Preneoplasia of the Breast and Molecular Landscape.

The current model of human breast cancer progression proposes a linear multi-step process which initiates as flat epithelial atypia (FEA), progresses to atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), evolves into ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and culminates in the potentially lethal stage of invasive ductal carcinoma. FEA commonly coexists with well-developed examples of ADH, low-grade DCIS, lobular neoplasia and tubular carcinoma. These findings and those of recent genetic studies suggest that FEA is a neoplastic lesion that may represent a precursor to or the earliest morphologic manifestation of ductal carcinoma in situ. At the same time, many of the genomic changes of ADH are also shared by common sporadic breast cancer, consistent with a high risk for future development of metachronous breast cancer.

Metastasis of melanoma to the gastrointestinal tract. Report of three cases / Metástasis de melanoma al tracto gastrointestinal. Reporte de tres casos

Background: Cutaneous melanoma is one of the most common malignancies to metastasize to the gastrointestinal tract. Presence of tumor metastasis is an important prognostic factor. Despite clinical advances, the five-year survival rate of patients with stage IV malignant melanoma is only about 14%. We present three clinical cases with metastasis of cutaneous melanoma. Clinical cases: Man 68 years old and woman 55 years old, with colon metastasis; and man 75 years old with metastasis to the small intestine. All of them underwent resection alone when they presented gastrointestinal symptoms and they obtained relief after it. Two patients had initial cutaneous lesions with Breslow´s thickness < 2 mm. The three patients died months after the surgery. Conclusion: Meticulous attention to patients with prior history of cutaneous melanoma who present with subtle gastrointestinal symptoms is highly recommended.

Introducción: el melanoma cutáneo es una de las neoplasias malignas que con mayor frecuencia metastatiza al tracto gastrointestinal. La presencia de metástasis es un factor pronóstico importante. A pesar de los avances clínicos, la supervivencia libre de enfermedad a 5 años en pacientes con melanoma cutáneo en estadio clínico IV es únicamente de 14%. Se presentan tres casos clínicos, con melanoma cutáneo metastásico a intestino. Casos clínicos: hombre de 68 años y mujer de 55 años de edad, con metástasis en colon; hombre de 75 años de edad con metástasis a intestino delgado. Cuando presentaron síntomas grastrointestinales, fueron tratados únicamente con cirugía, con alivio de los síntomas iniciales. Dos pacientes tenían diagnóstico previo de melanoma cutáneo, con espesor de Breslow < 2 mm. Los tres pacientes fallecieron meses después de la cirugía. Conclusión: se recomienda prestar atención especial a pacientes con historia previa de melanoma cutáneo que presenten síntomas gastrointestinales inespecíficos.

Micropapillary Cervical Adenocarcinoma: A Clinicopathologic Study of 44 Cases.

Micropapillary adenocarcinoma has been reported as an aggressive variant of adenocarcinoma in several organs, where it is associated with poor clinical outcome. This study reports the clinicopathologic features and outcomes of cervical adenocarcinomas with a micropapillary component (micropapillary cervical adenocarcinomas); this represents the largest reported study of these neoplasms. The study comprised 44 cervical adenocarcinomas of usual (human papillomavirus-related)-type (84%), mucinous, not otherwise specified (4.5%), gastric-type (4.5%), endometrioid (4.5%), and adenosquamous carcinoma (2%). The micropapillary component comprised >50% of the neoplasm in 34 cases (77%) (group 1), and 10% to 50% in 10 cases (23%) (group 2). Lymph node metastasis was present in 41 of 44 (93%) cases and typically the nodal tumor retained a prominent micropapillary morphology. Follow-up ranged from 7 to 123 months (mean, 65.9 mo). Seventeen of 44 (38.6%) patients had no evidence of disease on follow-up, 6/44 (13.6%) were alive with disease, and 21/44 (47.7%) died of disease. There were no survival differences between group 1 and group 2. On univariate analysis, lymph node metastasis (P=0.0015), lymphovascular space invasion (P=0.002), parametrial involvement (P=0.03), and depth of stromal invasion (P=0.045) were related to tumor recurrence. On multivariate analysis, lymph node metastasis (P=0.001), and extent of lymphovascular space invasion (P=0.027) were significant independent predictors of tumor recurrence. Our study shows that a micropapillary component in cervical adenocarcinoma may be associated with aggressive behavior and that a micropapillary architecture may occur within a variety of types of cervical adenocarcinoma.