Pesticide (Endosulfan) Levels in the Bone Marrow of Children with Hematological Malignancies.

Objectives: (1) To confirm the presence of Pesticide (Endosulfan) residues in the bone marrow (BM) of children with acute hematological malignancies and compare them with controls. (2) To ascertain if children with Endosulfan in their marrow reside in areas sprayed with Endosulfan. Study design: Case control study Setting: Pediatric oncology unit of a medical college teaching hospital in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. Subjects: 26 patients with proven hematological malignancy and 26 age matched controls suffering from benign hematological disease. Methods: Endosulfan residues in the BM were estimated by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (Minimum detection limit 10ng/mL). The subject’s geographical area of location (residence) was determined to see whether they belong to sprayed area or not. The Chi-square test was applied to see an association between exposure R E S E A R C H P A P E R status and hematological malignancy. Results: A total of 52 children were enrolled of which 26 were study cases and 26 were controls. Of the study and control groups, 84.7% and 73.1%, respectively were from exposed areas. The major (88.4%) illness in the study group was ALL, while ITP (50%) occurred most frequently in the control group. Six out of 26 study cases tested positive for endosulfan in the BM, against 1 out of 26 controls (P = 0.042). The Odds ratio was 7.5. All children who had endosulfan in the bone marrow originated from areas, where endosulfan is still being used. Conclusions: Children with hematological malignancy had raised levels of endosulfan in the bone marrow compared to those without. All the children with raised bone marrow Endosulfan levels were found to be from areas exposed to the pesticide.

Bone marrow biopsy in non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A morphological study.

Context: Bone marrow (BM) biopsy is an integral part of staging work-up for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Aims: To study the characteristics of BM involvement in NHL with respect to incidence, histologic pattern and morphology of infiltration and its discordance with the histology of primary anatomic site. Settings and Design: Forty-nine cases of NHL in which BM biopsy was performed for staging were included in this study, the primary site being classified according to the WHO classification for NHL. Materials and Methods: A prospective study of 49 cases was conducted. Bilateral BM biopsy was obtained from the posterior superior iliac spine. The biopsies were fixed in 10% buffered formalin solution and decalcified using 10% formal - formic acid for 4 - 6 h followed by routine processing. The serial sections were stained by hematoxylin and eosin and reticulin stains. Results: BM biopsy showed involvement by lymphoma in 27 cases (55.10%). Unilateral positivity was found in four cases (14.81% cases). The overall incidence of marrow involvement by NHL was 55.1%. The incidence of involvement was higher in T-cell lymphomas when compared with B-cell lymphomas and predominant pattern of involvement was mixed. Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas had the lowest incidence in all the B-cell lymphomas. A discordant histology between BM and primary anatomic site was found in 29.63% (8/27) of the cases, where it was seen more in follicular lymphomas and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. Conclusions: Critical examination of BM biopsies can increase the diagnostic accuracy, thereby contributing to the prognosis and appropriate treatment modalities.

Morphological evaluation of cystitis glandularis.

Cystitis cystica and cystitis glandularis (CG) are relatively common appearances in the urinary bladder though CG may occasionally mimic a neoplasm. Microscopically, two types of CG are recognized, the usual type and intestinal type. This study was undertaken to study the morphology of CG and to highlight the differences in morphology between CG and adenocarcinoma. Eleven cases of CG were seen, of which 3 cases showed predominantly CG, usual type and eight cases showed CG of intestinal type. One case of primary adenocarcinoma was included in this study, where the adjacent bladder mucosa showed CG. Evaluation of the histological features of CG, especially intestinal type helps in correct categorization of this lesion and differentiation from adenocarcinoma of the bladder.

Wegener's granulomatosis mimicking paraneoplastic syndrome.

Wegener's granulomatosis is a distinct clinico-pathological entity characterised by a triad of upper and lower respiratory disease and renal involvement, although atypical presentations can be seen. These patients characteristically have small vessel vasculitis and or granulomatous vasculitis and are usually anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) positive. We present a case of Wegener's granulomatosis that clinically mimicked a lung neoplasm with a paraneoplastic syndrome. Biopsy and histopathological evaluation of a readily accessible subcutaneous nodule showed small vessel vasculitis. Correlation with clinical data and ANCA positivity led to a definite diagnosis.

Clinicopathological study of Kikuchi's disease.

Kikuchi's disease (KD) is a necrotizing lymphadenopathy with a self-limiting course commonly affecting young people. We conducted a clinico-pathological study of 20 cases of KD received at our department between July 2000 and December 2003. Our study confirmed that KD commonly involves the cervical lymph nodes of young adults, with a female predominance. One patient had associated cutaneous involvement. The hematological parameters were non-specific. The histological features were distinctive and included easy fragmentation on handling, karyorrhexis, crescentic histiocytes and the absence of neutrophils. The differential diagnosis on histology is also discussed.

Cytomorphology of subcutaneous panniculitic T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL)--a case report.

T cell lymphomas account for approximately 60% of cutaneous lymphomas. The annual incidence of cutaneous lymphoma is estimated to be from 0.5 to 1 per 1,00,000 persons per year. We present one case of cutaneous lymphoma, an eighteen year old male who presented with multiple swellings all over the body of one month duration. On examination, multiple, subcutaneous, mobile, non tender nodules were seen ranging from 0.5 cm to 5 cm in diameter. FNAC revealed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma morphologically in favour of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. A biopsy and immunohistochemistry confirmed SPTCL.

Tissue effects of fine needle aspiration on salivary gland tumours.

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a widely used diagnostic procedure to evaluate lesions in the salivary glands. Though regarded as a safe and reliable procedure ,a variety of histological changes following FNAC have been reported. We studied the FNAC related tissue changes in 50 neoplasms of the salivary gland and the impact on subsequent histological evaluation. FNAC induced changes were found in 34% (17/50) with needle tract (10/50)and infarction (7/50) as the commonest changes .These changes did not interfere with the subsequent histological evaluation of the tumours. We conclude that knowledge of a previous FNAC and awareness of its effects on histology may avoid potential misdiagnosis, though the incidence of significant changes is small.

Case reports of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma--an aggressive variant of squamous cell carcinoma.

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) is a high grade variant of Squamous Cell Carcinoma with a predilection for the aero-digestive tract. The typical microscopic features of carcinoma with a basaloid pattern in intimate association with a squamous component helps in diagnosis of this tumour. There are few reports in the Indian literature and we report three cases, including one in the sinonasal region. This study discusses the differential diagnosis of BSCC, as recognition of this tumour may have therapeutic implications.