Surgical oncology
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Review Case Reports
Hepatoid malignancy of unknown origin--a diagnostic conundrum: review of literature and case report of collision with adenocarcinoma.
Hepatoid carcinomas are a group of neoplasms with features resembling hepatocellular carcinomas. Although rare, more cases have been noted to arise from various organs within the last decade. Differentiating these tumors is not only a challenge but also critical, since treatment modalities and operative strategies are dependent upon the exact nature of the hepatoid cancer. Based on a review of literature, we discuss the guidelines for differentiating these tumors and utilize these criteria to differentiate these tumors irrespective of their primary tissue of origin. We also describe an unusual case of hepatoid variant of primary peritoneal yolk sac tumor presenting with extensive carcinomatosis and as a collision with two synchronous primary colonic adenocarcinomas, neither of which has been reported to our knowledge to date, thereby falsely mimicking metastatic dedifferentiated colonic adenocarcinoma. ⋯ The most likely explanation in our case is that the hepatoid tumor either originated from microscopic remnant ovarian tissue left behind or primarily from the peritoneum. With no evidence of yolk sac component within the colonic tumor or in the draining lymphatics, this essentially excludes the commonly observed metastatic dedifferentiation (opisthoplasia) of adenocarcinoma to primitive forms (also known as combination tumors). Based on analysis of various factors, including tumor behavior and response to chemotherapy, we conclude that our case was a hepatoid variant of yolk sac tumor presenting in an elderly woman with carcinomatosis. This unusual presentation of two entirely different primary malignancies in close proximity is defined as "collision tumor". This is the first reported case of collision tumors involving dual colonic and primary peritoneal hepatoid-YST. Identifying the exact type still remains to be the most challenging aspect in the diagnosis of hepatoid tumors.
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Surgical resection remains the mainstay of therapy for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Unfortunately, many patients present with advanced stage disease, and many with resectable early stage disease are unable to tolerate pulmonary resection because of compromised cardiopulmonary function. This article reviews the standard and some alternative therapies that are being introduced into clinical practice for early stage NSCLC. New therapies such as sublobar resection with brachytherapy, radiofrequency ablation and stereotactic radiosurgery offer some hope for those patients who are deemed poor candidates for curative resection.