Small-cell tumors of the liver: A cytological study of 91 cases and a review of the literature

The Myth of Prometheus in metastatic meningioma to the liver: from craniotomy to hepatectomy

Metastases from intracranial meningiomas are rare, and among them, meningiomas with hepatic dissemination are extremely rare. Therefore, there are currently no guidelines for staging and treatment of metastatic disease in meningioma, a disease that is a challenge for both the clinician and the pathologist. Our literature review revealed 24 cases of liver metastases originating from intracranial meningiomas. We used them to analyze the pathological patterns of dissemination and to assess the different management strategies available, the most efficient and beneficial being surgery and chemotherapy, especially in the case of meningiomas with hepatic and∕or systemic dissemination.

Telecytological diagnosis of space-occupying lesions of the liver

OBJECTIVE

In this study, the efficiency of telemedical consulting with regard to fine needle aspirates from space-occupying lesions (SOLs) of the liver is investigated for the first time.

STUDY DESIGN

The study includes fine needle aspirations from 62 patients, 33 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 29 with non-hepatic tumors. Using the Internet-based iPath system, the initial pathologist submitted 1-8 images from smears and cell block sections. One consultant assessed the cytological and another one the histological images. Both made their diagnoses independent of each other. A final diagnosis was made by immunochemistry of cell block sections. The cytological images were analyzed retrospectively for the occurrence of the most typical HCC indicators. The number of these indicators was related to the initial diagnoses of the three pathologists, and possible reasons for diagnostic errors were analyzed based on this analysis.

RESULTS

The accuracy of the preliminary telemedical diagnoses regarding HCC was 82.0% for the cytological images and 87.7% for the histological images. Most of the false diagnoses occurred in tumors with unusual cytological and histological patterns.

CONCLUSIONS

Telemedical consulting is a valuable tool to obtain a second opinion. However, for improvement of the diagnosis of HCC, supplementary immunochemical tests are necessary.

Cytopathology of extracranial ectopic and metastatic meningiomas

INTRODUCTION

Extracranial meningiomas may infrequently be encountered as ectopic or metastatic tumors. Their rarity and unique cytomorphology often pose significant diagnostic dilemmas. The aim of this study was to report our experience with a series of ectopic and metastatic meningiomas, characterizing their cytomorphology with histological correlation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis involving 13 patients with cytological preparations from extracranial meningiomas was performed. Cytology cases were correlated with available surgical resection specimens. Data regarding clinical findings, tumor information, cytomorphology, follow-up histological features and immunohistochemistry were recorded and analyzed.

RESULTS

There were 5 cases with metastases and 8 ectopic meningiomas. Metastases occurred in the scalp/skull, lung, paraspinal soft tissue and liver. Primary ectopic meningiomas were located in the paranasal sinuses and ear, orbit and neck. Cytomorphological features characteristic of meningiomas were identified in the majority of samples including tightly cohesive clusters of spindled cells, whorls, intranuclear inclusions, nuclear grooves and psammomatous calcification. Unusual cytomorphological features identified in only a few cases included epithelioid cell predominance, abundant inflammatory cells, small-cell change, papillary structures and pseudoacinar growth. Metastatic tumors exhibited more nuclear atypia and occasionally mitoses or necrosis. Meningiomas were shown to be immunoreactive for epithelial membrane antigen, pancytokeratin and vimentin.

CONCLUSION

Although rare, extracranial meningiomas can be encountered in cytologic specimens and should be included in the differential diagnosis when characteristic morphological features of meningiomas are seen. Cytopathologists should be aware that these lesions could be mistaken for other tumors, especially when confounded by atypia and unusual cytomorphological features.

Cytokine Genes TNF, IL1A, IL1B, IL6, IL1RN and IL10, and childhood-onset mood disorders

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Inflammatory cytokines induce a behavioral syndrome, known as sickness behavior, that strongly resembles symptoms typically seen in depression. This resemblance has led to the theory that an imbalance of inflammatory cytokine activity may be a contributing factor in depressive disorders. Support for this is found in multiple lines of evidence, such as the effects of cytokines on the activities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, serotonin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and hippocampal function, all of which are implicated in the etiology of depression. In addition, associations between inflammatory activity and depressive symptomology have been documented in a number of studies, and the depressogenic effects of cytokine therapy are well known. Accordingly, given that depression has a substantial genetic basis, genes involved in the regulation of inflammatory cytokine activity are strong candidates for involvement in genetic susceptibility to depressive disorders. Here, we have tested 6 key genes of this type, TNF, IL1A, IL1B, IL6, IL1RN and IL10, as candidates for involvement in childhood-onset mood disorders.

METHODS

In this study of 384 families, each ascertained through a child with depression diagnosed before the age of 15 years, 11 polymorphisms of known or likely functional significance (coding and regulatory variants) were analyzed.

RESULTS

Testing for biased transmission of alleles from parents to their affected offspring, we found no evidence for an association between childhood-onset mood disorders and any of the polymorphisms, either individually or as haplotypes.

CONCLUSION

The present study does not support the involvement of the TNF, IL1A, IL1B, IL6, IL1RN and IL10 variants as major genetic risk factors contributing to early-onset mood disorders.

Immunocytochemical diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and identification of carcinomas of unknown primary metastatic to the liver on fine-needle aspiration cytologies

BACKGROUND

Difficulties with cytologic diagnoses on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the liver can be overcome by the application of immunocytochemical panels applied on smears. The aim of the current study was to analyze the performance of a panel of monoclonal antibodies to differentiate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from metastatic carcinoma (MC) or regenerative nodules, and to identify the to date unknown primary sites of carcinomas that had metastasized to the liver.

METHODS

In a validating cohort study, 108 FNACs coin lesions in the liver were routinely evaluated applying immunocytochemistry as an ancillary method. All patients had confirmatory histologic and/or clinical follow-up. A total of 23 HCCs were analyzed for the distinction from MC or regenerative nodules applying a panel of HepPar1, alpha-fetoprotein, BerEP4, CD31, CD68, and Ki-67. A total of 85 cases of unknown primary tumor metastatic to the liver were used to identify the tumor sites applying a panel of CK5/6, CK7, CK20, CA 125, thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), and Cdx2.

RESULTS

Typing accuracy to differentiate HCC from MC or regenerative nodules was 100% and 90.3%, respectively, to identify the primary tumor site of MC. In 23 cases, the site of the primary tumor remained clinically unknown.

CONCLUSIONS

The application of immunocytochemical panels on the same slide used for microscopic diagnosis is a useful tool in the routine assessment of FNACs of the liver to discriminate HCCs from MC or regenerative nodules and for the identification of primary sites of MC. Their performance should be confirmed in a larger series of cases.