Malignant small-cell epithelial tumor of the peritoneum coexpressing mesenchymal-type intermediate filaments.

A 28-year-old man with a large abdominal mass was found to have a tumor involving the peritoneum that had no other apparent primary origin. By light microscopy, the histologic pattern of the tumor was that of a small-cell epithelial neoplasm. Electron-microscopic examination demonstrated desmosomes and paranuclear aggregates of intermediate filaments. Immunohistochemical studies revealed reactivity for keratin, desmin, and vimentin. The globoid staining observed for the last two markers correlated with the paranuclear concentration of intermediate filaments observed by electron microscopy. We believe this case represents an unusual small-cell epithelial tumor, expressing mesenchymal-type intermediate filaments, that should be distinguished from other small-cell neoplasms.

Estrogen receptors in fine-needle aspirates from metastatic lesions of gynecologic tumors.

The estrogen receptor content in metastases of gynecological tumors was analyzed with an immunocytochemical technique in material obtained by fine-needle aspiration. Eighteen patients with metastasis from ovarian (10 cases), endometrial (4 cases), and uterine cervical (4 cases) carcinomas were studied. Three metastases showed specific nuclear staining for estrogen receptors and they originated from primary tumors in the ovary, the cervix, and the endometrium. Thus needle aspirates can be used for cytomorphologic diagnosis as well as determination of estrogen receptors and their use has potential value when a decision must be made between hormonal therapy or chemotherapy in patients with generalized gynecological carcinomas.

Pheochromocytoma combined with malignant schwannoma: unusual neoplasm of the adrenal medulla.

A 38-year-old woman was operated on to remove a large tumor that replaced the left adrenal gland. The tumor was encapsulated and showed small areas typical of pheochromocytoma, and spindle cell or undifferentiated round cell sarcoma in most areas. Metastases of primitive round cell appearance were operated from the abdominal cavity and abdominal wall shortly after the initial surgery. Eighteen months after the first operation, the patient was alive with metastases in liver and retroperitoneal space. The pheochromocytomalike component showed a typical ultrastructural and immunohistochemical profile of pheochromocytoma and was positive for neurofilaments, synaptophysin, neuron-specific enolase, and S-100 protein in the sustentacular cells. The sarcomatous areas showed fibroblastoid spindle cells that were often surrounded by a basal lamina. Immunohistochemistry revealed S-100 protein positivity in many spindle cells, but markers of pheochromocytoma or epithelial differentiation were absent. The metastases lacked all markers except for vimentin, and the cells were undifferentiated by electron microscopy. These findings suggest that the neoplasm was a compound tumor with a typical pheochromocytoma component and a sarcoma resembling a malignant schwannoma. Neoplastic proliferation of the S-100 protein-positive Schwann-cell-like sustentacular cells of the pheochromocytoma would be an explanation for the genesis of this sarcoma associated with pheochromocytoma.

Histologic and immunohistochemical investigation of neuroblastomas and correlation with prognosis.

Forty-one confirmed cases of childhood neuroblastoma diagnosed over a 13-year period were reviewed and reclassified. Most of the tumors were stained using a peroxidase antiperoxidase method for neuron specific enolase (NSE), protein gene product (PGP) 9.5, and S100 protein, all of which have previously been reported to be positive in some neuroblastomas. The relation to prognosis of the histology and immunohistochemistry was studied. There was a significant trend toward improved survival with increasing degree of differentiation, and with decreasing mitosiskaryorrhexis index (MKI) in the stroma-poor group. There was no significant correlation between immunohistochemical staining and survival, although the presence and amount of staining for all three markers tended to increase with tumor differentiation. This study concludes that histologic classification in neuroblastoma is helpful in assessing prognosis but that the clinical features are generally more reliable as indicators of prognosis. The immunohistochemistry of markers used did not contribute towards assessment of prognosis.

[Fine-needle aspiration puncture of abdominal masses using echographic monitoring. Cytological diagnosis and experience with biological markers]. / Puncion aspiración con aguja fina de masas abdominales bajo control ecográfico. Diagnóstico citológico y experiencia con marcadores biológicos.

43 fine needle aspiration biopsies of abdominal masses were performed under echographic guide. Cytologic diagnosis was done with routine techniques. Tumor, lineage and origin biologic markers were detected by immunocytochemical methods. Sensibility, specificity and accuracy of this procedure were evaluated. Advantages of the method are discussed.

[Immunohistochemical localization of S-100 protein in granular cell myoblastoma]. / Localización inmunohistoquímica de la proteína S-100 en el mioblastoma de células granulares.

Three cases of granular cell myoblastoma have been studied in order to determine the presence and distribution of the S-100 specific protein in the neoplastic cells, using immunocytochemical staining techniques, through the modified avidin-biotin method. Positive immunostaining was observed in the three cases studied. The comparative study of various control cases histogenetically originating from neuroectoderm (melanoma) and specifically from Schwann cells, as also the presence of strongly positive staining in Schwann cells of peripheral nerve fibres situated inside and outside the tumor, support the concept of the neurogenic origin of this interesting tumor.

Ganglioside composition of human neuroblastomas. Correlation with prognosis. A Pediatric Oncology Group Study.

The ganglioside composition of neuroblastoma samples from 53 patients was determined. Tumor sites included the adrenals (15), and the thoracic (20), abdominal (15), and pelvic (3) areas. Age of the patients at the time of surgery ranged from 1 day to over 10 years and the Stage of the tumors from A to D. Differences in ganglioside patterns were observed, with neuroblastomas from patients who were either disease positive or dead of disease tending to have more monosialogangliosides and fewer gangliotetraose gangliosides of the B series (formula; see text) than tumors from patients who were disease-free. More specifically, six of the seven patients lacking GT1b died of disease, suggesting that the absence of GT1b is indicative of a poor prognosis.

A study on the origin of adenocarcinoma in fowls using immunohistological technique.

When tumor tissues collected from 12 hens suffering from so-called adenocarcinoma were stained with antisera by the indirect immunofluorescent method, all of the tissues appeared to contain ovalbumin. We suggest that most adenocarcinomas in the thoracoabdomen of mature hens are oviductal in origin.

Studies of a human mesothelioma.

Abdominal fluid from a patient with mesothelioma was cultured in vitro, and a cell line designated JMN was established. This cell line has undergone more than 100 passages. Electron microscopic, karyotypic, and heterotransplantation studies as well as the capability of collagen synthesis by this cell line indicated that it is of malignant mesothelial origin. The cell line has proved very useful for the isolation of human pathogenic viruses.

The use of quantitative cytochemistry to monitor human tumour cells in culture.

The prerequisites of any method used to identify human tumour cells in short term culture are specificity, stability, sensitivity and simplicity. This paper looks critically at the use of nuclear DNA measurement combined with 3H thymidine autoradiography as the method of choice in the light of these four requirements. We conclude that although the combined method has some disadvantages, it has many advantages and is particularly appropriate when only a limited number of cells is available from a patient biopsy. Our results show clearly that monitoring procedures are required to verify that the cultured cells are abnormal, particularly after passage.

Synovial sarcoma of the abdominal wall. Light microscopic, histochemical and electron microscopic investigations.

A synovial sarcoma of the abdominal wall in a 56-year old woman showed the typical features of this tumor type. Histologically a characteristic biphasic cellular pattern with epithelium-like cell complexes and sarcomatous spindle cell areas was found. The histochemical examination revealed that tumor cells synthesize glycoproteins and weakly acid glycosaminoglycans (mainly hyaluronic acid). Electron microscopically the tumor cells in epithelium-like cell islets were sometimes arranged in gland-like formations with microvilli at the luminal side, specialized intercellular junctions and a peripheral basement membrane-like condensation of the ground substance. There was no fundamental cytological difference between cells of epithelium-like and spindle cell areas. Generally the tumor cells imitated cells of the synovial membrane and we found no evidence for origin from cells of the nerve sheath. Because of the submicroscopic relationship and histochemical similarities of synovial sarcomas and mesotheliomas we suggest that they should be united in a group of sarcomas with possible biphasic cellular pattern, while preserving their clinicopathologic definition.

VCN-releasable sialic acid and gangliosides in human neuroblastomas.

The ganglioside pattern and VCN-releasable sialic acid residues of six human neuroblastomas were studied. There was no correlation between VCN-releasable sialic acid and prognosis. The ganglioside patterns were more complex in those cases with an expected good prognosis as reflected by the presence of trisialoganglioside. The complexity of the ganglioside pattern did not always correlate with the histologic grade of the tumor. These results suggest the ganglioside pattern may serve as a chemical marker for predicting the prognosis in patients with neuroblastomas.

A myeloliposarcoma in a female Perodicticus potto: mineralogical and elemental chemical analysis.

A spherical mass on the medial aspect of the thigh and caudal abdomen of a 15-year-old female Perodicticus potto was surgically removed and shown to be a myeloliposarcoma. Mineralogical examination of these tissues showed them to be amorphous to X-rays. Thirty-two elements were determined by chemical analysis of the tumor.