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Biomedical subjects

M L Carcangiu

Publications and source records attributed to M L Carcangiu.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Polypoid cystic adenomyosis of the uterus: report of a case.

A case of focal adenomyosis of the uterus with unusual gross features is presented. The patient, a 43-year-old woman, had experienced abnormal vaginal bleeding for 8 years. Hysteroscopy revealed a polypoid mass compatible with a submucosal leiomyoma, and a hysterectomy was performed. The uterus showed a 7 x 5 x 3-cm firm polypoid mass attached to the anterior wall that occupied most of the uterine cavity and protruded through the cervical os. It contained a large, central, cystic cavity filled with bloody fluid that communicated with the endometrial cavity through a fistula-like tract. Both the surface of the mass and the inside of the cystic cavity were covered by endometrial mucosa, and there were endometrial islands in the intervening wall. The differential diagnosis of this unique form of adenomyosis included polypoid submucosal leiomyoma with invagination of endometrium, endometrial polyp, submucosal leiomyoma with invagination of endometrium, endometrial polyp, and uterine diverticulum.

Adult↗

Oncocytic neoplasms of the thyroid gland.

Among well differentiated thyroid tumors, oncocytic neoplasms feature a distinctive set of clinical, morphologic and biologic characteristics, some of which have been a matter of controversy. The world literature on this subject has been reviewed to show that: 1) Morphology accurately predicts the behavior of Hürthle cell tumors assuming that the specimen has been adequately sampled; 2) Capsular and/or vascular invasion is the sine qua non condition for a diagnosis of malignancy; 3) "Indeterminate" or "possibly malignant" categories are useless because in the absence of invasion these neoplasms almost invariably behave in a benign fashion; 4) Among cases histologically classified as malignant, a clinically aggressive behavior is to be expected in a high percentage of cases; 5) Size alone cannot be used as a criterion of malignancy; 6) Less than total thyroidectomy provides an adequate treatment for histologically benign tumors; aggressive surgical procedures (i.e. total thyroidectomy) do not diminish the incidence of metastasis; 7) Analysis of DNA content may be helpful in defining subsets of patients with Hürthle cell carcinomas having a particularly poor prognosis; 8) Mitochondrial and/or nuclear DNA abnormalities probably play an important role in the cellular alterations which characterize the phenotype of oncocytes.

Adenoma↗

Follicular Hurthle cell tumors of the thyroid gland.

A clinicopathologic study of 153 cases of thyroid follicular Hurthle cell tumor (HCT) is presented. Follow-up, available in all cases, ranged from 5 to 26 years (median, 9 years). These neoplasms were divided into three categories on the basis of presence and degree of capsular and vascular invasion, pattern of growth (follicular, trabecular, or solid), nuclear atypia, and necrosis. The categories were benign (90 cases), indeterminate (35 cases), and malignant (28 cases). All the tumors classified histologically as benign or indeterminate behaved in a clinically benign fashion. Of the 28 tumors classified histologically as malignant, 20 had a clinically malignant behavior. At survival analysis, no clinical or pathologic feature among the carcinomas was found to correlate with a fatal outcome. It is concluded that histologic criteria alone can distinguish benign from malignant HCT and that clinical or pathologic feature cannot predict behavior among the malignant tumors.

Adenoma↗

Adjuvant whole-abdominal radiation therapy in uterine papillary serous carcinoma.

Nine patients from 34 to 74 years of age (median, 67 years of age) with uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) were treated with whole-abdominal radiation therapy (WART) on an adjuvant basis after cytoreductive surgery. All patients were treated with megavoltage photons to an abdominopelvic field to a median dose of 2500 cGy, with continued treatment to a whole pelvic field to a median dose of 4500 cGy. Three patients received additional boost to the vaginal apex. Follow-up time ranged from 6 to 31 months (median, 25 months) after completion of WART. Six patients had recurrent disease at 5 to 20 months (median, 7.5 months). Four of these patients died of their disease during the follow-up period. Three of six patients in whom treatment failed had disease at the vaginal apex. None of these patients received boost radiation therapy to that site. In contrast, two of three patients remaining disease free were treated with additional vaginal apex irradiation. Based on these results, the authors do not routinely recommend WART for adjuvant treatment of UPSC. They do, however, recommend vaginal apex irradiation for these patients.

Adult↗

Trisomy 12 and K-ras-2 amplification in human ovarian tumors.

Cytogenetic analysis was performed on 11 benign and borderline ovarian tumors. Trisomy 12, identified as a sole abnormality in 6 tumors, is likely a specific karyotypic change in different benign and borderline tumors and may well be a primary chromosomal lesion in these tumors. The possible association between amplification of the proto-oncogene K-ras-2 which is located on chromosome 12 and trisomy 12 was investigated. DNA blotting analysis of 64 tumors indicates that trisomy 12 does not seem to be related to K-ras-2 amplification in ovarian tumors. K-ras-2 amplification was observed in 3 high-grade tumors from 3 patients with metastases.

Chromosome Banding↗

Rapidly progressive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix coexisting with human immunodeficiency virus infection: clinical opinion.

The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been characterized by aggressive malignancies and infections with unusual presentations. There is a well-documented association between cervical dysplasia and the development of cervical carcinoma, and more recent evidence of an association between cervical dysplasia and HIV infection. The course of coexistent HIV infection and cervical cancer has not been well described. We report a patient with HIV infection and a stage IIIB squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix who, despite adequate treatment, had rapid disease progression as well as metastasis to an unusual iliopsoas muscle site in association with an abscess. As HIV becomes more prevalent in the female population, an increased frequency of rapidly progressive cervical carcinoma may be forthcoming. Improved life expectancy of HIV-infected patients due to modern medication is anticipated, causing a cervical neoplasm to have a more prominent effect on prognosis. Close surveillance with frequent Pap smears and colposcopies as well as aggressive management of cervical dysplasia and carcinoma in HIV-infected patients is suggested as is thorough patient counseling.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Papillary carcinoma of thyroid with exuberant nodular fasciitis-like stroma. Report of three cases.

Three examples of an unusual morphologic variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are reported. The presence of a prominent stromal component resulted in low-power microscopic appearances resembling fibroadenoma, phyllodes tumor, or fibrocystic disease of the breast in two cases. The carcinomatous component grew in the form of anastomosing narrow tubules, clustered glands, solid sheets with or without squamous differentiation, and/or papillae, and exhibited the typical nuclear features of PTC. The abundant stroma had a nodular fasciitis-like quality and was composed of short fascicles of spindle cells separated by varying amounts of mucoid matrix, collagen, and extravasated red blood cells; this was interpreted as an exuberant mesenchymal reaction to the carcinoma. The importance of recognizing this variant of PTC is that, when one encounters a fibroproliferative lesion of the thyroid, a diligent search should be made for papillary carcinoma. This variant also must be distinguished from the vastly more aggressive papillary carcinomas with anaplastic transformation and the so-called carcinosarcomas.

Adult↗

Sex cord tumor with annular tubules associated with endometriosis of the fallopian tube.

Sex cord tumor with annular tubules (SCTAT) is a distinctive ovarian sex cord-stromal tumor. The authors describe a case of SCTAT arising outside the ovaries, in the fallopian tube. The authors are aware of only one other case of extra-ovarian SCTAT, in an umbilical hernia sac in an adult woman. The case reported was an incidental finding in a hysterectomy specimen, obtained because of carcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix in a 32-year-old woman. The patient is alive and disease-free two years after surgery. The 1-cm tumor in the right fallopian tube was composed of typical ring-shaped tubules encircling hyalinized basement membrane-like material. In addition, glands and stroma of endometriosis were intimately admixed with the nests of tumor. The implications of these findings for the origin of SCTAT and ovarian sex cord structures are discussed.

Adult↗

Salpingoscopy: light microscopic and electron microscopic correlations.

In order to examine the ability of salpingoscopy to diagnose intratubal pathology, 32 fallopian tubes were evaluated salpingoscopically and histologically. Both flexible and rigid salpingoscopes were used, and observations were documented by intratubal photography. Salpingoscopic criteria were established and each criterion assigned a numerical value. Each tube was evaluated for patency, mucosal fold architecture, erythema, adhesions, and dilatation. Based on these criteria, tubes were graded as normal or as abnormal with mild, moderate, or severe changes. Histologically, each tube was evaluated for patency, epithelial changes, vascularity, dilatation, adhesions, and active inflammation. Six tubes with significant histologic findings and two histologically normal fallopian tubes were also examined by transmission electron microscopy. In five discordant cases, histology revealed epithelial and stromal changes not detected by salpingoscopy. Fallopian tubes with severe disease were diagnosed by both methods. Transmission electron microscopy of histologically abnormal tubes showed flattening of the epithelium with markedly reduced ciliary distribution, degenerating secretory epithelial cells with large intracellular vacuoles, and swollen nuclei containing sparse chromatin. Our results indicate that salpingoscopic observations are consistent with histologic findings when endotubal disease is severe. However, moderate pathologic changes as documented by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were frequently not diagnosed salpingoscopically, even with magnification.

Endoscopy↗

Sclerosing mucoepidermoid thyroid carcinoma with eosinophilia. A distinctive low-grade malignancy arising from the metaplastic follicles of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Eight cases of a distinctive low-grade carcinoma of the thyroid gland occurring in a background of Hashimoto's thyroiditis are reported. The patients were women presenting with a painless thyroid mass. Grossly, the tumors were white, homogeneous, firm, and usually ill defined. Histologically, strands and small nests of squamoid tumor cells exhibiting mild to moderate nuclear pleomorphism, distinct nucleoli, and pale cytoplasm infiltrated an abundant, dense fibrohyaline stroma. Foci of definite squamous differentiation and small pools of mucin were often found within the tumor nests. The neoplastic cells were immunoreactive for cytokeratin, but not for thyroglobulin or calcitonin. The stroma and many of the tumor islands were infiltrated by eosinophils in all cases. Extrathyroidal extension occurred in five cases and lymph node metastases in one. This tumor seems to arise from the benign squamous nests sometimes associated with mucin deposition found in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and thought to be the result of metaplastic changes of the follicular epithelium. It shares several morphologic features with cases previously reported as mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thyroid, but it differs from them in other respects. The differential diagnosis includes undifferentiated/squamous cell carcinoma, intrathyroidal thymic carcinoma, and direct extension or metastasis of carcinoma from other organs.

Adult↗

Immunohistochemical evaluation of estrogen and progesterone receptor content in 183 patients with endometrial carcinoma. Part I: Clinical and histologic correlations.

A series of 183 cases of primary endometrial carcinomas were immunohistochemically stained for estrogen receptors (ERs) and progesterone receptors (PRs) using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections. All specimens were obtained from uterine curettages performed at the time of the initial diagnosis or initial therapy. The ER and PR content in the malignant and benign components (benign epithelium, stroma, and myometrium) was evaluated separately for positivity and divided into three groups according to the percentage of positive cells and the intensity of the nuclear stain. Endometrioid-type adenocarcinoma had the highest degree of positivity for both receptors, followed by adenosquamous carcinoma, serous carcinoma, and clear cell carcinoma. The positivity for ERs and PRs of the malignant component was statistically correlated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (P less than 0.01), FIGO grade (P less than 0.001), and nuclear grade (P less than 0.0001) of the tumors. The degrees of ER and PR positivity of the malignant component correlated with each other (P less than 0.0001). There was no association between the depth of myometrial tumor invasion and either receptor status of the malignant component. There was a significant association between the presence of lymph vessel invasion and the positivity for PR. Positivity for PR correlated negatively with the patients' ages (P less than 0.004). The results of this study indicate that immunohistochemical analysis of sex steroid receptor status on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue offers an excellent alternative to the standard biochemical procedure.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Immunohistochemical evaluation of estrogen and progesterone receptor content in 183 patients with endometrial carcinoma. Part II: Correlation between biochemical and immunohistochemical methods and survival.

One hundred eighty-three patients with endometrial carcinoma had both immunohistochemical and biochemical analysis of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) content of the tumor. Biochemical analysis was done on a homogenate of uterine curettings; immunohistochemical stainings were done on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections. The biochemical method was scored quantitatively and the immunohistochemical, in a semiquantitative way. There was a significant correlation between the immunohistochemical categories of the malignant component of the tumor and the biochemical levels of receptor content (P = 0.0001). The sensitivity of the immunohistochemical method for the ER content was 78.5% and the specificity was 58.2%. The sensitivity for the PR was 52.5% and the specificity was 92.8%. Changing cut-off levels for positivity of the biochemical analysis changed the sensitivity and specificity. Survival was predicted by the immunohistochemical status of the ER (P = 0.001) and PR (P = 0.01). Similarly, it was predicted by the biochemical receptor status. Multivariate analysis of the immunohistochemical receptor status and the biochemical receptor status showed that the immunohistochemically determined estrogen status was the most significant predictor of survival (P = 0.001). The immunohistochemical analysis of sex steroid receptor status on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue is not only possible and practical, but also predicts survival.

Adult↗

Keratin-positive epithelioid angiosarcoma of thyroid. A report of four cases.

We present four cases of a malignant thyroid tumor showing morphologic, immunocytochemical, and ultrastructural features of endothelial cell differentiation. The tumor cells had epithelioid features and displayed strong immunoreactivity for keratin. There was no evidence of follicular or C-cell differentiation in any instance. We interpreted these cases as keratin-positive epithelioid angiosarcomas. The findings presented here support the existence of primary malignant vascular tumors in the thyroid even in the presence of keratin positivity, a marker traditionally regarded as indicative of epithelial differentiation.

Aged↗

Unsuspected leiomyosarcoma: treatment with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue.

We present a case of a 46-year-old woman evaluated for abnormal uterine bleeding and an enlarged uterus, with normal endometrial sampling. Three months of leuprolide acetate injections resulted in a nonenlarging uterus and resolution of iron deficiency anemia and menorrhagia. Intraoperative examination suggested leiomyosarcoma, which was confirmed by postoperative permanent histologic sections. Residual uterine sarcomatous disease was confirmed on reexploration. Similar cases will continue to raise arguments against conservative hormonal intervention in the perimenopausal woman with an enlarged uterus. As the gynecologist gains familiarity with the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue therapy in the treatment of myomatous uteri, the criteria for hysterectomy will become less rigid and the potential for delay in the diagnosis and treatment of sarcomatous disease will become more common. Physicians must be cognizant of this potential complication of conservative therapy of leiomyomata uteri.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Immunohistochemical localization of renin and angiotensin II in human ovaries.

Ovaries from six women with normal menstrual cycles, a follicle wall biopsy specimen from a gonadotropin-stimulated preovulatory ovary, and a corpus luteum of pregnancy were examined by immunohistochemistry for the presence of immunoreactive renin and angiotensin II. Both antisera densely stained thecal and stromal cells (interstitial complex) and luteal cells. Whereas granulosa cells in developing follicles were either unstained or lightly stained, the heavily luteinized granulosa cells of the preovulatory stimulated follicle were strongly positive for immunoreactive renin and angiotensin II. These anatomic findings are consistent with gonadotropin-stimulated local production of both renin and angiotensin II in the human ovary and support the functional roles proposed for the ovarian renin-angiotensin system in follicle development, ovulation, and luteal function and during pregnancy.

Adult↗

Diffuse sclerosing variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Clinicopathologic study of 15 cases.

We report 15 cases of a distinctive variant of thyroid papillary carcinoma designated as "diffuse sclerosing papillary carcinoma" (DSPC). This lesion is characterized by the following morphologic findings: (a) diffuse involvement of one or both lobes, (b) numerous micropapillary formations located within cleftlike spaces consistent with lymph vessels, (c) extensive squamous metaplasia, (d) large number of psammoma bodies, (e) marked lymphocytic infiltration, (f) prominent fibrosis. Of all these features, we believe the widespread intrathyroid lymphatic permeation to be the most important, in the sense of conditioning the other morphologic findings and the behavior of the tumor. When compared with conventional papillary carcinoma, the DSPC variant exhibits the following characteristics: (a) similar predilection for women, (b) younger age at the time of presentation, (c) greater incidence of cervical lymph node involvement, (d) greater incidence of lung metastases, (e) smaller probability of disease-free survival on follow-up. The practical importance of the recognition of this variant of papillary carcinoma lies in its ability to clinically simulate thyroiditis and the more aggressive therapeutic approach that might be needed to eradicate it.

Adolescent↗

CA 125, NB/70K, and lipid-associated sialic acid in monitoring uterine papillary serous carcinoma.

Ninety-four plasma samples from 18 women with uterine papillary serous carcinoma were analyzed for three circulating tumor markers: CA 125, NB/70K, and lipid-associated sialic acid. Tumor marker values were correlated with the patients' clinical status. Preoperatively, CA 125, NB/70K, and lipid-associated sialic acid were elevated in 62, 64, and 67%, respectively. The distribution of clinical stages was I -- 56%, II -- 28%, III -- 6%, and IV -- 11%. The distribution of surgical stages was I -- 28%, II -- 17%, III -- 0%, and IV -- 56%. Nine of ten patients with an elevated tumor marker had extrauterine disease confirmed surgically. Eight of nine patients with elevated levels of two markers had extrauterine disease. Four of four patients with three elevated markers had extrauterine disease. There were two false-positive elevations, both in patients who had occult surgical stage II disease. Rising and falling tumor marker levels correlated with progression and regression of disease, respectively. A doubling of CA 125 predicted clinical recurrence in four of six women an average of 17 weeks before clinical confirmation. Lipid-associated sialic acid levels that increased by 25% or by five units predicted recurrence or rapid progression in three of six patients in an average of 5 weeks, and a 50% elevation in NB/70K predicted recurrence in two of three patients by 5 and 3 weeks before clinical confirmation. Although the number of patients in this series is small, preoperative elevated tumor markers in patients known to have uterine papillary serous carcinoma correlate closely with the presence of extrauterine disease. This information should influence surgical management and may be useful in postsurgical treatment assessment.

Aged↗