A Rare Case of Renal Thrombotic Microangiopathy and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis Secondary to Plasma Cell Leukemia.

Plasma cell dyscrasias are a subset of hematological malignancies involving the production of monoclonal immunoglobulins. This spectrum of disorders includes asymptomatic conditions such as monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance as well as extremely aggressive malignancies such as plasma cell leukemia. Monoclonal gammopathies are occasionally associated with renal failure, which can occur via many pathophysiological processes.

An Unusual Case of Multiple Myeloma with Light-Chain Cast Nephropathy Secondary to a Very Large Plasmacytoma without Bone Marrow Involvement.

Here, we report a case of a patient who presented to Strong Memorial Hospital with new-onset renal failure and anemia and was found to have multiple myeloma with lambda light-chain cast nephropathy secondary to a very large (14 cm × 14 cm × 12 cm) plasmacytoma without bone marrow involvement. This case is notable as solitary plasmacytomas are almost never seen with concomitant myeloma-defining CRAB criteria or significantly elevated serum free light-chain ratios. Although solitary plasmacytomas are typically definitively treated with radiation, this case highlights that systemic treatment may be helpful in certain clinical scenarios.

Synchronous B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Serous Ovarian Carcinoma: A Case Report.

Adult patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have higher rates of antecedent and subsequent malignancies. However, synchronous identification of ALL and ovarian cancer is exceedingly rare. We report the unique case of a 65-year-old woman with synchronous B-cell ALL and low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma diagnosed after surgical intervention for a small bowel obstruction.

An Atypical Presentation of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) Secondary to Occult Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and life-threatening syndrome of immune system dysregulation characterized by the phagocytosis of various cells by histiocytes in the bone marrow. HLH can present in one of the two ways: primary HLH, which is caused by mutations in genes essential to T and NK-cell function, and secondary HLH, typically caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection or malignancy. Because of the rapid progression and high mortality of this disease, prompt diagnosis is essential to good outcomes.

Erratum: Anterior mediastinal large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with elevated AFP: A case report and review.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/mco.2020.

Anterior mediastinal large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with elevated AFP: A case report and review.

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is a rare and aggressive cancer that typically presents in the lung. The current case report describes a 56 year old male who presented to Strong Memorial Hospital with progressive dyspnea and was revealed to have a large anterior mediastinal tumor with metastases to axillary, hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes. Tumor marker results revealed an elevated plasma level of α-fetoprotein (AFP), which initially pointed towards a diagnosis of teratoma, but the tumor stained positive for neuroendocrine markers CD56, chromogranin, and synaptophysin on biopsy, consistent with LCNEC.

A four gene signature predictive of recurrent prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common form of non-dermatological cancer among US men, with an increasing incidence due to the aging population. Patients diagnosed with clinically localized disease identified as intermediate or high-risk are often treated by radical prostatectomy. Approximately 33% of these patients will suffer recurrence after surgery.

SOX2 is an amplified lineage-survival oncogene in lung and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

Lineage-survival oncogenes are activated by somatic DNA alterations in cancers arising from the cell lineages in which these genes play a role in normal development. Here we show that a peak of genomic amplification on chromosome 3q26.33 found in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the lung and esophagus contains the transcription factor gene SOX2, which is mutated in hereditary human esophageal malformations, is necessary for normal esophageal squamous development, promotes differentiation and proliferation of basal tracheal cells and cooperates in induction of pluripotent stem cells.

MMP-20 is predominately a tooth-specific enzyme with a deep catalytic pocket that hydrolyzes type V collagen.

Matrix metalloproteinase-20 (MMP-20, enamelysin) has a highly restricted pattern of expression. In healthy tissues, MMP-20 is observed in the enamel organ and pulp organ of developing teeth and is present only as an activated enzyme. To identify other tissues that may express MMP-20, we performed a systematic mouse tissue expression screen.