ABSTRACT
Vagal paragangliomas (VPs) are rare tumors arising from paraganglionic tissue within the vagal nerve's perineurium. Usually, benign vascular tumors, VPs tend to invade the surrounding structures. Herein, we report the case of a VP presenting as a neck mass, which was evaluated as a glomus caroticum tumor preoperatively. A 65-year-old female complaining of a left-sided neck mass and intermittent hoarseness was assessed and operated on for possible glomus caroticum tumor. During the tumor excision, the vagal nerve was also involved, and hence, sacrificed. Histopathological examination revealed an encapsulated tumor associated with a nerve and ganglion and immunohistochemical staining tested positive for succinate dehydrogenase, confirming the diagnosis of VP. Postoperative residual hoarseness was corrected by vocal rehabilitation. While evaluating a retropharyngeal prestyloid neck mass, a VP should always be considered. Surgical excision involving vagal scarification, followed by vocal rehabilitation may be the appropriate treatment strategy.
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by poor prognosis and limited response to standard treatments. Although 18F-FDG PET/CT is frequently used in staging and restaging, in some cases, it may be insufficient considering tumor heterogeneity. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has been reported to be overexpressed in many types of cancer due to tumor-associated neovascularization. 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT can be used to demonstrate radionuclide therapy option as well as detection of primary tumor and recurrence in TNBC. We present a 47-year-old woman with TNBC having recurrent brain metastasis with avid PSMA receptor activity versus low FDG uptake.