ABSTRACT
Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the pancreas is a rare tumor. We report a case of a 49 years old patient with a metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the pancreas. Histological diagnosis was established by echoguided biopsy of the liver. Due to that, we cannot be sure that this tumor was not adenosquamous with a metastatic component from only the squamous part of the lesion. Two types of chemotherapy have been performed. The first one was radiochemotherapy with an association of 5FU and cisplatinum. Gemcitabin was the second one. An objective response was obtained with gemcitabin and the patient's health improved. To our knowledge, this has never had been reported beforehand. However the prognosis of this cancer remains poor. Overall survival was 8 months.
Subject(s)
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/therapeutic use , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/drug therapy , Deoxycytidine/analogs & derivatives , Pancreatic Neoplasms/drug therapy , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/administration & dosage , Biopsy , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/mortality , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/radiotherapy , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/secondary , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/surgery , Combined Modality Therapy , Deoxycytidine/administration & dosage , Deoxycytidine/therapeutic use , Humans , Liver/pathology , Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy , Liver Neoplasms/mortality , Liver Neoplasms/pathology , Liver Neoplasms/secondary , Male , Middle Aged , Pancreatic Neoplasms/mortality , Pancreatic Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Pancreatic Neoplasms/surgery , Prognosis , Time Factors , Treatment Outcome , GemcitabineABSTRACT
Post-fracture osteolysis of the pubic bone is rare. We report a case of a 70-year-old woman with osteoporosis and a history of radiation therapy 2 years earlier. At presentation, she was found to have a bilateral sacral fracture and fractures of both pubic rami on one side. The pain persisted, and follow-up radiographs showed osteolysis of the pubic rami suggestive of metastatic disease. The development of a bony callus within 8 months established the diagnosis of benign osteolysis. About 50 cases of osteolysis at fracture sites have been reported to date, of which about a dozen occurred after radiation therapy. All the patients were elderly women with post-menopausal osteoporosis. Radiation therapy probably further increases the risk in this setting. The possibility of osteolysis at fracture sites in patients with osteoporosis should be borne in mind to avoid unnecessary and burdensome investigations that are costly and cause undue anxiety to the patients. Rest is the only effective treatment.
Subject(s)
Fractures, Bone/complications , Osteolysis/diagnosis , Pubic Bone/injuries , Aged , Bony Callus/diagnostic imaging , Female , Fracture Healing , Fractures, Bone/epidemiology , Fractures, Bone/therapy , Humans , Iron-Sulfur Proteins , Osteolysis/etiology , Pelvis/diagnostic imaging , Radiography , Radiotherapy/adverse effects , Recombinant Proteins , Risk Factors , Sacrum/injuries , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/radiotherapyABSTRACT
Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 9 and p16 (MTS1/CDKN2) gene mutations have been reported in various human cancers. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of LOH in 100 oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) by typing microsatellite loci and mutations of the p16 gene. The methods used included denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and DNA sequencing of exon 2. LOH was found in 14.7% of the OSCC cases. Six gene alterations were identified in exon 2. They consisted of three deletions and the same polymorphism in three samples. The relatively low rate of p16 mutation compared with the frequency of LOH suggests the possible involvement of another tumour suppressor gene located on chromosome 9 in oesophageal carcinogenesis.
