Description
Clinical History
In the 1970s, a 31-year-old woman presented with severe headache and diplopia on a background of having a pigmented skin lesion (diagnosed as an invasive skin melanoma) removed from her neck 8 months earlier. Clinical examination revealed no abnormality, and following discharge the patient was later re-admitted with persistent vomiting. Her condition deteriorated and she died.
Pathology
This specimen demonstrates widespread intracerebral melanoma metastases. The inferior surface is characterized by many elevated dark nodules up to 1.5 cm in diameter. Similar lesions are present on the cut superior surface where it is seen that these secondary melanotic deposits are confined exclusively to the grey matter. The tumor deposits are not encapsulated and are invading the cortex. Some necrosis and hemorrhage is present.
Further Information
Of all patients who have metastatic disease to the brain, 10% are from skin melanoma. Risk increases with age over 60 years, male gender, disease duration and more advanced tumor/metastatic stage. BRAF and NRAS mutations, expression of CCR4 receptors on tumor cells, and activation of the PI3K pathway are all risk factors for the development of cerebral metastasis. 80% of melanoma brain metastases are supratentorial. Presentation is often with headache, neurologic deficits and/or seizures. Furthermore, these lesions are at risk of spontaneous hemorrhage. Modern diagnosis is based on neuroimaging and often histology of a stereotactic brain biopsy, if no previous diagnosis has been made. Treatment includes stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), radiotherapy and/or systemic therapy with checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy or targeted treatments. This has improved median survival up to 11 months in recent years.
Advantages
- Anatomically accurate and identical to real specimen
- No ethical issues - not real human body parts
- Reasonably priced
- Available within a short lead time
- Reproducible, several identical prints can be used as a classroom set
- Can be produced in different sizes to cater for the needs of the teacher
Human Cadavers
- Access to cadavers can be problematic. Many countries cannot access cadavers for cultural and religious reasons
- Cadavers cost a lot money
- High cost for establishing your own plastination suite
- Wet specimens cannot be used in uncertified labs
- Dissection of cadavers is a lot of staff time and that is a cost
- Storage of cadaver material needs special refrigeration etc. which has coast
- If you want another specimen you have to start all over again
Plastinates
- Costs
- Ethical issues
- Timeframe for plastination process
- Many countries do not allow their importation
- One of a kind
Superior 3D print results compared with conventional methods
- Vibrant color offering with 10 million colors
- UV-curable inkjet printing
- High quality 3D printing that can create products that are delicate, extremely precise and incredibly realistic
Clear Support Material
- To avoid breakage of fragile, thin, and delicate arteries, veins or vessels, a clear support material is printed on such spots. This makes the models robust and can be handled by students easily.
