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Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in the pediatric population. In 35% of cases, RMS develops in the head and neck (H&N) region, and only combined therapy is recognized as a curative treatment. However, recent advances in skull base and reconstructive surgery, along with microsurgery and endoscopic surgery, have strengthened the role of surgery as an important part of RMS treatment. In the present study, 36 pediatric RMS cases (24 males and 12 females) were analyzed after surgical treatment. The average age at diagnosis was 7 years. In total, 67% of tumors were localized in the parameningeal region. Alveolar RMS was the most common histopathological type. A total of 16 patients were treated due to disease recurrence or a previous non-radical surgical procedure, while 19 cases had inductive chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy preceding surgical treatment due to locally advanced disease. In 1 case, only diagnostic biopsy was performed. It is recommended that the management of H&N RMS is interdisciplinary from the beginning. Extensive surgical dissection in the H&N region for RMS may result in severe cosmetic defects and functional impairment; thus, these risks should be considered during treatment planning, and the surgical approach should be based on the individual characteristics of each patient.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal types of malignant solid tumor and is typically associated with a poor prognosis. The majority of patients are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease, therefore, the median survival period is <6 months. Recently, a number of basic research projects and clinical trials were undertaken with the aim of improving treatment outcomes in pancreatic cancer; however, only one agent, erlotinib, passed the clinical trials. Erlotinib is an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor, which when overexpressed in cancer, promotes angiogenesis, cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis. The US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency approved erlotinib in combination with gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to report a case of pancreatic cancer treated with this regimen alone to achieve a complete response (CR). A 40-year-old male with a medical history of chronic pancreatitis and hypertension was diagnosed with medically inoperable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Following palliative surgery, the patient began palliative gemcitabine and erlotinib chemotherapy. After three months, this treatment strategy resulted in a CR, as determined by imaging studies. Therapy was discontinued after 14 months due to the development of peritoneal metastases and the patient was referred for treatment with the folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan and oxaliplatin regimen. A CR is rarely reported in pancreatic cancer, however, a treatment strategy of gemcitabine and erlotinib may induce rapid regression of advanced-stage disease.

Nasopharyngeal chordoma is a rare type of malignant neoplasm that originates in the remnants of the notochord, a primitive tissue of embryonic origin preserved outside the axial skeleton. Approximately one-third of chordomas are located in the base of the skull, in the midline of the body. The slow growth rate of the tumor, which gradually fills the nasopharyngeal cavity, contributes to a delayed oncological diagnosis. Among its isolated and non-specific symptoms, the obstruction of the nasopharynx is dominant, thus, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) may occur. The current study presents the case of a 32-year-old female patient who was incidentally diagnosed with a nasopharyngeal chordoma during a diagnostic examination for SDB. The diagnostic examination was performed as a part of a research program for pathologically obese patients who qualified for bariatric surgery. Following tumor resection, a significant improvement in various polysomnographic parameters occurred, including a decrease in the apnea hypopnea index from 53.5 to 6.4 and an increase in the mean saturation rate from 92.5 to 95%, confirming that an association exists between tumor obstruction of the nasopharynx and SDB. The incidental diagnosis of this rare type of neoplasm drew attention to diagnostic and therapeutic problems associated with nasopharyngeal chordomas. Furthermore, it indicated the necessity for the accurate laryngological examination of patients with SDB.

Carbohydrate metabolism disorders increase the risk of carcinogenesis. Diabetes mellitus alters numerous physiological processes that may encourage cancer growth. However, treating impaired glucose homeostasis may actually promote neoplasia; maintaining proper glucose plasma concentrations reduces metabolic stresses, however, certain medications may themselves result in oncogenic effects. A number of previous studies have demonstrated that metformin reduces the cancer risk. However, the use of sulfonylurea derivatives correlates with an increased risk of developing a malignancy. Another form of treatment, insulin therapy, involves using various forms of insulin that differ in pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and efficacy. Previous studies have indicated that certain insulin variants also affect the cancer risk. The results from analyses that address the safety of long-lasting insulin types raise the most concern regarding the increased risk of malignancy. Rapid development of novel diabetic medications and their widespread use carries the risk of potentially increased rates of cancer, unnoticeable in limited, randomized, controlled trials. In the present review, the results of clinical and epidemiological studies are evaluated to assess the safety of anti-hyperglycemic medications and their effect on cancer risk and outcomes.

At present, only eight cases of tracheal adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACCs) mimicking thyroid tumors have been reported. Since there are no guidelines available regarding their diagnosis and treatment, they present a significant clinical challenge. In the present study, patient treatment was analyzed to deliver the first concise summary of treatment options in patients with ACC mimicking a thyroid tumor. In addition, all available data regarding molecular abnormalities of this disease have been discussed. The current study presents a case of a 17-year-old patient with a tracheal ACC mimicking a thyroid tumor. The patient was diagnosed in 2007 with a pathological mass between the left lobe of the thyroid and the trachea, and underwent surgery and radiotherapy. In 2010, multiple lesions in the lungs were diagnosed and pulmonary metastasectomy was performed. Following surgery, the patient has been disease-free for almost 30 months. Thyroid tumor biopsy may reveal ACCs. This pathological report requires further investigation of the head and neck in order to confirm if the disease is of tracheal origin. Patients may present with a neck swelling, hoarseness of voice or dysphagia. Surgery must be considered as first-line therapy for all patients with local disease as it may be curative. For palliative treatment chemoradiotherapy based on cisplatin may be effective. The identification of cytogenetics, tumor suppressor genes, oncogenes, epigenetic alterations and mitochondrial abnormalities specific for ACCs is critical to the development of targeted therapies. Thus far, large studies have only reported the transcriptional activator Myb and mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway to be disrupted in ACCs.

For osteoblastoma, with its predilection for the spinal column and appendicular skeleton, the skull is an unusual site, and paranasal sinus involvement is very rare. Herein, we report on a case in which the disease was located within the sphenoid bone. To the best of our knowledge, this is the 4th reported case of osteoblastoma with a sphenoid origin (1). We report an osteoblastoma of the sphenoid sinus in a 12-year-old girl who presented with exophthalmos. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated an expansile lesion of the sphenoid which caused the orbital contents to be compressed and deviated to the right. In the magnetic resonance imaging scan, the lesion was found to invade the cranial base in the frontal and temporal region, approximating to the cavernous sinus and internal carotid artery on the right. Bilateral fronto-orbital craniotomy was performed. Histologically, the lesion was composed of proliferating osteoblasts along with vascular stroma. The tumor was described as an aggressive osteoblastoma. In the follow-up CT four months later, a pathological mass was observed in the area of the nasal septum, and a signal void was present on all sequences in the densely sclerotic areas. A second resection was performed. The patient has been disease-free for 61 months. Herein, we present the diagnosis and management of this unusual lesion. The histopathology and the imaging characteristics are shown.