An Overview and Diagnosis of Malabsorbtion Syndromes-Review of Literature

Intestinal malabsorption results from a wide variety of pathogenetic mechanisms which result in impairment of digestion and absorption of the nutrients. Malabsorption syndromes are organised in to three broad categories. One due to maldigestion, second due to mucosal or neural problems, third due to microbial causes. Small intestinal biopsies are needed to establish the definitive diagnosis. In this article, we attempt to review the literature of the etiopathogenetic mechanisms and diagnosis with histopathological confirmation of the most common malabsorption syndromes.

Primary Papillary Serous Carcinoma of Cervix: A Rare Variant of Cervical Malignancy

Papillary serous carcinoma of the uterine cervix is a very rare tumour, and is a recently described variant of cervical adenocarcinoma. It is an aggressive tumour with unpredictable course and poor prognosis. The incidence of cervical adenocarcinoma is 5–15%. This variant accounts for less than 50 cases in literature, has bimodal age distribution with one peak occurring less than 40 years and other occurring greater than 65 years age groups. Here, we present a 53 year-old woman presented with severe low backache and lump abdomen of 4 months duration. Per vaginal examination showed endophytic growth high up in the cervix. Pap smear and cervical biopsy done. Histopathological examination of cervical biopsy revealed papillary serous adenocarcinoma. Later, we received hysterectomy specimen with regional lymph nodes, which showed tumour limited to endocervix.