Biliary obstruction secondary to duodenal follicular lymphoma with papillary involvement.

Duodenal-type follicular lymphoma is a clinical variant of follicular lymphoma located in the intestine, presenting as multiple small polyps. The estimated frequency is 1/7000 people and extraduodenal involvement is rare. It predominantly affects middle-aged women, although some cases of young patients have been published in the literature. They are usually located in the second periampullary portion of the duodenum. It is diagnosed incidentally or after performing an imaging test due to non-specific digestive symptoms (abdominalgia, diarrhea or hyporexia). The prognosis is usually favorable without specific treatment5.

EUS-guided fine needle biopsy of an anal gland adenocarcinoma with submucosal rectal invasion after normal colonoscopy. An uncommon histology.

We present the case of a 63-year-old male with long-term anal pain. A pelvic MRI was performed showing a tumor arising from the intersphincteric extending into the submucosal layer of the posterior rectal wall. The image was compatible with a cT4N0 ano-rectal carcinoma without any distant metastasis on the CT scan. Histopathology showed neoplastic proliferation cells arranged in nodules and nidus consistent with anal glands adenocarcinoma with a positive immunohistostaining for CK7 and MUC5+ .

Expert consensus of the Spanish Society of Pathology and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology on the determination of biomarkers in pancreatic and biliary tract cancer.

Pancreatic cancer and biliary tract cancer have a poor prognosis. In recent years, the development of new diagnostic techniques has enabled the identification of the main genetic alterations involved in the development of these tumours. Multiple studies have assessed the ability to predict response to treatment of certain biomarkers, such as BRCA in pancreatic cancer, IDH1 or FGFR2 in biliary tract cancer and microsatellite instability or NTRK fusions in an agnostic tumour fashion. In this consensus, a group of experts selected by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) and the Spanish Society of Pathology (SEAP) reviewed the role played by these mutations in the process of carcinogenesis and their clinical implications. Based on their results, a series of recommendations are made to optimize the determination of these biomarkers and thus help standardize the diagnosis and treatment of these tumours.

Expert consensus of the Spanish Society of Pathology and the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology on the determination of biomarkers in pancreatic and biliary tract cancer.

Pancreatic cancer and biliary tract cancer have a poor prognosis. In recent years, the development of new diagnostic techniques has enabled the identification of the main genetic alterations involved in the development of these tumours. Multiple studies have assessed the ability of certain biomarkers, such as BRCA in pancreatic cancer, IDH1 or FGFR2 in biliary tract cancer and microsatellite instability or NTRK fusions in an agnostic tumour fashion, to predict response to treatment.In this consensus, a group of experts selected by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) and the Spanish Society of Pathology (SEAP) reviewed the role played by these mutations in the process of carcinogenesis and their clinical implications. As a result, this article proposes a series of recommendations to optimize the determination of these biomarkers to help standardize the diagnosis and treatment of these tumours.

Acute liver failure due to anti-tuberculous treatment: when you travel without medical follow-up.

We present an uncommon cause of liver transplant in a patient with a particular personal situation, who suffered loss of follow-up during his antitubercular treatment. He presented a dress syndrome with fulminant liver failure that required a liver transplant. This case demonstrates the importance of close monitoring of liver function during this treatment.

Endoscopic ultrasound versus multidetector computed tomography in preoperative gastric cancer staging.

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is the gold standard technique in loco-regional staging of gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). Nevertheless, the introduction of multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) allows accurate studies to be performed. OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic yield of EUS and MDCT in loco-regional preoperative staging of gastric adenocarcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a retrospective and comparative study of all surgical patients with GAC and preoperative staging by EUS and 64-row MDCT. The results for each case were compared with the histological data. RESULTS: Seventy seven surgical patients with GAC were identified and forty two had a complete preoperative staging and were finally included in the study. With regard to overall accuracy of T staging, EUS was superior to MDCT (62% vs 50%). In a subanalysis of early stages (T1-T2) and advanced stages (T3-T4), accuracy and sensitivity (S) were higher for EUS than for MDTC (83.3% vs 64.29% and 84.4% vs 59.5% respectively), although this did not reach statistical significance. The overall accuracy and sensitivity of EUS for N staging was lower than that for MDCT, although neither comparison reached statistical significance (57% vs 64% and 29% vs 55%). CONCLUSION: EUS diagnostic yield is similar to new MDCT with regard to T and N preoperative staging of GAC. Nevertheless, both techniques should be considered as complementary until more extensive and randomized studies can confirm these results.

Intraductal papillary neoplasia of the bile duct with malignancy: a differentiated entity of cholangiocarcinoma with a better prognosis. A review of three new cases.

INTRODUCTION: Intraductal papillary neoplasms of the bile duct have been recognized as a differentiated entity to other biliary tumors since 2001. They are characterized by intraductal growth, with or without mucus production, and have malignant potential, although they have a better prognosis than other types of cholangiocarcinoma. CASE REPORTS: From January 2010 to August 2015, we included three patients with a confirmed diagnosis of bile duct intraductal papillary neoplasia with malignancy that were treated at our center. Two cases were male and one female with a mean age of 67.3 years. All three patients presented malignancy at the time of diagnosis. One patient was asymptomatic and the diagnosis was reported in the hepatectomy specimen after a liver transplant due to autoimmune hepatitis. The other two patients presented with cholestasis and acute cholangitis and the diagnosis was made based on imaging tests (computed tomography [CT] and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with brushing and a biopsy. The treatment in both cases was surgical with a left hepatectomy, and resection of the left bile duct and segment I. They did not receive adjuvant treatment. None of the cases had recurrence of the disease. DISCUSSION: Malignant intraductal papillary neoplasias of the biliary tract represent a different entity of cholangiocarcinoma with a better prognosis. Its diagnosis is based on imaging tests and histology by ERCP. The treatment is surgical, achieving a high rate of success with a low relapse rate.

Graft versus host disease as a complication after liver transplantation: A rare but serious association.

UNLABELLED: The graft versus host disease after liver transplant is rare, with an incidence less than 1%, but with a high mortality (75-85%), especially due to infectious complications. It usually affects gastrointestinal tract, skin and blood system in the context of a normal liver graft function. There is no consensus on the most appropriate treatment: some articles support a reduction or even elimination of immunosuppressive drugs, while others published success with a dose increase. CLINICAL CASE: We report a case of a 68 year-old liver transplant recipient with a graft retrieved from an ABO identical cadaveric donor. After an uneventful postoperative period, he was readmitted presenting these symptoms: skin lesions, diarrhea and kidney failure. After ruling out infectious causes or drug toxicity, skin, duodenum and colon biopsies demonstrated characteristic histological changes of graft versus host disease grade III. Initially, supportive treatment along with methylprednisolone bolus were administered with good response. However, as the doses of corticosteroids decreased, the patient worsened again, requiring basiliximab. In spite of that, the patient progressively worsened with hematological involvement and, finally, an alteration of liver function tests prior to decease. The autopsy showed CMV and Herpes virus superinfection. DISCUSSION: We report a new case of graft-versus-host disease after liver transplantation with fatal evolution due to viral superinfection despite the employed measures.

Review of imaging techniques in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who require a liver transplant.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to retrospectively compare the diagnostic performance of ultrasound (US), contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and contrast-enhanced MRI in cirrhotic patients who were candidates for liver transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 273 consecutive patients with 218 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nodules, who underwent imaging and subsequent transplantation, were examined. Diagnosis of HCC was based on explant correlation of the whole liver. Three different imaging data sets were evaluated: US, MDCT and MRI unenhanced and dynamic phases. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals, were determined. Statistical analysis was performed for all lesions and for two lesion subgroups (≤2 and >2 cm). Preoperative tumour staging was analysed. RESULTS: Patient sensitivity to US, MDCT and MRI was 80.4, 81.1 and 90.5%, respectively. Specificity was 96.3, 96.2 and 82.1%. Combined US and MDCT improved sensitivity (88%) without significant loss in specificity (95.7%). Imaging tests resulted in accurate tumour staging in 83.4% of the patients. In per-nodule analysis, technique sensitivity was 55.6, 52.4 and 65.9%, respectively. Sensitivity figures improved when the nodule was larger than 2 cm. CONCLUSION: Combining imaging techniques is a good strategy for pretransplant HCC diagnosis and provides more accurate cancer staging in patients, which is necessary to decide the correct therapeutic approach.

Cavernous hemangioma of the parotid gland in adults.

Hemangiomas account for 0.4-0.6% of all tumors of the parotid gland and most of them occur in children, nevertheless in adults hemangiomas are very rare. We report the case of a 62 year old woman with a mass in the parotid right tail associated with fluctuating swelling episodes unrelated to meals and with a slowly progressive growth. The provisional diagnosis was a pleomorphic adenoma, so a right superficial parotidectomy was performed. During surgery, the macroscopic appearance makes suspect a vascular lesion. The histopathological result was a cavernous hemangioma. The classic clinical presentation of a parotid hemangioma is an intraglandular mass associated or not with skin lesions characterized by reddish macules and/or papules, and a vibration or pulsation when palpating the parotid region. In imaging tests, phleboliths could be observed which are very suggestive of a hemangioma or a vascular malformation. In the absence of these signs, the diagnosis could be difficult, particularly in an adult due to its low prevalence, with about 50 cases reported worldwide. However a hemangioma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of parotid tumors in adults. Key words:Cavernous hemangioma, parotid gland, superficial parotidectomy, pleomorphic adenoma.

[Non-secreting, extra-adrenal retroperitoneal paragangliomas]. / Paragangliomas retroperitoneales extradrenales no secretantes.

OBJECTIVE: Two cases of extra-adrenal non-secretory retroperitoneal paraganglioma in male patients are presented. The first case had intermittent vascular claudication in lower limbs and the second one was an incidental finding during staging of a lymphoma. METHODS: Both cases were studied using imaging techniques (US, CT and MRI) and histological and immunohistochemical analyses. RESULTS: The imaging techniques demonstrated solid homogeneous retroperitoneal masses intimately adhered to the abdominal aorta in the first case and located in the left upper hemiabdomen (in front of the left kidney) in the second one. Histological analysis showed a proliferation of spindle cells with cuboid cytoplasm arranged in solid nests, with typical immunohistochemical findings of paraganglioma. CONCLUSIONS: Extra-adrenal retroperitoneal paraganglioma are rare tumors, particularly the non-secretory variant. The only reliable criteria for malignancy are extensive capsular invasion and distant metastases.