An unusual case of desmoid tumour presenting as haemorrhagic shock

We report the case of a 22-year-old patient who presented to the emergency department with epigastric pain and vomiting. Haematological studies showed a rapid decrease in haemoglobin levels from 13.6 g/dl to 4.9 g/dl. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed the presence of fluid around the spleen and the patient was immediately referred for surgery. An intra-abdominal desmoid tumour presenting as a hemorrhagic shock has not previously been described. Given the relatively benign course of the disease and the young age at presentation, this clinical entity should not be overlooked as it has the potential to invade vessels and therefore be fatal.

Prospective phase II study of chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads for hepatic neuroendocrine metastases: Interim analysis

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Background: To evaluate safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization with doxorubicin eluting beads (DEB-TACE) in 30 patients with hepatic neuroendocrine metastases (NET) in a prospective phase II study. We report the interim analysis on 10 patients.

Methods: Patients who met inclusion criteria (NET liver-dominant metastases, ECOG 0-1, treatment naïve) underwent up to 4 DEB-TACE sessions (100-300 micron beads loaded with up to 100mg of doxorubicin) within a 6-month period. Statistical plan included interim analysis of initial 10 patients to assess therapeutic efficacy (defined as objective response≥50%). Tumor response was assessed by MR imaging 1 month after treatment using contrast-enhancement (EASL) and tumor size (RECIST). Safety was assessed by NCI Common Terminology Criteria.

Results: DEB-TACE was successfully performed in 10 patients (22 targeted lesions). Patient characteristics included mean age 65 yrs; ECOG 0/1 (6/4); carcinoid syndrome (n=2); tumor burden range (4-75%), and mean targeted tumor size 4.8 cm (range 1.2-10.2). At one month follow-up (n=9), Grade 3 toxicities consisted of hyperglycemia (n=3), abdominal pain (n=3), fatigue (n=1), biloma (n=1) and elevated ALT (n=1). Note that four patients had Grade 2 bilomas, which occurred in the setting of small lesions (<2cm), diffuse disease with very low tumor burden (near military pattern), and single lesion ≥ 5cm. Tumor response using MR imaging at 1 month-follow-up revealed a mean treated tumor decrease in size of 7% (p=0.03), and a mean decrease in contrast-enhancement of 59% (p<0.0001). Using RECIST, partial response was achieved in 1 patient (11%), whereas 8 patients (89%) had stable disease. Using EASL criteria, 7 patients (78%) had objective tumor response and 2 (12%) had stable disease.

Conclusions: Interim analysis shows therapeutic efficacy of DEB-TACE in liver-dominant NET metastases. Early recommendation suggests DEB-TACE may be best suited for NET patients with multifocal disease or diffuse disease with large tumor burden.

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No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Tectal gliomas: natural history of an indolent lesion in pediatric patients

The mesencephalic tectal glioma is a distinctive form of brain stem glioma with an unusually benign clinical course. Periaqueductal location, lack of contrast enhancement, and long periods of stability are classic features. The clinical management of these lesions, especially at the time of radiographic enlargement varies widely in the published literature. It is unclear whether these progressive lesions need to be treated. Accordingly, clinical and radiologic features of 7 patients were reviewed, with attention to the clinical course of the disease after radiologic enlargement. The age at diagnosis ranged from 3.3 to 16.6 years. Six of 7 had MRI tumor enlargement beginning 0.3-5.7 years after initial diagnosis. One of these 6 patients had radiographic progression coupled with a new clinical symptom which was treated with stereotactic radiation therapy. The remaining 5 patients with MRI progression and normal neurological exams were not treated and remain free of new neurologic deficits 1.8-6.9 years after the first radiographic tumor enlargement. The results suggest that pediatric tectal gliomas are a very low-grade lesion. Conservative management in the absence of new clinical symptoms could be argued, reserving radiotherapy or chemotherapy for clinical progression.