Tawfiqul A. Bhuiya

Comparative study in the expression of p53, EGFR, TGF-alpha, and cyclin D1 in verrucous carcinoma, verrucous hyperplasia, and squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck region.

Verrucous carcinoma (VC) is a locally invasive, nonmetastasizing variant of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with distinct clinical and histologic features. Molecular alterations detectable by immunohistochemical analyses in VC have not been extensively studied. This study investigates the expression of p53, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), transforming growth factor-&agr; (TGF-&agr;), and cyclin D1 in VC, verrucous hyperplasia (VH), and classic SCC of the head and neck. Twenty-six cases of VC, 12 cases of SCC of various differentiations, and 4 cases of VH were studied. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival material was used for immunohistochemistry (avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique) to study the expression of oncogenes and their tumor markers. Identification of p53 protein was found in 100% of VH, 88% of VC, and 100% of SCC. EGFR expression was noted in 25% of VH, 54% of VC, 40% of well-differentiated SCC (WDSCC), and 100% of moderately and poorly differentiated SCC (MDSCC/PDSCC). TGF-&agr; was detected in 25% of VH, 88% of VC, 80% WDSCC, and 100% of MDSCC/PDSCC. Cyclin-D1 expression was seen in 75% of VH, 35% of VC, 100% of WDSCC, 67% of MDSCC, and 50% of PDSCC. Correlation between the level of expression of all markers and the grade of this group of squamous lesions revealed statistically significant correlation coefficients for p53 and EGFR but not for TGF-&agr; and cyclin D1.

Primary synovial sarcoma of the kidney: a case report with literature review.

We describe a case of primary renal synovial sarcoma (SS) in a 48-year-old man. The patient presented with hematuria and was found to have a large tumor in his left kidney on computed tomography scan. Histology revealed a highly cellular spindle cell neoplasm with minimal pleomorphism. The major differential diagnoses included leiomyosarcoma, hemangiopericytoma, and SS. The presence of focal areas with a biphasic pattern, uniformly positive immunostain for bcl-2, focally positive immunostains for epithelial membrane antigen and cytokeratin, and negative immunostains for CD-34, smooth muscle actin and S-100 established the diagnosis. This was subsequently confirmed by molecular testing for t(X;18) translocation. Since the existence of primary SS in the kidney was first suggested in 1999, to the best of our knowledge a total of 19 cases including the present case have been reported to date. Although primary renal SS is rare, these findings indicate that it should be included in the differential diagnosis of spindle cell tumors of the kidney.

Mixed columnar cell and tall cell variant of papillary carcinoma of thyroid: a case report and review of the literature.

Summary Columnar cell and tall cell carcinomas are newly described variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma associated with aggressive clinical behaviour. Although several cases of tall cell and columnar cell variants have been reported, only a single detailed case report of a mixed tall cell and columnar cell variant has been described in the English‐language literature. We report another such composite tumour with predominant columna cell features in an elderly female. The tumour showed extrathyroidal extension with intraluminal superior thyroid vein invasion and lymph node metastasis. DNA ploidy analysis showed a diploid DNA content with no increase of S‐phase fraction. Immunohistochemistry showed focal positivity for p53 and Ki‐67 at the infiltrating margins of the tumour and diffuse positivity for proliferating cell nuclear antigen. The adverse clinical course warrants aggressive treatment and careful follow‐up.

Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Mixed Tall and Columnar Cell Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid

BACKGROUND: We report the first case of a composite tumor (tall cell and columnar cell variants) of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) diagnosed by fine needle aspiration. It is important to differentiate these uncommon aggressive variants from the usual indolent papillary carcinomas. CASE: Fine needle aspiration cytology was obtained from a rare composite tumor of tall cell and columnar cell variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma. The smears showed a cellular aspirate with scattered single tumor cells and several tissue fragments arranged in a papillary pattern. The tumor cells had abundant nuclear grooves and intranuclear pseudoinclusions. Several of the fragments showed columnar cells with nuclear pseudostratification, and a few clusters displayed tall columnar cells with basal nuclei and abundant cytoplasm. A rare cluster exhibited composite features of tall cell and columnar cell variants. CONCLUSION: Columnar cell and tall cell variants of PTC manifest aggressive clinical behavior. The differential diagnosis of columnar cell variant includes medullary carcinoma of thyroid and metastatic adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical stains for calcitonin and thyroglobulin play an important role in difficult cases. The tall cell variant needs to be differentiated from Hurthle cell papillary neoplasm of thyroid, which displays prominent nucleoli and lacks the characteristic nuclear features of PTC. The preoperative diagnosis of these aggressive variants is important in planning the most appropriate type of treatment.

Papillary squamotransitional cell carcinoma of the vagina: a case report and review of literature.

Papillary squamotransitional cell carcinoma of the female genital tract is a very rare and recently described vaginal carcinoma (Rose et al., 1998; Vesoulis and Erhardt, 2001). This kind of tumour of the uterine cervix first reported in 1997 by Dr. Koenig (1997) who reported 32 cases of cervical papillary carcinoma and divided them into three groups: 1) predominantly (4 90%) squamous (9 cases), 2) mixed squamous and transitional (16 cases), and 3) predominantly transitional (7 cases). Three patients died of disease in an average of 13 months after the diagnosis. Local recurrence developed in two women, and in one of these, a vaginal recurrence, occurred 12 years after the original diagnosis. Papillary transitional carcinoma also has been reported in the vagina, usually following a history of papillary transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract (Al-Nafussi and Al-Yusif, 1998; Singer et al., 1998; Bass et al., 1994; Ralph et al., 1991). There are only two reported cases of a vaginal papillary squamotransitional cell carcinoma without the history of urothelial carcinoma (Rose et al., 1998; Vesoulis, 2001). This tumour has a distinctive surface papillary growth pattern, and a tendency to be deeply invasive and a capacity to recur or metastasize (Koenig et al., 1997; Randall et al., 1986). It is therefore very important to recognize this tumour and to distinguish it from the more common and benign papillary lesions of the vagina. Here, we report the third case of this vaginal papillary squamotransitional cell carcinoma without the history of urothelial carcinoma.

Scrape cytology of meningioangiomatosis: a report of two cases with diagnostic cytologic features.

BACKGROUND Meningioangiomatosis is a rare, probably hamartomatous condition characterized by nonneoplastic intracortical proliferation of meningothelial cells, capillaries and fibroblasts. The lesion may mimic a tumor both clinically and radiologically. We present two cases of the entity, including its cytologic features. CASES A 71-year-old man presented with an eight-month history of headache, change in vision, loss of depth perception and unsteady gait. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an infiltrative lesion of the left occipital lobe, diffuse in nature. Cytologic smears prepared at the time of intraoperative consultation showed numerous thin-walled capillaries together with bland spindle cells. Occasional large cells with prominent nucleoli were also present. Frozen section confirmed the presence of linear, small capillaries surrounded by fibroblasts and meningothelial cells, consistent with meningioangiomatosis. The second case was a 3-year-old girl who presented with a one-day history of seizure, vomiting, fever and perioral cyanosis. MRI revealed an enhancing lesion in a temporal lobe of the cerebrum. The patient underwent excision of the lesion. Intraoperative cytology showed numerous meningothelial whorls together with neurons and occasional capillaries. Both patients were well, one after three months and the other after six. CONCLUSION Meningioangiomatosis is a lesion characterized by linear capillaries, meningothelial cells and neurons, some exhibiting nuclear atypia. The combination can lead to an erroneous diagnosis of more common conditions, such as meningioma (with intracortical extension) and anaplastic astrocytoma. Contrary to these more sinister diagnoses, meningioangiomatosis is a completely benign, presumably hamartomatous entity.

Fine needle aspiration of pulmonary adiaspiromycosis : A case report

BACKGROUND Pulmonary adiaspiromycosis is a common disease of many species of wild rodents and occasionally of humans, caused by the inhalation of spores of the fungus Chrysosporium parvum var crescens (Emmonsia crescens). CASE A 74-year-old female with pulmonary adiaspiromycosis was diagnosed by radiologically guided lung fine needle aspiration (FNA). The specimen showed intracellular and extracellular 100-300 microm conidia with a distinct thick, trilaminar wall, which was positive for Gomori-methenamine silver and periodic acid-Schiff stain. The background consisted of a granulomatous process. CONCLUSION FNA is an effective method of diagnosing pulmonary adiaspiromycosis, and pathologists need to be aware of the characteristic features of this unusual opportunistic fungal infection.

Role of PAX-8, CD5, and CD117 in distinguishing thymic carcinoma from poorly differentiated lung carcinoma.

Aim:To determine if PAX-8, CD5, and CD117 can differentiate thymic carcinoma from poorly differentiated lung carcinoma. Design:Archived cases of thymic (n=13) and poorly differentiated lung (n=15) carcinoma were analyzed for intensity and proportion of expression of PAX-8, CD117, and CD5. Results:PAX-8 was positive in 69.2% of thymic and 5.8% of lung carcinomas. CD117 was positive in 84% of thymic and 26.6% of lung carcinomas. A total of 53% of thymic and none of the lung carcinomas were positive for CD5. Forty-six percent, 53%, and 69% of thymic carcinomas were dual positive for combinations of CD5/PAX-8, CD117/CD5, and CD117/PAX-8, respectively. None of the lung carcinomas were dual positive. Positivity for any 2 of the 3 markers was seen in 84% of thymic and none of the lung carcinomas. Triple positivity was seen in 53% of thymic carcinomas. Conclusion:Adding PAX-8 to CD117 and CD5 increases the diagnostic yield for thymic carcinoma.

Ossifying Fibromyxoid Tumor of the Breast Mimicking Fibroadenoma: A Case Report and Differential Diagnoses

An 80-year-old woman presented with a palpable mass in the right breast. Mammographic findings were consistent with calcified fibroadenoma. An ultrasound was performed that showed a solid nodule with peripheral calcification. A core biopsy was obtained that revealed a spindle cell proliferation with a shell of mature bone. The histologic features, in combination with immunohistochemical studies, were those of an ossifying fibromyxoid tumor. Complete excision of the specimen further confirmed the diagnosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of ossifying fibromyxoid tumor occurring in the breast. We review the current literature on ossifying fibromyxoid tumor and discuss the differential diagnoses when confronted with bland spindle cells on a core biopsy of the breast.

Utility of cytokeratin 5/6 and high-molecular-weight keratin in evaluation of cauterized surgical margins in excised specimens of breast ductal carcinoma in situ.

Evaluation of the surgical margins of excision specimens for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of breast is challenging due to cautery artifact introduced in the specimen at the time of surgery. Cautery destroys the cytoarchitectural features at the tissue margins and makes the distinction between usual ductal hyperplasia (UDH) and DCIS difficult. Previous studies have shown the value of immunohistochemical staining for cytokeratin 5/6 (CK5/6) and high-molecular-weight keratin (HMWK) in distinguishing UDH from DCIS. We hypothesized that staining for CK5/6 and HMWK (34bE12) may be helpful in evaluating the cauterized surgical margins, given the 2 antibodies follow the same pattern as described in the preserved foci of the 2 entities. Forty-three excised breast specimens were stained for CK5/6 and HMWK (34bE12). Study material was divided into 5 groups: DCIS without cautery artifact, UDH without cautery artifact, UDH with cautery artifact, DCIS with mild-to-moderate cautery artifact morphologically recognizable as involving the surgical margin on hematoxylin and eosin stain, and DCIS with severe cautery artifacts precluding the evaluation of surgical margins on hematoxylin and eosin stain. A comparative evaluation of pattern, extent, and intensity of the 2 immunostains was done. Our results strongly suggest that antibodies for CK5/6 and HMWK (34bE12) may be useful in determining the presence of DCIS at surgical margins even in the event of severe cautery artifact.