Incidental Finding of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia After Podiatric Surgery: Case Report.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is hematopoietic neoplasm that typically remains insidious and undetected until symptoms arise. We present a patient that underwent podiatric surgery for a symptomatic bunion at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center Northport with resultant incidental finding of CLL. This facility mandates that all excised bone and tissue be submitted for gross examination by a pathologist. This case highlights the potential benefit of pathological examination of bone specimens for potential early detection of pathologies.

KRAS mutational analysis and immunohistochemical studies can help distinguish pancreatic metastases from primary lung adenocarcinomas.

Lung metastases from primary pancreatic adenocarcinomas often have mucinous features, which makes them difficult to distinguish from the primary lung adenocarcinoma. We explored the potential utility of KRAS mutational status and immunohistochemical studies in the evaluation of adenocarcinomas in the lungs of patients with known pancreatic cancer. Metastatic pancreatic cancer cases had fewer solitary lung lesions (5 (15%) versus 37 (95%) for lung primaries; P=0.0001), more tumors with pure (100%) mucinous morphology (16 (50%) versus 9 (23%) for lung primaries; P=0.0037), and more frequent KRAS mutations (24 (75%) versus 18 (46%) for lung primaries; P=0.0093). Presence of the KRAS G12C mutation had 96% specificity and positive predictive value for lung adenocarcinoma, whereas G12R was 99% specific for pancreatic cancer with a positive predictive value of 86%. Of the 18 KRAS mutated mucinous lung tumors, only 3 (16%) occurred in nonsmokers. Conversely, of the 19 KRAS mutated pancreatic cancer metastases, 11 (58%) occurred in nonsmokers. The median overall survival was significantly shorter for patients with metastatic tumors when compared with patients with primary mucinous tumors (19 months, 95% confidence interval, 10-28 months versus 55 months, 95% confidence interval, 39-70 months, P=0.005). CK20 and CDX2 positivity supported metastatic pancreatic cancer, whereas TTF-1 positivity supported primary lung adenocarcinoma. In summary, KRAS G12C mutations, TTF-1, and napsin A were associated with primary lung adenocarcinoma, whereas KRAS G12R mutations, CK20, and CDX2 favored pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We showed survival differences for patients whose pancreatic metastases were synchronous versus metachronous to their primary tumors, and for patients with mucinous pancreatic cancer metastases versus primary mucinous lung adenocarcinomas. Differences in KRAS mutations reflect differences in exposure to tobacco smoking and highlight biological differences between two KRAS oncogene-driven cancers.

Intestinal Endometriosis Leading to Recurrent Hematochezia.

Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue existing outside of the endometrial cavity has an inflammatory response, which can lead to swelling and scarring, generally in the abdominopelvic cavity. It commonly presents in reproductive-age women and very infrequently presents in postmenopausal women. We report a case of a 51-year-old woman who underwent a hysterectomy a decade before presentation with new-onset intermittent proctalgia and hematochezia. Her colonoscopy showed a sigmoid polyp, which was confirmed to be endometriosis on histopathology. This case highlights intestinal endometriosis as a rare differential to be considered in women, regardless of age, with abnormal rectal bleeding.

Blue nevus of the colorectal mucosa.

The blue nevus is a well-described benign melanocytic proliferation that generally occurs on the skin. Infrequently, blue nevi are found on mucosal surfaces. The most common location for mucosal blue nevi is the oral mucosa, with reported cases in the sinonasal mucosa and genital tract, as well as in other locations. To our knowledge, blue nevi of the rectal mucosa have not been described. Here, we describe a case of blue nevus arising in the rectal mucosa. Blue nevi are benign melanocytic proliferations with the potential for malignant transformation and should be included in the differential diagnosis of pigmented mucosal lesions of the rectum.

Recurrence of Citrobacter koseri-associated Intra-abdominal Infection 2 Years after Spilled Gallstones during Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

Spilled gallstones during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) are common. Lost gallstones can lead to complications such as intra-abdominal abscesses, which can occur days, months, or even years after the procedure. Citrobacter koseri belongs to the family of Enterobacteriaceae. It is a low-virulence pathogen; however, it is linked to infections of the urinary tract and abdomen. We report the case of a 70-year-old diabetic male who presented with C. koseri- associated subhepatic abscess. Two years prior, he had emphysematous cholecystitis and liver abscess caused by C. koseri. During his LC, gallstones were spilled in the abdominal cavity and every effort was made to retrieve them. However, 2 years later, an aspiration of the subhepatic abscess revealed cholesterol fragments. We hypothesize that dislodged cholesterol gallstones and bile, contaminated with C. koseri, were the culprits for the appearance of the subhepatic abscess with the same organism 2 years after the LC.

Adequacy assessment of endoscopic ultrasound-guided, fine-needle aspirations of pancreatic masses for theranostic studies: optimization of current practices is warranted.

CONTEXT: Novel chemotherapy regimens now provide the opportunity for "personalized" care in pancreatic cancer. Little is known about our ability to procure adequate cells for theranostic studies using standard ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirations and cytologic techniques. OBJECTIVE: To assess cellularity of cytology material in patients with solid pancreatic lesions. DESIGN: One hundred sixty-nine endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirations with positive diagnoses of solid epithelial pancreatic neoplasms were evaluated for smear and cell block cellularity. Cellularity was scored on a scale of 1 to 4; scores of 3 or 4 (>100 cells) were deemed adequate for ancillary studies. Clinicopathologic variables were recorded. A 3-month prospective analysis was also performed using a new collection algorithm. RESULTS: Only 12.4% (21 of 169) of the positive cases had a cell block cellularity score that was adequate for theranostic studies. This score was not associated with on-site evaluation, needle gauge, or number of passes. Adenocarcinoma was the most common diagnosis (88%) but yielded fewer adequate cell blocks, P = .006. Cellularity showed correlation with endoscopists, P = .04. Tumor size and fibrosis score of resected tumors tended to correlate with cellularity, but only larger size in endocrine tumors was significantly associated with adequacy (P = .02). Standardized collection did not improve overall cell block cellularity. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in practice, such as obtaining dedicated passes for ancillary studies, may not be enough to improve the theranostic utility of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in pancreatic neoplasia. Other methods to improve tumor cell yield, including modified cytologic techniques and new needle designs, need to be further investigated.

Voice recognition technology implementation in surgical pathology: advantages and limitations.

CONTEXT: Voice recognition technology (VRT) has been in use for medical transcription outside of laboratories for many years, and in recent years it has evolved to a level where it merits consideration by surgical pathologists. OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility and impact of making a transition from a transcriptionist-based service to VRT in surgical pathology. DESIGN: We have evaluated VRT in a phased manner for sign out of general and subspecialty surgical pathology cases after conducting a pilot study. We evaluated the effect on turnaround time, workflow, staffing, typographical error rates, and the overall ability of VRT to be adapted for use in surgical pathology. RESULTS: The stepwise implementation of VRT has resulted in real-time sign out of cases and improvement in average turnaround time from 4 to 3 days. The percentage of cases signed out in 1 day improved from 22% to 37%. Amendment rates for typographical errors have decreased. Use of templates and synoptic reports has been facilitated. The transcription staff has been reassigned to other duties and is successfully assisting in other areas. Resident involvement and exposure to complete case sign out has been achieved resulting in a positive impact on resident education. CONCLUSIONS: Voice recognition technology allows for a seamless workflow in surgical pathology, with improvements in turnaround time and a positive impact on competency-based resident education. Individual practices may assess the value of VRT and decide to implement it, potentially with gains in many aspects of their practice.

Prognostic significance of miR-215 in colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that miR-215 suppressed the expression of key targets such as thymidylate synthase (TS), dihydrofolate reductase, and denticleless protein homolog (DTL) in colon cancer. miR-215 is a tumor suppressor candidate due to the upregulation of p53 and p21 by targeting DTL. However, high levels of miR-215 conferred chemoresistance due to cell cycle arrest and reduced cell proliferation by suppressing DTL. In this study, the clinical significance of miR-215 was further investigated as a potential prognostic biomarker in colon cancer patients. METHODS: Total RNAs were extracted from 34 paired normal and colon (stage II and III) tumor specimens using the Trizol-based approach. The levels of miR-215 and a closely related miR-192 were quantified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) expression analysis. The expression of DTL mRNA and protein were quantified by real time qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The expression levels of miR-192 (P = .0008) and miR-215 (P < .0001) were significantly decreased in colon tumors compared with normal tissues. DTL was significantly over-expressed and was inversely correlated with miR-215, further suggesting an in vivo physiologic relevance of miR-215 mediated DTL suppression. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis by Cox regression revealed that high levels of miR-215 expression (hazard ratio, 3.516; 95% confidence interval, 1.007-12.28, P = .025) are closely associated with poor patient's overall survival. Furthermore, an elevated expression of a miR-215 target protein DTL was detected in colon cancer tissues whereas no expression was present in normal tissues. CONCLUSION: miR-215 has a unique potential as a prognostic biomarker in stage II and III colon cancer.