Solitary Fibrous Tumor in the Round Ligament of the Liver: A Fortunate Intraoperative Discovery

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are mesenchymal neoplasms of fibroblastic origin, most commonly found in the pleura. Numerous extrathoracic locations have been reported during the last 2 decades. Herein, we report the first case of an SFT in the round ligament of the liver. A 46-year-old Caucasian man presented with a 12-month history of abdominal pain. An ultrasonography-guided microbiopsy first revealed a desmoid tumor. After failure of first- and second-line medical treatments (celecoxib and tamoxifen, then imatinib), histological reexamination was suspicious for a low-grade sarcoma. MRI was also suspicious for a malignant process. Hence, surgery was decided. Laparotomy found a huge and well-limited tumor that, unexpectedly, was appended to the round ligament of the liver and free from any other intra-abdominal contact. The tumor was easily removed. Excision was monobloc and macroscopically complete. Histological analysis diagnosed an SFT arising from the round ligament of the liver. No adjuvant treatment was given. Ten months after surgery, the patient is alive without any signs or symptoms of relapse. This is the first report of SFT arising from the round ligament of the liver. It illustrates the difficulty in diagnosing such tumors. Whilst diagnosis of SFT is rare, it should be kept in mind to allow early diagnosis and complete surgical resection, which provide the best chance for recovery

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the seminal vesicle: Case report and review of the literature

International audienceAbstract Background Primary leiomyosarcoma of the seminal vesicle is exceedingly rare. Case Presentation We report a case of a 59-year-old man with tumour detected by rectal symptoms and ultrasonography. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging suggested an origin in the right seminal vesicle. Transperineal biopsy of the tumour revealed leiomyosarcoma. A radical vesiculo-prostactectomy with bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed. Pathological examination showed a grade 2 leiomyosarcoma of the seminal vesicle. The patient received adjuvant radiotherapy. He developed distant metastases 29 months after diagnosis, and received chemotherapy. Metastatic disease was controlled by second-line gemcitabine-docetaxel combination. Fifty-one months after diagnosis of the primary tumour, and 22 months after the first metastases, the patient is alive with excellent performance status, and multiple asymptomatic stable lung and liver lesions. Conclusions We report the eighth case of primary leiomyosarcoma of the seminal vesicle and the first one with a so long follow-up

Protection from inflammatory organ damage in a murine model of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis using treatment with IL-18 binding protein

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life threatening condition due to the association of an infectious agent with lymphocyte cytotoxicity defects, either of congenital genetic origin in children or presumably acquired in adults. In HLH patients, an excess of lymphocyte or macrophage cytokines, such as IFN-gamma and TN Fu is present in serum. In animal models of the disease, IFN-gamma and INF-alpha have been shown to play a central pathogenic role. In humans, unusually high concentrations of IL-18, an inducer of IFN-gamma, and INF-alpha have been reported, and are associated with an imbalance between IL-18 and its natural inhibitor IL18 binding protein (IL18BP) resulting in an excess of free IL18 Here we studied whether IL-18B P could reduce disease severity in an animal model of HLH. Mouse cytomegalovirus infection in perforin-1 knock out mice induced a lethal condition similar to human HLH characterized by cytopenia with marked inflammatory lesions in the liver and spleen as well as the presence of hemophagocytosis in bone marrow. IL-18B P treatment decreased hemophagocytosis and reversed liver as well as spleen damage. IL-18BP treatment also reduced both IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha production by CD8+ T and NK cells, as well as Fas ligand expression on NK cell surface. These data suggest that IL-18B P is beneficial in an animal model of HLH and in combination with anti infectious therapy may be a promising strategy to treat HLH patients

Efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor targeting in advanced chordoma: case report and literature review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chordomas are very rare low-grade malignant bone tumors that arise from the embryonic rests of the notochord. They are characterized by slow growth and long history with frequent local relapses, and sometimes metastases. While chemotherapy is not efficient, imatinib has shown antitumor activity.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report on a 76-year-old patient with EGFR-overexpressing advanced chordoma that progressed on imatinib and subsequently responded to erlotinib during 12 months.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We report the fourth case of advanced chordoma treated with an EGFR inhibitor. We also review the literature concerning the rationale and potential of EGFR targeting in chordoma.</p

Low-grade extraskeletal osteosarcoma of the chest wall: case report and review of literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Low-grade extraskeletal osteosarcomas (ESOS) are extremely rare.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present the first case of low-grade ESOS of the chest wall, which occurred in a 30-year-old man. Because of initial misdiagnosis and patient's refusal of surgery, the diagnosis was done after a 4-year history of a slowly growing mass in soft tissues, leading to a huge (30-cm diameter) calcified mass locally extended over the left chest wall. Final diagnosis was helped by molecular analysis of <it>MDM2 </it>and <it>CDK4 </it>oncogenes. Unfortunately, at this time, no surgical treatment was possible due to loco-regional extension, and despite chemotherapy, the patient died one year after diagnosis, five years after the first symptoms.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We describe the clinical, radiological and bio-pathological features of this unique case, and review the literature concerning low-grade ESOS. Our case highlights the diagnostic difficulties for such very rare tumours and the interest of molecular analysis in ambiguous cases.</p

Pronostic factors of Hodgkin lymphomas : influence of the microenvironment

Les lymphomes hodgkiniens(LH) représentent 30% des lymphomes. 90 % des patients en sont gueris mais parfois au prix d'importants effets secondaires(cancers secondaires notamment). L'enjeu actuel consiste à identifier les patients susceptibles de bénéficier d'une déescalade thérapeutique(même résultat thérapeutique obtenu au prix d'un traitement moins lourd)Actuellemnt les facteurs pronostiques utilisé en routine(stade Ann Arbor et index pronostic internationnal) ne permettent qu'une stratification imparfaite des patients notamment pour les stades localisés. Dans le but d'identifier de nouveaux facteurs pronostiques des LH nous avons mené une étude d'expression génétique sur puces Affimetrix. Nous identifions une signature moléculaire reliée à un bon pronostic et enrichie en gènes lymphocytaires B comprenant BCL11A, un facteur de transcription exprimé par les lymphocytes B et les cellules dendritiques plasmocytoïdes. Nous validons ce résultats en immunohistochimie sur TMA et retrouvons un meilleur pronostic associé aux tumeurs dont le microenvironnement est riche en cellules BCL11A+ et CD20+. Nous mettons également en évidence dans les cas EBV+ une signature d'expression génique enrichie en gènes caractéristiques d'une réponse immunitaire Th1 et anti-virale. Ces résultats peuvent fournir un rationnel scientifique à de nouvelle stratégies thérapeutiques. Il sera intéressant d'évaluer le bénéfice d'une déescalade thérapeutique chez les patients dont la tumeur présente un microenvironnement riche en lympocytesB.The outcome of classical Hodgkin lymphoma(cHL)patients may be related to the tumor microenvironment, which in turn may be influenced by Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)infection. To characterize the cHL microenvironment, a set of 63 cHL tissue samples was profiled using DNA microarrays. Their gene expression profile differed from that of histiocyte T-cell-richB-cell lymphoma(H/TCRBCL)samples that were used as controls, mainly du to high expression of PDCD1/PD-1 in H/TCRBCL. EBV-cHLtissues could be distinguished from EBV+samples by a gene signature characteristic ofTh1 and antiviral responses. Samples from cHL patients with favourable outcome overexpressed genes specific for B cells and genes involved in apoptotic pathways. An independent set of 146 cHL samples was analyzed using immunohistochemistry. It showed a significiant adverse value in case of high percentage of either TIA-1+-reactive cells or topoisomerase-2+tumor cells, whereas high numbers of BCL11A+, FOXP3+, or CD20+ reactive cells had a favorable influence. Our results suggest an antitumoral role for B cells in the cHL microenvironment and a stronger stromal influence of the strategies.12

Gene Expression Profiling for In Silico Microdissection of Hodgkin's Lymphoma Microenvironment and Identification of Prognostic Features

International audienceGene expression profiling studies based on DNA microarrays have demonstrated their ability to define the interaction pathways between neoplastic and nonmalignant stromal cells in cancer tissues. During the past ten years, a number of approaches including microdissection have tried to resolve the variability in DNA microarray measurements stemming from cancer tissue sample heterogeneity. Another approach, designated as virtual or in silico microdissection, avoids the laborious and time-consuming step of anatomic microdissection. It consists of confronting the gene expression profiles of complex tissue samples to those of cell lines representative of different cell lineages, different differentiation stages, or different signaling pathways. This strategy has been used in recent studies aiming to analyze microenvironment alterations using gene expression profiling of nonmicrodissected classical Hodgkin lymphoma tissues in order to generate new prognostic factors. These recent contributions are detailed and discussed in the present paper

Dramatic and Delayed Response to Doxorubicin-Dacarbazine Chemotherapy of a Giant Desmoid Tumor: Case Report and Literature Review

Desmoid tumors are benign, slow-growing mesenchymal tumors. Aggressiveness is local with no potential for metastasis or dedifferentiation. The treatment is challenging, particularly in the case of huge intra-abdominal locations. We, herein, report on a 21-year-old patient with a giant intra-abdominal desmoid tumor occupying substantially the entire abdominal cavity. After failure of a first-line combination of celecoxib and tamoxifen, the patient was given doxorubicin-dacarbazine chemotherapy. The treatment was well tolerated, and rapidly, the clinical digestive symptoms improved. After 6 cycles, the computed tomography scan showed a partial response (regression of tumor volume by 55%). During follow-up, the tumor continued to regress: 25 months after the end of chemotherapy, the tumor volume had regressed by 95% when compared to the start of computed tomography and by 90% when compared to the end of chemotherapy. Thirty-three months after the diagnosis, the patient is alive without any symptom. Our case provides further evidence of the remarkable efficacy of a doxorubicin-dacarbazine regimen, especially in function- or life-threatening situations where a rapid response is required. We review the literature and discuss the challenging issue regarding treatment of desmoid tumors

High-grade soft tissue sarcoma arising in a desmoid tumor: case report and review of the literature

International audienc