[Carcinoid of the appendix. Clinical report of 3 cases and diagnostic and therapeutic considerations]. / Il carcinoide dell'appendice. Osservazione clinica di 3 casi e considerazioni diagnostiche e terapeutiche.

The Authors report three cases of carcinoid of the appendix and discuss the difficult preoperative diagnosis and the different therapeutic options available. Over the period from January 1994 to December 1999, in the Surgery Unit of Penne Hospital, 424 appendicectomies were performed in 182 males and 242 females (age: 12-86 years; mean age: 39.9 years). In three cases the histological response was positive for carcinoid of the appendix. No postoperative mortality or morbility were reported. The authors analyze the biological peculiarities and the prognostic factors associated with appendiceal carcinoid tumours, such as tumour size and the lymphatic or vascular infiltration of the mesoappendix (and the corresponding more aggressive surgical treatments) and recommend an appropriate postoperative follow-up since synchronous or metachronous bowel carcinomas are likely to occur. Pharmacological therapy has also made important progress, with the possibility of administering compounds capable of interfering with tumour development and neoplastic growth.

[Castleman's disease with isolated renal location: clinical case]. / Malattia di Castleman con localizzazione renale isolata: caso clinico.

In a review of the literature the authors delineate the present nosographic and descriptive characteristics of Castleman's disease. They then report the case of an adult woman who came to their attention because of persistent, low-grade fever, sweating, malaise and polyarthralgia. Laboratory data evidenced increased acute-phase reactants, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, and anemia due to "chronic disease". Diagnostic imaging documented a right renal mass. A nephrectomy was performed. Histopathological studies confirmed hyaline-vascular type Castleman's disease with monoclonal B-cell lymphoproliferation. The clinical and laboratory anomalies regressed after surgery and continue to be absent after 1 year of follow-up. The authors conclude their presentation by pointing out the peculiarities of this case that do not correspond with the traditional distinctive features of the disease.