Colorectal cancer metastases to the thyroid gland:A case report

BACKGROUND Secondary malignancies of the thyroid gland are a rare finding in clinical practice.In addition,colorectal metastasis to the thyroid(CMT)is even more infrequently diagnosed.The source of the primary tumor follows demographic and ethnic patterns,which reflects the most prevalent malignancies in the different populations.Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide;nevertheless,CMT is infrequently diagnosed.Most of them are identified during the follow-up of gastrointestinal primary malignancies.Due to the improvement of image techniques,oncological treatment,and follow-up,survival and consequent diagnosis of metastatic disease are more frequent.Those facts make this entity a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge,due to the lack of information and the difficulties performing clinical trials and research.CASE SUMMARY Here,we present a case report of a patient diagnosed with CMT of adenocarcinoma of the rectum evidenced during follow-up,4 years after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy,who had subsequent curative surgical treatment of the primary tumor and inter-current lung bilateral metastases.CONCLUSION Thyroid metastases of extra-thyroid origin are an uncommon finding,even rarer in cases of CMT.The diagnostic process,as well as survival of oncologic patients is improving,and consequently the number of metastases to the thyroid gland is increasing.

Three-dimensional organ modeling based on deformable surfaces applied to radio-oncology

This paper describes a method based on an energy minimizing deformable model applied to the 3D biomechanical modeling of a set of organs considered as regions of interest (ROI) for radiotherapy. The initial model consists of a quadratic surface that is deformed to the exact contour of the ROI by means of the physical properties of a mass-spring system. The exact contour of each ROI is first obtained using a geodesic active contour model. The ROI is then parameterized by the vibration modes resulting from the deformation process. Once each structure has been defined, the method provides a 3D global model including the whole set of ROIs. This model allows one to describe statistically the most significant variations among its structures. Statistical ROI variations among a set of patients or through time can be analyzed. Experimental results are presented using the pelvic zone to simulate anatomical variations among structures and its application in radiotherapy treatment planning.

Topical Applications of Thiosulfinate-Enriched Allium sativum Extract Accelerates Acute Cutaneous Wound Healing in Murine Model

Objective To determine whether topical applications of thiosulfinate-enriched Allium sativum extract(TASE)can accelerate acute cutaneous wound healing(WH)in a murine model.Methods Keratinocyte viability and in vitro wound closure were assessed in keratinocyte cultures.Effects of topical TASE(0.5μg/mL of allicin in 97%ethanol)on acute cutaneous WH were determined in a murine model of acute cutaneous wound.Twelve mice were alternately assigned to the vehicle-and TASE-treated groups(n=6 per group).Expression levels of mRNA for keratinocyte differentiation marker-related proteins(filaggrin,loricrin and involucrin)and lipid synthetic enzymes(elongation of very long chain fatty acids protein 4(ELOVL4),fatty acid synthase(FA2H),3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase(HMGCoA),and serine palmitoyltransferase(SPT))were assessed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction on day 3 and 8 after wounding,while transepidermal water loss(TEWL)rates were measured in wounded areas.Results TASE accelerated WH both in vivo(40%vs.22%reduction in wound area,P<0.01)and in vitro(90%vs.65%reduction in wound area,P<0.01).Moreover,topical applications of TASE upregulated the expression levels of epidermal mRNA for ELOVL4,HMGCoA,SPT,filaggrin,loricrin and involucrin(P<0.05 vs.vehicle-treated controls)on day 3 after wounding.Likewise,TASE significantly lowered TEWL rates in comparison with vehicle alone on day 8(33.06±2.09 g/(m^2·h)vs.24.60±2.04 g/(m^2·h),P<0.01).Conclusions Topical applications of TASE stimulated keratinocyte proliferation and formation of epidermal permeability barrier function,leading to acceleration of acute cutaneous WH.Topical products containing TASE could be used to manage acute cutaneous WH.