A Multi-institutional Study of Prevalence and Clinicopathologic Features of Non-invasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasm with Papillary-like Nuclear Features (NIFTP) in Korea

BACKGROUND: In the present multi-institutional study, the prevalence and clinicopathologic characteristics of non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) were evaluated among Korean patients who underwent thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).METHODS: Data from 18,819 patients with PTC from eight university hospitals between January 2012 and February 2018 were retrospectively evaluated. Pathology reports of all PTCs and slides of potential NIFTP cases were reviewed. The strict criterion of no papillae was applied for the diagnosis of NIFTP. Due to assumptions regarding misclassification of NIFTP as non-PTC tumors, the lower boundary of NIFTP prevalence among PTCs was estimated. Mutational analysis for BRAF and three RAS isoforms was performed in 27 randomly selected NIFTP cases.RESULTS: The prevalence of NIFTP was 1.3% (238/18,819) of all PTCs when the same histologic criteria were applied for NIFTP regardless of the tumor size but decreased to 0.8% (152/18,819) when tumors ≥1 cm in size were included. The mean follow-up was 37.7 months and no patient with NIFTP had evidence of lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, or disease recurrence during the follow-up period. A difference in prevalence of NIFTP before and after NIFTP introduction was not observed. BRAF(V600E) mutation was not found in NIFTP. The mutation rate for the three RAS genes was 55.6% (15/27).CONCLUSIONS: The low prevalence and indolent clinical outcome of NIFTP in Korea was confirmed using the largest number of cases to date. The introduction of NIFTP may have a small overall impact in Korean practice.

The Use of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology in Korea: A Nationwide Multicenter Survey by the Korean Society of Endocrine Pathologists

BACKGROUND: The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) has standardized the reporting of thyroid cytology specimens. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the nationwide usage of TBSRTC and assess the malignancy rates in each category of TBSRTC in Korea. METHODS: Questionnaire surveys were used for data collection on the fine needle aspiration (FNA) of thyroid nodules at 74 institutes in 2012. The incidences and follow-up malignancy rates of each category diagnosed from January to December, 2011, in each institute were also collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty out of 74 institutes answering the surveys reported the results of thyroid FNA in accordance with TBSRTC. The average malignancy rates for resected cases in 15 institutes were as follows: nondiagnostic, 45.6%; benign, 16.5%; atypical of undetermined significance, 68.8%; suspicious for follicular neoplasm (SFN), 30.2%; suspicious for malignancy, 97.5%; malignancy, 99.7%. CONCLUSIONS: More than 80% of Korean institutes were using TBSRTC as of 2012. All malignancy rates other than the SFN and malignancy categories were higher than those reported by other countries. Therefore, the guidelines for treating patients with thyroid nodules in Korea should be revisited based on the malignancy rates reported in this study.

A case report of angioleiomyoma of uterus

Angioleiomyoma (AL) is a very rare benign tumor that originates from smooth muscle cells and has thick walled vessels. It may be found throughout the body but more frequently occurs in the lower extremities and rarely develops in the head and other parts of the body. This paper presents a case report of giant AL detected in a 33-year-old woman who complained of severe anemia, menorrhagia, and palpable lower abdominal mass. The patient underwent myomectomy and was diagnosed with AL based on the pathological report of mass. The effective treatment for AL is either simple hysterectomy or angiomyomectomy depending on the patient's desire to preserve fertility and symptom.

Neural Axis Metastasis from Metachronous Pulmonary Basaloid Carcinoma Developed after Chemotherapy & Radiation Therapy of Uterine Cervical Carcinoma / 대한신경손상학회지

Multiple primary or secondary malignancies after anticancer therapy were recently reported to be increasing in frequency. The authors describe a case of metachronous metastatic pulmonary basaloid carcinoma to the central nervous system that was discovered after chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cervical uterine carcinoma. Two different types of cancer developed within some interval. There's the possibility that a secondary pulmonary neoplasm developed after the chemotherapy and radiotherapy conducted as cervical cancer treatment.

Submucosal Tunneling Endoscopic Resection of a Leiomyoma Originating from the Muscularis Propria of the Gastric Cardia (with Video) / 대한소화기학회지

While endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is widely used to treat gastrointestinal tumors, it is rarely used for subepithelial tumors (SETs) originating from the muscularis propria of the esophagus and gastric cardia because of the risk of perforation and problems with inadequate space and field of view during procedures. Submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER) is a new therapeutic method for treating SETs in specific locations in the esophagus and stomach. This technique is highly skill-dependent, using a mucosal flap that covers a deeper part of the gut wall, but is safe and minimally invasive compared with conventional endoscopic approaches such as ESD in SETs originating from the muscularis propria.We report a patient who underwent STER to remove a SET located at the gastric cardia. The patient recovered without any complications. We believe that our case shows the efficacy and safety of the STER technique for patients with a SET originating from the muscularis propria.

Mucinous Borderline Ovarian Tumor in Very Old Aged Postmenopausal Woman

Mucinous borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) occur most often in women between the ages of 20 and 30. Early-stage detection of the condition has a more favorable prognosis. In this case report, the authors present an elderly 93-year old woman who visited our hospital due to severe abdominal pain after being diagnosed with a pelvic mass 2 years ago and not undergoing any treatment since the diagnosis was made. She underwent emergency left salpingo-oophorectomy and was diagnosed with mucinous BOT according to biopsy results.

Uterine Serous Adenocarcinoma in an Elderly Postmenopausal Woman: Clinically Misdiagnosed as Uterine Cervix Cancer

Uterine serous adenocarcinoma (USC) is rare and invasive cancer. This cancer is more often reported in the ovary, the fallopian tube, and the endometrium than uterine cervix. No matter where the tumor is located, the tumor exhibits similar histological characteristics. So when uterine cancer is proven to be serous adenocarcinoma, it is necessary to see if the tumor originated from ovary or endometrium and invaded the cervix. We report a case of a 73-year-old postmenopausal woman with USC arising near the internal os of endocervical canal, clinically misdiagnosed as uterine cervix cancer.

Retrieval Rate and Accuracy of Ultrasound-Guided 14-G Semi-Automated Core Needle Biopsy of Breast Microcalcifications

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the retrieval rate and accuracy of ultrasound (US)-guided 14-G semi-automated core needle biopsy (CNB) for microcalcifications in the breast. MATERIALS AND METHODS: US-guided 14-G semi-automated CNB procedures and specimen radiography were performed for 33 cases of suspicious microcalcifications apparent on sonography. The accuracy of 14-G semi-automated CNB and radiology-pathology concordance were analyzed and the microcalcification characteristics between groups with successful and failed retrieval were compared. RESULTS: Thirty lesions were successfully retrieved and the microcalcification retrieval rate was 90.9% (30/33). Thirty lesions were successfully retrieved. Twenty five were finally diagnosed as malignant (10 invasive ductal carcinoma, 15 ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS]) and five as benign. After surgery and mammographic follow-up, the 25 malignant lesions comprised 12 invasive ductal carcinoma and 13 DCIS. Three lesions in the failed retrieval group (one DCIS and two benign) were finally diagnosed as two DCIS and one benign after surgery. The accuracy of 14-G semi-automated CNB was 90.9% (30/33) because of two DCIS underestimates and one false-negative diagnosis. The discordance rate was significantly higher in the failed retrieval group than in the successful retrieval group (66.7% vs. 6.7%; p < 0.05). Punctate calcifications were significantly more common in the failed retrieval group than in the successful retrieval group (66.7% vs. 3.7%; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: US-guided 14-G semi-automated CNB could be a useful procedure for suspicious microcalcifications in the breast those are apparent on sonography.

Metastasis of Colon Cancer to Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Case Report

Metastasis to the primary thyroid carcinoma is extremely rare. We report here a case of colonic adenocarcinoma metastasis to medullary thyroid carcinoma in a 53-yr old man with a history of colon cancer. He showed a nodular lesion, suggesting malignancy in the thyroid gland, in a follow-up examination after colon cancer surgery. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of the thyroid gland showed tumor cell clusters, which was suspected to be medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The patient underwent a total thyroidectomy. Using several specific immunohistochemical stains, the patient was diagnosed with colonic adenocarcinoma metastasis to MTC. To the best of our knowledge, the present patient is the first case of colonic adenocarcinoma metastasizing to MTC. Although tumor-tumor metastasis to primary thyroid carcinoma is very rare, we still should consider metastasis to the thyroid gland, when a patient with a history of other malignancy presents with a new thyroid finding.

A Case of Tuberculous Enteritis with Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis in a 12-Year-Old Girl / 소아감염

Intestinal tuberculosis (TB) is presented with nonspecific and variable clinical manifestations such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever and weight loss. Diagnosis of tuberculous enteritis may be missed or confused with many other chronic gastrointestinal disorders such as the Crohn disease and intestinal neoplasms. The diagnosis should be based on careful clinical evaluations, such as extra-intestinal signs and colonoscopic and histologic findings. Newer techniques such as PCR tests from the specimens through colonoscopic biopsy may be helpful to confirm diagnosis of tuberculous enteritis. The treatment regimens for pulmonary tuberculosis are generally effective for tuberculous enteritis as well. If not treated early, the prognosis of intestinal tuberculosis is poor. We report a case of tuberculous enteritis diagnosed by colonoscopic biopsy and TB PCR which was presented with diarrhea, abdominal pain, intermittent fever and weight loss in a 12-year-old girl with active pulmonary tuberculosis. The patient was treated successfully with antituberculosis agents for 11 months without any complications.

A case of cytomegalovirus-negative Menetrier's disease with eosinophilia in a child / 소아과

Menetrier's disease is a rare form of acquired gastropathy characterized by giant rugal folds in the stomach and protein-losing gastropathy. Children with Menetrier's disease tend to follow a benign self-limited course with symptoms typically completely resolving within 2 to 10 weeks in contrast to the chronic course in adults. A 9-year-old girl presented with a history of gradually worsening abdominal distension, increasing body weight, and abdominal pain for 2 weeks. Physical examination on admission indicated periorbital swelling, pitting edema in both the legs, and abdominal distension with mild diffuse tenderness and shifting dullness. Laboratory tests on admission showed hypoalbuminemia, hypoproteinemia, and peripheral eosinophilia. The test result for anticytomegalovirus immunoglobulin M was negative. Increased fecal alpha 1 anti-trypsin excretion was observed. Radiological findings showed massive ascites and pleural effusion in both the lungs. On gastroscopy, large gastric folds, erythema, erosion, and exudation were noted in the body and fundus of the stomach. Microscopic findings showed infiltration of eosinophils and neutrophils in the gastric mucosa. Her symptoms improved with conservative treatment from day 7 of hospitalization and resolved completely.

A Case of Parathyroid Carcinoma in a Patient with Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease / 대한내과학회지

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare disease in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. We experienced a case of parathyroid carcinoma presenting with hyperparathyroidism. A 62-year-old male patient had hypercalcemia, chronic kidney disease, and an elevated parathyroid hormone level for at least 3 months. An ultrasonogram and parathyroid scan did not show parathyroid neoplasm. He underwent left hemithyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy. Biopsy revealed a parathyroid carcinoma. His azotemia and hypercalcemia improved after surgery.

A Case of Basal Cell Adenoma in the Parotid Gland

PURPOSE: Basal cell adenoma of the salivary gland is an uncommon type of monomorphic adenoma. The most frequent location is parotid gland. It usually appears as a firm, mobile and slow-growing mass. Originally the term "basal cell adenoma" is described as a benign salivary gland tumor comprised of uniform appearing basaloid cells which are arranged in solid, trabecular, tubular, and membranous patterns. But the myxoid and chondroid mesenchymal like component as seen in pleomorphic adenoma is lacking in basal cell adenoma. We report a case of basal cell adenoma of parotid gland with review of the literatures. METHODS: The 59-year-old female patient was referred to our department with a painless palpable mass in the left preauricular region for about 1 year. Movable and nontender subcutaneous mass was palpable. There was no evidence of cervical metastasis in computed tomography and ultrasonography. On fine needle aspiration cytology, pleomorphic adenoma was suspected. Under general anesthesia, superficial parotidectomy including tumor was performed. The biopsy result was basal cell adenoma. RESULTS: Long-term follow-up for 54 months showed favorable result without evidence of recurrence except for temporary facial nerve weakness right after the surgery. CONCLUSION: Basal cell adenoma is the third most frequent benign tumor of the salivary gland, following pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin's tumor, although the incidence is low. The typical clinical feature of the basal cell adenoma is slowly growing, asymptomatic, and freely movable parotid mass. Basal cell adenoma should be also considered as a differential diagnosis of the parotid gland benign tumor.

Analysis of the BRAF(V600E) Mutation in Thyroid Nodules: the Preoperative Diagnostic Role of Fine-needle Aspiration Biopsy for Patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer and Its Impact on Patient Care

PURPOSE: We wanted to evaluate the frequency of BRAF(V600E) mutations on the preoperative fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNAB) of thyroid nodules and the effect of this on the accuracy of diagnosing papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). We also wanted to evaluate the influence of BRAF(V600E) analysis on patient care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The results of cytology and BRAF(V600E) mutation analysis of 190 thyroid nodules were retrospectively reviewed. The results of the cytology and BRAF(V600E) analysis were compared with the histopathological diagnosis for the surgically confirmed cases, and we calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and the diagnostic accuracy of FNAB and combining the modalities of FNAB and BRAF(V600E) mutation. The frequency of BRAF(V600E) mutation according to age and the influence of BRAF(V600E) analysis on patient care were studied. The nodule size was compared between the malignant and other categories of BRAF(V600E) positive nodules. RESULTS: Seventy four percent of the PTC were BRAF(V600E) positive. BRAF(V600E) analysis increased the sensitivity, NPP and diagnostic accuracy of FNAB. Fifty percent of the BRAF(V600E) positive nodules with other than malignant cytology received surgery and these were confirmed to be PTC. The frequency of BRAF(V600E) mutation increased with age, which was statistically significant. There was a statistically significant difference in the nodule size between the cytologically malignant nodules and the other nodules. CONCLUSION: BRAF(V600E) analysis increased the diagnostic accuracy of FNAB and it should be considered as being complementary to cytological analysis. The frequency of the BRAF(V600E) mutation increased with age. The size of the malignant nodules was larger than that of the benign nodules.

Spindle Cell Epithelioma, a So-called Benign Mixed Tumor of the Vagina: A Case Report

We report a case of spindle cell epithelioma, a so-called benign mixed tumor of the vagina. The patient was a 35-year-old nulliparous woman who presented with a polypoid mass in the posterior wall of the lower vagina just above the hymenal ring. The tumor was relatively well-defined with an expansile margin and composed of stromal-type spindle cells with a myxoid stroma arranged in short fascicles and an irregular cord-like or reticular pattern. A few glandular structures lined by cuboidal cells with squamous metaplasia were also noted. Cellular atypia was not conspicuous and mitosis was not found. We examined this tumor immunohistochemically to identify the histogenesis. The coexpression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers in stromal-type spindle cells suggested a multipotential cell origin for this tumor. The patient has been well with no signs of recurrence during the 12 months after surgery.

Serous adenocarcinoma arising from ovarian endometriosis after menopause / 대한산부인과학회지

Endometriosis is estrogen dependent disease in reproductive age. Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory gynecologic disease. Problems associated with endometriosis include dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and infertility. Postmenopausal endometriosis is rare. Also, malignant transformation in endometriosis is rare. There is no report in Korea about serous adenocarcinoma arising from endometriosis after menopause. The authors present a case of serous adenocarcinoma arising from endometriosis after menopause with brief review of the literature.

Endometriosis Detected in Postmenopausal Women Not Receiving Menopausal Hormone Therapy: Two Case Reports / 대한폐경학회지

Endometriosis is an estrogen dependent disease in reproductive age. Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory gynecologic disease. Problems associated with endometriosis include dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and infertility. Postmenopausal endometriosis is rare; however, postmenopausal endometriosis is infrequently associated with cancer, thus management is most important for gynecologists. We present two cases of endometriosis associated with postmenopausal women who were not receiving menopausal hormone therapy with a retrospective review of the medical records and a brief review of the literature.

Vulva sparganosis misdiagnosed as a Bartholin's gland abscess / 대한산부인과학회지

Sparganosis is a parasitic infection caused by the plerocercoid larvae of diphyllobothroid tapeworms belonging to the genus Spirometra, as first described by Manson in 1882. The infection is transmitted by ingestion of contaminated water, frogs, and snakes, and contact between a second intermediate host and an open wound or mucus membranes. Humans are accidental hosts in the life cycle, but dogs, cats, and other mammals are definitive hosts. Once a human becomes infected, the plerocercoid larvae migrate to a subcutaneous location, where they typically develop into a painful nodule. We misdiagnosed vulva sparganosis as a Bartholin's gland abscess. The patient was a green consumer, so she may have been infected by consuming health foods. Sparganosis should be considered as a cause of soft tissue masses especially among patients who have ingested health foods.

Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia Presented as Diffuse Alveolar Damage: Report of a case

Pneumocystis carinii is the most common cause of diffuse pulmonary infiltrates in the immunocompromised patients. Microscopically, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia(PCP) shows characteristic frothy intraalveolar exudate and interstitial lymphocytic and plasma cell infiltrate. However, sometimes the only histologic finding of PCP on routine hematoxylin-eosin stain is that of diffuse alveolar damage(DAD), when we can miss the diagnosis without aid of special stains. We report a case of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia presenting as DAD in a 50-year old man after chemotherapy due to malignant lymphoma. Open lung biopsy specimen reveals the early stage of DAD without any characteristic findings, such as foamy exudate. However many cysts of Pneumocystis carinii were found on Gomori's methenamine silver(GMS) stain. Therefore, GMS stain should be routinely performed on all biopsy specimens obtained from immunocompromised patients.

Ovarian Mucinous Adenocarcinoma Associated with Mucinous Adenocarcinoma of the Uterine Cervix

When coexistence of carcinoma with similar histologic type is present in female genital tract, it is difficult to differentiate independent primary tumor from metastasis. Most of them are endometrial and ovarian tumors, but coexistence of uterine cervical and ovarian tumor with similar histologic type is rare. We experienced an independent primary tumor of ovarian mucinous cystadenocarcinoma associated with mucinous adenocarcinoma of uterine cervix. The patient was a 50-year-old woman. She had a lower abdominal mass which was detected as a huge cyst on ultrasonography. Although the ovarian lesions were bilateral, features that preferred to consider independent primary tumor are listed as; absence of lymphatic or vascular invasion, absence of ovarian surface implant, superficial invasion of cervical tumor, absence of tumor in abdominal cavity, and disease free follow-up after removal of the tumor.