Search

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the distribution patterns and frequency of metastases of most metastasizing malignant tumors, according to organs of origin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective, observational, cross-sectional and descriptive census-type study, carried out through the analysis of postmortem pathology files of the Pathology Unit of the General Hospital of Mexico Dr. Eduardo Liceaga. The protocols of consecutive autopsies, performed between 1970 and 1994, of Mexican patients with any kind of disease were studied. The variables were examined: age and gender of the patient, organ of origin of the primary tumor, pathological diagnosis; organs, group of lymph nodes and other tissues receiving metastases (mesothelia, bones and soft tissues). To avoid interobserver variation, a medical informatics expert and several pathologists reviewed the data. Data analysis was performed using non-parametric statistics. Categorical variables were abbreviated in terms of numerical and percentage frequencies. The results were presented in descriptive and tabular form. RESULTS: The leading organs of origin were: lungs 13.6%, cervix uteri 13%, stomach 9.2%, gallbladder 6.9%, breast and pancreas 4.8% ea., corpus uteri and thyroid gland 3.6% ea., ovary 3.4% and liver 3.3%. The main receptor sites of metastases were: abdominal lymph nodes 37.8%, lungs 27.6%, liver 27%, mediastinum lymph nodes 20.3%, adrenals 6.3%, peritoneum 4.5%, genitalia 4.3%, kidneys 4.2%, CNS 4% and cervical lymph nodes 3%. Because 88% of our cases were carcinomas, it was possible to compare our results with those of Abrams et al., who conducted a similar study to ours with 1,000 carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: Contrasting the two studies: important differences in distribution patterns of metastases were not found. However, regarding frequency of metastases, our cases revealed a significant percentage deficit in all receptor sites. Possible causes are entertained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Sarcomas constitute 1% of all malignancies, but 10% occur in the head and neck (HN), and they are poorly understood. We present a large series of Soft Tissue HN sarcomas in Mexican patients with survival analysis. Study design This is a retrospective study of cases in a cancer hospital. Methods Review of files and pathology material. Literature review. Results We analysed 108 patients (55 men / 53 women). The age at presentation was 37 years. The original diagnosis changed in nine cases (8.3%). The most common subtype was rhabdomyosarcoma. Ninety percent of tumours were deep, 91% were high grade, 44% had metastasis, 63% measured >5 cm, overall 5-year survival (5y-OS) was 48%, and histological high grade was associated with poor survival (p=0.026). Conclusion Sarcomas of the HN are rare. The most affected sites were paranasal sinuses. The majority of tumours were deep, > 5 cm and high grade, 50% had metastasis, the 5y-OS was 48% and the only independent factor associated with 5y-OS was histologic grade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aeromona spp are gram-negative, facultative anaerobes. Their natural habitat is the aquatic environment. It was recognized in 1891 as an etiologic agent of disease in several species of fish, and occasionally mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. Recently some of the species have emerged as a public health problem for the human population mainly causing gastrointestinal infections and rarely intestinal infections. This paper reports the first case report in Mexico of a patient with Aeromona salmonicida infection in soft tissues of the left pelvic limb that caused septic shock and loss of limb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lagoonal system Altata-Ensenada del Pabellón supports important traditional fisheries and mollusc cultures and receives urban and agricultural effluents. The annual mean Cd contents of the oyster and mussel Crassostrea gigas and Mytella strigata of the inner mangrove swamps were higher than that of the clam Megapitaria squalida, which lives in areas under marine influence. Crassostrea corteziensis had the highest Cu and Zn contents, showing that it is a strong accumulator of both metals and especially of Zn, and there were no significant differences in the Pb content of the three species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]