Hamartomas of skin and soft tissue

Lower li1mb mesenchymal hamartoma masquerading as hemangioma: a case report of AA2 atypical presentation and diagnostic challenges

Introduction and importance

Hamartomas are abnormal growths that consist of various types of mesenchymal tissues, including cartilage, fat, connective tissue, and smooth muscle. These tumors can occur in almost any organ system within the body. While head and neck hamartomas have been frequently documented, cases involving the lower limbs are relatively rare. However, a unique instance of a mesenchymal hamartoma located in the leg has recently emerged.

Case presentation

A 30-year-old woman presented with a painless, gradually growing swelling on her left leg, diagnosed as a subcutaneous hemangioma preoperatively. Despite unsuccessful propranolol treatment, surgical excision revealed a mesenchymal hamartoma. Postoperative examination confirmed the diagnosis, and the patient recovered smoothly without recurrence after a week of hospitalization.

Clinical discussion

Cutaneous mesenchymal hamartomas are benign tissue growths with unknown etiology, associated with syndromes like Cowden and Peutz-Jeghers. Smooth muscle hamartoma can be acquired after skin trauma. Hemartoma can be misdiagnosed as hemangiomas. Cutaneous mesenchymal hamartomas presents as painless swellings in various locations, occasionally in adulthood. Differential diagnoses include lipomas and fibromas. Surgical excision is recommended for symptomatic cases to prevent recurrence.

Conclusion

This case highlights the atypical presentation of the hamartoma and emphasizes the importance of accurate diagnosis and management.

Giant Folliculosebaceous Cystic Hamartoma of the Face

Folliculosebaceous cystic hamartoma (FSCH) is a rare and benign form of cutaneous hamartomas. These skin lesions often lead to clinical and histopathological misdiagnosis due to their similarities to cutaneous lesions with overproduction of clustered sebaceous glands. Clinically, the lesions often present as solitary, skin-colored, pedunculated warts to cauliflower-like, exophytic papules and nodules, usually with a diameter ranging 0.5-1.5 cm that rarely exceed 2 cm in size. Only a small number of giant variants are reported in the literature with a diameter in the range of 5-23 cm. The vast majority of the lesions appear in the central face and show a striking predilection for the nose, ears, and scalp, but also emerge on the nipples, extremities, and genitals. Histologically, the epithelial components of folliculosebaceous cystic hamartoma comprise dilated infundibular cystic proliferation with surrounding mesenchymal components, which commonly include fibroplasia and vascular and adipose tissue proliferation. These histological characteristics were coined by Kimura and colleagues (1991). To the best of our knowledge, our case represents the biggest variant of giant folliculosebaceous cystic hamartoma.

Dorsal duplication of paw pads in the four limbs of a cat

An approximately one-year-old intact male domestic short hair cat was presented with plantigrade stance and dorsally duplicated paw pads in all limbs covered by hyperkeratotic material. True nails were rudimentary and located between the dorsal and ventral digital pads. Histologically, the biopsied duplicated dorsal paw pad was completely developed (paw pad choristoma).

Intraspinal choristoma in the lumbar region: A case report

RATIONALE

Intraspinal choristoma is a relatively uncommon intervertebral canal tumor. Prior to our reports, only 2 cases of intraspinal choristoma had been reported. Because this disease is not common and looks like a mass of fatty tissue on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), intraspinal choristoma can be easily misdiagnosed as teratomas or lipomas (like the case of this article presenting) without a pathology report. So if a lumber intraspinal lesion is discovered in a clinical examination, intraspinal choristoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis. We present a case of intraspinal choristoma that is unlike any other reported case.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 35-year-old woman with left lower extremity hypoesthesia and burning-like pain in the lumbar region for 1 month visited the local hospital for plain lumbar spine MRI. The patient was diagnosed with a lumbar space-occupying lesion. A second plain lumbar spine MRI scan and a MRI scan with enhancement were performed in our hospital to confirm the presence of a congenital lipoma in the spinal canal. A postoperative biopsy of the lumbar spinal mass indicated that the mass was an intraspinal choristoma located in the spinal canal.

DIAGNOSIS

Intraspinal choristoma.

INTERVENTION

The lesion was surgically removed, and follow-up plain and enhanced MRI images of the patient's lumbar spine were obtained.

OUTCOMES

After surgery, the patient no longer experienced the burning pain in her lumbar region or the left lower extremity hypoesthesia when the patient was discharged. And there was no evidence of recurrence 2 years after the surgery.

LESSONS

The MRI presentation of intraspinal choristoma is similar to intraspinal lipoma. Therefore, a pathological assessment is critical to provide an accurate diagnosis.

The paradox of autophagy in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused by germline mutations in TSC1 or TSC2 genes, which leads to the hyperactivation of the mTORC1 pathway, an important negative regulator of autophagy. This leads to the development of hamartomas in multiple organs. The variability in symptoms presents a challenge for the development of completely effective treatments for TSC. One option is the treatment with mTORC1 inhibitors, which are targeted to block cell growth and restore autophagy. However, the therapeutic effect of rapamycin seems to be more efficient in the early stages of hamartoma development, an effect that seems to be associated with the paradoxical role of autophagy in tumor establishment. Under normal conditions, autophagy is directly inhibited by mTORC1. In situations of bioenergetics stress, mTORC1 releases the Ulk1 complex and initiates the autophagy process. In this way, autophagy promotes the survival of established tumors by supplying metabolic precursors during nutrient deprivation; paradoxically, excessive autophagy has been associated with cell death in some situations. In spite of its paradoxical role, autophagy is an alternative therapeutic strategy that could be explored in TSC. This review compiles the findings related to autophagy and the new therapeutic strategies targeting this pathway in TSC.

Malignant Degeneration of Biopsy-Proven Hamartoma to Chondrosarcoma

Pulmonary hamartomas are benign lesions that are often managed conservatively in the absence of respiratory symptoms. Increasing reports of malignant transformation question if a more aggressive treatment or surveillance practice for these lesions is warranted in adult patients. Herein, we describe a case of a 67-year-old man with a long history of pulmonary hamartoma that demonstrated malignant degeneration into spindle cell malignancy with chondromatous differentiation. This case illustrates the aggressive nature of sarcomatous disease arising from hamartomas and, with a handful of other cases in the literature, points to the question of whether pulmonary hamartomas arising in late adulthood should follow a more intensive treatment or surveillance algorithm given increased concern for malignant potential.

The Value of Case Reports in Systematic Reviews from Rare Diseases. The Example of Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT) in Patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis Type II (MPS-II)

BACKGROUND

Case reports are usually excluded from systematic reviews. Patients with rare diseases are more dependent on novel individualized strategies than patients with common diseases. We reviewed and summarized the novelties reported by case reports in mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS-II) patients treated with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT).

METHODS

We selected the case reports included in a previous meta-analysis of patients with MPS-II treated with ERT. Later clinical studies evaluating the same topic of those case reports were reported. Our primary aim was to summarize novelties reported in previous case reports. Secondary objectives analyzed the number of novelties evaluated in subsequent clinical studies and the time elapsed between the publication of the case report to the publication of the clinical study.

RESULTS

We identified 11 innovative proposals in case reports that had not been previously considered in clinical studies. Only two (18.2%) were analyzed in subsequent nonrandomized cohort studies. The other nine novelties (81.8%) were analyzed in later case reports (five) or were not included in ulterior studies (four) after more than five years from their first publication.

CONCLUSIONS

Case reports should be included in systematic reviews of rare disease to obtain a comprehensive summary of the state of research and offer valuable information for healthcare practitioners.

Genetic Characterization of Myoid Hamartoma of the Breast

BACKGROUND/AIM

Myoid hamartoma of the breast is a very rare benign lesion of which only a few cases have been reported. The pathogenesis is unknown and nothing is known about its genetic constitution. We report here the genetic characterization of a myoid hamartoma of the breast.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cytogenetic, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), RNA sequencing, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Sanger sequencing analyses were performed on a myoid hamartoma of the breast.

RESULTS

G-Banding analysis of short-term cultured tumor cells yielded the karyotype 46,XX,t(5;12)(p13;q14)[6]/46,XX[4]. FISH showed rearrangement of the high mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) gene. RNA sequencing detected fusion of HMGA2 (12q14) with a sequence from 5p13. RT-PCR together with Sanger sequencing verified the HMGA2-fusion transcript.

CONCLUSION

Myoid hamartoma of the breast may be pathogenetically related to benign connective tissue tumors with HMGA2 rearrangements, such as pulmonary hamartomas, lipomas, myolipomas, and leiomyomas.