Occult primary breast carcinoma presented as an axillary mass: A Diagnostic Challenge

@#Introduction: Occult primary breast carcinoma (OBC) manifesting as axillary nodal metastasis without an identifiable breast primary is exceptionally rare. It continues to pose a diagnostic challenge to pathologists. Here, we report a case of OBC with emphasis on the usefulness of immunohistochemistry to determine the primary site of tumour. Case Report: A 58-year-old female presented with a 3-cm painless right axillary mass. Extensive radiological investigations that include mammography, ultrasonography of the breasts and positron emission tomography (PET) scan failed to conclude the primary site of the tumour. Histological examination of the lymph node revealed loosely cohesive sheets of poorly differentiated malignant cells, without discernible glandular or squamous differentiation. Immunohistochemically, the malignant cells exhibited diffuse immunoreactivity toward pan-cytokeratin and CK7, while leukocyte common antigen, S100 and CK20 were negative. A second panel of immunomarkers was carried out. The malignant cells expressed breast-specific markers (GATA-3, GCDFP-15 and mammaglobin), and were negative for ER, PR and TTF-1 immunohistochemistry. A diagnosis of OBC was rendered. Discussion: Breast primary must always be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with sole presentation of axillary lymphadenopathy. The breast-specific immunomarkers play a pivotal role in the diagnosis of ER, PR-negative occult breast cancer.

Ewing Sarcoma presenting as a gluteal mass in adult woman: Diagnostic approach and its challenges

@#Introduction: Sarcomas of the Ewing family of tumours are aggressive neoplasms occurring in bone and soft tissue of mostly children and young adults. It usually affects male more than female with peak incidence 10 to 15 years of age, and rarely encountered in adults especially in more than 40 years old. It is an aggressive, rare tumour with a tendency toward recurrence after resection and early metastasis. Case Report: We reported a rare case of Ewing Sarcoma in a 62-year-old woman who had an unusual clinical presentation. She had right painless buttock swelling only for a month. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed soft tissue sarcoma originated from right gluteal muscle. The diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma (ES) was made in a limited diagnostic material in an initial tru-cut biopsy, followed by an excision supported by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Fluorescent In-Situ Hybridization (FISH). Discussion: The purpose of this study is to document ES in an adult woman and its diagnostic challenges in histopathologic perspective. Keywords:

Vasculites: desafio diagnóstico e terapêutico / Vasculitis: diagnostic and therapeutic challenge

As vasculites, como o próprio nome as define, são inflamações vasculares, podendo ser localizadas ou sistêmicas e, em sua maioria, idiopáticas. Costumam acometer diversos órgãos como pele, pulmões e rins. Dentre as classificações a mais usual foi definida no Consenso de Chapel Hill de 2012, que classificou as vasculites de acordo com o calibre do vaso acometido em grande, médio, pequeno e microvasos. As vasculites são um dos maiores desafios diagnósticos na medicina, por sua apresentação clínica inespecífica, que se desenvolve lentamente, durante semanas ou meses. Além da confirmação do diagnóstico requerer testes laboratoriais, por vezes, biópsia de artéria acometida ou sorologia são necessárias. A terapêutica é imprescindível para a melhora sintomática, indução e remissão da doença e para diminuição de morbimortalidade.

Vasculitis, as the name defines them, are vascular inflammation and may be localized or systemic and mostly idiopathic. Usually affect several organs such as skin, lungs and kidneys. Among the most common classifications is the Chapel Hill Consensus of 2012 rated vasculitis according to vessel size affected in large, medium, small and microvessels. Vasculitis is one of the biggest challenges in medical diagnostics, in nonspecific clinical presentation, which develops slowly over weeks or months. In addition to the diagnostic confirmation tests require laboratory sometimes biopsy of the affected artery or serology are required. Therapy is essential for symptomatic improvement, induction, remission and decreased mortality.

Clinics in diagnostic imaging (182). Acute descending aortic dissection with aortic root retrograde extension

A 77-year-old man presented with acute-onset severe chest pain radiating to the back and elevated blood pressure. Multiphasic computed tomography of the aorta revealed an intimal tear in the descending thoracic aorta which extended both retrograde to the aortic root and antegrade to the infra-renal abdominal aorta. The initial impression, that the images showed a Stanford type B aortic dissection, was because the portion of the false lumen that extended beyond the aortic arch remained unopacified even on delayed phases, making it challenging to assess the extent of the dissection flap. Bedside transthoracic echocardiography revealed a pericardial effusion. Cardiac tamponade ensued and the patient passed away shortly after presentation. This case highlights the need for early and accurate imaging assessment of acute aortic dissection, including accurate identification of the site of intimal tear and the extent of the dissection flap.

Nuevos desafíos en broncoscopía pediátrica / New challenges on bronchoscopy for the pediatric pulmonologist

Flexible bronchoscopy imposes new challenges as a diagnostic and therapeutic routine procedure in pediatric respiratory disease especially in complicated patients. The development of new equipment with smaller diameter and better resolution has contributed to perform therapeutic procedures together with rigid bronchoscopy, not only for foreign body extraction. The same is occurring with the use of diagnostic imaging methods and endobronchial ultrasound in order in order tu study central airway compression. Other challenges include determining whether the pediatric pulmonologist should be trained both in rigid and flexible endoscopy; if these procedures are more accurate and safe only in tertiary reference centers; specifying whether these technologies are cost effective compared with diagnostic imaging techniques and virtual bronchoscopy.

La broncoscopía flexible impone nuevos desafíos como herramienta diagnóstica y terapéutica de uso rutinario en pacientes pediátricos cada vez más complejos. El desarrollo de nuevas tecnologías con equipos de diámetro cada vez más pequeño y de mejor resolución, la realización de procedimientos terapéuticos combinados con broncoscopía rígida y la complementariedad con métodos de diagnóstico por imágenes y ultrasonografía endobronquial, están en pleno desarrollo. Otros desafíos son definir si el neumólogo pediatra debe tener entrenamiento en técnicas de broncoscopía flexible y rígida, verificar si la realización de estos procedimientos endoscópicos es más rigurosa y segura en unidades terciarias, precisar si estas tecnologías son costo efectivas en relación a métodos de diagnóstico por imágenes y cuantificar en que magnitud los resultados obtenidos, modifican la conducta a seguir con el paciente.