Neuroendocrine Transdifferentiation in Cutaneous Melanoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Neuroendocrine transdifferentiation refers to the progressive transformation of a nonneuroendocrine tumor to the one showing evidence of neuroendocrine differentiation on morphological and immunohistochemical grounds. Although this phenomenon has been well-documented in certain malignancies, particularly prostatic adenocarcinoma after androgen deprivation, cases of neuroendocrine transdifferentiation in melanomas are exceptionally rare. Herein, we report a case of a conventional superficial spreading melanoma occurring on the skin of the leg in a young male which showed progressive neuroendocrine transdifferentiation as it progressed through 2 in-transit metastases and a nodal metastatic deposit over a 4-year period.

Metastatic paraganglioma.

A man in his 70s, with a history of a glomus jugulare paraganglioma diagnosed 18 years ago, presented with an unprovoked deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The paraganglioma had been treated by radiotherapy, and yearly scans had not shown any progression since treatment. A sclerotic focus in L4 vertebral body was reported on a CT scan of the neck and trunk which was done to exclude a neoplastic process being the precipitating factor for the DVT.

Palmar Digital Vein Thrombosis: A Case Report and Review of 36 Cases.

Unlabelled: Thrombosis of the palmar digital veins is relatively rare, typically reported in women aged 35-65 years and most commonly occurring on the fourth digit. Clinical presentation varies and the lesion can present on the fingers or the palms of the hands. Diagnosis may be suspected clinically and confirmed on histology and radiologically.

Suppressive role exerted by microRNA-29b-1-5p in triple negative breast cancer through SPIN1 regulation.

MiR-29 family dysregulation occurs in various cancers including breast cancers. We investigated miR-29b-1 functional role in human triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) the most aggressive breast cancer subtype. We found that miR-29b-1-5p was downregulated in human TNBC tissues and cell lines.

Laryngeal lymphoma: the high and low grades of rare lymphoma involvement sites.

The larynx is an extremely rare site of involvement by lymphomatous disease. We present two cases of isolated laryngeal high-grade and another low-grade lymphoma, together with a literature review of laryngeal lymphoma management.

Clinical outcome of pediatric collagenous gastritis: case series and review of literature.

Collagenous gastritis (CG) is characterized by patchy subepithelial collagen bands. Effective treatment and the clinical and histological outcome of CG in children are poorly defined. The aim of this study is to summarize the published literature on the clinical outcome and response to therapy of pediatric CG including two new cases.

Lymphoma of the cervix.

Primary non-Hodgkins lymphoma of the uterine cervix is a very rare diagnosis. A 54-year-old woman presented with a 3-month history of postmenopausal bleeding per vaginum. On examination, a friable, fungating lesion was seen on the cervix.

An unusual site for calciphylaxis: a case report.

Background: Calciphylaxis is a rare condition characterized by calcification of the tunica media of small arteries with or without endovascular fibrosis, extravascular calcification and vascular thrombosis, leading to tissue ischemia and hence necrosis of tissues supplied by respective vessel.

Case Report: An 83-year-old lady presented with a 2-week history of rapidly progressing painful necrotic vulval lesion. This patient was being treated medically with bisphosphonates for mild hypercalcaemia secondary to a parathyroid adenoma.

Evaluation of a method allowing preservation of fresh lymph nodes for flow cytometric immunophenotyping.

Background: Flow cytometric immunophenotyping (FCI) of lymph nodes (LN) requires fresh unfixed tissue, with analysis being carried out within few hours post surgery. This study evaluated a novel method for fresh LN preservation, in order to allow histomorphology-based FCI.

Methods: This study was carried out prospectively on 30 LN with suspected involvement by haematolymphoid neoplasms (HLN).

Expression and clinical significance of Wnt players and survivin in pituitary tumours.

Deregulation of the Wnt pathway has been implicated in oncogenesis of numerous tissues including the pituitary gland. Immunohistochemical localization and quantification of β-catenin, Cyclin D1, c-MYC and Survivin expression in 47 pituitary adenomas (35 non-functioning, seven GH-secreting, three prolactinomas, two ACTH-secreting tumour) and six normal controls was undertaken in this study and correlation of protein expression to patient and tumour characteristics analysed. β-catenin was strictly membrane-bound with no difference observed between normal and tumour tissue.

Testicular mass in an elderly patient: a rare presentation of Hodgkin's lymphoma.

A testicular mass in an elderly man has a high probability of being a lymphoma. However, when the pathologist is faced with a neoplastic lymphoid infiltrate in the testes, one rarely considers Hodgkin's lymphoma as a possibility, as a vast majority turn out to be diffuse large B cell lymphomas. The authors discuss the second case of Hodgkin's lymphoma, nodular sclerosis subtype, presenting as a painless enlarged testicle and associated symptoms similar to irreducible hernia in a 73-year-old gentleman.

A difficult case of Crohn's disease?

A young lady with a long history of recurrent infections was referred to the gastroenterology department by an infectious disease consultant because of a long history of profuse diarrhoea. A nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) test performed in her mid-teens had shown zero reduction of the dye. The clinical, biochemical, radiological and endoscopic findings were suggestive of possible underlying Crohn's disease.

Distinction of isolated tumour cells and micrometastasis in lymph nodes of breast cancer patients according to the new Tumour Node Metastasis (TNM) definitions.

Isolated tumour cells and micrometastases represent two different staging categories and are often dealt with differently when identified in sentinel lymph nodes of breast cancer patients. The reproducibility of these categories was found to be suboptimal in several studies. The new edition of the TNM (Tumour Node Metastasis) is expected to improve the reproducibility of these categories.

Incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Malta between 1993 and 2005: a retrospective study.

Background: The primary aim of the study was to estimate the incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in Malta in a well-defined population during a 13-year study period.

Methods: Diagnostic criteria for CD and UC were defined. A diagnosis of IBD was obtained from the histopathology reports at St.

Cutaneous melanoma in the Maltese Islands: 2000-2004.

This study aimed to, prospectively, over the 5-year period 2000-2004, accurately determine features of cutaneous melanoma in the Maltese Islands. Data from clinicians were supplemented by histology reports, and where necessary, histology slides were reviewed. Information collected included demographic details including age and gender, anatomical site, Clark's level, Breslow thickness and clinico-pathological melanoma type.