Nasopharnygeal carcinoma is known to be the commonest tumour of the nasopharynx. However, the incidence of nasopharngeal carcinosarcoma is extremely rare. Carcinosarcoma has been reported to be aggressive in nature and therefore early diagnosis and prompt treatment is important. We report a young lady who was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinosarcoma in our centre. She presented with only 2 weeks history of nose block and was noted to have a mass occupying the nasopharynx with neck metastasis. She underwent panendoscope and biopsy with radical radiotherapy.
The incidence and mortality of breast cancer continues to rise rapidly in Asian countries. However, most of our current knowledge on breast cancer has been generated in Western populations. As the socio-economic profile, life style and culture of Asian and Western women are substantially different, and genetic backgrounds vary to some extent, we need to answer the question on whether to 'adopt' or 'adapt' Western knowledge before applying it in the Asian setting. It is generally accepted that breast cancer risk factors, which have mainly been studied in Western populations are similar worldwide. However, the presence of gene-environment or gene-gene interactions may alter their importance as causal factors across populations. Diagnostic and prognostic study findings, including breast cancer prediction rules, are increasingly shown to be 'setting specific' and must therefore be validated in Asian women before implementing them in clinical care in Asia. Interventional research findings from Caucasian patients may not be applicable in patients in Asia due to differences in tumour biology/profiles, metabolism of drugs and also health beliefs which can influence treatment acceptance and adherence. While breast cancer research in Asia is warranted in all domains of medical research, it is felt that for Asian breast cancer patients, needs are highest for diagnostic and prognostic studies. International clinical trials meanwhile need to include breast cancer patients from various Asian settings to provide an insight into the effectiveness of new treatment modalities in this part of the world.
Clear cells can be found in numerous salivary and non-salivary tumors in the head and neck region, including metastatic lesions. They are rare low-grade tumors accounting for less than 1% of all salivary gland tumors and occur almost exclusively in the intra-oral minor salivary glands. Hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma (HCCC) is an extremely rare and recently described neoplasm predominantly affecting the oral cavity. Histologically, it is characterized by nests of glycogen-rich monomorphic clear cells within a hyaline stroma. HCCC often follows an indolent course with a limited metastatic potential. It is therefore important to differentiate this entity from other more aggressive clear cell tumors including metastatic tumors such as renal cell carcinoma. We hereby report a case of HCCC localized in minor salivary glands specifically in soft palate for its rarity, as well as to discuss the role of immunohistochemical stains, essential for its definitive diagnosis.
Burkitt's lymphoma is a form of Non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma. We report a case of Burkitt's lymphoma mimicking peritoneal carcinomatosis. We will discuss the imaging and clinical findings that differentiate between peritoneal carcinomatosis and Burkitt's lymphoma. A 26-year-old man presented with nonspecific abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea associated with significant amount of loss of weight. Computed tomography images showed extensive peritoneal and mesenteric mass associated generalized lymphadenopathy. Core biopsy of the mass confirmed Burkitt's lymphoma. CT scan features are helpful indicator to differentiate Burkitt's lymphoma and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Focal or diffuse nodular thickening of the bowel wall with extensive lymphadenopathy are likely to be lymphomatosis over carcinomatosis. However, final and confirmatory diagnosis is histopathology examination.
A 33-year-old Malay lady presented to us with 1-month history of globus sensation in the throat. Clinically, she had a 3cmx2cmx1cm sessile soft mass arising from the right tongue base and was treated as hypertrophied lingual tonsil. Biopsy of the mass was done when the patient developed bleeding and was reported as diffuse non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma. Globus sensation is a common complaint in the ORL clinic. It is important to be able to decide if further investigation is warranted to differentiate a malignant from a benign lesion as at times, a malignant lesion can masquerade as a harmless lesion.
As is the case in many developing nations, previous studies of breast cancer screening behavior in Malaysia have used relatively small samples that are not nationally representative, thereby limiting the generalizability of results. Therefore, this study uses nationally representative data from the Malaysia Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance-1 to investigate the role of socio-economic status on breast cancer screening behavior in Malaysia, particularly differences in screening behaviour between ethnic groups. The decisions of 816 women above age 40 in Malaysia to screen for breast cancer using mammography, clinical breast exams (CBE), and breast self-exams (BSE) are modeled using logistic regression. Results indicate that after adjusting for differences in age, education, household income, marital status, and residential location, Malay women are less likely than Chinese and Indian women to utilize mammography, but more likely to perform BSE. Education level and urban residence are positively associated with utilization of each method, but these relationships vary across ethnicity. Higher education levels are strongly related to using each screening method among Chinese women, but have no statistically significant relationship to screening among Malays.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in Malaysia. Delayed diagnosis is preventable and has major effects on patients' prognosis and survival. The objectives of our study were to identify the magnitude of delayed diagnosis and its associated factors in women with breast cancer in Malaysia.
Trilateral retinoblastoma is the association of hereditary bilateral or unilateral retinoblastoma with a pineal neuroblastic tumour. We describe two cases of trilateral retinoblastoma from a total of 141 cases of retinoblastoma seen over an 8.5 year period. Both had a fatal outcome, with survival times of only 4 and 8 months respectively.
BACKGROUND: Measurement of plasma-free metanephrine plus normetanephrine (PFM) is the best screening test for phaeochromocytoma. While clearly raised levels are diagnostic, borderline increases may be associated with factors such as stress and medications, and should prompt a repeat study after interfering factors are withdrawn.
METHODS: PFM results reported by a teaching hospital laboratory over a 12-month period were extracted from the laboratory information system. All borderline raised results were examined for a subsequent repeat test (as recommended by attached interpretative comment) and those not repeated were followed up by examination of case-notes or questionnaires to doctors.
RESULTS: Of 111 patients with borderline increased PFM which did not normalize on repeat measurement, 33 were from the hospital and 78 from outside locations. Hospital notes for 27 out of 33 hospital-patients (82%) could be reviewed, and 49 completed questionnaires (63% of 78 sent out) were received from outside locations. Of these 76 patients thus followed up, the test was not repeated in 55 (72%) cases with borderline increased PFM. Of 10 patients with an adrenal mass and borderline PFM, only three had PFM repeated. Of another nine patients with undetermined final diagnosis and borderline PFM, only three had the test repeated.
CONCLUSION: Seventy-two per cent of borderline increased PFM results were not followed up with appropriate repeat testing, potentially leading to missed detection of phaeochromocytoma. A stronger interpretative comment may encourage appropriate repeat testing in more cases with borderline increased PFM and suspected phaeochromocytoma.
Haemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a rare vascular tumor arising from the pericytes of Zimmermann and is characterized by its unpredictable and variable biological behavior. These tumors are common in the trunk and the extremities and less than 16% of the cases occur in the head & neck region. Its occurrence in the oral cavity and pharynx is uncommon. We report an extremely rare case of haemangiopericytoma of the oropharynx arising from the tonsillo-lingual sulcus as a pedunculated mass, which was successfully excised perorally after a preliminary tracheostomy. No recurrence has been noted on a follow-up of more than six years.
Laryngeal hemangiomas are relatively rare. Laryngeal hemangiomas occur in two main forms--infantile and adult laryngeal hemangiomas. While infantile hemangiomas are usually found to occur in the subglottis, adult hemangiomas occur commonly in the supraglottic regions of the larynx. Laryngeal hemangioma with cavernous features isolated to the free edge of the vocal fold is a very rare clinical finding. We present a case of hemangioma of the right vocal cord in an adult, which was managed successfully in our center.
Leiomyosarcoma is a malignant smooth-muscle tumour that has a predilection for the gastrointestinal and female genital tract. It is locally fast-spreading and highly aggressive, and the prognosis is poor. We report a rare case of leiomyosarcoma of the maxilla in a patient who sought treatment for maxillary swelling, nasal obstruction with no epistaxis, orbital involvement or cervical lymph node metastasis. The patient underwent subtotal maxillectomy followed by radiotherapy. At present, he is symptom free with no recurrence and under regular follow up.
This paper presents a comparative study between wavelet and curvelet transform for breast cancer diagnosis in digital mammogram. Using multiresolution analysis, mammogram images are decomposed into different resolution levels, which are sensitive to different frequency bands. A set of the biggest coefficients from each decomposition level is extracted. Then a supervised classifier system based on Euclidian distance is constructed. The performance of the classifier is evaluated using a 2 x 5-fold cross validation followed by a statistical analysis. The experimental results suggest that curvelet transform outperforms wavelet transform and the difference is statistically significant.
A 65 year old man presented with a right upper cervical mass. A diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma was reported on fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). CT scan however reported an intramuscular sternocleidomastoid swelling. The tumor was excised and a diagnosis of nodular fasciitis was made. It is important to be aware of this diagnosis and that FNAC reports may mimic that of a pleomorphic adenoma.
Matched MeSH terms: Head and Neck Neoplasms/diagnosis
Breast cancer is the commonest cancer in most countries in Asia. The incidence rates remain low, although increasing at a more rapid rate than in western countries, due to changes in the lifestyle and diet. There are many differences between breast cancer in Asia compared with western countries. The mean age at onset is younger than in the west, and unlike the west, the age-specific incidence decreases after the age of 50 years. Because there is no population-based breast cancer screening program in the majority of Asian countries, the majority of patients present with advanced disease. There is a higher proportion of hormone receptor-negative patients, and some evidence that the cancers in Asia are of a higher grade. Most of the Asian countries are low- and middle-income countries, where access to effective care is limited. Because of the late detection and inadequate access to care, survival of women with breast cancer in Asia is lower than in western countries. Improving breast health in most of the Asian countries remains a challenge that may be overcome with collaboration from multiple sectors, both public and private.
A 74-year-old woman was incidentally found to have a left breast mass. The mass could not be adequately compressed to be visualized on mammography. Ultrasonography showed a heavily-calcified rounded mass in the left axillary tail of the left breast. Chest radiograph confirmed that the mass was a migrated humeral head. Remotely-displaced fracture-dislocations of the humeral head are very rare and to our knowledge, displacement into the breast, clinically mimicking a breast mass, has not been previously described.
In Malaysia, transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) is a relatively new procedure performed only in a handful of respiratory centres. We reviewed TBNA of mediastinal lymph node performed in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA) to determine the yield and its complications. Data was retrieved from endoscopy databases and patients' records, CT thorax images and all cytological and histological slides were reviewed. Twenty-five patients had TBNA performed. TBNA was positive in 15 patients (60%). Overall, 80% had confirmed malignancy after bronchoscopy. Only four patients had documented bleeding after TBNA and in two of them, bleeding stopped spontaneously and another two patients required diluted adrenaline to stop the bleed. No mortality was reported from this procedure. Hence, TBNA is a safe procedure.