Mucinous tumors of the ovary. A clinicopathologic study of 70 cases

Seventy cases of mucinous ovarian tumor were reviewed. All patients were followed for a minimum of 5 years. Clinicopathologically, three groups were defined: (1) mucinous cystadenoma, which demonstrated no nuclear stratification and no stromal invasion (15 cases); (2) mucinous tumor of uncertain malignant potential, which was characterized by nuclear stratification of two to three layers and no stromal invasion (21 cases); and (3) mucinous carcinoma, which showed stromal invasion and/or nuclear stratification in excess of three layers (34 cases; 15 with invasion, 19 without). All patients with mucinous cystadenomas remained tumor-free after initial surgery. Two patients with mucinous tumors of uncertain malignant potential died of tumor at 55 and 72 months, respectively, whereas 18 with mucinous carcinomas died after intervals ranging from 2 to 71 months. All mucinous tumors of uncertain malignant potential were Stage I at presentation. Twenty-one mucinous carcinomas were Stage I (six tumor deaths), one was Stage II (tumor death), ten were Stage III (nine tumor deaths), one was Stage IV (tumor death), and one was of uncertain stage (tumor death). Patients with mucinous carcinomas having stromal invasion demonstrated poorer survival (10 of 15 dead) than those with mucinous carcinomas lacking this finding (8 of 19 dead); however, stromal invasion was related to higher stage (5 with invasion Stage I; 16 without invasion Stage I).     

Mucinous carcinoma of the ovary. Pathologic prognostic factors.

Thirty-four ovarian mucinous carcinomas defined by nuclear stratification in excess of three layers (noninvasive mucinous carcinoma, NIMC) or stromal invasion (invasive mucinous carcinoma, IMC) were examined to define prognostic indicators. Twenty-two patients had NIMC (Stage I, 15; Stage II, 1; Stage III, 5; and Stage IV, 1). Twelve patients had IMC (Stage I, one; Stage II, one; and Stage III, ten). Fifteen patients died, ten with IMC and five with NIMC (mean survival, 16.7 months). Nineteen patients survived, two with IMC and 17 with NIMC (mean follow-up, 12 years). Ten of the 12 patients with IMC who died had Stage III disease. Five of the 22 patients with NIMC who died included four with Stage III and one with Stage I disease. Among patients who died, those with IMC tended to have a shorter mean survival than those with NIMC. No differences among groups were identified with respect to nuclear grade, mitotic activity, percentage of tumor displaying more than three cell layers, or amount of invasion. In ovarian mucinous carcinoma, clinical stage and stromal invasion are the most important prognostic variables, and they are interrelated. Stage I NIMC rarely pursues an aggressive course.     

Survival and failure analysis in stage II endometrial cancer using the revised 1988 FIGO staging system

Fifty-one patients with Stage II endometrial carcinoma diagnosed between 1974 and 1987 were restaged according to the FIGO 1988 revisions for endometrial carcinoma. Patients were divided into Stage IIA, those patients with cervical glandular involvement without stromal invasion, and Stage IIB, those patients having stromal invasion of the cervix. Tumor grade was also assessed. Patients were treated with radiation therapy alone, pre-operative radiation therapy followed by a simple hysterectomy, or a simple hysterectomy followed by postoperative radiation therapy. The 5-year actuarial survival for Stage IIA was 86% and the 5-year actuarial survival for Stage IIB was 46% (p = 0.06). The 5-year local recurrence rate in each group was 9%. Stage IIA had a distant metastases rate of 14% whereas 44% of the patients in Stage IIB developed distant disease (p = 0.06) at 5 years. The grade of the tumor did not play a role in local recurrence. However, when tumor grade was analyzed with respect to distant disease, 14% of patients with grade 1 tumors developed distant metastases, 31% of patients with grade 2 tumors developed distant metastases, and most significantly, 63% of patients with grade 3 tumors developed distant metastases (p = 0.004). There was no statistically significant relationship between stromal invasion and tumor grade. This study concludes that grade is the greatest predictor of survival, with only 37% of grade 3 patients surviving at 5 years. As a predictor of survival, stromal invasion is of less significance than grade (p = 0.06 vs. p = 0.004). Death most often occurs because of distant metastases, and local failure is rare and is not dependent on the degree of cervical involvement or grade.     

Primary invasive mucinous ovarian carcinoma of the intestinal type: Importance of the expansile versus infiltrative type in predicting recurrence and lymph node metastases

AimsInvestigate the role of expansile versus infiltrative type of primary invasive intestinal type mucinous epithelial ovarian carcinoma (mEOC) in predicting recurrence and lymph node metastases.MethodsRetrospective study. Differentiation was defined according to the Shimizu–Silverberg and expansile/infiltrative type according to the Lee-Scully criteria.ResultsOut of 104 patients with mucinous ovarian carcinomas, 44 primary invasive mucinous epithelial carcinomas of the intestinal type (mEOC) were identified. Patients with a mEOC of the expansile type are mainly diagnosed in stage I (21 out 23) and have an excellent prognosis (no relapses in 21 Stage I patients). Patients with mEOC tumours of the infiltrative type are less frequently diagnosed in stage I (12 out of 21) and 2 recurrences were noted out of 12 Stage I patients. Lymph node metastases were not observed in patients with apparent Stage I disease of the expansile type, but were present in 3 out 10 patients with infiltrative disease. Degree of differentiation did not predict recurrence or the presence of lymph node metastases. Prognosis was poor in patients with Stage II or higher disease, irrespective of type of infiltration.ConclusionsExpansile mEOC is mainly diagnosed in stage I and is not associated with lymph node metastases. Infiltrative mEOC has a worse prognosis and is associated with lymph node metastases. Degree of differentiation was unreliable in predicting recurrence or lymph node metastases.     

Ovarian epithelial tumors of borderline malignancy. A clinical and pathologic study of 109 cases

One hundred nine cases of ovarian tumors of low malignant potential (borderline tumors) diagnosed at Stanford University Medical Center from 1958 to 1982 were reviewed. The patients ranged in age from 10 to 79 years (mean, 40.5 years). The histologic types and corresponding stages of these neoplasms were 73 serous (Stage IA: 35 patients; Stage IB+C: 16 patients; stage II: 8 patients; Stage III: 14 patients), 30 mucinous (Stage IA: 27 patients; Stage IB+C: 3 patients), and 6 mixed seromucinous (all Stage IA). Borderline endometrioid, clear cell, and Brenner tumors were excluded. Follow-up information from 3 to 27 years from the time of initial diagnosis (mean, 7.6 years; median, 7.1 years) revealed that 89 patients are alive without further evidence of neoplasm, and three patients died of unrelated disease without recurrent tumor. Seventeen patients have developed persistent or recurrent neoplasms in the contralateral ovary (six patients) and/or elsewhere within the peritoneal cavity (15 patients) at 5 to 226 months (mean, 61 months) after the initial excision. All of the second neoplasms were borderline serous or seromucinous tumors histologically identical to the original tumor; none of the borderline mucinous tumors recurred. Patients who initially had Stage III borderline serous tumors developed persistent or recurrent neoplasms more commonly (64%) than did patients with lower stage tumors (12%). No correlation was found between the development of a subsequent serous neoplasm and patient age, the primary tumor size, or any single histologic feature. Following treatment of the subsequent neoplasms, 13 patients are free of neoplasm, one patient is alive with tumor, one patient has died of intercurrent disease with tumor, and two patients have died with widespread abdominal tumor 53 and 232 months after their initial diagnosis. These findings confirm the excellent prognosis for patients with borderline serous tumors, despite involvement of the peritoneal cavity and the development of recrudescent tumor, although long-term follow-up is indicated. Mucinous borderline tumors, as defined by published criteria, almost invariably present as localized (low-stage) tumors and, in our experience, do not recur when confined to the ovary.     

Diagnosis, pathology, staging, treatment, and outcome of epithelial ovarian neoplasia in patients age < 21 years

BACKGROUND: Epithelial ovarian neoplasms are rare in patients under the age of 21 years. This is a report of a series of such patients documenting their presentation, histologic type, stage of disease, treatment, and outcome. METHODS: Clinical findings, histology, stage, treatment, and outcomes of 19 patients with epithelial ovarian neoplasia are reported. All histology was rereviewed. RESULTS: The median age at the time of diagnosis was 19.7 years (range, 14.1-21.8 years), and the median follow-up was 5.6 years (range, 0.2-19.5 years). The most common presenting symptom was dysmenorrhea (100%) followed by abdominal pain (68%), and the initial diagnosis usually was made ultrasonographically. There were nine (47%) serous tumors, 7 (37%) mucinous tumors, 2 (11%) small cell carcinomas, and 1 (5%) endometrioid carcinoma. Seventy-nine percent of tumors were unilateral, and 84% were low malignant potential or well differentiated tumors. Surgical treatment included unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in 12 patients (63%), total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in 6 patients (32%), and ovarian cystectomy in 1 patient (5%). Fifteen patients (79%) had Stage I disease, and 4 patients (21%) had Stage III disease at the time of diagnosis. There were two deaths in this series, and both occurred in patients with small cell anaplastic carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Epithelial ovarian neoplasias are rare in patients in this age group but must be included in the differential diagnosis of an ovarian mass. Most patients present with Stage I tumors of low malignant potential. In these patients, good survival is achieved with unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and preservation of fertility. In contrast, small cell carcinomas are very aggressive, and patients with this variant require intensive therapy.     

Pathologic features of endometrial carcinoma in elderly women

It has been estimated that more than two-thirds of cancers occur in people over 65 years of age: endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynaecologic cancer in the U.S. and represents the fourth most common malignancy in women. Some authors have reported that EC in elderly women was more aggressive, histologically less-differentiated and often non-endometrioid when compared with EC in the younger population. The purpose of this retrospective study is to evaluate the pathologic features of EC in women 70 years old or over compared with those of younger patients. Between 1987 and 1997, 174 patients with EC were surgically treated: 52 women were 70 years old or over. Two-thirds of both groups had surgical Stage I tumors: 54% of surgical Stage I tumors in the elderly had myometrial invasion more than 50% compared with 32% in the younger group (p<0.01). On the whole 37% of elderly patients had Stage IC tumors compared with 21% in younger women (p<0.01). Seventy-five percent of elderly women had Grade 2 or 3 tumors compared with 55% of younger patients (p<0.005). The majority of EC was endometrioid in both groups: 8% of elderly patients had clear-cell carcinomas compared with 4% of younger women (p not significant). No elderly patients showed nodal metastasis (0 out of 10): 9% of younger women had pelvic or para-aortic metastasis. The median follow-up was 78 months. The overall survival in the elderly and in the younger group was 80% and 93%, respectively (p<0.01): in elderly women overall survival significantly varied according to histotype and depth of myometrial invasion in Stage I tumors. In conclusion patients 70 years old or over have a high probability of surgical Stage I EC but a significantly higher probability of deep myometrial invasion and less-differentiated tumors than younger women: the prognosis w as good but poorer than for younger patients.     

Prognostic impact of stromal cell-derived urokinase-type plasminogen activator in gastric carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) plays an important role in the destruction of the extracellular matrix and basement membrane around cancer cells. In the current study, the authors investigated uPA expression in cancer cells and stromal cells in patients with gastric carcinoma. METHODS: uPA activity was determined by an enzymatic assay using synthetic substrate (S-2444) in tumor specimens obtained from 71 patients with gastric carcinoma and was compared with the results of immunohistochemical staining for uPA. RESULTS: Higher uPA activity was significantly associated with tumors with peritoneal metastases and tumors with deeper invasion into the gastric wall. Undifferentiated tumors showed significantly higher uPA activities compared with differentiated tumors. The 25 patients with high uPA activity (> or = 60 U/mg protein) had a lower survival rate than the 46 patients with low uPA activity (< 60 U/mg protein) (P < 0.05). uPA activity showed prognostic significance in patients with International Union Against Cancer Stage II and Stage III tumors (P < 0.05, respectively). There was no significant relation between immunohistochemical expression of uPA in cancer cells and uPA enzymatic activity. However, uPA expression in stromal cells significantly correlated with uPA activity in tumor tissues. The uPA expression in stromal cells also correlated with tumor histology and peritoneal metastases. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that uPA enzymatic activity is a prognostic factor in gastric carcinoma, and that uPA produced by stromal cells may regulate cancer cell invasion.     

Outcome after breast-conserving therapy for patients with stage I or II mucinous, medullary, or tubular breast carcinoma

PURPOSE: To evaluate the site of first failure of patients with early-stage tubular, mucinous, and medullary breast carcinoma after breast-conserving therapy and compare their results with those of patients with infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty clinical Stage I and II patients with mucinous carcinoma, 27 with medullary carcinoma, 28 with tubular carcinoma, and 1055 with IDC were identified. The minimal potential follow-up was 10 years. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference (p = 0.15) was seen in the site of first failure between the four histologic types within the first 10 years after treatment. When the IDC tumors were omitted from the comparison, the failure patterns of the remaining three histologic types were not significantly different (p = 0.31). In a polychotomous logistic model, histologic type was not significantly associated with the site of first failure (all p >0.17). Local failure was significantly associated with age <50 years (p = 0.04), positive surgical margins (p = 0.007), lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.04), and tumors with an extensive intraductal component (p <0.001). Regional/distant/opposite breast failure was significantly associated with clinical Stage T2 tumors (p <0.001), four or more positive lymph nodes (p = 0.004), and lymphovascular invasion-positive tumors (p <0.001). Second malignancy or death was significantly associated with age at diagnosis >60 years (p <0.001) and lymphovascular invasion-positive tumors (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: No statistically significant difference was noted in the site of first failure between patients with medullary, mucinous, or tubular carcinoma and patients with IDC. Although not statistically significant, we did note a trend toward a lower long-term rate of disease-free survival in patients with IDC.     

Relationship between DNA ploidy, glandular differentiation, and tumor spread in human prostate cancer

DNA ploidy was evaluated by flow cytometry for 45 human prostate carcinomas (34 prostatectomy specimens and 11 biopsies). Twenty tumors (44.4%) contained a distinct aneuploid stem line. All 11 tumors confined to the prostate gland (pathological Stage B) were diploid. The frequency of aneuploidy increased with advancing stage, and most tumors with distant metastases were aneuploid. The degree of glandular differentiation was characterized by the Gleason score. One-third of tumors with a Gleason score of 5 to 6 were aneuploid, whereas over 70% of poorly differentiated tumors with a Gleason score of 9 to 10 were aneuploid. Among diploid tumors, 45.5% were localized carcinomas (Stage B), 36.4% were characterized by invasion outside the prostate (Stage C), and 18.2% formed pelvic nodal or distant metastases (Stages D1 and D2). In nearly two-thirds of patients with aneuploid tumors, pelvic nodal or distant metastases were found. When tumors were classified according to both DNA ploidy and degree of glandular differentiation, then subgroups of tumors with the highest and lowest degree of malignant potential became apparent. Only 7.1% of diploid tumors with a Gleason score of 5 to 6 formed metastases, but 80% of aneuploid tumors with a higher Gleason score (7 to 10) formed metastases. Diploid tumors with higher Gleason scores and aneuploid tumors with lower Gleason scores had intermediate frequencies of metastases. The presence of an aneuploid stem line in prostate carcinomas indicated that the tumor had spread outside the prostate gland or had metastasized. DNA ploidy may be an important prognostic factor for human prostate cancer. DNA ploidy and the degree of glandular differentiation considered together may improve prognostic evaluation of prostate carcinomas.     

Predicting Lympho-Vascular Space Invasion in Endometrial Cancers with Mucinous Carcinomatous Components

Objective: To determine the predictors of lympho-vascular space invasion (LVSI) in endometrial cancerswhich contain mucinous carcinomatous histology. Materials and Methods: Clinical and histopathological dataof endometrial carcinomas with a mucinous carcinomatous component diagnosed between January 2007 andJanuary 2014 at the Gynecologic Oncology Department of Zekai Tahir Burak Women’s Health Education andResearch Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Twelve patients (25.5%) were positive for LVSI and 35(74.5%) patients were negative. Patients with LVSI were mostly staged higher than 1A. Mean age, BMI and paritywere not significantly different between patient groups. Larger tumor diameter (≥2cm) (p=0.04) and elevatedCa125 and Ca-19.9 (p=0.01) levels were significant for predicting LVSI. We also found >1/2 myometrial invasion(p<0.001), cervical stromal involvement (p=0.002) and higher grade (2-3) (p=0.001) significant for predictingLVSI. In multivariate analysis we found only grade significant for predicting LVSI. Conclusions: Especiallygrade of tumor is a crucial factor for determining LVSI in endometrial cancers with mucinous carcinomatouscomponents.     

Krukenberg tumors of the ovary: a clinicopathologic analysis of 27 cases

A series of 27 typical Krukenberg tumors of the ovary were analyzed. By definition, all examples were characterized by the presence of mucinous signet-ring carcinoma cells within a cellular, nonneoplastic ovarian stroma. The patients' ages ranged from 20-70 years; almost one-half were 40 years of age or younger. A primary carcinoma of the stomach (16 cases) or colon (four cases) was found in 20 (90.9%) of 22 patients with available follow-up data. The primary gastrointestinal carcinomas had been diagnosed before emergence of the ovarian tumors in only five cases. The ovarian and gastrointestinal tumors were synchronously diagnosed in ten cases, while in five instances the primary carcinomas were not discovered until after the ovarian tumors had been treated. An acceptable primary extraovarian cancer was not detected in two women. Both had bilateral Krukenberg tumors and died with widespread carcinomatosis less than two years postoperatively. Typically, the ovarian tumors were bilateral, asymmetrically large and solid. Important histologic features included a greater abundance of intracellular neutral glycoproteins than acidic mucins, a storiform pattern of hyperplastic cortical stromal cells (44.4%) and carcinomatous emboli (51.6%). While the entity of "primary" Krukenberg tumor cannot be unequivocally denied, all women with typical Krukenberg tumors should be considered as having metastatic carcinoma, usually from the stomach, until proven otherwise.     

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung. Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies of 14 cases.

The authors retrospectively reviewed data regarding 14 patients with sarcomatoid carcinomas of the lung seen and treated at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1955 to 1986. The following were the histologic criteria for inclusion in the study: (1) the concurrent presence of malignant epithelial and sarcomatoid spindle cell components, and (2) positive immunoreactivity for antikeratin antibody or ultrastructural demonstration of epithelial differentiation in sarcomatoid tumors in which the epithelial component was inconspicuous. For the sarcomatoid components, the most frequent pattern was malignant fibrous histiocytoma, which was present in ten tumors. An unclassified sarcomatoid pattern was found in two cases and a fibrosarcomatous pattern in two remaining cases. Clinically, the median patient age was 59 years; 12 patients were male and 2 were female; 13 were smokers and 1 used snuff. Three patients had Stage I, ten had Stage III, and one had Stage IV disease. One patient with Stage I, seven with Stage III, and one with Stage IV disease died of their carcinomas 2 to 26 months after diagnosis (median survival time 12 months). All patients who had lymph node metastases at presentation died of disease. The authors concluded the following: (1) patients with sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung usually presented at an advanced stage; (2) lymph node metastasis, as with a usual carcinoma of the lung, is an important prognostic factor; and (3) for all lung tumors with a sarcomatoid pattern, especially a malignant fibrous histiocytoma pattern, extensive samples should be obtained and immunoperoxidase or ultrastructural studies done to identify epithelial differentiation.     

Mucinous carcinoma of the breast: A pathologic study of 82 cases

A series of 82 consecutive cases of mucinous carcinomas of the female breast was investigated for their clinical, morphological, and histochemical features and for the influence of some tumor characteristics on its prognosis. Two groups, a “pure” subtype (n=58) and a “mixed” subtype (n=24), were considered, according to the absence or the presence of concomitant areas with typical infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Eighty patients were followed with an average of 7.4 years. The actuarial survival was 58.5% at 10 years. The group of pure mucinous carcinomas showed a statistically significant better prognosis (P=0.0007) than that of the group of mixed tumors, as well as a lower percentage of axillary nodal metastasis. Tumor dimension of both pure and mixed mucinous carcinomas influenced the prognosis, since patients with T1 tumors had longer survival than those with T2 tumors (P=0.05) and the latter showed less mortality than T3 tumor cases (P=0.036). Node-negative patients also had a more favorable outcome with lower mortality than node positive patients (P=0.007). None of the T1 pure mucinous carcinomas had axillary metastasis, which may have implications for the surgical protocols. The evaluation of quantitative and qualitative content in mucosubstances did not correlate with the prognosis. However, sulfomucins were demonstrated in 30.5% of cases; this fact points to add breast carcinoma to the group of neoplasms that may present as a metastatic sulfomucin-producing adenocarcinoma. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Microinvasive carcinoma of the cervix.

BACKGROUND. Microinvasive carcinoma of the cervix (MIC) has been poorly defined in the past and is still a focus of persistent controversy. In 1985, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) defined Stage IA as "preclinical invasive carcinoma, diagnosed by microscopy only," subdividing it into Stage IA1 or "minimal microscopic stromal invasion," and Stage IA2 or "tumor with invasive component 5 mm or less in depth taken from the base of the epithelium and 7 mm or less in horizontal spread." In 1974, the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) defined MIC as any lesion with a depth of invasion of 3 mm or less from the base of the epithelium, without lymphatic or vascular space invasion. METHODS. To assess the risk of lymph node metastasis and treatment failures, pathologic material and clinical data on 370 patients with Stage I carcinoma of the cervix, who were treated by radical hysterectomy and pelvic-aortic node dissection, were reviewed. Histopathologic analysis of tumors was based on a uniform format, including measurement of the maximum depth of invasion, the width and length of the horizontal tumor spread, invasive growth pattern, cell type, tumor grade, and lymphatic or vascular space involvement. RESULTS. Of the 370 patients, 110 had a depth of invasion of 5 mm or less. Of these, 54 patients fulfilled the SGO definition of MIC; 42, the new FIGO Stage IA2 definition; and 27, both definitions. None of the patients with MIC, as defined by either the SGO or the new FIGO Stage IA2, had lymph node metastases or tumor recurrence. These data support the conclusion that MIC, defined by either the SGO or FIGO definitions, have a low risk for lymph node metastasis or recurrent carcinoma. A review of the literature indicated a recurrence rate for Stage IA2 of 4.2%. In addition to depth of invasion, lymph vascular space invasion is a better predictor of lymph node metastasis and recurrence than the surface dimension. CONCLUSIONS. The authors recommend adoption of the SGO definition of MIC. Patients with a depth of invasion of 3 mm or less without lymph vascular space invasion safely can be treated conservatively.     

Simultaneous carcinoma involving the endometrium and the ovary. A clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical, and DNA flow cytometric study of 18 cases

Eighteen carcinomas involving both the endometrium and the ovary were studied. Stage, size, bilaterality and pattern of ovarian involvement, histologic types and grades, presence of endometrial hyperplasia or ovarian endometriosis, myometrial, tubal, lymphatic and blood vessel invasion, and follow-up of the patients were all evaluated. Accordingly, the cases were classified as follows: Group A (nine cases), two separate primary tumors; and Group B (nine cases), uterine primaries with ovarian metastasis or ovarian primaries with uterine metastasis. Immunohistochemical stains (CAM 5.2, wide-spectrum keratin, vimentin, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA 12.5, CA 19.9) were performed in all cases. Flow cytometric determination of nuclear DNA was done in 13 (seven Group A and six Group B tumors). Of the nine cases with independent primary tumors, seven showed different immunohistochemical profiles in the ovarian and uterine tumors, whereas only four of the nine metastatic ones had similar staining characteristics. Five cases with independent primary tumors, but only one of the metastatic group, exhibited different aneuploid stemlines in the endometrial and ovarian tumors. The other seven (two independent and five metastatic) cases had similar DNA indexes in both tumors. Immunohistochemical and DNA flow cytometric study may be of some value for the distinction between metastatic and independent tumors, but differential diagnosis must presently rely largely upon conventional clinicopathologic criteria.     

Early invasive mucinous carcinoma of the breast

Cases of early invasive mucinous carcinoma of the breast have been reviewed. Microscopically, a typical lesion exhibits leakage of cancerous mucus into the stromal tissue from an intraductal carcinomatous component which were shown to be mucus-producing and to be lower papillary projection. Among 5,360 primary breast cancers that had been mastectomized at the C.I.H., 11 or 0.21% were determined as being "early" cases. All of these cases exhibited "pure type" mucinous carcinomas which were found to be highly mucus. The average age of these patients was 41 years (range: 34-51 yrs.), and no cases showed a nodal involvement. During an average follow-up of 8 years, no recurrent case were found. Thus, we have found that these "early" cases revealed an early invasion of a mucinous carcinoma that is highly mucus-producing but without an invasive ductal carcinomatous pattern.     

Validation and simplification of Bethesda guidelines for identifying apparently sporadic forms of colorectal carcinoma with microsatellite instability

BACKGROUND: Colorectal tumors with microsatellite instability (MSI) that do not comply with previously defined clinical criteria may be found in recently diagnosed hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma families. Until recently, the indications for MSI testing were not clearly established. The objective of the current study was to validate the recently published Bethesda guidelines for MSI testing in a series of patients with apparently sporadic forms of colorectal carcinoma (CRC). METHODS: Sixty-two patients with so-called sporadic CRC were included in the current study. MSI was analyzed at seven poly(CA) repeat sequences and at one poly(A) locus. RESULTS: Nine of 62 patients (14.5%) had tumors exhibiting MSI at > or = 2 loci and 7 patients (11%) had MSI at > or = 3 loci. Patients with MSI positive tumors were younger (P < 0.05), and their tumors more frequently were right-sided (P < 0.02) and more often exhibited a mucinous component (P < 0.05). The Bethesda guidelines were positive in 18% (11 of 62) of patients. The sensitivity of these guidelines in identifying tumors with MSI at > or = 3 loci was 43% and the positive predictive value (PPV) was 27% (3 of 11 cases). Other variables were considered as alternative criteria to identify CRCs with MSI: age < 45 years and/or a right-sided tumor with a mucinous component. Using these 2 criteria alone, sensitivity increased to 85% and PPV to 46%. CONCLUSIONS: In this study group, the use of three clinical criteria as sole indicators for MSI testing in patients with apparently sporadic forms of CRC were significantly more discriminating compared with the Bethesda guidelines, in addition to being substantially easier.     

Pathological features of mucinous carcinoma of the breast are favourable for breast-conserving therapy.

AIM: The effectiveness of breast-conserving therapy for mucinous carcinoma has not been well documented. We examined clinical and pathological features of cases to determine whether patients with mucinous carcinoma were suitable candidates for this treatment. METHOD: Cases of pure type (n=52) and mixed type (n=24) mucinous carcinomas were reviewed with emphasis on the risk factors associated with local recurrences after breast-conserving therapy. RESULTS: Large pure mucinous carcinomas had a low incidence of extensive intraductal spreading (EIS). An inverse correlation existed between the incidence of EIS and tumour size (P<0.05). Comedo type EIS was infrequent (11%) in pure mucinous carcinoma. Incidences of lymphatic vessel invasion (4%) and nodal involvement (4%) were lower in pure mucinous carcinoma than in mixed carcinoma (P<0.05). No nodal involvement occurred in patients with pure mucinous carcinoma less than 3 cm in diameter. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with pure mucinous carcinomas, except those invading the local skin, are suitable candidates for breast-conserving therapy. Most pure mucinous carcinomas, including a large tumour up to 5 cm in diameter, can be treated with this therapy. Copyright Harcourt Publishers Limited.     

卵巢交界性黏液瘤和黏液癌近期病理学研究

卵巢交界性黏液瘤(mucinousborderline overian tumor,MBT)的病理诊断和生物学行为始终存在较多争论。目前,对于卵巢交界瘤有的仍按低度恶性肿瘤的治疗原则进行处理,结果多数患者接受过分的治疗。近期研究证实,MBT和它伴同的上皮内癌及微浸润癌在排除了腹膜假黏液瘤和转移癌后,预后良好。500例MBT经随访,死亡率为1%。分析死亡原因认为,肿瘤内存在的破坏性浸润未被发现或者将腹膜假黏液瘤及转移癌误诊为MBT,结果出现了死亡病例。MBT伴上皮内癌的诊断标准为腺上皮细胞增生至3~4层以上,胞核明显异形性,其生存率为100%。MBT伴微浸润的诊断标准是肿瘤间质内出现单个或呈巢状排列的癌细胞浸润,癌灶直径3~5mm,经随访无1例复发和死亡。卵巢黏液癌的浸润特点是“融合性和膨胀性浸润”,若出现间质浸润则要考虑为转移癌。卵巢黏液癌内有80%为转移癌。卵巢原发性和转移性癌的病理诊断除根据上述特征外,免疫组织化学染色有助于鉴别。