Purpose. To calculate the diagnostic value of C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels for the pathologic presence of microbes in the bloodstream of patients with malignancy, in comparison with blood culture. Methodology. Blood culture (by reference method) and assay results of PCT and CRP of febrile patients, with clinical suspicion to blood infections, were collected. Statistical aspects of PCT and CRP tests were evaluated. Results. Data from 255 cases were gathered. The area under the curve for differentiating bacteremia from nonbacteremia for PCT (0.741) was superior to that of CRP (0.612). Amongst the different cutoffs of PCT and CRP, the cutoff of ≥1.17 ng/ml and >47 mg/l had the sensitivity of 75 and 58.3%, the best NPV of 91.5% and 81.3%, and the best specificity of 79.9% and 72.8%, respectively. Discussion. Despite statistically nonsignificant results, PCT seems to be a superior indicator to CRP for rejecting the presence of microorganism in bloodstream. For PCT, the cutoff value of 1.17 ng/ml (bacteremia from nonbacteremia) had the highest NPV value of 91.5% in malignant patients, suspicion of sepsis.
Introduction: Angiosarcoma, originating from vessels, constitutes about 0.2% to 0.3% of all pediatric soft tissue sarcomas. Prognosis of angiosarcoma is poor and depends on patient’s age, tumor location, size, histological grade and extent of tumor progression. Case Presentation: We report a rare case of a congenital angiosarcoma of scalp with dural and skull bone invasion in a one-month-old boy. His mother noticed the mass 2 days after birth as a very small insignificant nodule, but it grew rapidly afterward. Conclusions: The treatment consisted of only a wide surgical resection. After 15 months there was no sign of local recurrence or metastasis was noticeable and the tumor showed favorable outcome. This case indicates the possibility of a better clinical behavior in congenital angiosarcoma.
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