Murat Özkan

Giant ancient schwannoma of the posterior mediastinum cytologically misdiagnosed as a malignant tumour. A case report.

Abstract We report a case of a 45-year old woman who was found to have a giant mediastinal tumour with radiological degenerative changes. She underwent thoracotomy to remove the mass, which was eventually diagnosed histolo-gically as an ancient schwannoma, whereas cytological interpretation of the accompanying pleural fluid was malignant. Ancient schwannoma is a rare variant of schwannoma, histologically showing atypical features that may result in erroneous diagnosis of a malignant tumour. Clinical and radiological findings are important aids for further consideration of surgical removal of these potentially resectable tumours.

The Outcome of Bifocal Surgical Resection in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with Synchronous Brain Metastases: Results of a Single Center Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND The reported median survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastases to the brain varies from 3 to 12 months with combined treatment modalities. Bifocal surgical resection of synchronous brain metastasis and primary NSCLC has not been reported widely, and there have been only a small number of articles published in the literature. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prognostic factors among patients undergoing bifocal surgical resection. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 28 patients who had a solitary metastatic brain lesion at the time of diagnosis, and underwent synchronous surgical resection of the brain metastasis and primary lung tumor. Survival time was measured in all the patients from the date of craniotomy until death or the most recent date of follow-up for those still surviving. RESULTS Mean age was 53 years. The mean length of follow-up was 23.6 (4-69) months. The overall survival rates were 79, 42, and 8% at the 1st, 2nd, and 5th years, respectively. The median length of survival was 24 ± 3.8 months. The median survival was found to be statistically significantly lower for the stage T3 tumors when compared with both stage T1 and T2 tumors (p = 0.037). CONCLUSION NSCLC patients with resectable solitary cranial metastasis, low locoregional stage (stages IA, IB, IIA) in which T3 status is counted out, with no mediastinal lymph node involvement or any other extrathoracic spread will mostly benefit from consecutive complete resection of both tumors and are supposed to have a better survival.

Resection of Esophageal Carcinoma During Pregnancy

Esophageal carcinoma diagnosed during pregnancy is a rare occurrence. A 26-year-old pregnant patient was referred to our hospital with dysphagia. A thorough examination showed a tumor in the esophagus. Laparotomy, thoracotomy, and cervical exploration were performed. There are only 2 cases reported in the literature about esophageal carcinoma diagnosed during pregnancy and treated surgically. However, ethical dilemmas arise in managing such situations. Here we report a case of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma diagnosed at 27 weeks of gestation in which surgical resection was performed successfully.

Foreign body aspiration in a pregnant woman: successfully removed roasted chickpea

Foreign body aspiration is a serious health problem in all age groups, and in pregnancy it may cause serious complications for the fetus as well as the pregnant woman. Here we present our case of a 36 years old 22 weeks pregnant woman, accidentally aspirating roasted chickpea upon laughing. She had the complaints of coughing and shortness of breath on admission, bronchoscopy was performed, and the roasted chickpea blocking the entrance of right lower lobe bronchus was removed without any complications. For foreign body aspiration in pregnancy, bronchoscopy is a rather safer procedure when performed by an experienced team.