[en] Published in summary form only

[en] We present a case of spontaneous pneumatocele and pneumocephalus associated with mastoid hyperpneumatization. Collections of air such as these are normally due to injury or surgery, and more rarely, infection or tumor; exceptionally they may be spontaneous. The patient in question complained of a progressively enlarging retroauricular mass which increased in size on Valsalva maneuvers; he had no other symptoms. The etiology, skull X-rays, computed tomography and follow-up after surgery are shown here

[en] This pictorial review discusses and illustrates unusual sites of lymph node metastases and their mimics

[en] The principal purpose to be served by international agreement on the classification of cancer cases by extent of disease is to provide a method of conveying clinical experience to others without ambiguity. There are many bases or axes of classification, for example: the anatomical site and the clinical extent of disease found on clinical examination, the reported duration of symptoms or signs, the sex and age of the patient, the histological type and grade, etc. All of these bases or axes represent variables which are known to have an influence on the outcome of the disease. Classification by anatomical extent of disease as determined clinically is the one to which the attention of the UICC is primarily directed. The TNM System for describing the anatomical extent of disease is based on the assessment of three components: T - The extent of the primary tumour; N - The condition of the regional lymph nodes and in certain regions of the juxta-regional lymph nodes; M - The absence or presence of distant metastases

[en] Regulatory T cells (Tregs) were initially described as “suppressive” lymphocytes in the 1980s. However, it took almost 20 years until the concept of Treg-mediated immune control in its present form was finally established. Tregs are obligatory for self-tolerance and defects within their population lead to severe autoimmune disorders. On the other hand Tregs may promote tolerance for tumor antigens and even hamper efforts to overcome it. Intratumoral and systemic accumulation of Tregs has been observed in various types of cancer and is often linked to worse disease course and outcome. Increase of circulating Tregs, as well as their presence in mesenteric lymph nodes and tumor tissue of patients with colorectal cancer de facto suggests a strong involvement of Tregs in the antitumor control. This review will focus on the Treg biology in view of colorectal cancer, means of Treg accumulation and the controversies regarding their prognostic significance. In addition, a concise overview will be given on how Tregs and their function can be targeted in cancer patients in order to bolster an inherent immune response and/or increase the efficacy of immunotherapeutic approaches

[en] Standardisation of the examination method is imperative to guarantee reproducible and valid assessability of the cervical lymph node status. To this end, update high-resolution CT equipment of the third generation will be suitable, provided it meets certain minimum requirements, such as: 120 kV, 280 mAs, 480 projections over 360deg, 4-5 mm slice thickness, continuous tomography. If a primary tumour is known to exist, no plain examination is needed. The decisive examination is effected after intravenous administration of contrast medium in a dosage of 2.0-2.5 ml contrast medium/kg body weight (assuming a body weight of 70 kg, this would amount to 150 ml = 45 g iodine), onethird of the total dosage to be given as bolus and two-thirds as a rapid infusion. This procedure ensures sharp definition of lymph nodes against vessels and musculature over the entire period of examination. If tumour anamnesis has been established the size of the lymph node is significant for assessing the lymph node status. Even lymph node metastases < 15 mm can be properly identified if the structure of the lymph nodes is known and employed as a criterion (central hypodensity with rim enhancement, inhomogeneity). (orig.)

[en] Purpose: To determine the possibility of a universal cut off value between benign and malignant lymph nodes in patients with tumour by Z-Score transformation method.

[en] Axillary lymphadenopathy has multiple variable pathologic conditions such as a malignant or benign condition. It is important that we determine the radiologic findings of malignant lymphadenopathy and in turn determine the further course of evaluation for the lesion, because metastatic axillary lymphadenopathy represents an important prognostic factor. Recently, an ultrasonographic-guided axillary lymph node biopsy has been widely used as a diagnostic tool. We discuss the radiologic and pathologic findings of variable axilla diseases and outline the specific findings for determining the results of a lymph node biopsy

[en] Short note

[en] To compare the efficacy of ipsilateral lower neck sparing irradiation (ILNSI) versus ipsilateral lower neck prophylactic irradiation (ILNPI) for unilateral or bilateral neck node-negative nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). A comprehensive literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and other public databases was conducted in October, 2017. The outcomes were 3-year overall/regional recurrence-free/disease-free/distant metastasis-free survival (OS/RRFS/DFS/DMFS) and ipsilateral lower neck (ILN) recurrence. We performed subgroup analysis of ILNSI versus ILNPI for different radiotherapy techniques. Sensitivity analysis was performed to examine the stability of the results. Nine head-to-head comparative studies (2, 521 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. For the comparison of ILNSI versus ILNPI, there was no significant difference in 3-year OS (HR = 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.85–1.58, P = 0.36), RRFS (HR = 1.37, 95% CI = 0.76–2.47, P = 0.30), DFS (HR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.80–1.44, P = 0.62) and DMFS (HR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.69–1.44, P = 0.99). ILNSI and ILNPI also led to equivalent ILN recurrence rates (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.47–2.03, P = 0.96). No significant heterogeneity was observed for any outcome. Subgroup analysis confirmed no significant differences between ILNSI and ILNPI for any outcome, regardless of radiotherapy technique. Sensitivity analysis indicated all outcomes were highly stable in favor of the original conclusions. ILNSI provided equivalent survival outcomes and regional control compared to ILNPI; ILNSI represents an appropriate alternative strategy for patients with unilateral or bilateral neck node-negative NPC. The online version of this article (10.1186/s13014-018-1087-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.