Publications by authors named "John M Gross"

Detecting somatic structural variants (SVs), copy number variants (CNVs), and mutations in bone and soft tissue tumors is essential for accurately diagnosing, treating, and prognosticating outcomes. Optical genome mapping (OGM) holds promise to yield useful data on SVs and CNVs but requires fresh or snap-frozen tissue. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of data from OGM compared to current standard-of-care cytogenetic testing.

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  • - Tenosynovitis with psammomatous calcifications (TPC) is a rare, non-cancerous condition that often affects women and is thought to result from repetitive use or trauma, commonly appearing at sites like the hands, feet, and wrists.
  • - In a study involving 18 new cases, most patients presented with painful masses, and imaging often showed benign characteristics, but many of these cases were misdiagnosed as more serious conditions like gout or tumors.
  • - Follow-up on patients (mostly for around 30 months) showed no local recurrences after surgical removal, highlighting the necessity for greater awareness among medical professionals regarding TPC.
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Background: Brain metastases in pediatric osteosarcoma are infrequent but associated with a dire prognosis.

Methods: This retrospective study examined six pediatric patients at Johns Hopkins Hospital who developed brain metastases from osteosarcoma between April 2015 and November 2023.

Results: Median survival post-brain metastasis was 2.

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Perinephric myxoid pseudotumor of fat (PMPF) is a recently described and rare retroperitoneal mass-forming lesion whose clinical significance chiefly involves mimicry of a variety of soft tissue tumors. For unknown reasons, it commonly occurs in male patients with underlying non-neoplastic renal diseases and/or type 2 diabetes (DMT2). A total of 55 cases have been reported in the literature.

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An amplicon-based targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay for the detection of gene fusions in sarcomas was developed, validated, and implemented. This assay can detect fusions in targeted regions of 138 genes and BCOR internal tandem duplications. This study reviews our experience with testing on the first 652 patients analyzed.

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  • * A study compared 17 desmoplastic melanomas (including 5 NFLDM cases) with 53 neurofibromas to identify distinguishing features and the role of molecular testing in diagnosis.
  • * Key differences include the presence of lymphoid aggregates and specific vascular structures in neurofibromas that are absent in NFLDM, along with molecular testing revealing genetic abnormalities linked to melanoma.
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  • Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare condition characterized by non-tender swelling of lymph nodes due to atypical histiocyte proliferation, but it can also appear in unusual forms, such as orbital masses.* -
  • A recent study analyzed five cases of orbital RDD from the past 18 years, focusing on patients aged 12-36 who experienced eye swelling or vision changes; some had pre-existing conditions while others had no systemic signs.* -
  • Histological analysis of the resected orbital masses revealed distinctive features, including atypical histiocytes and a significant positive response to S100 and CD68 immunostaining, with all followed patients remaining disease-free 1 to 15 years post
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  • Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) pose a significant risk to patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), with current treatments failing to improve outcomes, highlighting the need for new therapies that target the tumor's immune environment.
  • Researchers examined the immune microenvironment in NF1-associated tumors, using various techniques to analyze how immune cells infiltrate and respond to these tumors.
  • Results showed that malignant progression involved increased infiltration of specific immune cells, particularly tumor-associated macrophages, linked to worse patient outcomes, indicating a potential for therapies that can enhance anti-tumor immune responses.
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Undifferentiated round cell sarcomas (URCS) represent a diverse group of tumors, including conventional Ewing sarcoma, round cell sarcoma with EWSR1/FUS-non-ETS fusions, CIC-rearranged sarcoma, and sarcoma with BCOR alterations. Since 2018, 3 cases of URCS with a novel CRTC1::SS18 gene fusion have been reported in the literature. Herein, we report 3 additional cases of CRTC1::SS18 sarcoma, thereby doubling the number of described cases and expanding the clinicopathologic features of this rare translocation sarcoma.

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  • The PLAG1 gene fusions have been found in some uterine myxoid leiomyosarcomas (M-LMS), but there are cases of PLAG1-rearranged uterine sarcomas that do not resemble M-LMS or show smooth muscle markers.
  • A study involving 11 cases of these sarcomas showed diverse features, with patient ages ranging from 34 to 72 years and tumor sizes between 6.5 to 32 cm.
  • Follow-up data indicated varying outcomes; while some patients showed no disease evidence, others experienced disease progression or died within a few years, and the tumors displayed significant morphological diversity, including unusual characteristics like hyalinized stroma and adipocytic differentiation
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  • Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) often presents with isolated lung metastases, but there is limited evidence on how to manage these cases effectively.
  • A study analyzed data from 629 LMS patients with synchronous isolated lung metastases, revealing that those treated at academic centers had better surgical outcomes.
  • The findings suggest that aggressive surgical approaches, including resection of both primary tumors and lung metastases, can significantly improve overall survival rates, particularly for patients treated in specialized high-volume centers.
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Since their original description as a distinctive neoplastic entity, ~50 TFE3 -rearranged perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) have been reported. We herein report 25 new TFE3 -rearranged PEComas and review the published literature to further investigate their clinicopathologic spectrum. Notably, 5 of the 25 cases were associated with a prior history of chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

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Background: Primary cardiac angiosarcomas are very rare and present aggressively with high rates of metastasis. Given the poor prognosis, particularly once disease has spread, early diagnosis and multidisciplinary treatment is essential.

Case Presentation: We present the case of a 46-year-old male who presented with chest pain, intermittent fevers, and dyspnea.

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Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is a mesenchymal tumor thought to originate from perivascular epithelioid cells (PECs). The normal counterpart to PEC, however, has not been identified in any human organ, and the debate as to whether PEComa is related to smooth muscle tumors has persisted for many years. The current series characterizes 4 cases of uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS) coexisting with PEComas.

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  • CIC-rearranged sarcomas are aggressive tumors that lead to poor survival rates, quick development of drug resistance, and high metastasis, prompting a need for better understanding of their management and outcomes.
  • A study at Johns Hopkins Hospital analyzed the cases of ten patients aged 10 to 67, revealing varied clinical courses, with some undergoing intensive treatments while others had prolonged disease-free survival without systemic therapy.
  • Overall survival averaged 22.1 months and progression-free survival averaged 16.7 months, highlighting diverse outcomes and emphasizing the importance of understanding individual tumor biology for better patient care.
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Atypical spindle cell/pleomorphic lipomatous tumor (ASPLT) is a recently described adipocytic tumor predominantly affecting the subcutaneous soft tissues of adults. Previous studies have shown that ASPLT follows a benign clinical course with a 4% to 12% local recurrence rate and no risk of dedifferentiation. Herein, we describe the clinicopathologic and molecular findings of 4 cases of ASPLT showing unequivocal sarcomatous transformation.

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Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a high-grade, primitive round cell sarcoma classically associated with prominent desmoplastic stroma, coexpression of keratin and desmin, and a characteristic EWSR1::WT1 gene fusion. DSRCT typically arises in the abdominopelvic cavity of young males with diffuse peritoneal spread and poor overall survival. Although originally considered to be pathognomonic for DSRCT, EWSR1::WT1 gene fusions have recently been detected in rare tumors lacking the characteristic morphologic and immunohistochemical features of DSRCT.

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EWSR1::POU2AF3 (COLCA2) sarcomas are a recently identified group of undifferentiated round/spindle cell neoplasms with a predilection for the head and neck region. Herein, we report our experience with 8 cases, occurring in 5 men and 3 women (age range, 37-74 years; median, 60 years). Tumors involved the head/neck (4 cases), and one each the thigh, thoracic wall, fibula, and lung.

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Background And Objectives: Distinguishing sarcomatoid carcinoma from primary sarcoma is clinically important. We sought to characterize metastatic sarcomatoid bone disease and its management.

Methods: We analyzed the characteristics of all cases of sarcomatoid carcinoma to bone at a single institution from 2001 to 2021, excluding patients with nonosseous metastases.

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  • - A 34-year-old woman was diagnosed with a rare condition called nodular cystic fat necrosis (NCFN), which presented as a large cystic mass in her right leg, likely caused by localized trauma that led to fat necrosis. - Diagnostic imaging, particularly MRI, revealed important features of NCFN, such as lipid-signal foci and a contrast-enhancing capsule, while ultrasound helped visualize mobile fat nodules inside the cyst. - After complete surgical excision, pathology confirmed the diagnosis, and follow-up scans showed no signs of recurrence, although distinguishing NCFN from similar fat-related tumors can be difficult based on imaging alone.
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Aims: Cutaneous syncytial myoepithelioma (CSM) is a rare myoepithelioma variant of skin, characterized by intradermal syncytial growth of spindle cells with a distinct immunophenotype of EMA and S100 positivity and infrequent keratin expression. While CSM was first described as a cutaneous tumor, singular non-cutaneous cases have since been reported in bone. We aimed to investigate the clinicopathological features of this variant across all anatomic sites through a large multi-institutional study.

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