Thigh abscess due to Nocardia farcinica.

Nocardia farcinica is an uncommon cause of nocardiosis and usually infects immunocompromised individuals. We describe a patient with Hodgkin's disease and a thigh abscess due to N. farcinica. To the best of our knowledge, this has never been reported before in the English literature. It is important to recognize this complication, because a delay in diagnosis may result in widespread dissemination. Unless initially suspected, culture and identification will be delayed, as selective media for isolating Nocardia are not routinely used in most clinical laboratories. It is also important to differentiate N. farcinica from other Nocardia species due to its resistance to many antibiotics that are routinely used to treat abscesses, including cephalosporins. A case report along with literature review is presented in an effort to stress the importance of including this pathogen in the differential diagnosis of immunocompromised patients with abscesses.

Breast metastasis of ilial carcinoid tumor: case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic breast carcinoids are rare neoplasms. They can be mistaken for primary breast carcinoma both clinically and radiologically, even with known history of carcinoid tumor elsewhere in the body. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of unilateral breast metastasis from carcinoid tumor of the small intestine in a 52-year-old woman who was successfully treated by lumpectomy and radiation therapy. An extensive review of the literature reveals only a few cases of metastatic carcinoid to the breast from small intestinal primaries. CONCLUSION: Clinical suspicion for metastasis should be high in a patient with breast mass and history of known carcinoid elsewhere in the body. Lumpectomy alone may be effective in these patients. Mastectomy and especially axillary dissection could be avoided. Their histological appearance may mimic ductal adenocarcinoma of the breast. However, the distinction is important due to differences in management and prognosis.

Thyroid metastasis from colorectal cancer: role of [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography.

We present a patient with colon carcinoma metastatic to the thyroid. Review of the literature reveals only a few reports of metastatic colorectal carcinoma to the thyroid. Metastatic tumors of the thyroid are no longer considered rare. Unfortunately, they often remain undetected because only a small minority of patients present with a mass lesion or enlargement of the gland. This is further evidenced by the fact that most reports come from autopsy series. Establishing this diagnosis is important because metastatic deposits in the thyroid can sometimes cause respiratory compromise as well as thyrotoxicosis.