10 research outputs found
Peripheral nerve sheath myxoma. Clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study of a morphologically distinctive myxoid peripheral nerve sheath tumor in the forelimb of a cat
Peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNST) are a class of nervous system tumors which arise in both schwann
cells and perineural fibroblasts. Benign and malignant PNSTs are reported to occur in all domestic animals.
In cats they represent 3% of all cutaneous and subcutaneous neoplasms. Only in dogs mixoid PNST has
been observed generally localized in the fingers. In humans, PNSTs are rare neoplasms, and nerve sheath
myxomas are a distinct neoplasia most commonly found in limb extremities
Osservazioni istochimiche e immunoistochimiche sull'ipofisi anteriore di un cane affetto da malattia di Cushing
Gli adenomi del lobo anteriore dell'ipofisi sono
neoplasie benigne piuttosto frequenti. Essi
mostrano aspetto circoscritto e accrescimento non
invasivo nei confronti dei tessuti circostanti. Il
tumore a cellule secernenti ACTH, che colpisce le
cellule cromofobe della pars anteriore dell'ipofisi,
è uno di questi e viene associato alla sindrome di
Cushing, causando evidente ipercortisolemia per
stimolazione della corteccia surrenale. Un cane
meticcio, femmina, di 7 anni, in terapia per
sospetta Sindrome di Cushing e pervenuto a
morte, è stato sottoposto ad accurato esame
necroscopico, durante il quale si procedeva tra
l'altro a prelevare ghiandole surrenali, polmone,
fegato, cute, muscoli e intera ghiandola pituitaria.
Su detti organi veniva eseguito l'esame
istopatologico per la ricerca delle lesioni tipiche
determinate dalla sindrome. Sulla ghiandola
pituitaria, aumentata notevolmente di volume,
venivano eseguite indagini istopatologiche
specifiche, mediante colorazione OFG, per
differenziare gli istotipi costituenti la pars
anteriore. Tale colorazione ha consentito di
riscontrare e identificare tra le cellule pituitarie gli
elementi acidofili, basofili e cromofobi; queste
ultime cellule, aumentate di numero, erano
d'aspetto omogeneo e formavano un nucleo
compatto e con scarso stroma al centro della
ghiandola. La caratterizzazione cromatica e la
differenziazione dai restanti istotipi ha reso
possibile identificare la neoplasia come adenoma
ipofisario di tipo "diffuso", caratterizzato per
l'appunto da cellule disposte a strati, con scarso
stroma e debole vascolarizzazione. Per verificare
l'ormonoattività  delle cellule neoplastiche si è
proceduto all'esame immunoistochimico per la
ricerca dell'ACTH. Il risultato di tale indagine ha
dato esito positivo, confermando l'intensa attivitĂ secernente delle cellule oggetto di studio
Un Infrequente caso di "spindle cell tumor" a localizzazione splenica primaria in un cane: rilievi citologici ed istopatologici, osservazioni istochimiche ed immunoistochimiche
Tutti i tumori fusocellulari derivano
verosimilmente da una unica cellula staminale
mesenchimale pluripotente. Macroscopicamente e
microscopicamente i tumori delle cellule
muscolari lisce e i tumori del tessuto connettivo
fibroso, si presentano morfologicamente simili.
Abbiamo ritenuto
interessante riferire su un cane meticcio, maschio,
di quattro anni sottoposto ad eutanasia dopo aver
mostrato letargia, anoressia e perdita di peso. Alla
necroscopia si osservava una voluminosa
neoformazione splenica di colore biancastro, dura
e di consistenza fibrosa. Il fegato si presentava
notevolmente aumentato di volume con numerose
neoformazioni di piccole e medie dimensioni.
Diversi campioni appartenenti agli organi
sopramenzionati, venivano sottoposti ad una
prima osservazione citologica. Parte di questi,
dopo fissazione in formalina venivano inclusi in
paraffina. Sezioni di 3-5 ÎĽ erano sottoposte a
colorazioni ordinarie e speciali (H. E., tricromica
di Mallory Azan e Van Gieson). Si eseguivano
prove immunoistochimiche utilizzando il seguente
algoritmo anticorpale: anti pan-citocheratine, anti
vimentina, anti fattore VIII, anti-αactina L, anti
desmina, anti CD 15, anti S-100.
La
neoplasia, altamente infiltrante, era costituita da
ampi fasci intrecciati di cellule allungate
fusiformi, fibroblastosimili, a moderato indice
mitotico, disposte in maniera ordinata, a spina di
pesce. Esse risultavano positive alla vimentina e
alla αactina L e negative alla desmina. Dette
caratteristiche ci consentivano di formulare
diagnosi di fibrosarcoma, neoplasia a infrequente
localizzazione splenica primaria, e di identificare
come metastasi della stessa, le neoformazioni
riscontrare a livello epatico
Histopathological, histochemical and immunoistochemical study on a rare case of granulocytic sarcoma in a dog
Granulocytic sarcoma is a malignant extramedullary solid tumor, composed of granulocytic precursor cells at various
levels of differentiation. Three differentiation levels are considered: blastic, immature, and differentiated, and cases
with unusual morphology. Nowadays the aid of more and more highly developed techniques allows to differentiate the
various histotypes.
We report a case of a 5 year-old female Schnautzer dog, died after a serious dyspnoea. During the autopsy the
veterinary found several neoplasias in the lungs. It has been found a very large white-greyish mediastinal neoplasia,
stuck at the trachea and several more in the parenchyma. Several samples were fixed in formalin, embedded in paraffin
and exposed to histochemistry staining (H.E., Giemsa), cytochemistry (Naphthol-AS-D-Chloroacetate), and
immunohistochemistry (anti-CD3, -CD79a, -CD45, -MPO, -CD45Ro, -CD34, -CD20, -CD68, -CD15, -CD30, -CD117,
-CD235a, -Factor VIII, -elastase and anti-Pan-cytocheratine).
Neoplasia, poorly circumscribed, was composed by a large number of neutrophil granulocytes with different degrees of
differentiation, including elements of myeloid lineage.
Cells were positive to MPO and focal to Naphtol-As-D-Chloroacetate and were negative to all the others antisera,
allowing us to exclude lymphomas, small cells carcinomas, and tumors of monocytic and erythroid origin. By these
characteristics we could diagnose a rare case of neutrophilic granulocytic sarcoma, of immature type progressing to
mature form
Complesso ipertrofia mammaria-fibroadenoma nel gatto: osservazioni anatomo-istopatologiche e immunoistochimiche
Il “complesso ipertrofia mammaria-fibroadenoma” (MH-FC) è una mastopatia caratterizzata da una proliferazione displastico/neoplastica degli acini, dei dotti e dello stroma mammario con rapido e considerevole aumento di volume dell’organo. La patologia, di cui sono stati descritti casi di regressione spontanea (Mendel et al., 1973) non è correlata a fattori di razza ma tende a manifestarsi soprattutto nei soggetti di età inferiore ai 2 anni. I realtà il complesso fibroadenoma- ipertrofia mammaria sembra dipendere dalla stimolazione endogena e/o esogena di tipo progestinico
Vimentin-typing in diagnostic surgical pathology: a comparative study using four antibodies after different fixations
Vimentin-typing was carried out on various normal and neoplastic tissues using four anti-vimentin antibodies in order to evaluate the effect of different fixation treatments on tissue reactivity in comparison to the results obtained on frozen sections. All antisera were reactive on frozen material; on paraffin embedded material staining of tissues depended on the type of fixation method applied (formalin, methacarn or absolute alcohol) and each antibody behaved differently in relation to the fixative used. Only mesenchymal normal structures were revealed on frozen material whilst on paraffin embedded material three of the four antibodies reacted also with non-mesenchymal normal structures (epithelia, central and peripheral nervous system cells). All four antibodies decorated, regardless of treatment, neoplastic cells of mesenchymal and non-mesenchymal derivation, but not germ cells or germ cell tumors. The reactivity of vimentin to its specific antibodies depends on the fixative used: therefore, in routine pathology more than one antiserum should be available for testing. Furthermore, given the variety of non-mesenchymal structures stained by the anti-vimentin antibodies, the differential diagnosis of undifferentiated tumors must not be based on vimentin positivity alone. The expression of vimentin by non-mesenchymal neoplastic cells seems to parallel that of normal tissues during embryogenesis; therefore, this intermediate filament appears to be not only a marker of mesenchymal cells but also of many immature elements
Neuron-specific enolase (gamma enolase, gamma-gamma dimer) expression in Hodgkin's disease and large cell lymphomas
BACKGROUND: The presence of gamma-enolase, gamma gamma dimer, or neuron-specific enolase (NSE) has been demonstrated in miscellaneous tumors, including malignant lymphomas. Up to now these results have been interpreted as non-specific, although NSE can be expressed by normal B and T lymphoid cells at a particular stage of differentiation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of NSE in a large series of malignant lymphomas, including Hodgkin's disease, in relation to morphology and immunophenotype.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Frozen and paraffin embedded sections from 16 cases of Hodgkin's disease (4 lymphocyte predominance, nodular; 4 mixed cellularity; 6 nodular sclerosis; 2 lymphocyte depletion) and 35 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were investigated in order to evaluate the expression of NSE, its specificity and correlation to immunophenotype or other immunological cell markers. Among the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, there were 9 Anaplastic Large Cell (CD30+) Lymphomas; 2 Peripheral Large T-Cell Lymphomas; 22 Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphomas and 2 Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphomas.
RESULTS: In Hodgkin's disease, NSE showed a diffuse cytoplasmic reaction in CD30+ Reed-Sternberg cells, whereas the "popcorn" (L&H) cells of lymphocyte predominance, nodular variant cases, were always negative. Among the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, NSE positivity was found only in lymphomas expressing CD30. All the other cases were negative. No relationship was found between NSE and B- or T-immunophenotype.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a link between NSE and CD30 expression exists in malignant lymphomas. However, at the moment this has not been sufficiently investigated and is subject to speculation
S-100A1 is a reliable marker in distinguishing nephrogenic adenoma from prostatic adenocarcinoma
Nephrogenic adenoma is a benign lesion that may occur at any site of the genitourinary tract, usually in association with previous urothelial injuries. Although its pathogenesis is still debated, recent studies seem to confirm its derivation from renal tubular epithelium, rather than from a metaplastic process of urothelium. In addition to its uncertain origin, there can be diagnostic difficulty in distinguishing nephrogenic adenoma from prostatic adenocarcinoma, particularly with lesions arising in the prostatic urethra. So far, immunohistochemical stains are often needed to make such a distinction, and several markers have been proposed, often with controversial results. S100A1 is a calcium binding protein that has been recently reported to be expressed in renal tubular cells and in a subset of renal cell neoplasms. Alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR), a recently identified prostate cancer marker, has also been found to be expressed in renal tubules and in some renal epithelial neoplasms. In this study, we investigated the expression of S100A1 and AMACR in 18 nephrogenic adenomas and in 100 prostatic adenocarcinomas. A strong and distinct cytoplasmic or nucleocytoplasmic staining of S100A1 was found in 17 out of 18 cases of nephrogenic adenoma (94%), but never in prostatic adenocarcinoma. In contrast, AMACR expression was detected in 14 of 18 nephrogenic adenomas (78%) and in 96 of 100 prostatic adenocarcinomas (96%). We conclude that (1) S100A1 is a specific and sensitive immunohistochemical marker to differentiate nephrogenic adenoma from prostatic adenocarcinoma; (2) AMACR immunostaining does not seem to be a useful marker in distinguishing between these 2 lesions; (3) given that both S100A1 and AMACR have been reported to be expressed in renal tubular cells and in a subset of renal cell neoplasms, our findings confirm the histogenetic relationship between nephrogenic adenoma and renal tubular epithelium
High sensitivity of reverse-hybridization methodology in the detection of KRAS mutations from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded colorectal cancer samples
Colorectal cancer is ranked the third most common cancer worldwide in terms of incidence and the second in terms of mortality. Recent advances in therapeutic approaches to colorectal cancer have identified a potential role of antiepidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeted therapies as adjuvant treatment in advanced disease. New evidences showed that patients harboring KRAS mutations on codons 12 and 13 are not responsive to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies. Therefore, new mutational screening tools have been proposed to select patients who will benefit from anti-EGFR targeted therapy, reducing inappropriate, expensive treatments and unwarranted side effects. We evaluated the performance of a reverse-hybridization-based assay in the identification of the most frequent KRAS mutations on a series of 50 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, advanced colorectal cancer specimens, in comparison with the direct gene sequencing technique. Thirtytwo of the 50 cases (64%) showed KRAS single point mutations by reverse-hybridization technique. In particular, 93.8% of the mutations were reported on codon 12, whereas 6.2% of the mutations were reported on codon 13. Direct gene sequencing showed KRAS mutations on 28 of the 50 cases (56%) with 96.4% of the mutations on codon 12 and 3.6% on codon 13. Concordance between the assays was observed in 92% of the cases. Both reverse hybridization and gene sequencing methods have been shown to be suitable tests in detecting KRAS mutations from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor specimens. In our experience, reverse-hybridization technique has been shown to be an effective and more sensitive assay for the identification of the most common KRAS mutations
Evaluation of methylation degree from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded DNA extract by field-amplified sample injection capillary electrophoresis with UV detection
Alterations in global DNA methylation are implicated in several pathobiological processes. The tissues stored as paraffin blocks represent an important source of DNA for retrospective genetic and epigenetic analysis on a large scale. Therefore, we developed the first capillary
electrophoresis method able to measure global methylation
in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) DNA extracts. A field-amplified sample injection capillary electrophoresis method with UV detection for the separation
and quantification of cytosine and 5-methylcytosine
released following DNA hydrolysis by means of formic acid was employed. Analytes were baseline-separated within 8 min by using 300 mM tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane
phosphate pH 3.75 as the running buffer. With use of electrokinetic injection the limit of detection (LOD) in
real sample was 0.1 nM, thus improving by about 400-fold
the LOD of the previously described methods based on
capillary electrophoresis. Sample extraction and purification were optimized so that evaluation of the DNA
methylation degree was possible starting from 0.5–1 μg of
DNA with intra- and interassay relative standard deviations
for the 5-methylcytosine to total cytosine ratio of 2.0 and
3.2%, respectively. Because of its high accuracy and
throughput, our method will be useful for large-scale
applications to determine the implications of genomic DNA methylation levels in tumorigenesis