Assessment of Breast Pathology Reporting Needs and Development of Tumor Synoptic Templates in Sub-Saharan Africa.

CONTEXT.­: Breast pathology reports include many important details to guide clinical management. Reports with missing critical data elements are commonly seen in non-subspecialized pathology practices. The use of synoptic templates has been shown to improve pathology reports. Although synoptic templates are readily available by professional societies, many are not tailored to low-resource settings. OBJECTIVE.­: To perform an assessment of current breast pathology reporting at 3 referral hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa and design a locally adapted breast cancer synoptic template. DESIGN.­: We conducted semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in breast cancer care including pathologists, radiologists, oncologists, and surgeons from Nigeria, Tanzania, and Mozambique. Moreover, each stakeholder reviewed a preliminary synoptic template that was compiled by using templates from the College of American Pathologists, Royal College of Pathologists, and International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting, and was asked to score each data element as essential, optional, or exclude. A locally adapted synoptic template was then designed from the needs assessment. Using the adapted templates, a retrospective review of breast cancer pathology reports from 2020 to 2022 was conducted to determine the completeness of reports at the 3 institutions. RESULTS.­: A total of 17 physicians were interviewed. Review of pathology reports revealed that none of the reports across all 3 sites contained all data elements considered essential by local physicians. CONCLUSIONS.­: There is an urgent need to improve breast pathology reporting in sub-Saharan Africa. Development and implementation of synoptic templates in collaboration with key stakeholders has the potential to improve pathology reporting practices in low-resource settings.

Megadactyly with syndactyly of the right toes, a rare case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Megadactyly of the foot is uncommon non hereditary congenital anomalies of the extremities and poses a dilemma on treatment however multiple treatment modalities were developed but is not uniform to all patients with megadactyly. The goal of the surgical treatment is to achieve painless and function of the foot. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 14 years old male presented with complaints of progressive enlargement 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th toes of the right foot since birth, associated with inability to wear shoes. One month prior to admission he experienced gradual onset painful forefoot and toes that was increasing in severity with time associated with inability to walk normally. He is the first born in a family of four children and his other siblings are healthy with no anomalies. On clinical evaluation, he was health with stable vitals, with enlarged 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th toes of the right foot with no tenderness with intact neurovascular status. On clinical and radiological evaluation he was diagnosed with congenital megadactyly of the right foot, a multidisciplinary team including orthopedic surgeons and prosthetics team agreed to do trans-metatarsal, then partial foot prosthesis fabrication. He underwent trans-metatarsal amputation of the affected foot and tissue sample was taken for histopathology. The histological findings revealed bone enlargement with increased proliferation of subcutaneous adipose tissues with increased fibrous septae together with thinning of the epidermis, features suggestive of lipomatosis. The wound site healed very well after 14 days stitches were removed and the child was scheduled for follow-up after six weeks, 12 weeks and 6 month post-surgery. On the last visit he was free from pain on his right forefoot and toes, able to wear fabricated partial foot prosthesis and shoes normally, walk with no incapacitation. DISCUSSION: Our case report is unique due to the involvement of the multiple toes of the right foot with syndactyly at third and fourth toes and its management is challenging because there is no uniformity in its surgical treatment, in our case trans-metatarsal amputation was done and the patient progressed well after six months of follow up. CONCLUSION: Foot megadactyly is uncommon congenital malformation, most common on the right foot. Regardless of the dilemma on treatment, the trans-metatarsal amputation and a fabricated prosthesis to our patient fulfilled the goals of painless right foot and able to wear shoes and walk normally with no impairment.

The role of clinical breast examination and fine needle aspiration cytology in early detection of breast cancer: A cross-sectional study nested in a cohort in a low-resource setting.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is prevalent worldwide, with disparities in screening, diagnosis, treatment outcomes, and survival. In Africa, the majority of women are diagnosed at advanced stages, affecting treatment outcomes. Screening is one of the best strategies to reduce mortality rates caused by this cancer. Yet in a resource-constrained setting, there is limited access to screening and early detection services, which are available only at a few referral hospitals. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and screening results of breast cancer using clinical breast examination coupled with fine needle aspiration cytology in a resource-constraint setting. DESIGN: A combined cross-sectional and cohort study. METHODS: Women at risk of developing breast cancer in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania were invited, through public announcements, to their primary healthcare facilities. A questionnaire was used to assess the participants' characteristics. The women received a clinical breast examination, and detectable lesions were subjected to a confirmatory fine needle aspiration cytology or an excisional biopsy. Preliminary data from this ongoing breast cancer control program were extracted and analyzed for this study. RESULTS: A total of 3577 women were screened for breast cancer; their mean age was 47 ± 7.53 years. About a third of them (1145, 32%) were practicing self-breast examination at least once a month. Of 200 (5.6%) with abnormal clinical breast examination, 18 (9%) were confirmed to be breast cancer, making the prevalence to be 0.5%. The vast majority of participants with breast cancer (13, 72.2%) had early disease stages, and infiltrating ductal carcinoma, no special type, was the most common (15, 83.3%) histopathology subtype. Hormonal receptor status determination results indicated that 11 (61.1%), 7 (38.9%), and 5 (27.8%) of the tumors overexpressed estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal receptor-2, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates 5.6% of Tanzanian women have abnormal clinical breast examination findings, with 9% having breast cancer. Nearly three-quarters (72.2%) of breast cancer screened for early disease were detected in the early disease stages. This finding suggests that organized screening with clinical breast examination coupled with fine needle aspiration cytology, which is a simple and cost-effective screening method, has the potential to improve early detection and outcomes for breast cancer patients in a resource-constraint setting.

Ventricular silent rupture leading to sudden death: Navigating diagnostic challenges in a resource-constraint setting.

Key Clinical Message: Ventricular myocardial rupture is a rare complication of myocardial infarction. It occurs within hours to weeks after an infarction. Mortality is high. Antemortem diagnosis is a challenge in low-resource settings, leading to potential misdiagnosis. Abstract: Left ventricular myocardial rupture is a potentially fatal yet common complication in acute myocardial infarction patients. Rupture can occur as early as hours after an infarction. However, rupture may also occur later in the first week in the setting of myocardial necrosis and neutrophilic infiltration. Patients may survive several days to weeks before rupture occurs, and cardiac tamponade may present subacutely with a slow or repetitive clinical course. Sudden death can be attributed to ventricular rupture, more commonly during this time frame. Myocardial rupture can also occur as a result of trauma, infections, or cancer. Mortality is exceedingly high if surgical intervention is delayed. In most patients, myocardial rupture manifests as a catastrophic event within days of a first, small, uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction. Acute onset of shortness of breath, chest pain, shock, diaphoresis, unexplained emesis, cool and clammy skin, and syncope may herald the onset of ventricular septal rupture after acute myocardial infarction. Sudden death from myocardial rupture during acute myocardial infarction in patients with no apparent previous symptoms of myocardial ischemia represents a challenge for medical examiners, law enforcement officers, and society as a whole. An autopsy is critical for establishing the cause of death. We present the case of a 54-year-old male whose body was found beside the road after a trivial quarrel a day before. Further medical information about the deceased was not available. The preliminary cause of death was presumed to be traumatic. No evidence of trauma was seen during the autopsy. Massive pericardial blood collection compressing the heart and concealed left ventricular myocardial rupture were noted. Histopathological examination of the heart demonstrated myocardial infarction with a tear associated with bleeding that was contained in the pericardial sac. We ruled cardiac tamponade as the cause of death due to an infarcted myocardial rupture. Antemortem diagnosis of myocardial rupture can be challenging in low-resource settings, leading to potential misdiagnosis and negative impacts such as community conflicts.

The haunting diagnosis of malignancy in women with treatable reproductive system tuberculosis.

This study reports a case of female genital tuberculosis in a 46-year-old woman who presented to emergency department with abdominal pain and progressive abdominal distension. The patient was initially thought to have ovarian cancer based on clinical diagnosis and elevated cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) levels. Intra-operatively, no obvious ovarian tumor was encountered instead; disseminated creamy white patches on the uterus and left adnexa were seen. About 4500-mL straw-colored ascitic fluid and disseminated creamy white patches were also found on the bowels and omentum giving an impression of carcinomatosis. However, histopathology of the fallopian tube and ovary confirmed the diagnosis of female genital tuberculosis as the underlying cause. Female genital tuberculosis often mimics tumors in its clinical appearance and symptoms, leading to misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment. The key to diagnosing female genital tuberculosis is being suspicious as it is challenging to diagnose through laboratory tests or radiology. The mainstay of treatment for female genital tuberculosis is a combination of four antituberculosis drugs. Consideration of female genital tuberculosis as a differential diagnosis in women presenting with symptoms mimicking reproductive tumors is highly recommended as highlighted in this case report.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma arising from ectopic thyroid tissue in a neck branchial cyst.

A 35-year-old man presented with a right lateral neck mass for 6 years. Thyroid function test was within normal limits. Computed tomography scan of the neck was suggestive of branchial cyst, tuberculous lymphadenopathy and normal thyroid gland. Fine needle aspiration cytology of cervical lymph node was suggestive of metastatic carcinoma. Branchial cystectomy spearing the thyroid gland was undertaken. Histopathology analysis of the resected specimen confirmed it to be papillary thyroid carcinoma originating from ectopic thyroid tissue in a branchial cyst. The patient was scheduled for total thyroidectomy and neck dissection. Unfortunately, he was lost to follow-up. A brief review of the literature regarding this unusual presentation of thyroid cancer has been provided.

Thymoma: a fatal case report of recurring pneumonia from Tanzania.

Thymomas present either concurrently with myasthenia gravis, with local pressure symptoms, or asymptomatically as a mediastinal mass. Due to its variable presentation, the incidence is low, as not all cases would be identified. Thymomas can present with a rare entity of combined T-cell and B-cell immunodeficiency in adults. Thymectomy is the most important prognostic factor, including preventing autoimmune manifestations of thymoma, but immunodeficiency may persist after thymectomy. Case presentation: The authors report a case of thymoma with evidence of immunodeficiency, manifesting as recurrent pneumonia and respiratory distress in an HIV-seronegative 62-year-old man with a suspected diagnosis 3 years before admission. During his bouts of pneumonia, blood cultures revealed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which was initially treated with vancomycin and then with clindamycin. Although hypogammaglobulinemia was not established in our low-resource setting, there was a reduced CD4-cell count with an abnormal CD4/CD8 ratio. The patient responded well to the first course of antibiotics. However, the second attempt was unsuccessful, which led to his demise. Conclusion: Clinicians should be aware that thymoma can cause immunodeficiency. Clinical suspicion should be raised in patients who present with recurrent infections, particularly in thymoma cases with adult-onset immunodeficiency.

Case series of high-grade soft tissue sarcoma of the lower limb with delayed diagnosis: Experience at a tertiary hospital in northern Tanzania.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Soft tissue sarcoma is an uncommon form of cancer with poor prognosis. Early diagnosis and treatment are vital for improving the treatment outcomes. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a series of high-grade soft tissue sarcomas of the lower extremity with delayed diagnosis to gain insight into the presentation, treatments and outcomes for this rare disease and to determine whether limb-salvage surgery yields reasonable outcomes. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Timely health seeking has an impact on the outcome of the treatment of any particular disease. Patient delays are usually socio-economic factors. Soft tissues sarcomas are uncommon malignant tumors that even managed adequately have a poor 5-year survival. Limb salvage becomes questionable especially when patients present late with adverse symptoms. CONCLUSION: In this series, we found that patients presented late and this led to unfavorable oncological outcomes, also limb salvage was not an option due to delayed presentation. Thus, early diagnosis is recommended so as to improve treatment outcome.

Intraabdominal dissemination of porocarcinoma; A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Porocarcinoma is a rare malignancy of dermal sweat glands commonly diagnosed in the seventh decade of life. It frequently evolves from a de novo benign poroma. These tumors present as a mass/nodule, ulcer, papule, or wart. Difficult to differentiate from other cutaneous lesions. Intraperitoneal invasion is scantly reported in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: The authors present a case of a fifty-year-old female patient with a rare cancer of the dermal sweat glands in an unusual location and infiltration into the abdominal cavity, leading to intraperitoneal seedlings. DISCUSSION: Tumors of the sweat gland are rare and difficult to diagnose, often misdiagnosed as granuloma, squamous cell tumors, or warts. Surgical excision and Mohs micrographic surgery are mainstay treatment modalities in the early stages. Our patient was managed elsewhere with a diagnosis of granuloma. She was referred with a recurrence of the abdominal lesion. An appropriate diagnosis of porocarcinoma was made while she had an extensive intraperitoneal invasion and seedlings. We postulate that the previous abdominal incision had disseminated porocarcinoma cells into the abdominal cavity, causing extensive intraperitoneal dissemination. CONCLUSION: Because it is rare and difficult to diagnose, there is a considerable knowledge gap in the early accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of porocarcinoma. This causes a delay in establishing a diagnosis and profoundly impacts treatment outcomes.

Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma in a young African female.

Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma is a rare primary malignant liver cancer. The pathogenesis is unclear; however, the risk factors may be similar to that of conventional hepatocellular carcinoma. We present an 18-year-old female who was admitted due to generalized tonic-clonic convulsions. On examination, we palpated a large non-tender mass in the right upper quadrant. An abdominal computed tomography identified it as hepatocellular carcinoma, and spindle-shaped cells were seen on histopathology. She was counseled on her prognosis but opted for local herbal medications rather than chemotherapy, but unfortunately passed away. We present a rare subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma in a young female which is commonly seen in males above the age of 50 years, and despite its grade and stage, overall survival is poor.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in a non-cirrhotic liver with a tumor thrombus.

Young adults with HCC tend to have a poor prognosis because of advanced disease despite preserved liver function. Screening and early diagnosis for HCC are needed for young adults to demonstrate an improved prognosis, especially in HBsAg positive patients.

Advanced lung cancer presenting with malignant pericardial effusion.

Irregular pericardial wall thickening, mediastinal lymph nodes, and pericardial fluid analysis are helpful to identify metastasis to the pericardium though it is a marker of advanced disease and poor prognosis.

Ovarian malignant mixed Müllerian tumor: a rare case report from Tanzania.

Malignant mixed Müllerian tumor of the ovary is rare aggressive tumor that is histologically defined by the presence of malignant epithelial and stromal components. We report a 37-year-old woman who consulted our facility complaining of abdominal distention and a painful palpable mass over her lower abdomen. Physical examination including computerized tomography revealed a complex cystic mass lesion on the left ovary with extensive omental involvement. Ovarian cancer was suspected and the patient underwent debulking surgery. The histopathology of the specimen revealed a high-grade tumor composed of both malignant epithelial and sarcomatous elements. Both epithelial and stromal components stained positive for p53 immunostaining. Before the initiation of chemotherapy, on 5th day postoperation, the patient was found unresponsive. The stage of the disease seems to be the most important prognostic factor, thus emphasis should be made to identify it in earlier stages.