Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to N Calia.
We present a case of a 53 year old man with a thymoma near the pericardium, a rare ectopic localisation of thymoma. A round radiodensity found at the right cardiophrenic angle was initially suspected at the echocardiography to be a pericardial cyst. The diagnosis of thymoma was made only after histopathological examination of the surgically re-sected lesion.
BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma has a stronger association with tobacco smoking than other non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). A study was undertaken to determine whether chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a risk factor for the squamous cell carcinoma histological subtype in smokers with surgically resectable NSCLC. METHODS: Using a case-control design, subjects with a surgically confirmed diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled from smokers undergoing lung resection for NSCLC in the District Hospital of Ferrara, Italy. Control subjects were smokers who underwent lung resection for NSCLC in the same hospital and had a surgically confirmed diagnosis of NSCLC of any histological type other than squamous cell. RESULTS: Eighty six cases and 54 controls (mainly adenocarcinoma, n = 50) were enrolled. The presence of COPD was found to increase the risk for the squamous cell histological subtype by more than four times. Conversely, the presence of chronic bronchitis was found to decrease the risk for this histological subtype by more than four times. Among patients with chronic bronchitis (n = 77), those with COPD had a 3.5 times higher risk of having the squamous cell histological subtype. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that, among smokers with surgically resectable NSCLC, COPD is a risk factor for the squamous cell histological subtype and chronic bronchitis, particularly when not associated with COPD, is a risk factor for the adenocarcinoma histological subtype.
We report the case of a 32-year-old man with the onset of exercise-related dyspnea, chest pain and chest radiography simulating a pleural effusion. The computed tomography of the chest showed signs suggesting pleural liposarcoma. Because of these findings, a videothoracoscopy was performed which surprisingly showed the presence in the left pleural space of intrapleural omentum and spleen. This report underlines that the clinical manifestations of Bochdalek hernia in adults are variegate and in most cases preoperative diagnosis is not possible.
Serum thymidine-kinase (sTK) was assayed in 48 males affected by small cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL) at the time of diagnosis. On the same drawing carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and beta 2microglobulin (beta 2 microG) were assayed in 19 of these subjects. For staging, the criterion of limited (LD) and extensive (ED) disease was used. Mean sTK and CEA values were above normal range in both the LD and ED groups, while mean beta 2 microG value remained below normal range. Thirty-two patients were subsequently submitted to therapy; sTK was assayed at the end of each treatment cycle. Mean sTK concentrations differed depending on response to therapy. From the data obtained it is concluded that sTK assay is helpful for diagnosis of SCCL; CEA to a lesser extent, above all in association with sTK, and beta microG not at all. sTK assay can also be useful for prognosis and follow-up.
We present a case of biphasic pulmonary blastoma, a rare primary malignant lung neoplasm, in a 48 year old man. Despite its resection followed by postoperative chemotherapy, the neoplasm recurred and the patient survived only 41 months after the diagnosis.