ObjectiveThis study was designed to evaluate the ultrasonographic (US) findings of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) as compared to findings for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).Materials and MethodsThe study included 21 cases of MTC that were surgically diagnosed between 2002 and 2007 and 114 cases of PTC that were diagnosed in 2007. Two radiologists reached a consensus in the evaluation of the US findings. The US findings were classified as recommended by the Thyroid Study Group of the Korean Society of Neuroradiology and Head and Neck Radiology (KSNHNR) and each nodule was identified as suspicious malignant, indeterminate or probably benign. The findings of medullary and papillary carcinomas were compared with use of the chi-squared test.ResultsThe common US findings for MTCs were solid internal content (91%), an ovoid to round shape (57%), marked hypoechogenicity (52%) and calcifications (52%). Among the 21 cases of MTC nodules, 17 (81%) were classified as suspicious malignant nodules. The mean size (longest diameter) of MTC nodules was 19 ± 13.9 mm and the mean size (longest diameter) of PTC nodules was 11 ± 7.4 mm; this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). An ovoid to round shape was more prevalent for MTC lesions than for PTC lesions (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe US criteria for suspicious malignant nodules as recommended by the Thyroid Study Group of the KSNHNR correspond to most MTC cases. The US findings for MTC are not greatly different from PTC except for the prevalence of an ovoid to round shape.

Uterine cervical cancer usually spreads by local extension and through the rich lymphatic network to the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. However, brain metastasis from primary cervical cancer is extremely rare. They are usually seen late in the clinical course and have poor prognosis. We present a 48-year-old woman with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix who developed multiple brain metastases after 30-month treatment of the primary disease. The patient received whole brain radiation therapy and steroids, and she is alive without any neurologic symptoms and signs at the 6-month follow-up after treatment of the recurrence.

No abstract

Background/Aim: Glioblastoma is the most malignant form of astrocytoma. The purpose of this study was to analyze the genetic characteristics of primary and recurrent glioblastomas using targeted sequencing and investigate the differences in mutational profiles between the locations of tumor recurrence. Materials and Methods: Fourteen glioblastoma patients who developed local (n=10) or distal (n=4) recurrence were included in the study. Targeted sequencing analysis was performed using the primary (n=14) and corresponding recurrent (n=14) tumor tissue samples. Results: The local and distal recurrence groups showed different genetic evolutionary patterns. Most of the locally recurrent glioblastomas demonstrated concordant mutational profiles between the primary and recurrent tumors, suggesting a linear evolution. In contrast, all cases of distally recurrent glioblastomas showed changes in mutational profiles with newly acquired mutations when compared to the corresponding primary tumors, suggesting a branching evolution. Conclusion: Locally and distally recurrent glioblastomas exhibit different evolutionary patterns. Glioblastoma is the most common malignant tumor of the central nervous system (1-9). The current standard treatment for glioblastoma involves surgical resection, followed by concurrent chemoradiation therapy and adjuvant chemotherapy using temozolomide (8-12). Due to the invasive nature of glioblastoma, surgical resection rarely eliminates all tumor cells, and postoperative treatment is usually necessary to prevent disease recurrence. Despite the advances made in therapeutic strategies, the prognosis of patients with glioblastoma remains very poor, with an average survival of 15 months (13-15) and disease recurrence being the major cause of mortality (16-18). Recurrent glioblastomas tend to be more invasive and resistant to chemotherapy than primary tumors. An understanding of the genetic characteristics of recurrent glioblastoma is crucial for identifying potential targets for drug discovery, stratifying patients for diagnosis, and optimizing an effective treatment strategy. Previous studies have shown the molecular features of recurrent glioblastomas. In particular, the mutational profiles observed in recurrent glioblastomas were compared to those of the corresponding primary tumors (19-21). However, there is a lack of studies exploring the differences in mutational profiles between recurrent glioblastomas at different sites (21, 22). In this study, we investigated the mutational profiles of primary and recurrent glioblastomas using 803 This article is freely accessible online.