Pulmonary asbestosis associated to pleural non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

We describe herein a case report of a patient affected by pulmonary asbestosis who developed a non-Hodgkin lymphoma originating in the pleura. The case is unusual for the uncommon site and because the chronic antigenic stimulation by asbestos bodies may have locally promoted an immunologic derangement.

Dorsally exophytic brain stem tumors: total removal of a medullary pilocytic astrocytoma in child. Clinicopathological considerations and case report.

The authors describe the case of 4-year-old girl who was operated on for a pilocytic astrocytoma of the brain stem, exophytic and protruded backward into the fourth ventricle. The removal through a suboccipital midline approach was performed and macroscopically complete. Postoperative complications compelled a heavy reanimation with a prolonged follow-up therapy. The neurological recovery was favorable. Three years later, this little girl is almost autonomous in all daily activities. Postoperative scans showed total tumor resection. The patient received no complementary treatment such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy or corticotherapy. The long-term survival, without the need for adjunctive therapy, confirms the good prognosis for this unusual group of brain stem tumors. The clinicopathological and radiological features are described and surgical questions are discussed especially regarding complete or subtotal removal of brain stem tumors in demarcated-benign astrocytomas.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: a "benign" tumor with hepatic metastasis after 11 years.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) constitue the largest category of primary non-epithelial neoplasms of the stomach and small bowel. They are characterized by a remarkable cellular variability and their malignant potential is sometimes difficult to predict. Very recent studies, using mitotic count and tumor size as the best determinants of biological behavior, divide GISTs into three groups: benign, borderline and malignant tumors. We report on a male patient who underwent a right hepatectomy for a large metastasis 11 years after the surgical treatment of an antral-pyloric gastric neoplasm, histologically defined as leiomyoblastoma and with clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical features of benignity (low mitotic count, tumor size < 5 cm, low cellular proliferation index). Histological and immunohistochemical analysis of the hepatic metastasis showed the cellular proliferation index (Ki-67) to be positive in 25% of neoplastic cells, as opposed to the primary gastric tumor in which Ki-67 was positive in only 5% of neoplastic cells. In conclusion, although modern immunohistochemical techniques are now available to obtain useful prognostic information, the malignant potential of GISTs is sometimes difficult to predict: neoplasms clinically and histologically defined as benign could metastasize a long time after oncologically correct surgical treatment. Therefore, benign GISTs also require consistent, long-term follow-up.

Cerebral metastases from perineal leiomyosarcoma.

A case of cerebral metastases from perineal cutaneous leiomyosarcoma is described and documented by the histological and CT findings.