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PubMed1996

Ectopic cervical thymus: case report.

Ectopic cervical thymus is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of cervical masses: this lesion is essentially asymptomatic and generally occupies a position in the neck along the carotid sheath, underneath the sterno-cleido-mastoid muscle. It is supposed that most of these masses arise as a consequence of migration defects during glandular embryogenesis. Ectopic thymus rarely invades contiguous structures but in the literature some cases of malignant transformation of aberrant cervical thymus have been reported. Some non-invasive investigations (MRI, ultrasonography) are useful but accurate diagnosis depends eventually on surgical excision and histologic examination.

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[Malignant primary tumors of the liver in childhood].

Twenty-one children (16 males, 5 females) with malignant primary hepatic tumors were admitted to the Pediatric Clinic of the University of Bologna between June 1973 and July 2001. The diagnosis was hepatoblastoma (HBL) in 16 cases; hepatocellular carcinoma (HCA) in 3 cases; undifferentiated sarcoma in 1, malignant rhabdoid tumour of the liver in 1. Median age at diagnosis was 1.8 year (1 mounth-13 years). As to intrahepatic tumor's extension, patients were classified in groups (from I to IV) according to International Society of Pediatric Oncology staging. 2 patients were ascribed to group I; 9 to group II; 9 to group III and I to group IV. At diagnosis 3 pts presented lung metastases. Seventeen patients (81%) were treated with surgery, in 11 cases as first approach to the tumor. In 10 patients, initially with unresesectable tumor, chemotherapy was started first. Drugs used were mostly Cisplatinum or Carboplatinum with Doxorubicin. Sussequently 6 patients were submitted to surgery. At a median follow up of 12.5 years, 52.3% of patients is alive without disease. This percentage rises to 58% taking into consideration only HBL and HCA cases (alive 11/19). We conclude that excluding metastases at diagnosis (3 deaths), the main prognostic factor is resectability and radical surgery: in our experience 4 patients with unresectable tumor died, as 2 patients with microscopical residual after surgery.

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