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Biomedical subjects

Isabelle Valo

Publications and source records attributed to Isabelle Valo.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Primary pulmonary meningioma first suspected of being a lung metastasis.

Primary extracranial and extraspinal meningiomas are rare tumors. We describe a primary pulmonary meningioma first suspected of being a metastasis because it presented as a solitary subpleural pulmonary nodule in a patient with breast cancer. The absence of radiographic change after 6 months of chemotherapy led to resection of the breast and lung lesions. A complete central nervous system evaluation eliminated other locations of meningioma, allowing the diagnosis of primary pulmonary meningioma.

Female↗

[Diffuse colonic ganglioneuromatous polyposis].

Ganglioneuromatous polyposis is a very rare intestinal disease which differs from isolated polypoid ganglioneuroma and from diffuse ganglioneuromatosis. Its clinical, endoscopic, microscopic and evolutive features are poorly known. We report three cases of colonic ganglioneuromatous polyposis that illustrated an uncommon diffusion pattern in two men and one woman aged 63-72 who presented with chronic diarrhea. Endoscopic features suggesting the diagnosis were diffuse polyposis predominating in the cecum and right colon, with hyperhemic flat lesions enhanced after indigocarmin instillation. Histological study of the biopsies, and of colectomy specimens, showed a diffuse mucosal ganglioneuromatous proliferation with a few adenomatous polyps. Search for multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2b was negative. In conclusion, this polypoid type of diffuse ganglioneuromatosis can be suspected in patients with chronic diarrhea by the special endoscopic aspect of the colonic polyposis. Pathologists should be aware of the distinctive features; diagnosis requires search for adenomas and/or neoplasia by total colopsy in addition to search for MEN 2b.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗

[Thyroid metastases of an adrenocortical carcinoma 41 years after the diagnosis of the primary tumor].

Thyroid metastasis are rare and represent less than 4% of malignant thyroid tumors in clinical series. They can develop many years after diagnosis of the primary tumor. We report a case of thyroid metastasis of adrenocortical carcinoma, 41 years after the diagnosis of the primary tumor. Such a long latent interval is exceptional. To our knowledge, this is the first case published. Based on current literature, we offer a brief review on thyroid metastasis and differential diagnosis of thyroid gland clear cell neoplasm.

Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell↗

Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas demonstrate the same chromosome changes as those found in frozen samples: a comparative study using interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Cytogenetic studies in lymphomas classically require fresh or frozen tissue, whereas in many instances only paraffin-embedded biopsies are available. We applied an interphase FISH assay on nuclei extracted from thick paraffin sections to determine accuracy of molecular cytogenetics in such samples. Twenty-three lymphoma samples and 4 reactive lymph nodes were tested with various commercially available DNA probes, and hybridization patterns were compared with those obtained on frozen nuclei counterparts. Successful hybridization with all probes tested was observed for 23/27 (85%) paraffin-embedded tissues and for all (100%) frozen samples, and cut-off levels defining positivity were superimposable for both situations. Chromosome changes were detected in the same way, without any false-positive or false-negative cases. Hybridization signals observed on dewaxed samples were either those classically expected to define the relevant chromosome change or were atypical: all atypical changes could be demonstrated also into nuclei from the frozen counterpart. Moreover, all typical and atypical chromosome changes observed on frozen nuclei were also detected in paraffin-embedded tissues. Our study shows that our interphase FISH assay performed on paraffin-embedded samples is a valuable alternate to conventional methods to ascertain diagnosis of lymphomas as to include patients into therapeutic trials.

Artifacts↗

[Diagnosis of the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Significance of immunohistochemistry].

AIMS: To study the expression of cytokeratin 19 (CK-19), HBME-1 and Ret in follicular-patterned thyroid tumors, and their significance for the diagnosis of the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 111 well-differentiated follicular tumors were examined by immunohistochemistry: 59 papillary carcinomas (43 of the follicular variant), 40 follicular adenomas (among which 11 atypical adenomas), 10 oxyphil cell tumors and 2 follicular carcinomas. RESULTS: CK-19 was diffusely expressed in all the papillary carcinomas, and was also expressed in 2/4 oxyphil cell carcinomas and 4/11 atypical adenomas. 90% of the follicular adenomas (26/29), the six oxyphil cell adenomas and the two follicular carcinomas showed at best a focal staining of dystrophic areas. 78% of the papillary carcinomas and 3/11 atypical adenomas were stained with HBME-1, whereas 26/29 adenomas (90%) and the 10 oxyphil cell tumors were negative. 34% of the papillary carcinomas expressed Ret (most of them were of the usual type (14/20)). The staining was often weak and focal (13/20). The other tumors were all negative for Ret. CONCLUSIONS: CK-19 is a sensitive (100%) and specific (82.5%) marker of papillary carcinomas, which can be helpful in the diagnosis of its follicular variant. HBME-1 can improve this specificity when associated with CK-19. The Ret protein expression is of limited practical interest.

Adenoma↗

[Definition and histologic characterization of neuroendocrine tumors].

Neuroendocrine tumours are defined by a common phenotype, which is not supported by a common embryologic origin. This common phenotype is characterized by the expression of general neuroendocrine markers, and sometimes by cell specific hormonal products. Neuroendocrine tumours are ubiquitous, but the major localizations are the digestive tract. According to the classification of lung tumours, they are divided in low grade and high grade tumours. Since most digestive and pancreatic tumours are low grade tumours, a specific classification of neuroendocrine tumours was recently proposed. Size, degree of invasion, major secretion, and proliferation rate are the main criteria of this classification. Most neuroendocrine tumours are sporadic. A few cases occur in the context of a multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.

Humans↗

[Colonic malacoplakia and ulcerative colitis: report of a case].

Malacoplakia is a form of chronic granulomatous inflammatory reaction that rarely affects the digestive tract and has exceptionally been reported in association with ulcerative colitis. We report a new case in a 58-year-old woman suffering from ulcerative colitis. As colitis worsened, the patient received systemic steroid therapy but symptoms did not improve. As colonic perforation was suspected, a sub-total colectomy was performed. Histopathological study revealed a diffuse infiltration of the colonic mucosa by sheets of large macrophages with eosinophilic granular cytoplasm and characteristic cytoplasmic inclusions (Michaelis-Gutmann bodies) together with active and chronic lesions of ulcerative colitis. Malacoplakia gradually disappeared under antibiotics and did not recur whereas ulcerative colitis remained active. In our case, as in three similar published cases associated with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, malacoplakia was probably triggered by steroid therapy and was not clinically suspected. This particular and potentially severe inflammation must be recognized and treated in order to prevent worsening of the associated bowel disease.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Cushing's Syndrome Caused by a Well-Differentiated Ileal Neuroendocrine Carcinoma.

We report a very rare case of Cushing's syndrome caused by an ileal adrenocorticotrophin-secreting well-differentiated endocrine carcinoma with liver metastases. A 62-yr-old woman presented with clinical and biological signs suggestive of paraneoplastic Cushing's syndrome Radiological investigations, including magnetic resonance imaging of the pituitary gland, chest and abdominal computerized tomography scan, smalI bowel barium study and pancreatic endoscopic scan, 111 -pentetreotide scintigraphy (octreoscan), esogastroduodenoscopy, and colonoscopy did not detect the source of the ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretior but showed a few liver nodules. Because a 10 mo-long ketoconazole treatment was not effective, a bilateral adrenalectomy was performed in order to control the Cushing's syndrome, and a liver nodule biopsy diagnosed a metastatic neuroendocrine tumor. Subsequently, a second laparotomy disclosed a 1.8 cm ileal neuroendocrine tumor, cosecreting ACTH and serotonin on immunohistochemistry with many liver metastases. ACTH and secretion by intestinal neuroendocrine tumors is rare, and the secretion is a most always clinicailly silent. Cushing's syndrome caused by an intestinal low grade neuroendocrine tumor is even rarer, with only two previous cases reported in the literature. Our observation underlines the difficulty of localizing the source of ectopic ACTI-I secretion in paraneoplastic Cushing's syndrome.

Journal Article↗