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Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor has been described in various locations. However, its appearance in the periampullary region is uncommon and has rarely been reported in the literature. We report a case of a 37-year-old Moroccan male with painless jaundice and pruritus. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed a 2-cm-long stricture in the distal bile duct that suggests a cholangiocarcinoma. There was no involvement of adjacent structures at computed tomography of abdomen. The patient underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy. The tumor histology showed regular spindle cells arrayed in fascicles, admixed with lymphocytes, plasma cells and eosinophils. Immunohistochemical analysis showed positive staining for smooth muscle actin, H-caldesmon. In contrast, the tumor cells did not express cytokeratin, PS100, CD68, CD23, CD117 and ALK. Based on these data, the diagnosis of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of distal bile duct was made. We report this new case in the aim of shedding more light on this entity and the challenges in making the diagnosis in such location.

Summary: Repeated spontaneous miscarriages are defined as at least three consecutive episodes of spontaneous miscarriage, less than 14 weeks of amenorrhea, with the same partner, in a patient under 40 years of age. 80% of these patients have an identifiable cause justifying an etiological approach. A guided history and clinical examination are necessary. An etiological assessment is to be carried out: a pelvic ultrasound and a hormonal assessment in the woman, as well as a karyotype of the two members of the couple. The other examinations are requested as a second intention. The main causes are balanced chromosomal abnormalities of the parents, sperm DNA fragmentation, congenital malformations and lesions of the uterine cavity, anti-phospholipid syndrome, unbalanced diabetes, dysthyroidism and luteal insufficiency. In the event of an identified cause, certain therapeutic or preventive measures must be discussed in order to limit the risk of recurrence.

Objective The primary aim of the study was to evaluate whether the WhatsApp application can be used for obtaining a quick second opinion on histopathological and cytological diagnosis and also for discussing difficult cases in pathology practice. Material and method A WhatsApp group named "FESPATH" was created with total of 17 pathologists (the authors of this manuscript as group administrators and 15 general pathologists from 7 different cities in Morocco, working in 12 different institutions as members). The group was used to discuss difficult routine sign out cases, to obtain a second opinion. Pathology-related academic files, books and links were also shared. At the end of 20 months, members were asked to complete a feedback questionnaire. Results Over a 20-month period, 86 cases were discussed with 515 posted pictures. 78 cases were related to histopathology, and 8 cases to cytopathology. Twenty-one links regarding educational materials and books were also shared. A total of 14 participants out of 17 were active participants, and the majority of them found the discussions very useful for overcoming challenging cases. Conclusion Sharing microphotographs of histopathological or cytological cases via WhatsApp is a very easy and fast method to obtain a second opinion in pathology practice and also to discuss difficult cases.

Introduction. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project and Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG) recently categorized gastric cancer into molecular subtypes. Nevertheless, these classification systems require high cost and sophisticated molecular technologies, preventing their widespread use in the clinic. This study is aimed to generating molecular subtypes of gastric cancer using techniques available in routine diagnostic practice in a series of Moroccan gastric cancer patients. In addition, we assessed the associations between molecular subtypes, clinicopathological features, and prognosis. Methods. Ninety-seven gastric cancer cases were classified according to TCGA, ACRG, and integrated classifications using a panel of four molecular markers (EBV, MSI, E-cadherin, and p53). HER2 status and PD-L1 expression were also evaluated. These markers were analyzed using immunohistochemistry (E-cadherin, p53, HER2, and PD-L1), in situ hybridization (EBV and HER2 equivocal cases), and multiplex PCR (MSI). Results. Our results showed that the subtypes presented distinct clinicopathological features and prognosis. EBV-positive gastric cancers were found exclusively in male patients. The GS (TCGA classification), MSS/EMT (ACRG classification), and E-cadherin aberrant subtype (integrated classification) presented the Lauren diffuse histology enrichment and tended to be diagnosed at a younger age. The MSI subtype was associated with a better overall survival across all classifications (TCGA, ACRG, and integrated classification). The worst prognosis was observed in the EBV subtype (TCGA and integrated classification) and MSS/EMT subtype (ACRG classification). Discussion/Conclusion. We reported a reproducible and affordable gastric cancer subtyping algorithms that can reproduce the recently recognized TCGA, ACRG, and integrated gastric cancer classifications, using techniques available in routine diagnosis. These simplified classifications can be employed not only for molecular classification but also in predicting the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

Epidemiologic data support an association between diet and mutations in the Kirsten-ras (KRAS) gene involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. This study aimed to explore the associations between fat intake and KRAS mutations in codons 12 and 13 in cases of CRC in the Moroccan population. A multicenter case-series study nested in a large-scale Moroccan CRC case-control study was conducted. Among all CRC cases recruited, 151 specimens were available for the DNA mutation analysis. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (Cis) for KRAS mutation status according to the fat intake variables. A KRAS mutation was detected in the CRC tumor of 34.4% of the patients among whom 65.4% had a single mutation at codon 12 and 34.6% had a single mutation at codon 13. Compared to low levels of consumption, a positive association was observed between high polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) consumption (>16.9 g/day) and prevalence of KRAS mutations (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.01–4.59). No statistically significant associations were observed for total fat, monounsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids and KRAS mutations. The results of this study suggest that PUFA may be relevant in the etiology of CRC, possibly through the generation of G > A transitions at the KRAS oncogene. Further studies are needed to verify and explain this finding.

Background Colorectal Cancers (CRC) are one of the most common malignancies in the world. Their incidence in Morocco, between 2005 and 2007, was 5.6 for 100000 inhabitants, which is very low compared to what found in developed countries. In addition, CRCs show a high frequency of rectal localizations, and occurs in a younger population in Morocco compared to what found in developed countries. The purpose of this study is to confirm these CRC peculiarities in Morocco and try to explain them by exploring the microsatellite instability molecular pathway. Methods This is a prospective observational study conducted since January 2010, including 385 patients admitted in Hassan II University Hospital of Fez. We collected clinical, radiological and pathological data. We investigated the expression of mismatch repair (MMR) proteins in 214 patients and BRAF gene mutations in 159 patients. Results Mean age was 55.08 +/− 15.16 years. 36.5 % of patients were less than 50 years old and 49.3 % of tumors were localized in the rectum. Loss of MMR protein expression was observed in 11.2 % of cases. It was independently associated with individual or family history of cancer belonging to Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) spectrum (p = 0.01) and proximal localization (p = 0.02). No BRAF mutation was detected in all cases. Conclusions These results confirm the high occurrence of CRCs to young patients and the high frequency of rectal localizations in Moroccan population. They mostly show an absence of BRAF mutation, supposing a rarity of MLH1 promoter hypermethylation pathway, which may even partially explain the CRC peculiarities in our context. Virtual Slides The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/5868184711716884