Items tagged “oncology”

Second branchial cleft cysts are a cystic dilatation of the remnant of the second branchial cleft (see branchial apparatus), and along with second branchial fistulae and sinuses accounts for 95% of all branchial cleft anomalies. Clinical presentation Although a congenital abnormality, they ten...

Adrenal adenomas (alternative plural: adenomata) are the most common adrenal lesion and are often found incidentally during abdominal imaging for other reasons. In all cases, but especially in the setting of known current or previous malignancy, adrenal adenomas need to be distinguished from adr...

Musculoskeletal angiosarcomas, (along with hemangiopericytomas and hemangioendotheliomas) are tumors that arise from vascular structures. They are typically difficult to distinguish from one another on imaging alone. Angiosarcomas, are the most aggressive of the three, frequently having metasta...

Anterior mediastinal masses can be caused by neoplastic and non-neoplastic pathology. These masses arise in the anterior mediastinum, that portion of the mediastinum anterior to the pericardium and below the level of the clavicles.  Epidemiology The prevalence of anterior mediastinal masses on...

Normal bone marrow is divided into red and yellow marrow, a distinction made on the grounds of how much fat it contains.  Gross anatomy Red marrow is composed of: hematopoietic cells supporting stroma reticulum (phagocytes and undifferentiated progenitor cells) scattered fat cells rich va...

Common brain tumors in infancy (i.e. under one year of age) are quite different from those of brain tumors in adulthood. Most are located in the supratentorial region (~65%) and they carry a poor prognosis. The frequency of these tumors varies according to studies, but the most common brain tum...

Benign and malignant characteristics of breast lesions at ultrasound allow the classification as either malignant, intermediate or benign based on work published by Stavros et al. in 1995. Radiographic features Ultrasound Malignant characteristics (with positive predictive values) sonog...

Breast lymphoma refers to the involvement of the breast with lymphoma and may be primary or secondary. Epidemiology Both primary and secondary breast lymphomas are rare. Breast lymphoma accounts for <1% of all breast malignancies and <2% of all extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma 11. Secondary lym...

Cardiac myxomas, although uncommon are one of the commonest primary cardiac tumors and account for ~50% primary benign cardiac tumors.  Epidemiology Cardiac myxomas are the most common primary cardiac tumor in adults (~50%) but are relatively infrequent in childhood, where cardiac rhabdomyomas...

Central neurocytomas are WHO grade 2 neuroepithelial intraventricular tumors with fairly characteristic imaging features, appearing as heterogeneous masses of variable size and enhancement within the lateral ventricle, typically attached to the septum pellucidum. They are typically seen in young...

Choledochal cysts represent congenital cystic dilatations of the biliary tree. Diagnosis relies on excluding other conditions as a cause of biliary duct dilatation, e.g. tumor, gallstone, inflammation. Epidemiology Choledochal cysts are rare, with an incidence of 1:100,000-150,000. Although th...

Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer of the gastrointestinal tract and the second most frequently diagnosed malignancy in adults. CT and MRI are the modalities most frequently used for staging. Surgical resection may be curative although five-year survival rate is 40-50%.  Epidemiology ...

The term cystic meningioma is applied to both meningiomas with intratumoral degenerative cyst formation as well as those with peritumoral arachnoid cysts or reactive intraparenchymal cysts.  They should not be confused with microcystic meningiomas, a distinct variant, in which the cysts are mic...

The differential diagnosis for multiple cystic neck lesions is different to that for a solitary cystic neck mass. Differential diagnosis Cystic neck lesions are seen in: metastatic squamous cell carcinoma: older patient, M>F metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma: usually a younger patient, ...

The differential for cystic lesions of the pancreas includes: unilocular pancreatic pseudocyst intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) serous cystadenoma uncommonly uni/macrolocular simple pancreatic cyst cystic neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas diffuse pancreatic cysts pancrea...

Ependymomas represent a relatively broad group of glial tumors most often arising from the lining of the ventricles of the brain or the central canal of the spinal cord. They account for ~5% of all neuroepithelial neoplasms, ~10% of all pediatric brain tumors and up to 33% of brain tumors occurr...

Fibrinous pericarditis is an inflammatory process involving the pericardium, leading to a rough and granular appearance with numerous fibrous adhesions 4. Clinical presentation Pericardial friction rub may be heard. Pathology Etiology viral acute idiopathic tuberculosis pyogenic acute r...

Hodgkin lymphoma or Hodgkin disease (HD) is a type of lymphoma and accounts for ~1% of all cancers. Hodgkin disease spreads contiguously and predictably along lymphatic pathways and is curable in ~90% of cases, depending on its stage and subtype. Epidemiology There is a bimodal distribution in...

Intraventricular meningiomas are rare tumors usually encountered in adults and are somewhat distinct from the far more common extra-ventricular meningioma. On imaging, they classically present as vividly enhancing solid mass at the trigone of the lateral ventricles. Epidemiology Intraventricu...

Ischemic colitis refers to inflammation of the colon secondary to vascular insufficiency and ischemia. It is sometimes considered under the same spectrum as intestinal ischemia. The severity and consequences of the disease are highly variable. Epidemiology Ischemic bowel is typically a disease...