Prognostic significance of bone marrow fibrosis in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

INTRODUCTION: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the increase in the degree of fibrosis in the bone marrow and prognosis and mortality in newly diagnosed DLBCL. METHODS: Bone marrow biopsy of 153 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients was determined by staining with reticulin, Masson's trichrome histochemical stain, and the degree of fibrosis was determined. RESULTS: In the bone marrow biopsy performed at the time of diagnosis, bone marrow fibrosis (BMF) was observed in 70 patients. While BMF-1 was detected in 42 patients (60%), BMF-2 was detected in 25 patients (35%) and BMF-3 was detected in 3 patients (4%). As the degree of BMF increased, the median overall survival and median progression-free survival times were significantly shorter (p: 0.008), (p < 0.001). In patients with an increased degree of BMF, a significant decrease in leukocyte and neutrophil counts was observed after chemotherapy (p: 0.004). According to the results of the multivariate Cox regression model, it was determined that high NCCN-IPI risk (HR: 8.25; %95 CI: 1.09-62.52; p = 0.041) and being BMF ≥ 2 (HR: 3.75; %95 CI: 1.65-8.51; p = 0.002), increased the risk of death (p = 0.002, -2 loglikelihood = 392,553). CONCLUSION: When the literature was reviewed, it was seen that this study was the first to define that bone marrow fibrosis grade 2 and above in DLBCL is a prognostic marker associated with worse survival. In the bone marrow pathology, which is examined to detect advanced disease in DLBCL, besides lymphomatous involvement, the detection of fibrosis grade is very important.

The association of miR-204 and mir-483 5p expression with clinicopathological features of Wilms tumor: Could this provide foresight?

BACKGROUND: Wilms tumor is the most common cancer of the kidney that occurs during childhood, and histologically, it mimics renal embryogenesis. With the development and improvement of up-to-date treatment protocols, the survival rates of Wilms tumor have increased. However, metastases or local relapses are still observed in 15% of patients. The search for reliable biomarkers to identify at-risk patients is ongoing to predict the variability in treatment success. Currently, the evaluation of clinical, histopathological and genetic features are common diagnostic methods; however, epigenetic features can be examined with microRNA expression analyses and might allow us to comment on the behavior of the tumor and treatment response. METHODS: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between microRNA-204 and microRNA-483-5p expression with clinicopathological data and the effect on Wilms tumor survival. For this purpose, the expression levels of RNU6B, microRNA-204 and microRNA-483-5p were evaluated in tumor and normal tissue by qreal time-polymerase chain reaction. We also investigated the relationship between microRNA expression levels with the clinicopathological and histological features of Wilms tumor. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results of our study indicate that the relative expression levels of microRNA-204 in Wilms tumor tissues were significantly lower than that in adjacent normal tissues. By contrast, tumor tissue had a higher microRNA-483-5p expression than the corresponding normal tissues. A statistically significant difference between microRNA-204 expression level with age and the presence of anaplasia was observed. The upregulation of microRNA-483-5p was found to have a significant correlation with patients after preoperative chemotherapy and complete tumor necrosis. Taken together, our data suggest that microRNA-204 could play a critical role as a tumor suppressor, whereas microRNA-483-5p acts as an oncogene in Wilms tumor progression. More importantly, microRNA-204 might be a novel predictive biomarker for anaplastic histology and could be useful for developing therapeutic interventions targeting this marker.

BCR-ABL1-Negative Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms and Pulmonary Hypertension: A Prospective Long-Term Follow-up Study of the Impact of Pulmonary Hypertension on Survival.

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of PHT in patients with BCR-ABL1-negative CMPN and to evaluate impact of PHT on survival during long-term follow-up. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 122 patients with BCR-ABL1-negative CMPN underwent transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) evaluation at the beginning of study. Patients undergoing PHT on TTE examination were also evaluated by a pulmonologist. Patients were divided into 3 groups. Group A comprised patients with CMPN-related PHT; group B, patients with no PHT; and group C, patients with PHT due to secondary causes. Patients were evaluated again every 3 to 6 months. RESULTS: PHT was detected in 33 (27%) of 122 patients. Eight (6.5%) had CMPN-related PHT and the remaining 25 (20.5%) had non-CMPN-related PHT. Positivity for JAK2 V617F mutation in the study population was 72.9%. Groups were similar with respect to hematologic parameters and gender. Follow-up times were as follows: median (range) time from diagnosis to TTE and study end were 34 (1-158) months and 107 (16-251) months, respectively, and from TTE to study end was 88 (7-110) months. No significant differences found among the groups in terms of median time from diagnosis to TTE, follow-up, and overall survival. CONCLUSION: BCR-ABL1-negative CMPN patients had a lower prevalence of PHT compared to earlier studies. There was no statistically significant difference in median overall survival between patients with or without PHT. This may be because patients with PHT were asymptomatic and PHT was mild. The impact of PHT on survival was negligible.

Evaluation of Stromal Myofibroblasts in Laryngeal Dysplasia and Invasive Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Malignant tumors consist of both carcinoma cells and tumor associated host cells. Host cells has started to receive more attention regarding their role in tumor progression such as invasion and metastasis. Fibroblasts that are incorporated in the tumoral stroma are called as peritumoral fibroblasts, reactive stroma, cancer-related fibroblasts or myofibroblasts. In general fibroblasts next to nich of cancer cells express alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) which is an important marker for differentiated myofibroblasts. Our aim is to investigate the role of α-SMA positive myofibroblasts in the development and progression of laryngeal carcinoma. The proportion of α-SMA positive myofibroblasts are scored from (1 +) to 3( +) in laryngeal dysplasia (n = 17) and microinvasive and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (n = 66). α-SMA expression in invasive carcinoma and dysplasia was analyzed statistically. No stromal myofibroblast was detected in mild dysplasia (score 0). Among 12 cases of moderate-severe dysplasia, in only 3 cases low α-SMA expression (score 1) was observed and in 9 cases there were no stromal myofibroblasts (score 0) were. In most cases of invasive carcinoma, high α-SMA expression (score 2, 3) was seen. α-SMA positive stromal myofibroblasts were significantly higher in invasive laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma compared to dysplasia (p < 0.05). Results of our study suggested that α-SMA positive stromal myofibroblasts play an important role in creating the permissive environment for tumor invasion in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. According to this data, we think that the presence of stromal myofibroblasts might be used as a helpful criterion in the differential diagnosis of true invasion and pseudoinvasion.

The Histopathological Parameters Affecting Biochemical Recurrence in Radical Prostatectomies.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between biochemical recurrence and other histopathological factors in prostate cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Pathology and Urology Departments, Izmir Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, between 2001 - 2013. METHODOLOGY: 117 cases diagnosed with prostatic adenocarcinoma and treated by radical prostatectomy were reviewed retrospectively for histopathological features; whereas, other prognostic findings were noted. PSA levels and many other histopathological parameters were assessed in order to put forth their effect on biochemical recurrence. RESULTS: PSA level (p<0.001), tumor volume (p<0.001), Gleason score (p<0.001), extraprostatic extension (p<0.001), perineural invasion (p<0.001), ganglion involvement (p=0.040), vascular invasion (p<0.001), positive surgical margins (p<0.001), presence of tertiary pattern (p=0.004) and the involvement of the seminal vesicles (p<0.001) were found to be statistically related to the pathological stage. Age, perineural invasion, high grade tertiary pattern, intraluminal mucin, collagenous micronodules and foamy cytoplasmic changes were unrelated to recurrence. CONCLUSION: Histopathological features can be helpful in predicting prognosis in prostatic adenocarcinomas. However some of the histopathological factors such as intraluminal mucin and foamy cytoplasmic changes may not reflect high recurrence.

A case of acquired port wine stain: an association with repeated sunburn?

BACKGROUND: Unlike congenital port wine stain (PWS), an acquired PWS is a rare vascular lesion that develops later in life. Although solar damage is associated with acquired PWS, there is no reported case of acquired PWS after sunburn in the literature. METHODS: We report a case of a 54-year-old man diagnosed with acquired PWS possibly caused by repeated sunburn. RESULTS: We recommended laser treatment to our patient; however, the patient did not chose to receive any treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our case demonstrates a possible rare occurrence of an acquired PWS after sunburn with larger lesions and more diffuse distribution. For this reason, our case differs from other acquired PWS cases.

Molecular alterations in malignant blue nevi and related blue lesions.

Malignant blue nevi (MBN) are extremely rare dermal melanocytic tumors that arise in association with atypical cellular blue nevi (ACBN), cellular blue nevi (CBN), common blue nevi (BN), or de novo. The frequency of BRAF, NRAS, and KIT mutations in malignant melanoma varies according to histological subtype and localization. These mutations are rarely observed in blue nevi, which have recently been shown to carry activating mutations in GNAQ/GNA11 genes. Only few small molecular studies of MBN have been published. The aim of the present study was to analyze in MBN and related blue lesions such as ACBN, CBN, and BN the prevalence of BRAF, NRAS, KIT, GNAQ, and GNA11 gene mutations and their association with clinicopathological features. We included in our study 12 MBN, 6 ACBN, 29 CBN, and 35 common BN diagnosed between 1996 and 2014. Sanger sequencing method was used for mutation analysis. Overall, GNAQ exon 5 mutation was the most frequent alteration (46 %), in 2 of 12 (17 %) MBN, 1 of 6 (17 %) ACBN, 22 of 29 (76 %) CBN, and 13 of 35 (37 %) common BN. BRAF V600E and GNA11 exon 5 mutations were respectively detected in 3 of 12 (25 %) and in 2 of 12 (17 %) MBN while none in ACBN, CBN, and common BN. None of the cases harbored NRAS exon 2/3, KIT exon 9/11/13/17/18, or GNAQ/GNA11 exon 4 mutations. GNAQ gene exon 5 mutations are rare in MBN and ACBN but frequent in CBN and common BN. Remarkably, BRAF V600E and GNA11 exon 5 mutations were only detected in MBN, whereas none were found in ACBN, CBN, or common BN. Our data contribute new elements to the limited data on molecular alterations in MBN.

Cutaneous Alternariasis in a Patient With Renal Transplant.

INTRODUCTION: Alternaria is a common saprophyte, which is usually not pathogenic in humans. Generally, local wounds infections of Alternaria occur with presence of immunosuppression factors such as HIV infection and renal transplant patients. CASE PRESENTATION: We reported a case of wound infection induced by Alternaria spp. in a renal transplant patients. The main interest in this case was the rareness of the cutaneous alternariasis, its clinical aspects and good response to therapy. Recognition of Alternaria spp. as potential opportunistic pathogens is important for differential diagnosis of dermatological lesions, such as granulomatous or ulcerative lesions in immunocompromised patients. CONCLUSIONS: Alternariasis or similar cases may be increased due to the increased number of immunosuppressed patients. From this point of view, skin lesions in these patients must be planned and microbiologically evaluated considering the molds.

Cytopathological features of matrix-producing carcinoma of the breast.

Matrix producing carcinoma (MPC) of the breast is a very rare subtype of metaplastic carcinoma with heterelogous elements, which comprises <0.1% of invasive breast carcinomas. There are very few reports describing the cytological features of MPC. In this article, we aimed to discuss cytological, histopathological and immunohistochemical features of this rare entity in a 59-year-old woman.

The prognostic significance of bone marrow metastases: evaluation of 58 cases.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow biopsy is widely used method for diagnosis, follow-up and staging of hemato-oncologic diseases. This procedure is also used for determining the bone marrow metastasis in patients with solid tumors. In this study, clinical, hematological, and pathological features of 58 patients with bone marrow metastases diagnosed by bone marrow biopsies were examined retrospectively MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 3345 bone marrow biopsies performed in our hospital between January 2006 and August 2013, 58 cases with solid tumor metastasized to bone marrow were included in this study. RESULTS: Among 58 cases with solid organ carcinoma metastasis in bone marrow, mean age was 59.9. Thirty-nine cases were found to have a known primary tumor focus. The most common tumors metastasized to bone marrow were breast carcinomas (23 patients, 59%), gastric carcinomas (6 patients, 15.3%), prostate carcinomas (4 patients, 10,2%), and lung carcinomas (3 patients, 7.7%), respectively. Nineteen patients were firstly diagnosed from bone marrow biopsies as metastatic carcinomas. The median overall survival after bone marrow metastasis was 28 days (95% confidence interval: 7.5-48.4). The median overall survival difference was not statistically significant between patients with primary known and unknown tumor (P = 0.973). Statistically significant difference was observed between the survival of breast cancer and gastric cancer (P = 0.028). The most common hematologic symptom was the coexistence of anemia and thrombocytopenia (31%), thrombocytopenia (27.6%) and anemia (20.7%) alone. The median overall survival difference was statistically significant between patients who have anemia and thrombocytopenia (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: Bone marrow biopsy is an easily accessible, easily applied, a useful procedure for diagnosing metastatic diseases in patients with hematologic symptoms such as anemia and thrombocytopenia besides being an uncomfortable procedure for patients. Furthermore, it is useful in predicting the prognosis and short survey after diagnosing bone marrow metastasis.

JAK2 V617F mutation status of 232 patients diagnosed with chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) V617F mutation in patients with break point cluster region-abelson negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (CMPNs) in our center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compared patients with and without the mutation, and also patients with the homozygous and heterozygous mutation, in terms of different clinical and laboratory features. RESULTS: The JAK2 V617F mutation was detected in 77 (95%), 88 (68%), and 17 (77%) of polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patients, respectively. Among JAK2 V617F-positive patients, the homozygous genotype was found in 39 (50.6%) of the 77 PV, 23 (26.1%) of the 88 ET, and 11 (64.7%) of the 17 PMF patients. Bleeding was seen in 14 (6%) of all patients. Upper gastrointestinal bleeds were the most common, seen in 11 patients. Out of 232 CMPN patients, 44 (19%) had thrombosis. The most common thrombotic event was transient ischemic attack (52%). Progression to myelofibrosis was seen in 1 (1.2%) PV and 3 (2.3%) ET patients, and progression to acute leukemia was seen in 2 (2.5%) PV and 3 (2.3%) ET patients. Three patients with PV (3.7%), 3 with ET (2.7%), and 5 with PMF (2.7%) died during follow-up. CONCLUSION: JAK2 V617F mutation frequencies in our PV and ET patients were similar to those reported previously. JAK2 V617F mutation frequency in our PMF patients was greater than in previous reports. All of our PV patients with thrombosis and most of our ET patients with thrombosis (76.1%) were JAK2 V617F mutation-positive. This mutation seems to be correlated with thrombosis risk.

Prognostic evaluation of breast cancer patients with evident bone marrow metastasis.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of breast cancer (BC) patients with symptomatic bone marrow metastasis (BMM). Fifty-four BC patients, including patients with and without BMM, were evaluated retrospectively. In particular, the clinicopathologic features and survival of the patients with BMM (n = 27) were assessed and compared with the patients without BMM. All of the patients with BMM also had osseous metastases, and bone was the first site for distant recurrence in the majority of patients in the study group. Anemia was the most frequent symptom at presentation. The median time to BMM was 36.1 months (range 1.6-70.5 months, 95% CI). HER2(+) patients developed BMM earlier than HER2(-) patients (3.2 versus 38.3 months, 95% CI; p = 0.05). Patients with advanced disease at the time of initial BC diagnosis developed BMM earlier than patients with early disease (p = 0.04). Time to development of BMM was significantly shorter in tumors with perinodal infiltration (p = 0.001) and multicentric focus (p = 0.025). Median survival time after the diagnosis of apparent BMM was 6.43 months. Survival after BMM diagnosis in patients with grade III tumors was significantly shorter than in patients with grade I-II tumors (1.43 versus 5.36 months, 95% CI; p < 0.001). Systemic therapy after BMM diagnosis significantly prolonged survival (17.3 versus 0.93 months, 95% CI; p < 0.001). Hormone receptor-positive, high-grade, advanced-stage tumors at the time of initial BC diagnosis were more common in patients with BMM. Invasive lobular histology was also more frequent in patients with BMM. In conclusion, the presence of hormone receptor-positive, multicentric, grade III, advanced-stage tumors may be important risk factors for the development of evident BMM in BC patients. Systemic single-agent chemotherapy can prolong survival in these patients. However, multicenter analyses are required to verify these findings.

Soft tissue giant cell tumor of low malignant potential of the neck: a case report and review of the literature.

Giant cell tumor of soft parts is a rare tumor that is clinically and histologically similar to giant cell tumor of the bone. We present a 53-year-old female with a giant cell tumor of low malignant potential arising from the neck. The clinicopathological features and the importance of immunohistochemistry in the differential diagnosis with other giant cell rich tumors was discussed.

Primary non-Hodgkin follicular lymphoma of the prostate: A case report.

Primary lymphoma of the prostate is a rare condition, representing 0.09% of prostatic malignancies. The clinical presentation of malignant lymphoma of the prostate is difficult to distinguish from other prostatic diseases. Systemic symptoms are rare. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. We report a case of primary lymphoma of the prostate in a male patient who presented with lower urinary tract symptoms.

Two new polymers as candidates for rhinoplasty allografts: an experimental study in a rabbit model.

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to evaluate the biocompatibility and tensile strength of two new polymeric materials--a polyfluoro ether-modified thermoplastic polyurethane urea and a polydimethyl silicone elastomer--in an experimental rabbit model. METHODS: The two polymers were implanted inside separate subperichondrial pockets created over the auricular cartilages of 12 rabbits. A control pocket received no implant. After 3 months, the animals were painlessly sacrificed, and each site was analyzed histologically for vascular congestion, acute and chronic inflammation, and fibrosis in the tissue surrounding the implant materials. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in vascular congestion, fibrosis, or acute or chronic inflammation between the control sites and either implant site. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the polymers are well accepted by the tissue and remain stable during the entire study period, and that they could be very suitable materials for use in nasal reconstruction.

Histopathologic parameters in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis: impact on quality of life outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common disease with a significant impact on health-related quality of life (QOL) of the patient. Histologic inflammatory markers in CRS are an important marker in determining the severity of the disease. In this study, we evaluated the association of histopathologic parameters with QOL questionnaires in patients with CRS with nasal polyposis after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). METHODS: A total of 57 patients were included in this study. Preoperative patient characteristics, clinical findings, and computed tomography scores were recorded. Two QOL measures, the Rhinosinusitis Disability Index (RSDI) and Short Form-36 General Health Survey (SF-36) were analyzed preoperatively and postoperatively. Sinus mucosal specimens were collected at the time of surgery. Presence of the inflammation was evaluated with cellular (eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, mast cells, macrophages), epithelial (basement membrane thickness [BMT], goblet cell) and stromal markers (subepithelial edema). The histopathological findings were compared statistically with the QOL measures. RESULTS: In comparison of the absolute change of the RSDI and SF-36 scores with mucosal eosinophilia, patients with eosinophilia showed significantly less improvement only in the SF-36 physical functioning subscale (p = 0.004). There was a statistically significant relationship between BMT and RSDI total (p = 0.042), emotional scores (p = 0.003), SF-36 general health (p = 0.032), SF-36 physical function (p = 0.007), SF-36 bodily pain (p = 0.044), and SF-36 mental health (p = 0.022). CONCLUSION: For most patients QOL significantly improved after surgery. Mucosal eosinophilia did not correlate with the absolute change of the RSDI. However, thickening of basal membrane adversely affects symptoms of the patients and correlates with the disease severity.

Langerhans Cell Sarcoma of the Axillary Lymph Node: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Langerhans cell sarcoma is a rare, high-grade neoplasm with overtly malignant cytological features and the Langerhans phenotype. Herein, we present a rare case of Langerhans cell sarcoma in a 65-year-old female that presented with a painless enlarging mass in her right axillary region, along with the histopathological features and diagnostic characteristics in the light of literature on Langerhans cell sarcoma.