[Accordance of mammographic, sonographic and histopathologic findings in under 50 years old women with breast cancer]

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and second cause of death due to cancer in women. According to middle age affection [40-49 years old] and advanced cases in Iranian women, early diagnosis and detection of exact tumor size is very important to select the plan of treatment. In this survey, files of 370 breast cancer patients from 2007 to 2010 were studied. Only 60 patients with sufficient information were selected. Questionnaires based on patient mammography, ultrasound and pathology findings were completed. SPSS Software was used for statistical analysis. The mean age of patients in this survey was 40 +/- 1/60 years old. Overall 16% of patients had normal mammography, 70% of them were in stage III and IV to ACR-Density classification [American College of Radiology]. Mean are on lesion in mammography finding was 1042.96 +/- 1 o31 mm[2], sonography 541.772 +/- 498 mm[2] and pathology 1493.75 +/- 1617 mm[2]. Significant correlation [Pvalue=0/02] was seen between mammographic and metastasis tumor size. Significant correlation [Pvalue<0/100, r=0/62] was seen between mammographic and histopathologic tumor size. Sonography is a more reliable diagnostic method in detection of lesions in patients who have high density [Stage III and IV] in mammography. Although, the average area of the lesion in mammography and ultrasound was less than pathology, it is more accurate compared to ultrasound mammography in determining tumor size before surgery. A broader study with more sample size compared to newer diagnostic techniques like MRI is recommended in determining the exact size of the tumor before surgery

[ comparative study between CT-scan and pathological finding in tumors, and other lesions in brain]

Brain computed-tomography [CT] scan has a well documented accuracy in detecting the tumors this study was carried out to assess the conformity and correlation of CT-Scan diagnosis of the brain tumors with pathological findings in Ghaem Hospital Mashad University of Medical Sciences-Iran. This descriptive prospective study was done on 75 patients, 5-83 years, with the clinical suspicion of brain tumors. According to the CT-Scan findings 1-3 differential diagnosis were made for each patient. This was followed by surgery and biopsy, and the CT-Scan diagnoses were compared with pathological findings. The best conformity and correlation of radiologic and pathologic diagnosis was seen in pituitary adenoma, acoustic neuroma, epidermoid cyst and craniopharyngioma. Also, according to the CT-Scan findings, the highest degree of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value, were related to pituitary adenoma, high grade astrocytoma and meningioma. This study showed thant no single imaging modality may claim optimal sensitivity or specificity for the assessment of CNS disorders, although several imaging methods carry independent and complementary information, and CT-scan has different ability for diagnosis of different kind of tumors

Analysis of the factors, effective on breast parenchymal density in Mammogram

Breast parenchymal density is one of the factors that can cause false negative mammographic results. This work was performed to determine the frequency and distribution of dense mammograms. The peresent descriptive study was carried out from April 2003 to March 2004 on women referring to Radiology Department, Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad. A total of 1000 women with fatty [/= 90% density] who had screening or diagnostic mammography were studied. Breast density, breast size and presence of benign calcifications were analyzed. Clinical data such as age, parity, age at first conception, use of hormone replacement therapy [H.R.T], and family history of breast cancer were recorded and analyzed by the frequency distribution tables and descriptive statistic, Ki square and spirman test. Parenchymal density on mammograms was found to correlate with the age, and decrease progressively from 25-29 years old through 75-79 years old [Spearman correlation P = 0.001]. Increased parenchymal density was more common in women who had smaller breast, and had fewer than two pregnancies, or underwent H.R.T [P < 0.001]. The prevalence of benign calcifications also increased with age. This study confirmed the effectiveness of age and HRT on mammographic density, suggesting a possible reduction of mammographic sensitivity and efficacy for detecting malignancy in these groups of patients

Pulmonary tuberculosis in the elderly

Despite the increased rate of tuberculosis [TB] in the elderly, few publications have presented the clinical characteristics of TB in this specific age group in our country. This study aimed to compare the clinical features, predisposing factors and imaging findings of pulmonary TB in the elderly and in young adults, and to determine if any difference exists between the two groups. We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients with the diagnosis of pulmonary TB at Ghaem Hospital and outpatient clinics during a 6-year period. Ninety-five patients were studied and divided into two groups, 33 patients were in the young group [mean age, 29.3 yrs.] and 40 patients in the elderly group [mean age, 69.6 yrs.]. Patients aged 46-64 were excluded from the study. Predisposing factors were more prevalent in the elderly who had a significantly higher frequency of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, malignancy and diabetes mellitus. Pregnancy and postpartum status were the predisposing conditions in young females. The classic symptoms and signs of TB were noted in a higher proportion of the younger group. Fever [78% vs. 57.5%], and weight loss[94% vs. 80%] were significantly higher [p<0.05],while night sweats[24% vs. 22.5%],cough [100% vs. 92.5%] and hemoptysis[30% vs. 15%], were seen more in the younger group but with no significant differences .Lower lung infiltrates were higher in the elderly; whereas, cavitation was seen significantly more in the young age group[63% vs. 25%, p<0.05]. To prevent delay in diagnosis and treatment, TB should be considered among the differential diagnosis of any type of pulmonary infiltrates seen in the elderly, even when the clinical presentation is atypical