POTENTIALITIES OF THE X-RAY DIAGNOSIS OF LYMPH FLOW DISORDERS IN THORACIC ORGANS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPRESSION SYNDROME IN PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY MEDIASTINAL LARGE B-CELL LYMPHOMA

A comparative analysis of the results of digital radiography (DR) and spiral computed tomography (SCT) of thoracic organs was performed. Data obtained in this work and analysis of research findings on anatomy, physiology of the thoracic lymphatic system helped us understand the mechanism of tumor cell dissemination in this type of lymphoma. Anterograde dissemination of lymphoma cells led to the replacement of lymphoid tissue of the anterior mediastinal lymph nodes by tumor tissue and as a result, their filtration was disturbed. A blockade of lymph flow caused conversion of the anterograde lymph flow to the retrograde one, which provided additional accumulation of tumor cells in the lungs, pleura, epicardium, pericardium, sternum, ribs, thyroid gland, mammary gland and muscles of the anterior thoracic wall.

Complete Response to Chemotherapy against the Recurrence of Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Breast in the Anterior Mediastinal Lymph Nodes of a Patient on Hemodialysis: A Case Report

In general, the cancer-bearing rate of patients on dialysis is considered to be higher than that of healthy individuals. There is no established chemotherapy regimen for patients on hemodialysis (HD), but some reports have described chemotherapy administration in such patients according to HD conditions, residual renal function, and the drug metabolic pathway. We present a case involving a 76-year-old female patient on HD who underwent chemotherapy for mediastinal lymph node recurrence of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast (NECB) using 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC 100) and docetaxel (DTX). The patient showed a complete response to the treatment and survived longer than expected. This is the first report demonstrating a complete response to chemotherapy for the recurrence of primary NECB with the patient having survived for a long time after treatment.

Mediastinal silicone lymphadenopathy revealed after thymectomy for autoimmune myasthenia gravis

Breast reconstruction is a very popular surgical intervention performed either for cosmetic reasons or after oncological resections. Even though silicone is considered to be an inert material, there are side effects that have been reported, such as silicone lymphadenopathy. In the case reported herein, a silicone lymphadenopathy of the internal mammary and the anterior mediastinal lymph nodes were revealed after a thymectomy for autoimmune myasthenia gravis. Silicone lymphadenopathy should always be part of the differential diagnosis of enlarged lymph nodes, in patients with previous cosmetic or oncoplastic surgery with the use of silicone gel breast implants. Special attention should be paid in case of previous breast cancer in order to rule out metastasis.