Carcinoma within solitary ductal papilloma of the breast.

BACKGROUND: Solitary ductal papilloma of the breast, traditionally considered a benign disorder, was recently found to have malignant potential, especially when associated with atypical ductal hyperplasia. METHODS: All patients diagnosed with solitary ductal papilloma at a tertiary medical center from 1994 to 2004 were identified by a database search. Background, clinical and pathological data were collected for those with a carcinoma within the papilloma, and their pathological specimens were revised. RESULTS: Of the 3849 breast biopsies performed in our medical center during the study period, 77 (2%) yielded a solitary ductal papilloma. In 12 cases (15.6% of all solitary ductal papillomas; 0.3% of all breast biopsies), a carcinoma was found within the papilloma. Ten were diagnosed as carcinoma in situ and 2 as microinvasive carcinoma. CONCLUSION: In the present series, the incidence of carcinoma within solitary ductal papilloma was 15.6%, indicating that solitary ductal papillomas have malignant potential. SUMMARY: Carcinoma within solitary ductal papilloma of the breast was found in 15.6% of all papillomas. This seems to indicate a malignant potential of papillomas and the need for surgical excision.

Absence of human herpesvirus 8 DNA sequences in lung biopsies from Israeli patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension is a severe pulmonary vascular disease leading to rapid deterioration and death. Histological and clinical evidence suggests that smooth muscle proliferation is part of the pathogenesis of the disease. Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is a gamma-herpesvirus that is implicated in malignancies and in Kaposi's sarcoma. Recently, the association of HHV-8 with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has been found. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of HHV-8 in the lung tissue of Israeli patients with PAH. METHOD: The presence of HHV-8 sequences was investigated by polymerase chain reaction examination in 6 biopsies of patients with pulmonary hypertension. Three patients had idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, 2 patients pulmonary venoocclusive disease, and 1 patient pulmonary hypertension associated with mixed connective tissue disease. RESULT: We did not find any association between HHV-8 and PAH in these Israeli patients, as all the samples were negative for polymerase chain reaction. CONCLUSION: Our findings, together with the epidemiological data of HHV-8 prevalence and incidence rates of Kaposi's sarcoma and PAH in Israel, provide further evidence which argues against an association between HHV-8 infection and PAH.

Diagnostic value of AgNOR staining in thyroid cytology.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the value of the argyrophil nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) technique on scrape cytology of thyroid lesions. STUDY DESIGN: AgNOR counts were evaluated in smears of 70 thyroid lesions that were sent for frozen section and included 15 cases of follicular adenoma, 10 cases of follicular carcinoma, 13 cases of papillary carcinoma, 23 cases of nodular goiter and 9 cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Forty-one slides out of 70 were freshly prepared, and 29 slides had been previously stained with hematoxylin and eosin and then destained with alcohol. The number of AgNOR dots was recorded for 50 cells, and the mean number was calculated. RESULTS: The mean AgNOR counts were statistically significantly higher in malignant lesions in comparison to benign lesions. CONCLUSION: AgNOR staining could be of use in cytologic material from thyroid lesions.