Peritoneal sarcomatosis due to undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma: A case report and review of the literature.

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS), which was previously known as malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH), rarely presents in the abdomen, and sarcomatosis due to UPS has not yet been reported in the literature. Here, we present a 62-year-old man who had abdominal sarcomatosis due to UPS with a poor prognosis.

Incidental Detection of a Type B3 Thymoma on 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT Imaging.

ABSTRACT: 18F-FDG PET/CT performed for staging of colon cancer in a 60-year-old woman revealed a thymic neoplasm with increased radiopharmaceutical uptake in the anterior mediastinum. 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT showed low FAPI uptake in the anterior mediastinal mass. The patient was diagnosed with type B3 thymoma by histopathologic evaluation. In this case, thymoma demonstrated lower uptake with FAPI than FDG. Larger studies are required for the differentiation of malignant and benign mediastinal masses with FAPI.

Perirenal Infiltration of Signet Ring Cell Colon Carcinoma Shown by 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT.

ABSTRACT: A soft tissue lesion surrounding the left kidney was detected in 18F-FDG PET/CT performed with suspicion of recurrence in a patient who was operated for descending colon cancer and showed mild FDG uptake. Intense fibroblast activation protein-specific inhibitor (FAPI) uptake in the perirenal soft tissue was observed in 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT. Tru-cut biopsy of the left perirenal lesion revealed signet ring cell colon carcinoma metastasis. This case demonstrated that 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT could be a promising radiopharmaceutical for the evaluation of signet ring cell colon carcinomas.

Coexistence of tuberculosis and extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of the thyroid gland: Case report and literature review.

Introduction: Primary thyroid tuberculosis (TB) is rare even in countries where TB disease is endemic, with the prevalence ranging from 0.1 to 1.15%. Primary thyroid lymphoma is uncommon, and the majority of lymphomas arising in the thyroid gland are non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of B-cell origin, of which about 25% is extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphoma (MALToma). Case presentation: An 86-year- old Turkish female patient with thyroid nodules and cervical lymphadenopathies presented with large multinodular goiter and compressive symptoms. Total thyroidectomy and central lymph node dissection were performed. The revised histological and immunohistochemical revealed the coexistence of thyroid TB and MALToma. The patient received an anti-TB treatment for six months before a revised histopathological examination. About seven months after anti-TB treatment, the patient died due to an unknown cause. Clinical discussion: Although six cases of thyroid TB and papillary thyroid cancer have been documented in the medical literature, no cases of TB and MALToma coexistence have been published so far, to our knowledge. Another essential feature of this study is that the initial pathological examination was reported as thyroid TB. A subsequent re-examination revealed that the patient had both TB and MALT lymphoma. Conclusion: We discuss this rare association and the dilemma encountered in the diagnosis and management of this patient with a review of the literature.

Evaluation of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients with 2D shear wave elastography with propagation map guidance: a single-centre study.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to evaluate liver fibrosis with two-dimensional (2D) shear wave elastography (SWE) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), to compare 2D-SWE with histopathology and to determine the change in liver stiffness values after antiviral therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 253 patients with CHB were included in this prospective study. 2D-SWE with propagation map guidance to measure liver stiffness, fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) scoring and additional liver biopsy were performed in patients with CHB. Liver stiffness was measured again at 24 and 48 weeks in all patients. The Spearman rank correlation test was used to analyse the correlation between variables, and receiver operating curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance in terms of fibrosis. RESULTS: Liver stiffness measurements made with 2D-SWE demonstrated a significant positive correlation with the fibrosis stage and FIB-4 score (rs = 0.774 and 0.337, respectively, p < 0.001 for both). The area under the curve value for kPa for the prediction of significant fibrosis was 0.956 (95% CIs) (0.920-0.991), and the optimal cut-off value was 8.2 kPa (sensitivity: 92.7% and specificity: 78.9%); these values were 0.978 (95% CIs, 0.945-1.000) and 10.1 kPa (sensitivity: 92.9% and specificity: 96.4%) for the prediction of severe fibrosis. After antiviral treatment, a decrease in liver stiffness values measured by 2D-SWE was detected (mean kPa values at 0 and 48 weeks; 9.24 and 7.36, respectively, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the measurement of liver stiffness with 2D-SWE has high diagnostic performance in the determination of hepatic fibrosis and can be used to evaluate the response to treatment in patients receiving antiviral therapy.

18F-FDG PET/CT and 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT Findings of Abdominal Leiomyosarcoma.

ABSTRACT: A 56-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain and vomiting. Her abdominal CT revealed an retroperitoneal mass in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. 18F-FDG PET/CT performed for metabolic characterization showed low to moderate heterogenous FDG uptake. 68Ga-fibroblast activation protein-specific inhibitor (FAPI)-04 PET/CT performed according to a research carried out in our department showed high heterogenous radiopharmaceutical uptake. The patient was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma after R0 tumor resection. This case showed that 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT could be a promising radiopharmaceutical in the evaluation of leiomyosarcomas.

Parasitic Appendicitis in 14.797 Cases: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective: This study aimed to determine the frequency of Enterobius vermicularis in appendectomy specimens and evaluate the histopathological characteristics of adult and pediatric cases with E. vermicularis infection. Methods: Appendectomies examined from 1 January 2010, to 1 December 2020, were analysed retrospectively. Cases were divided into two groups: under 18 years (children) and 18 and over (adults). Demographic and histopathological characteristics of patients were also examined. Results: Out of 14.797 patients that underwent appendectomy, 6.130 were children and 8.667 were adults. E. vermicularis was detected in 268 patients, wherein 64.2% were children and 35.8% were adults. In the detection of E. vermicularis in appendectomy specimens, the frequency was higher in children compared to that in adults (2.85%, 1.1%, respectively) (p<0.001). Histopathologically, acute appendicitis was defined in 31.7% (n=85) of 268 cases, and E. vermicularis was found to cause a higher rate of acute appendicitis in adults (p<0.001). Conclusion: The frequency of E. vermicularis in appendectomy specimens is higher in children. However, E. vermicularis causes acute appendicitis more frequently in adults.

Assessment of demographic, clinical and histopathological features of patients who underwent appendectomy due to a presumed diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: To compare the clinical, biochemical, and histopathological features of patients who underwent appendectomy due to a presumed diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AAp). METHODS: The demographic, biochemical and histopathological data of 8206 patients who underwent appendectomy for AAp between January 2006 and March 2014 were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Patients were compared regarding the following characteristics: disruption by season (autumn vs. winter vs. spring vs. summer), working days (weekdays vs. weekends), histopathological findings (AAp vs. normal appendix [NAp]) and histopathological subgroup (non-perforated AAp vs. perforated AAp vs. NAp). RESULTS: Of the 8206 patients aged between 16 and 89 years, 4763 (58.0%) were male. Appendectomy distribution by season was as follows: autumn (n=1959; 23.9%), winter (n=2062; 25.1%), spring (n=2061; 25.1%) and summer (n=2124, 25.9%). NAp rates were higher in summer than those in other seasons. White blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil levels were significantly higher in autumn and winter compared with those in other seasons. In total, 6120 (74.6%) appendectomies occurred on weekdays and 2086 (25.4%) on weekends. WBC and neutrophil levels were significantly higher on weekends than those on weekdays. Appendectomy distribution by histopathological groups as follows: AAp (n=7414; 90.3%) and NAp (n=792; 9.7%). Appendectomy distribution by histopathological subgroups was as follows: non-perforated AAp (n=6966; 84.9%), perforated AAp (n=448; 5.5%), and NAp (n=792; 9.7%). WBC, neutrophil, and TBil levels in the non-perforated and perforated AAp groups were significantly higher than in the NAp group. While most of the patients with perforated AAp (62.1%) and non-perforated AAp (59.6%) were males, most of the patients with NAp (58.1%) were females. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a relationship exists between demographic features, histopathological findings of appendectomy specimens, seasons, days of the week, and working days in patients undergoing appendectomy.

Coexistence of Ovarian Granulose Cell Tumor, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, and Triple Translocation: Is a Consequence or Coincidence?

PURPOSE: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is rare autosomal recessive disease. CAH due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency accounts for 95% of cases. We aimed to share the first case of coexistence of simple virilizing-type congenital adrenal hyperplasia [I172N mutation in the CYP21A], triple translocation [t(9;11;12)], and ovarian granulose cell tumor. METHODS: A 59-year-old female patient was presented to our clinic, complaining with abdominal pain and distension. Physical examination revealed palpable abdominal mass, virilism, ambiguous genitalia, clitoramegaly, and hyperpigmentation. Contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography showed a giant mass originating from the right tubo-ovarian structure. RESULTS: The patient was operated in the light of the clinico-radiological features mentioned above. A giant mass weighing 3500 g was detected on the right tubo-ovarian structure during laparotomy, and mass was excised with right tubo-ovarian structure. Immunohistochemical examination revealed ovarian granulosa cell tumor. The high serum concentration of 17-OH progesterone was measured at baseline and after 250-µg bolus of synthetic ACTH. In genetic analysis, we screened for six-point mutations, large deletions, and non-common mutations using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods, PCR, and sequencing of CYP21 gene respectively. The patient was detected to be homozygous for the I172N mutation. In addition, 50% of the metaphases examined had triple translocation [t(9;11;12)]. CONCLUSION: The coexistence of congenital adrenal hyperplasia, triple chromosomal translocations, and ovarian granulosa cell tumor has not been described previously. This coexistence may be a sign of a new syndrome.

Recent classifications systems for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors A single-center experience.

AIM: In this study, we aimed to review the demographic histopathological and clinical findings and long-term results of our GEP-NET cases, as well as to re-evaluate our cases according to the new classification systems. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 46 patients diagnosed as GEPNETs were presented. Immunohistochemical studies were performed in all cases. The cases were divided into 3 groups according to their embryogenic origin (Foregut, Midgut and Hindgut). All cases re-evaluated according to recent WHO (2019) and AJCC (2017) TNM calcification. Investigation was made to find differences between the embryonic origins and to find correlation between stage and grading systems with each other. RESULTS: The most common localization was appendix (52.3%) The distribution of cases according to embryologic origin were as follows: foregut tumors 13 cases (27.7%), midgut tumors 27 cases (57.4%) and hindgut tumors in 6 cases (12.8%). The Ki-67 ratio was evaluated in all patients, with a mean of 6.34%±2.51 (range: 1-80). The Ki-67 ratio was less than 3% in 82.6% of patients. Mitotic count was less than 2 per/10 HPF in 76% of patients. According to WHO 2019 most of patients were Grade 1 Neuroendocrine Tumor (65.2%) and there were only 2 Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (NEC) cases. According to AJCC 2017 most cases were Stage 1 (52.1%) and only 4 cases were Stage 4. The grades and stages of our cases were statistically significantly correlated. Overall survival did not differ significantly with regard to embryologic origin (log-rank test, p=0.062). The median overall survival was 106±7.4 months. The 5-year cumulative survival rate was 84.1±5.6 years. Seven patients died during this time with a median time of 5 months (range: 1-31 months). In the Cox regression analysis, the percentage of Ki- 67 was found to have a statistically significant effect on overall survival (p=0.000) CONCLUSION: Correlation was noticed between WHO 2019 and AJCC 2017 classification for grade and stage and controlled trials must be undertaken to develop a single diagnostic algorithm and to change the future management of such patients. KEY WORDS: Neuroendocrine Tumors, Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor.

Relationship between clinical and histopathological features of patients undergoing cholecystectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Cholelithiasis is most common disease of the gallbladder and cholecystectomy is the one of the most performed surgical procedure worldwide. AIM: To assess the relationship between the demographic, biochemical, and histopathological variables of patients who underwent cholecystectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Demographic, biochemical, and histopathological data of 5077 patients undergoing cholecystectomy were compared in terms of two different aspects: open cholecystectomy (OC group; n = 2090) versus laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC group; n = 2987), and an elective group (n = 4814) versus an emergency group (n = 263). RESULTS: A total of 5077 patients aged between 13 and 97 years were included in the study. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, mean platelet volume, and prevalence of acute/chronic cholecystitis were significantly higher in the LC group than in the OC group. On the other hand, age, direct bilirubin level, thrombocyte count, and prevalence of gallbladder cancer/gangrenous cholecystitis were significantly higher in the OC group than in the LC group. Levels of AST, ALT, white blood cells, neutrophils, and some prevalence of acute/chronic active cholecystitis were higher in the emergency group than in the elective group. On the other hand, the lymphocyte count and prevalence of chronic cholecystitis/hyperplastic polyps were higher in the elective group than in the emergency group. Histopathological analysis identified 32 patients with malignant gallbladder cancer as follows: adenocarcinoma (n = 21), mucinous adenocarcinoma (n = 3), papillary adenocarcinoma (n = 3), adenosquamous carcinoma (n = 1), clear cell adenocarcinoma (n = 2), squamous carcinoma (n = 1), and hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis (n = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Even when the appearance of gallbladder specimens is normal, histopathological assessment allows for early diagnosis of many unusual findings such as gallbladder cancer.

Assessment of the relationship between clinical and histopathological features in cases of thyroidectomy.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between clinical parameters and ultimate histopathologic features of patients underwent thyroid surgery. METHOD: Demographic and clinicopathologic parameters of patients who underwent thyroid surgery for benign or malignant disease in our clinic between June 2006 and March 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Pearson's Chi-Square, Independent Sample T test, ROC Curve and Youden J Index were used to investigate whether there was any relationship between the clinical parameters and permanent histopathologic features of patients. RESULTS: A total of 3059 patients (Benign: 2727; Malign: 332) aged between 15 and 90 years were reviewed. The patients age was higher in malign group (mean ± SD: 46.8 ± 4.2) than benign group (mean ± SD: 43.7 ± 12.9 yr) and this difference was statistically significant (p <0.001). The nodule diameter (mean ± SD: 30.8 ± 13.5 mm) was greater in malign group than the benign group (mean ± SD: 28.3 ± 13.4 mm) and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.002). The sensitivity and specificity rates of the most appropriate cut-off point (> 26 mm) for the nodule size were 60% and 49.05%, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of FNAB were calculated as 4.17 %, 100 %, 100 %, 89.96% and 90 %, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study showed that higher age and greater nodule diameter (> 26 mm) are associated with malignancy. KEY WORDS: Age, Large Nodule Diameter, Risk factors, Thyroid disease,Thyroid Cancer.

Giant Acrochordon Arising from the Thigh.

Acrochordons commonly develop from skin on the neck and axillar region, but may be found on any region of body. Although some predisposing factors have been implicated, the definite etiology has yet to be determined. We report the case of a 46-year female patient who presented with a large mass lesion on the inner aspect of the thigh. She stated that the swelling had emerged some 20 years ago and had progressively grown since then. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a solid lesion with no anatomic relationship with musculoskeletal structures. Taking into account the basal width of the lesion, spinal anesthesia was administered and the lesion was excised with an intact surgical border of approximately 1 cm. The resulting defect was primarily closed. Ahistopathologic examination led to the diagnosis of an acrochordon with a size of 20 x 14 cm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest acrochordon lesion with the widest base reported in the literature.

Actinomyces-induced inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the colon: A rare cause of an abdominal mass: Akbulut et al. inflammatory myofibroblastictumor due to actinomyces spp.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMFTs) are neoplastic lesions that are either benign or have low-grade malignancy potential. Although the etiopathogenesis is not entirely clear, many factors play a role in their development, including trauma, autoimmune disorders, and infectious and inflammatory processes. However, IMFTs caused by Actinomyces spp. infection are rare, with a limited number of cases reported in the literature. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 30-year-old woman was admitted to our clinic with abdominal pain and a palpable abdominal mass. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a tumoral lesion (11×10×7cm) in the right colon. A right hemicolectomy and ileocolic anastomosis were performed, during which almost complete obstruction of the lumen by the 7.5×7.0×5.0cm tumor was observed. Histopathology and immunohistochemical findings revealed that the tumor was consistent with an IMFT that developed from an Actinomyces infection. The patient was then placed on amoxicillin and doxycycline therapy. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates that the development of IMFT secondary to actinomycosis is difficult to predict in the preoperative period. Once an exact diagnosis is confirmed by histopathologic examination, affected patients should receive prolonged antibiotherapy.

Hydatid cyst disease of the thyroid gland: report of two cases.

Hydatid cyst disease may develop in any organ of the body, most frequently in the liver and lung, but occasionally can affect other organs such as the thyroid gland. Although the prevalence of thyroidal cyst disease varies by region, literature data suggest that it ranges between 0% and 3.4%. The aim of this report was to share 2 cases with thyroid hydatid cyst. Two female patients aged 26 and 57 years were admitted to our outpatient clinic with different complaints. While the first case presented with front of the neck swelling and pain, the second case presented with hoarseness, sore throat, and neck swelling. Both patients were living in a rural area in the southeastern region of Turkey and had had a long history of animal contact. Both patients had undergone previous surgeries for hydatid cyst disease. Both patients presented with a clinical picture consistent with typical multinodular goiter, and both underwent total thyroidectomy after detailed examinations and tests. The exact diagnosis was made after histopathologic examination in both patients. They both had a negative indirect hemagglutination test studied from blood samples. They both have had no recurrences during a 4-year follow-up. In conclusion, although thyroid gland is rarely affected, hydatid cyst disease should not be overlooked in differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of thyroid gland in patients who live in regions where hydatid cyst disease is endemic and who had hydatid cysts in other regions of their body.

Hydatid cyst of the pancreas: Report of an undiagnosed case of pancreatic hydatid cyst and brief literature review.

AIM: To overview the literature on pancreatic hydatid cyst (PHC) disease, a disease frequently misdiagnosed during preoperative radiologic investigation. METHODS: PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and Google databases were searched to identify articles related to PHC using the following keywords: hydatid cyst, hydatid disease, unusual location of hydatid cyst, hydatid cyst and pancreas, pancreatic hydatid cyst, and pancreatic echinococcosis. The search included letters to the editor, case reports, review articles, original articles, meeting presentations and abstracts that had been published between January 2010 and April 2014 without any restrictions on language, journal, or country. All articles identified and retrieved which contained adequate information on the study population (including patient age and sex) and disease and treatment related data (such as cyst size, cyst location, and clinical management) were included in the study; articles with insufficient demographic and clinical data were excluded. In addition, we evaluated a case of a 48-year-old female patient with PHC who was treated in our clinic. RESULTS: A total of 58 patients, including our one new case, (age range: 4 to 70 years, mean ± SD: 31.4 ± 15.9 years) were included in the analysis. Twenty-nine of the patients were female, and 29 were male. The information about cyst location was available from studies involving 54 patients and indicated the following distribution of locations: pancreatic head (n = 21), pancreatic tail (n = 18), pancreatic body and tail (n = 8), pancreatic body (n = 5), pancreatic head and body (n = 1), and pancreatic neck (n = 1). Extra-pancreatic locations of hydatid cysts were reported in the studies involving 44 of the patients. Among these, no other focus than pancreas was detected in 32 of the patients (isolated cases) while 12 of the patients had hydatid cysts in extra-pancreatic sites (liver: n = 6, liver + spleen + peritoneum: n = 2, kidney: n = 1, liver + kidney: n = 1, kidney + peritoneum: n = 1 and liver + lung: n = 1). Serological information was available in the studies involving 40 patients, and 21 of those patients were serologically positive and 15 were serologically negative; the remaining 4 patients underwent no serological testing. Information about pancreatic cyst size was available in the studies involving 42 patients; the smallest cyst diameter reported was 26 mm and the largest cyst diameter reported was 180 mm (mean ± SD: 71.3 ± 36.1 mm). Complications were available in the studies of 16 patients and showed the following distribution: cystobiliary fistula (n = 4), cysto-pancreatic fistula (n = 4), pancreatitis (n = 6), and portal hypertension (n = 2). Postoperative follow-up data were available in the studies involving 48 patients and postoperative recurrence data in the studies of 51 patients; no cases of recurrence occurred in any patient for an average follow-up duration of 22.5 ± 23.1 (range: 2-120) mo. Only two cases were reported as having died on fourth (our new case) and fifteenth days respectively. CONCLUSION: PHC is a parasitic infestation that is rare but can cause serious pancreato-biliary complications. Its preoperative diagnosis is challenging, as its radiologic findings are often mistaken for other cystic lesions of the pancreas.

Hydatid disease of the spleen: single-center experience and a brief literature review.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to discuss the management of patients with splenic hydatid cyst (SHC) and to provide a review of the literature in this field. METHODS: The outcomes of patients surgically treated for SHC at the Diyarbakir Education and Research Hospital (DERH) between January 2006 and May 2013 were assessed by retrospectively reviewing demographic, radiological, and clinical data. In addition, the outcome profiles of these patients were compared to the overall outcomes of surgically treated SHC cases reported in the literature. Relevant case series (≥4 cases) were identified by searching the PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar databases for publications from 1990 to May 2013 in English or Turkish languages. RESULTS: Nine patients with SHC received surgical treatment at DERH (age range, 18-53 years old; mean, 36.9 ± 11.8; female/male, 7/2), including five (55.6%) primary SHC and four (44.4%) secondary (100% liver) SHC cases. Two patients had previous SHC surgery. Seven patients received albendazole therapy, both preoperative (10-21 days) and postoperative (10-42 days) periods. All patients received vaccination, either preoperative (n = 4) or postoperative (n = 5). Six patients underwent splenectomy and three underwent splenectomy with partial cystectomy and omentopexy, and no patient experienced SHC recurrence during follow-up (1-60 months). The literature review identified 27 full-text articles representing 333 surgically treated SHC cases, among which 60.5% had primary SHC and 39.5% had secondary SHC. Two hundred thirty of 333 patients underwent splenectomy, 81 underwent spleen-sparing surgery, and 17 underwent puncture, aspiration, injection, and reaspiration. The remaining five patients were not operated for various reasons. CONCLUSION: We found no significant difference in recurrence rates between splenectomy and spleen-sparing surgery, either in our patient cohort or among cases reported in the literature. Nevertheless, we cannot make any solid recommendations for either procedure based on these results, as the studies were largely retrospective.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a breast affected by burn scars: comprehensive literature review and case report.

BACKGROUND: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), which is primarily found in the salivary glands, is rarely seen in the breast. These tumors usually develop from squamous and mucus-secreting cells. Histological grading is an important prognostic factor. CASE REPORT: We present herein a case of a 69-year-old female patient with a painful mass in the left breast. Of importance is that, in addition to MEC, the patient had a wide area of scar tissue secondary to a burn that completely occupied the left bottom quadrant of the abdomen and retracted the left nipple up to the left upper quadrant. Fine needle aspiration biopsy was negative, and a lumpectomy was performed. Because the pathology results were consistent with MEC, modified radical mastectomy with subsequent adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy was performed. The patient remained disease-free for 12 months after the treatment. In addition to a discussion of this case, we performed a review of the clinicopathological characteristics of 30 cases with breast MEC reported in the English language literature between 1979 and 2010. CONCLUSIONS: MEC of the breast is a rarely seen tumor, and this is the first report of MEC in a breast affected by burn scars.

Coexistence of breast cancer and tuberculosis in axillary lymph nodes: a case report and literature review.

Coexistence of breast cancer and tuberculosis (TB) of the breast and/or axillary lymph nodes is uncommon. In this article, we present a case of tuberculous axillary lymphadenitis existing simultaneously with invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast. We also conducted an extensive literature review of English language studies published on the coexistence of breast cancer and TB of the breast and/or axillary lymph nodes from 1899 to 2011 using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Twenty-nine cases of coexisting breast cancer and TB of the breast and/or axillary lymph nodes have been published to date, including a 74-year-old female diagnosed with left breast cancer and TB of the axillary lymph nodes. A tumor in the right breast was detected in 14 patients and in the left breast in 12 patients between the ages of 28 and 81 years, but no data were available regarding the side on which the tumor occurred in three patients. Eighteen patients underwent a modified radical mastectomy, five patients underwent a radical mastectomy, two a lumpectomy and an axillary lymph node dissection (ANLD), two a quadrantectomy (Q) and an ALND, and two an applied excision. TB was detected at the axilla in all 21 patients in patients with no TB of the breast, and TB was also detected in the axilla in five of eight patients with breast TB. Both a tumor and TB lymphadenitis were detected following an axillary dissection in 14 patients, and both cancer metastasis and TB lymphadenitis were detected at the same lymph nodes in six of these patients. The simultaneous occurrence of these two major illnesses in the breast and/or axillary lymph nodes can produce many problems with respect to diagnosis and treatment. Accurate diagnoses are necessary for down-staging carcinoma of the breast and for identifying curable disease.

Thyroid tuberculosis in southeastern Turkey: is this the resurgence of a stubborn disease?

BACKGROUND: While tuberculosis (TB) has been found in many parts of the body, involvement of the thyroid gland is rare. In this study we describe the clinicopathological characteristics of seven patients with primary thyroid tuberculosis (TTB). METHODS: This report is a retrospective case study of seven patients with thyroid tuberculosis who were treated surgically in our clinic between 2004 and 2010. Data collected from the cases included age, sex, clinical presentation, concurrent medical illness, initial diagnosis, and history of pulmonary tuberculosis. Testing used to establish the diagnosis of TTB included thyroid function tests, histopathological examination, a tuberculin skin test, and FNAC (fine needle aspiration cytology). Surgical procedures, antitubercular therapy, and follow-up data were also analyzed. RESULTS: All seven cases were females between the age of 30 and 60 years (mean = 44.1 ± 9.5 years). Four cases had neck swelling and three had additional complaints of dysphagia and dyspnea. While total thyroidectomy was performed in six patients with multinodular goiter, a lobectomy was performed in one patient in whom a solitary thyroid nodule was detected. Histopathologic changes consistent with thyroid tuberculosis were detected in all patients. Thoracic X-ray, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test, and tuberculin skin test (PPD) were performed and all patients were screened for other possible foci of infection. In conclusion, all seven cases were diagnosed with primary tuberculosis. While the lobectomy patient was administered a 6-month antitubercular treatment, the total-thyroidectomy patients did not receive any medical treatment postoperatively. During the postoperative follow-up period, which lasted between 6 and 53 months (mean = 37.3 ± 18.6 months), none of the patients had a recurrence of disease. CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis should be considered in the list of differential diagnoses for thyroid abscesses and nodular lesions in people living in geographic regions with a high tuberculosis prevalence.