An Updated Review of Cribriform Carcinomas with Emphasis on Histopathological Diagnosis and Prognostic Significance

Cribriform is a histopathological term used to describe a neoplastic epithelial proliferation in the form of large nests perforated by many quite rounded different-sized spaces. This growth pattern may be seen in carcinomas arising in different organs, and shows important prognostic implications. Therefore, recent data in literature suggest that cribriform carcinoma is a histologically and clinically distinctive type of tumour that should be separated from other similar tumour types. In this article, the pathology of cribriform adenocarcinoma of the prostate, lung, breast, stomach, colon, thyroid, and skin is discussed with particular reference to morphologic and immunohistochemical features, differential diagnosis, and clinical behaviour

Intraventricular Meningiomas: Clinical-Pathological and Genetic Features of a Monocentric Series

Intraventricular meningiomas (IVMs) are rare (0.5-5%) and usually low-grade (90% grade I) brain neoplasms. Their recurrence rate is lower than that of extra-axial meningiomas, but their surgical resection can be burdened with life-threatening complications, which represent the major cause of the reported 4% mortality. The aim of this study is to characterize the molecular portrait of IVMs to identify potential therapeutic targets. For this, we explored mutations and copy number variations (CNV) of 409 cancer-related genes and tumor mutational burden (TMB) of six cases, using next-generation sequencing. Five IVMs were grade I and one was grade II; none recurred, in spite of partial surgical resection in one case. NF2 mutation was the only recurring alteration and was present in three of the six IVMs, in association with SMARCB1 mutation in one case. None of the cases was hypermutated (TMB > 10 mutations/Mb). NF2-mutant progressing or recurring IVMs could potentially be treated with targeted therapies applied to other NF2-mutant tumors, as an alternative to surgery or radiosurgery, while in view of their low TMB they are unlikely candidates to immune check-point inhibition

Incidentally discovered enteric duplication cyst: a case report

Enteric duplications are rare congenital diseases with heterogeneous clinical pictures ranging from an asymptomatic course to life-threatening consequences, most commonly arising at the ileal and ileocecal region. The antenatal discovery is possible when it concerns a voluminous cystic form enabling an early management. The radiologic examinations are nonspecific and no diagnostic tools can allow a certain diagnosis on its own. Sometimes, the diagnosis of intestinal duplication is only made during the surgical exploration and confirmed after a histopathological examination. We report a 4 years old girl with antenatal diagnosed ovarian cystic mass of about 4 mm. She was admitted to our unit for abdominal pain and constipation. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a cystic mass in the right iliac fossa. MRI revealed a well-defined cystic mass (6 x 4.2 x 5.4 cm) in the right mid abdomen displacing the bowel to the left, likely to be strongly adherent to the last part of the ileum. 99mtc pertechnetate scan was negative for ectopic gastric mucosa. A laparoscopic approach was eventually necessary and the diagnosis of duplication cyst was confirmed. Children with antenatal diagnosis of abdominal mass need a close follow up and enteric duplication should be considered as potential diagnosis. The laparoscopic approach has an important role in differential diagnosis between intestinal duplications and other mass