PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

L Hochholzer

Publications and source records attributed to L Hochholzer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Mucinous (so-called colloid) carcinomas of lung.

We present 24 cases of primary mucinous (so-called colloid) carcinomas of the lung. The patients were between 33 and 81 yr old (median: 57 yr), including 15 men and nine women. The lesions were discovered incidentally on chest X-ray, where they presented in diverse forms. No predilection for a particular lobe or pulmonary segment was observed. The tumors varied from 0.5 to 10 cm in greatest diameter. Grossly, the tumors were poorly circumscribed, soft, tan-to-gray mucoid lesions. Microscopically, they showed intra-alveolar pools of mucin containing small clusters of atypical cells floating in the mucin, and foci of neoplastic columnar epithelium lining scattered alveoli. Seven cases showed areas of solid, well-differentiated malignant glands adjacent to pools of mucin. In two cases, lymph node metastases were found at surgery. Eleven (57%) of 19 patients were alive over a follow-up period ranging from 2 to 192 mo; one of them had metastases to bone and another had intrapulmonary recurrence. Eight patients died with/of their tumors, two of them with known metastases to bone and/or brain, and one with recurrence after 2 yr of initial diagnosis. No follow-up was obtained in five patients. Although the extent of clinical evaluation varied, no other primary neoplasms (i.e., breast, gastrointestinal tract, or other organs where primary mucinous carcinomas are known to occur) were observed. These tumors probably represent a variant of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma and share the prognosis of that neoplasm. However, because of their often bland cytologic features and paucity of malignant cells, they may be difficult to diagnose as neoplasms.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous

Pseudomesotheliomatous adenocarcinoma: a reappraisal.

Adenocarcinomas of or in lung that clinically and pathologically mimic diffuse pleural mesotheliomas are rare. We reviewed selected clinical and pathologic features of 15 autopsy/surgical cases previously reported in the medical literature and of 15 additional cases from the files of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP). Ninety percent of the patients were men. The median age was 61 years. Sixty-three percent of the patients smoked, 17% of them had possible or definite occupational exposure to asbestos, and one patient had microscopically proven asbestosis. Most patients had chest pain, shortness of breath, or cough, and had unilateral pleural effusion in the chest x-ray. At thoracotomy or at autopsy, numerous nodules, plaques, or a continuous rind of tumor was present over the pleural surface. Microscopically, the tumors showed simplified glands, nests, cords, papillary, tubulopapillary or biphasic patterns of growth. The neoplasms contained mucin that stained with diastase-predigested periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), mucicarmine, and alcian blue (with or without hyaluronidase predigestion). All patients died with/of tumor, with a mean survival of 4.7 months for those reported in the medical literature and of 7 months for those in the AFIP files. These adenocarcinomas therefore mimic pleural mesothelioma not only in their clinical and gross and microscopic appearance, but also in their prognosis.

Adenocarcinoma

Pulmonary blastomas.

Pulmonary blastoma is a rare lung tumor composed of immature mesenchyme and/or epithelium that morphologically mimics embryonal pulmonary structure. The prognosis of these tumors is poor, and the clinical course is not readily predicted from histologic appearance. In this report, the clinical, gross, microscopic, and immunopathologic features of 52 cases are described, and prognostically important correlates are determined. Twenty-eight patients were women, and 24 were men. There was a unimodal age peak in the fourth decade; only two patients were younger than 10 years old, and both had biphasic blastomas. Forty-one percent of patients were asymptomatic. Chest radiography typically showed a peripheral or midlung mass without predilection for any lobe. Microscopically, tumors could be divided into two classes: those composed solely of malignant glands of embryonal appearance (well-differentiated fetal adenocarcinomas [WDFA], 28 cases) and those with a biphasic appearance (24 cases). The malignant epithelium contained cytokeratin, carcinoembryonic antigen, milk fat globulin, and often chromogranin; vimentin, actin, and less frequently desmin and myoglobin were present in malignant stromal cells. More often WDFA was a smaller tumor (less than 5 cm) than biphasic tumors (P less than or equal to 0.001). It was more likely to be asymptomatic (P less than or equal to 0.001), and it was less likely to show pleural effusion by chest radiography (P less than or equal to 0.01) or giant or bizarre tumor cells (P less than or equal to 0.001) or frequent (greater than or equal to 30 mitoses/10 high-power fields) mitoses in the microscopic sections (P less than or equal to 0.01). Only 14% of patients with WDFA died of their tumor; 52% of patients with biphasic tumors died (mean follow-up, 97 months and 49 months, respectively). For patients with WDFA, the presence of thoracic adenopathy by chest radiography (P less than or equal to 0.001) and metastasis at initial presentation (P less than or equal to 0.001), followed by tumor recurrence (P less than or equal to 0.01), were the factors most highly correlated with poor prognosis. For patients with biphasic tumors, tumor recurrence (P less than or equal to 0.001) was the most significant indicator of poor prognosis, followed by metastasis at initial presentation (P less than or equal to 0.05) and gross size of the tumor (greater than or equal to 5 cm) (P less than or equal to 0.05). These findings support the idea that histologic class and gross and clinical findings can be of prognostic value in pulmonary blastoma.

Actuarial Analysis

An immunohistochemical study of benign clear cell ('sugar') tumor of the lung.

Benign clear cell ("sugar") tumor is a rare and most unusual pulmonary neoplasm. Although several reports in the literature have focused on the ultrastructural features of benign clear cell tumor, only a few cases have been formally studied by immunochemistry. Using a broad panel of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, five cases were evaluated. In all five cases, there was diffuse immunoreactivity for cathepsin B. Four cases showed immunoreactivity for HMB-45 and for alpha 1-antitrypsin. By two different sources for antivimentin, there was immunoreactivity in four cases (Biogenex, Dublin, Calif) and in two cases (DAKO, Santa Barbara, Calif), respectively. Additional immunoreactivity was present for S100 protein (three cases), HAM-56 (two cases), factor XIIIA (two cases), and neuron-specific enolase (one case). No case expressed immunoreactivity for keratin (AE 1, AE 3, or CAM 5.2), carcinoembryonic antigen, chromogranin, synaptophysin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, or alpha 1-antichymotrypsin. This immunochemical profile suggests that HMB-45, in combination with a variety of immunostains, may serve to distinguish benign clear cell tumor from other clear cell neoplasms.

Adult

Localized benign and malignant fibrous tumors of the pleura. A clinicopathologic review of 223 cases.

We reviewed 223 localized fibrous tumors of the pleura and divided them histologically into 141 benign and 82 malignant neoplasms. The criteria used for a judgement of malignancy were high cellularity and mitotic activity (more than four mitotic figures per 10 high-power fields), pleomorphism, hemorrhage, and necrosis. The tumors occurred equally in both sexes, most commonly in the sixth to seventh decades of life. Presenting symptoms included chest pain, dyspnea, and cough; they were observed in three-fourths of patients with a malignant tumor. One in every four of these patients had hypoglycemia, clubbed digits, or pleural effusion. Two-thirds of the tumors were attached to visceral pleura, often by a pedicle. The rest arose from the parietal pleura of the chest wall, diaphragm, or mediastinum. Neoplasms in these atypical sites, together with fissural lesions and tumors "inverted" into peripheral lung, were more often malignant. Most neoplasms measured 5-10 cm and weighed 100-400 g. Microscopically, the "patternless pattern," or hemangiopericytic type, was seen in the majority of cases, and mixed patterns were seen in nearly 40% of tumors. Of the 169 tumors where follow-up was available, all of the benign and 45% of the malignant tumors were cured by simple excision. Patients surgically cured of a malignant neoplasm had pedunculated or well-circumscribed lesions. However, 55% of patients with malignant tumors succumbed to their disease secondary to invasion, recurrence, or metastasis. Resectability is the single most important indicator of clinical outcome. No tumor expressed epithelial differentiation, either immunohistochemically or ultrastructurally; therefore, we favor the term "localized fibrous tumor" of pleura instead of "localized mesothelioma."

Adolescent

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the lung.

Twenty-two cases of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the lung are described, and a review of the literature is presented. As in the soft tissue, this sarcoma is found primarily in older individuals, usually as a solitary peripheral mass. Chest wall invasion at diagnosis was seen in four cases. The most common histologic subtype was the storiform-pleomorphic type of MFH. Vascular invasion was seen in 50% of cases. Histologic features did not correlate with prognosis, and subsequent aggressive behavior was related primarily to symptomatic presentation, advanced stage at diagnosis, incomplete excision, invasion of the chest wall or mediastinum, and subsequent recurrence or metastasis. Primary MFH of the lung should be distinguished from spindle cell carcinoma and inflammatory pseudotumors, and this histologic differential diagnosis is discussed.

Adolescent

Mucoepidermoid tumors of the lung.

Mucoepidermoid tumors of lung (MET) are rare tumors derived from the minor salivary gland tissue of the proximal tracheobronchial tree. The authors studied 58 cases of MET confined to the lung and used criteria derived from similar tumors of the salivary glands to separate them into low-grade and high-grade variants. The overwhelming majority of low-grade tumors behaved in a benign fashion, whereas 23% of high-grade tumors resulted in patient death. Prognostic factors which appeared to predict future aggressive behavior included high-grade classification, advanced stage at presentation, and perhaps lymph node metastases.

Adenoma, Pleomorphic

Primary pulmonary hemangiopericytoma.

Eighteen cases of primary pulmonary hemangiopericytoma are reported. These pulmonary sarcomas tend to occur in older individuals, frequently as asymptomatic, non-calcified solitary masses on chest radiographs. Morphologically, they have a histology similar to their soft tissue counterparts. No single clinical or histologic feature allowed prediction of biologic aggressiveness in these rare pulmonary sarcomas and the authors recommend that all hemangiopericytomas of lung be considered as potentially malignant.

Adult

Mediastinal hemangiomas.

Hemangiomas of the mediastinum are rare tumors. Fewer than 100 have been reported. This study reviews the cases of 15 patients with mediastinal hemangiomas confirmed pathologically. We analyzed and evaluated the presentation, evaluation, and treatment. Follow-up is available for 14 of the 15 patients and ranges from 15 months to 15 years. Eight of the 15 patients were seen with signs and symptoms related to the tumor. This presentation correlated with invasion of contiguous mediastinal structures by the tumor. Six patients underwent total excision and 6, subtotal excision. During follow-up, residual tumor did not spread, become symptomatic, or show evidence of malignant degeneration. Based on this analysis, we believe that in patients in whom total excision of this tumor can be accomplished only by hazardous resection, a subtotal resection should be performed.

Adolescent

Pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma.

Pulmonary hyalinizing granulomas are distinct fibrosing lesions of lung, having central whorled deposits of lamellar collagen. Twenty-four cases of this unusual pulmonary lesion are reported herein. Hyalinizing granulomas occur in middle-aged persons and are frequently mistaken for metastatic carcinoma radiographically. More than half of the patients had autoimmune phenomena or previous exposures to mycobacterial or fungal antigens. Four patients had sclerosing mediastinitis develop. A progressive debilitating clinical course was related to increasing dyspnea and bilateral disease on chest radiographs. A discussion of the histogenesis and histologic differential diagnosis is presented.

Adult

Lymphoid interstitial pneumonia: clinicopathological and immunopathological findings in 18 cases.

Eighteen patients with lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP) were studied. The diagnosis was established by the microscopic finding of interstitial infiltrates of lymphocytes and plasma cells. Forty-seven% of patients also had germinal centres, while 72% showed interstitial giant cells. Cases studied by the immunoperoxidase technique showed the interstitial plasma cells to be polytypic. The median age of patients was 56 years; most had cough, dyspnea, or chest pain. Chest X-rays showed either patchy interstitial infiltrates (usually bilateral) or poorly defined nodules. Ten patients had hypergammaglobulinemia; one had hypogammaglobulinemia. Two patients had Sjögren's syndrome, two had biopsy-proven chronic active hepatitis, and two had a clinical diagnosis of primary biliary cirrhosis. Follow-up examination of 14 patients showed clearing of symptoms, X-ray infiltrates or stable infiltrates in 4 cases each. Five patients died (mean survival, 41 months), one of whom succumbed to disseminated lymphoma and a second to respiratory failure. Our results support the hypothesis that LIP is a non-neoplastic cellular proliferation in which lymphoma may supervene. The high incidence (22%) of chronic liver disease has not previously been noted.

Adult

Malignant mesotheliomas with osseous and cartilaginous differentiation.

This report describes ten examples of diffuse pleural tumors felt to represent malignant mesotheliomas with osseous and cartilaginous differentiation. Typically, the patients involved were elderly whites who presented with chest pain, bloody pleural effusions, and diffuse and nodular pleural disease on chest roentgenograms. An asbestos-exposure history was indicated in six of the ten patients. Seven cases were malignant fibrous mesotheliomas, and three were biphasic mesotheliomas. Results of immunoperoxidase studies for cytoplasmic keratin were positive in three of six cases of malignant fibrous mesothelioma.

Aged

Unusual thoracic manifestations of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma.

Intravascular bronchioloalveolar tumors are now recognized as the pulmonary analogue of epithelioid hemangioendotheliomas of the somatic soft tissues. These low-grade endothelial sarcomas have a typical histologic appearance and usually present as bilateral pulmonary nodules in young women. The present report describes four unusual clinical manifestations of the epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: as an anterior mediastinal mass, as diffuse pleural thickening resembling malignant mesothelioma, as a metastatic carcinoma with cancerization of the lymphatics (lymphagitic carcinoma), and as a solitary peripheral calcified nodule. These anomalous clinical presentations correspond to unusual histologic appearances of the tumor at open-lung biopsy, and need to be recognized by both the clinician and the pathologist.

Adult

Sporothrix infection of the lung without cutaneous disease. Primary pulmonary sporotrichosis.

The clinical spectrum of sporotrichosis is expanding and now includes pulmonary infection in absence of skin lesions. Lung involvement, albeit unusual, is a granulomatous pneumonitis which may progress to bilateral, apical, fibrotic, and contracted infiltrates or cavities, thereby mimicking tuberculosis or histoplasmosis. The patients are most often middle-aged men with alcoholism and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Our case report is yet another variant of primary pulmonary sporotrichosis that presented as diffuse, bilateral granulomatous pneumonitis without cavitation or predilection for upper lobes.

Dermatomycoses

Alveolar adenoma.

This report describes six cases of an unusual pulmonary neoplasm, the alveolar adenoma, that consists of a benign proliferation of alveolar epithelium and septal mesenchyme. The neoplasm presents as a solitary peripheral lesion on chest radiographs, particularly in older patients. It has unique histologic features, which should be distinguished from those of sclerosing hemangioma, lymphangioma, and bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.

Adenoma

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis: a clinicopathologic study of 42 patients.

We studied the histological and clinicopathological findings in 42 patients who had lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG). In addition to small round lymphocytes, small to intermediate lymphocytes with serpentine nuclei, large immature mononuclear lymphoid cells, abundant histiocytes, and vascular invasion by the cell infiltrate were observed in all cases. Fifty percent of lesions had occasional "atypical" cells with multi-lobed nuclei. Three of four follow-up autopsies showed large cell lymphoma, while one other autopsy and the single repeat biopsy showed increased numbers of large immature mononuclear lymphoid cells. Patients were most frequently men 40-60 yr old who had a history of pulmonary symptoms, such as cough or chest pain, and who showed multiple bilateral lung nodules without hilar adenopathy in the chest x-ray. Thirteen patients (38%) died of disease, 11 of them within 12 mth of initial diagnosis. The presence of neurological signs and symptoms, increased mitoses, or increased numbers of atypical multi-nucleated cells in the initial biopsy were not statistically significant predictors of survival.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones

Amyloidosis presenting in the lower respiratory tract. Clinicopathologic, radiologic, immunohistochemical, and histochemical studies on 48 cases.

We studied 48 cases of amyloidosis localized to the lower respiratory tract. Fourteen cases were classified as tracheobronchial amyloidosis. Twenty-eight cases showed solitary or multiple nodules, and six cases had a diffuse interstitial parenchymal pattern. Almost all patients with tracheobronchial and diffuse interstitial amyloidosis had respiratory symptoms (usually dyspnea), whereas most with nodular amyloidosis were asymptomatic. Nodular parenchymal and, less frequently, tracheobronchial amyloidosis had contiguous cellular infiltrates of plasma cells, lymphocytes, and giant cells. Immunohistochemical staining of specimens from 18 cases showed these plasma cells to be polytypic, except for two tracheobronchial lesions that had a disproportionate number of lambda light chain-bearing plasma cells. Permanganate oxidation of specimens from 19 cases showed patterns in keeping with immunoglobulin-derived amyloid in 12. Local deposits of amyloid in lung may arise from deposition of circulating precursor proteins.

Adult