Pancreatic resections for metastases: A twenty-year experience from a tertiary care center.

BACKGROUND: Literature data about pancreatic resections for metastases are limited to small series, so that the role of surgery in this setting remains unclear. We herein report our experience from a tertiary care center, analyzing the outcomes of patients who underwent pancreatic resections for metastases and discussing the role of surgical resection in their management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1999 to January 2019, 26 patients underwent pancreatic resections for metastases from renal cell carcinoma (RCC-group) or other primitive tumors (non-RCC-group). Details regarding pre-, intra-, post-operative course, and follow-up, prospectively collected in a database of pancreatic resection, were retrospectively analyzed and compared. RESULTS: RCC-group was composed of 21 patients, non-RCC-group of 5 patients. RCC-group presented a longer disease-free interval: 96.4 vs. 5.4 months (p < 0.001). In 9/21 patients (42.9%) of RCC-group the surgical resection of other organs or vascular structures was performed, while in non-RCC-group pancreatic resection alone was performed in all cases, p = 0.070. No local recurrence was reported in all cases. The systemic recurrence rate was 42.9% (9/21 patients) in RCC-group and 80% (4/5 patients) in non-RCC-group, p = 0.135. RCC-group presented a longer DFS and OS: 107.5 vs. 25.2 months (p = 0.002), and 109.1 vs. 36.2 months (p = 0.016), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Radical pancreatic resection may confer a survival benefit for RCC metastases, while for other primitive tumors it should be applied more selectively. For RCC pancreatic metastases, an aggressive surgical approach, even in patient with locally advanced tumors, or associated extra-pancreatic localizations, or recurrent metastases should be taken in consideration.

Metastatic cardiac tumors: literature review and own observation of testicular tumor metastasis in the right ventricle of the heart.

BACKGROUND: Tumors of the heart are uncommon and usually benign (in 93% cases myxomas are observed). More often secondary, metastatic tumors are detected in the heart, as a rule, at pronounced progression of the malignant neoplasm with multiple lesions of other internal organs (lung, pleura, liver, etc.). Literature review on cardiac metastases of different tumors is given. CASE REPORT: Own observation of a young man with rare single metastasis of malignant testicular germ cell tumor with predominance of embryonic carcinoma in the right ventricle of the heart is presented; the primary tumor was detected after metastasis revealing. The diagnostic algorithm using routine histological study supplemented with immunohistochemistry, including detection of cytokeratin pan, cytokeratin 5/6, cytokeratin 7, CD30, OCT4, TTF-1, hCG, and AFP markers expression, is described.

Clinical Outcome of Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection after Chemotherapy in Patients with Pure Embryonal Carcinoma in the Orchiectomy Specimen.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the pathologic findings and clinical outcome of patients with pure embryonal carcinoma (EC) of the testis who were diagnosed with testis cancer from January 1989 to January 2013 who underwent an orchiectomy, cisplatin-based chemotherapy and a postchemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PC-RPLND). METHODS: We compared those patients with 100% EC with those with mixed nonseminomatous germ cell tumor pathology who underwent a PC-RPLND. RESULTS: Of 1105 patients who underwent a PC-RPLND, 145 had pure EC. Twenty-six percent of patients presented with metastatic disease outside the retroperitoneum. Patients with mixed histologies tended to have worse International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group risk compared to those with EC at orchiectomy (P = .037). Histology at PC-RPLND revealed fibrosis or necrosis in 76%, mature teratoma in 19% and viable cancer in 4%. Over one-third of the patients had a residual mass of <1 cm prior to RPLND; of whom 15% harbored mature teratoma in PC-RPLND histology. The Kaplan-Meier estimated probability of recurrence at 5 years of follow-up was 3.1% (95% CI 1.2%, 8.0%) for EC histology, 7.3% lower than mixed histology. For cancer-specific mortality, the Kaplan-Meier estimated probability at 5 years was 4.6% (95% CI 3.3%, 6.3%) and 1.7% (95% CI 0.4%, 6.8%) for mixed and pure EC histologies, respectively. CONCLUSION: Approximately 20% of patients with pure EC had teratoma at PC-RPLND. We have shown that those with a maximum node size of <1 cm should not be precluded from RPLND.

Endobronchial Metastasis from Extrapulmonary Neoplasms: Analysis of Clinicopathologic Features and Cytological Evaluation by Bronchial Brushing.

PURPOSE: Bronchial brushings (BB) commonly aid in the diagnosis of primary lung cancer. However, the utility of this method in diagnosing endobronchial metastases (EBM) from extrapulmonic malignancies has not been thoroughly evaluated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the sensitivity of BB in diagnosing EBM. METHODS: An institutional database was queried for all patients with cytologically or histologically confirmed extrapulmonary EBM identified by endobronchial biopsy between 1978 and 2013. Data were collected on patient demographics, histologic and cytologic diagnoses, time from primary malignancy to identification of EBM, and location of EBM. The sensitivity of BB for the diagnosis of EBM and the clinicopathologic features of extrapulmonary EBM were assessed. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients (33 females, 23 males; mean age 53 years) were identified with EBM. Diagnoses included lymphoma (21), breast adenocarcinoma (11), colonic adenocarcinoma (7), melanoma (6), renal cell carcinoma (RCC, 5), embryonal carcinoma (2), and 1 case each of tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma, thymic carcinoma, leiomyosarcoma, and sarcoma, not otherwise specified. The sensitivity of BB for identifying EBM was 85% overall and 94% for non-hematologic malignancies. The mean interval between primary diagnosis and EBM was 59 months (range 0-264 months). Excluding ten patients who had EBM at their initial presentation, lymphoma had the shortest (10 months) and RCC had the longest (264 months) mean interval between primary diagnosis and EBM. The mean time between EBM identification and death was 22.4 months (n = 24). CONCLUSION: Bronchial brushing is a sensitive technique for diagnosing non-hematologic extrapulmonic endobronchial metastases.

[Intracranial remote epidural haematoma as a complication after resection of an occipital lobe metastatic tumour from a testicular embryonal carcinoma ­ a case report].

We present the case of a patient who suffered from intracranial epidural haematoma in the left fronto -temporo -parietal region as a complication after left parieto -occipital craniotomy and a resection of a metastatic lesion from a testicular embryonal carcinoma to the left occipital lobe. We also discuss possible causes of this complication.

Metastatic embryonal carcinoma mimicking locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

A 50-year-old man with a history of smoking of 45 pack-years underwent right lower lobectomy after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer diagnosed on a bronchial biopsy and standard imaging examinations, including chest-abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and whole-body F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT. Left orchiectomy was performed simultaneously to treat the slightly swollen left testis, which had remained unchanged for over five years. The thoracic tumor was proven to be in pathological complete remission and the testicular lesion was pathologically diagnosed as an embryonal carcinoma. Furthermore, a pathological reevaluation of the preoperative bronchial biopsy specimen revealed the lung tumor to be a metastatic embryonal carcinoma.

PARP expression in germ cell tumours.

BACKGROUND: Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) inhibitors represent a new class of promising drugs in anticancer therapy. AIMS: To evaluate PARP expression in testicular germ cell tumours (GCTs) and to correlate expression patterns with clinicopathological variables. METHODS: In this translational study, tumour specimens from 124 patients with GCTs (114 patients with testicular primary tumours and 10 with extragonadal GCTs) were identified. PARP expression was detected by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies, scored by the multiplicative quickscore (QS) method and compared to PARP expression in normal testicular tissue. RESULTS: We observed higher expression of PARP in testicular tumours compared to normal testicular tissue (mean QS=10.04 vs 3.31, p<0.0000001). Mean QS±SD for each histological subtype was as follows: intratubular germ cell neoplasia unclassified (IGCNU)=18.00±0.00, embryonal carcinoma=9.62±5.64, seminoma=9.74±6.51, yolk sac tumour=7.8±7.20, teratoma=5.87±5.34, and choriocarcinoma=4.50±8.33. The PARP overexpression (QS>9) was most often detected in IGCNU (100% of specimen with PARP overexpression), seminona (52.6%), embryonal carcinoma (47.0%), yolk sac tumour (33.3%), teratoma (26.7%) and choriocarcinoma (25.0%), compared to 1.9% of normal testicular tissue specimens. There was no association between PARP expression and clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, we showed for the first time, that PARP is overexpressed in testicular germ cell tumours compared to normal testis.

[Surgical management of retroperitoneal metastatic testicular tumor with inferior vena caval thrombus using cardiopulmonary bypass, arrested circulation, and profound hypothermia: a case report]. / Tratamiento quirúrgico de un tumor testicular retroperitoneal metastásico con trombo en la vena cava inferior mediante derivación cardiopulmonar, paro circulatorio e hipotermia profunda: un caso clínico.

Testicular tumors represent the most common type of solid neoplasia in men aged between 18 and 35 years. Its cure rate is approximately 90% 1,2. In some cases, tumoral vascular invasion can occur and demands surgical resection to stop disease progression and prevent thromboembolic events. That is the only valuable therapeutic choice although it is a high risk procedure. We present a case report of a patient who underwent successful chemotherapy and surgery for a right-sided testicular tumor associated with an inferior vena cava tumor thrombus extending from the renal vein to the right atrium and extensive retroperitoneal lymph node disease.

Metastatic epithelioid trophoblastic tumor in a male patient with mixed germ-cell tumor of the testis.

This report describes a rare case of a concurrent epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT) and a teratoma in a para-aortic lymph node from a 39-year-old male patient with the initial diagnosis of testicular malignant mixed germ-cell tumor. The metastatic lesion was excised 2 years after orchiectomy and chemotherapy. Microscopically, the metastatic lesion contained a teratoma component and dispersed small nests of cohesive chorionic-type intermediate trophoblastic cells, closely resembling gestational ETT in female patients. The diagnosis of ETT in this case was confirmed by stepwise immunohistochemistry. Demonstration of ETT as one of the histologic manifestations of recurrent testicular germ-cell tumors should encourage pathologists to recognize this unique feature in assessing posttreatment mixed germ-cell neoplasm. Furthermore, this case represents a unique opportunity to understand the pathobiology of trophoblastic neoplasms arising from germ-cell tumors.

Metastasis of testicular carcinoma in the inguinal region.

A standard protocol for the management of inguinal metastasis from testicular cancer still has not yet been established. Metastasis of testicular cancer to inguinal lymph node rarely occurs, particularly in patients without any prior surgery in inguinal and scrotal region. Daugaard reported 2% incidence of inguinal metastasis for stage 1 testicular cancer in 5-year period. We reported a case of inguinal metastasis from residual testicular cancer with a large size of mass. The case had also been counted as advanced stage since it had further metastasis to the lungs. For this case, surgical treatment of residual tumor excision had been performed prior to the chemotherapy considering a quite large size of tumor mass, which may easily bleed and causing anemia to the patient. Furthermore, we considered that chemotherapy treatment prior to surgical excision will only provide partial effect on the tumor. After the surgery, a 4-cycle combined chemotherapy was administered despite the delay of chemotherapy treatment resulting in residual mass in inguinal region. In fact, the post-surgical chemotherapy treatment in this case has demonstrated relatively good response.

Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection in patients with high risk testicular cancer.

PURPOSE: In patients with testicular cancer the percent of embryonal carcinoma and lymphovascular invasion in the primary tumor have been identified as risk factors for occult metastatic disease. We reviewed differences between primary and post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection in patients at high risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection at our institution from 1993 to 2006 were identified and the clinical charts were reviewed. A total of 247 patients with orchiectomy specimens containing greater than 30% embryonal carcinoma were identified and perioperative data were obtained. RESULTS: Of 247 patients 133 (53%) had greater than 30% embryonal carcinoma, including 76 (57%) with combined lymphovascular invasion. Median followup was 3.49 years. Of the patients 76 (57%) and 57 (43%) underwent primary and post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, respectively, of whom most received bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin. Positive lymph nodes were identified at surgery in 37 (49%) and 35 patients (61%) with primary and post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, respectively. Of patients with negative pathological findings at surgery surveillance computerized tomography postoperatively identified retroperitoneal masses in 2 (5%) and 3 (14%) of those who underwent a primary and a post-chemotherapy procedure, respectively. Operative data on the primary vs post-chemotherapy groups showed an estimated blood loss of 166 vs 371 cc, an operative time of 2.7 vs 3.3 hours and a hospital stay of 4.4 vs 4.7 days. There were no deaths in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with greater than 30% embryonal carcinoma with or without lymphovascular invasion are at significant risk for metastatic disease and they can be successfully treated with primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. Recurrence rates based on computerized tomography evaluation were low and similar between the chemotherapy and nonchemotherapy treated groups.

Emergency management of a particular massive pulmonary embolism...

Cardiac intracavitary metastasis is very uncommon. In a 55-year-old man presenting with a massive pulmonary embolism pattern, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) allowed us to visualize an isolated right ventricular metastasis extended into the pulmonary trunk. It led to the discovery of a primary testis embryonal carcinoma. No intracaval and right atrial localization was observed. Despite an urgent complete cardiac metastasis resection and concomitant orchidectomy, TTE showed on postoperative day 6 an uncommon total intracardiac regrowth spreading again to the pulmonary trunk. Combination chemotherapy (etoposide, cisplatin, and bleomycin) was immediately undertaken. This is the first well-documented case of an isolated right ventricular germ-cell cancer metastasis extended into the pulmonary trunk, without intracaval and right atrial involvement, where the outcome was marked with immediate regrowth despite cardiac surgery and orchidectomy. In conclusion, TTE should be considered alongside germ-cell cancer standard staging procedures.

Loss of INI1 expression is characteristic of both conventional and proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma.

INI1 (hSNF5/SMARCB1), a member of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex located on chromosome 22q11.2, is deleted or/or mutated in strictly defined malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRT) of infancy. Recent studies suggest that some epithelioid sarcomas (ES) also show inactivation of INI1. However, very few cases of ES have been studied, and INI1 expression in other epithelioid malignant neoplasms has not been examined systematically. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of INI1 in ES compared with histologic mimics. We evaluated 350 tumors: 136 ES, including 64 conventional ("distal") ES, 64 proximal-type ES, and 8 with hybrid features of conventional and proximal-type ES; 54 metastatic carcinomas (22 from lung, 6 breast, 6 stomach, 5 colorectum, 5 kidney, 5 prostate, 5 pancreas); 12 metastatic testicular embryonal carcinomas; 20 metastatic melanomas; 20 epithelioid mesotheliomas; 20 epithelioid angiosarcomas; 10 epithelioid hemangioendotheliomas; 24 epithelioid malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST); 22 myoepithelial carcinomas of soft tissue; 7 anaplastic large cell lymphomas; 5 histiocytic sarcomas; and 10 control MRT of infancy (4 brain, 3 liver, 2 soft tissue, 1 kidney). Immunohistochemistry was performed following pressure cooker heat-induced epitope retrieval using monoclonal antibody BAF47 (BD Biosciences). In total, 127 of 136 (93%) ES cases showed complete absence of INI1 expression, including 58 (91%) conventional ES, 61 (95%) proximal-type ES, and all 8 (100%) hybrid ES. Of the non-ES cases, 12 (50%) epithelioid MPNST also showed loss of INI1, as did 2 (9%) myoepithelial carcinomas and all control MRT cases. INI1 expression was intact in all other tumor types examined. In conclusion, similar to MRT of infancy, loss of INI1 expression is characteristic of both conventional and proximal-type ES, being detected in >90% of cases. Moreover, 50% epithelioid MPNST and occasional myoepithelial carcinomas are also negative for INI1. Immunostaining for INI1 can be used to confirm the diagnosis of ES in the appropriate context. Loss of INI1 expression may also be helpful to distinguish epithelioid MPNST from metastatic melanoma in a subset of cases.

Metastatic embryonal carcinoma in the maxillary gingiva.

Gingival metastases from embryonal carcinoma are very rare and often associated with widespread disease and poor prognosis. Because of their indistinct clinical appearance, they may be difficult to discriminate from more frequent gingival hyperplastic or reactive lesions. The case of a 35-year-old man who presented with a swelling in the left maxillary gingiva, extending from the first premolar to the second molar is reported. This medical history revealed that, 2 years previously, he had been diagnosed with a testicular mixed germ cell tumor (GCTs), for which he had undergone right inguinal orchidectomy and chemotherapy, leading to complete remission. Histology revealed a metastatic embryonal carcinoma. Imaging of the chest and abdomen showed this was the only site of metastasis. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy and responding well. This case draws attention to the multiple diseases that may present as gingival masses and stresses the difficulty of making a correct diagnosis. It is emphasized that in some mixed cases of testicular GCT it may be the more aggressive component that metastasizes, without being clearly apparent.

Inferior vena cava anomalies during laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymph node dissection.

PURPOSE: To report our experience with congenital inferior vena cava (IVC) anomalies found during laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (LRPLND). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two men with a mean age of 31.5 years (range 26-37 years) underwent LRPLND because of nonseminomatous germ-cell tumors (NSGCT) between December 2003 and July 2004. A four-port technique was used. A left IVC anomaly was found in both patients. The two operations were performed with no serious immediate complications and minimal blood loss. Congenital IVC anomalies were identified intraoperatively. A left-sided template modified because of anatomic variation was used. RESULTS: Mean operative time was 95 minutes (range 60-130 min). Both patients remain without tumor recurrence at a median of 24.5 months of follow-up (range 15-34 months). CONCLUSION: Although uncommon, IVC anomalies must be considered when performing LRPLND because of potential complications. Preoperative studies are essential in surgical planning.