Primary hepatoid carcinoma of the ovary: a case report.

Primary hepatoid carcinoma of the ovary (HCO) is a very rare type of high-grade invasive malignant ovarian tumor with hepatic differentiation and production of α-fetoprotein (AFP). We describe a 78-year-old Moroccan woman who presented to our hospital with abdominal distension and purplish nodules infiltrating the para umbilical skin with weight loss and impairment of her performance status. Excisional biopsy of the para umbilical nodule revealed a cutaneous localization of moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma and pelvic ultrasonography noted the presence of a tumoral right adnexal mass. The patient underwent an exploratory laparoscopy which found peritoneal carcinomatosis with pelvic adhesions allowing only a peritoneal biopsy. Diagnosis of primary hepatoid carcinoma of the ovary was established on the basis of classic histopathologic findings, immunohistochemical staining and marked elevation in serum of α-fetoprotein more than the carbohydrate antigen 125. The patient received 3 cycles of chemotherapy based on Carboplatin and Paclitaxel with disease progression. No second line chemotherapy was given because of the drop of patient's performance status to 3. The patient died one month later.

Epigenetics could explain some Moroccan population colorectal cancers peculiarities: microsatellite instability pathway exploration.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal Cancers (CRC) are one of the most common malignancies in the world. Their incidence in Morocco, between 2005 and 2007, was 5.6 for 100000 inhabitants, which is very low compared to what found in developed countries. In addition, CRCs show a high frequency of rectal localizations, and occurs in a younger population in Morocco compared to what found in developed countries. The purpose of this study is to confirm these CRC peculiarities in Morocco and try to explain them by exploring the microsatellite instability molecular pathway. METHODS: This is a prospective observational study conducted since January 2010, including 385 patients admitted in Hassan II University Hospital of Fez. We collected clinical, radiological and pathological data. We investigated the expression of mismatch repair (MMR) proteins in 214 patients and BRAF gene mutations in 159 patients. RESULTS: Mean age was 55.08 +/- 15.16 years. 36.5% of patients were less than 50 years old and 49.3% of tumors were localized in the rectum. Loss of MMR protein expression was observed in 11.2% of cases. It was independently associated with individual or family history of cancer belonging to Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) spectrum (p = 0.01) and proximal localization (p = 0.02). No BRAF mutation was detected in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the high occurrence of CRCs to young patients and the high frequency of rectal localizations in Moroccan population. They mostly show an absence of BRAF mutation, supposing a rarity of MLH1 promoter hypermethylation pathway, which may even partially explain the CRC peculiarities in our context. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/5868184711716884.

Primary perivascular epithelioid cell tumor of the liver: new case report and literature review.

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) encompass a group of rare mesenchymal neoplasms, which typically have a perivascular location with dual melanocytic and muscular differentiation. They are found in a variety of localizations, though lesions in the liver are exceedingly rare. Because of their rarity, the clinical, radiological and histological features of these tumors have yet to be established. This is why, it seems appropriate to report the observation of this rare hepatic tumor with a literary review including others published cases, assessing through it, clinicopathologic and radiologic features of all reported cases as well as their follow-up whenever possible. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1967094999126169.