Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor directly invading the right first rib treated with oral steroids: a case report.

BACKGROUND: We present a case of an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor cured with a short period of steroid administration, a treatment previously unreported for such cases. CASE PRESENTATION: A 49-year-old man had a chief complaint of chest pain for more than 3 days. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a tumoral lesion suspected to have infiltrated into the right first rib and intercostal muscles, with changes in lung parenchymal density around the lesion. The maximal standardized uptake value on 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography was high (16.73), consistent with tumor presence. CT-guided biopsy revealed an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor with no distant metastases. Surgery was indicated based on the disease course. However, he had received an oral steroid before the preoperative contrast-enhanced CT scan due to a history of bronchial asthma, and subsequent CT showed that the tumor shrank in size after administration; he has been recurrence-free for more than a year. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery is still the first choice for inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors, as the disease can metastasize and relapse; however, this condition can also be cured with a short period of steroid therapy.

A case of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor effectiveness in epidermal growth factor receptor mutation-positive squamous cell carcinoma.

A 71-year-old non-smoker woman was admitted to our hospital because of left front chest pain. A computed tomography scan showed a large mass of >7.0 cm in the lower left part of the lung and multiple organ metastases in the liver, brain, bone, and left adrenal gland. Pathological analysis of a resected specimen obtained by bronchoscopy revealed keratinization. In addition, p40 was positive and thyroid transcription factor-1, synaptophysin, CD56, and chromogranin A were negative by immunohistochemistry. Programmed cell death ligand 1 expression was 1%-10%, and exon 19 deletion was detected. We diagnosed the patient with stage IVB lung squamous cell carcinoma and administered osimertinib. Osimertinib was later replaced with afatinib because of grade 3 skin rash. Overall, the size of the cancer was decreased. Furthermore, her symptoms, laboratory data, and computer tomographic findings markedly improved. In summary, we experienced a case of epidermal growth factor receptor-positive lung squamous cell carcinoma that was responsive to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Local recurrence of breast cancer histologically resembling Paget disease presumably due to needle tract seeding: a case report.

Seeding of cancer cells along the needle tract during core needle biopsy is a well-known phenomenon, with a reported frequency of between 22 and 50% [Hoorntje et al. in Eur J Surg Oncol 30:520-525, 2004;Liebens et al. in Maturitas 62:113-123, 2009;Diaz et al. in AJR Am J Roentgenol 173:1303-1313, 1999;]. Local recurrence due to needle tract seeding is rare because the immune system eliminates the cancer cells in most cases. In addition, most local recurrences due to needle tract seeding occur as invasive carcinoma after diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast or mucinous carcinoma, and needle tract seeding due to noninvasive carcinoma is uncommon. We herein report a rare case of local breast cancer recurrence histologically resembling Paget disease, presumably due to needle tract seeding after core needle biopsy for diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast. After receiving a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ, the patient underwent skin-sparing mastectomy and breast reconstruction with a latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap. The pathological study showed ER/PgR-negative ductal carcinoma in situ, and no postoperative radiation therapy or systemic therapy was administered. Six months after the surgery, the patient had a breast cancer recurrence histologically resembling Paget disease, presumably in the scar of her core needle biopsy. The pathological study showed Paget disease localized in the epidermis, no invasive carcinoma, and no lymph node metastasis. It was morphologically similar to the primary lesion and was diagnosed as a local recurrence due to needle tract seeding.

Transcriptome genetic differences between responders and non-responders before bronchial thermoplasty.

BACKGROUND: Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is an endoscopic therapy used for the treatment of refractory asthma. Some predictive factors, for example the number of activations and severity of disease at baseline, have been used to determine the effectiveness of BT in treating patients with asthma. The aim of the present study was to comprehensively analyze RNA samples from the airway bronchial tissues of patients with severe asthma treated by BT, and to characterize each patient as a BT responder or non-responder. METHODS: Eight patients with severe asthma scheduled to undergo BT and bronchus biopsies were recruited before the procedures were conducted. Extracted RNA samples from bronchial tissues were sequenced and differential gene expression analysis was carried out.Results/discussion: Subjects with Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score changes ≥0.5 for a period of 12 months were considered BT responders. Non-responders had score changes <0.5 for 12 months. Histopathology findings were similar to those reported previously, and no significant differences in the expression of α-smooth muscle actin and protein gene product 9.5 were observed between responders and non-responders. Transcriptome analysis at baseline identified 67 genes that were differentially expressed between responders and non-responders, including SLPI, MMP3, and MUC19, which were upregulated in responders. Although the differentially expressed gene products may have conflicting effects, genes in the airway epithelium and extracellular matrix of patients with severe asthma may determine the BT response. Our results identified possible transcriptomic changes that could be used to identify BT responders.

Nuclear grade and comedo necrosis of ductal carcinoma in situ as histopathological eligible criteria for the Japan Clinical Oncology Group 1505 trial: an interobserver agreement study.

OBJECTIVE: The Japan Clinical Oncology Group 1505 trial is a single-arm multicentre prospective study that examined the possibility of non-surgical follow-up with endocrine therapy for patients with low-grade ductal carcinoma in situ. In that study, the eligible criteria included histopathological findings comprising low to intermediate nuclear grade and absence of comedo necrosis, and cases were entered according to the local histopathological diagnosis. Nuclear grade is largely based on the Consensus Conference criteria (1997), whereas comedo necrosis is judged according to the Rosen's criteria (2017). The purpose of this study was to standardize and examine the interobserver agreement levels of these histopathological criteria amongst the participating pathologists. METHODS: We held slide conferences, where photomicrographs of haematoxylin-eosin-stained slides from 68 patients with ductal carcinoma in situ were presented using PowerPoint. The nuclear grade and comedo necrosis statuses individually judged by the pathologists were analysed using κ statistics. RESULTS: In the first and second sessions, where 22 cases each were presented, the interobserver agreement levels of nuclear grade whether low/intermediate grade or high grade were moderate amongst 29 and 24 participating pathologists, respectively (κ = 0.595 and 0.519, respectively). In the third session where 24 cases were presented, interobserver agreement levels of comedo necrosis or non-comedo necrosis were substantial amongst 25 participating pathologists (κ = 0.753). CONCLUSION: Although the concordance rates in nuclear grade or comedo necrosis were not high in a few of the cases, we believe that these results could provide a rationale for employing the present criteria of nuclear grade and comedo necrosis in the clinical study of ductal carcinoma in situ.

Pneumonitis Due to Oren-gedoku-to (Coptis Detoxifying Decoction).

A 54-year-old man started to take oren-gedoku-to (coptis detoxifying decoction) because he was experiencing chronic hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia. He developed a high fever from the day of intake. At day 17, he stopped taking oren-gedoku-to because of malaise and chills, and he was admitted to our hospital. Drug-induced pneumonitis was suspected, and all drugs were stopped. Consequently, his symptoms, laboratory data and chest X-ray findings markedly improved. The results of a lymphocyte stimulation test were positive for oren-gedoku-to and one of its components, ougon (Baikal skullcap). Based on these findings, we diagnosed him with pneumonitis caused by ougon.

Preoperative diagnosis of a giant cell tumor of soft tissue arising from the breast by ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy.

Giant cell tumors of soft tissue (GCT-ST) arising in the breast are extremely rare. Herein, we report a case of a 45-year-old woman with a 5-cm mass in her left breast. Ultrasonography revealed a mainly well-circumscribed mass that contained a cystic lesion. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a fibrous capsule-covered mass that contained a high-intensity area, suggesting hemorrhaging. Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) revealed mononuclear histiocytic cells with a round shape or spindled appearance that was mixed with multinucleated giant cells. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed CD68-positive staining in the mononuclear and giant cells but negative staining for pancytokeratin. Preoperatively, the tumor was highly suspected of being GCT-ST. Histopathological results after a left mastectomy showed similar findings to CNB. The final diagnosis was GCT-ST in the breast. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of a GCT-ST arising in the breast diagnosed by ultrasound-guided CNB.

Synthesis of chiral hexasubstituted cyclohexanediol, a key intermediate for the synthesis of verticillol, from (+)-dihydrocarvone; attempted cyclization to 12-membered carbocycle in verticillol using RCM reaction.

A cyclohexane derivative with three chiral centers, a key intermediate for the synthesis of a diterpene verticillol, was prepared starting from (+)-dihydrocarvone. A further challenge to cyclize to a 12-membered carbocycle was attempted, although the products were dimeric derivatives presumably due to an undesirable conformation of the substrate.

Glomus tumor of a female breast: a case report and review of the literature.

Glomus tumor is a benign, subcutaneous neoplasm which usually arises in areas that are rich in glomus bodies, most commonly the digital area, and usually appears as a painful nodule. Glomus tumor of the breast is extremely rare, and there has been only limited information reported in the literature to date. We herein present a case of a glomus tumor arising from the breast, showing a well-circumscribed, hypervascular, solid and hypoechoic tumor within the retromammary fat. The tumor was resected and the patient's pain was relieved immediately after the surgery. She remains well without any symptoms after a year. This report describes a unique case of this type of tumor.

Evaluation of immunohistochemical staining using whole-slide imaging for HER2 scoring of breast cancer in comparison with real glass slides.

Whole-slide imaging (WSI) has been used for education and histological image preservation, and several studies have also reported its validity for practical pathological diagnosis. However, such studies employed materials stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE), and very few attempts have been made to use immunohistochemically stained materials for diagnostic purposes. In the present study, we investigated the availability of WSI diagnosis for immunohistochemically stained materials in place of routine glass slides. Thirty pathologists participated in a trial of HER2 expression diagnosis using WSI and compared the results with those obtained by light microscopy. The validity of WSI diagnosis (interobserver agreement) was rated as 'substantial' in comparison with glass slide diagnosis (κ-value = 0.719). There was a tendency for observers to assign higher scores with WSI than with glass slides, probably because WSI requires slides to be scanned into a computer and observed via a monitor. Although we were able to demonstrate the potential utility of WSI for diagnosing immunostained materials, it must be borne in mind that there are some differences in visualization between WSI and glass slides.

Treatment outcome of adult Burkitt Lymphoma in Japanese patients with modified LMB protocol : a single center retrospective analysis.

The prognosis of adult Burkitt lymphoma (BL) has improved in western countries since the introduction of high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)-containing chemotherapy. Here we analyzed nine consecutive Japanese patients diagnosed with BL at our institution. All except for the three elderly (> 70 years) patients were treated with a regimen including 13 g/m(2) HD-MTX in total, divided into 3 cycles. The median follow-up period was 56 months (range 38-118). All the nine patients achieved complete remission and have not shown any disease progression, including the three elderly patients who received reduced doses or alternative treatments. These observations suggest that chemotherapy including 13 g/m(2) HD-MTX in total is tolerable and effective in Japanese adult BL patients aged < 70 and that BL is curable even if developed in those who are > 70 years.

A highly therapy-resistant case of B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma showing strong BCL2 staining, otherwise indistinguishable from Burkitt lymphoma.

B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma (iDLBCL/BL) is a newly categorized lymphoma in the WHO Classification of Tumors of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues v4. This lymphoma has characteristics of both DLBCL and BL, morphologically and genetically. We report a case with therapy-resistant iDLBCL/BL, which used to be categorized as BL in the WHO Classification v3. This case showed strong BCL2 staining, otherwise exhibiting features of BL. The case was treated with intensive chemotherapy containing high-dose methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, and cytarabine. However, soon after the chemotherapy, the lymphoma relapsed in the central nervous system and was resistant to whole-brain radiation therapy and allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The patient died 37 days after the transplantation. The clinical course was different from that of typical BL in terms of resistance to intensive chemotherapy, in agreement with the characteristics of iDLBCL/BL.

[Case of a testicular germ cell tumor presenting with multiple metastasized pulmonary nodules and masses].

A 25-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of bloody sputum and unilateral gynecomastia. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of his chest showed multiple nodules and masses. On physical examination, no enlargement of the testes was noted, but a tiny calcified lesion in his left testis was detected on a genital CT scan. He was referred to the urology department with a suspected testicular germ cell tumor. An echogram showed a micronodule in his left testis. A testicular mixed germ cell tumor was diagnosed on the basis of the histological features of the tumor removed by high orchiectomy, and systemic chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) was initiated. Testicular germ cell tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of multiple pulmonary nodules or masses in young men. Because high orchiectomy is indispensable for the treatment of testicular germ cell tumor, aggressive investigative studies of the testis are essential in patients with pulmonary, mediastinal, and retroperitoneal germ cell tumors.

A case of idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis presenting high values of matrix metalloproteinase.

This report concerns a 53-year-old male patient with idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis who presented with multiple cranial nerve palsies (I, II, III, IV, V, VI). Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed diffuse thickening and gadolinium enhancement of the cerebral dura mater. A biopsy of the cerebral dura mater showed granulomatous vasculitis with histiocyte infiltration. Although both the serum rheumatoid factor (RF) and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) were high, the patient showed no signs of arthritis. He was anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody negative, which makes the presence of comorbid chronic rheumatoid arthritis (RA) unlikely. The aetiology of the pachymeningitis was unknown, which led to the diagnosis of idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis. Steroid pulse therapy successfully diminished the patient's pachymeningitis and lowered both RF and MMP-3. High values of RF suggest the possible involvement of an autoimmune mechanism, and the MMP value may be an important indicator of the aetiology of pachymeningitis with granulomatous vasculitis.

Pulmonary sequestration with elevated serum level of progastrin-releasing peptide.

A 74-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis was referred for a mass incidentally noted on chest radiograph. Chest CT scan showed cystic lesions in the right lower lobe. The lesion was evaluated as bronchiectasis, and she was followed up. Three years after the initial presentation, the appearance of the lesion had changed significantly and an elevated air-fluid level in the cystic structures was shown on chest CT scan. The preoperative serum progastrin-releasing peptide (proGRP) level was elevated (108.0 pg/ml; normal: <50 pg/ml). Histopathological specimen obtained by standard lower lobectomy confirmed that the lesion was an intralobar pulmonary sequestration. In the resected lobe, there was no malignant finding, but there were neuroendocrine tumorlet cells, which were positive for proGRP. One month after the resection, the serum proGRP level returned to normal. No pulmonary sequestration with high levels of proGRP has been reported, and this is the first case with elevated serum levels of proGRP.