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When the tumor is large and there is presence of necrosis and local recurrence, the prognosis is poor. Presence of metastasis occurs in more than 50% cases and the common places of its occurrence are the bone, lymph node and lungs. Five-year survival rates, which are reported to be between 50-65%, can be misleading because the disease is prone to late metastasis or recurrence. Ten and twenty-year survival rates are 33% and 10%, respectively.
Clear-cell sarcoma (formerly known as malignant melanoma of the soft parts) is a rare form of cancer called sarcoma. It is known to occur mainly in the soft tissues and dermis. Rare forms were thought to occur in the gastrointestinal tract before they were discovered to be different and redesignated as GNET.
Recurrence is common.
It has been associated with both EWSR1-ATF1 and EWSR1-CREB1 fusion transcripts.
Clear cell sarcoma of the soft tissues in adults is not related to the pediatric tumor known as clear cell sarcoma of the kidney.
Perivascular epithelioid cell tumour, also known as PEComa or PEC tumour, is a family of mesenchymal tumours consisting of perivascular epithelioid cells (PECs). These are rare tumours that can occur in any part of the human body.
The cell type from which these tumours originate remains unknown. Normally, no perivascular epitheloid cells exist; the name refers to the characteristics of the tumour when examined under the microscope.
Establishing the malignant potential of these tumours remains challenging although criteria have been suggested; some PEComas display malignant features whereas others can cautiously be labeled as having 'uncertain malignant potential'. The most common tumours in the PEComa family are renal angiomyolipoma and pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis, both of which are more common in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex. The genes responsible for this multi-system genetic disease have also been implicated in other PEComas.
Many PEComa types shows a female predominance in the sex ratio.
Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare soft tissue sarcoma arising from Mesenchyme tissue and characterized by epithelioid-like features. It accounts for less than 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas. It was first clearly characterized by F.M. Enzinger in 1970. It commonly presents itself in the distal limbs (fingers, hands, forearms, or feet) of young adults as a small, soft mass or a series of bumps. A proximal version has also been described, frequently occurring in the upper extremities. Rare cases have been reported in the pelvis, vulva, penis, and spine.
Histologically, epithelioid sarcoma forms nodules with central necrosis surrounded by bland, polygonal cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm and peripheral spindling. Epithelioid sarcomas typically express vimentin, cytokeratins, epithelial membrane antigen, and CD34, whereas they are usually negative for S100, desmin, and FLI-1. They typically stain positive for CA125.
Epithelioid sarcoma most commonly strikes young adults, yet no age group is immune. The disease has a tendency to develop local recurrences and metastasis thereafter to regional lymph nodes, lung, bone, brain, and other locations, including the scalp. Generally speaking, epithelioid sarcoma has a high rate of relapse after initial treatment and tends to recur locally (at or near the original tumor site). Epithelioid sarcoma also demonstrates lymphatic spread (in 22-48% of cases), and metastasis (in 21-63% of cases). These events, as well as advanced stage (progression) and grade (aggressiveness), are predictive of an overall worse outcome. The overall five-year survival rate for epithelioid sarcoma is anywhere from 25 to 78%. Importantly, the 10-year and 15-year survival rate drops off significantly. Associated with a more positive outcome are younger age, female vs. male sex, distal vs. proximal location, smaller tumor size, and negative margins upon tumor resection.
The precursor cell of PEComas is currently unknown; there is no normal counterpart "perivascular epitheloid cell". Genetically, PECs are linked to the tuberous sclerosis genes TSC1 and TSC2, although this link is stronger for angiomyolipoma and lymphangioleiomyomatosis than for other members of the PEComa family.
The 5-year survival rate for epithelioid sarcoma patients is 50-70%, and the 10-year survival rate is 42-55%. Children with epithelioid sarcoma tend to have slightly better outcomes than adults, with 5 year survival rates around 65%. Pediatric patients also tend to display less lymphatic spread and metastasis. In addition to stage and grade of the tumor, gender, site, age at diagnosis, tumor size and microscopic pathology have all been shown to affect prognosis. Advanced stage and grade are associated with worse outcomes. Females tend to have more favorable outcomes than males, proximal cases show worse outcomes than distal cases, and younger age is associated with more positive outcomes. Tumors more than 2 cm in diameter and tumors with necrosis and vascular invasion have been correlated with a worse outcome.
The gold standard for chemotherapy is a combination of doxorubicin and ifosfamide. However, recent studies have suggested that the addition of ifosfamide to doxorubicin does not necessarily lead to an increase in overall survival. Etoposide, vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide have also traditionally been given. Newer chemotherapies, such as gemcitabine and pazopanib, are currently being tested in clinical trials.
Radiation therapy is also a treatment option when tumors are deemed inoperable or wide surgical margins are not achievable. Radiation therapy in combination with chemotherapy has so far resulted in only minimal improvements to response rates. Trials with brachytherapy (an internal radiation treatment that delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor and is thought to have fewer long-term side effects) have produced some positive results.
Hemangioendothelioma is used to describe a group of vascular neoplasms that may be considered benign as well as malignant, depending on the specific group member's activity.
Treatment is varied and depends on the site and extent of tumor involvement, site(s) of metastasis, and specific individual factors. Surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy have all been used to treat these masses, although studies on survival have yet to be conducted to delineate various treatment regimens.
Spitz nevi are uncommon. Their annual incidence was estimated in a coastal population of sub-tropical Queensland to be 1.4 cases per 100,000 people. For comparison, the annual incidence of melanoma in the same population, which is high by world standards is 25.4 cases per 100,000 people.
Although they are most commonly found on people in their first two decades of life, the age range for people with Spitz nevi is from 6 months to 71 years, with a mean age of 22 years and a median age of 19 years.
A gangliocytic paraganglioma, abbreviated GP, is a rare tumour that is typically found in the duodenum and consists of three components: (1) ganglion cells, (2) epithelioid cells (paraganglioma-like) and, (3) spindle cells (schwannoma-like).
JCT often is described as benign, however one case of metastasis has been reported, so its malignant potential is uncertain. In most cases the tumor is encapsulated.
The most common presentation is gastrointestinal bleed (~45% of cases), followed by abdominal pain (~43% of cases) and anemia (~15% of cases).
Although not specific to one mode of management, lesion size, patient sex, or follow-up, the recurrence rate for chondroblastoma is relatively high, and has been shown in select studies to be dependent upon the anatomical location, method of treatment, and biological aggressiveness of the initial lesion. The rate of recurrence is highly variable, ranging between 5% and 40%, as study results are generally inconclusive. However, local recurrence for long bone lesions is around 10%, with chondroblastoma in flat bones having higher recurrence and more complications. Recurrences are more common in cases involving an open epiphyseal plate where they can be attributed to inadequate curettage to avoid damage. Lesions of the proximal femur are particularly problematic because of difficulties accessing the femoral head for complete excision. Chondroblastoma may recur in the soft tissue surrounding the initial lesion, especially in the case of incomplete curettage. Recurrences have been shown to occur between 5 months and 7 years after initial treatment and are generally treated with repeat curettage and excision of affected soft-tissue. No histological differences have been seen between recurrent and non-recurrent chondroblastomas.
Rarely, more aggressive chondroblastomas can metastasize. The most common location for metastases is the lung, with some cases also involving secondary bone sites, soft tissue, skin, or the liver. The prevalence of metastatic chondroblastoma, however, is quite low and is believed to be less than 1%. There is no relationship established between metastasis and previous surgery, non-surgical treatment, anatomical location, or patient age. Survival of patients with metastatic lesions is better when the metastases are surgically resectable, as chemotherapy has been shown to have little to no benefit. Prognosis is bleak for patients with malignant chondroblastomas that are resistant to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. However, patients with resectable metastases have survived for several years following diagnosis.
While recurrence is the most common complication of chondroblastoma other issues include post-surgery infection, degenerative joint disease, pathological fractures, failure of bone grafts, pre-mature epiphyseal closure, functional impairment, and malignant transformation. Complications are less common in patients presenting with chondroblastoma in accessible areas. Overall, patients with more classical chondroblastoma (appearing in long bones, typical presentation) have better prognoses than patients with atypical chondroblastoma (flat bones, skull, etc.).
Pregnancy has been reported to exacerbate LAM in some cases. However, the risk has not been rigorously studied. In a survey of 318 patients who indicated that they had had at least one pregnancy, 163 responded to a second survey focusing on lung collapse. A total of 38 patients reported a pneumothorax with pregnancy, consistent with an incidence of pneumothorax in pregnancy of at least 10% (38 of 318). In one third of patients, the pneumothorax during pregnancy led to the LAM diagnosis. Pneumothoraces were almost twice as frequent on the right as on the left, and four women presented with bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax. Most pneumothoraces took place during the second and third trimesters. This study and others suggest that pregnancy is associated with pleural complications in LAM patients. Few women with a known LAM diagnosis choose to become pregnant and patients in whom LAM is diagnosed during pregnancy rarely have baseline pulmonary function tests available, complicating resolution of this question.
A thymoma is a tumor originating from the epithelial cells of the thymus that may be benign or malignant. Thymomas are frequently associated with the neuromuscular disorder myasthenia gravis; thymoma is found in 20% of patients with myasthenia gravis. Once diagnosed, thymomas may be removed surgically. In the rare case of a malignant tumor, chemotherapy may be used.
Working with asbestos is the most common risk factor for mesothelioma. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.
Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a benign tumor of the liver (hepatic tumor), which is the second most prevalent tumor of the liver (the first is hepatic hemangioma). It is usually asymptomatic, rarely grows or bleeds, and has no malignant potential. This tumour was once often resected because it was difficult to distinguish from hepatic adenoma, but with modern multiphase imaging is usually now diagnosed by strict imaging criteria and not resected.
The cause of Spitz nevi is not yet known. There is an association with sunburn, but causation is not established. Genetic studies of Spitz nevi have shown that most cells have the normal number of chromosomes, however a minority (25%) of cells have been shown to contain extra copies of parts of some chromosomes, such as the short arm of chromosome 11 (11p).
Spitz nevi characteristically have vertically arranged nests of nevus cells that have both a spindled and an morphology. Apoptotic cells may be seen at the dermoepidermal junction. The main histologic differential diagnoses are pigmented spindle cell nevus and malignant melanoma.
Epithelioid histiocytes (Epithelioid cells) are activated macrophages resembling epithelial cells: elongated, with finely granular, pale eosinophilic (pink) cytoplasm and central, ovoid nucleus (oval or elongate), which is less dense than that of a lymphocyte. They have indistinct shape contour, often appear to merge into one another and can form aggregates known as giant cells.
LAM is almost completely restricted to women. While lung cysts consistent with LAM are reported in some men with tuberous sclerosis, very few of these men develop symptoms. The prevalence of LAM is estimated using data from registries and patient groups and is between 3.4-7.8/million women. The number of new cases each year is between 0.23-0.31/million women/year in the US, UK and Switzerland. The variation between countries and between adjacent states in the US, suggest that a significant number of women with LAM remain either undiagnosed or their symptoms are attributed to other diseases. Adult women with tuberous sclerosis are more likely to develop LAM than women without tuberous sclerosis. Cohorts of patients with tuberous sclerosis have been screened for LAM using CT scanning. In a retrospective study of adults with tuberous sclerosis, CT demonstrated lung cysts in 42% of 95 women and 13% of 91 men. In general, lung cysts were larger and more numerous in women than in men. In a further retrospective study of women with TSC who underwent CT scanning to detect LAM, 25% of those in their 20s had lung cysts whereas 80% of women in their 40s were affected, suggesting that the development of LAM is age dependent at least in tuberous sclerosis-related LAM. Although the prevalence of tuberous sclerosis at 1 in 6000 births is much greater than that of LAM, most pulmonary clinics see more cases of sporadic than tuberous sclerosis-LAM: probably due to a combination of low levels of screening for LAM in tuberous sclerosis and in many, the absence of symptoms.
Female sex and tuberous sclerosis are the only known risk factors. Although use of supplemental estrogen is not associated with development of LAM, one study suggested that use of estrogen-containing contraceptive pills was associated with earlier onset.
It occurs in more than 30% of women with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC-LAM), a heritable syndrome that is associated with seizures, cognitive impairment and benign tumors in multiple tissues. Most LAM patients who present for medical evaluation have the sporadic form of the disease (S-LAM), however, which is not associated with other manifestations of tuberous sclerosis complex.
Mild cystic changes consistent with LAM have been described in 10–15% of men with TSC, but symptomatic LAM in males is rare. Sporadic LAM occurs exclusively in women, with one published exception to date. Both TSC-LAM and S-LAM are associated with mutations in tuberous sclerosis genes.
FNH is not a true neoplasm; it is believed to result from localized hyperplastic hepatocyte response to an underlying congenital arteriovenous malformation. It consists of normal liver constituents in an abnormally organized pattern, grows in a stellate pattern and may display central necrosis when large. Additionally evidence suggests that the incidence of FNH is related to oral contraceptive use.
Melanoma with features of a Spitz nevus (also known as a "Spitzoid melanoma") is a cutaneous condition characterized histologically with tissue similar to a spitz nevus and with overall symmetry and a dermal nodule of epithelioid melanocytes that do not mature with progressively deeper dermal extension.
Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (also known as: "Epithelioid hemangioma," "Histiocytoid hemangioma," "Inflammatory angiomatous nodule," "Intravenous atypical vascular proliferation," "Papular angioplasia," "Inflammatory arteriovenous hemangioma," and "Pseudopyogenic granuloma") usually presents with pink to red-brown, dome-shaped, dermal papules or nodules of the head or neck, especially about the ears and on the scalp.
It, or a similar lesion, has been suggested as a feature of IgG4-related skin disease, which is the name used for skin manifestations of IgG4-related disease.
Mesothelioma often has a poor prognosis. Typical survival despite surgery is between 12 and 21 months depending on the stage of disease at diagnosis with about 7.5% of people surviving for 5 years.
Women, young people, people with low-stage cancers, and people with epithelioid cancers have better prognoses. Negative prognostic factors include sarcomatoid or biphasic histology, high platelet counts (above 400,000), age over 50 years, white blood cell counts above 15.5, low glucose levels in the pleural fluid, low albumin levels, and high fibrinogen levels. Several markers are under investigation as prognostic factors, including nuclear grade, and serum c-reactive protein. Long-term survival is rare.
Pericardial mesothelioma has a 10-month median survival time.
In peritoneal mesothelioma, high expression of WT-1 protein indicates a worse prognosis.
Currently, the genetic or environmental factors that predispose an individual for chondroblastoma are not well known or understood. Chondroblastoma affects males more often than females at a ratio of 2:1 in most clinical reports. Furthermore, it is most often observed in young patients that are skeletally immature, with most cases diagnosed in the second decade of life. Approximately 92% of patients presenting with chondroblastoma are younger than 30 years. There is no indication of a racial predilection for chondroblastoma.