HPV Molecular Genotyping as a Differential Diagnosis Tool in Cervical Cancer Metastasis

BACKGROUND

Differentiating metastatic cervical cancer from another primary tumor can be difficult in patients with a history of cervical cancer and a distant lesion. The use of routine HPV molecular detection and genotyping tests could help in these cases. The objective of this study was to identify if an easy-to-use HPV molecular genotyping assay would allow differentiating between HPV tumor metastasis and a new independent primary non-HPV-induced tumor.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between 2010 and 2020, we identified patients with a primary cervical carcinoma who also had another secondary lesion. This identification included a clinical and histologic differential diagnosis of metastatic cervical cancer versus a new primary cancer or metastatic cancer from another site. We used a routine multiplex real-time PCR (rt-PCR) Anyplex^TM II HPV28 (Seegene, Seoul, Republic of Korea) to detect the high-risk (HR)-HPV genome in the distant lesions in these patients.

RESULTS

Eight cases of cervical cancer with a new secondary lesion were identified. In seven, HR-HPV DNA was detected in the biopsy of the distant lesion, which confirmed the diagnosis of cervical cancer metastasis. In the remaining case, no HPV was detected in the secondary lung biopsy, confirming the diagnosis of new primary lung cancer.

CONCLUSION

Our results pave the way for HPV molecular genotyping use in cases of newly diagnosed distant lesions in patients with a history of HPV cervical neoplasia by using a routine diagnosis process to complete the clinical and histologic differential diagnosis when confronted with ambiguous situations.

Prenatal diagnosis of focal dermal hypoplasia: Report of three fetuses and review of the literature

Focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH) is a rare syndrome characterized by pleiotropic features knowing to involve mostly skin and limbs. Although FDH has been described in children and adults, the cardinal signs of the fetal phenotype are not straightforward impacting the quality of the prenatal diagnosis. We describe in depth the ultrasound, radiological, macroscopical, and histological phenotype of three female fetuses with a severe form of FDH, propose a review of the literature and an attempt to delineate minimal and cardinal signs for FDH diagnosis. This report confirms the variability of FDH phenotype, highlights unreported FDH features, and allows delineating evocative clinical associations for prenatal diagnosis, namely intrauterine growth retardation, limbs malformations, anterior wall/diaphragm defects, and eye anomalies. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Adrenal ectopy of adult groin region: a systematic review of an unexpected anatomopathologic diagnosis

PURPOSE

Adrenal ectopy is a rare condition, caused by abnormal embryological development of the adrenal glands and testis. This anomaly is asymptomatic and is generally diagnosed in childhood. Most cases of adrenal ectopy of the groin region have been found incidentally during surgery. This review aims to evaluate the incidence of adrenal ectopy of the adult groin region, as well as its short- and long-term significance.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed using the EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed and Cochrane Central databases to identify all studies published until December 2015. Articles written in English containing the keywords: ''ectopic adrenal tissue'' or ''aberrant adrenal tissue'' or ''adrenal heterotopy'' combined with ''groin region'' or ''inguinal'' or ''testicular" or "scrotum" and "adult" were selected.

RESULTS

Fifteen articles matched the review criteria. A total of 21 cases (100 % male) were included. No cases of bilateral nodules have been reported. The mean age at diagnosis was 43.5 years old (range 19-78 years). A predominance of right-sided lesions was observed (71.4 %). The mean size reached 7.6 mm (range 2-40 mm) and hernia sacs were the most common location (47.6 %). All histological analyses of harvested tissues consisted of adrenal cortex without medulla.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that routine pathological examination of any groin tissue excised during inguinal hernia repairs is required for the diagnosis of adrenal ectopy in the groin. Although there is no current evidence that endocrine or oncologic complications can occur from excision of ectopic adrenal tissue, further confirmatory studies may be required.