Adamantinoma-like Ewing sarcoma mimicking basal cell adenocarcinoma of the parotid gland: a case report and review of the literature.

Adamantinoma-like Ewing sarcoma (AES) is a rare variant of the Ewing family of tumors that resembles classic adamantinoma of bone. AES shows epithelial differentiation and a more complex immunohistochemical expression profile with keratin and basal marker immunoreactivity and can resemble a variety of carcinomas. We report an unusual case of an AES of the parotid gland that mimicked a basal cell adenocarcinoma. Like basal cell adenocarcinoma, this AES showed a nested basaloid proliferation with peripheral palisading in tumor nests with 'basaloid' epithelial differentiation as highlighted by cytokeratin AE1/3 and p40 positivity. However, unlike most basal cell adenocarcinomas, this tumor demonstrated high grade morphology, showed no true ductal or myoepithelial component, and also showed a tendency towards neuroectodermal phenotype with focal rosette formation, CD99 and weak synaptophysin immunoreactivity. EWSR1 and FLI1 fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of a translocation supporting the diagnosis of AES. This is the first case of AES presenting as a primary parotid mass highlighting the potential to be mistaken for primary salivary gland carcinomas, which in addition to basal cell adenocarcinoma include other basaloid tumors such as adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Hiperexpressão e mutação do gene p53 em biópsias endoscópicas de pacientes com megaesôfago chagásico / Overexpression and mutation of gene p53 in endoscopic biopsies of patients with Chagas megaesophagus

O câncer do esôfago é mais prevalente em pacientes com megaesôfago chagáscio do que na população normal. Marcadores desse maior risco não são conhecidos. Objetivos: Correlacionar as alterações do p53 (gene supressor de tumor) e do PCNA (antígeno nuclear de células em proliferação) com as alterações histólogiacas da mucosa em pacientes com megaesôfago avançado. Métodos:Quatro carcinomas epidermóides do esôfago e áreas adjacentes correspondentes, provenietes de pacientes com megaesôfago, foram analisados através de imuno-histoquimica para p53 e PCNA. Concomitantemente, 128 biópsias, de diferentes níveis do esôfago, de 16 pacientes com megaesôfago avançado (sem tumor) foram prospectivamente coletados e avaliadas quanto ao grau de inflamação, hiperplasia, displasia e imuno-histoquímica para p53 e PCNA. Todos os tecidos positivos para o p53 foram submetidos à análise gênica topográfica através de microdissecção, amplicifacção por PCR e direito sequenciamento dos exons 5 a 8. Resultados: Reatividade forte e difusa para o p53 foi observada em 2/4 tumores (exon 7,238 CH e exon 5, 146WC). Em um paciente, a área adjacente ao tumor apresentou forte positividade para o p53. Na mucosa adjacente, as mesmas áreas mostrando hiperexpressão do p53 também apresentaram maior positividade ao PCNA. No grupo prospectivo, 7/16 (43,7por cento) pacientes ou 53/128(41,4por cento) biópsias expressaram o p53. Hiperplasia foi diagnosticada em 4/16pacientes ou em 10 biópsias e associada a hiperexpressão do p53 em todos os casos . Displasia não esteve presente nesse grupo. Foi observada positividade ao p53 em 15,4por cento das biópsias sem inflamação em 31,4por cento com inflamação leve, 78,3por cento com moderada e 88,9poe cento com intensa (p<0,00001). A expressão do PCNA foi detectada na camada basal da mucosa e aumento da positividade foi associada à hiperexpressão da p53 (p=0,00018). A genotipagem revelou mutação em exon 5 códon 213 RG, em um paciente (1/16, 6,2por cento). Conclusão: 1) A expressão e mutação do p53 em biópsias de pacientes de alto risco indicam que este gene representa um evento inicial no desenvolvimento do câncer esôfago: 2)A inflamação frequentemente observada nesses pacientes parece estar associada às alterações da proteína p53; 3) A expressão do gene supressor de tumor está aumentada em áreas mostrando proliferação celular

Cathepsin B and Cathepsin D Expression in Follicular Adenomas and Carcinomas of the Thyroid Gland.

Biologic features that distinguish follicular adenomas (FAs), minimally invasive follicular carcinomas (MICs), and extensively invasive follicular carcinomas (EICs) of the thyroid gland are not well understood. Endogenous proteases, including cathepsin B (CB) and cathepsin D (CD), have been linked to tumor progression in other malignancies and may be important in the different biologic behavior of these follicular thyroidal lesions. Archival paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 16 FAs, 12 MICs, and 4 EICs were studied for immunohistochemical expression of CR and CD. Percent of tumor staining, intensity of staining, and intracytoplasmic staining pattern were assessed. Increased intensity of staining with CD was observed in follicular carcinomas compared to adenomas and was greatest in the EIC (p < 0.04). An increase in diffuse cytoplasmic staining pattern with CD (p < 0.008) and CB (p < 0.02) was observed in follicular carcinomas compared to FAs. The increased intensity of staining with CD in the follicular thyroid carcinomas and the increased diffuse cytoplasmic staining pattern with CD and CR in these carcinomas suggest that these proteinases may play a role in their propensity to invade and metastasize and, therefore, their more aggressive behavior. Furthermore, this diffuse cytoplasmic staining suggests an altered intracellular processing of these proteinases in the carcinomas.

Proliferative Activity in Pancreatic Endocrine Tumors: Association with Function, Metastases, and Survival.

Endocrine tumors of the pancreas are slow-growing lesions, yet one-third to one-half will metastasize. It is generally accepted that histopathologic features do not reliably predict metastatic potential or outcome. We investigated whether proliferative activity, as determined by MIB-l labeling, correlated with tumor type, metastasis, or patient survival. Formalin-fixed sections of pancreatic endocrine tumors were immunohistochemically stained for the MIB-l antibody against Ki-67 using the avidin-biotin complex technique. Labeling index (LI) was determined by counting 1000 consecutive tumor cells in an area of greatest staining intensity at x400 and expressed as a percentage. The study group included 37 patients, including 10 gastrinomas, 9 insulinomas, 4 glucagonomas, 2 VlPomas, and 12 nonfunctioning tumors. Twenty-one patients had metastases, primarily to regional lymph nodes and the liver. Five patients had MEN I. MIB-1 LI was significantly greater in the nonfunctioning tumors (mean 20S%) than in the functioning tumors (mean 51%) (p = 0.01). LI for functional tumors (insulinomas 64%, glucagonoma 44%, gastrinomas 32%, VlPomas 32%) were similar to each other, MIB-1 was significantly higher in those tumors that metastasized (mean 15.6%) compared to those that did not (mean 31%), (p = 0.04). All tumors with MIB-1 LI >10% developed metastases. Logistic regression showed that MIB-1 was a significant predictor of metastases (p = 0.003) after adjusting for functional status. MIB-1 LI also correlated with outcome in that those patients with MIB-1 LI >/=10% had a mean survival of 19 mo compared to 72 mo for those with levels <10% (p = 0.0001). Results of the proportional hazards model showed that MIR-1 remained a significant (p = 0.03) and independent predictor of survival times after adjustment for tumor size and functional status. Higher MIB-1 LI values were significantly associated with shorter survival times. In conclusion, MIB-1 LI appears to be a useful indicator of metastatic potential and is predictive of outcome in PET.