Undifferentiated carcinoma of the pancreas with osteoclast-like giant cells reported in an asymptomatic patient: a rare case and literature review

Undifferentiated carcinoma of the pancreas with osteoclast-like giant cells (UC-OGC) is a rare and poorly described pancreatic malignancy. It is comprised of mononuclear, pleomorphic, and undifferentiated cells as well as osteoclast-like giant cells (OGC's). It constitutes less than 1% of pancreatic non-endocrine neoplasia and is twice as likely to occur in females as in males. Its histopathologic properties remain poorly understood. It is suspected that UC-OGC is of epithelial origin that can then transition to mesenchymal elements. As part of this study, we describe a case of a malignant pancreatic neoplasm that was discovered in a 69-year old patient as an incidental finding. We also provide an overview of previously published data to highlight UC-OGC's clinical and pathologic features.

Pulmonary placental transmogrification associated with adenocarcinoma of the lung: a case report with a comprehensive review of the literature

Pulmonary placental transmogrification (PT) is a rare entity with less than 40 cases reported in the literature. Most reported cases are associated with either bullous emphysema or with pulmonary fibrochondromatous hamartomas. We present only the second case of PT associated with adenocarcinoma of the lung. A 67-year-old female with multiple chronic medical ailments presented with shortness of breath and was found to have a 6-cm mass in the upper lobe of her right lung. A computed tomography (CT) guided core biopsy was performed that showed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Interestingly the normal lung tissue showed placental villous architecture. A unique feature of our case is that the diagnosis was made on a needle core biopsy, unlike all the other cases in the literature. We also provide a comprehensive review of this rare entity.