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In clinical practice the role of bone marrow evaluation (BM) in the elderly, especially in patients over 75 years old who are referred as middle/advanced old, is not clear. In this study the aim was to assess the indications, results and the contribution of BM aspiration and biopsies to the clinical management and outcomes in patients over 75 years old. All ≥75 years old patients to whom BM evaluation was performed between January 2014 and December 2018 in our clinic were assessed retrospectively. The clinical properties, laboratory, peripheral blood smear and BM aspiration/biopsy results, the applied treatments and the survival outcomes were evaluated. The mean age of the 81 included patients was 80.4±4 (75-95). There was no procedure-related complication. Cytopenias were the most frequent indication. Anemia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia were detected in 87.6%, 25.9% and 50.6% respectively. Myelodyspastic syndrome (MDS) was the most frequent diagnosis. Multiple myeloma, myeloproliferative diseases and non-Hodgkin lymphoma were the following diagnoses. Aspiration and biopsy showed high correlation. In general the median survival was 69 months in the treated patients and 35 months in non-treated patients. Two-years overall survival was 57% in the treated and 41.7% in non-treated patients. In conclusion in order to diagnose hematological and some non-hematological disorders confined to advanced age, BM evaluation may be performed safely in patients over 75 years old. The indications of BM evaluation is different than childhood and younger adulthood. Treatment of disorders that were diagnosed with this procedure provides a survival benefit. For this reason whenever indicated, in order to diagnose and improve the survival with appropriate treatment, BM evaluation may be offered to patients in this age group., Yaşlı hastalarda, özellikle de orta/ileri yaşlılık olarak tanımlanan ≥75 yaş grubunda kemik iliği değerlendirmenin klinik uygulamalardaki yeri net değildir. Bu çalışmada ≥75 yaşındaki hastalarda yapılan kemik iliği biyopsi ve aspirasyon endikasyonlarının, sonuçlarının ve yapılan kemik iliği incelemesinin klinik yaklaşıma ve sonuçlara katkısının değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Ocak 2014- Aralık 2018 yılları arasında kliniğimizde kemik iliği incelemesi yapılan tüm ≥75 yaş hastalar retrospektif olarak değerlendirildi. Hastaların klinik özellikleri ve laboratuvar kan değerleri, periferik yayma, kemik iliği aspirasyon ve biyopsi sonuçları, aldıkları tedaviler ve sağ kalımları değerlendirildi. Çalışmaya dâhil edilen 81 hastanın ortalama yaşı 80,4±4 yıldı (75-95). İşleme bağlı komplikasyon görülmedi. Sitopeniler en sık endikasyondu. Anemi %87,6 oranında görülürken, lökopeni %25,9 ve trombositopeni %50,6 oranında görülmekteydi. En sık konulan tanı miyelodisplastik sendromdu (MDS). Yine multipl miyelom, miyeloproliferatif hastalıklar ve non-Hodgkin lenfoma MDS’yi takip ediyordu. Aspirasyon ve biyopsi yüksek oranda uyum göstermekteydiler. Genel olarak tedavi alan hastalarda ortanca sağ kalım süresi 69 ayken, almayan grupta 35 aydı. Yine 2 yıllık genel sağ kalım tedavi alan hastalarda %57 iken, almayan hastalarda %41,7 idi. Sonuç olarak ≥75 yaş hastalarda, ileri yaşa özgü hematolojik ve bazı non-hematolojik hastalıkların tanısının konulması için kemik iliği incelemesi güvenle yapılabilir. Kemik iliği incelemesinin endikasyonları çocuk ve genç erişkinlerinkinden farklıdır. Bu incelemeyle tanısı konulan hastalıklarda uygulanan tedaviler ile sağ kalım artmaktadır. Bu nedenle endikasyon varlığında, tanının konulması ve uygun tedavinin başlanması yolu ile sağ kalımı arttırmak için kemik iliği incelemesi bu yaş grubuna önerilmelidir.

Objectives: Detection rate of thyroid nodules is increasing with the use of new imaging modalities, especially in screening for malignancies. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/ CT)-positive thyroid nodules should be differentiated for malignancy to avoid unnecessary operations and further follow-up. Most trials evaluate the role of SUVmax, but there is no definitive information about the utility of Hounsfield unit (HU) values for prediction of malignancy. This study aimed to evaluate the HU values beside SUVmax for detecting malignancy risk of PET/CT-positive thyroid nodules. Subjects and methods: Results of 98 cancer patients who had fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for thyroid nodules detected on PET/CT between January 2011 and December 2015 were assessed. The FNABs and surgical pathological results were recorded. Results: FNABs revealed benign results in 32 patients (32.7%), malignant in 18 (18.4%), non-diagnostic in 20 (20.4%), and indeterminate in 28 (28.5%). Twenty-four patients underwent thyroidectomy. The mean HU values were not significantly different in benign and malignant nodules (p = 0.73). However, the mean SUVmax was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in malignant ones. Area under curve (AUC) was 0.824 for SUVmax; the cut-off value was over 5.55 (p < 0.001), with 80% sensitivity, 84.5% specificity. Conclusions: Our current study demonstrated that HU value does not add any additional valuable information for discriminating between malignant and benign thyroid nodules. We also defined a SUV cut-off value of 5.55 for malignant potential of thyroid nodules detected on PET/CT Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2018;62(4):460-5

Background and Aims In children, complaints of a respiratory disorder are very frequent. Etiology of respiratory illness is a broad spectrum that varies from a simple viral infection to a malignant disorder. Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH) is one of these entities and it is truly rare in children. The aim of this study is to evaluate our patients with PLCH. Methods Patients who had been diagnosed with PLCH were retrospectively evaluated. Features of medical history, onset of the complaints, date of the diagnosis, chest X-Ray and computed tomography (CT) findings, histopathology and other laboratory investigations were considered. Results There were four cases with PLCH. All of them were male, ages were between 5 months and 16 years. In three cases, major complaints were chronic respiratory problems whereas in one of them there was acute respiratory distress beginning with cough and leading to pneumothorax. In all of the cases, multisystemic involvement was prominent. The diagnosis was proven by histopathology in all of the cases. In two children with smaller age, skin involvement was detected. Time from complaint to diagnosis was minimum 3 months and maximum 3 years. Conclusion PLCH is a rare disorder in children. Pulmonary involvement is generally a component of systemic involvement but in many cases it might have been detected with early respiratory complaints. So, children with chronic respiratory problems should be carefully evaluated and should be followed up for rare entities like PLCH.

Aim of the study : Positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET CT) scan is commonly used in current medical oncology practice as an imaging method. In this study we present data from cancer patients who were followed at our clinic and suspected of having tuberculosis during PET CT scanning. After the biopsy, they were diagnosed with concomitant tuberculosis. Material and methods : In this study, 14 patients who applied to our clinic and followed up due to cancer, and had PET CT scanning for the preliminary staging or further evaluation, were included. The patients were diagnosed with metastatic or recurrent disease, and their biopsy results revealed tuberculosis. Results : The mean age was 57.8 years with SD (standard deviation) 13.1 years and gender distribution of 78.6% (n = 11) females and 21.4% (n = 3) males. None of the patients had tuberculosis in their personal history (0%). Among the patients, 5 (35.7%) were diagnosed with tuberculosis during the preliminary staging, whereas 9 (64.3%) were diagnosed during the follow-up after the treatment. The median time to tuberculosis diagnosis was 11 months (min–max: 3–24 months) after the treatment. The most commonly involved lymph nodes during PET CT scanning were mediastinal in 8 (64.3%), axillary in 3 (21.4%) and para-aortic in 3 (21.4%) patients. The mean SUV max (maximum standardised uptake value) of lymph node involved by PET CT scanning was defined as 8.5 (SD 2.6). Conclusions : Despite all improvements in modern medicine, tuberculosis is still a serious public health problem. It should always be considered in differential diagnosis while evaluating PET CT scanning results of cancer patients, because it may cause false positive results.

Hydatid disease is a parasitic infection characterized by cyst formation in any organ, although the liver and lungs are most commonly involved. Hydatid disease of the spleen is uncommon, representing

Colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC) is a major cause of death. Fascin expression in CRCs was proved to be related with higher metastatic rates and poor prognosis, while metastatic patients with only wild type K-RAS gene are the candidates of recent molecularly targeted anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapies. This study is designed to investigate the correlation between the fascin expression status and the K-RAS mutational status of CRCs in order to assess the availability rate of anti-EGFR therapies for patients with fascin-expressing CRCs. Immunohistochemical expression of fascin and mutational status of K-RAS were investigated in the archival materials of randomly selected 50 metastatic colorectal carcinoma patients. Strength of fascin expression and tumor percentage stained with fascin were scored semi quantitatively. c.34 > C (p.G12R), c.35 g > C (p.G12C), c.34G > A (p.G12S), c.35G > A (p.G12D), c.35G > T (p.G12V), c.35G > C (p.G12A), and c.38G > A (p.G13.D) mutations in K-RAS gene were studied by using RT-PCR. In immunohistochemical evaluation, 32 of the 50 cases stained positive with fascin, while 21 were positive for K-RAS mutations in codon 12 (10 patients) or in codon 13 (3 patients). The correlation between the positivity of fascin and the presence of K-RAS mutations, the strength of fascin staining and the presence of K-RAS mutations, and the tumor cell percentage stained with fascin and the presence of K-RAS mutations were found statistically significant. The results of this study suggest that patients with fascin-expressing CRCs have a greater tendency to carry an activating K-RAS mutation which will prevent them from taking targeted anti-EGFR therapies. Larger series are needed to confirm these results.

Background The aim of this study was to investigate clinical manifestation, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of patients with primary gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (PGI NHL), whose initial presentation was bowel obstruction or perforation. Methods Data of patients who underwent surgical intervention due to radiological evidence of perforation or intestinal obstruction and were subsequently diagnosed with intestinal lymphoma at Baskent University hospitals between January 2007 and November 2014 were examined retrospectively. Medical records, clinical history, symptoms, pathological reports, and treatment modalities were analyzed. Results Study population comprised 17 patients (8 male, 9 female) with PGI NHL and mean age of 52±20.2 years. Symptoms reported by the patients were abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and loss of appetite. All 17 patients underwent surgical treatment; 12 also received postoperative chemotherapy. Most common pathological subtype was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (70.5%). Mean follow-up time was 26 months (range: 1-69 months) and 5-year survival rate was 64.3%. Conclusion Initial presentation of PGI NHL may be obstruction with or without perforation; clinicians and surgeons should keep this in mind while assessing patient with bowel obstruction, and particularly patient in fifth decade of life.

DOI: 10.4328/JCAM.1759 Received: 25.03.2013 Accepted: 24.04.2013 Publihed Online: 25.04.2013 Corresponding Author: Nazim Emrah Kocer, Baskent Universitesi Adana Uygulama ve Arastirma Merkezi Patoloji bolumu, Dadaloglu Mah. 39 Sok. No:6 01250, Yuregir, Adana, Turkiye. T.: +905052730578 F.: +90 3223271276 E-Mail: nemrahkocer@yahoo.com Ozet Prostatin inflamatuar myofibroblastik tumorleri (IMT), sarkomlar ve igsi hucreli karsinomlari klinik ve histopatolojik olarak taklit edebilen nadir lezyonlardir. Burada sunulan olgu, normal prostat spesifik antijen duzeyleri ve kronik yakinmalari olan, tibbi tedaviye yanitsiz infravezikal tikanma bulgulari nedeni ile suprapubik prostatektomi uygulanan 63 yasinda bir hastadir. Eksizyon materyalinin histopatolojik incelenmesi fokal nukleer pleomorfizm, hiperkromazi gosteren, mononukleer iltihabi infiltrasyon ve miksoid degisiklikler iceren, duzgun sinirli, igsi hucreli bir lezyonu ortaya koydu. Mitoz nadirdi. Immunhistokimyasal calismada duz kas aktini ve vimentin pozitif, anaplastik lenfoma kinaz -1 fokal pozitif, S-100 ve pansitokeratin negatifti. Lezyon inflamatuar myofibroblastik tumor olarak tani aldi. IMT’nin prostatin malign igsi hucreli lezyonlarindan ayrimi gereksiz ileri tedavi islemlerinin onune gecilmesi icin sarttir.

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare inheritable disease characterized by severe sun sensitivity and early development of skin cancers. We compared the expression of cell proliferation markers and cell cycle checkpoint regulators in squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and basal cell carcinomas (BCC) from patients with and without XP. Immunostaininng for p53, Ki-67, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was determined in SCCs and BCCs from 18 XP patients and 30 controls. Nine of the 18 XP patients had SCC and BCC, and the other nine had only SCC. In the control group, 15 moderately differentiated SCCs and 15 BCCs were evaluated. Expressions of p53, Ki-67 and PCNA in XP and non-XP patients were assessed statistically by using the Chi-square method. Expression of Ki-67 and PCNA was found to be greater in SCC from XP patients than controls (P = 0.021 and P = 0.033, respectively). Expression of PCNA and p53 by BCCs was greater in XP patients (P < 0.001 and P = 0.027, respectively). There was a significant difference in Ki-67 (P < 0.001) and PCNA (P = 0.001) expression between the lesions of the XP patients who died during the follow up and XP patients who survived. In XP patients, SCCs with more than 10% Ki-67 expression and %50 PCNA expression have a poor prognosis. Our results suggest that increased Ki-67 and PCNA expression may be a predictor for recurrence of nonmelanocytic skin cancer and a poor prognosis.

e16533Background: Testicular lymphoma is the most common malignant testicular tumor in men over 60 years.DLBCL is the most common subtype.Analyzing the experience at a center is an important proces...

Aim: Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor that originates from the thyroid parafollicular C cells and produces calcitonin. It is a quite aggressive disease with a potential to cause serious morbidity and mortality. In this study we aimed to report treatment outcomes of MTC, which has a bad prognosis and is difficult to manage.Material and Methods: The medical records of 1287 patients who were operated on for thyroid cancer between 2009 and 2018 were retrospectively assessed. Twenty-one patients (1.6%) were diagnosed with MTC. Results: Eleven (52.4%) patients were females. The age range of the patients was 54(14-85) years. Sixteen (76.2%) cases were sporadic and 5 (23.8%) were familial. Twelve patients underwent bilateral total thyroidectomy + central and unilateral neck dissection, 5(23.8%) bilateral total thyroidectomy + central and bilateral neck dissection, 4(19%) bilateral total thyroidectomy. Pathology examination revealed lymph node metastasis in 13(61.9%) patients. Three (14%) patients had simultaneous papillary thyroid cancer. Mean duration of follow-up was 52(3-96) months. Five (23.8%) patients suffered recurrence cervical lymph nodes (6 months later), lungs and bone metastasis (at 12th and 18th months), lungs (at 12thmonth), mediastinal lymph nodes (at 15th months), liver metastasis (at 6th months). Seven (33%) patients underwent chemo-radiotherapy. Conclusion: Surgery is the gold standard to control loco-regional disease and the only curative method among the available therapies in MTC treatment. Despite having a low incidence, MTC may still lead to serious mortality and morbidity in delayed cases and/or when loco-regional control cannot be achieved. Keywords: Medullary Thyroid Cancer; Surgery; Recurrence.

The aim of this study was to evaluate our experience with primary non-parasitic splenic cysts (NPSC) which are relatively rare in children and consist almost exclusively of single case reports or small case series in the literature. The medical records of all patients who presented to our clinic with NPSC between 2005 and 2015 were evaluated retrospectively. There were 22 children whose ages ranged from 2 months to 14 years (mean 9.2 +/- 4.7 years). The size of the cysts was in the range of 5 to 200 mm (mean 55.4 +/- 48.2 mm). Ten patients underwent surgery for splenic cysts. Partial splenectomy (n = 2), total cyst excision (either open n = 4 or laparoscopically n = 1), and total splenectomy (n = 3) were performed. The non-operated patients were asymptomatic and followed with ultrasound (US). The follow-up period in non-operated patients ranged from 6 months to 5 years (mean 2.27 +/- 1.29 years). Complete regression was observed in four (33 %) non-operated patients. The regressed cyst measurements were 10, 16, 30, and 40 mm, respectively. Approximately half of the NPSC is diagnosed incidentally. Small (< 5 cm) asymptomatic cysts should be under regular follow-up with US/physical examination for regression. If surgery is required, we prefer open cyst excision as it gives excellent results and preserves splenic immune function.

Objective: Smooth muscle fibres are found within thesuperficial lamina propria of urinary bladder (Muscularis Mucosa). Thesemuscle fibres of muscularis mucosa should be distinguished from themuscularis propria in cases with urothelial carcinoma, because the depthof infiltration affects prognosis and therapy modalities. The aim of thepresent study was to evaluate whether the presence of vascular plexus isa criterion for muscularis mucosa and to distinguish it from muscularispropria in urinary bladder biopsies and transurethral resectionspecimens. Materials and methods: Hematoxylin-Eosin andMasson-Trichrome stained slides of 54 cases with urothelial carcinomawere reviewed. Results: In all cases (100%), thick walledvessels were observed within the lamina propria of urinary bladder.Smooth muscle layer of lamina propria was seen in 48 of 54 cases(88.8%), and these smooth muscle fibres were co-existed with thickwalled vessels. In invasive urothelial carcinoma; thin smooth musclefibres and thick walled vessels were seen within the lamina propria in22 of 24 cases (91.7%). There were two cases (8.3%)including only vessels in small biopsies of invasive urothelialcarcinoma cases. In cases with non-invasive urothelial carcinoma; musclefibres of muscularis mucosa and vessels were found within the laminapropia in 26 of 30 cases (86.7%). In this group, muscle fibreswere not detected in 4 cases (13.3%). Conclusion:Muscularis mucosa can be detected histologically in urinary bladderbiopsies and TUR materials. We emphasize that the presence of vascularnetwork is a useful criterion to determine muscularis mucosa of urinarybladder, even in the absence of muscle fibres.

Castleman disease is a lymphoproliferative disorder with unknown cause and a characteristic hypervascular lymphoid hyperplasia. Commonly the disease is located in the mediastinum. Head and neck is the second most common localization for the disease. However involvement of parotid gland is extremely rare. We present a 29 year old female patient with parotid gland Castleman’s disease. Although it is rarely seen in the parotid gland, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cases with mass in the parotid gland.

A 29-year-old primigravid woman was admitted to the emergency department of Baskent University Adana Hospital with the complaint of walking difficulty of acute onset at 25 weeks of pregnancy. She s...

Castleman's disease usually manifests as a solitary mediastinal tumor and only rarely as an isolated retroperitoneal mass. This disorder is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Thus, only very few patients have been reported and little information is available in the literature. The definitive diagnosis is based on postoperative pathological findings. We report a case of a 57-year-old female with a Castleman's tumor located superomedial to the upper pole of the right kidney that mimicked an adrenal neoplasm. The mass was surgically resected, and the histopathological diagnosis of the resected tissue was hyaline-vascular type of Castleman's disease. Although retroperitoneal Castleman's disease is rare, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of retroperitoneal masses.

Objective To evaluate the usefulness of toluidine blue-stained wet films in the preliminary cytologic evaluation of serous effusions by means of specificity, sensitivity, and positive and negative predictive value. Study Design One hundred seventy-six samples consisting of 122 pleural and pericardial effusions and 54 peritoneal effusions from 160 patients were included in the study. A toluidine blue-stained wet film of each sample was evaluated, and diagnoses were compared with the diagnoses by conventional smears and cell blocks on the same sample. Results The sensitivity of wet films was 69%, 68% in pleural and pericardial effusions and peritoneal effusions, respectively, and the specificity of wet films was 93%, 92% in pleural and pericardial effusions and peritoneal effusions, respectively. Positive predictive values of smears alone were 78% and 75%; negative predictive values of smears alone were 96% and 95% in pleural and pericardial effusions and peritoneal effusions, respectively. Conclusion Preliminary cytologic evaluation of serous effusions with toluidine blue-stained wet films is simple and economical. It provides the opportunity to plan additional procedures for the samples.

There are nearly 50 PNET cases in the literature with primary renal localization. The mean age for renal PNET is 28 but it can be seen in a wide range between 4 and 69 years. In this atypical localization PNET may be mistaken with a variety of small round cell tumors, particularly with blastema predominant Wilms' tumor and due to its distinctive prognostic and therapeutic features differential diagnosis is very important. Immunohistochemical studies are useful in discriminating PNET from other renal small round cell tumors. Renal PNETs tend to metastasize at early stages and they have a high rate of recurrence. Our case is a 45-year-old male presented with left flank pain and hematuria. In computerized tomography a mass in left kidney was observed and nephrectomy was performed. Histopathologic examination revealed a small round cell tumor with rosettes and pseudorosettes. Immunohistochemically the lesion was diffuse strong positive with CD99 and NSE, negative with LCA, pancytokeratin, vimentin, desmin, smooth muscle actin, chromogranine A and S-100. At the time of diagnosis the pathologic stage of the tumor was T1aN0Mx. The patient did not take any further therapy and in 1-year follow-up no local recurrence or distant metastasize occurred.

Insular carcinoma of the thyroid is a rare neoplasm, constituting less than 5% of all thyroid tumors. It was Carcangiu et al. who first described this tumor, which exhibits an intermediate biologic behavior between well-differentiated and undifferentiated follicular carcinomas, as a distinct clinicopathologic entity. A 63-year-old female patient with thyroid enlargement was admitted to our institution. Thyroid ultrasonography revealed a 5×4×3 cm solid nodule within the right thyroid lobe. The fine needle aspiration was highly cellular; there were individual cells with naked nuclei, loose aggregates, cohesive clusters of follicular cells and infrequent microfollicles with round-oval nuclei containing finely granular chromatin, and scant cytoplasm. There were two uncommon findings not previously reported in the literature. The first one is anisokaryotic nuclei, and the second one is the presence of dense colloid in the center of microfollicles. The aspiration biopsy was reported as malignant. The patient underwent bilateral total thyroidectomy. Histopathologically, the lesion was diagnosed as insular carcinoma. We believe that in addition to the previously described cytopathologic findings, microfollicles with dense colloid core and anisokaryosis may be indicators of insular carcinoma in thyroid FNACs.

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease predominantly seen in females. All types of thyroid cancers may co-exist with Graves’ disease but papillary carcinoma is the most frequent. Vesicular nuclei, nuclear grooves, and papillary formations that may be seen in Graves’ disease may lead the pathologist to an overdiagnosis of papillary carcinoma. The differential diagnosis between a true papillary carcinoma and foci mimicking papillary carcinoma in Graves’ disease may be challenging by light microscopic features only. This study is designed to determine whether CK19 is effective in the discrimination between the true papillary carcinoma of thyroid and foci resembling papillary carcinoma in Graves’ disease. Twenty-five cases with papillary carcinoma and 25 cases with Graves’ disease containing foci resembling papillary carcinoma were included in the study. All 25 cases with papillary carcinoma stained positive with CK19, whereas only six of 25 cases with Graves’ disease showed weak staining, and the remaining 19 cases were completely negative. It is known that CK19 may show faint staining in benign thyroid lesions such as adenomas. Staining pattern with CK19 together with histopathological findings may be helpful in the differential diagnosis between foci mimicking papillary carcinoma and true papillary carcinoma in Graves’ disease.

The hydatid cyst tend to form in the liver or lung but may be found in any organ of the body, including brain, heart, and bones. Thyroid gland involvement is rather rare. Cyst leakage or rupture may even associated with severe allergic reaction to parasite antigens, and may cause anaphylactoid reactions. Herein we reported an additional case of hydatid cyst of the thyroid gland that occurred in a 9-year-old boy who admitted with a painless and cystic thyroid mass. Hemithyroidectomy was performed, and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of hydatid cyst. Diagnosis of that rare clinical entity is unlikely prior to surgical excision and histopathologic examination. Despite this fact, hydatid disease of the thyroid should be remembered in the differential diagnosis of the cystic thyroid masses, and a high index of suspicion is required.

Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) comprises 20 to 30% of all lymphomas. Skin involvement is almost always secondary to visceral or nodal involvement. Secondary cutaneous HL is rare, occurring in only 0.5 to 3.4% of the cases. Herein we report two cases of skin involvement in Hodgkin's disease. One was a 25-year-old female admitted with a draining sinus in the neck. The other was a 19-year-old female admitted with a neck mass and skin papules on her chest and arm. Skin involvement may antecede or can be seen during the course of HL. Better understanding of such cutaneous involvement, which occasionally may be the initial sign of HL, is needed, and a biopsy of any suspicious skin lesion should be considered.

Hyaluronan and cortisone have controversial and an important role in the healing of degenerative osteoarthritis. The purpose of the research was to compare individual and combined effects of hyaluronan and cortisone on the healing of degenerative osteoarthritis and to determine the serum malondialdehyde level as a lipid peroxidation marker. A rabbit model was used in which a degenerative osteoarthritis was created in the articular cartilage by resection of anterior cruciate ligament. The rabbits divided into three groups namely were injected with hyaluronan (group A) and cortisone (group B) at days 31, 38 and 45. Cortisone at day 31 and hyaluronan at days 38 and 45 were injected to the third group (group C). We obtained blood samples from each rabbit to determine the malondialdehyde levels at days 1, 30, and 52. At day 52, 21 rabbits were sacrificed. In biopsies obtained from treated and untreated knees articular cartilage degeneration was examined by light microscopy. Histopathologically the healing rate was significantly higher in group C than the other groups. Degeneration decreased 72% in group A, 52% in group B and 88% in group C at day 22. Malondialdehyde levels were 2.05′0.37 in the control group, 1.94′0.54 in group A, 1.98′0.37 in group B and 1.55′0.41 in goup C. The malondialdehyde levels of group A and B were less than the control group (statistically insignificant, p>0.05). But, there were statistically significant values between control group and group C (p

Tonsillectomy is a frequently performed operation but there is little information about the histological features of a tonsillectomy specimen. In this study, we re-evaluated archival materials of 1220 cases who underwent tonsillectomy because of hyperplastic tonsils. Haematoxylin and eosin sections of the cases were re-examined and the presence and the proportion of mesenchymal tissues (skeletal muscle, cartilage, fat, bone) and seromucinous glands were noted as focal, multifocal or abundant. The incidence of skeletal muscle was 89 per cent (1085 cases; 206 focal, 465 multifocal, 414 abundant), seromucinous glands 35 per cent (429 cases; 236 focal, 134 multifocal, 59 abundant), fat 21 per cent (251 cases; 208 focal, 43 multifocal), cartilage three per cent (31 cases), and bone one per cent (seven cases). Also in 165 cases (14 per cent) skeletal muscle, in 12 cases (one per cent) was seromucinous glands, in eight cases (one per cent) was cartilage, in seven cases (one per cent) fat, and in four cases (less than one per cent) bone were found between hyperplastic lymphoid tissue. It can be concluded that mesenchymal tissues (skeletal muscle, cartilage, fat, bone) and seromucinous glands may be seen in different proportions in routine tonsillectomy specimens.

Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is an uncommon undifferentiated neuroendocrine tumor, arising in skin mainly on sun-exposed areas. We present an unusual case of primary cutaneous undifferentiated small cell carcinoma that co-existed with six other lesions; 2 actinic keratoses, 3 squmaous-cell carcinomas and a basal-cell carcinoma. HE stained sections revealed MCC located in the mid-dermis, co-existing with severe actinic keratosis. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells reacted to cytokeratin 20, epithelial membrane antigen, chromogranin and neuron specific enolase. This is an unusual case of cutaneous MCC co-existing with six other different lesions. The concurrent development of MCC, squamous-cell and basal-cell carcinoma in the same patient indicates the pluripotent epidermal stem cell origin of these tumors. Further research is needed to enlighten the factors inducing this divergent differentiation.