Molecular imaging of breast cancer: present and future directions.

Medical imaging technologies have undergone explosive growth over the past few decades and now play a central role in clinical oncology. But the truly transformative power of imaging in the clinical management of cancer patients lies ahead. Today, imaging is at a crossroads, with molecularly targeted imaging agents expected to broadly expand the capabilities of conventional anatomical imaging methods. Molecular imaging will allow clinicians to not only see where a tumor is located in the body, but also to visualize the expression and activity of specific molecules (e.g., proteases and protein kinases) and biological processes (e.g., apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis) that influence tumor behavior and/or response to therapy. Breast cancer, the most common cancer among women and a research area where our group is actively involved, is a very heterogeneous disease with diverse patterns of development and response to treatment. Hence, molecular imaging is expected to have a major impact on this type of cancer, leading to important improvements in diagnosis, individualized treatment, and drug development, as well as our understanding of how breast cancer arises.

[Seminoma and teratocarcinoma: synchronic unitesticular presentation as independent nodules with different histologies? Ultrasound characteristics]. / Seminoma y teratocarcinoma: presentación sincrónica monotesticular como nódulos independientes con distintas histologías? Caracteres ecográficos.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the ultrasound characteristics, vascularization pattern (colour Doppler ultrasound) and possible histogenesis of one case of synchronic untesticular seminoma and teratocarcinoma as independent tumor nodules, histologically different, in a 19-year-old patient with testicular mass for eight months. METHODS: Conventional ultrasound, colour Doppler ultrasound, and high resolution Doppler angiogram were performed, analyzing vascular flows. After resection of the tumor, macroscopic and histological sections were related with ultrasound images. RESULTS: The patient showed three independent, well limited, tumoral nodules in the right testicle: two of them heterogeneous, 20 and 33 mm in diameter, with cystic areas and calcifications. The third nodule was solid, hypoechoic and homogeneous, 26 mm in diameter. All nodules presented an increase in vascularization with low resistance arterial flows. Histologically the first two nodules were teratocarcinomas (predominantly mature teratoma and embryonal carcinoma) and the third classic seminoma. CONCLUSIONS: Although seminoma and mixed germ cell tumors are common, "their presentation in the some testicle as independent nodules with different histologies is a rarely referred case in the literature, which allows us to apply a histogenetic and ultrasound-pathologic correlation model in seminomatous and nonseminomatous tumors. The presence of cystic cavities and gross calcifications is highly correlated with teratoma. In our case there are not significant differences in the vascularization pattern with Doppler ultrasound.

Seminoma y teratocarcinoma: ¿presentación sincrónica monotesticular como nódulos independientes con distintas histologías? Caracteres ecográficos / Seminoma and teratocarcinoma: synchronic unitesticular presentation as independent nodules with different histologies? Ultrasound characteristics

Objetivo: Describir las características ecográficas, el patrón de vascularización (eco-doppler color) y la posible histogénesis de un caso de presentación sincrónica monotesticular de tumor seminomatoso y teratocarcinoma como nódulos tumorales independientes e histológicamente distintos, en un paciente de 19 años, con una masa testicular de 8 meses de evolución. Métodos: Se realizó estudio convencional ecográfico, eco doppler color y angio-doppler con ecógrafo de alta resolución, analizando los flujos vasculares. Tras la resección del tumor se correlacionaron las secciones macroscópicas e histológicas con los planos ecográficos realizados. Resultados: El paciente mostraba, a nivel testicular derecho, tres nódulos tumorales independientes y bien delimitados: dos de ellos heterogéneos, de 20 y 33 mm de diámetros, con áreas quísticas y calcificaciones. El tercer nódulo era sólido hipoecoico y homogéneo, de 26 mm de diámetro. Todos los nódulos presentaban un aumento de la vascularización con flujos arteriales de baja resistencia. Histológicamente los dos primeros correspondían a teratocarcinomas (teratoma maduro y carcinoma embrionario predominante) y el tercero a un seminoma clásico. Conclusiones: Si bien el seminoma y el tumor mixto de células germinales son habituales, la presentación en un mismo testículo como nódulos independientes, con diferentes histologías es un hecho escasamente referido en la literatura, que nos permite aplicar un modelo histogenético y de correlación ecográfico-patológica en tumores seminomatosos y no seminomatosos. La presencia de cavidades quísticas y calcificaciones groseras se correlaciona altamente con teratoma. En nuestro caso no existen diferencias significativas en el patrón de vascularización con doppler (AU)

Objective: To describe the ultrasound characteristics, vascularization pattern (colour Doppler ultrasound) and possible histogenesis of one case of synchronic uniesticular seminoma and teratocarcinoma as independent tumor nodules, histologically different, in a 19-year-old patient with testicular mass for eight months. Methods: Conventional ultrasound, colour Doppler ultrasound, and high resolution Doppler angiogram were performed, analyzing vascular flows. After resection of the tumor, macroscopic and histological sections were related with ultrasound images. Results: The patient showed three independent, well limited, tumoral nodules in the right testicle: two of them heterogeneous, 20 and 33 mm in diameter, with cystic areas and calcifications. The third nodule was solid, hypoechoic and homogeneous, 26 mm in diameter. All nodules presented an increase in vascularization with low resistance arterial flows. Histologically the first two nodules were teratocarcinomas (predominantly mature teratoma and embryonal carcinoma) and the third classic seminoma. Conclusions: Although seminoma and mixed germ cell tumors are common, their presentation in the same testicle as independent nodules with different histologies is a rarely referred case in the literature, which allows us to apply a histogenetic and ultrasound-pathologic correlation model in seminomatous and nonseminomatous tumors. The presence of cystic cavities and gross calcifications is highly correlated with teratoma. In our case there are not significant differences in the vascularization pattern with Doppler ultrasound (AU)