ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Synchronous cancers have occasionally been detected at initial diagnosis among patients with breast and ovarian cancer. However, simultaneous coexistence and diagnosis of breast and pancreas cancer has not previously been reported. CASE REPORT: Paternal transmission of a germline BRCA2 mutation to a patient who was diagnosed at age 40 with locally advanced breast and pancreas cancer is presented. Somatic genomic analysis of both cancers with next-generation DNA sequencing confirmed the germline result and reported a variety of variants of unknown significance alterations, of which two were present in both the breast and pancreas cancers. DISCUSSION: The possibility that genomic alterations could have been responsible for modulating the phenotypic or clinical expression of this rare presentation is considered. The authors call attention to the practice of privatizing the clinicogenetic information gained from genetic testing and call for health policy that will facilitate sharing in order to advance the outcomes of patients diagnosed with hereditary cancers.
ABSTRACT
The role of imaging in obstetrics and gynecology has undergone a revolution over the past few decades. Well-established methods such as endovaginal ultrasound have had a central role in the evaluation of nongravid patients with pelvic pain, as well as in the workup for ectopic pregnancy and evaluation of adnexal masses. Additional tools include MRI in the evaluation of appendicitis and other potentially surgical conditions in pregnant patients and MRI and CT in the evaluation of surgical complications. Newer tools in the radiology armamentarium include PET scanning which, alongside MRI and CT, are often helpful in staging gynecologic malignancy. The role of imaging in the obstetric and gynecology patient will continue to change as new modalities and techniques are introduced.
