Primary sclerosing cholangitis associated colitis: Characterization of clinical, histologic features, and their associations with liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) associated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a unique form of IBD (PSC-IBD) with distinct clinical and histologic features from ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn disease (CD). In patients with PSC and IBD, the severity of the two disease processes may depend on each other. AIM: To study the histologic and clinical features of PSC patients with and without IBD. METHODS: We assessed specimens from patients with UC (n = 28), CD (n = 10), PSC and UC (PSC-UC; n = 26); PSC and CD (PSC-CD; n = 6); and PSC and no IBD (PSC-no IBD; n = 4) between years 1999-2013. PSC-IBD patients were matched to IBD patients without PSC by age and colitis duration. Clinical data including age, gender, age at IBD and PSC diagnoses, IBD duration, treatment, follow-up, orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) were noted. RESULTS: PSC-UC patients had more isolated right-sided disease (P = 0.03), and less active inflammation in left colon, rectum (P = 0.03 and P = 0.0006), and overall (P = 0.0005) compared to UC. They required less steroids (P = 0.01) and fewer colectomies (P = 0.03) than UC patients. The PSC-CD patients had more ileitis and less rectal involvement compared to PSC-UC and CD. No PSC-CD patients required OLT compared to 38% of PSC-UC (P = 0.1). PSC-IBD (PSC-UC and PSC-CD) patients with OLT had severe disease in the left colon and rectum (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: PSC-UC represents a distinct form of IBD. The different disease phenotype in PSC-IBD patients with OLT may support liver-gut axis interaction, however warrants clinical attention and further research.

Outcomes of surgically treated human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma with N3 disease.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate outcomes for patients with pathological N3 (pN3) neck disease from human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and determine variables predictive of survival. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series with chart review. METHODS: This study was conducted between 1998 and 2013 and included patients with HPV-related OPSCC treated with surgery with or without adjuvant therapy and who had pN3 nodal disease. The primary outcome was disease-specific survival (DSS). Secondary outcomes included overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), adverse events, and gastrostomy tube rates. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients were included, of whom 36 (90%) underwent adjuvant therapy. Median follow-up was 39 months (range, 2-147 months). Mean age was 56 years, and 87% were male. Seventeen patients (44%) underwent selective neck dissection, whereas six (15%) underwent radical (n = 2) or extended radical (n = 4) neck dissection. Ninety-two percent had extracapsular extension. Five-year Kaplan-Meier estimated DSS, OS, and DFS were 89% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 79%-99%), 87% (95% CI: 75%-99%), and 84% (95% CI: 72%-96%), respectively. The disease recurrence rate was 10% (5% regional, 5% distant metastasis). Patients with less than 5 pathologically positive lymph nodes (P = .041) had improved DFS. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HPV-related OPSCC and pN3 nodal disease treated with surgery and adjuvant therapy have very favorable long-term survival and regional control. Patients with five or more pathologically positive lymph nodes may be at higher risk for recurrence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 127:2033-2037, 2017.

Pediatric Fibroblastic and Myofibroblastic Tumors: A Pictorial Review.

Pediatric fibroblastic and myofibroblastic tumors are a relatively common group of soft-tissue proliferations that are associated with a wide spectrum of clinical behavior. These tumors have been divided into the following categories on the basis of their biologic behavior: benign (eg, myositis ossificans, myofibroma, fibromatosis colli), intermediate-locally aggressive (eg, lipofibromatosis, desmoid fibroma), intermediate-rarely metastasizing (eg, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors, infantile fibrosarcoma, low-grade myofibroblastic sarcoma), and malignant (eg, fibromyxoid sarcoma, adult fibrosarcoma). Imaging has a key role in the evaluation of lesion origin, extent, and involvement with adjacent structures, and in the treatment management and postresection surveillance of these tumors. The imaging findings of these tumors are often nonspecific. However, certain imaging features, such as low or intermediate signal intensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images and extension along fascial planes, support the diagnosis of a fibroblastic or myofibroblastic tumor. In addition, certain tumors have characteristic imaging findings (eg, multiple subcutaneous or intramuscular lesions in infantile myofibromatosis, plaquelike growth pattern of Gardner fibroma, presence of adipose tissue in lipofibromatosis) or characteristic clinical manifestations (eg, great toe malformations in fibrodysplasia ossificans fibroma, neonatal torticollis in fibromatosis colli) that suggest the correct diagnosis. Knowledge of the syndrome associations of some of these tumors-for example, the association between familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome and both Gardner fibroma and desmoid fibromatosis, and that between nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome and cardiac fibroma-further facilitate a diagnosis. The recognition of key imaging findings can help guide treatment management and help avoid unnecessary intervention in cases of benign lesions such as myositis ossificans and fibromatosis colli. In this article, we describe the various types of fibroblastic and myofibroblastic tumors in children and the characteristic clinical manifestations, imaging features, and growth patterns of these neoplasms-all of which aid in the appropriate radiologic assessment and management of these lesions. (©)RSNA, 2016.

Use of short tandem repeat analysis in unusual presentations of trophoblastic tumors and their mimics.

Gestational trophoblastic tumors can be difficult to distinguish from nongestational neoplasms. Somatic and germ cell tumors can mimic gestational choriocarcinoma, and epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT) is known for its histologic, and sometimes clinical, resemblance to squamous cell carcinoma. Short tandem repeat (STR) analysis can separate gestational from nongestational neoplasms and can provide useful information about the type of causative conceptus. We present a series of cases which demonstrate the utility of STR analysis in the evaluation of gestational choriocarcinoma, epithelioid trophoblastic tumor, and their mimics. Samples from normal tissue and tumor were microdissected. DNA was extracted, and STR analysis was performed. Five cases were identified in which there was clinical and/or histologic concern for a gestational trophoblastic neoplasm. Case 1 is a choriocarcinoma presenting concurrently with a 16-week gestation. STR testing on the tumor, mother, and fetus showed that the tumor arose from a previous occult complete hydatidiform mole. Case 2 is an ETT presenting as multiple masses in bilateral kidneys, initially diagnosed as urothelial carcinoma. However, because of an elevated human chorionic gonadotropin, additional workup was performed which showed that the tumor was most likely an ETT. STR analysis showed that the tumor arose from a nonmolar pregnancy. Cases 3-5 illustrate somatic carcinomas mimicking gestational neoplasia. In those cases, STR confirmed a somatic origin. STR can be useful in distinguishing gestational from nongestational neoplasms, particularly in unusual settings. Also, STR analysis can add clinically useful information that is not available from clinical or histologic evaluation.