From the Breast to the Finger - A Case Report of Acrometastasis.

BACKGROUND: Acrometastasis is an unusual presentation that is associated with a poor prognosis. SUMMARY OF CASE: We report a case of an advanced breast cancer in a Nigerian woman, with clinical, radiological and histopathological features of lung, brain, and distal phalanx metastases. We report this case to highlight the need to have a high index of suspicion for acrometastasis as well as to emphasize the effect and challenges of managing metastatic breast cancer in a low-income country. CONCLUSION: Breast cancer metastasis to the bones of the hand is a rare condition and associated with poor prognosis.

CONTEXTE: L'acrométastase est une présentation inhabituelle associée à un pronostic défavorable. RÉSUMÉ DU CAS: Nous rapportons le cas d'un cancer du sein avancé chez une femme nigériane, présentant des caractéristiques cliniques, radiologiques et histopathologiques de métastases pulmonaires, cérébrales et de la phalange distale. Nous rapportons ce cas pour souligner la nécessité d'avoir un haut degré de suspicion pour l'acrométastase ainsi que pour souligner les effets et les défis de la prise en charge du cancer du sein métastatique dans un pays à faible revenu. CONCLUSION: La métastase du cancer du sein aux os de la main est une condition rare et associée à un pronostic défavorable. MOTS-CLÉS: Cancer du sein, Métastase, Acrométastase.

PAH depositional history and sources in recent sediment core from Ukwa Ibom Lake, S. E. Nigeria.

Analyses of recent sediment core from the Ukwa Ibom Lake show evidence of aquatic production, terrigenous, combustion and petroleum inputs. Total organic carbon/total nitrogen values (>10) for the sediments indicate greater wash-in of land-plant organic matter relative to algal production. The characteristic combustion ratios, fluoranthene/fluoranthene + pyrene (>0.50), anthracene/anthracene + phenanthrene (>0.10), benzo(a)anthracene/benzo(a)anthracene + chrysene (>0.35) as well as 1,7/1,7 + 2,6-dimethylphenanthrene (>0.70) were observed for the top section only. These results coincided with the most recent pave-road extension exercise involving tree logging and burning of bush. The highest total PAH concentration (91.13 ng/g dry weight (dw)) observed for the bottom section coincided with the period of inhabitation of the lake catchments (~5 decades ago) when discharge to the Lake water of domestic sewage and mill waste water were prevalent. The regular decline in total PAH concentrations upcore is a reflection of the ban placed on indiscriminate dumping of wastes following relocation of the inhabitants of the catchments. Besides the local depositional history, the irregular decrease in unresolved complex mixture (UCM) profiles suggests regional contaminant influx from the adjacent upper Cross River estuary, especially during intense rainfall event. The non-uniformity in methylphenanthrene indices (MPI-1 and MPI-2) shows evidence of importation and utilization of petroleum products of different thermal maturity histories into the Nigerian economy.