Eccrine Porocarcinoma of the Vulva With Sarcomatoid Transformation, a New Human Papillomavirus-associated Malignancy? Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Eccrine porocarcinoma is a rare cutaneous neoplasm, and rarer still in the anogenital region. In the vulva, the most common carcinoma by far is squamous cell carcinoma; however, eccrine porocarcinoma can arise at this site. As the distinction between porocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma has important prognostic implications at other cutaneous sites, it stands to reason that it may have these same implications in the vulva. We present a case of an eccrine porocarcinoma in the vulva of a 70-year-old woman that, in addition, showed sarcomatoid transformation. This tumor harbored human papillomavirus-18 DNA and mRNA, raising the question of the role of the oncogenic virus in sweat gland neoplasms of the vulva.

Mutational landscape of uterine and ovarian carcinosarcomas implicates histone genes in epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Carcinosarcomas (CSs) of the uterus and ovary are highly aggressive neoplasms containing both carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. We analyzed the mutational landscape of 68 uterine and ovarian CSs by whole-exome sequencing. We also performed multiregion whole-exome sequencing comprising two carcinoma and sarcoma samples from six tumors to resolve their evolutionary histories. The results demonstrated that carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements derive from a common precursor having mutations typical of carcinomas. In addition to mutations in cancer genes previously identified in uterine and ovarian carcinomas such as TP53, PIK3CA, PPP2R1A, KRAS, PTEN, CHD4, and BCOR, we found an excess of mutations in genes encoding histone H2A and H2B, as well as significant amplification of the segment of chromosome 6p harboring the histone gene cluster containing these genes. We also found frequent deletions of the genes TP53 and MBD3 (a member with CHD4 of the nucleosome remodeling deacetylase complex) and frequent amplification of chromosome segments containing the genes PIK3CA, TERT, and MYC Stable transgenic expression of H2A and H2B in a uterine serous carcinoma cell line demonstrated that mutant, but not wild-type, histones increased expression of markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as well as tumor migratory and invasive properties, suggesting a role in sarcomatous transformation. Comparison of the phylogenetic relationships of carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements of the same tumors demonstrated separate lineages leading to these two components. These findings define the genetic landscape of CSs and suggest therapeutic targets for these highly aggressive neoplasms.

Human papillomavirus type 16 viral load is decreased following a therapeutic vaccination.

In the dose-escalation phase of a Phase I clinical trial in which six subjects each were vaccinated with PepCan at the 50, 100, 250, and 500 µg per peptide dose, the 50 µg dose showed the best histological regression rate. Ten additional subjects were vaccinated at this dose in the final dose phase. As with the dose-escalation phase, no dose-limiting toxicities were observed. Overall, the histological regression rates were 50% at the 50 µg dose (7 of 14) and 100 µg dose (3 of 6), and 45 % overall (14 of 31). Of subjects in whom HPV type 16 (HPV 16) was detected at entry, it became undetectable in three subjects after vaccination, and the viral loads significantly decreased in nine subjects in whom HPV 16 infection was detected at entry and exit (p = 0.008). Immune profiling revealed increased T-helper type 1 cells after vaccinations (p = 0.02 and 0.0004 after 2 and 4 vaccinations, respectively). T-helper type 2 cells initially increased after two vaccinations (p = 0.01), but decreased below the baseline level after four vaccinations although not significantly. Pre-vaccination regulatory T cell levels were significantly lower in histological responders compared to non-responders (p = 0.03). Feasibility of testing plasma for multiplex cytokine/chemokine analysis and of performing proteomic analysis of PBMCs was examined for potentially identifying biomarkers in the future. While these analyses are feasible to perform, attention needs to be given to how soon the blood samples would be processed after phlebotomy. As sufficient safety of PepCan has been demonstrated, enrollment for the Phase II clinical trial has been opened.

Benign and Premalignant Lesions of the Endometrium.

In this review, we highlight the benign and premalignant lesions of the endometrium that the pathologist may encounter in daily practice. We begin by detailing our current understanding of excess estrogen in the progression of endometrial neoplasia. We outline the currently accepted terminology to be used when evaluating proliferative endometrial lesions, while highlighting their key features. Attention is then turned to the molecular underpinnings of neoplastic progression and how this can be exploited with immunohistochemical stains when appropriate. Finally, we discuss types of metaplasia and their associations, including so-called papillary proliferations of the endometrium.

Accentuated p53 staining in usual type vulvar dysplasia-A potential diagnostic pitfall.

Evaluation of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) may be difficult due to overlapping histologic features seen in both usual (UVIN) and differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (DVIN). DVIN represents a diagnostic challenge; poor inter-observer agreement is well documented. P53 has been described as a potentially helpful adjunct in some cases; however, intricacies in its interpretation remain. This study evaluated 41 consecutive cases which consisted of 23 keratinizing dysplasias that were morphologically suggestive of DVIN and 18 UVINs. All cases were stained with p16 and p53. Our results revealed that 22 of 41 (54%) VINs showed novel accentuated wild type (WT) staining with non-linear basal staining for p53, including 12 (52%) cases histologically suggestive of DVIN and 10 (56%) described as UVIN. P16 was positive in 100% of the accentuated wild type cases, consistent with a diagnosis of UVIN. Positive p53 and negative p16 staining was seen in 4 (17%) cases histologically suggestive of DVIN. Of these, 75% progressed to carcinoma, whereas only 1 of 35 (3%) patients with UVIN progressed to carcinoma. In conclusion, DVIN is difficult to diagnose due to potential histologic overlap with UVIN, especially the warty, or keratinizing, subtype. Accentuated WT p53 in absence of concurrent p16 staining may lead to misdiagnosis of DVIN, especially in small biopsy samples. P16/p53 staining should be performed in tandem with strict adherence to patterns considered positive, as patients with UVIN have significantly less risk of progression.

Uterine rhabdomyosarcoma in adults.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is an aggressive mesenchymal tumor most commonly diagnosed in the pediatric population, and when occurring in adults, tends to develop in the deep soft tissue of the limbs. Primary uterine RMS comprises an even more restricted subset, with little known or reported when compared to most other gynecologic sarcomas. Our goal with this study was to retrospectively evaluate cases from two academic institutions and describe the main histopathologic findings of this rare gynecologic malignancy. A total of 8 cases were identified, consisting of 4 pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcomas (PRMS), 2 alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas (ARMS), and 2 embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas (ERMS). They occurred in patients ranging from 22 to 70 years old, and the most common presenting symptom was vaginal bleeding. Most patients presented with advanced stage at diagnosis, including metastatic disease to lymph nodes and to distant sites. The masses were mostly (6/8) centered in the myometrium, while two cases arose in the cervix (2/8). Histologic characteristics of the tumors were dependent on the RMS subtype, although all cases demonstrated a similar immunohistochemical profile regardless of their subclassification. RMS of the uterus has a very poor prognosis, and data regarding treatment of this rare malignancy is limited, and usually extrapolated from non-uterine sites.

Ovarian squamous cell carcinoma arising from mature cystic teratoma.

Preoperative diagnosis of malignant transformation of an ovarian mature cystic teratoma to squamous cell carcinoma is difficult due to nonspecific tumor markers and imaging findings. This is an interesting case presentation that has prior imaging that demonstrates imaging characteristics of the transformation of a mature cystic teratoma to squamous cell carcinoma.