Citations

AbstractAlzheimer's disease is the public health crisis of the 21st century. There is a clear need for a widely available, inexpensive and reliable method to diagnosis Alzheimer's disease in the earliest stages, track disease progression, and accelerate clinical development of new therapeutics. One avenue of research being explored is blood based biomarkers. In April 2012, the Alzheimer's Association and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation convened top scientists from around the world to discuss the state of blood based biomarker development. This manuscript summarizes the meeting and the resultant discussion, including potential next steps to move this area of research forward.

Renal leiomyosarcoma is a very rare tumor that clinically and radiographically mimics more common renal malignancies. The infrequency of the condition makes it very difficult to diagnose. A 70-year-old male smoker presented with months of hematuria, right-sided flank pain, and weight loss. Imaging revealed a 3.8-centimeter renal mass that had characteristics similar to renal cell carcinoma. Initial biopsy of the mass was negative for malignancy. Two months later, subsequent imaging revealed what appeared to be metastatic bone lesions. Again, a biopsy of one of the lesions was negative for malignancy. Subsequent ureteral pyeloscopy, ureteroscopic renal pelvis biopsy, and brush cytology were negative for malignancy as well. The decision was made to perform nephrectomy for the removal of the mass. Pathologic analysis revealed renal leiomyosarcoma. This case illustrates the difficulty in diagnosing renal leiomyosarcoma. Repeated pathologic sampling was negative because of the tumor heterogeneity. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are very significant as surgical resection at an early stage offers the best prognosis.