There has been a substantial increase in the number of cases of invasive fungal infections worldwide, which is associated with a growing number of immunosuppressed patients and a rise in antifungal ...resistance. Some fungi that were previously considered harmless to humans have become emerging pathogens. One of them is
, a ubiquitous filamentous fungus commonly found in the environment, especially in the air and soil.
belongs to a bigger group of hyaline fungi that cause hyalohyphomycosis, a fungal infection caused by fungi with colorless hyphae. Although this is a heterogeneous group of fungi, there are similarities regarding their ubiquity, ways of transmission, affected patients, and difficulties in diagnostics and treatment. In hyalohyphomycosis, the skin is one of the most affected organs, which is why the involvement of dermatologists is crucial for the initial assessment, since the timely recognition and early diagnosis of this condition can prevent life-threatening infections and death. In this review, we covered cutaneous hyalohyphomycosis caused by
and other fungi in the same group, including
,
,
,
,
, and
genera.
Breast hamartoma is an uncommon mass lesion made up of varying proportions of normal breast tissues. It involves between 0.7% to 5.0% of all benign breast tumors. A very uncommon variation of mammary ...hamartoma called myoid hamartoma is distinguished by the presence of smooth muscle cells in the stroma. We present a case of a myoid hamartoma of the breast with literature review.
Chronic inflammation is associated with both benign conditions and cancer. Likewise, inflammatory cells are quite common in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatic tissue harboring cancer. ...Triggers that activate inflammatory pathways in the prostate remain a subject of argument and are likely to be multifactorial, some of these being bacterial antigens, different chemical irritations, and metabolic disorders. Acute and chronic inflammation in prostate leads to accumulation of immunocompetent cells, mainly T lymphocytes and macrophages, but also neutrophils, eosinophils, and mast cells, depending on the type of offending agent. Inflammatory processes activate hyperproliferative programs resulting in nodules seen in BPH, but are also important in creating suitable microenvironment for cancer growth and progression. Inflammatory cells have mostly been shown to have a protumoral effect such as tumor-associated macrophages, but some cell types such as mast cells have antitumoral effects. This review outlines the recent findings and theories supporting the role of inflammatory responses as drivers of both benign and malignant epithelial processes in the prostate gland.
We describe a rare case of an eccrine syringofibroadenoma with a foci of squamous cell carcinoma in situ, which has to best of our knowledge been reported only twice in the English literature. An ...excisional biopsy of an elevated, lobular tumor of the lower leg in an 86-year-old male patient was performed. Histologic examination revealed a tumor consisting of anastomosing strands of epithelial cells originating from the epidermis, occasionally showing ductal eccrine differentiation. Foci of squamous cell carcinoma in situ were observed within the described lesion. The diagnosis of eccrine syringofibroadenoma with squamous cell carcinoma in situ was established. Eccrine syringofibroadenoma is a rare lesion, mostly considered to be a reactive process arising secondarily in association with other cutaneous diseases such as dermatoses or neoplasms, although some researchers do not exclude the possibility that it is a primary neoplasm with a potential for malignant transformation.
Differentiation of noninvasive from invasive papillary urothelial carcinoma can be challenging due to inability of proper orientation and thermal damage of transurethrally obtained material. The aim ...of this study was to analyze the presence and extent of peritumoral retractions in pT1 compared to pTa papillary urothelial carcinoma. Since peritumoral retractions may result from altered expression profiles of extracellular matrix proteins, we additionally analyzed the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) in these tumors. The study comprised 50 noninvasive (pTa) and 50 invasive (pT1) cases of transurethrally obtained primary papillary urothelial carcinomas. The invasive nature of nests showing peritumoral retractions was confirmed immunohistochemically using antibody against collagen IV. Staining for MMP-2 and IL-8 was evaluated semiquantitatively using immunohistochemical staining index, calculated by multiplying the percentage of positive cells and staining intensity. Peritumoral retractions were found in 32% of pT1 carcinomas but in none of the pTa carcinomas. All tumors showing peritumoral retraction were high grade tumors. There was no statistically significant correlation between the expression of MMP-2 or IL-8 and the presence of peritumoral retractions or stage of the tumor (pTa vs. pT1). A statistically significant but weak correlation was found between MMP-2 and IL-8 expression (χ2-test, p=0,015). There was no statistically significant correlation between the presence of peritumoral retractions or MMP-2 expression and tumor recurrence and progression. Our study shows that, in doubtful cases, when differentiating between pTa and pT1 stages of papillary urothelial carcinoma, the presence of peritumoral retractions could favor the diagnosis of invasive neoplasm.
Peritumoral clefting is one of the main histologic features of basal cell carcinoma of the skin (BCC). The aim of the study was to analyze the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 both in cells of basal ...cell carcinoma and in the adjacent stroma and to correlate the findings of immunohistochemical analysis with the presence of peritumoral clefting.
The study was made on archival material comprising 48 cases of BCC. These were scanned for the presence of peritumoral clefts. The results of immunohistochemical staining for MMP-2 and MMP-9 were determined semiquantitatively using immunohistochemical staining index (ISI).
Peritumoral retractions were found in 40 BCC cases. Positive immunohistochemical reaction for MMP-2 in tumor cells was found in 47 cases and in all cases in the adjacent stroma. Positive immunostaining for MMP-9 in BCC tumor cells was observed in 37 cases and in all cases in the adjacent stroma. There was no statistically significant association between peritumoral retractions and expression of MMPs. A statistically significant correlation was found in the expression of both MMP-2 and MMP-9 between the tumor and the stroma.
Tumor cells elaborate MMP-2 and -9, but they also produce some other factors that may induce production of MMPs in adjacent stromal cells. The role of MMPs in the development of peritumoral clefts could not be confirmed.
The early identification of aggressive forms of cancer is of high importance in treating papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Disease dissemination is a major factor influencing patient survival. Mutation ...status of
oncogene,
V600E, is proposed to be an indicator of disease recurrence; however, its influence on PTC dissemination has not been deciphered. This study aimed to explore the association of the frequency of
V600E alleles in PTC with disease dissemination. In this study, 173 PTC samples were analyzed, measuring the proportion of
V600E alleles by qPCR, which was then normalized against the proportion of tumor cells. Semiquantitative analysis of BRAF V600E mutant protein was performed by immunohistochemistry. The
V600E mutation was present in 60% of samples, while the normalized frequency of mutated
alleles ranged from 1.55% to 92.06%. There was no significant association between the presence and/or proportion of the
V600E mutation with the degree of PTC dissemination. However, the presence of the
mutation was significantly linked with angioinvasion. This study's results suggest that there is a heterogeneous distribution of the
mutation and the presence of oligoclonal forms of PTC. It is likely that the
mutation alone does not significantly contribute to PTC aggressiveness.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the digestive tract, believed to originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal or their stem cell-like precursors. ...Recent studies incidentally found the expression in interstitial cells of Cajal of the signal-transducing adaptor molecule-2 (STAM2), which is an endosomal protein acting as a regulator of receptor signaling and trafficking. Here, we investigated the immunohistochemical expression of STAM2 in GIST.
To evaluate the level of STAM2 expression, the percentage of cells staining positively for STAM2 and their staining intensity were graded on a scale of 0-3 and then multiplied to give the staining index as: 0=none; 1-3=low; 4-6=moderate and 9=high.
In 51 analyzed GIST samples, expression of STAM2 was observed in 45 cases (88.2%). Based on antibody screening, we observed a positive correlation between the expression of GIST marker stem cell growth factor receptor, also known as tyrosine-protein kinase KIT or CD117, and STAM2 expression (r=0.387, p<0.003). To identify possible STAM2 function in GIST, we performed correlation analysis between STAM2 expression and tumor size, primary tumor site, tumor type, mitotic count, Ki-67 proliferative index, risk stratification and development of recurrent/metastatic disease. Among these parameters, only correlation between the percentage of STAM2-positive cells and mitotic count was statistically significant (r=-0.362, p<0.01).
Further studies are required to unravel the role of STAM2 in the oncogenic cell phenotype of GIST.
Benign and malignant tumors are common in the setting of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) and angiosarcoma are rare tumors in children and adolescents ...and mostly occur in young patients in relation to NF1. Both histological types can be present in the same tumor mass in patients with NF1. We present a case of 12.5-year-old girl with NF1 who first presented with MPNST of the right inguinal region and 1.5 years later with unrelated angiosarcoma of the scalp.
PDF
