ABSTRACT
One case of 3 primary malignant tumors is reported. Having undergone adjuvant polychemotherapy after mastectomy for cancer of the right breast, 2 more primary malignomas were found in a 73-year-old woman within 26 months: malignant melanoma for the right upper arm and scirrhous gastric cancer. Possible induction of secondary/tertiary neoplasms by polychemotherapy with alkylating drugs is discussed. The importance of early detection of secondary/tertiary malignancies and of their delimitation against metastases is underlined as being indispensable for the proper planning of adequate therapy.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma, Scirrhous/surgery , Breast Neoplasms/surgery , Carcinoma/surgery , Choroid Neoplasms/surgery , Melanoma/surgery , Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/surgery , Skin Neoplasms/surgery , Stomach Neoplasms/surgery , Aged , Female , Humans , Mastectomy, RadicalABSTRACT
In 1976 Shenkman et al. revealed that in patients with thyroid disorders antibodies against Yersinia enterocolitica could be demonstrated in increased frequency. In 1983 Ingbar et al. first established that the gram-negative bacterium Yersinia enterocolitica shows on its surface saturable binding sites for thyrotropin (TSH). If such binding sites resemble immunologically human TSH receptors this would indicate that TSH receptor antibodies could be produced in selected individuals having been infected with bacteria showing TSH receptors. The aim of our study was to compare the incidence of antibodies against Yersinia enterocolitica in two groups of thyroid disorders which are either immunogenic (Graves' disease and Hashimoto thyroiditis) or non-immunogenic (toxic adenomas, endemic goitre). In our series of 111 patients antibodies against Yersinia enterocolitica were demonstrated in a significantly higher percentage (36.3%) in patients suffering from immunogenic than in patients with non-immunogenic thyroid disorders (19.6%). The antibody titres were mainly directed towards Yersinia subtypes 8 and 3. It may, therefore, be assumed that the gram-negative bacterium Yersinia enterocolitica may have an active part in triggering immunogenic thyroid diseases such as Graves' disease or Hashimoto thyroiditis.
