Multiple metachronous and synchronous malignancies with lung and thorax involvement. Report of two cases.

Multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPMN) is an uncommon phenomenon, while the diagnosis of such conditions is very significant. Considering that the strategy of the treatment is determined by the histological type of the tumor, practitioners should be alert in order to avoid malpractices in cases of multiple metachronous or synchronous malignancies. In this article we report two rare cases of MPMN. The first patient suffered from three metachronous malignant neoplasms, specifically tonsillar, lung and breast cancer, while the second patient was diagnosed with four synchronous and metachronous malignant tumors, including renal and lung cancer, basaloid carcinoma and melanoma. Such cases are extremely rare in the clinical practice and poorly described in the literature.

Beware of hemopneumothorax following core needle breast biopsy.

Minimal diagnostic procedures are conducted regularly by the radiologists for several lesions within the body. The usual methodology is biopsy with a needle, either fine needle aspiration or core biopsy. The guidance is under CT or U/S. Fine needle aspiration has usually small diameter in comparison to the core biopsy. In any case the radiologist will choose the appropriate method based on the site of the lesion and safety of the patient. Pneumothorax and hemothorax are adverse effects that can be managed either on site with the help of a small catheter, however; there are cases where video-assisted thoracic surgery is needed in order to manage a more severe case. In the current study we present such a case where video-assisted surgery was necessary.

Coincidence of thymoma and breast cancer and in a 56-year-old female patient.

We present a case of a 56-year-old female, with a familial history of breast, lung and brain cancer, which revealed a breast tumor, located in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast. During the routinely staging examinations, a 15 cm intrathoracic tumor was found in the upper left mediastinum, penetrating the pericardium and a smaller tumor, in the left side of parietal pleura. Core biopsies from both lesions, revealed a lobular carcinoma of the breast classic type, grade II (e-cadherin-, ER+, PR+, Her-2-, Ki-67 10%) and a B3 thymoma (CK19+, CD5+) penetrating the pericardium and the left lung. A synchronous removal of both tumors was scheduled, including median sternotomy and left intrapericardial pneumonectomy, followed by a modified radical left mastectomy and a sentinel lymph node biopsy. The postoperative course was uneventful. This case advocates that thymoma patients appear to have a predisposition towards developing additional neoplasms, as breast carcinoma. Clinicians should be aware of the increased incidence of extrathymic cancers, occurring in thymoma patients.