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— BUSM researchers develop blood test to detect membranous nephropathy — Research conducted by a pair of physicians at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Centre (BMC) has led to the development of a test that can help diagnose…
— New hip implants no better than traditional implants — New hip implants appear to have no advantage over traditional implants, suggests a review of the evidence published on bmj.com today…
— Action needed to improve men's health in Europe — Policies aimed specifically at men are urgently needed to improve the health of Europe's men, say experts on bmj.com today…
— Probiotics reduce infections for patients in intensive care — Traumatic brain injury is associated with a profound suppression of the patient's ability to fight infection. At the same time the patient also often suffers hyper-inflammation, due…
— High blood sugar levels in older women linked to colorectal cancer — Elevated blood sugar levels are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.…
— Engineered botulism toxins could have broader role in medicine — The most poisonous substance on Earth - already used medically in small doses to treat certain nerve disorders and facial wrinkles - could be re-engineered for an expanded role in helping…
Huge pelvi-abdominal malignant inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour
Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour (IMT) is an uncommon benign neoplasm with locally aggressive behaviour but malignant change is rare. Such a rare tumour occurring in a 14-year-old patient with clinical presentations of abdominal pain and body weight loss was seldom described before.
A research article published on June 7, 2010 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. A research team led by Professor Ko from Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Centre, Taiwan, reported that computed tomography was useful for clear delineation of this huge pelvic-abdominal mass with extraperitoneal origin and prominent peritumoural vascularity which was crucial for surgical planning. Subsequent surgery, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, DNA sequencing and electron microscopy confirmed the final diagnosis of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour with malignant transformation. Despite radical tumour resection, rapid tumour recurrence occurred in the lower abdomen 20 d after discharge.
This report documents the first known case of pelvic extraperitoneal IMT with malignant transformation in a paediatric patient. In light of this case, IMT should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pelvi-abdominal mass with large central necrosis and the presence of prominent peritumoural vascularity may also be a clue of high metabolic demand and even malignant transformation.
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