Thomas G. Weilbaecher

Long-term survival after brain metastasis from lung cancer

A case is reported of prolonged survival after lobectomy for large cell undifferentiated carcinoma of the lung and resection of metastatic carcinoma of the brain. The patient had survived 11 years 5 months after lung resection and 10 years 4 months after excision of brain metastasis. A review of the reports of another 12 patients who survived 5 years or longer after craniotomy, shows that the surgical excision of a single metastatic lesion of the brain with or without postoperative irradiation offers the best hope for prolonged survival.

Small-cell carcinoma of prostate

Small-cell carcinoma of the prostate is rare, but lethal. We report on 2 cases and review another 6 cases reported in the English literature. Microscopically the tumor may be pure small-cell carcinoma like that seen in the lung or may have a mixed pattern of adenocarcinoma with small-cell carcinoma. This tumor most probably arises from the basal or reserve cells of the prostatic acini. The totipotential basal cells have dual capacity for differentiation into adenocarcinoma and small-cell carcinoma.