Angiokeratoma of the vulva: a rare benign vascular tumor mimicking malignancy--case reports.

Angiokeratomas are rare benign dermal lesions of the external genital system and occur before the age of 50 years. Four cases of angiokeratoma of the vulva diagnosed at our institution in a ten-year-period are reported and issues of the differential diagnosis are discussed.

A large benign vascular neoplasm of the male breast. A case report and review of the literature.

Breast hemangiomas are extremely rare neoplasms in the male population. We report a case of a 77-year old man with a breast hemangioma which was detected in physical examination as a small nodule ten years after a chest injury. The final histological diagnosis was hemangioma of the breast, 6 cm in the largest diameter. To our knowledge, this is the largest benign vascular breast neoplasm in a male patient reported up to date. The mammographic and pathologic findings in this case are presented. The rarity of the lesion and its differential diagnosis from angiosarcoma are discussed while the problems encountered in the correct diagnosis and classification of this tumor are also presented. The need for extreme caution in the interpretation of the histological characteristics of all palpable vascular tumors of the breast is emphasized.

Squamous cell carcinomas of the ovary: report of four cases and literature review.

Two cases of squamous cell carcinoma developing in mature cystic teratoma and two cases with a malignant change involving an ovarian epidermal cyst diagnosed in our institution over a 15-year-period are reported. This is a reminder that such changes may occur and issues regarding the problem of the differential diagnosis and management of these rare complications are discussed.

A clinicopathological study of the relationship between adenomyosis and other hormone-dependent uterine lesions.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between adenomyosis, endometrial adenocarcinoma, hyperplasia and uterine leiomyomas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 135 consecutive hysterectomy specimens showing adenomyosis and 82 consecutive cases of endometrial adenocarcinoma were studied in our laboratory in the last 5-year period. The histological sections of all cases were reviewed and in the cases with adenocarcinoma, the type of cancer, the degree of differentiation and the depth of myometrial invasion were recorded. In the adenomyosis group the presence of any other lesions, the extension of adenomyosis and the morphology of the adenomyotic glands were recorded. In ten random cases of adenomyosis, the presence of estrogens and progesterone receptors was investigated by an immunohistochemical method of peroxidase-antiperoxidase and DAB chromogen. In ten cases of this group the expression of E-cadherin was studied immunohistochemocally by an avidin-viotin method and DAB chromogen. RESULTS: In 47/135 cases of adenomyosis adenomatous hyperplasia coexisted (34.8%) and in 86/135 cases of leiomyomas (63.7%). In 31/82 cases of adenocarcinoma there was adenomyosis as well (37.8%), in 4/82 cases malignant changes in foci of adenomyosis were observed and in 1/82 cases the malignancy arose in a focus of adenomyosis. Immunohistochemical studies showed the presence of progesterone receptors in the glandular cells of adenomyosis in 9/10 cases and of estrogen receptors in 2/10 cases. In all study cases (10/10) a positive membrane immunoreaction was observed; focal (6/10) and extensive (4/10). CONCLUSION: The high frequency of coexistence between adenomyosis and other hormone-dependent uterine lesions is indicative of the presence of a hormonal factor in the pathogenesis of adenomyosis.

Immunopathological study of mesonephric lesions of cervix uteri and vagina.

Seventeen cases of mesonephric cervical remnants, four cases of mesonephric cervical carcinoma and nine vaginal Gardner cysts were studied by histochemical and immunohistochemical methods for the presence of mucin, proteoglucans, glucogen, CEA, cytokeratins, secretory component and vimentin. Mesonephric lesions in contrast to endocervical glandular lesions are negative for mucin, glucogen, CEA, and secretory component and positive for vimentin, and broad spectrum cytokeratins. Mesonephric carcinomas present certain immunopathological characteristics that permit their identification and proper treatment.

Retroperitoneal epithelioid angiosarcoma presenting with lymph node metastases. Clinicopathological study of an extremely rare tumor.

A case of retroperitoneal angiosarcoma in a woman 39 years of age is reported. The tumor presented with inguinal (right) and iliac (left) lymph node metastases and a mass protruding under the left vaginal wall. The unusual morphology of the tumor demanded special immunohistochemical investigation (factor 8, CD 31, CD 34, pancytokeratin 20, LCA, S100, cytokeratin 7, CEA, MU1, HMB 45 and melan A) which confirmed the diagnosis of epithelioid angiosarcoma. The problems in the differential diagnosis and therapeutic approach are discussed.