occult malignancy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening relies primarily on stool analysis to identify occult blood. However, its sensitivity for detecting precancerous lesions is limited, requiring the development of new tools to improve CRC screening. Carcinogenesis involves significant alterations in mucosal epithelium glycocalyx that decisively contribute to disease progression. Building on this knowledge, we examined patient series comprehending premalignant lesions, colorectal tumors, and healthy controls for the T-antigen-a short-chain O -glycosylation of proteins considered a surrogate marker of malignancy in multiple solid cancers...

Spectral CT represents a novel imaging approach that can noninvasively visualize, quantify, and characterize many musculoskeletal pathologies. This modality has revolutionized the field of radiology by capturing CT attenuation data across multiple energy levels and offering superior tissue characterization while potentially minimizing radiation exposure compared to traditional enhanced CT scans. Despite MRI being the preferred imaging method for many musculoskeletal conditions, it is not viable for some patients...

Thymic imaging is challenging because the imaging appearance of a variety of benign and malignant thymic conditions are similar. CT is the most commonly used modality for mediastinal imaging, while MRI and fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT are helpful when they are tailored to the correct indication. Each of these imaging modalities has limitations and technical pitfalls that may lead to an incorrect diagnosis and mismanagement. CT may not be sufficient for the characterization of cystic thymic processes and differentiation between thymic hyperplasia and thymic tumors...

Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF), also referred to as Ormond's disease, is a rare fibroinflammatory condition characterized by abnormal fibrous tissue deposition in the retroperitoneal space, which traditionally presents with ureteral obstruction. Nonetheless, our case report showcases an exceptional instance involving a 70-year-old female patient who presented with symptoms suggestive of colonic obstruction, an unusual presentation that is not commonly associated with RPF. Although RPF has established associations with autoimmune conditions such as immunoglobulin G4-related disease and systemic lupus erythematosus, its connection to colonic obstruction remains undocumented in the medical literature...

The study purpose is to review the surgical approach and evaluate the results in cases of head and neck malignancies with internal carotid artery invasion. The anatomical site of the primary tumor varied including a fixed massive metastatic neck disease of an occult intraoral carcinoma of the right tonsil, a recurrent metastatic neck tumor after laryngectomy for glottic primary carcinoma and a metastatic malignant melanoma of an unknown primary origin. In all cases carotid artery was invaded and therefore resected...

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a rare and critical malignancy-related disease characterized by acute progressive pulmonary hypertension (PH). In most cases of PTTM, the cancer can be diagnosed in advance. Identification of the primary cancer is valuable for PTTM diagnosis. Here, we present the case of a patient with PTTM due to early gastric carcinoma in whom the diagnosis of malignant cancer was not revealed until macroscopic autopsy findings. This case highlights the importance of recognizing causative occult early gastric cancer leading to PTTM in cases of acute progressive PH...

PURPOSE: To compare the performance of mammography, high-resolution DW-MRI, DCE-MRI, and their combinations in detecting clinically occult breast cancer in women with dense breasts. METHOD: 544 breasts from 281 consecutive asymptomatic women with dense breasts were retrospectively identified. They underwent breast MRI for preoperative evaluation of breast cancers (n = 214) or as supplemental screening (n = 67) including DCE-MRI and DW-MRI (b values, 0 and 1000 sec/mm2 ; in-plane resolution, 1...

Background and Objectives : Incidental thyroid cancers (ITCs) are often microcarcinomas. The most frequent histologic type is a papillary microcarcinoma. Papillary thyroid microcarcinomas are defined as papillary thyroid tumours measuring less than 10 mm at their greatest diameter. They are clinically occult and frequently diagnosed incidentally in histopathology reports after a thyroidectomy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the rate of papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMC) in patients who were thyroidectomised with indications of benign disease...

Oral tongue squamous-cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is the most prevalent malignancy in the head and neck region. Lymphatic spread, particularly to cervical lymph nodes, significantly impacts 5-year survival rates, emphasizing the criticality of precise staging. Metastatic cervical lymph nodes can decrease survival rates by 50%. Yet, elective neck dissection (END) in T1-2 cN0 patients proves to be an overtreatment in around 80% of cases. To address this, sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) was introduced, aiming to minimize postoperative morbidity...

BACKGROUND: Patients with malignancies have an increased risk of suffering ischemic stroke via several mechanisms such as coagulation dysfunction and other malignancy-related effects as well as iatrogenic causes. Moreover, stroke can be the first sign of an occult malignancy, termed as malignancy-associated ischemic stroke (MAS). Therefore, timely diagnostic assessment and targeted management of this complex clinical situation are critical. FINDINGS: Patients with both stroke and malignancy have atypical ages, risk factors, and often exhibit malignancy-related symptoms and multiple lesions on neuroimaging...

BACKGROUND: Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a rare, noninherited disease characterized by gastrointestinal polyposis with diarrhea and ectodermal abnormalities. CCS polyps are distributed through the whole digestive tract, and they are common in the stomach and colon but very uncommon in the esophagus. CASE SUMMARY: Here, we present a case of a 63-year-old man with skin hyperpigmentation accompanied by diarrhea, alopecia, and loss of his fingernails. Laboratory data indicated anemia, hypoalbuminemia, hypocalcemia, hypokalemia, and positive fecal occult blood...

PURPOSE: To compare machine learning (ML) models with logistic regression model in order to identify the optimal factors associated with mammography-occult (i.e. false-negative mammographic findings) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected newly diagnosed breast cancer (BC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present single-centre retrospective study included consecutive women with BC who underwent mammography and MRI (no more than 45 days apart) for breast cancer between January 2018 and May 2023...

In many traditional, small-scale societies, death and other misfortunes are commonly explained as a result of others' malign occult agency. Here, we call this family of epistemic tendencies "the agential view of misfortune." After reviewing several ethnographic case studies that illustrate this view, we argue that its origins and stability are puzzling from an evolutionary perspective. Not only is the agential view of misfortune false; it imposes costs on individuals and social groups that seem to far outweigh whatever benefits the view might provide...

The first reports of encephalitis associated with cancer date to the 1960s and were characterized by clinical and pathologic involvement of limbic areas. This specific association was called limbic encephalitis (LE). The subsequent discovery of several "onconeural" antibodies (Abs), i.e., Abs targeting an antigen shared by neurons and tumor cells, supported the hypothesis of an autoimmune paraneoplastic etiology of LE and other forms of rapidly progressive encephalopathy. Over the past 20 years, similar clinical pictures with different clinical courses have been described in association with novel Abs-binding neuronal membrane proteins and proved to be pathogenic...

OBJECTIVE: To establish the safety and quality of ovarian cortex surrounding epithelial ovarian tumors in women eligible for fertility-sparing surgery by identifying occult malignant lesions and characterizing the ovarian follicle pool. METHODS: Multicentric retrospective study of 48 subjects (15-45 years), diagnosed with borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) or early-stage epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs) and eligible for fertility-sparing surgery. Histological samples of ovarian cortex surrounding tumors were analyzed to characterize the follicle pool, find any occult malignant lesion using tumor-specific markers (cytokeratin 7 and mucin 1), and quantify tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) by CD3 and tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) by CD68...

BACKGROUND: Common bile duct dilatation alone or double duct sign (both CBD and dilated pancreatic duct dilatation) and abnormal liver enzymes are highly predictive of biliary disease. This can be identified on ultrasound (US), CT scan, and/or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). Unexplained dilatation on imaging might warrant endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) to identify any occult causes. Supporting literature about the importance of using EUS in these conditions is evolving with no clear evidence-based approach to evaluate asymptomatic dilated ducts...

BACKGROUND: Locoregional recurrence is a critical factor in the prognosis of sinonasal malignancies. Due to the rarity of these tumours, as well as the heterogeneity of histologies and anatomical subsites, there is little evidence regarding the rate and location of regional metastases in sinonasal malignancies. Elective regional lymph node dissection in the therapy of sinonasal malignancies has become controversial. On the one hand, elective regional lymph node dissection is considered to be an overtreatment in the cN0 cases...

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an uncommon malignancy that is highly aggressive in the advanced stages. However, it rarely metastasizes to the mandible. Numb chin syndrome (NCS) is a rare neurological manifestation associated with various underlying causes, including occult primary cancers and distant metastases. It is often considered to be a significant indicator of malignancy, and thorough investigation is essential in the presence of unclear etiology. The current study reported on the case of a 69-year-old Japanese woman who presented with numbness and mild pain in the lower lip and chin area for three months...

(1) Background: The wider adoption of a preoperative ultrasound and calcitonin screening complemented by an intraoperative frozen section has increased the number of patients with occult sporadic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). These advances offer new opportunities to reduce the extent of the initial operations, minimizing operative morbidity and the risk of postoperative thyroxin supplementation without compromising the cure. (2) Methods: This systematic review of the international literature published in the English language provides a comprehensive update on the latest progress made in the risk-adapted surgery for sporadic and hereditary MTC guided by an intraoperative frozen section...

Benign lymphoid polyps of the rectum, also termed "Rectal tonsil" or "Pseudolymphoma," are submucosal tumor-like growths with localized hyperplasia of the lymphoid follicles and are often discovered incidentally during colonoscopy. Its diagnosis and differentiation from other submucosal tumors pose challenges owing to their similar endoscopic features. A 72-year-old woman presented with a positive fecal occult blood test, which led to the discovery of a 10-mm lower rectal tumor resembling a neuroendocrine tumor during colonoscopy...