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Infection of the thyroid gland with Coccidioides is rare, with fewer than 50 cases reported since 1970. Disseminated infection complicates less than one percent of cases and occurs most often in immunocompromised patients. Since most patients are asymptomatic, they may experience a delay in diagnosis and treatment. aspiration thyroid biopsy proved helpful in establishing the diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis. The ideal management is unclear, but some studies suggest three years of oral azoles after disseminated coccidioidomycosis to other soft tissue organs. We report a case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis involving the thyroid gland, a sporadic infection. The overall mortality is high due to delayed diagnosis and treatment. The diagnosis is determined by the culture of a - aspirate or/and a biopsy followed by direct microscopy. However, the optimal treatment, duration, and medication dosage remain controversial.

Development of malignancy is a multifactorial process, and there are multitude of conditions of bone that may predispose patients to malignancy. Etiologies of malignancy include benign osseous conditions, genetic predisposition, and extrinsic conditions. New-onset pain or growth in a previously stable lesion is that should concern for malignant change and should prompt a diagnostic workup for malignancy.

Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a clonal myeloproliferative neoplasm driven by canonical gene mutations in JAK2, CALR or MPL in more than 80% of the cases. PMF cases that lack these canonical alterations are termed triple-negative PMF (TN-PMF). The pathologic and genetic characteristics of TN-PMF compared to conventional PMF with canonical driver mutations (DM-PMF) have not been well studied. We aim to identify clinicopathologic and molecular genetic differences between TN-PMF (n = 56) and DM-PMF (n = 89), all of which fulfilled the 2016 WHO diagnostic criteria for PMF. Compared to the control group, TN-PMF patients were more likely to have thrombocytopenia and less likely to have organomegaly. The bone marrow with TN-PMF showed fewer granulocytic elements and more frequent dyserythropoiesis. Cytogenetic analysis showed a higher incidence of trisomy 8. Targeted NGS revealed a lower frequency of ASXL1 mutations but an enrichment of ASXL1/SRSF2 co-mutations. Our findings demonstrated several clinicopathologic and molecular differences between TN-PMF and DM-PMF. These findings, particularly the observed mutation profile characterized by a higher frequency of ASXL1 and SRSF2 co-mutation, suggest that at least a subset of TN-PMF may be pathogenetically different from DM-PMF, with potential prognostic implications.

Although primary pancreatic lymphoma is a rare cause of pancreatic mass, this diagnosis should be considered during work‐up. Furthermore, when adequate diagnostic material is available from biopsy, complete workup of the lymphoma, including not only type but also subtype when applicable, should be performed.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Data on adequacy of EUS guided biopsies using different tissue acquisition techniques and fine needle aspiration needle designs have been inconclusive. Data on newer fine needle biopsy (FNB) needles are scarce. This study compared the performance of 3 acquisition techniques and 2 fine needle biopsy designs in solid pancreatic lesions. METHODS Single-center, randomized, pilot clinical trial (Trial registration number NCT03264092). Patients undergoing EUS biopsy of pancreatic lesions were randomized to 1 of 3 acquisition techniques (dry suction, wet suction, slow pull) and 1 of 2 22G FNB needle designs. The primary outcome was specimen cellularity. Secondary outcomes included blood contamination and number of passes needed for diagnosis. RESULTS A total of 52 (35.3%), 49 (33.3%) and 46 (31.3%) specimens were obtained with slow pull, dry suction and wet suction, respectively. A total of 56 (38%) and 91 (62%) specimens were obtained with each needle, respectively. No difference in cellularity scores was identified by technique (3.28 vs 3.55 vs 2.94; p = 0.081) or needle type (3.45 vs 3.15; p = 0.19). The same was true for blood contamination and diagnostic pass. A diagnosis was reached after 3 passes in 51 patients (93%). Histological diagnosis was possible in 45 specimens (82%). No severe adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS Cellularity of pancreatic specimens obtained with FNB needles via EUS was not influenced by technique and needle design. Three passes were enough to obtain a histological diagnosis in most patients. Larger clinical trials are required to validate the results of this study.

Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It typically has an aggressive behavior with potential clinical emergencies including cardiac tamponade, thrombosis of major neck vessels, airway obstruction, and tumor lysis syndrome. In this case report, a 38-year-old Caucasian male presented with shortness of breath, a two-month history of 40-pound weight loss, and a left-sided chest wall mass. CT imaging showed a mediastinal mass, measuring 13 × 14.6 × 8.6 cm3, with invasion and partial occlusion of the brachiocephalic veins and upper superior vena cava causing superior vena cava syndrome, and encasement of multiple coronary artery segments. CT-guided biopsy showed high-grade B-cell lymphoma. Cytology biomarkers were positive for CD20, CD45, and PAX5. A trans-thoracic echocardiogram (TTE) was obtained prior to chemotherapy initiation to establish a baseline for cardiac function, which showed an ejection fraction (EF) of 45-50%, right ventricle volume overload and dilation, and pulmonary hypertension. R-CEOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, vincristine, and prednisone) chemotherapy regimen was initiated and a follow-up echocardiogram after three cycles, revealed a significant improvement in EF; the patient subsequently received three additional cycles of R-EPOCH. Current regimens in the United States utilize dose-adjusted R-EPOCH and R-CHOP, but they must be used cautiously in patients with compromised cardiac function, due to the cardiotoxic side effects of the chemotherapy agent, doxorubicin. This case illustrates that anthracycline-free regimens should be considered in patients with reduced cardiac function, with this case showing the utilization of an anthracycline-free regimen (R-CEOP) for the first three cycles, followed by a transition to R-EPOCH.

BACKGROUND The Texas/Chihuahua (US/Mexico) border is a medically underserved region with many reported barriers for health care access. Although Hispanic ethnicity is associated with health disparities for many different diseases, the population-based estimates of incidence and survival for patients with blood cancer along the border are unknown. The authors hypothesized that Hispanic ethnicity and border proximity is associated with poor blood cancer outcomes. METHODS Data from the Texas Cancer Registry (1995-2016) were used to investigate the primary exposures of patient ethnicity (Hispanic vs non-Hispanic) and geographic location (border vs non-border). Other confounders and covariates included sex, age, year of diagnosis, rurality, insurance status, poverty indicators, and comorbidities. The Mantel-Haenszel method and Cox regression analyses were used to determine adjusted effects of ethnicity and border proximity on the relative risk (RR) and survival of patients with different blood cancer types. RESULTS Hispanic patients were diagnosed at a younger age than non-Hispanic patients and presented with increased comorbidities. Whereas non-Hispanics had a higher incidence of developing blood cancer compared with Hispanics overall, Hispanics demonstrated a higher incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (RR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.79-2.08; P < .001) with worse outcomes. Hispanics from the Texas/Chihuahua border demonstrated a higher incidence of chronic myeloid leukemia (RR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.07-1.51; P = .02) and acute myeloid leukemia (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.04-1.33; P = .0009) compared with Hispanics living elsewhere in Texas. CONCLUSIONS Hispanic ethnicity and border proximity were associated with a poor presentation and an adverse prognosis despite the younger age of diagnosis. Future studies should explore differences in disease biology and treatment strategies that could drive these regional disparities.

Females dominate in the area of gastroparesis (GP), making up to 70&ndash, 80% of these patients. One attractive hypothesis is that females have less smooth muscle reserve and thus less resilience to recover from an insult. Our aim was to investigate if there are gender differences in the number of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in the antral and pyloric smooth muscle of diabetic (DM) patients with severe gastroparesis refractory to standard medical management. Full thickness antral and pyloric biopsies were obtained during surgery to implant a gastric electrical stimulation system and perform a pyloroplasty. Thirty-eight DM patients (66% females, n = 25, mean age 44) who failed medical therapies provided antral biopsies. Pyloric tissue samples were also collected from 29 of these patients (65% females, n = 19). Tissues were stained with H&amp, E and c-Kit for the presence of ICC. ICC depletion was defined as less than 10 cells/HPF. In the antrum, 40% of females had significant ICC depletion, similar to 38% in males. In the pylorus, 68% of females had depletion of ICC, compared to 80% depletion in males. When combining both antral and pyloric smooth muscle regions, ICC depletion was similar in males (40%) when compared to females (38%). In diabetic patients with severe GP, females and males showed similar degrees of reduction in antral ICC, while more males had depletion of pyloric smooth muscle ICC compared to their female counterparts. Future larger studies should focus on whether differences in other smooth muscle biomarkers can be identified between males and females.

Hematopoietic neoplasms involving the spleen are uncommon, but T cell neoplasms involving the spleen are extremely rare. The rarity of splenic involvement by T cell neoplasms has resulted in a limited body of literature describing their splenic characteristics. As a result, our purpose in this review article is to provide and summarize some of the characteristics seen by different T cell neoplasms that may involve the spleen.

Splenic involvement and consequent splenomegaly are usually seen as part of systemic involvement by myeloid neoplasms as well as mast cell and histiocytic neoplasms. Primary splenic involvement by these neoplasms is rare. Splenectomy is usually not performed for establishing a diagnosis of these entities. However, in rare instances, the pathologist may need to evaluate the spleen secondary to splenic rupture or palliative splenectomy to alleviate symptoms related to splenomegaly. This review article describes the clinicopathologic features of a broad group of myeloid, mastocytic, and histiocytic proliferative and neoplastic disorders.

Background: Gastric electrical stimulation (GES) improves symptoms in diabetic gastroparesis (DM GP) refractory to medical therapies but does not increase gastric emptying (GE). This study investigates the clinical outcomes of GES combined with pyloroplasty (PP) to improve GE as well as the pathophysiological characteristics of the responding patients. Methods: Overall 39 DM (13 type I) GP patients with 16.6 (range 3-50) years of DM had GES with PP. Antral and pyloric biopsies were assessed for interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) status. Depletion of ICC was defined as Results: The 39 patients, (23F) mean age 45 (25-83) years, mean 5.2 years of GP symptoms, were enrolled. TSS improvement after mean follow up of 17 (1-42) months post-surgery was 62% (19.1±3.4) vs.(7.6±6.2), while almost 70% of patients improved TTS by ≥60%. GE at 2h improved from 77% to 45%, and from 55% to 20% at 4h while 47% completely normalized their GE. Both DM1 and DM2 patients responded with improved TSS and GE. Antral ICC were depleted in 28% of DM GP with a mean number of 12 (±5.2)/HPF, while 70% of patients had Conclusion: DM GP patients treated by combining GES and PP show significant symptomatic improvement with accelerated and often normalized GE. Patients with depleted pyloric ICC were the most improved, emphasizing the key role of the pylorus in GP, and explains why adding PP to GES addresses the specific pathophysiological challenges in severe diabetic GP. Disclosure T. Bright: None. I. Sarosiek: None. A. Shanker: None. B.R. Davis: None. O. Padilla: None. J.R. Diaz: None. K. Espino: None. R.M. McCallum: None.

We describe a patient with MDS/MPN with ring sideroblasts and thrombocytosis who had deletions of long arm of chromosome 5 (5q-) and chromosome 20 (20q-). Molecular studies showed an exon 9, frame shift mutation in the calreticulin (CALR) gene, and absence of mutations in JAK2, MPL, SETBP1 or SF3B1.Treatment with lenalidomide resulted in durable clinical remission which has lasted 2 years. Keywords: MDS/MPN, Ring sideroblast, Thrombocytosis, 5q, Lenalidomide

Patient: Female, 67 Final Diagnosis: Breast angiosarcoma Symptoms: Skin lesion Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Surgery Specialty: Oncology Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: Radiation-associated breast angiosarcoma is a rare clinical entity that is thought to be increasing in incidence. Case Report: Here we present the case of a 67-year-old female with a history of left breast invasive ductal carcinoma who received breast conserving surgery and radiation therapy eight years ago. She then presented with a painless mild skin discoloration of the left breast that had been present for over one year. Mammograms and ultra-sounds were normal. A punch biopsy and a subsequent excisional biopsy revealed the diagnosis of angiosarcoma. The patient was treated with mastectomy and had no subsequent recurrences. Conclusions: The long-term clinical surveillance for all patients who receive breast conservation surgery is recommended and a high degree of suspicion should be exercised in view of potential atypical presentations of this disease.

Background Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) fine needle aspiration (FNA) is an integral part in the diagnosis of pancreatic, intestinal and extra-intestinal masses or lesions. There is no clear data on the superiority of the core biopsy needle over standard 22-gauge needles. The aim of this study is to prospectively compare the cellularity yield of three commonly used 22-gauge FNA needles available in the US market. Methods This is a prospective, randomized study comparing the cellularity yield of three commercially available EUS needles (two standard FNA needles and core biopsy needle). Two blinded pathologists evaluated the cytology specimens based on an already agreed upon cytology score. We included adult patients (18-80 years old) who presented to our endoscopy unit for FNA of pancreatic or extrapancreatic masses. Results 109 patients (57 F, 52 M) were recruited to the study, 88 lesions were pancreatic lesions. 39 patients were recruited in the EZ Shot 2™ group, 36 in the Procore® group and 34 in the Expect™ group. The average cellularity score and the mean number of passes (SD) were not different between the three needles; P = 0.91 and P = 0.16, respectively. There was no difference between the three needles in obtaining an onsite diagnosis (P = 0.627) and no difference in reported adverse events between the three groups. Conclusion The cellularity yields, the mean number of passes and reported adverse events were similar in the three compared 22-gauge needles. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2017;45:426-432. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Neurocysticercosis is a parasitic infection of the central nervous system with the cysts of Taenia solium, the pig tapeworm. Infection presents with a pleomorphic picture depending on the stage and location of the infection and the immune response of the infected host. Historically confined to the developing world, neurocysticercosis is no longer limited to endemic regions, as globalization, travel, and immigration permit the spread of the infection. We report a young Hispanic patient who was diagnosed with neurocysticercosis of the fourth ventricle and subsequent hydrocephalus.

Introduction/Objective Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm originating from malignant clonal proliferation of a pluripotent hematopoietic stem cell. CML is characterized by a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22, t(9;22)(q34;q11), that gives rise to an abnormal chromosome 22 called the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. The translocation results in the formation of a chimeric BCR-ABL1 fusion gene, which is the molecular hallmark of the disease. However, 5-10% of CML patients present with additional chromosomal abnormalities which is often considered a sign of clonal evolution, genetic instability, and is generally thought to portend a poor prognosis. Methods We present a case of CML with a rare 3- way translocation, t(3;9;22)(q21;q34;q11.2), who achieved a major molecular response on imatinib for 18 months. A review of the literature and Mitelman database search is presented focusing on the prognostic implications of this 3 way translocation in the era of tyrosine kinase inhibitors starting in 2001 till now. Results Twenty seven cases were reported, but the patient therapeutic response to imatinib and clinical outcome were only reported in 11 cases. Nine cases achieved a cytogenetic remission while the remaining two cases had an adverse outcome. Conclusion Taken in conjunction with the favorable outcome in our patient, we suggest that t(3;9;22) is not an adverse prognostic factor in the era of tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Introduction: Hispanics represent the largest minority group in the United States (U.S.), with 57.5 million individuals. The majority of Hispanics in the U.S. reside in the Southwest region, and >11 million live in the state of Texas. Health disparities for Hispanic cancer patients have previously been linked to disproportionate poverty and other barriers to optimal healthcare. In the case of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), Hispanics were found to be diagnosed at a younger age and have worse overall survival (OS) compared with non-Hispanic whites (NHWs) (ACS Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanics/Latinos 2018-2020). However, little is known about incidence and survival for Hispanic blood cancer patients residing at the U.S./Mexico border. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from the Texas Cancer Registry for hematologic malignancies diagnosed in the state of Texas between 1995 and 2016, focusing our analysis on chronic and acute leukemia's (both myeloid and lymphoid), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Survival for Hispanic and NHW groups was compared using the log-rank test, and Cox regression analyses adjusting for age and diagnosis. Differences in age at diagnosis were evaluated using t-tests and generalized linear models. Research was conducted according to a local IRB-approved protocol in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Results: Of the 69,941 cases of hematologic malignancies with available information throughout the state of Texas, 18.29% identified as Hispanic. We found that Hispanic patients were diagnosed at a significantly younger age in all diseases analyzed (p Conclusions: Hispanics are diagnosed at a significantly younger age than NHWs in all blood malignancies analyzed. Hispanic patients with AML, MDS, and CML had significantly better OS compared to NHWs in unadjusted analyses, which could be explained by the reduced age of diagnosis. Hispanics with ALL, AML, or CML diagnosed near the U.S./Mexico border demonstrate worse OS compared with Hispanics diagnosed in other areas of Texas. In age-adjusted analyses, Hispanic patients with ALL or APL have a worse OS compared with NHWs. There appears to be evidence that disparities in outcome by ethnicity may be different in El Paso compared with the rest of Texas. Future Directions: Our data demonstrates blood cancer disparities present in our region. Further study is required to identify factors responsible for the disparity in OS, and to identify ways to address it. Citation Format: Alfonso E. Bencomo, Andres J. Rubio, Mayra A. Gonzalez, Idaly M. Olivas, Joshua J. Lara, Kiran Ghimire, Osvaldo Padilla, Angelica Padilla, Nawar Hakim, Attilio Orazi, Javier Corral, Alexander Philipovskiy, Sumit Gaur, Anna M. Eiring. Retrospective study of incidence and survival for patients with hematological malignancies residing at the U.S./Mexico border [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4343.

440 Background: Globally, gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most prevalent cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths. Epstein-Barr virus is implicated in the pathogenesis of 5-10% of gastric cancers. Based upon the results obtained from of the cancer genome atlas, EBV related GC is characterized by promoter hypermethylation, PIK3CA mutations (80%) and increased expression of PD-1 and PD-L1, making it an attractive target for molecularly targeted therapy and immunotherapeutic options. As such, a case can be made for routine testing for EBV in all GC patients. University medical center, El Paso is a tax payer funded safety net health system in El Paso country, TX. We conducted a pilot study to characterize the prevalence of EBV associated gastric cancer seen at this facility. Methods: After obtaining institutional review board (IRB) approval, we identified cases of GC that were diagnosed between January 1, 2008- and December 31-2017. A total of 104 cases were identified of which 17 samples were randomly selected. Pathology specimens were reviewed to identify grade, subtype (intestinal vs diffuse), degree of lymphocytic infiltration and presence/absence of H. pylori. Representative sections from archived tumors were used to perform in-situ hybridization to look for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus. Samples were analyzed using the Rembrandt In situ Hybridization and Detection Universal RISH& HRP Detection Kit for Epstein-Barr early RNA. Results: The median age of the 17 patients is 63 years with 59% being males. 95% self identified as Hispanic. 41% were smokers, 18% used alcohol. The mean BMI was 27.3. Forty one percent of gastric cancer cases were found in the body, 29% in the antrum, 12% in the cardia, and 6% in the fundus. Forty one percent of cases were Stage IV, 24% stage II, 17% Stage III and 17% Stage I. 95% of cases were high grade, 53% of them had signet ring features. 18% of samples were H. pylori positive. None of the seventeen samples tested positive for EBV. Conclusions: EBV does not seem to contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of gastric cancer in our local population. As such routine testing for EBV in all gastric cancer patients may not be a cost effective utilization of resources at our hospital.

The association between pathologic complete response (pCR) following to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and the improved survival in breast cancer has been previously reported. The aim of this study was is to explore the expression of several biomarkers described during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the achievement of pCR in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer. We identified archived pathology tissue from patients with breast cancer who received NAC during the year 2014. We performed immunohistochemical analysis of vimentin, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), E-cadherin, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor, and Her2neu and studied the association between the expression of these markers and pCR. A Fisher exact test for categorical cofactors, an unpaired t test and a nonparametric Wilcoxon test for continuous cofactors were used. The results showed a significant expression of vimentin in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC; P = .023). An inverse correlation between vimentin and the ER expression ( P = .032) was observed. No significant association was noted for vimentin, NF-κB, EGFR, and E-cadherin was associated with pCR. This study suggests that the evaluated EMT related biomarkers are not associated with pCR after NAC chemotherapy in an unselected breast cancer population. Vimentin and NF-κB expressions were associated with TNBC and could be further explored as potential therapeutic targets in this subgroup. A prevalence of vimentin and NF-κB among Hispanic patients with breast cancer warrants further investigation as a possibly contributing to the prevalence of TNBC and adverse prognosis in this population.