[Extramedullary hematopoiesis -- a differential diagnosis of intrathoracic paravertebral tumors]. / Extramedulläre Blutbildung als Differenzialdiagnose einer paravertebralen Raumforderung.

BACKGROUND: Intrathoracic tumors always suggest a malignant clinical picture in the first instance. Especially in the case of paravertebral masses an extramedullary hematopoiesis is possible. It is regarded as compensation mechanism for reduced blood cell formation. PATIENTS: In four patients' radiographic examination of the lung partially bilateral paravertebral masses where detected by chance. In two cases, a chronic anemia existed, one patient suffered from an extended hemangiomatosis of the right brachium and the right hemithorax. In one case, no hematological disease could be diagnosed. RESULTS: The computed tomography revealed malignancy-simulating tumors with partially necrotic pattern. In all cases, transthoracal biopsy showed cytological evidence of typical differentiated bone marrow with a regular hematopoiesis. As the extramedullary hematopoiesis of these four patients was diagnosed by chance and no symptoms or local complications existed, no specific therapy was necessary. In one of these cases a stable radiographic outcome for more than ten years is evident. CONCLUSIONS: Especially in the case of patients with chronic anemia the existence of extramedullary hematopoiesis has to be considered upon occurrence of paravertebral tumors. An hematological disorder as cause may as well be absent. Due to the suspicion of malignancy a morphologic diagnosis is always necessary, but some clinical and radiologic features may indicate a benign process. A progression of the size can be unrecognized for ten years, so a therapeutic intervention is needed only in case of symptoms like myelocompression.

DNA ploidy and chromosomal imbalances in invasive ductal breast cancer. A comparative study of DNA image cytometry and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH).

Chromosomal imbalances were analyzed in 62 breast cancers with different DNA ploidy by CGH. The results of DNA image cytometry and CGH are consistent with peridiploid and aneuploid cases. The peritetraploid tumors harbored a high number of chromosomal imbalances, as a hint for an unfavorable prognosis. The quantitative analysis of imbalances highlighted the role of different physical constituents of the chromosome, and of chromosomal losses in different DNA ploidy groups. The peritetraploid and aneuploid tumors differed from the peridiploid tumors in losses at 8p and 18q. The peritetraploid cancers exhibited more gains at 8q, the aneuploid tumors more losses at 17p than their peridiploid counterparts. The aneuploid cases differed from the peritetraploid tumors in a higher number of losses at 11q and 14q. Combinations of imbalances provide further insights into the genetic background of DNA ploidy. Hypotheses for the progression from peridiploid to nondiploid breast cancers are given.