcinoid tumors and 1%–2% of all lung neoplasms. The most common symptoms are: persistent cough, asthma-like wheezing, chest pain, dyspnea, hemoptysis and obstructive pneumonitis. We present a case of a young adult diagnosed with a typical carcinoid tumor. The diagnosis was established on the basis of imaging examination and bronchoscopic biopsy. The patient was treated with bronchoscopic electrocautery therapy to relieve the obstructed airway, followed by surgical lobectomy in order to entirely remove the exophytic damage. This approach was not only a palliative management to bronchial obstruction but also avoided pneumonectomy. Recent studies support the use of such interventional resection methods, as they may result in a more conservative surgical resection.Keywords: carcinoid tumor, typical lung carcinoid, therapeutic bronchoscopy, surgical resectio

Fat embolism due to bilateral femoral fracture: a case report

Konstantinos Porpodis1, Michael Karanikas2, Paul Zarogoulidis1, Maria Konoglou3, Kalliopi Domvri1, Alexandros Mitrakas2, Panagiotis Boglou4, Stamatia Bakali5, Alkis Iordanidis6, Vasilis Zervas1, Nikolaos Courcoutsakis6, Nikolaos Katsikogiannis7, Konstantinos Zarogoulidis11Pulmonary Department, “G Papanikolaou” General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 21st Surgery Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, 31st Pulmonary Department, “G Papanikolaou” General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; 4Pulmonary Department, 5Microbiology Department, 6Radiology Department, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece; 7Surgery Department (NHS), University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Alexandroupolis, GreeceAbstract: Fat embolism syndrome is usually associated with surgery for large bone fractures. Symptoms usually occur within 36 hours of hospitalization after traumatic injury. We present a case with fat embolism syndrome due to femur fracture. Prompt supportive treatment of the patient’s respiratory system and additional pharmaceutical treatment provided the positive clinical outcome. There is no specific therapy for fat embolism syndrome; prevention, early diagnosis, and adequate symptomatic treatment are very important. Most of the studies in the last 20 years have shown that the incidence of fat embolism syndrome is reduced by early stabilization of the fractures and the risk is even further decreased with surgical correction rather than conservative management.Keywords: fat embolism syndrome, trauma, femur fracture, ARD