Malignant pleural mesothelioma with heterologous elements.

AIMS: Malignant pleural mesothelioma with heterologous elements (such as osseous, cartilaginous or rhabdomyoblastic differentiation) is very rare. We tried to differentiate such mesothelioma cases from extraskeletal pleural osteosarcoma, which is very challenging. METHODS: We compared 10 malignant pleural mesotheliomas (three biphasic and seven sarcomatoid types) with two pleural osteosarcomas using clinicopathological and immunohistochemical methods, and also fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) to examine for homozygous deletion of p16. RESULTS: The median age was 72 years for mesotheliomas, and 69 years for osteosarcoma. For mesothelioma, eight cases were male and two were female. Growth was diffuse in all mesothelioma cases except case 10, where it was localised, as it was for the two osteosarcomas. Among mesothelioma cases, 80% displayed osteosarcomatous and 60% chondromatous elements, while 10% exhibited rhabdomyoblastic ones. Immunohistochemical labelling for calretinin and AE1/AE3 was present in 8/10 and 7/10 mesotheliomas, respectively, but in only one osteosarcoma. Loss of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase was seen in 5/7 mesotheliomas. FISH analysis revealed homozygous deletion of p16 in 5/8 mesothelioma and 2/2 osteosarcoma. Median survival was 6.5 months after biopsy or surgical operation in mesothelioma, and 12 months after operation in osteosarcoma. CONCLUSIONS: Although median survival was longer for osteosarcoma than for malignant mesothelioma, we could not differentiate mesothelioma from pleural osteosarcoma on the combined basis of clinicopathological and immunohistochemical data, and FISH analysis. However, diffuse growth was more frequent in mesothelioma than in osteosarcoma.

[A case of lung adenocarcinoma with postoperative recurrence maintaining complete remission by treatment with gefitinib].

A 78-year-old woman without a smoking history was admitted to our hospital because of a tumor 4 cm in diameter found in her right lung at a cataract preoperative inspection check in May 2005. Her serum CEA level was 72. 4 ng/mL. Then, with the diagnosis of pT2N1M0, she was thus administered 2 courses of CBDCA(AUC=4)/GEM(1, 000 mg/m²)as adjuvant chemotherapy. Thereafter, a progressive increase in serum CEA was noted, and the chest CT obtained in March 2006 revealed two left lung metastases of 12 mm and 6mm in diameter. The patient was started on gefitinib. One month later her serum CEA level was within the normal range, and the lung metastatic nodules were not detected on the chest CT. In August 2007, the gefitinib was discontinued because of severe pain due to paronychia. Afterwards, and until May 2010, no recurrence has been detected, and her serum CEA has remained at a normal level. DNA analysis revealed a mutation of EGFR gene in exon 19 in the resected tumor.

[A case of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer successfully treated with S-1 plus CBDCA after multiple chemotherapy].

A 51-year-old man consulted our hospital with complaints of a headache and spasm of the left upper limbs in January 2007. He was diagnosed as left lung adenocarcinoma (c-T2N0M1, stage IV). His serum CEA level was 104.1 ng/mL. After the brain tumor extraction, CDDP (80 mg/m2) + GEM (1,000 mg/m2) were administered as first-line treatment, and the tumor response was PR (33.3% reduction rate), impaired liver function served to interrupt this regimen. Other chemotherapy was then conducted in the order of GEM (1,000 mg/m2) + VNR (25 mg/m2), and CBDCA (AUC=5) + DOC(60 mg/m2), and the tumor response was NC. As fourth-line treatment, S-1 (75 mg/m2, day 1-28, every 6 weeks) + CBDCA (AUC=5, day 8, every 6 weeks) was chosen. After 3 courses of the treatment, the serum CEA level normalized, a chest CT detected the left lung tumor size reduction (66.7% reduction rate), and an abdominal CT detected disappearance of the left adrenal gland tumor. In January 2008, left upper lobectomy and lymph node resection (ND2a) were performed. Histopathological examination of the lung tumor showed viable adenocarcinoma cells. Postoperatively, S-1+CBDCA also was administered in a 3-course treatment. This patient is currently continuing treatment with S-1 monotherapy with no recurrence. This case suggests that S-1+CBDCA may be an effective treatment in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer even after multiple chemotherapy.

Thymic and pulmonary mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas in a patient with Sjögren's syndrome and literature review.

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (MALToma) has been reported in several organs. Among MALTomas, thymic and pulmonary MALTomas are rare. The present report describes a patient with Sjögren's syndrome who presented thymic and pulmonary MALTomas. Although the exact pathogenetic relationship between these two tumours is uncertain, it is likely that the underlying immune dysregulation related to Sjögren's syndrome contributed to the occurrence and the unusual manifestation of MALTomas in this patient.