Bench to bedside: recent advances in lung cancer pathological research with implications for diagnostic clinical practice

After decades of relative stagnation lung cancer is emerging as a disease type where rapid progress is being made in diagnosis and therapy, as well as in our understanding of disease biology. Much of this progress is of immediate impact to diagnosticians, and more is likely to affect diagnostic practice in the near future. In this review we seek to briefly summarize several key areas of active research of immediate or probable imminent value to trainee and consultant pulmonary pathologists alike. We cover some major changes in tumour classification, grading, and patient stratification, as well as considering the state of the art in machine-assisted interpretation of lung cancer histology, and the use of genetically modified lung cancer models.     

Hiperplasia endotelial papilar intravascular (tumor Masson) de localización ginecológica

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia or Masson's tumour is a non-neoplastic vascular lesion of reactive character. It is a rare diagnosis, clinically non-specific and with diverse locations. It is essential to take it into consideration and make a differential diagnosis with malignant vascular tumours such as angiosarcoma. Pathological study is fundamental for diagnosis. Treatment consists of complete resection of the tumour, including sufficiently wide margins to avoid recurrence.The case reported is an exceptional event, because of the pelvic location of the Masson's tumour that was diagnosed as part of the surgical staging of an ovarian cancer.     

Incidencia de segundos tumores en pacientes con cáncer de próstata de alto riesgo según el tratamiento primario aplicado

Introduction and objectives

The onset of second primary tumours should be considered in high-risk prostate cancer patients in the natural course of the disease. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of primary treatment with curative intent for these patients on the development of second primary tumours.

Renal cell carcinoma staging: pitfalls,challenges, and updates

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is unusual among cancers in that it often grows as a spherical, well‐circumscribed mass. Increasing tumour size influences the pathological pT stage category within pT1 and pT2, with cutoffs of 40, 70 and 100 mm; however, with increasing size also comes a sharp increase in the likelihood of renal sinus or renal vein tributary invasion, such that clear cell RCC rarely reaches 70 mm without invading one of these. To clarify some previous challenges in assigning tumour stage, the American Joint Committee on Cancer 2016 tumor–node–metastasis classification has removed the requirements than vein invasion be recognised grossly and that vein walls contain muscle for the diagnosis of vein invasion. Renal pelvis invasion has also been added as an additional route to pT3a. Multinodularity or finger‐like extensions from a renal mass should be viewed with great suspicion for the possibility of vein or renal sinus invasion, and, as tumour size increases to over 40–50 mm, thorough sampling of the renal sinus interface should always be undertaken. With increasing interest in adjuvant therapy in renal cancer, the pathologist's role in RCC staging will continue to be an important prognostic parameter and a tool for selection of patients for enrolment in clinical trials.     

Genetic syndromes predisposing to paediatric brain tumours: the chicken or the egg?

Cancer in childhood is a disorder of growth and development. Up to 10% of patients diagnosed with cancer during childhood have a known underlying genetic predisposition syndrome. Affected individuals usually have multisystem involvement from the underlying syndrome and certain syndromes are associated with development of characteristic tumours with sites of predilection within the neuraxis. For the healthcare professionals involved with paediatric patients it is important to have basic knowledge of the cancer susceptibility syndromes. A holistic multidisciplinary approach is required for the overall management of the syndrome itself with specific recommendations for imaging surveillance and genetic counselling based on the pattern of inheritance and the relative risk of developing a tumour. Appropriate knowledge of these syndromes will help paediatricians manage and refer patients at risk to specialist neuro-oncology centres. A typical brain tumour diagnosis can also indicate certain underlying genetic disorders and examples of such tumours include optic pathway glioma, choroid plexus carcinoma and subependymal giant cell astrocytoma. A detailed family history can be helpful in identifying at risk patients and families as the typical clinical signs associated with the genetic condition are often not fully apparent in young children. This article focuses on well-known genetic diagnoses associated with or predisposing to childhood brain tumours. In some instances, the brain tumour diagnosis subsequently leads to the diagnosis of an underlying genetic syndrome.     

A case of VIPoma

This case report addresses the management of a pregnant woman in the peripartum period with a VIPoma. This rare and highly malignant neuroendocrine tumour secretes vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a substance that may cause potentially life-threatening disruption to physiology.A 36-year-old woman presented for induction of labour with a three-year history of chronic diarrhoea, hypophosphataemia, palpitations and skin flushing. Raised VIP levels indicated presence of a VIPoma, however despite extensive investigation prior to pregnancy by neuroendocrine specialists, the tumour location remained unidentified.The patient delivered a healthy boy with the aid of forceps in theatre following an epidural top-up. Key features of management were a multidisciplinary approach, avoidance of triggers for VIP secretion, strict management of electrolytes and avoidance of severe changes in sympathetic tone during labour with epidural analgesia.