Esophageal leiomyosarcoma (ELMS) is a rare tumor of mesenchymal origin that develops from the smooth muscles of the esophagus. ELMS is typically located in the lower third of the esophagus. We herein report a patient who underwent surgical resection for ELMS, 80 mm in diameter, in the upper third of the esophagus. A 58-year-old man experienced difficulty swallowing, and his swallowing function gradually deteriorated about 6 months before admission. McCeowns operation, which is a kind of esophagectomy performed via the thoraco-laparo-cervicotomy approach, was conducted. The postoperative course was good, without complications, and he was discharged on postoperative day 13. A pathological examination revealed highly differentiated ELMS.

Background: Vitamin D roles in human health and wellbeing have been extensively studied in the recent years. It has essential roles in homeostasis and maintaining many physiological functions. These roles are vital in immune system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and reproductive system. Deficiency in this vitamin has been correlated with many diseases in the body, and it has been correlated with developing cancer.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate levels of total vitamin D (25-hydroxycholecalciferol) in cancer patients.

Design: Retrospective.

Settings: Taif city- king Faisal Hospital (KFH).

Patients and methods: Serum levels of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol were classified into normal, insufficient, and deficiency group, patients were grouped according to these classes.156 patients were included in this study, 128 females and 28 males, 100 healthy participants were included. Cancer patients were as follows, gastrointestinal tract cancer patients were 27, breast cancer patients were 73, female genital tract patients were 43, head and neck cancer patients were 6 and respiratory tract patients were 7.

Sample size: 256 participants were 100 healthy controls and 156 cancer patients.

Results: Deficiency was detected in most of the patients from both genders, and in both pre- and post-menopausal female patients.

Conclusion: These findings support the belief that deficiency in vitamin D is a risk factor leading to development of cancer.

Low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN) is a rare disease. The strategy of treatment for LAMN has not been established. We herein present a case of LAMN treated by laparoscopic ileocecal resection with D2 lymph node (LN) dissection, which exhibited invagination. A 59-year-old man visited at our emergency room with intermittent abdominal pain. Abdomino-pelvic computed tomography (CT) revealed suspiciously a diagnosis as intussusception of LAMN into the ascending colon. Emergency laparoscopic operation was performed. A laparoscopic ileocecal resection with D2 LN dissection was performed because swollen lymph nodes were notified around the ileocolic artery. Histologically, he was diagnosed as LAMN, T3, N0, M0, Stage II.

Background: Liver function test (LFT) is a routine laboratory examination used in the diagnosis of many disorders, the liver participates in several essential functions in the human body, and liver dysfunction can lead to morbidity and mortality. Therefore, studying the levels of LFT in untreated cancer patients can identify how the liver perform when cancer begins, and which parameter of LFT is affected early.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate levels of LFT including alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin, total bilirubin (T bilirubin), direct bilirubin (D bilirubin), and total protein (T protein), in untreated cancer patients.

Design: Cross-sectional retrospective.

Settings: Taif city- king Faisal Hospital (KFH) and Taif university.

Patients and methods: Serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, T protein, T bilirubin, D bilirubin, and albumin were evaluated. 256 Participants were included in this study and 30 were healthy participants. Cancer patients were as follows, gastrointestinal tract cancer patients were 59, breast cancer patients were 45, gynecological tumors were 50, head and neck cancer patients were 20, blood tumor patients were 28, and urogenital tract patients were 24. Statistical analysis applied were T-test, Chi-square, odds ratio, and relative risk.

Sample size: 256 participants were 30 healthy controls and 226 untreated cancer patients.

Results: Hypoproteinemia was highly detected as 44% of patients demonstrated hypoalbuminemia and 22.2% of patients have low levels in T protein. AST, ALT, and ALP showed significant increase in patients than healthy control.

Conclusion: Hypoproteinemia can be used as a prognostic marker of liver dysfunction in untreated cancer patients.

Introduction: Neutropenia is a major common complication in patients who are treated with myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Prophylaxis with granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) has been used to reduce the incidence, duration, and severity of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN).

Methods: This study aimed to examine the efficacy and safety of pegfilgrastim compared with filgrastim in treating chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia. PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase, and Web of science were searched until December 2015. The search was updated in January 2018. Also, the reference lists of included studies were screened for additional citations. The quality of studies was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tools and the random effect model was applied for analyzing the result.

Results: Eleven studies with 1,578 participants (799 in pegfilgrastim arm and 779 in filgrastim arm) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The incidence of grade 4 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia, the duration of grade 4 neutropenia, and recovery of the absolute neutrophil count were slightly reduced in the pegfilgrastim group, though this difference was not statistically significant. For bone pain, despite the observed superiority in the pegfilgrastim group, there was no significant difference between the two drugs.

Conclusion: The results of our review suggest that there is no overall treatment benefit for a median 10–14 days of filgrastim compared to a single dose of pegfilgrastim in the incidence of grade 4 neutropenia, incidence of febrile neutropenia, duration of grade 4 neutropenia, and recovery of absolute neutrophil count and bone pain in the treatment of CIN.

Background: Breast cancer (BrC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and a prominent cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the association of grain and legume intakes and BrC risk among Jordanian women.

Methods: A case-control design was used in this study. All BrC patients were taken from the main two hospitals in Jordan that offer cancer therapy. A total of 400 Jordanian women with 20–65 years of age were recruited in this case-control study. About 200 recently diagnosed BrC women were matched in age, income and marital status to 200 BrC-free women. Dietary data were gathered through in-person interview using a validated food frequency questionnaire between October 2016 and September 2017.

Results: The weekly consumption of 1–6 servings of whole wheat bread showed >70% protected odds of having BrC, while the consumption of bulgur was significantly associated with great likelihood of having BrC (OR: 2.33, CI: 1.25–4.32). The consumption of 1–6 servings weekly of breakfast cereals had 72% lower risk of having BrC (p-trend: <0.001). The consumption of more than one serving per day of cooked white rice was detected to be associated with 7 folds higher chance of having BrC. The findings of this study also showed 90% protective odds of the consumption of 1–6 servings per week of cooked beans. Daily consumption of more than one serving of fried foods increased the risk of BrC; daily consumption of “Falafel” and fried potatoes had 256% and 515% higher risks of having BrC. Similar results were detected among overweight and obese participants.

Conclusion: This study detected a few food items that may modify the risk of BrC. The findings highlighted the importance of quality of dietary choices and the significance of healthy foods in reducing disease risk.

Background: Colorectal carcinoma is the second most common malignancy among Saudis. Cells derived from many human malignant tissues have altered chromatin content and structure. The cellular Feulgen DNA content of malignant tissues is typically altered. Here we investigate the relationship between nuclear DNA content in colorectal carcinoma.

Objectives: To demonstrate DNA in colorectal cancer cells using Feulgen reaction, and to determine the association between colon cancer grade and cellular DNA content.

Design: Retrospective.

Settings: Taif city- King Abdul Aziz specialized hospital.

Patients and methods: Sections were stained with the Hematoxylin and Eosin method and the Feulgen reaction method for DNA demonstration.

Sample size: Paraffin sections from 50 patients previously diagnosed with colon cancer were included in this study.

Results: The histopathological diagnosis showed that 82% were adenocarcinoma cases, 18% had benign tumors. Regarding cancer grading, 56% of cases had moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, 18% had low differentiated adenocarcinoma, 6% had high differentiated adenocarcinoma, and 2% had poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. The staining intensity of the Feulgen reaction showed that 46% of tissue sections had intense staining, 22% had medium staining, and 14% had results comparable to control staining. We detected no significant associations between the cancer grade and age group, gender, or result of Feulgen reaction.

Conclusion: DNA demonstration using the Feulgen reaction is a simple and successfully estimated in this study. However, the correlations between DNA staining and several clinicopathological factors were not statistically significant. We recommend that DNA staining should be combined with routine histopathological examination for better understanding of patients’ clinical malignant potential of the colorectal cancer.

Intraparotid facial nerve schwannoma (FNS) is very rare disease that is difficult to diagnose; thus, there is no established treatment strategy. We herein report two cases of intraparotid FNS and highlight the diagnostic and surgical approach. The first patient presented with painful parotid mass. We performed superficial parotidectomy as a diagnostic treatment. The continuity of the nerve was interrupted when we attempted to completely resect the tumor. After resection, we carried out reconstruction of the facial nerve using neurorrhaphy with end-to-end anastomosis. A histopathological examination revealed findings of intraparotid FNS. The House-Brackmann (HB) grade was II at a 2-year follow-up examination. No recurrence has been seen in the 2 years since surgery. The second patient presented with gradually progressive swelling in the right parotid region. The patient underwent tumor removal without parotidectomy via binocular magnification and a diode laser. As a result, the patient’s facial nerve function was intact at an 8-year follow-up examination (HB grade I). Tumor recurrence was not identified. Microsurgical and diode laser approaches in the management of intraparotid FNS resulted in a better overall facial nerve function without recurrence. Resection of intraparotid FNS with microsurgical and diode laser approaches should be included in a management algorithm, with prioritization of preservation of the facial nerve function.

Background: Minimally invasive esophagectomy theoretically has advantages over open esophagectomy. The purpose of the present study was to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic esophagectomy (VATE) or conventional open esophagectomy (OE) for esophageal carcinoma.

Methods: A total of 122 patients who underwent radical esophagectomy via VATE (VATE group, N = 87) and OE (OE group, N = 35) for esophageal carcinoma between 2005 and 2018 were retrospectively enrolled in this study, and the postoperative outcomes were compared.

Results: The OE group had younger patients and more patients who received neo-adjuvant therapy that the VATE group. The procedure time in the OE group was also shorter than that in the VATE group (8.22 vs. 10.28 h, P < 0.001). Intraoperative blood loss was similar between the groups (P = 0.775). There were no significant differences in the total number of dissected lymph nodes between the groups (OE: 33, VATE: 37, P = 0.482). The incidence of severe complications was lower in the VATE group than in the OE group (44.8% vs. 65.7%, P = 0.037). With a median follow-up of 26 months, the 3-year overall survival and disease-free survival were similar between the two groups.

Conclusion: VATE for esophageal carcinoma is associated with more favorable short-term outcomes and equal oncological outcomes compared with OE.

Objective: The survey aims to explore the quality of life and its contributing factors among breast cancer patients who had been treated at the hospital and returned for follow-up care and/or for taking hormonal therapy.

Methods: This cross-sectional study deployed questionnaire-based interviews with 115 patients when they came to the hospital for follow-up care and/or taking hormonal therapy at the Oncology Center of Hue Central Hospital (Vietnam) from April to May 2019. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS software 21 for Windows.

Results: The mean age of our study was 53.2 years. Among the total respondents, 88.7% of patients had hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Most respondents reported experiencing symptoms that decreased their health-related quality of life, such as dry mouth, appetite changes, fatigue, arm pain, and limited mobility in ipsilateral arm. The majority felt insecure because of their asymmetric and less good-looking post-mastectomy body image. Most of them were no longer interested in sexual activities. A large number of respondents turned to complementary therapies at home, which often incurred considerable costs.

Conclusion: This survey contributes to the understanding of patients’ suffering symptoms, their concerns and anxiety, and distress during outpatient care/ clinic. It also provides baseline information on their thoughts and preferences for complementary therapies. Altogether the study carries important implications for clinicians to plan more effective treatment and care for breast cancer patients.

Introduction: The clinicopathological significance of poorly differentiated cluster (PDC) at the invasive front in colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported. We analyzed whether PDC reflects malignant findings in patients with CRC invading beyond the muscle layer.

Patients and methods: Sixty-eight patients who underwent surgery between January 2015 and June 2016 for CRC invading beyond the T3 (median observation period: 32.2 months) were enrolled. The relationship between PDC and clinicopathological factors was analyzed. PDC was graded based on the criteria described in a report by Ueno H et al.

Results: Tumor location was at the proximal colon in 26 cases, distal colon in 34 cases, and rectum in eight cases. The number of cases with ly2,3 and v2,3 was 24 and 38, respectively. Thirty-eight cases had node positive and 11 cases had distant metastases, including 10 cases with hematogenous metastasis and four cases with peritoneal metastasis. The number of cases with stages II, III, and IV was 28, 28, and 12, respectively. The number of cases with PDC grades 1 (G1), 2 (G2), and 3 (G3) was 48, 15, and 5, respectively. A PDC G2 or G3 is a risk factor for lymph node and distant metastases. Cases with PDC G2 or G3 had significantly poor overall survival (OS) (p < 0.0001). In cases with curability (cur) A resection for stage II or III, disease-free survival (DFS) and OS were significantly poorer in cases with PDC G2 or G3 (p = 0.0022 and p = 0.0049, respectively).

Conclusion: Analyses concerning PDC at the invasive front in cases with CRC invading beyond the muscle layer were performed. As the stage progresses, cases with PDC G2 and G3 increased significantly. In cases with PDC G2 and G3, the DFS and OS were significantly poorer. These results suggest that PDC is a malignant predictor in patients with CRC invading the T3 or deeper.

Background and Aims: Cancer cells can be isolated from malignant pleural effusion (MPE). They may provide an experimental system to explore the cell biology of lung cancer. Anti-VEGF antibody has been reported to efficiently control MPE, which contains a high concentration of VEGF; this suggests the important role of VEGF acting on MPE. We aimed to develop a method for culturing cancer cells from MPE and investigate the role of VEGF in MPE.

Methods: Cancer cells in MPE were obtained from six patients and cultured using three different types of media, including (1) supernatant of MPE, (2) 1:1 mixture of supernatant and common culture medium, and (3) common culture medium only. We further co-cultured cancer cells with γ-irradiated mouse 3T3-J2 embryonic fibroblasts. Using co-cultured cells, we investigated the effect of VEGF on cancer cells and measured the amount of VEGF secreted from them.

Results: Cancer cells were poorly maintained in three types of media, while well proliferated when co-cultured with 3T3-J2 feeder cells. VEGF didn’t affect cell proliferation. VEGF secreted from cancer cells didn’t reach to a concentration that may show an apparent biological effect.

Conclusion: Proliferation of cancer cells in MPE requires a specific factor(s) in addition to those residing in the supernatant of MPE or conventional culture medium. Co-cultured cancer cells suggested a lack of proliferative effect of VEGF. The concentration of VEGF produced by cancer cells was not sufficient to exert a biological effect. Co-cultured cancer cells may provide a valuable experimental system for further cancer studies.

Background: Mammography as the best method of diagnosing breast cancer in its early stages has been accepted in many countries. Digital mammography is in development and is used in breast cancer screening in countries such as the United States, however, cost-effectiveness of digital mammography screening (DMS) compared to film mammography screening (FMS) is debatable. This study is designed to systematically review the available evidence in this regard.

Methods: This study is designed as a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines. The search was conducted on October 2019 on the PubMed, Web of Science core collection, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane library and ProQuest databases. All full economic evaluation studies (cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), cost-utility analysis (CUA), and cost-benefit analysis (CBA)) that assessed DMS compared to FMS are included. The quality of final articles were evaluated by CHEERS checklist and data was collected using a data extraction form. Finally, the data was analyzed by a meta-synthesis method.

Results: Five studies were included. Three of them were conducted in the U.S., one in the Australia, and one the Brazil. Studies show that despite the slight difference in the effectiveness of DMS, its costs increased more. Three studies concluded that age-targeted DMS and FMS might be cost-effective and two concluded biennial DMS might be cost-effective digital strategy, however one study concluded that biennial FMS is still cost-effective.

Conclusion: There is currently little evidence on the cost-effectiveness of DMS over FMS and more evidence is needed, especially in developing countries. While the cost-effectiveness of DMS has not been fully confirmed, manufacturers are developing digital mammography; on the other hand, film mammography is obsoleting. Therefore, the move towards digital mammography, especially in developing countries, should be gradual and targeted.

Aims: We carried out this research to investigate the pathological characteristics of NPC to broaden the knowledge in diagnosing and treating this type of cancer.

Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 106 patients diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) at the Department of Pathology of Hue Central Hospital from January 2018 to June 2020. This study demonstrates the clinical data (age and sex) and histopathological findings of all patients. The histopathological diagnosis is based on the WHO classification in 1991.

Results: The data of 73 male patients and 33 female patients were analyzed and showed that the proportion of undifferentiated carcinoma was the most common type (70.8%), followed by well-differentiated keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma (19.8%) and other types (9.4%). In terms of immunohistochemistry, 21/21 of well-differentiated keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma cases expressed positive reactivity to CKAE1/3; meanwhile, only 5/75 of undifferentiated cases had the same result.

Discussion: Biopsy is essential for the identification of cancerous tissues. Therefore, the specimen should be obtained precisely and sufficiently in the area of injury. It is notable for avoiding collecting the necrosis areas and taking the edge of the lesion. We recommended a clinical consultation between otolaryngologists and oncologists to determine the area and the general characteristics of the lesion for making a more accurate diagnosis and prognosis. Immunohistochemistry can be helpful in confirming the type of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases that are already stained with hematoxylin and eosin but are still challenging to diagnose.

Cystic masses of the neck are relatively frequent developmental defects. Surgery is the only effective treatment. Early intervention is usually recommended to avoid complications. These three signs: the presence of internal septae, irregular walls and a solid component were combined into an assessment SIST SCORE (septae + irregular wall + solid components = TGDC SCORE). This study was also undertaken to assess the possible application of ultrasound in the differentiation of cysts of the neck.

We present a case of recto-sigmoidal cancer obtained pathological complete response as a result of laparoscopic surgery after chemotherapy concomitant use of panitumumab for the purpose of tumor shrinkage.

A 64-year-old woman visited an emergency clinic complaining with continuous lower abdominal pain. She was diagnosed as a recto-sigmoidal cancer cT4b (right ureter and right ovary), N0, M0, cStage IIC. Preoperative chemotherapy was scheduled to expect tumor shrinkage. Based on the results of wild type gene concerning both RAS and BRAF, the modified 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6) plus panitumumab were administrated. After 4 cycles of treatment, since a down-stage to ycT3 was recognized, laproscopic high anterior resection with D3 lymphadenectomy was performed. She was judged in her primary lesion as a pathological complete response (pCR) by preoperative chemotherapy. Since her postoperative course was uneventful. No symptoms of relapse have been observed without adjuvant chemotherapy.

A case of pCR after neoadjuvant treatment with mFOLFOX6 plus panitumumab followed by laparoscopic curative resection was reported. Further research is needed to confirm the appropriate indications for neoadjuvant therapy concomitant use of anti-EGFR antibody for patients with RAS wild typed locally advanced colon cancer.

Several tools to assess surgeons' skills in laparoscopic surgeries have developed; nevertheless, the tools have not been developed to accommodate the Japanese guidelines and common surgical methods. Trainee surgeons would then not be able to learn the critical steps and important points of LCS procedures using the assessment tool. To fill the gap, we launched the “Development of an Assessment tool for Laparoscopic Colectomy” (ASLAC) project to develop a reliable tool to assess laparoscopic sigmoidectomy. The study consisted of two steps: cognitive task analysis (CTA) and application of the Delphi method. Consensus was defined in advance using Cronbach's alpha ≥0.8. Items for which 70% of experts cited a value of ≥4 (agree or strongly agree) were used as novel tool. Ten expert surgeons (considered “qualified surgeons” by the Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification System in Japan) were recruited. The mean number of years post-graduation was 26 (range, 19–32 years). The median number of LCS cases performed by the experts was 700 (range, 219–2700). Our scale consisted of 35 items. Cronbach's alphas of the 1^st and 2^nd rounds were calculated to be 0.85 and 0.81, respectively. All ten experts answered the first round and 20 items were excluded. The second round was answered by all experts and no items were deleted. Our new scale may be applicable in future clinical studies evaluating surgical skills in LCS.

We reviewed different compounds derived from plants and their role in the treatment of various types of cancer cell lines. The herbal treatment has the least side effects as compared to the other treatments such as chemotherapy. Therefore, plant derivatives are considered as significant agent for treatment of cancer cells. As cancers are caused by the abnormal proliferation of cells, the extracted plant compounds induce apoptosis within the cancer cells through extrinsic or intrinsic pathway to inhibit the proliferation. Mitochondria have its major contribution in initiating apoptosis as it controls the level of cytochrome c. Many other regulatory proteins including p53 also support the inhibition of cell proliferation in cancer cell and induces fragmentation of DNA via apoptosis. Regulation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase are the promoters and inhibitors of apoptosis. A cascade of caspases is also the functioning components of apoptosis induction and the expression of caspases control whether the pathway taken is intrinsic or extrinsic. Various compounds extracted from plants are discovered to be effective against the cancer cells.

Background: The present study attempted to improve the multimodal diagnosis of complicated neck cysts.

Materials and methods: 121 patients diagnosed to have neck cysts were entered in this study. The studies were performed on SLE-501 devices (Lithuania), Affiniti-70 (Philips, Holland) with linear sensors at a frequency of 7.5 and 12 MHz. Spiral CT was performed on a Somatom Emotion 6 apparatus (Siemens, Germany) using standard axial sections.

Results: Significant differences between the groups with complicated cysts of the neck were found with regard to the size, homogeneity, and extracapsular spread. Local infiltration was found to have a greater long axis (p < 0.001), short axis (p < 0.001), and height (p < 0.001). They were less likely to have extracapsular spread (p = 0.044) or septations (p = 0.059) and more likely to be homogeneous (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The use of modern methods of complementary capabilities of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in our study allowed us to evaluate in detail all of the features of complicated cysts of the neck, which in turn helped determine the most appropriate treatment strategy in each case.

Aim: We analyzed the clinical outcome of Lutetium-177 Prostate-specific membrane antigen (Lu-177 PSMA) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients.

Material and Methods: Twenty-five mCRPC patients were treated with Lu-177 PSMA on a compassionate basis. Pre and 8-10 weeks post-treatment PSA, Eastern cooperative oncology group (ECOG) performance status, Visual analog scale (VAS), and Analgesic quantification scale (AQS) were recorded. Based on PSA response (partial response PR, stable disease SD, progressive disease PD), patients were categorized into responder (PR+SD) and non-responder (PD). Wilcoxon signed-rank, and Kruskal–Wallis test, Kaplan Meier with Log-rank test were computed.

Results: Twenty-five mCRPC patients were treated with a median of 7.4 GBq Lu-177 PSMA. Overall, PR, SD, and PD were 24%, 60%, and 16%, respectively. Sixteen patients who received ≥7.4 GBq Lu-177 PSMA dose, PR, and SD were seen in 31.2% and 68.8%, respectively. We had 84% responders and 16% non-responders. Statistically significant difference (P = < 0.05) was seen in pre and post ECOG, VAS, and AQS parameters while it was in-significant for PSA (P = 0.170). Lu-177 PSMA dose was the only significant pre-therapy variable (P = 0.024) on Kruskal–Wallis test. Overall median PFS was 24 weeks, while two years PFS in PR, SD, and PD response group was 50%, 37.3%, and 0%, respectively. A significant difference was seen in the PFS of responder and non-responder groups.

Conclusions: We concluded that Lu-177 PSMA was a suitable palliative option in heavily pre-treated mCRPC patients with notable PSA response. However, proper randomized studies are warranted.

In rare cases, malignant lymphoma may invade the aorta and mimic other aortic diseases; thus, it is sometimes difficult to diagnose from image examinations. In such patients, aortic disease may also be caused by degeneration of the aortic wall or necrosis due to chemotherapy. We present the case of a 78-year-old man who was initially diagnosed with an aneurysm or tumor adjacent to the aorta, in which open surgery was required for replacement of the abdominal main vessel. We discuss treatments for malignant lymphoma invading the aorta with reference to previous reports.

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumour of infancy (MNTI) is rare, rapidly growing, pigmented neoplasm of neural crest origin. It is generally accepted as a benign tumour despite of its rapid and locally destructive growth. It primarily affects the maxilla of infants during the first year of life. Surgical excision is considered as the treatment of choice. The recurrence rate varies between 10% and 15%, and malignant behaviour has been reported in 6.5% of cases. We report a 15-month old male who presented with a 2-month history of a rapidly growing mass in the anterior. A biopsy showed melanotic neuroectodermal tumor, and complete resection with negative margins was subsequently achieved.