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Background Neuroendocrine carcinomas are extremely rare in the esophagus as they represent less than 0.04% of all neuroendocrine tumors. To date, only 14 cases of poorly differentiated, high-grade esophageal NEC have been described in the literature. The majority of these patients presented with typical dysphagia symptoms. Due to its rarity, no standardized guidelines have been proposed to treat esophageal neuroendocrine carcinoma, although general recommendations suggest surgery with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy as the treatment of choice. Case presentation A 67-year-old previously healthy White male presented with a year-long intermittent nonspecific retrosternal discomfort, with the absence of any other symptoms. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed an ulcerative mass in his lower esophagus, with concern of malignancy. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy revealed poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma of the esophagus with metastasis to a diaphragmatic lymph node. He was treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery, and he has been in remission for over 5 years. Conclusion Here, we review the literature and report a unique case of a patient with a vague presentation of esophageal neuroendocrine carcinoma as he enters his sixth year of survival following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and life-threatening condition that results from excessive immune activation and inflammation. This condition may be triggered by various factors, including infections, malignancies, or autoimmune diseases. Here, we report the case of a 39-year-old male who developed HLH secondary to T-cell lymphoma and had a history of multiple autoimmune disorders. Our patient presented with shortness of breath and weakness which led to an admission for methicillin-resistant bacteremia. His hospital course deteriorated rapidly due to his worsening condition. He was confirmed to have HLH based on the HLH-2004 criteria with the presence of fever, splenomegaly, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogenemia, low natural killer cell function, high ferritin, and soluble interleukin 2 receptor levels. Peripheral blood smear and bone marrow biopsy showed atypical lymphocytes consistent with a T-cell lymphoma, but no hemophagocytosis. He was treated with dexamethasone and etoposide. Despite treatment, the patient passed away. This case aims to contribute further to the understanding of secondary HLH in the setting of T-cell lymphoma. It also illuminates how vital early recognition and treatment are in patients with secondary HLH.

Emphysematous gastritis is a rare medical condition characterized by the presence of intra-mural air in the stomach associated with portal venous air tracking to a variable degree. There are no established guidelines favoring surgery over medical management. We present a case of a 64-year-old Caucasian male with a history of stage four colon adenocarcinoma with peritoneal carcinomatosis, malignant ascites, and liver metastasis status post-three cycles of chemotherapy who presented to the emergency room with complaints of generalized abdominal pain, nausea, non-bilious vomiting, and melena stools. He was managed conservatively as a case of sepsis secondary to emphysematous gastritis and made a full recovery. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of emphysematous gastritis in an adult with colon cancer. Although we cannot establish a causal link between his chemotherapy regimen and emphysematous gastritis, the combined effect of an immunosuppressive state caused by advanced malignancy and cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy are the probable risk factors in our patient. We described the possible mechanisms of mucosal disruption by fluorouracil and bevacizumab in our case. Despite historically having a poor prognosis, emphysematous gastritis can be managed conservatively on a case-by-case basis. Clinicians should be aware that chemotherapy can be a predisposing factor to developing this rare condition.

Spermatic cord cancer is a rare entity. Among malignant tumors of the spermatic cord, liposarcomas are the most common type, often presenting as painless slow-growing masses usually in the fifth and sixth decades of life; they can be misdiagnosed as inguinal hernia or hydrocele. Radical orchiectomy with wide local soft tissue resection is an accepted standard of care for spermatic cord liposarcoma and has been curative in some cases. There is no definitive role for other treatment modalities such as chemotherapy, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND), and radiotherapy. We present a case of liposarcoma of the spermatic cord managed with radical orchiectomy, wide local excision, and was followed up without disease recurrence. We also engage in a review of the literature on the role of systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy in preventing locoregional recurrence after primary surgery. A combination of surgery and postoperative radiotherapy is effective in preventing locoregional spread. Data from case reports support this strategy in certain histologic subtypes or when margins are positive after primary surgery. A follow-up period of up to a decade after surgery is recommended.

Primary splenic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It often presents with abdominal pain or splenomegaly. We present a case of a 68-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with left sided abdominal pain. Workup revealed massive splenomegaly and thrombocytopenia. A splenic biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of primary splenic DLBCL. The patient was treated with chemotherapy. This case highlights the importance of considering primary splenic DLBCL with splenomegaly and treating it with chemotherapy and/or splenectomy.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) can present as arterial and venous thrombosis in adults who are treated with heparin. We present a case of a patient who developed HIT when she was treated for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism with heparin. During the treatment with heparin and while being transitioned to warfarin, she developed arterial thrombosis. A work-up for HIT was sent, and it was positive. She was started on the argatroban drip and her platelet counts stabilized. Since her platelet counts remained stable and were not increasing for three weeks, we decided to transition the patient to an oral anticoagulant. She was started on apixaban, a novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC), and her platelet counts remained stable. Therefore, through this case, we highlight the importance of platelet counts remaining stable when a patient with HIT is treated with apixaban.

Scurvy is a rather uncommon disease today, and its symptoms can certainly be exhibited with vitamin C deficiency. Dangerously low levels of the vitamin can cause serious health complications and have been proven to be fatal. We present the case of a 42-year-old female with multiple primary diagnoses: easy bruising and Raynaud’s syndrome without gangrene. The purpose of this report is to call attention to the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of scurvy.

Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is a subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which occurs rarely in pregnancy. We present a case of a pregnant 22-year-old female who presented with syncope and dyspnea. Computed tomography (CT) chest showed an anterior mediastinal mass, and its biopsy showed PMBCL. Since she was in her second trimester, we decided to treat her with rituximab-cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone (R-CHOP). Our case emphasizes the safety of chemotherapy in the second and third trimesters, with good maternal and fetal outcomes.

IntroductionPrimary breast lymphoma (PBL) is a rare malignancy that accounts for less than 0.5% of all breast malignancies.Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 36 PBL patients to report the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with indolent and aggressive histologic subtypes.ResultsThirteen (36%) patients had aggressive and 23 (64%) had indolent PBL. Marginal zone lymphoma was the most common histologic subtype (33%). Stage IE, IIE, and IV disease were seen in 27 (75%), six (17%), and three (8%) patients, respectively. Patients with aggressive PBL more often presented with a breast lump and/or B symptoms (unexplained weight loss, fever, night sweats) (78% vs. 31%, p = 0.005). Commonly used treatment modalities for aggressive vs. indolent PBL were chemotherapy alone (23% vs. 26%, p = 0.8), chemoradiotherapy (46% vs. 9%, p = 0.009), radiotherapy alone (15% vs. 22%, p = 0.6), and observation (0% vs. 26%, p = 0.07), respectively. The five-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of PBL patients were 82% (95% CI: 67 - 100) and 63% (95% CI: 45 - 89), respectively. The five-year OS of patients with aggressive vs. indolent PBL were 92% (95% CI: 77 - 100) vs. 80% (95% CI: 63 - 100), respectively (p = 0.6). The five-year OS of patients who received > 1, 1, and 0 treatment modalities were 92% (95% CI: 77 - 100), 86% (95% CI: 63 - 100), and 53% (95% CI: 21 - 100), respectively.ConclusionIn our cohort, the higher utilization of chemoradiotherapy in aggressive PBL was able to overcome the worse prognosis of these patients. At least one treatment modality should be considered in patients with indolent PBL, given that observation alone was associated with a poor prognosis.

A mediastinal small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (MSCNC) is a rare form of neuroendocrine malignancy. Diagnosis is challenging and requires pathological identification and imaging studies. These tumors are aggressive and recurrence and metastases frequently complicate patient management. Here, we present a case of superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome secondary to circumferential compression by a primary MSCNC.