Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (ES/PNET) of the penis.

Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (ES/PNET) of the penis has been very rarely defined. We report a case of a 19-year-old patient with a tumor, localized in the dorsal side of penis, composed of small round cells with diffuse membranous mic-2 (CD99) immunopositivity. The patient was treated with multiagent chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Does HepPar-1 immunoexpression have a role in differential diagnosis of periampullary cancer?

AIMS: Histological subtyping of periampullary carcinomas is considered as a criterion for prognosis and therapeutic implications of these tumours. We assessed the immunoexpression rates of HepPar-1, CDX2 and MUC2 antibodies in different subtypes of periampullary adenocarcinomas (PAC), intestinal and pancreatobiliary, in order to assess their impact on differential diagnosis of this group of cancers. The expression of antibodies was also measured in ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head (DAPH). METHODS: Sixty-five patients with PAC and DAPH who underwent pancreatic Whipple resection constituted the study cohort. Of these, 46 (71%) had PAC, and 19 (29%) had DAPH. Among PACs, 20 (44%) were intestinal and 26 (56%) were pancreatobiliary type. RESULTS: HepPar-1 immunoreactivity was detected in 18 (39%) of all PACs. The rate of HepPar-1 expression was significantly higher in intestinal type PAC (75%) than it was in pancreatobiliary type (12%). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of HepPar-1 immunoexpression for diagnosing intestinal type PAC were 75% , 89%, and 83%, respectively. Similarly, the rates of both CDX2 and MUC2 expressions were significantly higher in intestinal type PAC (80%) than they were in pancreatobiliary type (8%). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of both CDX2 and MUC2 immunoexpressions for intestinal type PAC were 80%, 92%, and 87%, respectively. CONCLUSION: HepPar-1 antibody was found to be a highly sensitive and specific marker for distinguishing intestinal type from pancreatobiliary type among PACs. In addition to CDX2 and MUC2 antibodies, HepPar-1 immunoexpression seems to have a potential role in differential diagnosis of PACs.

Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis: a case report and review of the literature.

Most often, mesotheliomas involve the serosal membranes of the pleura and peritoneum. Sometimes, mesothelial proliferations are identified in other locations. A mesothelioma, within the tunica vaginalis of the paratesticular region is rare but often fatal malignancy of the male genitalia. Despite aggressive surgical and systemic therapy the prognosis remains poor with only rare long-term survivors. We report a case of malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis in 45-years-old and review of the literature is presented.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) in induced sputum of asthmatics: a new look to an old marker.

BACKGROUND: Some cellular and soluble markers of inflammation in induced sputum have been used for studying airway inflammation in asthma. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of systemic inflammation marker serum amyloid A (SAA) in blood and induced sputum to monitor the airway inflammation in asthmatic patients. METHOD: Seventeen non-smokers newly diagnosed mild to moderate asthmatic patients and 10 healthy volunteers were included in this prospective parallel designed study. Inflammatory cell counts, SAA and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels were measured in sera and induced sputum of both groups. All tests were repeated in the asthma group after 6 months of inhaled steroid therapy. The diagnostic accuracy and reproducibility of sputum and blood SAA were estimated. RESULTS: Serum and induced sputum SAA and ECP levels, sputum eosinophils and neutrophils of untreated asthmatic patients were significantly greater compared to the control group. Sputum and sera SAA levels and sputum neutrophils remained unchanged after the 6 months of anti-inflammatory therapy, although ECP levels, sputum eosinophils and macrophages were significantly reduced. The area under the curve (AUC) for sputum SAA was found equal to AUC for sputum ECP (0.87). The reproducibility of sputum SAA was satisfactory (ICC=0.84) as well. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that systemic inflammatory marker SAA may be used as a reliable inflammatory marker in asthma. The facts that whether it remarks an ongoing inflammation unresponsive to treatment in the airways or reflects a systemic inflammation needs to be clarified with further studies.