: The very low frequency of neoplasia in cervical polyps of asymptomatic patients seems to support the notion that there is no clear indication for polypectomy when cytology is normal.
A 62-yr-old white nonsmoking male, with no history of serious diseases, was referred to the emergency department due to increasing epigastric pain during the previous 2 days. Physical examination revealed clinical signs of peritonitis. Abdominal sonography demonstrated cholecystolithiasis and splenomegaly. Abdominal radiography showed pronounced air content of the intestinal loops. Based on these results, the diagnosis of acute biliary pancreatitis was suspected. The chest radiograph confirmed an intrathoracic mass located at the right side of the spine ( fig. 2) and abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed massive peripancreatic exudation, cholecystolithiasis and splenomegaly. On examination of the chest CT, the intrathoracic mass was located close to the thoracic spine. It was 40620 mm in size, ovally shaped and even surfaced ( fig. 3).The patient was transferred to the intensive care unit for treatment of acute pancreatitis, and underwent an endoscopic retrograde cholangiography with papillotomy and extraction of numerous pigmentary gallstones. Laboratory signs of inflammation and cholestasis normalised during the following FIGURE 1. Peripheral blood smear taken on admission of the patient.
This article describes the historical development of the grading systems for malignant soft tissue tumors. The first attempts to grade these tumors were made in the middle of the nineteen century; a remarkable amount of activity in grading took place in the 1970s which reached a maximum in the 1980s. Reviewing the literature back to the first available publications, five phases in the development of the grading systems for malignant soft tissue tumors could be distinguished. Five commonly used systems were checked for comparing and handling of 339 patients with malignant soft tissue tumors. The use of two multifactorial systems, one simple and one complex, to grade malignant soft tissue tumors should be favored.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.