Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a rare high-grade soft tissue sarcoma. The epithelioid variant accounts for 5% or less of MPNSTs; the clinical behavior of this variant is unclear. Reports of approximately 40 cases are available in the English literature; however, most reports addressed clinicopathological features rather than therapeutic procedures or clinical courses.
We describe a case of a 62-year-old male with an epithelioid MPNST of the left foot. Multiple lung metastases developed after radical surgery on the primary lesion. The response to adjuvant chemotherapy including doxorubicin and ifosfamide was favorable, and thoracoscopic resection was subsequently performed on the remaining three metastases. No evidence of recurrence or metastasis was observed at the 12-month followup after the first operation. Further followup and chemotherapy may be required.
Lymphedema is a condition characterized by progressive swelling and adipose deposition that occurs commonly after lymphadenectomy. Recent clinical studies have suggested that the transfer of lymph nodes to the lymphedematous limb can improve lymphatic function. In this report, we investigate dynamic modulation of lymphatic flow and the microscopic changes of lymphatic regeneration using a lymphedema mouse model that was treated with nonvascularized lymph node transplantation. To evaluate the effect of lymph node transplantation in this model, paw volume was measured using a water displacement plethysmometer; an indocyanine green fluorescence-sensitive camera system was used. The improvement of edema was evident in the paw of the transplantation group. The abnormal fluorescence image pattern gradually improved and disappeared 4 weeks postoperatively in the transplantation group. Uptake in the transplanted lymph node was observed 4 weeks postoperatively. This finding suggested that the transplanted lymph node was engrafted. A collateral pathway was observed in the ventral area 1 week postoperatively. The collateral pathway may have contributed to the early improvement of edema. Our findings suggest that lymph node transplantation can restore lymphatic function. This result has important conceptual implications in the treatment of postsurgical lymphedema.
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.