Size, edge, and stage of NSCLC determine the release of CYFRA 21-1 in bloodstream.

BACKGROUND: The computed tomography (CT) is the "golden standard" for the assessment of lung cancer progression due to its ability to clearly display the radiomorphologic characteristics. As lung cancer mortality is very high, more comprehensive approaches may be needed for its earlier diagnosis. The research hypothesis was to investigate the relation between the CT morphologic characteristics (size, stage, and edges) of pulmonary lesion and the extent of release of a soluble fragment of cytokeratin 19 being a part of the cytoskeleton of lung epithelial cells. METHODS: This is a retrospective study including 246 pulmonary lesions being diagnosed and subsequently treated at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia. The information about the relevant clinical, radiological, and laboratory facts was collected at the time of diagnosis in 164 NSCLC patients, 52 patients with pulmonary metastases, and 30 benign cysts. CYFRA 21-1 was determined by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. The nonparametric statistical methods were applied. RESULTS: There was a positive correlation between the size and CYFRA 21-1 in NSCLC unlike metastases or cysts (p = 0.0001). The highest values of CYFRA 21-1 were seen in advanced stages of NSCLC and lesions with spiculated edges. CONCLUSIONS: The level of CYFRA 21-1 positively correlates with the greatest size of NSCLC measured by CT. The differences in CYFRA 21-1 according to TNM classification are significant (p = 0.0001): higher values were observed in advanced stages and with tumors having spiculated, lobulated, and poorly defined edges. The combination of CYFRA 21-1 and CT may help articulate the malignancy of pulmonary lesions.

Breast metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma diagnosed with fine needle aspiration cytology: a case report.

Metastases to the breast from extramammary neoplasms are very rare. Correct diagnosis of breast malignancy is important for establishing appropriate management and for avoiding unnecessary radical surgery. Metastasized breast malignancies from non-small cell lung carcinoma are extremely rare. Here we report a 55-year old female patient with breast metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma which was diagnosed with fine needle aspiration cytology and confirmed by immunocytochemistry.

Prognostic value of computed tomography morphologic characteristics in stage I non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we describe the prognostic value of NSCLC morphologic characteristics obtainable by computed tomography (CT) in the preoperative staging. Starting with the initial hypothesis that CT morphologic characteristics of NSCLC have a prognostic value, we conducted a retrospective study that included 194 patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients underwent surgery because of stage IA or IB non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Surgical procedures were performed in our clinic over the period of 9 years and 8 months starting in June 1996 and ending in February 2006. Preoperative CT scans and clinical data available for each patient were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Over the study period, 93 patients died. The mean survival time was 78.6 months (95% confidence interval was 72.63-84.57 months). After a 2-year follow-up, 85.57% of patients were alive, but this decreased to 63.9% living patients after 5 years. Morphologic tumor characteristics were obtained by analyzing CT images available for each patient. These CT morphologic characteristics were divided into 5 categories: size, tumor edges, structure, and periphery of the tumor, as well as its relation to visceral pleura. We correlated each of these characteristics to the survival of patients. CONCLUSION: We conclude that, within stage I NSCLC, patient survival and disease prognosis vary significantly depending on such morphologic characteristics. This fact is one of the weakest points of the current tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification. Along with already-established tumor prognostic attributes such as size and TNM grade, we identified CT morphologic characteristics as powerful additional prognostic factors for NSCLC.

Mycobacterium xenopi pulmonary disease - epidemiology and clinical features in non-immunocompromised patients.

OBJECTIVES: The genus Mycobacterium has more than 120 well-characterized species. Although the incidence of tuberculosis has decreased over the studied period, other, non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are isolated more often. Since, Mycobacterium xenopi is the most frequent NTM isolate in Croatia we studied its epidemiology and clinical relevance. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study over a 25-year period determining epidemiology, radiological findings and clinical importance of M. xenopi infection, obtaining data from archives in health care institutions from all over the country. RESULTS: We detected 40 patients with a positive isolate of M. xenopi. Twenty-four patients met American Thoracic Society criteria for pulmonary disease. Eighteen (90%) of treated patients were male, on average 61.7 years old. Nineteen (95%) patients lived in towns. Most of them had comorbid disease, 18 (90%), with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) being the most frequent, found in 11 (55%) patients. All patients were immunocompetent. We found COPD as the most frequent comorbid disease in the group of patients with worse treatment response (n=8; 80%), while in patients with good treatment response COPD was less frequent (n=3; 30%). Differences in the proportions of patients with COPD were significant (p=0.037). CONCLUSION: In patients with M. xenopi pulmonary infection, COPD is a predisposing condition, and as a comorbid disease, is an important prognostic factor for treatment response.

Wegener's granulomatosis of the breast.

Wegener's granulomatosis is a multisystem disorder characterized by necrotizing granulomatous inflammation and vasculitis of small vessels and can affect any organ system. The most common sites of involvement are upper and lower respiratory tracts, and kidneys. Breast involvement is unusual and very rare. We report a case of breast Wegener's granulomatosis in a 32-year-old woman who presented with pulmonary lesions and palpable masses in the left breast. Mammography showed multiple, sharply delineated nodules without microcalcifications. Ultrasonography revealed multiple hypoechoic solid lesions, some of them with anechoic areas of necrosis. Computed tomography showed multiple nodules. Histopathology of excision biopsy specimens of breast lesions revealed necrotizing granulomatous material consistent with Wegener's granulomatosis. Twenty reports of breast involvement in this rare disease were found in the literature; however, the respective ultrasonographic and computed tomography findings have not hitherto been described.