A rare and emerging entity: Sinonasal IgG4-related sclerosing disease.

BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) related sclerosing disease (rSD) is a new disease entity, first described in 2001, that involves autoimmune pancreatitis. Considered a systemic disease with lesions described in multiple organ systems, IgG4-rSD that affects the sinonasal region is rare. Our goal was to highlight the sinonasal presentation of this unique disease and to review previously reported adult cases from 2003 to 2014. METHODS: Case report (a 72-year-old man who presented with left exophthalmos, periorbital pain, and epiphora) and review of the literature. RESULTS: Radiographic workup with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a left sinonasal mass that involved the left maxillary and ethmoid sinuses, with surrounding bony destruction and orbital invasion. Nasal endoscopy demonstrated a fibrous lesion emanating in the middle meatus, with surrounding mucosal inflammation. The patient underwent an endoscopic biopsy, medial maxillectomy, and ethmoidectomy with tumor debulking. Pathology demonstrated inflamed respiratory mucosa with dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate and fibrosis; flow cytometry demonstrated no malignant cell populations; immunophenotyping demonstrated multiple foci of IgG4 cells. Plasma IgG4 was elevated in the setting of normal total IgG. The patient was treated with postoperative systemic and topical corticosteroids. Surveillance imaging studies and nasal endoscopy demonstrated disease resolution without recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Sinonasal IgG4-rSD is a rare disease that can present with bony and soft-tissue invasion. This was an exceptional case, with osseous involvement and orbital invasion. Immunohistologic workup is essential for diagnosis. It is important to differentiate this disease from sinonasal tumors. Treatment includes corticosteroids and surgical debulking. Sinonasal IgG4-rSD represents an emerging disease that may present challenges for future rhinologists.

Lack of utility of CD20 immunohistochemistry in staging bone marrow biopsies for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

The utility of CD20 immunohistochemistry in the evaluation of staging bone marrow biopsies of newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients has not been extensively studied. We used 113 routinely processed bone marrow biopsies to study the extent and pattern of involvement by lymphoma and CD20 staining. Twelve (10.6%) of 113 cases had involvement by morphology, and 5 (41.7%) of these showed histologic discordance between the primary site and the bone marrow. All cases with morphologic evidence of bone marrow involvement showed staining for CD20. Four (3.5%) of 113 cases had non-neoplastic aggregates that stained for CD20. One case (0.9%) showed a small benign lymphoid aggregate by immunohistochemistry that was not evident by morphology. Our results demonstrate that CD20 staining did not detect any examples of bone marrow involvement by DLBCL that were not evident by morphology. We conclude that immunohistochemistry for CD20 adds no increase in the sensitivity of detection of bone marrow infiltration by DLBCL.

Evaluation of Her-2/neu status in carcinomas with amplified chromosome 17 centromere locus.

Accurate assessment of Her-2/neu (erb-b2) status in breast carcinoma is essential for therapy planning. Clinical assays are targeted at protein overexpression (immunohistochemical analysis) or gene amplification (fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH]). Cases with aberrant FISH signal patterns are problematic and may lead to underreporting of Her-2/neu amplification. We performed FISH with additional chromosome 17 probes, SMS (Smith-Magenis syndrome critical region) and RARA (retinoic acid receptor), on 7 cases with unusual Her-2/CEP17 (chromosome 17 centromere control probe) results to assess whether different measurements of chromosome 17 copy number might clarify the Her-2/neu amplicon status. Although the Her-2/CEP17 ratio scores were within normal range (<2.0), the Her-2/SMS or Her-2/RARA ratio revealed amplification of Her-2/neu in 5 of 7 cases. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated Her-2/neu protein overexpression in the same 5 cases only. We describe novel application of SMS/RARA FISH probes for assessing cases with complex Her-2/CEP17 FISH patterns. Such additional data, correlated with immunohistochemical analysis, may help guide therapy in patients with breast carcinoma.

HER-2 status in breast cancer: correlation of gene amplification by FISH with immunohistochemistry expression using advanced cellular imaging system.

It has become important to accurately evaluate the status of HER-2/neu in invasive breast cancer, especially when one is considering the use of anti-HER-2 monoclonal antibody therapy (Trastuzumab). Almost one third of invasive breast carcinomas overexpress the HER-2/neu protein, so the use of the anti-HER-2/neu monoclonal antibody Herceptin (trastuzumab) to block the protein has become important in the management of and in prolonging the survival for patients with metastatic breast cancer. The effectiveness of this therapy is dependent on accurately evaluating the HER-2 status in these tumors, which can be done either by studying the expression of HER-2 protein by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or by evaluating HER-2 gene amplification by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Since interobserver variability may occur in manually grading HER-2 protein expression by IHC, the aim of this study was to compare the HER-2/neu expression by IHC using a computer-based image analysis system with that of the gene amplification by FISH. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded archival tissue from 108 primary infiltrating ductal carcinomas were immunostained using the HercepTest (DAKO). To reduce interobserver variability, membrane staining was evaluated using the Automated Cellular Imaging System (ACIS) by ChromaVision, and the cases were divided into four groups: group 1 (n=23) with HER-2/neu expression ACIS score less than or equal to 1.5; group 2 (n=17) with a score ranging from 1.6 to 1.9; group 3 (n=46) with a score 2.0 to 2.5; and group 4 (n=22) with a score greater than or equal to 2.6. FISH was performed on all of the 108 cases using the PathVysion HER-2/neu DNA probe kit from Vysis Inc. All cases were also manually reviewed and graded as negative, 1+, 2+, and 3+ according to the DAKO HercepTest grading scheme. Cases with negative and 1+immunostaining were considered as HER-2 not overexpressed, and cases with 2+ and 3+ staining were classified as showing HER-2 overexpression. In group 1, 1 of 23 (4%), in group 2, 2 of 17 (12%), in group 3, 5 of 46 (11%), and in group 4, 19 of 22 (86%) cases showed gene amplification by FISH. Furthermore, in group 4 all 15 (100%) cases with an ACIS score of 3 or greater were FISH positive. Correlation with manual IHC score and FISH showed that 2 of the 23 (9%) IHC negative (0 and 1+) cases and 25 of the 85 (29%) IHC positive (2+ and 3+) cases showed gene amplification by FISH. This study shows that the amplification of the HER-2/neu gene correlates better with overexpression of the HER-2/neu protein by IHC when the score is either less than 1.5 or greater than 2.6 by ACIS. Therefore, FISH may be useful to better evaluate HER-2/neu status in breast cancer in cases where the ACIS score by immunohistochemistry is 1.6 to 2.5, and since the correlation is so good, FISH may not be needed for HER-2 evaluation in cases with ACIS scores less than 1.5 and greater than 2.6.

Mismatch repair genes in renal cortical neoplasms.

Mutation of human mutL homolog 1 (MLH-1) and human mutS homolog 2 (MSH-2) has been linked with the pathogenesis of colorectal carcinoma in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome and other carcinomas. Mutations of these genes in renal cell carcinomas were recently described. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of MLH-1 and MSH-2 in renal cortical neoplasms of various histological types by immunohistochemistry. Thirty-eight (n = 38) resected renal tumors were obtained from the surgical pathology files of the UMass Memorial Healthcare, including clear cell carcinomas (CLEARs, n = 20), papillary carcinomas (PAPs, n = 8), chromophobe carcinomas (CHRs, n = 4), and oncocytomas (ONCs, n = 6). Positive immunostaining for MLH-1 and MSH-2 was graded by the number of positive tumor cell nuclei, as follows: 0, negative; 1, up to one third of positive nuclei; 2, one to two thirds positive; and 3, greater than two thirds positive. Loss of MLH-1 or MSH-2 was defined as a tumor with grade 0 or 1, compared with the normal tubules. Normal tubules and intercalated ducts contained cells positive for MLH-1 and MSH-2 in all cases. For both antibodies, positive staining in tumors ranged from grade 1 to 3 in the CLEAR and PAP but was only grade 2 to 3 in the CHR and ONC. Loss of MLH-1 and/or MSH-2 occurred in malignant tumors but not in ONC. Loss of MLH-1 was present in 8 (40%) of 20 CLEARs and 4 (50%) of 8 PAPs, compared with loss of MSH-2 in 4 (20%) of 20 CLEARs and 1 (25%) of 4 CHRs. Our results suggest that loss of mismatch repair genes is involved in the malignant transformation in some renal carcinomas, particularly those derived from the proximal tubules.

Contrast media nephropathy: intravenous CT angiography versus intraarterial digital subtraction angiography in renal artery stenosis: a prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Spiral computed tomographic angiography (CTA) is a noninvasive method to diagnose renal artery stenosis (RAS). In digital subtraction angiography (DSA), contrast media (CM) is injected directly into the renal artery; in CTA, a greater amount of CM is injected intravenously, potentially leading to an increased incidence of CM nephropathy. METHODS: We investigated 80 patients with suspected RAS randomized to either CTA or DSA prospectively. The following parameters were determined: serum creatinine level and single-shot inulin clearance for evaluation of renal function and urine alpha1-microglobulin and beta-N-acetyl-glucoseaminidase (beta-NAG) as markers for tubular toxicity. Data from 16 patients undergoing angioplasty in the same session were excluded. RESULTS: In the CTA and DSA groups, 163 +/- 13 and 104 +/- 56 mL of CM (mean +/- SD; P < 0.0001) were administered, respectively. Mean serum creatinine levels increased from 1.78 +/- 1.61 to 1.92 +/-1.73 mg/dL (157 +/- 142 to 170 +/- 153 micromol/L; P = 0.00001) in the CTA group and from 1.52 +/- 1.23 to 1.60 +/- 1.28 mg/dL (134 +/- 109 to 141 +/- 113 micromol/L; P = 0.01) in the DSA group. Mean inulin clearance decreased from 63 +/- 28 to 58 +/- 23 mL/min (P = 0.01) and 65 +/- 26 to 62 +/- 26 mL/min (P < 0.01), median beta-NAG levels increased from 4.6 to 6.0 U/g creatinine (P = not significant) and 2.5 to 8.0 U/g creatinine (P < 0.001), and median alpha1-microglobulin levels increased from 13 to 17 microg/g creatinine (P < 0.025) and 11 to 21 microg/g creatinine (P = not significant) in the CTA and DSA groups, respectively. CM nephropathy occurred in 3 of 33 patients in the CTA group and 2 of 31 patients in the DSA group. The increase in creatinine level was reversible in all patients within 7 days. CONCLUSION: On this study, CTA performed for the detection of RAS is not associated with an increased risk for CM nephropathy compared with intraarterial DSA despite a greater dose of CM.

Angiography for renal artery stenosis: no additional impairment of renal function by angioplasty.

The aim of this study was to compare renal function between patients with renal angiography and patients with renal angiography and angioplasty (AP) for renal artery stenosis (RAS). Forty-seven patients with suspected RAS were prospectively investigated by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) using non-ionic low osmolar contrast media (CM). In 22 patients RAS was detected and in 16 cases an angioplasty was performed in the same session. The following parameters were determined 1 day prior to and after the DSA, respectively: serum creatinine (S-Crea, micromol/l) and single-shot inulin clearance (In-Cl, ml/min) for the evaluation of renal function; and urine alpha 1-microglobuline (AMG, microg/g Crea) and beta-N-acetyl-glucoseaminidase (beta-NAG, U/g Crea) as markers of tubular toxicity. Serum creatinine was measured additionally 2 days after CM had been injected. In both groups with and without AP 174+/-65 and 104+/-56 ml of CM ( p<0.0005) were used, respectively. There were no differences with regard to renal function or risk factors for CM nephrotoxicity between both groups. In the group with AP S-Crea and In-Cl (each: mean+/-SD) did not change significantly (before DSA: 171+/-158 and 61+/-24, after DSA: 189+/-177 and 61+/-25, respectively), beta-NAG (median) rose from 4 to 14 ( p<0.05) and AMG from 8 to 55 (n.s., because of high SD). In the group without AP S-Crea increased from 134+/-109 to 141+/-113 ( p<0.01), In-Cl dropped from 65+/-26 to 62+/-26 ( p<0,01), beta NAG (median) rose from 4 to 8 ( p=0.01), and AMG from 7 to 10 (n.s.). A rise in baseline S-Crea by more than 25% or 44 micromol/l occurred in 4 and 2 patients in the group with and without AP, respectively. Creatinine increase was reversible in all cases within 7 days. In this study using sensitive methods to detect changes of renal function and tubular toxicity no additional renal function impairment in DSA with angioplasty for RAS compared with DSA alone could be demonstrated. Our data suggest that AP performed for RAS has a beneficial effect on renal function.