A rare giant extraocular, anterior chest wall sebaceous carcinoma

miR-939, as an important regulator in various cancers pathogenesis, has diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic values: a review

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are highly conserved non-coding RNAs with a short length (18-24 nucleotides) that directly bind to a complementary sequence within 3'-untranslated regions of their target mRNAs and regulate gene expression, post-transcriptionally. They play crucial roles in diverse biological processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation. In the context of cancer, miRNAs are key regulators of growth, angiogenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance.

MAIN BODY

This review primarily focuses on miR-939 and its expanding roles and target genes in cancer pathogenesis. It compiles findings from various investigations. MiRNAs, due to their dysregulated expression in tumor environments, hold potential as cancer biomarkers. Several studies have highlighted the dysregulation of miR-939 expression in human cancers.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights the potential of miR-939 as a valuable target in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. The aberrant expression of miR-939, along with other miRNAs, underscores their significance in advancing our understanding of cancer biology and their promise in personalized cancer care.

Cutaneous Sebaceous Carcinoma Presenting as a Large Fungating Breast Tumour in Synchronicity With Primary Carcinomata of the Breasts

Sebaceous carcinomas are rare malignant tumours which arise from sebaceous glands. They are subclassified into ocular and extraocular subtypes and most commonly occur in the head and neck region. Tumours below the neck occur infrequently, and most commonly resemble benign skin lesions such as pyogenic granulomata and molluscum contagiosum, or malignant skin tumours like basal and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). We report a case of an 86-year-old lady presenting with a fungating breast tumour which began as a “mole” and exhibited insidious growth over five years to reach a maximum size of 10 cm. An excision biopsy was performed by the breast surgery team and histopathological analysis revealed a sebaceous carcinoma arising from the skin adnexa. On subsequent follow up, the patient was found to have a 19 mm mass in the left breast and a 20 mm mass in the right breast, which was P5 and P3 on clinical palpation, respectively. Core biopsies of left and right breast lesions showed invasive lobular carcinoma and invasive ductal carcinoma with lobular features respectively; the patient was started on primary letrozole treatment. The patient also went on to have a 2 cm wide local excision of the sebaceous carcinoma scar which was excised down to the pectoralis fascia. This is a unique presentation of a sebaceous gland carcinoma presenting as a fungating breast tumour. These tumours have a high metastatic potential and local recurrence rate, and can co-exist with primary carcinoma of the breast.

Imaging findings of malignant skin tumors: radiological-pathological correlation

Sometimes, radiologists encounter malignant skin tumors (MSTs) during image interpretation. As MSTs require different clinical management modalities for each histological subtype, accurate preoperative diagnosis is essential. The histological subtypes of MST can be easily assessed by visual inspection or biopsy. Therefore, the significant role of radiological imaging in MSTs is to evaluate the extent of local invasion, nodal involvement, and distant metastasis, and the histological estimation of MSTs by radiological imaging has not been reported until a few years ago. However, recent studies have revealed characteristic radiological features for differential diagnosis of MSTs, such as configuration, intratumoral homogeneity, signal intensity, cyst formation, and hemorrhage. Other important clinical data for determining the histological subtype of MST include age, gender, and site of occurrence. MSTs can be categorized as epidermal, melanocytic, adnexal, and mesenchymal tumors based on the origin and have distinctive characteristics. Hence, this review article was designed to describe the clinical and radiological features of MSTs.