ABSTRACT
Incidentalomas are asymptomatic adrenal tumors that are discovered on investigations performed for other reasons. Classically, these tumors are found on computed tomography of the abdomen. This article describes an incidentaloma that was discovered on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy performed before a bariatric operation and caused an extrinsic compression of the first and second parts of the duodenum. Further investigations showed a 15-cm non-functional adrenal tumor. The patient was treated successfully with laparoscopic adrenalectomy. The histological examination showed a benign adrenocortical adenoma with myelolipomatous changes. The article highlights the fact that incidentalomas may not only be discovered on imaging modalities but may also show up in other diagnostic methods such as endoscopy.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Carcinoma secondary to pilonidal disease is very rare with fewer than 130 reported cases so far. It is presumed that underreporting and underpublishing contribute to the low reported incidence. METHODS: A post was published on a closed Facebook group with about 30,000 Syrian doctors asking if anyone had ever seen a patient with pilonidal carcinoma before. The patients' data were collected retrospectively from the treating physicians. RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2019, we identified eight patients with pilonidal carcinoma. All patients were males with a mean age of 55.5 years. The mean interval between diagnosis of pilonidal disease and diagnosis of carcinoma was 6.9 years. A growing ulcer on the background of a pilonidal sinus disease was the presenting complaint in 50% of cases. Three patients were lost from follow-up after the diagnosis due to referral. All other five patients underwent surgical resection and three of them received postoperative chemoradiation. Four patients were followed for six months or longer: two died of metastases, one survived after recurrence and re-excision, and one survived with no recurrence. CONCLUSION: This paper presents the largest cohort of pilonidal carcinoma so far and the first that describes the disease in the Syrian population. Due to underreporting, the real incidence of pilonidal carcinoma exceeds what is reported so far in the literature.
ABSTRACT
The diagnosis of diffuse-type gastric cancers may be challenging due to their submucosal infiltration. A male in his early 60s was diagnosed with signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma of the diffuse type based on a biopsy from a perforated gastric ulcer. Postoperative workup was negative, including repeated esophagogastroduodenoscopy, gastric biopsies, tumor markers, computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET). Six months after the operation, the patient presented to our center with abdominal discomfort and nausea. The clinical examination showed an enlarged visible stomach due to gastric outlet obstruction. The patient underwent total gastrectomy after confirmation of malignancy using an intraoperative frozen section. However, the tumor was already advanced locally and regionally. Confirmed malignancy in biopsies from perforated gastric ulcers should be never considered false positivity. To avoid missing a diffuse gastric cancer, endoscopic biopsies should be obtained using advanced techniques such as submucosal dissection under endosonographic guidance.
ABSTRACT
A young pregnant woman presented to the emergency department with acute lower abdominal pain. The ultrasound examination showed not only a viable fetus with a gestational age of 24 weeks but also a heteroechoic mass of about 7×7 cm involving parts of the face. The patient was found to be in active labour with rapid progression, and she gave birth to a dead female neonate. The autopsy showed a large malignant mixed tumour of the left parotid gland and revealed infection with cytomegalovirus. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a malignant mixed tumour of salivary glands in fetuses.
