Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma without asbestos exposure: An ovarian cancer imitator.

•Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare aggressive tumor with approximately 400 new cases annually in the US.•In optimal cytoreduction HIPEC is the standard treatment.•In suboptimal cytoreduction IV cisplatin and pemetrexed have high efficacy.

Poorly differentiated Sertoli-Leydig tumor with heterologous, high-grade, sarcomatoid features: A case report.

•Treatment of sex-cord stromal tumors with carboplatin and taxane is both feasible and safe.•FOXL2 mutations account for approximately 50% of these tumors.•Carboplatin and taxane may afford a favorable outcome.

Primary intraplacental gestational choriocarcinoma: histologic and genetic analyses.

Gestational choriocarcinoma is a highly malignant form of gestational trophoblastic tumors. Placental involvement of the tumor is exceedingly rare. We describe a case of intraplacental choriocarcinoma in a full-term placenta. Microscopically, there were sheets of highly pleomorphic trophoblasts invading the placenta, leaving isolated chorionic villi within the tumor. We utilized molecular genetic methods to determine the genotype of the tumor and compared it with that of the placenta. Short tandem repeat polymorphism analysis was performed on tumor and placental DNA macrodissected from unstained slides of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. The assay included polymerase chain reaction reactions of 10 polymorphic genetic loci. Comparing the polymorphic genetic markers of the tumor with the placenta revealed a complete match in the genotype of all loci examined. The results suggest that the choriocarcinoma originated from the current placenta sharing exactly the same genotype of multiple polymorphic markers. It also excludes a nongestational choriocarcinoma, which is of germ cell origin.

Malignant melanoma arising in mature cystic teratoma of the ovary.

► Teratomas are composed of elements of all three germ layers, all potentially capable of undergoing malignant transformation. ► A case of malignant melanoma arising in a mature teratoma is presented.

Impact of clinical and histologic correlates of maternal and fetal inflammatory response on gestational age in preterm births.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of clinical and histopathologic correlates related to maternal and fetal inflammatory responses (MIR and FIR) on degree of preterm birth. METHODS: Pathology reports and clinical data from 577 singleton preterm births (<37 weeks of gestation) that took place between 1998 and 2004 were analyzed according to decreasing gestational age (>or=33 weeks, 29-32 weeks, and <29 weeks). MIR was defined by presence of subchorionitis, chorioamnionitis, deciduitis, or free membranitis; FIR was defined by presence of funisitis or chorionic plate vasculitis. The associations between MIR alone and MIR with FIR and gestational age subgroups were assessed using logistic regression. RESULTS: The presence of FIR in addition to MIR was more strongly associated with degree of prematurity than the presence of MIR alone, especially for those born at <29 weeks (OR=10.1 (95% CI 4.3-23.7) and OR=5.3 (95% CI 2.3-12.5), respectively). These associations remained significant after adjusting for maternal race, clinical signs of chorioamnionitis, medically indicated birth, and intrapartum corticosteroid, tocolysis and antibiotic use, and after stratification by clinical signs of chorioamnionitis and medically indicated birth. CONCLUSIONS: The combined presence of MIR and FIR is associated with a higher risk of extreme preterm birth (<29 weeks) than MIR alone, suggesting a contributory role of FIR in the pathophysiology of preterm birth.

Placental calcium pump: clinical-based evidence.

Placenta can be considered as a pump of calcium necessary for the normal development of the fetus. We believe that the location of this pump is in the placental basement membrane. The calcification of this membrane has been described only in cases of in utero fetal death. In this study we describe for the first time a case of placental calcification in a living fetus. The fetus of a normal 21-year-old pregnant woman showed heart abnormalities but the genetic analysis showed a normal male karyotype. The histology of the placenta demonstrated multiple intravillous linear and granular calcific incrustations The hemtoxylin/eosin stain of the sections revealed basement membrane calcific incrustations and intravillous calcium deposits. We postulate that the fetal circulation in the villi was impaired and the calcium that reached the villi from the mother was deposited at this level.

Vaginal hyperpigmentation due to ochronosis.

BACKGROUND: Ochronosis is a manifestation of alkaptonuria, a rare metabolic disorder. It results in the accumulation of pigment in connective tissues. After several years, ochronosis may produce a distinctive form of degenerative arthritis. CASE: Vaginal ochronosis was diagnosed in an asymptomatic elderly woman with vaginal hyperpigmentation and severe degenerative arthritis. CONCLUSION: Vaginal hyperpigmentation is a rare clinical finding that necessitates biopsy.