Clinical Stage T1 micropapillary urothelial carcinoma presenting with metastasis to the pancreas.

Micropapillary carcinoma of the bladder is an extremely aggressive variant of urothelial carcinoma. Radical cystectomy is the standard treatment for all patients, including those with nonmuscle-invasive disease. We present a patient diagnosed with clinical Stage T1 micropapillary carcinoma of the bladder who was found to have a 2-cm metastasis to the head of the pancreas. To our knowledge, this case represents the first report of a solitary metastatic urothelial carcinoma to the pancreas.

Loss of stromal caveolin-1 expression in malignant melanoma metastases predicts poor survival.

Caveolins are the principal protein component of caveolae, plasma membrane invaginations found in most cell types. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) plays a major role in oncogenesis through its various functions in lipid transport, membrane trafficking, and signal transduction. Increased expression of Cav-1 in tumor cells has been associated with aggressiveness and poor survival. More recently, loss of stromal Cav-1 expression was linked to poor survival and increased metastatic potential in breast and prostate cancer. To date, there is no study addressing the clinical significance of Cav-1 expression in malignant melanoma (MM). Our study consisted of 44 cases of MM: 12 MM lymph node metastases from patients with short survival, 12 MM lymph node metastases from patients with long survival and 20 primary MM. All cases were stained with Cav-1 antibodies. Cav-1 expression in melanoma and stromal cells was quantified using a 3 point scale: 0 = no staining, 1 = diffuse weak staining or strong staining in < 30% of cells, and 2 = diffuse strong staining. A score of 0-1 represented low Cav-1 expression and a score of 2 represented high Cav-1 expression. In patients with MM lymph node metastases, a low stromal Cav-1 expression was associated with shorter survival when compared to the high stromal Cav-1 expression group (median survival 252 days versus 3,508 days, p value 0.0054). Conversely, high Cav-1 expression in melanoma cells was associated with a longer survival in primary MM (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, high expression of stromal Cav-1 correlates with longer survival in malignant melanoma metastases, and high expression of Cav-1 in melanoma cells correlates with longer survival in primary malignant melanoma.

Intensely positron emission tomography-avid benign adrenal adenoma.

Both positron emission tomography/computed tomography (CT) and adrenal washout studies are highly accurate in differentiating benign from malignant adrenal lesions. Very few data exist to help guide management when the positron emission tomography and CT adrenal findings contradict each other with regard to the malignant potential. We present a patient with a remote history of breast cancer and a new solitary left adrenal mass. A CT washout study suggested a lipid-poor adenoma; however, positron emission tomography/CT demonstrated intense fluorodeoxyglucose uptake, suggesting malignancy. The pathologic evaluation after laparoscopic adrenalectomy revealed a benign adrenal adenoma.

Detection of Merkel cell carcinoma polyomavirus in mucosal Merkel cell carcinoma.

A 61-year-old woman presented with solitary lymphadenopathy suspicious for lymphoma. An excisional biopsy of a right inguinal lymph node demonstrated metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). No skin lesions were detected, but a primary nasopharyngeal mass was identified. A microscopic examination of the nasopharyngeal tumor and the lymph node metastasis showed a monotonous population of small- to intermediate-sized, round blue cells with vesicular nuclei, finely granular and dusty chromatin, and multiple nucleoli. Immunohistochemistry showed perinuclear dot-like staining for cytokeratins AE1/AE3 and CK20. Microscopic appearance and immunohistochemical stains were consistent with MCC. MCC was recently shown to harbor a novel polyomavirus, Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), in the majority of cases. In this case, MCPyV was detected in the primary tumor and metastasis using polymerase chain reaction and CM2B4 immunohistochemical stain. This is the first report to demonstrate the presence of MCPyV and CM2B4 in a mucosal MCC and its metastasis.

Foxp3-expressing T regulatory cells and mast cells in acute graft-versus-host disease of the skin.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) limits the effectiveness of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Foxp3 is required for the development and function of CD4(+)/CD25(+) regulatory T cells (T-regs). Foxp3-expressing T-regs are thought to protect against GVHD. Mast cells are thought to be essential in CD4(+)/CD25(+) regulatory T cell-dependent peripheral tolerance. Twenty biopsies of skin with grades I-III aGVHD were stained for Foxp3 and CD117. Inflammation was quantified by a 4 point scale, 0 = no inflammation, 1 = <25% of 20x field, 2 = 25-50%, and 3 = >50%. T-regs and mast cells were quantified by a 4 point scale, 0 = no cells per 20x field, 1 = <5 cells per 20x field, 2 = 5-10 cells, and 3 = >10 cells. T-regs were positively correlated with both inflammation and aGVHD grade. Twelve cases with low T-regs had mild inflammation and lower grades of aGVHD and 6 cases with high T-regs had dense inflammatory infiltrate and higher grades of aGVHD. The number of T-regs, mast cells and density of the inflammatory infiltrate were positively correlated only in cases with mild inflammation. In aGVHD of the skin, T-regs increased with the degree of inflammation and GVHD grade. Mast cells were present at the same density whether aGVHD was of lower or higher grade.