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Deep Learning Technology: Sebastian Arnold, Betty van Aken, Paul Grundmann, Felix A. Gers and Alexander Löser. Learning Contextualized Document Representations for Healthcare Answer Retrieval. The Web Conference 2020 (WWW'20)
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Esthesioneuroblastoma will first frequently present as a nasal mass. The most common signs and symptoms of esthesioneuroblastoma are nasal obstruction (70%) and epistaxis (50%). Less common symptoms include hyposmia (loss of smell), headache, rhinorrhea, vision loss, proptosis, facial pain, diplopia (double vision), masses in the neck and changes in mental status. Esthesioneuroblastoma occurs in the upper nasal cavity, near the optic nerves and optic chiasm. Thus, tumor growth can impinge nerve function and result in vision loss and diplopia. As the tumor metastasizes to the oral cavity, there can be tooth pain and tooth mobility.
The symptoms of choroid plexus carcinoma are similar to those of other brain tumors. They include:
- Persistent or new onset headaches
- Macrocephaly or bulging fontanels in infants.
- Loss of appetite (refusal to take food in infants)
- Papilledema
- Nausea and emesis
- Ataxia
- Strabismus
- Developmental delays
- Altered mental status
A ganglioneuroma is typically asymptomatic, and is typically only discovered when being examined or treated for another condition. Any symptoms will depend upon the tumor's location and the nearby organs affected.
For example, a tumor in the chest area may cause breathing difficulty, chest pain, and trachea compression. If the tumor is located lower in the abdomen, it may cause abdominal pain and bloating. A tumor near the spinal cord may cause spinal deformity or spinal compression, leading to pain and loss of muscle control or sensation in the legs and/or arms.
These tumors may produce certain hormones, which can cause diarrhea, an enlarged clitoris (in females), high blood pressure, increased body hair, and sweating.
Symptoms may include:
- Swelling in the extremities (arms or legs), also called peripheral edema; the swelling often is painless.
- Difficulty in moving the extremity that has the tumor, including a limp.
- Soreness localized to the area of the tumor or in the extremity.
- Neurological symptoms.
- Pain or discomfort: numbness, burning, or "pins and needles."
- Dizzyness and/or loss of balance.
Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors are a rare type of cancer that arise from the soft tissue that surrounds nerves. They are a type of sarcoma. Most malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors arise from the nerve plexuses that distribute nerves into the limbs—the brachial and lumbar plexuses—or from nerves as they arise from the trunk.
The first symptoms of neuroblastoma are often vague making diagnosis difficult. Fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, and joint pain are common. Symptoms depend on primary tumor locations and metastases if present:
- In the abdomen, a tumor may cause a swollen belly and constipation.
- A tumor in the chest may cause breathing problems.
- A tumor pressing on the spinal cord may cause weakness and thus an inability to stand, crawl, or walk.
- Bone lesions in the legs and hips may cause pain and limping.
- A tumor in the bones around the eyes or orbits may cause distinct bruising and swelling.
- Infiltration of the bone marrow may cause pallor from anemia.
Neuroblastoma often spreads to other parts of the body before any symptoms are apparent and 50 to 60% of all neuroblastoma cases present with metastases.
The most common location for neuroblastoma to originate (i.e., the primary tumor) is in the adrenal glands. This occurs in 40% of localized tumors and in 60% of cases of widespread disease. Neuroblastoma can also develop anywhere along the sympathetic nervous system chain from the neck to the pelvis. Frequencies in different locations include: neck (1%), chest (19%), abdomen (30% non-adrenal), or pelvis (1%). In rare cases, no primary tumor can be discerned.
Rare but characteristic presentations include transverse myelopathy (tumor spinal cord compression, 5% of cases), treatment-resistant diarrhea (tumor vasoactive intestinal peptide secretion, 4% of cases), Horner's syndrome (cervical tumor, 2.4% of cases), opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome and ataxia (suspected paraneoplastic cause, 1.3% of cases), and hypertension (catecholamine secretion or renal artery compression, 1.3% of cases).
There is a wide range of symptoms that patients show. Symptoms can lie dormant, but come about due to Obstructive hydrocephalus. These symptoms include:
- Intracranial pressure
- Headache
- Papilledema
- Vomiting
- Light headedness
- Impaired mental activity
- Gait instability
In rare and extreme cases, more severe symptoms can be observed:
- Memory disturbance
- Dementia
- Hemiparesis
- Seizures
- Hemorrhage
- Psychosis
Ganglioneuroma is a rare and benign tumor of the autonomic nerve fibers arising from neural crest sympathogonia, which are completely undifferentiated cells of the sympathetic nervous system. However, ganglioneuromas themselves are fully differentiated neuronal tumors that do "not" contain immature elements.
Ganglioneuromas most frequently occur in the abdomen, however these tumors can grow anywhere sympathetic nervous tissue is found. Other common locations include the adrenal gland, paraspinal retroperitoneum, posterior mediastinum, head, and neck.
Esthesioneuroblastoma, also called "olfactory neuroblastoma", is a rare cancer of the nasal cavity. Arising from the upper nasal tract, esthesioneuroblastoma is believed to originate from sensory neuroepithelial cells, also known as neuroectodermal olfactory cells. Fewer than 700 cases have been documented in the United States. Due to the location of the tumor and its proximity to the cranial cavity, esthesioneuroblastoma can be highly invasive and challenging to treat. There is no consensus on appropriate treatment approach of esthesioneuroblastoma because of the rarity of the disease. Most studies reported cranial surgical resection with radiotherapy or chemotherapy to target the tumor.
Esthesioneuroblastoma was first characterized in 1924.
Neurocytoma (or neuroepithelioma) is a type of nervous system tumor which is primarily derived from nervous tissue. This is in contrast to the gliomas (such as oligodendroglioma), which are derived from glial cells, and not from nervous tissue.
The signs and symptoms of brain tumors are broad. People with brain tumors will experience them no matter if the tumor is benign (not cancerous) or cancerous. Primary and secondary brain tumors present with similar symptoms, depending on the location, size, and rate of growth of the tumor. For example, larger tumors in the frontal lobe can cause changes in the ability to think. However, a smaller tumor in an area such as Wernicke's area (small area responsible for language comprehension) can result in a greater loss of function.
Headaches as a result of raised intracranial pressure can be an early symptom of brain cancer. However, isolated headache without other symptoms is rarer, and other symptoms often occur before headaches become common. Certain warning signs for headache exist which make it more likely to be associated with brain cancer. These are as defined by the American Academy of Neurology: "abnormal neurological examination, headache worsened by Valsalva maneuver, headache causing awakening from sleep, new headache in the older population, progressively worsening headache, atypical headache features, or patients who do not fulfill the strict definition of migraine".
There are few early warning signs that a patient has a DSRCT. Patients are often young and healthy as the tumors grow and spread uninhibited within the abdominal cavity. These are rare tumors and symptoms are often misdiagnosed by physicians. The abdominal masses can grow to enormous size before being noticed by the patient. The tumors can be felt as hard, round masses by palpating the abdomen.
First symptoms of the disease often include abdominal distention, abdominal mass, abdominal or back pain, gastrointestinal obstruction, lack of appetite, ascites, anemia, and/or cachexia.
Other reported symptoms include unknown lumps, thyroid conditions, hormonal conditions, blood clotting, kidney or urological problems, testicle, breast, uterine, vaginal, or ovarian masses.
The most common cancers in children are (childhood) leukemia (32%), brain tumors (18%), and lymphomas (11%). In 2005, 4.1 of every 100,000 young people under 20 years of age in the U.S. were diagnosed with leukemia, and 0.8 per 100,000 died from it. The number of new cases was highest among the 1–4 age group, but the number of deaths was highest among the 10–14 age group.
In 2005, 2.9 of every 100,000 people 0–19 years of age were found to have cancer of the brain or central nervous system, and 0.7 per 100,000 died from it. These cancers were found most often in children between 1 and 4 years of age, but the most deaths occurred among those aged 5–9. The main subtypes of brain and central nervous system tumors in children are: astrocytoma, brain stem glioma, craniopharyngioma, desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma, ependymoma, high-grade glioma, medulloblastoma and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor.
Other, less common childhood cancer types are:
- Neuroblastoma (6%, nervous system)
- Wilms tumor (5%, kidney)
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (4%, blood)
- Childhood rhabdomyosarcoma (3%, many sites)
- Retinoblastoma (3%, eye)
- Osteosarcoma (3%, bone cancer)
- Ewing sarcoma (1%, many sites)
- Germ cell tumors (5%, many sites)
- Pleuropulmonary blastoma (lung or pleural cavity)
- Hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer)
The desire to eat normally becomes worse over time, leading to weight loss from vomiting. Nausea is seen in almost all cases of astroblastoma, especially in low-grade tumors.
There are many possible symptoms of oligodendrogliomas that are similar to other gliomas. These symptoms may include headache, seizure and speech or motor changes.
Most patients experience a series of intermittent headaches over a few weeks or sustained, powerful pressure in a matter of days. The time-frame for this pressure varies from patient to patient and fluctuate based on the stage of the tumor. Both low-grade and high-grade astroblastoma can exhibit significant discomfort from headaches, although literature supports that higher-grade astroblastoma affect a patient with day-to-day activities, forcing individuals to stay at home away from their jobs and family. Malignant astroblastoma distorts the function of surrounding brain regions, and pressure is the primary result.
A neuroectodermal tumor is a tumor of the central or peripheral nervous system.
Dermal neurofibromas typically arise in the teenage years and are often associated with the onset of puberty. They continue to increase in number and size throughout adulthood, although there are limits to how big they get.
Common symptoms include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- Lack of facial control, (droopy eyelids)
- Double vision
- Headache or headache that gets better after vomiting
- Nausea and vomiting
- Weakness and fatigue
- Seizures
- Balance problems
- Numbness in face
Symptoms can develop slowly and subtly and may go unnoticed for months. In other cases, the symptoms may arise abruptly. A sudden onset of symptoms tends to occur with more rapidly growing, high-grade tumors.
Choroid plexus tumors are a rare type of cancer that occur from the brain tissue called choroid plexus of the brain. These tumors usually occur in children younger than 2 years and are classified according to the WHO classification of the tumors of the central nervous system:
- Choroid plexus carcinoma (WHO grade III)
- Choroid atypical plexus papilloma (WHO grade II)
- Choroid plexus papilloma (WHO grade I)
Symptoms vary depending on the size and location of the tumor and typically include headaches, nausea and vomiting, irritability, and decreased energy.
Ganglioglioma is a rare, slow-growing primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor which most frequently occurs in the temporal lobes of children and young adults.
The most common symptom of the papillary tumor is a headache. Because headaches are so common, most people think nothing of it. This is why brain tumors are so dangerous. There are not a lot of symptoms that go along with them so people tend to wait a long time before seeking medical help. Most of the time people will go see a doctor when their headaches become consistent and start to never go away. This symptom however occurs secondary to hydrocephalus, which is a result from compression of the cerebral aqueduct. The cerebral aqueduct is a narrow channel in the midbrain, which connects the third and fourth ventricles. When a tumor blocks the pathway of the cerebrospinal fluid, this will cause headaches in the patient. Often when hydrocephalus occurs, a shunt is put in place in order to alleviate the pressure. In one case study, an endoscopic third ventriculostomy was performed as a first line procedure to treat the hydrocephalus and also for diagnostic purposes.
In some cases, patients have had progressive diplopia, or double vision. Also, although not in all cases, patients sometimes suffer from nausea and vomiting.
The tumor largely affects children under 15 years of age and about 20% only are found in adults with nearly 60% involving males and 40% females (1). The most frequent locations are head and neck (orbit and nasopharynx), central nervous system, abdomen and retroperitoneum, pelvis, perineum, scrotum and prostate(1). Clinical symptoms are not specific and usually caused by local tumor compression and infiltration.
Dermal neurofibromas (sometimes referred to as cutaneous neurofibromas) originate in nerves in the skin. Three kinds are distinguished:
- Discrete cutaneous neurofibromas: Sessile or pedunculated masses on the skin, which are fleshy and non-tender, and can vary in size.
- Discrete subcutaneous neurofibromas: Lie below and look like bumps on the skin, which can sometimes be tender.
- Deep nodular neurofibromas: Involving tissues and organs underneath the dermis, but otherwise resembling cutaneous and subcutaneous neurofibromas.