Primary and metastatic tumors of the liver can be treated successfully with transcatheter chemoembolization (TACE) during selective arterial catheterism. Arteritis is a possible referred side effect which can lead to tortuosity of the arteries, stenosis and occlusion of vessels. In our hospitals 117 consecutive patients were treated with TACE from January 1990 to December 1992; 61 patients were affected by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 56 were affected by metastases from colorectal carcinoma. Each patient received from 1 to 4 treatments at monthly intervals using epirubicin/Lipiodol ultrafluid (E/LUF) or a mixture of epirubicin and mitomicin C (MC)/LUF and followed by gelatine sponge injection in the hepatic artery. Selective angiography performed 30-62 days after the first chemoembolization showed artery stenosis in 7 patients and thrombosis in 2 cases related to toxic arteritis due to chemoembolization. Reports about arteritis during TACE treatments are discussed.

Eight patients affected by neuroblastoma were treated with 18 courses of 131I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG). They all had been judged as "nonresponders" to conventional treatments. Six had stage IV disease: of these, five, with massive marrow involvement, had poor results, mainly because of marrow depression; one, whose marrow had been previously purged by chemotherapy, showed a decrease in blood cell counts but not to critical levels, thus allowing repeated treatments and some improvement. Two other cases had stage III disease, without marrow involvement. Both could receive repeated treatments without adverse effects on marrow and circulating blood cells; both could have surgical procedures when a significant neoplastic mass reduction had been induced by MIBG treatments. Almost all patients experienced reduction or disappearing of pain. Treatments were well tolerated.

On a series of 220 patients with carcinoma of the thyroid, 17 (10 females and 7 males) were under the 24th year of age. In four cases the tumor was diagnosed between the 5th and the 14th year of age and in 13 cases between the 15th and the 24th year; there were 13 cases of papillary adenocarcinoma, 2 cases of follicular adenocarcinoma, and 2 cases of solid carcinoma. In 7 cases the tumor was preceded by the appearance of goiter; only one patient had been previously irradiated. The first clinical sign of disease was a thyroid nodule in 10 cases, metastases to cervical lymph nodes in 7 cases; in 3 of these last cases primary neoplasia of the thyroid remained clinically occult. Scanning with I181 was used in 13 cases for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Surgical and radiological therapies were associated in all cases; the enucleation of the tumor was performed in one case, emithyroidectomy in 7 cases, total thyroidectomy in 6 cases. Surgery was limited to dissection of the neck in 3 cases. In addition, thyroidectomy was associated to radical neck dissection in 9 cases with metastases. In all cases I181 was administered; in 7 cases it was associated to X-therapy and in 8 cases to telecobaltotherapy. One patient is alive 3 months after the beginning of the treatment, 6 patients from 1 to 3 years, 3 patients from 5 to 6 years, 2 patients after 8 years and 5 patients from 10 to 15 years.

20 cases of chronic alcoholism with neurologic syndromes were studied by means of both isotopic cisternography and brain CT scan. In 11 cases (55%) there was total reversal of CSF circulation and in a further 4 cases there was a mixed cisternographic pattern. Brain CT scan showed either cortical or subcortical atrophy or both. The magnitude of these findings seems peculiar to chronic alcoholism. Reduction of atrophy in serial CT scan is possible.

A case of thyrotoxicosis in a patient bearing a thyroid carcinoma with lymph node and bone metastases is described. The I131 uptake of the thyroid was notably low (8 % at 24 hours) and was not modified by TSH. Some of the bone metastases showed a high I131 uptake; the PBI was elevated. In this case, the pathogenesis of the thyrotoxicosis is not explained by the common hypotheses; the authors suggest that it might be explained with a reduced metabolisation of the thyroid hormones.