Om.breast cancer in very young women aged 25 year-old or below in the center of Tunisia and review of the literature.

Breast cancer in very young women under 40 or 35 years attracted a widespread attention. Few studies have focused on women aged below 25 years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the situation of breast cancer in women ≤25 years in the center of Tunisia. Retrospective review from 1993 to 2013. Clinical, histopathological, therapeutic and outcome data were recorded. Cases were classified into different molecular subtypes based on the immunohistochemistry-based definitions. The series included 25 patients. The mean duration of symptoms was 7.5 months. The most common presenting symptom was a palpable mass. Four patients had at least one relative diagnosed with breast cancer. Mammography combined with ultrasound was suggestive of malignancy in 60 % of cases. Curative surgical treatment could be offered in 19 cases. The mean tumor size was 39 mm. Nodal metastases were detected in 9/18 cases. Twenty cases could be classified into: luminal A (5 cases), luminal B (6 cases), Her-2 (1 case), triple negative (6 cases) and unclassified (2 cases). Two women experienced locoregional recurrence and 6 had distant recurrence. Asynchronous contralateral breast cancer occurred in one case. The overall survival at 5 and 10 years was 85 and 75 % respectively. The survival was significantly lower in grade III tumors (p = 0.04) and triple negative tumors (p = 0.03). Breast cancer in women ≤25 years is uncommon. An adequate medical education of young women and physicians is necessary.

Giant cell tumor of the lower end of tibia. Curettage and cement reconstruction.

Bone giant cell tumor (GCT) is a rare, generally benign and locally aggressive tumor. It accounts for about 5% of all primary bone tumors and is located preferentially on the epiphyseal long bone. Ankle localization is rare. We present two cases of GCT of the lower end of tibia, presenting as gradually increasing pain and swelling in the tibial pilon over the course of 3 months. Standard radiology and MRI showed large eccentric, expansile lesion in the distal tibia with rupture of the cortex suggestive of a malignant tumor of the bone. A biopsy was performed which confirmed a GCT of bone. Curettage of the lesion and packing the cavity with bone cement resulted in disappearance of the tumor with good functional recovery. We conclude that intralesional curettage and cement packing is a good treatment option for Campanacci grade 2 and 3 GCT lesions of lower tibia.

Expression of topoisomerase II alpha, ki67, and p53 in primary non-muscle-invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma.

To assess the prognostic value and clinicopathological correlate of the expression of topoisomerase II alpha, ki67, and p53 in non muscle-invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma. Seventy one cases of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded bladder biopsy specimens diagnosed as non muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma were processed by searching our surgical pathology files from 2001-2003. The patients were followed-up for 3-77 months (median = 28). In each case, one tissue block was chosen for immunohistochemical expression of ki67, topoisomerase II alpha and p53. This expression was associated with the pathological stage, grade, recurrence, progression and survival. Positive staining of topoisomerase II alpha, ki67, and p53 was found respectively in 39.5, 38, and 38% cases. We have found a statistically significant correlation between the expression of each of the 3 markers and WHO grade and recurrence. The surexpression of topoisomerase II alpha was associated within increased tumor stage. p53 was associated with tumor progression. On multivariate analysis, p53 was an independent factor of progression into muscle-invasive tumors and none of these markers had predictive value on recurrence. The present findings support the clinical relevance of these markers in bladder cancer.

Reproductibilité des classifications OMS 1973 et OMS 2004 des tumeurs urothéliales papillaires de la vessie.

UNLABELLED: RéSUMé: OBJECTIF : Déterminer les taux d'accord et la reproductibilité intra et inter-observateurs des classifications OMS 1973 et OMS 2004 des tumeurs urothéliales papillaires de la vessie. MATéRIEL ET MéTHODES : Cent deux cas de tumeurs urothéliales papillaires de stade pTa/pT1 ont été étudiés. Deux pathologistes ont revu les lames et ont établi le grade tumoral selon les deux classifications OMS 1973 et OMS 2004. En cas de désaccord, les deux évaluateurs ont procédé à une lecture commune au microscope en double tête afin d'aboutir à un grade consensuel selon les deux classifications. La variabilité intra-observateur a été étudiée chez l'un des deux évaluateurs qui a procédé à la relecture des lames un mois après sa première lecture. Les taux d'accord entre les deux pathologistes pour chaque catégorie de grade ont été déterminés et la reproductibilité des deux classifications a été évaluée à l'aide du coefficient kappa. Une valeur de 0 à 0,2 était interprétée comme un désaccord absolu, de 0,21 à 0,4, un accord faible, de 0,41 à 0,6, un accord modéré, de 0,61 à 0,8, un accord considérable, et de 0,8 à 1, un accord absolu. RéSULTATS : Selon la classification OMS 1973, les proportions des grades G1, G2 et G3 étaient respectivement de 40,2 %, 50 % et 9,8 %. Selon la classification OMS 2004, les proportions respectives des tumeurs de faible potentiel de malignité, des carcinomes de bas grade et des carcinomes de haut grade de malignité étaient de 23,5 %, 60,8 % et 15,7 %. La reproductibilité intra-observateur était excellente pour les deux classifications (accord absolu). Les taux d'accord entre les deux pathologistes étaient meilleurs pour la classification OMS 2004 (kappa = 0,7) que pour la classification OMS 1973 (kappa = 0,51). CONCLUSIONS: La reproductibilité entre observateurs de la classification OMS 2004 est supérieure à celle de 1973. La reproductibilité intra-observateur est excellente pour les deux classifications.

Atypical cutaneous fibrous histiocytoma: an unusual and misleading variant of fibrous histiocytoma.

Atypical fibrous histiocytoma is a distinctive variant of cutaneous fibrous histiocytoma, which is often mistaken histologically for sarcoma and which have a tendency to recur locally and a capacity to metastasize, although very rarely. We report a new case of atypical cutaneous fibrous histiocytoma in a 31-year-old man who presented with a recurrent polypoid nodule on the abdominal wall. The diagnosis was made on the basis of morphological and immunohistochemical findings. We discuss through this case and a review of the literature pathological and evolutive features and diagnostic difficulties of this entity.

Merkel cell carcinoma with lymphoepithelioma-like pattern: a case report of an exceedingly rare variant of merkel cell carcinoma with lymph node metastases at presentation.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) or primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin is a rare neoplasm with aggressive behavior. Primary lymphoepithelioma-like (LEL) carcinoma of the skin is a recently described exceptional tumor, with a relatively good prognosis, and is characterized by a neoplastic epithelial component associated with a dense lymphoid stroma. Rarely, MCC shows a marked lymphocytic host response or can even mimic a LEL carcinoma. We report a new case of MCC mimicking an LEL carcinoma in a 72-year-old male; the diagnosis of MCC was made on the basis of the morphology and immunohistochemical findings. We present through this case an exceptional pattern of MCC which can be misleading, and we insist on differential diagnoses.

Lung cancer in central Tunisia: epidemiology and clinicopathological features.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide but data from Tunisia are limited. The aim of this research was to describe the epidemiology, pathology and clinical features of lung cancer in Central Tunisia. All lung cancer cases diagnosed during a 15-year period were analyzed based on the data of the Cancer Registry of the Center of Tunisia. Five-year age-specific rates, world age-standardized rates (ASR), and annual percent change were calculated using annual data on population size and the estimated age structure. A total of 1,882 incident cases of lung cancer were registered (1,782 males, 100 females). The median age at diagnosis was 64 years for males and 61 years for females, with ASRs of 35.2 per 100,000 among males and 1.5 among females. Over time, there were significant decreasing trends by -6.5% (95% CI: -12.9%; -0.2%) for females and a stable incidence for males at an annual rate of +0.2% (95% CI: -1.6%; +1.8%). The predominant histological type was squamous cell carcinoma in males (36.9%) and adenocarcinoma in females (52%). During 2003-2007, adenocarcinoma became the most frequent (33.7%) followed by squamous cell carcinoma (30.3%) in males. The majority of tumor cases were diagnosed at advanced stages (79.9%). In conclusion, lung cancer has remained the most common cancer diagnosed at advanced stages among Tunisian men. Our findings justify the need to plan and develop effective programs aiming at the control and prevention of the spread of lung cancer in Tunisia.

Distribution of molecular breast cancer subtypes among Tunisian women and correlation with histopathological parameters: a study of 194 patients.

According to the immunohistochemical test of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (Her-2), breast cancer can be divided into 4 molecular subtypes: luminal A, luminal B, Her-2, and basal-like. The purpose of this study is to correlate these subtypes with clinicopathological features. We have selected from the files of our Pathology Department 194 breast carcinomas which had already been studied for ER, PR, and Her-2, diagnosed between January 2008 and October 2009. The cases were classified into 4 molecular subtypes. The clinicopathological characteristics of each subtype were compared. The luminal A subtype was the most prevalent (51.5%). The basal-like and Her-2 subtypes were significantly correlated to a large tumor size, a high tumor grade, and a high-volume nodal involvement (≥4). On multivariate analysis, patients with the Her-2 and basal-like subtypes were 4.2 (95% CI, 1.3-13.5) times more likely to have developed metastases in four or more lymph nodes than those with luminal tumors. Our analysis revealed that the Her-2 and basal-like subtypes are correlated with factors associated with a poor prognosis. The luminal A subtype is the commonest subtype, showing that breast cancer in Tunisia has no aggressive phenotype.

Metastatic liposarcoma to the parotid.

Distant metastases of the parotid gland are uncommon. They arise from primary tumors located in the head and neck, mainly melanoma and epidermoid carcinoma. Other histological types of metastasis are very rare. We report an exceptional case of parotid metastasis of myxoid liposarcoma in a 42-year-old man and insist on the worse prognosis of this entity.

Clear cell adenocarcinoma arising from abdominal wall endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a frequent benign disorder. Malignancy arising in extraovarian endometriosis is a rare event. A 49-year-old woman is presented with a large painful abdominal wall mass. She underwent a myomectomy, 20 years before, for uterus leiomyoma. Computed tomography suggested that this was a desmoid tumor and she underwent surgery. Histological examination showed a clear cell adenocarcinoma associated with endometriosis foci. Pelvic ultrasound, computed tomography, and endometrial curettage did not show any malignancy or endometriosis in the uterus and ovaries. Adjuvant chemotherapy was recommended, but the patient was lost to follow up. Six months later, she returned with a recurrence of the abdominal wall mass. She was given chemotherapy and then she was reoperated.