Usefulness of immunohistochemistry in delineating renal spindle cell tumours. A retrospective study of 31 cases.

AIMS: To assess the usefulness of immunohistochemistry in delineating tumour diagnoses on a series of morphologically diagnosed renal spindle cell tumours (RSCTs). METHODS AND RESULTS: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 31 morphologically diagnosed tumours were reinterpreted in light of newly obtained immunohistochemical information. By morphology, six had originally been classified as sarcomatoid carcinoma, five as spindle cell tumour (NOS), four as sarcoma (NOS), three as leiomyoma, three as leiomyosarcoma, and one each as fibrous polyp, hamartoma, neurilemmoma, mesoblastic nephroma, medullary fibroma, angiomyolipoma, haemangiopericytoma, malignant rhabdoid tumour, malignant Triton tumour, and carcinosarcoma. The application of immunohistochemistry verified the original diagnosis in 18 cases (18/31, 58%), confirming the diagnosis of sarcomatoid renal carcinoma (4/6), leiomyoma (2/3), leiomyosarcoma (3/3), sarcoma (NOS) (2/4), carcinosarcoma (1/1), malignant rhabdoid tumour (1/1), malignant Triton tumour (1/1), fibrous polyp (1/1), mesoblastic nephroma (1/1), hamartoma (1/1), and angiomyolipoma (1/1). Different tumour designations were suggested in 13 cases (13/31, 42%), including carcinosarcoma, sarcoma (NOS), leiomyosarcoma, solitary fibrous tumour, monomorphic/biphasic angiomyolipoma, endometrial stromal tumour, and congenital mesoblastic nephroma. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that although morphology is most important in formulating the initial differential diagnosis, the addition of immunohistochemistry is vital in arriving at the correct classification of RSCTs.

Endovascular stent infection.

We report a case of iliac stent infection. Nine days after a 24-hour infusion of urokinase and right iliac artery stent deployment, the patient had fever, in addition to severe groin pain and petechiae isolated to the stented limb. The hospital course was complicated by sepsis, adult respiratory distress syndrome, liver dysfunction, and renal insufficiency. Stent removal and iliac/femoral artery resection, as well as an above-knee amputation, were life-saving. Arterial and stent cultures grew Staphylococcus aureus. Stent infection with arterial necrosis is a devastating, rare endovascular complication. Given its potential seriousness, we would recommend the use of prophylactic antibiotics before stent deployment.

Comparison between image and flow cytometry. A priori factors that influence technique.

Comparisons between flow cytometry (FCM) and image cytometry (ICM) have found a high concordance rate in pancreatic tissue, with some discrepancies between the two procedures. This study utilized 40 cases of chronic pancreatitis, primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma and metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma to determine the concordance rate between the two procedures. The reasons for discrepancies were identified and subsequently used to establish methods for a priori determination of which procedure to use. Using the FACSCAN flow cytometer and the CAS 200 on appropriately stained specimens that were disaggregated from 50-micron sections, we achieved a concordance rate of r = .878 (P < .01) after removing outliers. Thirty-one of 40 cases matched DNA content, and 9 cases had discrepant results. These discrepant cases were evaluated with factor analysis, in part because initial observations suggested that the variables evaluated could be combined into unifying concepts. The nine measured variables were compressed into three factors, which accounted for 68% of the variation observed between the two methods. Readily evaluated features, on a case-by-case basis, including tumor/nontumor ratios, accounted for the largest proportion of this variation. These findings suggest that tumor/nontumor cell ratios in hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections may provide adequate a priori information to direct the choice of either FCM or ICM to measure DNA ploidy in pancreatic tissue.

Malignant teratoma arising in a dysgenetic gonad.

A case of malignant teratoma arising within a dysgenetic gonad in a 21-year-old phenotypic female with a 46 XY karyotype is presented. Admixtures of dysgerminoma, yolk sac tumor in close juxtaposition to embryoid bodies and elements of choriocarcinoma were also present. The contralateral gonad was an unidentifiable fibrovascular streak. Neither gonadoblastoma nor coarse calcifications (such as commonly found in gonadoblastoma) could be identified. We believe that the present case arose de novo in a dysgenetic gonad and, uncharacteristically, was not associated with a gonadoblastoma.

Merkel cell tumor of the head and neck. Five new cases with literature review.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) of the skin is an uncommon, but highly aggressive neoplasm with a marked propensity for local and distant metastasis. Despite the fact that more than half of the 600 cases of MCC reported in the literature involved primary sites in the head and neck, MCC has rarely been discussed in otolaryngology publications. We present five new cases of MCC of the head and neck and summarize 89 additional cases from the literature in which detailed treatment and survival data were given. Our findings again emphasize the difficulty in making the initial histopathologic diagnosis of MCC and demonstrate the necessity of early diagnosis and multimodality treatment.

Endometrioid carcinoma of the oviduct.

Endometrioid carcinoma is a malignant tumor which microscopically resembles endometrial adenocarcinoma, but arises from extrauterine sites, most commonly the ovary. Although its association with endometriosis has received considerable discussion, it appears that most of the malignant endometrioid tumors arise de novo. We present a case of endometrioid carcinoma which is outstanding for its primary site in the oviduct and for its histologic appearance, which incorporated a close interplay between both stromal and epithelial elements. The neoplasm was found incidentally, when the woman presented with postmenopausal bleeding due to adenomatous hyperplasia of the endometrium. The patient presented with a stage I, grade I tumor which did not invade the wall of the oviduct. Twelve years following a TAH-BSO and postoperative radiation, the tumor recurred, requiring additional surgery and chemotherapy. The patient is currently disease free, 2 years from her recurrence.

Angiographic preoperative bowel segment localization using methylene blue, isosulfan blue, and fluorescein.

A canine model was used to determine the feasibility of preoperative, angiographic staining of bowel segments. Because methylene blue (MB) is contraindicated in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency or unstable hemoglobins, two alternate dyes, isosulfan blue (lymphazurin) and fluorescein were also studied. These three dyes were injected into 27 different mesenteric arterial branches in seven dogs following transfemoral catheterization. The duration of staining was evaluated over periods ranging from hours to 14 days, and pathologic sections were obtained to detect possible toxic effects. MB staining adequate for surgical resection persisted consistently up to 6 hours. Isosulfan blue and fluorescein produced adequate staining for only 30 to 60 minutes. Toxic mucosal changes were noted in four of 12 segments harvested within hours of the injection of MB and in none of the five MB injected segments harvested at four of 14 days. These changes varied greatly from focal regions of superficial necrosis to more generalized regions of transmucosal necrosis. All of the segments injected with isosulfan blue or fluorescein were free of histologic damage. It is concluded that the duration of staining produced by MB is sufficiently long to allow injection at angiography rather than at surgery. This allows decreased catheter time, and more importantly, precludes the possibility of interval catheter displacement. However, its clinical use should be viewed with some caution until its safety is established by further investigation. Isosulfan blue and fluorescein appear as alternate injectables, particularly for patients in whom MB is contraindicated. Because of their relatively short staining durations, injections with these agents should be made during surgery after angiographic catheter placement, although this method risks interval catheter dislodgement.

Parathyroid carcinoma: two new cases--diagnosis, therapy, and treatment.

Carcinoma of the parathyroid gland is a disease only rarely encountered in clinical practice. As most of these tumors retain the ability to manufacture active parathyroid hormone, most patients with the disease present with hypercalcemia, many times symptomatic. Since the tumor accounts for only 0.5% to 4.0% of cases of primary hyperparathyroidism, the diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma may be unsuspected and delayed. The clinical index of suspicion should be elevated if there is a palpable neck mass, an exceptionally high serum calcium level, and/or recurrence of hypercalcemia following surgery. We review two patients with parathyroid carcinoma who presented with hypercalcemia. In both, the diagnosis of malignancy was made only after microscopic examination of the operative specimen. Surgery consisted of wide local excision in both cases; radiation therapy was administered in one. Postoperative disease-free status is now 23 and 37 months. One of the patients had a history of radiation therapy to the larynx 20 years prior to the development of parathyroid carcinoma. Also reviewed in this paper are the clinical and histopathologic criteria for making the diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma and the therapeutic approaches and prognosis of this unusual tumor.

Meibomian gland adenocarcinoma of the eyelid with preauricular lymph node metastasis.

Meibomian gland carcinomas of the eyelid are rare neoplasms, accounting for less than 1% of all eyelid tumors. They usually mimic chalazia and undergo repeated curettage before a definitive diagnosis is made. Although they are relatively slow growing tumors they behave in an aggressive manner, frequently metastasizing to regional lymph nodes. Approximately 50% of the patients who develop metastasis to lymph nodes of the neck will survive five years. We present a case of meibomian gland carcinoma with preauricular lymph node metastasis, treated with orbital exenteration, superficial parotidectomy, and radical neck dissection.

Epithelioid sarcoma. Diagnosis, prognostic indicators, and treatment.

A retrospective review of 241 cases of epithelioid sarcoma reaffirmed the propensity of this tumor to occur in the distal extremities of young adults. The tumor was generally firm and nontender, and involved the dermis, subcutis or deeper soft tissues, particularly fascial planes, aponeuroses, and tendon sheaths. Follow-up data, available in 202 cases (84%), showed a 77% recurrence and a 45% metastatic rate. The most common initial sites of metastasis were lymph nodes (48%) and lungs (25%). A more aggressive course was associated with a proximal or axial tumor location, increased size and depth, hemorrhage, mitotic figures, necrosis, or the presence of vascular invasion. More favorable behavior was observed when the tumor arose in younger individuals, in distal extremities, or in females between the ages of 10 and 49. (The last observation calls for further work with steroid receptors.) Radical excision or amputation still appears to be the initial treatment of choice, though adjunctive high-dose radiotherapy to the excision site may prove to be of additional value.

Keratin in epithelioid sarcoma. An immunohistochemical study.

Intermediate-sized filaments have been noted in epithelioid sarcoma by previous investigators, two of whom have reported that the filaments represent vimentin. We utilized polyclonal antibodies directed against keratin and immunoperoxidase techniques (PAP) to stain 32 of the more than 300 cases accumulated at the AFIP . All of our material was formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded. Seventy-five percent of our cases (24/32) showed positive immunoreactivity, a feature that may be of diagnostic help in distinguishing epithelioid sarcoma from modular fasciitis, benign and malignant fibrous histiocytoma, malignant melanoma, and necrotizing granuloma. In these cases, the reaction was enhanced using predigestion with trypsin. The immunoreactivity varied from tumor to tumor, perhaps due to formalin fixation. Since synovial sarcoma and mesothelioma may also be cytokeratin-positive, our findings indicate that keratin immunoreactivity is not confined to epithelial tumors and may also occur in neoplasms traditionally regarded as mesenchymal.