Search

There is a relationship between systemic sarcoidosis (SS) and malignancy. Sarcoidosis results from an exaggerated immune response in genetically susceptible individuals. In oncologic patients with sarcoidosis, tumoral antigens and antineoplastic treatment are considered potential triggering factors. The observation of a patient with granulomas in a parotid carcinoma who later developed SS led us to review the previous tumors of patients with SS. The aim of the study is to see whether granulomas were already present in the tumors that preceded sarcoidosis. We identified 196 sarcoidosis patients, 47 of whom had previously had a tumor. We were able to review 29 cases, 12 of which showed tumor-associated granulomas (TAGs) (41.4%). This ratio is much higher than that of the normal population (4.4-13.8). We analyzed five control patients without sarcoidosis for each tumor. In conclusion, we observed an increased number of TAGs in patients who later developed SS. This finding reinforces a pathogenic relationship between SS and neoplasia. The histology of tumors in patients with SS should be reviewed in an attempt to identify granulomas.

Objective: To analyze the prognostic value of pulmonary artery obstruction versus right-ventricle (RV) dysfunction radiologic indices in cancer-related pulmonary embolism (PE)., Methods: We enrolled 303 consecutive patients with paraneoplastic PE, evaluated by computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) between 2013 and 2014. The primary outcome measure was serious complications at 15days. Multivariate analyses were conducted by using binary logistic and robust regressions. Radiological features such as the Qanadli index (QI) and RV dysfunction signs were analyzed with Spearman's partial rank correlations., Results: RV diameter was the only radiological variable associated with an adverse outcome. Subjects with enlarged RV (diameter>45mm) had more 15-day complications (58% versus 40%, p=0.001). The QI correlated with the RV diameter (r=0.28, p<0.001), left ventricle diameter (r=-0.19, p<0.001), right ventricular-to-left ventricular diameter ratio (r=0.39, p<0.001), pulmonary artery diameter (r=0.22, p<0.001), and pulmonary artery/ascending aorta ratio (r=0.27, p<0.001). A QI≥50% was only associated with 15-day complications in subjects with enlarged RV, inverted intraventricular septum, or chronic cardiopulmonary diseases. The central or peripheral PE location did not affect the correlations among radiological variables and was not associated with clinical outcomes., Conclusions: Right ventricular dysfunction signs in CTPA are more useful than QI in predicting cancer-related PE outcome., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The spectrum of pulmonary neuroendocrine cell proliferation ranges from reactive hyperplasia to small cell carcinoma and includes diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia. A case is reported and features of this disease are described according to the published evidence. The entity was first included in the WHO classification of tumors in 1999 and is considered a preneoplastic condition for carcinoid tumors. Patients generally report slowly progressive dyspnea and cough, and have airflow obstruction, multiple pulmonary nodules and/or radiological signs of air trapping, although asymptomatic cases with normal pulmonary function have been described. Histologically, it is characterized by neuroendocrine cell proliferation in the airway epithelium, in most cases beyond the basal membrane forming tumorlets and carcinoid tumors that are frequently multiple. The prognosis is favorable in most cases., (Copyright © 2011 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)