Squamous cell carcinoma of the prostate: case report and review of literature

Carcinoma of the prostate, that is adenocarcinoma, is one of the most common malignancies in the male with an estimated incidence for 1991 of 122,000 new cases. On the other hand, squamous cell carcinoma of the prostate, with a median incidence of .5%-1% of all prostatic malignancies, has a similar clinical presentation but differs in treatment response and prognosis. We herein present one case of this histological pattern and review the literature pertaining to it.     

Central mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Report of a case and review of the literature

A case of central mucoepidermoid carcinoma (CMEC) occurring in a 68-year-old woman is reported. The tumor clinically appeared as a long-standing cortical swelling in the left angle of her mandible. As an intrabony lesion was radiologically evidenced, an odontogenic cyst was preoperatively diagnosed. Surgical curettage demonstrated a solid tumor the histological study of which allowed the final diagnosis. Immunohistochemical profile accorded with the patterns previously observed in salivary gland counterparts. Adjuvant radiotherapy was performed. Neither local recurrences nor metastases have been observed to date.     

Bacteremia by Corynebacterium striatum and neutrocytic ascites. Presentation of a case and review of the literature

Corynebacterium striatum is a Gram-positive pleomorphic bacillus that has been regarded as a saprophyte of mucous membranes and skin. There are certain difficulties in identifying the Corynebacteria species in the laboratory and it is often necessary to resort to techniques which are not available in all laboratories. Over recent years, C. striatum has shown itself to be a potential pathogen generally in weakened or immunodepressed individuals, in relation with intravenous catheters and in intensive care units. We report a case of bacteremia by C. striatum and neutrocytic ascites probably related to that microorganism, and, in view of the rarity of this isolement, we have reviewed the cases published on this subject.     

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the endometrium report of a case and review of the literature

A case of primary pure squamous cell carcinoma of the endometrium in a 50-year-old woman is reported. There was deep myometrial and para-cervical invasion. There is no evidence of metastases 2 years after total hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy and radiation therapy. The patient is probably the youngest suffering from such a tumor. A detailed review of the literature has been carried out.     

Unusual metastasis of renal cell carcinoma. A case report with review of the literature

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of metastasis of renal cell carcinomas in the head and neck region is extremely rare. Metastasis in the larynx, hypopharynx, and the nasal sinuses has been reported. We report here about a 55-year-old female with metastasis in the soft palate and tonsil, which occurred 10 years following tumor nephrectomy. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of metastasis in renal cell carcinomas can be observed even many years following initial curative treatment of the primary tumor. Although rare in the region of the head and neck, they can often be mistaken for benign tumors such as hemangiomas or inflammatory tissue. The treatment of choice is radical surgical resection.     

Squamous cell carcinoma in ovarian endometriosis. A case report

A primitive squamous cell carcinoma of the ovary arose in ovarian endometriosis. The patient underwent a radical hysterectomy and radiotherapy. The other few similar reported cases had a poor prognosis. In our case the patient died 11 months after surgery.     

Insular carcinoma of the thyroid. Apropos of a case and review of the literature

We present a new case report of "Insular" thyroid carcinoma. The first series was published, in 1984, by Carcangiu et al. The propensity for local recurrence and early distant metastases explains the poor prognosis of this carcinoma and demands aggressive therapy at the time of diagnosis. This includes radical surgery, radiotherapy with possible chemotherapy. Clinical and pathological arguments suggest that this carcinoma could be an intermediate stage in the process of loss of differentiation of some thyroid neoplasms.     

Signet-ring cell carcinoma of the ileum: report of a case and review of the Japanese literature

We report herein the extremely unusual case of a 71-year-old woman with signet-ring cell carcinoma of the ileum. She originally presented with a 6-month history of intermittent nausea and abdominal distention, but initial examinations, including gastrointestinal fiberscopy, ultrasonography, and computed tomography (CT) scan, failed to reveal any cause of her symptoms. A barium-enema study performed 11 months after her initial visit demonstrated a narrow portion of the terminal ileum. An ileocecal resection was subsequently performed, and an epigastric subcutaneous tumor was simultaneously excised. The specimen contained a tumor with a stenotic lumen resembling a "lead pipe", an ulcerative portion, and mucosa with a granular appearance adjoining its proximal site. Many small aphthous lesions with IIa + IIc appearance were seen in the apparently normal mucosa. Histopathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of signet-ring cell carcinoma. The small aphthous lesions seemed to be metastases spread via the lymphatic vessels. Our review of the medical literature revealed three cases of signet-ring cell carcinoma of the jejunum; however, this is the first reported case of signet-ring cell carcinoma of the ileum.     

Laryngeal metastasis from a signet ring cell carcinoma of the colon. A case report and review of the literature

A field study was made on 17 workers collecting unsorted household waste, eight workers collecting organic/nonorganic separated waste, and 24 controls. Measurements of airborne endotoxin and (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan were made in their working environments. Examinations consisted of a questionnaire for symptoms, spirometry, airway responsiveness, and blood and sputum sampling for determination of cell counts, eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), and myeoloperoxidase (MPO). A higher proportion of waste collectors reported diarrhea, congested nose, and unusual tiredness as compared to controls. The number of blood lymphocytes was higher among waste collectors and were dose-related to the amount of airborne (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan at the workplaces. The amount of ECP and the number of macrophages were lower in sputum among waste collectors as compared with controls. The results suggest that certain dusts from household waste may cause airway inflammation as well as general symptoms, and the effects were associated with higher (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan levels.     

Synchronous lingual granular cell tumor and squamous carcinoma. A case report and review of the literature

PURPOSE: The aim of this article is to determine the outcome of the pelvic pouch after the occurrence of a fistula. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1983 to 1995, 1,040 pelvic pouch surgeries were done at our institution. We reviewed the records of all patients with pouch-related fistulas. Data were collected from chart reviews and our pouch registry. RESULTS: Among 59 patients (22 males) with fistulas, mean age was 33 (range, 19-57) years. Preoperative diagnosis was mucosal ulcerative colitis (n = 52), indeterminate colitis (n = 6), and familial polyposis (n = 1). Site of fistulas included pouch/vaginal (n = 24), pouch/ cutaneous (n = 11), pouch/perineal (n = 16), and pouch/ presacral (n = 8). Postoperative diagnosis was mucosal ulcerative colitis (n = 40), Crohn's disease (n = 14), indeterminate colitis (n = 4), and familial polyposis (n = 1). One hundred eleven (range, 1-7) surgeries for treatment were performed. At a mean follow-up of 26 (range, 1-121) months, 19 pouches (32 percent) had been excised, 34 patients had functioning pouches and no fistula, 5 patients had a closed fistula but refused ileostomy closure, and 1-patient had died of unrelated causes (but the fistula was closed). Pouch type and preoperative diagnosis did not statistically affect pouch failure rates (P = 0.43 and 0.10. respectively). CONCLUSION: Successful treatment of fistula from a pelvic pouch can be achieved in more than 60 percent of patients. However, multiple procedures may be needed for a successful outcome. Ultimately, 32 percent had their pouches excised.     

Primary small cell carcinoma of the esophagus with ectopic gastrin production. Report of a case and review of the literature

A case of primary small cell carcinoma of the esophagus in which extensive hormonal studies could be performed is reported. The tumor was considered as a neuroendocrine tumor because the tumor cells showed intracytoplasmic argyrophilia, neurosecretory granules, and positive stain for neuron-specific enolase with Grimelius stain, electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Furthermore, the tumor was regarded as a gastrin-producing tumor because of positive stain for gastrin in the tumor cells. The present case is the first case of primary small cell carcinoma of the esophagus with ectopic gastric production.     

Colon carcinoma metastatic to the trachea. Report of a case and a review of the literature

It is known that myasthenia gravis is improved by cold. In two previously reported studies performed on a limited number of myasthenic patients and controls, local cold application to the eyelid was suggested for use as a diagnostic test for ocular myasthenia gravis. In this study, ice test to the eyelid was evaluated as a diagnostic test on 12 myasthenic patients and 15 controls with blepharoptosis and the results were compared with those of edrophonium test.     

Primary carcinoma of the male urethra. Report of a case and review of the literature

Contribution of one case of epidermoid carcinoma of the urethra in a 47-year old male with a several years old urethral stenosis. The significance of urethroscopy and the obtention of biopsies for diagnosis is emphasised. Also a review is made of the existing literature on the different therapeutical alternatives.     

Small cell carcinoma of the prostate: a case report]

In many cell types, Ca2+ signals are organized in the form of repetitive spikes. The frequency of these intracellular Ca2+ oscillations increases with the level of stimulation, suggesting the existence of a frequency encoding phenomenon. The question arises as to how the frequency of Ca2+ oscillations can be decoded inside the cell. Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II has long been proposed as an attractive candidate, as it is a key target of Ca2+ signals. By immobilizing the Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II and subjecting it to pulses of Ca2+ of variable amplitude, duration, and frequency, De Koninck and Schulman have shown for the first time that the autonomous activity of Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II is highly sensitive to the temporal pattern of Ca2+ oscillations.     

Primary fallopian tube carcinoma. Report of a single case with review of the literature

The mean survival rates of female BDF1 mice transplanted intravenously (i.v.) with murine L1210 leukemia cells were significantly prolonged by intraperitoneal (i.p.) pretreatment (before i.v. transplantation) or by i.p. pre- and post-treatment (before and after the i.v. transplantation) with heat-killed Actinobacillus suis cells ATCC 15557 (AS 15557) alone, as compared with untreated L1210-leukemia-cell-bearing control mice. However, significant prolongation of the mean survival rates was not elicited by the i.p. post-treatment with AS 15557 alone. When 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was applied i.p. to mice receiving post-treatment with AS 15557 alone, the mean survival rates of the L1210-leukemia-cell-bearing mice were significantly prolonged. The antileukemic action of AS 15557, alone or in combination with 5-FU, against L1210 leukemia was superior to that of a streptococcal preparation (OK-432) and was almost the same as of bacillus Calmette-Guérin with or without 5-FU. The results suggest the possibility that the synergism of AS 15557 in combination with 5-FU may be dependent on the relationship between the indirect immunological function of AS 15557 and the direct cytotoxic action of 5-FU on L1210 leukemia cells.     

Squamous cell carcinoma of the gingiva in an HIV-positive patient: a case report

This article presents a case of gingival squamous cell carcinoma in a patient who was HIV positive but who had no history of pan chewing, smoking, alcohol consumption or nutritional deficiency. Investigations also revealed the presence of superimposed pseudomembranous candidiasis. The case reported reveals that squamous cell carcinoma of the gingiva may occur as an oral manifestation of AIDS.     

Sweet's syndrome. Presentation of six cases and review of the literature

The acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis or Sweet syndrome, initially described in 1964 by Robert Sweet (1). It is characterized fever, neutrophilic leucocytosis, abrupt appearance of erythematous, painful, cutaneous plaquets and dense dermal infiltrate consisting of mature neutrophils without vasculitis sings. Malignancy has been described in the 10-15% of the reported cases. We report our series of 6 patients diagnosticated of this illness in our department. One of this patients has Sweet syndrome associated with a malignancy disorder. All of them had diagnostic criteria of the described disease and had good response to corticotherapy. We also report a bibliographic review of this infrequent syndrome.     

Duodenal obstruction by gallstones (Bouveret's syndrome). Presentation of a new case and literature review

Bouveret's syndrome is a rare entity consisting in a duodenal obstruction due to the passage of gallstones from the gallbladder to the duodenum through a cholecystoduodenal fistula. Approximately 225 cases are reported in the literature. It is most common in old women with a previous history of biliary tract disease. The clinical picture is nonspecific and pre-operative diagnosis is not easy. Oral endoscopy is the main diagnostic procedure and sometimes, a therapeutic option, too. Surgery is the elective treatment specially when endoscopy is unsuccessful. We report a new case of this syndrome successfully treated by surgery, and an extensive review of the literature concerning this issue, focusing mainly on the clinical findings, diagnosis, therapeutic procedures and results. We conclude that Bouveret's syndrome is rare but more frequent in older females with previous biliary disease, better diagnosed by pyloric obstruction syndrome, plain abdominal x-ray, ultrasonography, contrast gastric study and/or gastroscopy (confirming and best procedure). When conservative endoscopic procedure fails, surgical treatment must be carried out, thus obtaining good results.