Mass-like extramedullary hematopoiesis: imaging features.

PURPOSE: To report the imaging appearances of mass-like extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH), to identify those features that are sufficiently characteristic to allow a confident diagnosis, and to recognize the clinical conditions associated with EMH and the relative incidence of mass-like disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified 44 patients with EMH; 12 of which (27%) had focal mass-like lesions and formed the study group. The study group consisted of 6 male and 6 female subjects with a mean age of 58 years (range 13-80 years). All 12 patients underwent CT imaging and 3 of the 12 patients had undergone additional MR imaging. The imaging characteristics of the extramedullary hematopoiesis lesions in the study group were analyzed and recorded. The patient's clinical presentation, including any condition associated with extramedullary hematopoiesis, was also recorded. RESULTS: Ten of the 12 (83%) patients had one or more masses located along the axial skeleton. Of the 10 patients with axial masses, 9 (90%) had multiple masses and 7 (70%) demonstrated internal fat. Eight patients (80%) had paraspinal masses and 4 patients (40%) had presacral masses. Seven patients (70%) had splenomegaly. Eleven of the 12 patients had a clinical history available for review. A predisposing condition for extramedullary hematopoiesis was present in 10 patients and included various anemias (5 cases; 45%), myelofibrosis/myelodysplastic syndrome (4 cases; 36%), and marrow proliferative disorder (1 case; 9%). One patient had no known predisposing condition. CONCLUSION: Mass-like extramedullary hematopoiesis most commonly presents as multiple, fat-containing lesions localized to the axial skeleton. When these imaging features are identified, extramedullary hematopoiesis should be strongly considered, particularly when occurring in the setting of a predisposing medical condition.

Are routine cranial ultrasounds necessary in premature infants greater than 30 weeks gestation?

The purpose of this study was to validate the recommendation of the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society that screening cranial ultrasonography be performed routinely on all infants of less than 30 weeks gestation at 7 to 14 days of age and again between 36 and 40 weeks postmenstrual age, and, by using this practice parameter, to determine the number of babies with a clinically significant abnormal screening cranial ultrasound (US) who would otherwise have been missed. A retrospective study of 486 infants of 30 to 33 weeks gestation born January 1, 1999 to June 30, 2004 was done. All had screening cranial ultrasounds. Grade III and/or grade IV intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) occurred in 4 (0.8%) infants of 30 to 31 weeks gestation. Infants with significant IVH had either risk factors for brain injury or symptoms that would eventually warrant US during their hospitalization. Seven (1.4%) infants had periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). All infants with a final diagnosis of PVL had pre- and/or perinatal risk factors associated with PVL. There was a significant trend toward fewer abnormal cranial ultrasounds from 30 to 33 weeks gestation (p=0.04). Our study supports the recommendation by the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society that screening US can be limited but suggests that the gestational age cut off should be 30 weeks or less.

CYP2E1 polymorphism, cigarette smoking, p53 expression, and survival in non-small cell lung cancer: a long term follow-up study.

The expression of selected gene products involved in cell differentiation and cell growth and genetic polymorphism of detoxifying genes was examined in 105 surgically resected nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and the relationship of these factors was correlated with cigarette smoking and patient survival. Genotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytes from 87 patients was performed for CYP2E1, GSTM1, GSTT1, mEH, and MPO detoxifying genes using polymerase chain reaction. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue was immunostained with antibodies to p53, p27, phospho-AKT, and bcl-2 using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase method and tissue microarray technique. Tumors were assigned a positive or negative score based on more than 10% of tumor cells staining positive with the antibody. The subtypes of NSCLC included 48 adenocarcinomas, 47 squamous cell carcinomas, and 10 large cell undifferentiated carcinomas. A total of 54 tumors were pathologic stage I, 23 were stage II, and 26 were stage III. All subjects smoked (range, 10-175 pack-years; mean, 60 pack-years). The mean overall survival was 112 weeks (median, 129 weeks). Patients with p53-positive tumors had significantly fewer pack-years of smoking (52 pack-years vs 72 pack-years; P = 0.021), smoked fewer years (34 years vs 40 years; P = 0.018), and had significantly better survival compared with those with p53-negative tumors (P = 0.045). When smoking history was further analyzed, the authors found that p53 expression was associated with the number of years smoked and not the number of packs smoked per day. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma had smoked longer compared with those with adenocarcinoma (P = 0.011). Significant association was seen between the CYP2E1 wild-type allele and better survival (P = 0.016). Patients with stage I tumors had better survival compared with stages II and III (P = 0.032). No association was found between survival and tumor type; tumor differentiation; expression of phospho-AKT, p27, and bcl-2; and polymorphic metabolizing genes other than CYP2E1. The significant association of long duration of smoking (>40 years) with loss of p53 expression and poor survival suggests inactivation of the protective p53 pathway in those who had a history of more than 40 years of smoking.