Tumor de células granulares del esófago: reporte de un caso / Esophageal granular cell tumor: Case report

Introducción: el tumor de células granulares del esófago (TCG) es una neoplasia rara y su diagnóstico preciso se basa en el examen histopatológico. Con el incremento de la endoscopia como medida de tamizaje se ha visto un leve aumento en la incidencia, por lo que debe tenerse en cuenta como diagnóstico diferencial en el momento de abordar una lesión subepitelial. Metodología: presentación de un caso clínico con TCG cuya endoscopia de vías digestivas altas (EVDA) muestra una lesión subepitelial en el tercio distal del esófago, y que debido a las características histopatológicas, clínicas y ecosonográficas se decide seguimiento y manejo expectante. Conclusiones: es importante el conocimiento de las características, comportamientos y estrategias de manejo del TCG, puesmuchos son asintomáticos y estables en el seguimiento, por lo que no necesitan tratamientos agresivos. Por el riesgo de malignidad, es importante su control riguroso.

Introduction: Esophageal granular cell tumors (GCTs) are rare. Their precise diagnosis is based on histopathological examination of the specimen. However, owing to the use of endoscopy as a screening tool the incidence of these lesions has presently mildly increased and must be considered as a differential diagnosis of subepithelial lesions. Methodology: A case is presented of a GCT as a subepithelial lesion in the distal part of the esophagus found by esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Conservative management and follow-up was decided due to the histopathological, clinical and ultrasound features of the lesion. Conclusions: Knowledge regarding GCTs´i characteristics, behavior and management is important for many are asymptomatic and remain clinically stable during follow-up, requiring no aggressive treatment. A rigorous follow-up is recommended due to its malignant potential.

Biotechnological approaches to the treatment of aspermatogenic men

Aspermatogenesis is a severe impairment of spermatogenesis in which germ cells are completely lacking or present in an immature form, which results in sterility in approximately 25% of patients. Because assisted reproduction techniques require mature germ cells, biotechnology is a valuable tool for rescuing fertility while maintaining biological fatherhood. However, this process involves, for instance, the differentiation of preexisting immature germ cells or the production/derivation of sperm from somatic cells. This review critically addresses four potential techniques: sperm derivation in vitro, germ stem cell transplantation, xenologous systems, and haploidization. Sperm derivation in vitro is already feasible in fish and mammals through organ culture or 3D systems, and it is very useful in conditions of germ cell arrest or in type II Sertoli-cell-only syndrome. Patients afflicted by type I Sertoli-cell-only syndrome could also benefit from gamete derivation from induced pluripotent stem cells of somatic origin, and human haploid-like cells have already been obtained by using this novel methodology. In the absence of alternative strategies to generate sperm in vitro, in germ cells transplantation fertility is restored by placing donor cells in the recipient germ-cell-free seminiferous epithelium, which has proven effective in conditions of spermatogonial arrest. Grafting also provides an approach for ex-vivo generation of mature sperm, particularly using prepubertal testis tissue. Although less feasible, haploidization is an option for creating gametes based on biological cloning technology. In conclusion, the aforementioned promising techniques remain largely experimental and still require extensive research, which should address, among other concerns, ethical and biosafety issues, such as gamete epigenetic status, ploidy, and chromatin integrity.