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Peripheral malignant neuroectodermal tumors are rare and aggressive small-cell tumors seen predominantly in children and young adults. Mediastinal location is very uncommon. A mediastinal primitive neuroectodermal tumor was diagnosed in a 27-year-old man. Despite treatment combining surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, disease recurred locally along with lungs, spinal and epidural metastases, leading to death. CT and MRI examinations show heterogeneous masses with necrosis, hemorrhage and intense enhancement after Gadolinium injection. The CT and MRI findings are not specific and the diagnosis is based on pathologic, immunohistochemical and electron microscopic features. Although uncommon, peripheral neuroectodermal tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of posterior mediastinal masses in children and young adults.

We report two cases of bone and joint amyloidosis involvement related to plasma cell dyscrasia. The radiographic appearances mimic numerous benign or malignant diseases. MR imaging shows a diffuse low signal in T1 and an heterogeneous low or mild low signal in T2 weighted spin-echo sequence.

Two hundred and nineteen patients with resected lung carcinoma were randomized 3 weeks after surgery between two treatment arms: a control group (110 cases) and an immunotherapy group (109 cases). The immunostimulant was a nonviable saprophytic mycobacterium, M. smegmatis, given monthly by subcutaneous injection in four sites. The two groups were equivalent in terms of prognostic factors, including a nonsignificant difference favoring the control group based on the N (node) classification. This interim analysis was carried out on June 1, 1981. Treatment comparison by the log-rank test did not show any significant differences between these two groups in regards to disease-free interval and overall survival. There was no significant difference between the two groups after stratification of the comparison according to the N classification or adjustment with a subset of eight prognostic parameters through the Cox model. The initially expected difference (20% 1-year survival) will probably not be achieved, given these interim results, but patients will continue to be treated and followed-up according to the protocol as to allow further evaluation of this nonspecific immunotherapy.