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Background: Early detection is crucial to improve lung cancer survival rates. Delays in diagnosis might negatively impact the prognosis of the disease. This study aims to analyze the diagnostic delay in lung cancer patients and describe if there is an association between delay and survival., Methods: The data source used was the Thoracic Tumor Registry of the Spanish Lung Cancer Group. This analysis was restricted to lung cancer cases with information on the first date of consultation by symptoms and date of diagnosis. The delay was calculated as the number of days between the two dates. A descriptive analysis was performed, and ordinal logistic regressions were fitted with delay as the dependent variable. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression were performed., Results: 22,755 lung cancer cases were included. Never smokers were 1.16 (95%CI: 1.06-1.27) times more likely to register longer delay than smokers. Stage 0-I-II cases had a 3.09 (95%CI: 2.88-3.32) higher risk of longer delay compared to III-IV stages. Overall, 5-year survival rate after diagnosis was 23.64% (95%CI: 22.88-24.41). In those categorized as having the shortest delay 5-year survival was 17.67% (95%CI: 16.31-19.07) and in the extreme delay it was 32.98% (95%CI: 31.28-34.69) (p<0.001). Adjusted mortality risk was higher in those with the shortest delay (HR 1.36, CI95%: 1.30-1.43) in comparison with the extreme delay., Conclusions: Diagnostic delay is short among Spanish lung cancer patients, indicating a relatively quick diagnostic process. Extreme delays appear to be associated with higher survival rates, possibly attributed to slow-growing tumors, earlier stage at diagnosis or basically the natural history of this disease., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical and genetic characteristics of young lung cancer cases, and to compare them with those of older cases., Methods: We used the Thoracic Tumors Registry (TTR) as a data source representative of lung cancer cases diagnosed in Spain, and included all cases registered until 9/01/2023 which had information on age at diagnosis or the data needed to calculate it. We performed a descriptive statistical analysis and fitted logistic regressions to analyze how different characteristics influenced being a younger lung cancer patient., Results: A total of 26,336 subjects were included. Lung cancer cases <50 years old had a higher probability of being women (OR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.21-1.57), being in stage III or IV (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.08-1.62), not having comorbidities (OR: 5.21; 95% CI: 4.59-5.91), presenting with symptoms at diagnosis (OR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.29-1.81), and having ALK translocation (OR: 7.61; 95% CI: 1.25-46.32) and HER2 mutation (OR: 5.71; 95% CI: 1.34-24.33), compared with subjects ≥50 years. Among subjects <35 years old (n=61), our study observed a higher proportion of women (59.0% vs. 26.6%; p<0.001), never smokers (45.8% vs. 10.3%; p<0.001), no comorbidities (21.3% vs. 74.0%; p<0.001); ALK translocation (33.3% vs. 4.4%; p<0.001) and ROS1 mutation (14.3% vs. 2.3%; p=0.01), compared with subjects ≥35 years., Conclusions: Lung cancer displays differences by age at diagnosis which may have important implications for its clinical management., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is caused by venous return obstruction often originated by an invading mediastinal tumour. Our objective was to evaluate the usefulness of stents as initial treatment for SVCS of malignant origin., Patients and Methods: From December 1996 to August 2010, 120 patients with SVCS were referred for percutaneous treatment. Seventy-six were under oncological follow-up cases and in 44 cases the tumour was unknown. A non-concurrent prospective study was made of 113 patients without prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy, who opted for endovascular treatment as first option., Results: One hundred and two men and 11 women were treated, mean age 61.18 years old (range 45-85). SVCS causes included lung cancer (100), lung metastases (6), compression by enlarged lymph nodes (6), and an embryonic tumour. One hundred and fifty-five prostheses were implanted. One stent was enough in 75 patients, 2 stents in 34, and 3 in 4. Technical success rate was 98.2%. Symptoms disappeared completely in 97 patients and partially in 13. Complications were stent migration (5), epistaxis (1), and post-procedure groin hematoma (1). Seventy-three asymptomatic patients had a mean survival of 210 days (75% primary permeability and 52.9% secondary permeability)., Conclusions: The use of stents in malignant SVCS is a safe and effective procedure for venous obstruction, leading to the immediate disappearance of symptoms, allowing the underlying tumour staging, facilitating the establishment of the best treatment and improving life quality., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Erlotinib is an inhibitor of human epidermal growth factor approved for treating non-small cell lung cancer. The aim of this prospective observational study was to determine the prevalence of adverse cutaneous reactions caused by erlotinib and assess the management of such effects., Methods: Eleven patients with lung cancer and 1 with ovarian cancer received erlotinib at a dose of 150 mg/d. The prevalence, severity, and time course of the adverse cutaneous reactions were assessed., Results: The most frequent cutaneous reaction was acneiform eruption (10 cases). The patients were treated with topical erythromycin and clindamycin, or with doxycycline. Also reported were seborrheic dermatitis (5), paronychia (4), xerosis (3), mouth blisters (3), blepharitis (2), cheilitis (1), and fissures on the hands and feet (1). The first reactions to appear were seborrheic dermatitis (9.8 days until onset) and acneiform eruption (11.8 days), whereas the paronychia presented latest (65.3 days). One patient with acneiform eruption and another with paronychia suspended treatment until the lesions improved., Conclusions: Erlotinib induces adverse effects in most patients treated. Acneiform eruption, seborrheic dermatitis, and paronychia are the most frequently reported reactions and can lead to temporary suspension of erlotinib administration.

Objective: To evaluate the dental status of 88 cancer patients before chemotherapy., Material and Methods: Eighty-eight patients with cancer in different body locations were studied and compared with a control group. Dental plaque was assessed by means of the Silness and Löe index, dental status with the DMFT index, and periodontal status with the modified CPI index., Results: In the oncological patients the mean Silness and Löe index was 1.28-/+0.11. Patients showed multiple missing teeth (mean number 7.55-/+0.80); the mean number of decayed teeth was 2.10-/+0.36; and the mean number of filled teeth was 2.27-/+0.37. As to periodontal status, the mean modified CPI index was 1.45-/+0.11. In the control group, the mean Silness and Löe index was 0.94-/+0.00. The mean number of decayed teeth was 1.21-/+0.25; the mean number of missing teeth was 4.97-/+0.67; and the mean number of filled teeth was 4.82-/+0.44. The mean modified CPI index was 1.29-/+0.10., Conclusions: Oncological patients in our study showed more dental plaque versus healthy patients and more decayed and missing teeth. However, patients in the control group showed more filled teeth than cancer patients. Periodontal status as determined by the modified CPI index was similar in both patient groups.

Asthenia in cancer patients is a highly controversial subject. A distinct definition of asthenia in medical literature is lacking as well as its prevalence and incidence. Also, no simple tools for its diagnosis are available. Moreover its etiopathogenesis is complex and multifactorial, thereby making therapeutic approaches difficult. Recently, a Spanish group has been set up for the study and treatment of asthenia in cancer patients. This paper reports on its establishment, objectives and first conclusions.

We present a case of a patient with non-resected epidermoid carcinoma of the anal canal, treated with a combination of radiotherapy regional and chemotherapy according to MMC-Ufelos protocol. After the application of the fourth chemotherapy cycle, the patient presented microangiopathic hemolytic anemia associated to Mitomycin-C, which was treated with the application of recurrent plasmapheresis and restricted transfusions of red corpuscles concentrate. The physiopathology of this disorder and its therapeutical implications are review.

4 more cases of cardiotoxicity associated to 5-FU or oral fluoropirimidine (Ptorafur, UFT) in patients without previous heart disease (except in one case) are presented. The toxicity found was myocardial ischemia and EKG changes (in 3 patients) in patients whose enzymes were measured. The etiopathogenesis and features of this toxicity are discussed.

The authors present a retrospective study of 120 cases of epidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus, in which they proposed to investigate the etiopathogenic relation between gastroesophageal reflux and noplastic development. A statistically significant relation was found between esophagitis and cancer of the distal esophageal third, indicating the need for vigilance of patients with reflux and for randomized prospective studies to clarify the problem definitively.

The authors present a case of bullous dermatitis with clinical and biological polymyositis. The cause of the blisters can be found in an intense oedema of the superficial and middle dermis and is favoured by liquefaction of the basal layer and fibrinoid degeneration of the superficial dermis. It is diagnosed as dermatomyositis with malignancy even though it has been impossible to confirm the nature of the tumor. The diagnosis is being argued with other diseases that occasionally are vesiculobullous.

While in Japan the incidence of superficial gastric cancer (CGS) is very high (35%), with a mean 5-year survival rate of 95%, in our environment it is infrequent. Although the global incidence of gastric cancer is declining, recently, since endoscopy became routine, an increase has been seen in the diagnosis of superficial gastric cancer. In the period between 1976-1982 two cases were diagnosed in our service, but between 1982-1986 the total number of cases found was 23, representing 0.37% of all the endoscopies performed (approx. 6,800) and 8.6% of those diagnostic of gastric cancer (266 cases). Of the lesions, 60.8% were located in the antral region and the most common accompanying symptomatology was ulcerative syndrome (47.3%). The predominant tumoral type was ulcerative (73.9%) (classification of the Japanese Endoscopy Society). The benefits of radiological study were nil, while endoscopic biopsy was diagnostic in 100% after an average of 1.8 (1-4) endoscopies per patient with 6-12 biopsy samples obtained in each endoscopy. Of these 23 patients, 8 underwent total gastrectomy, 14 partial gastrectomy and one refused surgical treatment. The survival was 91.3%, with a follow-up of 6 to 60 months, and two deaths were due to nontumoral causes.

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LC) is commonly observed in malignant lymphoproliferative diseases (leukemias and lymphomas), and it can rarely be the presenting feature of a solid tumour. The types of tumour most commonly associated with that condition are breast, lung and gastrointestinal carcinomas and malignant melanoma. We report a patient with a carcinoma of probable renal origin who presented with meningeal carcinomatosis, without any symptom attributable to the initial tumour. We review and discuss the diagnostic criteria, the pathophysiology and the therapeutic outlook of this relatively uncommon type of metastatic disease.

We present a case of mandibular metastasis as the first manifestation of a disseminated prostate carcinoma. After commenting on the exceptional nature of the case, we underline the importance of histochemical markers (Acid phosphatase. PSA) to determine the non-filiated origin of a metastasis. It is advisable for this to be carried out systematically in all cases of metastasis of indeterminate origin.

We present the case of a 78-year-old patient who developed epidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus 5 years after Haller myotomy for achalasia, which produced an improvement in the clinical symptoms, as well as in the radiological, endoscopic and manometric manifestations. The appearance of carcinoma after a moderate period of time underlines the need for continued periodic follow-up of these patients.

The case of 69 year old male patient who developed sinusal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is presented. At the time of diagnosis the tumor had spread into the intracranial cavity, which explains why no surgical treatment was carried out. A combined palliative treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy was used which did not improve the course of the tumor. The rare location of this form of tumor is discussed. Also commented on are the therapeutic--both surgical and other modalities (chemotherapy and radiotherapy)--difficulties encountered with this condition, given the little experience accumulated with it and its habitual resistance to the therapeutical regimens employed.

The authors reports a case of the gastric leiomyoblastoma. This is unusual tumor and the authors review the literature.