C. Focan MD, PhD

Bone lytic lesion: breast cancer metastase or sarcoidosis? A case-report

The authors present the case of a 47 year old woman with a history of a primary breast cancer and local recurrence, who developed disseminated pulmonary lesions, supra- and infra-diaphragmatic adenopathies and a lytic lesion of the right iliac bone nine years later. The diagnosis of disseminated carcinomatosis was initially suspected but a targeted bone biopsy surprisingly revealed the presence of sarcoidosis typical lesions. In this case, none of the sophisticated imaging tools could provide an accurate differential diagnosis. Thus for such cases, an anatomo-pathological analysis is definitively mandatory in order to avoid overtreating patients without evolutive cancer.

(BELG J MED ONCOL 2014;8(1):1–7)

Haemolytic uraemic syndrome culminating in terminal renal failure after gemcitabine treatment: case report and literature survey

Summary

We report the case of a woman treated for an ovarian cancer who ultimately developed terminal renal failure in the frame of a haemolytic uraemic syndrome induced by prolonged gemcitabine therapy. This case illustrates the need of a systematic screening for haemolytic uraemic syndrome in patients receiving protracted gemcitabine for over three months.

(BELD J ONCOL MED 2013;7(2):50–52)