Imaging findings of primary pulmonary synovial sarcoma with secondary distant metastases:A case report

BACKGROUND Synovial sarcoma(SS)accounting for 6%-10%of primary soft tissue malignancies mainly occurs in deep soft tissue adjacent to joints of the limbs.Primary pulmonary SS(PPSS)is rare and has a poor prognosis.Cases of secondary distant metastases of PPSS occur rarely and there is a lack of corresponding imaging reports.We summarized the imaging findings of PPSS with multiple metastases confirmed by surgery and pathology,and shared valuable information on PPSS.CASE SUMMARY A 43-year-old female patient had a solid space occupying lesion in the right upper lobe of the lung.The results of a hemogram,erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR)and tumor markers were all within the normal range,tuberculin skin test(5 TU PPD)was negative(-).Chest computed tomography examination showed similar round soft tissue density in the posterior segment of the right upper lobe.Thoracoscopic-assisted wedge resection of the right upper lobe of the lung,right upper lobe resection and lymph node dissection were performed.Nine months after surgery,ultrasound examination showed multiple metastases on the chest wall and kidney.CONCLUSION PPSS is a rare malignant lung tumor with strong invasiveness,early distant metastasis and poor prognosis.There are very few imaging reports.PPSS is often manifested as irregular tumor and calcification,and the metastases have extremely low echo on ultrasonography.Contrast-enhanced ultrasound indicates that the arterial phase of tumor metastases shows rapid centripetal high enhancement,manifested as“fast forward and fast regression”.

Preoperative [18]fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography in early stage breast cancer: Rates of distant metastases

AIM To investigate rates of distant metastases(DM) detected with [18]fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emissiontomography/computed tomography(^(18)FDG-PET/CT) in early stage invasive breast cancer.METHODS We searched the English language literature databases of PubM ed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, Web of Science and Google Scholar, for publications on DM detected in patients who had ^(18)FDG-PET/CT scans as part of the staging for early stages of breast cancer(stage Ⅰ?and Ⅱ), prior to or immediately following surgery. Reports published between 2011 and 2017 were considered. The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines.RESULTS Among the 18 total studies included in the analysis, the risk of DM ranged from 0% to 8.3% and 0% to 12.9% for stage Ⅰ?and Ⅱ invasive breast cancer, respectively. Among the patients with clinical stage Ⅱ, the rate of occult metastases diagnosed by ^(18)FDG-PET/CT was 7.2%(range, 0%-19.6%) for stage ⅡA and 15.8%(range, 0%-40.8%) for stage ⅡB. In young patients(< 40-yearold), ^(18)FDG-PET/CT demonstrated a higher prevalence of DM at the time of diagnosis for those with aggressive histology(i.e., triple-negative receptors and poorly differentiated grade).CONCLUSION Young patients with poorly differentiated tumors and stage ⅡB triple-negative breast cancer may benefit from ^(18)FDG-PET/CT at initial staging to detect occult DM prior to surgery.

Risk stratification for radioactive iodine refractoriness using molecular alterations in distant metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer

Objective: Patients with radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer(RAIR-DTC) are often diagnosed with delay and constrained to limited treatment options. The correlation between RAI refractoriness and the underlying genetic characteristics has not been extensively studied.Methods: Adult patients with distant metastatic DTC were enrolled and assigned to undergo next-generation sequencing of a customized 26-gene panel(Thyro Lead). Patients were classified into RAIR-DTC or non-RAIR groups to determine the differences in clinicopathological and molecular characteristics. Molecular risk stratification(MRS) was constructed based on the association between molecular alterations identified and RAI refractoriness, and the results were classified as high, intermediate or low MRS.Results: A total of 220 patients with distant metastases were included, 63.2% of whom were identified as RAIRDTC. Genetic alterations were identified in 90% of all the patients, with BRAF(59.7% vs. 17.3%), TERT promoter(43.9% vs. 7.4%), and TP53 mutations(11.5% vs. 3.7%) being more prevalent in the RAIR-DTC group than in the non-RAIR group, except for RET fusions(15.8% vs. 39.5%), which had the opposite pattern. BRAF and TERT promoter are independent predictors of RAIR-DTC, accounting for 67.6% of patients with RAIR-DTC. MRS was strongly associated with RAI refractoriness(P<0.001), with an odds ratio(OR) of high to low MRS of 7.52 [95%confidence interval(95% CI), 3.96-14.28;P<0.001] and an OR of intermediate to low MRS of 3.20(95% CI,1.01-10.14;P=0.041).Conclusions: Molecular alterations were associated with RAI refractoriness, with BRAF and TERT promoter mutations being the predominant contributors, followed by TP53 and DICER1 mutations. MRS might serve as a valuable tool for both prognosticating clinical outcomes and directing precision-based therapeutic interventions.

Predictors of distant metastasis in acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland

BACKGROUND AiCC is a primarily indolent disease process.Our aim with this study is to determine characteristics consistent with rapidly progressive AiCC of the parotid gland.AIM To report on patients with metastatic lung disease from AiCC and potential correlative factors.METHODS Single-institution retrospective review of patients treated at the University of Michigan between 2000 and 2017.Univariate analyses were performed.RESULTS A total of 55 patients were identified.There were 6 patients(10.9%)with primary AiCC of the parotid gland who developed lung metastases.The mean age at diagnosis for patients with lung metastases was 57.8 years of age,in comparison to 40.2 years for those without metastases(P=0.064).All 6 of the patients with lung metastases demonstrated gross perineural invasion intraoperatively,in comparison to none of those in the non-lung metastases cohort.Worse diseasefree and overall survival were significantly associated with gross perineural invasion,high-grade differentiation,and T4 classification(P<0.001).CONCLUSION AiCC of the parotid gland is viewed as a low-grade neoplasm with good curative outcomes and low likelihood of metastasis.With metastasis,however,it does exhibit a tendency to spread to the lungs.These patients thereby comprise a unique and understudied patient population.In this retrospective study,factors that have been shown to be statistically significant in association with worse disease-free survival and overall survival include presence of gross facial nerve invasion,higher T-classification,and high-grade disease.