ABSTRACT
We report the case of a 58-year-old man with metastatic tumors 13 months after the initial surgery for paraganglioma at the left adrenal gland. A CT scan revealed a large tumor at the right scapula and abdominal paraaortic lymph nodes, and the patient received combination therapy of cyclophosphamide, vincristine and dacarbazine (CVD) every 3 to 4 weeks. After 11 courses, the serum catecholamine level was reduced to the normal range. The metastatic tumors showed optimal reduction in size, and the patient remains alive with no symptoms of the disease one year after the primary chemotherapy. The combination therapy of cyclophosphamide, vincristine and dacarbazine is considered a feasible and effective chemotherapy for metastatic malignant pheochromocytoma.
Subject(s)
Adrenal Gland Neoplasms/drug therapy , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Pheochromocytoma/drug therapy , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/administration & dosage , Combined Modality Therapy , Cyclophosphamide/administration & dosage , Dacarbazine/administration & dosage , Drug Administration Schedule , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Vincristine/administration & dosageABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To perform optimal tumor resection of breast cancer, preoperative information concerning intraductal spread of cancer (ISC) is very important. METHODS: To detect ISC, three-dimensional (3D) imaging methods including helical CT, MRI, and ultrasound were examined in patients with primary breast cancer by comparison with multi-sliced pathological specimens. RESULTS: The sensitivity of each modality for detecting ISC was 64.7%, 90.2% and 78.6%, and the specificity was 97.1%, 62.9% and 100%, respectively. Subsequently, the potential of each modality for navigation in breast conserving surgery was assessed. Three-dimensional helical CT navigation could reduce the positive rate of the specimen margins, and 3D MRI navigation using a special mapping sheet enabled removal of non-palpable breast cancer without positive margins in 66.7% of patients preliminarily. Real-time 3D ultrasound images correlated with the resected tumor size, with the difference between the two less than 2 cm in 72.7 % of the patients with ISC. CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional images from each modality were reliable enough for diagnosis of tumor spread, and surgical navigation using these images seemed to have potential clinical application for breast conserving surgery. Prospective studies for navigation surgery with more patients are needed.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/pathology , Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods , Breast Neoplasms/surgery , Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/surgery , Female , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Sensitivity and Specificity , Surgery, Computer-Assisted/methods , Tomography, Spiral Computed , Ultrasonography, MammaryABSTRACT
Since 1992, video-assisted surgery for the breast has been developed mainly in the field of plastic surgery, notably in breast augmentation surgery. Today, video-assisted surgery, indicating partial or total endoscopic surgery, can be performed for the treatment of both benign and malignant breast tumors to improve the cosmetic outcome. Although, in some respects, this kind of surgery for malignant tumors is still experimental, it is feasible enough for clinical use, and is expected to become one of the standard operations for breast cancer.
