Survival of patients with breast cancer and bone metastasisIntroduction: Breast cancer is an important cause of death among female cancer in Chile. It metastasizes to any part of the body, being bone the first area of dissemination in 26-50% of cases and being found in 75% of patients dead from this cause. A median survival of 18 to 24 months is reported, and a probability of surviving 5 years of 20%. Therefore the objective of this study is to determine the difference of median survival depending on the presence of bone metastasis. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 822 patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 2003 and 2010. The exposed cohort had scintigraphicly diagnosed bone metastasis, and the control group had no bone metastasis. Results: 8.88% of 822 patients, had bone metastasis. Those with bone metastasis had a mortality of 74%, and in the group with no bone metastasis, 16.69% died (p < 0.01). The median survival of patients with no metastasis was 44.3 months , and with metastasis was of 35 (IQR 18.6-46.1) (p < 0.01). With bone metastasis, over 48 months survival was 30.6%; and over 84 months 14.8%. Without bone metastasis, above 84 months, 78.51% survived (p < 0.01). Discussion and Conclusions: The difference between the two groups, considering global survival, is significant and implies an important decrease in survival and quality of life; the result obtained also differs from those reported in literature and it makes us reflect on the importance to consider bone metastasis not as a terminal event.

Facial nerve Schwannoma resembling a parotid tumor. Case report Facial nerve Schwannomas are benign tumors that originate from Schwann cells, with a slow and predictable growth, and that are generally asymptomatic. Only 9% of these tumors are located in the intraparotid segment of the facial nerve. We report a 26 years old female presenting with a mass in the left parotid region lasting four months. The patient was subjected to a parotidectomy. During surgery, an encapsulated tumor whose origin was in the seventh cranial nerve and associated to a lymph node was found. The tumor was excised, trying to preserve the integrity of the nerve. The pathological diagnosis of the surgical piece disclosed a benign Schwannoma. The patient had a facial paralysis in the postoperative period.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. review of six patients Background: Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma corresponds 2 to 5% of all thyroid cancers. It affects mainly women in the sixth or seventh decade of life, appearing as a hard, fast growing cervical mass that is adhered to surrounding structures. Treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Aim: to report a series of patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Patients and Methods: Review of medical records of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer operated between 2002 and 2008. Results: The records of six patients aged 46 to 82 years (four males), were retrieved. A bilateral total thyroidectomy was performed in four patients. Two patients required tracheostomy during the postoperative period. Mean hospital stay was six days. None received neoadjuvant or adjuvant radio-chemotherapy. Three patients died within one month of the operation. The rest died at 115, 184 and 283 days after surgery. Conclusions: All these patients were diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease, a fact that can explain the dismal evolution observed.