Chemotherapy-induced differentiation to cure botryoid rhabdomyosarcoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) occurs rarely in adults and constitutes 2-6% of all uterine neoplasms. The authors report the case of a 26-year-old woman diagnosed with botryoid RMS that presented discordant progression results on follow up imaging and cytodifferentiation on pathologic control. This case showed that radiological evaluation could be misleading as the tumor demonstrated chemotherapy-induced differentiation without volume reduction. This case illustrates the limitations of using the imaging anatomical dimensions of sarcomas for treatment planning and highlights the potential role of functional imaging to assess the response to treatment.

Epidemiological Study of Thyroid Pathology in a University Hospital.

OBJECTIVES: The incidence of papillary thyroid carcinoma increased in several countries. The purpose of this study was to quantify the changes in thyroid carcinomas in our University Hospital. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. METHODS: All 1.927 thyroidectomy cases studied in the Pathology Department of Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital (Beirut, Lebanon), between 2003 and 2013, were included. RESULTS: The Female/Male Sex Ratio of the studied population was 3.7/1. The mean age of female patients was significantly lower than that of male patients. The most frequent diagnoses were multinodular goiter (78%) and papillary-carcinoma (26%). 337 cases had a single lesion on gross examination. 21 of them were diagnosed with follicular carcinoma and 59 with follicular adenoma. A statistically significant correlation was found between the unicity of the lesion on gross examination and the final diagnosis of a follicular neoplasm. Thyroid carcinoma was multifocal in 33% of the cases and bilateral in 24%. A statistically significant increase in thyroid carcinoma proportion (from 15% in 2003 to 44% in 2013) was found. Among all thyroid carcinomas, the proportion of papillary type increased from 65% in 2003 to 94% in 2013 ; this increase remained statistically significant after the exclusion of papillary micro-carcinomas, whose proportion was stable throughout the 11 years. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we noted a statistically significant increase in the frequency of thyroid carcinoma, especially of the papillary type. The unicity of the lesion on gross examination is significantly associated with a follicular neoplasm.

[Intrathoracic acute appendicitis. A case report]. / Appendicite aiguë intrathoracique. À propos d'un cas.

Intrathoracic appendicitis is an uncommon diagnosis. We report the case of a 6-year-old boy with elevated CRP and no fever, who complained of nonspecific abdominal pain. A diaphragmatic hernia was suspected on a chest X-ray and confirmed by an ultrasound examination. A multidetector CT scan revealed intrathoracic acute appendicitis associated with a right posterolateral Bochdalek hernia. Abdominal diseases associated with late-presenting congenital diaphragmatic hernia are often manifested by an atypical clinical presentation, which can be a source of delay or error in diagnosis. We recommend radiological exploration in the case of diaphragmatic hernia, even with subtle clinical findings in the search of associated gastrointestinal complications.

[Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands: the prognostic value of tumoral markers]. / Cancer mucoépidermoïde des glandes salivaires: signification pronostique des marqueurs tumoraux.

INTRODUCTION: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is one of the most frequent malignant lesions of salivary glands. The treatment is based on clinical, paraclinical and histological data. Several studies on the prognostic value of molecular markers for these cancers were made with contradictory results. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the prognostic value of molecular markers of salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixteen patients were treated for mucoepidermoid carcinoma of principal and/or accessory salivary glands between 1994 and 2003. An immunohistochemical study of archive specimen was performed. Nine markers were specifically studied: 4 proteins/oncoproteins (p53, bcl2, c-erb-B2 and cd117), 2 markers of proliferation (PCNA and Ki67), 1 growing factor receptor (EGFR), 1 epithelial adhesion molecule (E-cadherin), and 1 angiogenic cytokine (PDGF). RESULTS: Nine men and 7 women were included, with a mean age of 43.7 years (14-80). The mean diameter of tumors was 3.1 mm (1-14), and the parotid gland was the most frequent location. The mean global survival rate was 57.3 months with a median of 55 months. The 2 to 5 years survival expectation rate were 82.5% and 46.4% respectively. The mean survival rate for women was superior to that of men (P=0.043). The expression of p53 and the high expression rate of EFGR were bad prognostic factors (respectively P=0.049 and P=0.012). The expression of PCNA was linked to the location (mainly the salivary gland) and to the diameter of the tumor (respectively P=0.037 and P=0.029). The degree of EFGR positivity and the histological grade were linked (P=0.027). DISCUSSION: The strong expression of EGFR was statistically linked to the histological tumor grade. The degree of PCNA positivity seemed to be associated to the preferential location in the main salivary glands and to the diameter of the tumor. The strong expression of p53 and EGFR were bad prognostic factors. These retrospective results need to be confirmed by prospective randomized and larger studies. EGFR and p53 were significant negative prognostic factors. EGFR was highly correlated to the histological grade, making it an interesting target for further investigation.