The clinical course, histopathology, and tumor DNA distribution patterns were analyzed in 95 patients with parathyroid cancer. The median follow-up was 6 years (range 1-25 years). Eighteen patients received a benign diagnosis at their first operation. The initial procedure was tumor resection in 42 patients and tumor resection plus partial or total thyroidectomy in 40 patients. Forty patients developed recurrent disease and 36 patients underwent 1 to 9 re-operations. Cervical recurrence and lung metastases were most commonly encountered. The median time from the first operation to recurrence was 33 months (range 1-228 month). Twenty-one patients died of parathyroid cancer a median of 28 months following discovery of their first recurrence. The histopathological reevaluation confirmed unequivocal parathyroid cancer, i.e., infiltration and/or metastases, in 41 cases. Fifty-four cases lacked these criteria but showed various forms of atypia. Image cytometry demonstrated tumor aneuploidy in 26 of 39 cases with definite cancer by histological criteria, compared to the 13 of the 52 with equivocal histological diagnosis. Twelve patients with aneuploid tumors and 7 patients with euploid tumors died of parathyroid cancer. In a multivariate analysis, patients treated with extensive surgery, i.e., tumor resection and unilateral or bilateral thyroidectomy, had a longer survival and a longer relapse-free period. Other factors of importance for survival were age and histopathology. Histopathology and an aberrant nuclear DNA content were important factors for the time to recurrence. We conclude that histopathology alone is unable to confirm a cancer diagnosis in the absence of infiltration and/or metastases. Because recurrence may occur late, patients should be followed closely. Even repeated surgical interventions have proven beneficial.

Recently, the gastric endocrine system has been recognized as the origin of benign and malignant tumors in pernicious anemia. It has also been found that the gastric endocrine cells respond to permanent elevation of serum gastrin levels induced by changes in acid secretion in response to surgical procedures, drug therapy and age. Therefore, a definition of nonantral gastric endocrine hyperplasia (simple or diffuse, linear or chain-forming, micronodular, adenomatoid), dysplasia (enlarging or fusing micronodules, microinvasion, nodular growth) and neoplasia (intramucosal carcinoid, invasive carcinoid) is presented. The individual entities are illustrated, together with the literature discussed and the techniques for their identification presented.

Abstract. El-Salhy M, Danielsson Å, Stenling R,

Patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma can rarely be cured, but every effort should be made to prevent death due to suffocation. Between 1984 and 1999, 55 consecutive patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma were prospectively treated according to a combined regimen consisting of hyperfractionated radiotherapy, doxorubicin, and when feasible surgery. Radiotherapy was carried out for 5 days a week. The daily fraction until 1988 was 1.0 Gy×2 (A) and 1989–92 1.3 Gy×2 (B) . Thereafter 1.6 Gy×2 (C) was administered. Radiotherapy was administered to a total target dose of 46 Gy; of which 30 Gy was administered preoperatively in the first two protocols (A and B), while the whole dose was given preoperatively in the third protocol (C). The therapy was otherwise identical. Twenty mg doxorubicin was administered intravenously weekly. Surgery was possible in 40 patients. No patient failed to complete the protocol due to toxicity. In only 13 cases (24%) was death attributed to local failure. Five patients (9%) ‘had a survival’ exceeding 2 years. No signs of local recurrence were seen in 33 patients (60%); 5 out of 16 patients in Protocol A, 11 out of 17 patients in Protocol B, 17 out of 22 patients in Protocol C ( P =0.017). In the 40 patients undergoing additional surgery, no signs of local recurrence were seen in 5 out of 9 patients, 11 out of 14 patients and 17 out of 17 patients, respectively ( P =0.005). British Journal of Cancer (2002) 86 , 1848–1853. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6600361 www.bjcancer.com © 2002 Cancer Research UK

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Subtyping of gastric carcinoids is helpful in the prediction of malignant potential and long-term survival and is a guide to management. Long-term survival did not differ from that of the general population regarding type 1 carcinoids but was poor regarding type 4 carcinoids.

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