ONCOCASE

Case report of a patient treated locally for bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma

SUMMARY

Based on a case report of a 47-year old male with primary bone metastatic renal cell carcinoma, the current treatment options are reviewed in this article.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(7):305–8)

Case report: Seeding metastases after percutaneous vertebroplasty procedure for pathological fracture: a rare complication

SUMMARY

Percutaneous balloon vertebroplasty (PVP) is an effective treatment for pathological vertebral compression fractures in oncological patients. The procedure is considered safe and the analgesic effect is fast and long lasting. Seeding metastases after PVP are a rare complication. At present, there is no standard of care how to prevent or treat this complication. Further research is necessary to determine preventive measures.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(6): 255–257)

Difficulties in diagnosis and treatment of a rare malignancy, malignant peritoneal mesothelioma

SUMMARY

This article describes two cases of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM), which highlights the diversity of the disease and the diagnostic pitfalls. The risk factors, symptoms, molecular pathogenesis and the daily clinical relevance are discussed.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(6): 251–254)

Renal mass in a patient with invasive lobular adenocarcinoma

SUMMARY

Breast cancer often metastasises to bone, lymph nodes, liver and lung. In this case report, we present a 75-year-old woman with a suspicious mammography and ultrasound of the breast who had a synchronous painless renal lesion. On computed tomography, the renal mass was suspected of being a primary lesion of the renal pelvis, but anatomopathological examination of the nephro-ureterectomy specimen revealed that it was a metastatic deposit of invasive lobular adenocarcinoma of the breast.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(4):132–134)

Tumoral melanosis associated with ipilimumab plus nivolumab-treated metastatic melanoma: A case report and review of the literature

SUMMARY

Tumoral melanosis can be a manifestation of completely regressed melanoma that presents as a possibly suspicious pigmented lesion, with histology showing dense infiltration of benign melanophages. This case report describes a unique case of a 32-year-old carpenter diagnosed with a metastasis located at the gastric fundus, three years after primary diagnosis of a malignant melanoma at the right shoulder. Despite the fact that combined immunotherapy with ipilimumab plus nivolumab could only be administered once due to the development of severe colitis grade 2-3, a control gastroscopy after four months reveals macroscopic alteration of the gastric metastasis with histological regression to benign tumoral melanosis.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(3):106–109)

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the male posterior urethra: a rare urogenital malignancy

Primary urethral cancer is an extremely rare and aggressive malignancy. Due to its rarity and the lack of large prospective trials, no standardised treatment protocols are currently available, and treatment decisions are most often made on a case-to-case basis. We present the case of a 62-year-old male with squamous cell carcinoma of the posterior urethra treated at our institution followed by an in-depth discussion on presentation, diagnosis and treatment of this rare cancer.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2019;13(1):27–30)

Four case reports of arterial thromboembolism and cisplatin administration

Cisplatin is one of the frequently used chemotherapeutic agents. Common side effects such as vomiting, nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity and neurotoxicity are well known, though Cisplatin is also thought to activate destructive processes in blood vessels, including all types of arteries. Not only can it cause long-term cardiovascular complications (myocardial infarction, hypertension, and stroke), but also such complications during or shortly after its systemic administration. In a significant portion of patients, with up to 9% in some studies, thromboembolic events are encountered.^1,2 In most of the cases, this concerns a venous thromboembolic event, though arterial thromboembolic events should not be neglected as it predicts a bad prognosis and significantly increased mortality risk, especially in cancer patients receiving other prothrombotic chemotherapies or when certain comorbidities are present that enhance the risk of thromboembolism.³ During a short period, we encountered four patients with arterial thromboembolic events while receiving Cisplatin-based therapy, of which three patients had a renal infarction. It should be noted that each patient had a different type of malignancy and Cisplatin was administered in combination with other therapeutic agents.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2018:12(3):125–129)