David S. Weinberg

Aggressive variants of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma

Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a distinctive subtype of RCC with a more favorable prognosis than clear cell RCC. We describe the pathologic features of 23 solitary cases and 2 cases with coexistent papillary RCCs, 7 of which developed metastases.

Screening for hypercoagulable states in vascular surgical practice: A preliminary study *

The prevalence and importance of hypercoagulable states in the general vascular surgical population is unknown. Antithrombin III, protein C, protein S, plasminogen, lupus-like anticoagulant, and heparin-induced platelet activation were determined prospectively in 158 patients with aneurysmal (27), renovascular (1), cerebrovascular (28), aortoiliac (31), or infrainguinal (71) disease. Sixteen abnormal test results were obtained in 15 patients (9.5%) as follows: deficiencies of antithrombin III (2), protein C (4), and protein S (1) and presence of lupus-like anticoagulant activity (5) and heparin-induced platelet activation (4). Reconstructive surgery was performed in 137 of the study patients. Five reconstructions, all infrainguinal bypass grafts, suffered thrombosis within 30 days. Early graft thrombosis occurred in three (27%) of 14 patients with abnormal preoperative test results compared to two (1.6%) of 123 patients with normal testing (p less than 0.01). Of the three patients with abnormal test results and graft thrombosis, lupus-like anticoagulant was detected in two and heparin-induced platelet activation in one. This preliminary study supports routine preoperative screening for lupus-like anticoagulant and heparin-induced platelet activation in patients undergoing infrainguinal reconstruction. Hypercoagulable states appear to be sufficiently common and important in the general vascular surgical population to warrant further investigation.

Cytology of grade 1 papillary transitional cell carcinoma : A comparison of cytologic, architectural and morphometric criteria in cystoscopically obtained urine

OBJECTIVE To assess the diagnostic criteria for grade 1 papillary transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in cystoscopically obtained urine. STUDY DESIGN We compared the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of cytologic, architectural and morphometric (primarily architectural) criteria in 177 specimens with corresponding biopsy follow-up. RESULTS Sensitivities ranged from 22% to 44%, specificities from 69% to 85% and positive predictive values from 59% to 66%. CONCLUSION The currently described cytologic, architectural and morphometric criteria are inadequate for the identification of grade 1 papillary TCC, and the cytologic diagnosis of grade 1 papillary TCC in cystoscopically obtained urine remains unreliable.

Atypical cysts and carcinomas of the kidneys in the phacomatoses. A quantitative dna study using static and flow cytometry

Reported are the pathologic features of atypical cysts and/or renal cell carcinomas found in the kidneys of four patients having either tuberous sclerosis or Hippel‐Lindau disease. In addition, cellular DNA contents of the cells lining the atypical cysts and comprising the carcinomas were quantitated using both static and flow cytometric techniques. These studies showed that cysts lined by atypical epithelial cells are frequently present in renal parenchyma adjacent to the renal carcinomas, and that the cytologic features of atypical cells lining the cysts were essentially the same as the cytologic features found in the adjacent well‐differentiated, renal cell carcinomas. DNA quantitative studies revealed that both the renal cell carcinomas and the atypical cyst lining cells had the same DNA indices and were essentially DNA euploid. In this patient group these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the atypical cyst lining cells evolve into the renal cell carcinomas; however, they do not prove this proposed but likely sequence.

Flow cytometric analysis of nuclear DNA content in ovarian tumors association of ploidy with tumor type, histologic grade, and clinical stage

The authors undertook a prospective, flow cytometric study of nuclear DNA ploidy in 140 fresh ovarian tumors. There were 43 benign tumors, 27 borderline tumors, and 70 malignant tumors. Results of DNA ploidy analysis were compared to age at diagnosis, menopausal status, tumor size, histologic type, grade, and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage. Although the majority of benign tumors were diploid, 19% were aneuploid. Among the benign tumors, DNA ploidy was significantly associated with tumor type and tumor size. All borderline tumors were diploid. Of the 70 malignant tumors, 64% were aneuploid. In the malignant tumors, DNA aneuploidy had significant univariate associations with histologic type, grade, and FIGO stage. By multivariate analysis, DNA aneuploidy remained significantly associated with stage and grade, both known predictors of survival in ovarian cancer. These results indicate that DNA ploidy varies with the aggressive potential of an ovarian cancer and may, at the time of initial diagnosis, provide additional information about tumor prognosis. Cancer 1992; 69:2668‐2675.

Analysis of melanocytic lesions by DNA image cytometry.

Background. There is increasing evidence that melanocytic nevi with architectural and/or cytologic atypia (dysplastic melanocytic nevi [DMN]) are lesions intermediate between banal nevi and malignant melanoma. Other studies have shown conflicting results regarding the DNA content in DMN.

A chronic “postinfectious” fatigue syndrome associated with benign lymphoproliferation, B-cell proliferation, and active replication of human herpesvirus-6

A 17-year-old, previously healthy woman developed an acute “mononucleosis-like” illness with an associated “atypical” pneumonitis, followed by years of debilitating chronic fatigue, fevers, a 10-kg weight loss, night sweats, and neurocognitive symptoms. Thereafter, her sister developed a similar but less severe illness. The patient developed marked, chronic lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly, with associated persistent relative lymphocytosis and atypical lymphocytosis and with thrombocytopenia. After 3 years of illness, a splenectomy was performed, which resulted in some symptomatic improvement, prompt weight gain, and resolution of all hematologic abnormalities. Serial immunologic studies revealed a strikingly elevated number of activated B lymphocytes and a T lymphopenia, which improved but did not return to normal postsplenectomy. No causal association was found with any of several infectious agents that could produce such a lymphoproliferative illness. However, both the patient and her sister had evidence of active infection with the recently discovered human herpesvirus-6. Seven years after the onset of the illness, the patient and her sister remain chronically ill.

Flow cytometric surface light chain analysis of lymphocyte‐rich effusions. A useful adjunct to cytologic diagnosis

The cytologic diagnoses in 49 body cavity fluids from 46 patients, of whom 30 had a clinical diagnosis of lymphoma or lymphatic leukemia, and 16 patients with benign inflammatory or reactive conditions, were compared to flow cytometric surface immunoglobulin light chain analysis (kappa‐lambda analysis [KLA]). The results of both tests were correlated with clinical outcome and all available information from biopsy, autopsy, and additional cell marker studies. When the diagnoses by both cytologic analysis and KLA were in agreement (57.1% of cases), there were no false‐negative or false‐positive results. Overall, false‐positive and false‐negative rates were, respectively, 6.1% and 12.2% with cytologic study, and 4.1% and 4.1% with KLA. Sixteen samples were from patients with small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) and small cleaved lymphoma, which had a false‐negative rate of 37.5% by cytologic study, and only 6.2% by KLA. There was one false‐positive result by KLA among the benign effusions. These findings indicate that KLA is a powerful adjunct to the cytologic evaluation of lymphocyte‐rich effusions, especially in cases of lymphoproliferative disorders characterized by small lymphocytes, in which the cytologic diagnosis is frequently difficult.

Adrenocortical neoplasms in childhood and adolescence: Analysis of prognostic factors including DNA content

Thirty-two adrenocortical neoplasms in children and adolescents were evaluated for prognostic factors including clinical and morphological parameters and DNA ploidy. The patients were segregated into two groups according to clinical outcome: group A, represented by patients with clinically benign neoplasms (n = 15), and group B, patients with clinically malignant tumors as evidenced by local recurrence, metastases, or fatal outcome (n = 17). Clinical and morphological parameters in these two groups were evaluated using appropriate statistical methods. Parameters with a significant predictive value in terms of prognosis were age [p = .04], tumor size (p = .0003), median tumor weight (p = .0001), mitotic count (p = 0.04), and 25% tumor necrosis or more (p = .03). Twenty-three cases were studied for DNA ploidy: 10 cases by image analysis and 13 by both image analysis and flow cytometry. By ploidy analysis, 17 of 23 cases—12 of 14 in group A and 5 of 9 in group B—were found to be aneuploid. Multiple aneuploid peaks were found in 5 of 23 cases—4 of 14 cases in group A and 1 of 9 cases in group B. In tumors studied by both image analysis and flow cytometry, there was no discrepancy between results of ploidy analysis. There was no statistically significant association demonstrated between clinical outcome and DNA ploidy pattern. DNA ploidy heterogeneity, characterized by multiple aneuploid populations of cells, was also detected in both benign and malignant neoplasms. Based on our results, aneuploidy is relatively frequent in pediatrie adrenocortical tumors and does not appear to have predictive value for biological behavior.

Seminoma metastasis to the terminal ileum after a 17-year disease-free interval

This is a report of a metastasis of a pure seminoma to the ileum after a 17‐year latent period. The patient had a previous history of stage I testicular seminoma treated with primary orchiectomy and radiotherapy. He presented clinically with ileocolic intussuseption caused by a solitary metastasis in the terminal ileum. The rarity of this event is discussed.