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Background: Malignant pericardial effusion caused by carcinomatous pericarditis is a complication of advanced malignancy. Breast cancer is the second most important cause of malignant pericardial effusion. Malignant pericardial effusion is the end stage of breast cancer, and the prognosis is very poor. Pericardial effusion may cause cardiac tamponade and sudden death if it is not controlled properly. There is a debate on which is the best method to control pericardial effusion. Case Report: We describe the clinical course of a 55-year-old woman with recurrent breast cancer, pericardial effusion, and cardiac tamponade caused by carcinomatous pericarditis. Thoracoscopic pericardial window was performed to control the pericardial effusion. The patient survived for about 5 years after being diagnosed with pericardial metastases. Conclusion: The observed long-term survival in such a patient with the development of pericardial effusions and cardiac tamponade caused by carcinomatous pericarditis attributable to breast cancer is rare. Thoracoscopic pericardial window was effective in controlling the pericardial effusion.

An 85-year-old man complaining of vague abdominal discomfort was admitted to our hospital. A pulsatile 8 × 7-cm mass in the right upper abdomen was noticed on clinical examination. Computed tomography of the abdomen showed a huge arterial aneurysm in the right gastroepiploic artery, and the left gastroepiploic artery was meandering and expanding. An image diagnosis of gastroepiploic arterial aneurysm (GEAA) was made. Because of the huge size of the aneurysm and the predicted high risk of perforation, surgical intervention was planned. The aneurysm was identified in the greater curve and was found to adhere firmly to the transverse colon. Partial resection of the stomach, aneurysmectomy and partial resection of the transverse colon were performed. Clinically, splanchnic arterial aneurysms are rare. Among them, GEAA is especially rare. We report a rare case of a huge GEAA that was treated successfully by surgery.

A 37-year-old woman noticed a right anterior chest mass and pain. The mass had been rapidly growing and she visited our hospital. The mass was hard and 8 × 7 cm in size. It was detected in the upper inner quadrant of her anterior chest wall. A computed tomography (CT) examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the chest revealed a large heterogeneously enhanced mass arising from the right chest wall with lytic destruction of the rib and coarse calcification. An image diagnosis of osteogenic sarcoma originating from a rib was made. She underwent surgical excision of the tumor and chest wall reconstruction. Microscopic examination of the resected tumor showed multiple neoplastic cells accompanied by osteoid formation within the tumor. The tumor was diagnosed as high-grade malignant osteosarcoma of the rib. Primary osteosarcoma commonly originates in the long bone in children and adolescents, but it occurs very rarely in the ribs in adults. Surgical resection plays an important role in the treatment for this disease. We report a case of primary osteosarcoma that originated in the rib of a young woman and was treated successfully by surgery.

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