Direct Tissue PCR and Genotyping for Species Identification in a Case of Laryngeal Blastomycosis.

Otolaryngologic manifestations of infection with Blastomyces species are extremely rare and restricted geographically to recognized endemic regions. Here, we describe a case of laryngeal blastomycosis that presented as slowly progressive dysphonia. While a preliminary diagnosis was made using routine histopathology, a species identification of Blastomyces dermatitidis was made using polymerase chain reaction amplification and rapid genotyping without the need for fungal culture. All symptoms resolved following 1 month of antifungal therapy. Rapid molecular differentiation of B dermatitidis from Blastomyces gilchristii provides important insights into pathogenesis given recent recognition of differences in clinical spectra.

Incidental Discovery of a Presacral Extradural Myxopapillary Ependymoma.

Ependymoma is a malignant central nervous system tumor arising from the lining of the ventricles or central canal of the spinal cord. Extradural spinal ependymomas arise from heterotopic ependymal cells or the coccygeal medullary vestige and are extremely infrequent. We present a rare case of presacral extradural ependymoma. Extradural ependymomas typically demonstrate an extraneural spread and, thus, surveillance of the entire central nervous system is not typically recommended. A radiograph of the chest, liver profile, and attention to palpable lymphadenopathy (especially inguinal) on physical examination are vital for surveillance. Obtaining an R0 resection is the most important prognostic factor in survival and local recurrence.

First Report of Retroperitoneal Mucinous Cystadenoma in a Patient with Hirsutism.

Primary retroperitoneal mucinous cystadenomas (PRMC) are rare benign neoplasms with only 55 documented cases in the English literature so far. A 19-year-old female exhibited hirsutism and was found to have a cystic mass measuring 5.8 cm × 3.9 cm × 5.8 cm in the left retroperitoneum. During subsequent work up, a high pre-operative value of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) was noted. The patient was referred to surgical oncology and underwent an uneventful laparoscopic cystectomy. Pathology classified the cyst as PRMC. Post-operatively, the patient's DHEA-S levels normalized, though there was no appreciable decrease in the patient's hirsutism in the short-term follow-up. The origin of PRMC is uncertain. Due to their unknown biological potential, surgical resection is usually recommended. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report documenting a PRMC and elevated levels of androgens in conjunction with hirsutism.

Incidence and clinical significance of lymph node metastasis detected by cytokeratin immunohistochemical staining in ductal carcinoma in situ.

BACKGROUND: This study explored the long-term prognosis of patients with ductal carcinoma-in-situ (DCIS) and lymph node metastasis detected by cytokeratin immunohistochemical stains (CK-IHC). METHODS: Using the Columbia University breast cancer database, we identified all DCIS patients who had eight or more axillary nodes dissected and free of metastasis. Five-micrometer sections from all paraffin blocks containing lymph node tissue were stained with an anticytokeratin antibody cocktail (AE1/AE3 and KL1). The results of the CK-IHC and updated database were anonymized and merged. Survival of CK-IHC-positive and -negative patients was compared by using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. RESULTS: CK-IHC was performed on 301 DCIS patients, who had an average of 16.7 axillary nodes dissected. Eighteen (6%) of 301 patients tested positive by CK-IHC. Seventy patients with bilateral breast cancer and 2 patients without any follow-up data were excluded, for a final study population of 229 patients. Among the 216 patients with negative CK-IHC, 18 patients died, compared with 1 of 13 patients with positive CK-IHC. The median follow-up for the study group was 127 months. Kaplan-Meier overall and breast cancer-specific survival estimates were similar for CK-IHC-positive and -negative patients (P = .81 and P = .73, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: CK-IHC increases the incidence of positive nodes by 6% in DCIS patients. A positive node by CK-IHC does not seem to affect survival in these patients. These results raise concerns regarding the clinical significance of positive nodes by CK-IHC in DCIS patients.

Primary cardiac precursor B lymphoblastic lymphoma in a child: a case report and review of the literature.

We describe an extremely rare case of primary cardiac precursor B lymphoblastic lymphoma (B-LBL) in a 10-year-old boy who presented with nonspecific complaints of fatigue and vomiting for 2 weeks and an episode of syncope. Chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly and echocardiography revealed a large right atrial mass, which was successfully resected. Pathology showed precursor B-LBL arising in the heart and there was no evidence of disease at any extracardiac site. A brief review of the literature is also presented.