The comparative utility of fluorescence in situ hybridization and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma

Distant metastasis of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma with pancreatic parameningeal localization in children: clinical case series

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a malignant neoplasm that develops from embryonic mesenchymal cells, with an annual incidence of 4.3 cases per 1,000,000 children. The prevalence of the tumor process is estimated on the basis of data from a comprehensive examination, including magnetic resonance imaging with intravenous contrast, ultrasound examination of the primary focus of regional and distant metastasis zones, computed tomography and radioisotope studies. The overall 5-year survival rate for localized rhabdomyosarcoma reaches 70 %. During the initial diagnosis, distant metastasis to the lungs, bones, and bone marrow is detected, which significantly worsens the prognosis in 20–25 % of patients. The factors of an extremely unfavorable prognosis for the course of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma are the occurrence of regional and distant metastases before the start of specific treatment, dissemination of the tumor lesion during treatment, and the presence of translocation of the 13q14 sector. Publications contain data on a high (11.2 %) prevalence of metastases of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in the pancreas. In the presence of metastatic lesions of the pancreas, surgical treatment is effective only in combination with chemoradiotherapy. Long-term results of treatment of this cohort of children are unsatisfactory due to the high risk of recurrence and dissemination of the tumor.

Aim. To study risk factors, evaluate methods and prospects for the treatment of children with metastatic pancreatic lesions in parameningeal alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. The article considers three clinical cases of such a lesion. We would like to draw the attention of pediatric oncologists and radiologists to the possible association of metastases in the pancreas in children with localization of rhabdomyosarcoma in the head and neck region, which requires improvement of examination protocols in this group of patients.

Gross examination and reporting of soft tissue tumours: evaluation of compliance with the UK Royal College of Pathologists soft tissue sarcoma dataset

Aims

Soft tissue tumours are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that can arise at almost every anatomical site. As they often show similar clinical and radiological findings, histology is the definitive diagnostic method and it is crucial that the surgical pathology report contains accurate, useful information for management and prognostication. The soft tissue sarcoma minimum dataset produced by the Royal College of Pathologists in the UK outlines a structure for handling and reporting soft tissue tumours, including the core data required, and aiding pathologists in forming a consistent reporting approach.

Methods

We assessed the information in surgical pathology reports for soft tissue lesions at a tertiary soft tissue centre, in 1 year prior to the development of this dataset, and 1 year after its release, to audit the comparative adequacy of macroscopic and microscopic information provided, and to assess for differences in reporting since the advent of routine ancillary molecular diagnostic testing.

Results and conclusions

We found that while essential information was always included in reports, more specific details contributing to better quality reports such as more detailed macroscopic descriptions and a higher proportion of clinical summaries with radiological correlation were included in 2011 than 2006, despite increasing workload. Specimen handling, particularly of core biopsies, was also improved, reflecting the increasing need to conserve the maximum amount of patient material for molecular investigations.