Peritoneal psammocarcinoma diagnosed by a Papanicolau smear: a case report

Primary peritoneal low-grade serous carcinoma detected in cervical smear: Pitfalls mitigated by clinicocytopathologic clues and cellblock immunocytochemistry

Pap smears play a role in detecting extrauterine serous tumours in asymptomatic women. Certain cytopathologic and histopathologic findings combined with relevant clinical and radiologic findings indicate the possibility of primary peritoneal serous tumours. Cellblock immunohistochemistry is a valuable confirmatory diagnostic tool.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Tamoxifen Treatment and the Use of Imaging in Psammocarcinoma: A Case Report, Review of the Literature and Discussion of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges

Psammocarcinoma (PsC) represents a rare form of low-grade serous tumor of the ovary or peritoneum. Although ovarian cancer generally has a poor prognosis in its late stages, PsC seems to have a more indolent course. We present a patient with a history of unspecific abdominal pain for more than a year, with sudden acute onset of severe inguinal pain. On admission to the hospital, a computed tomography (CT) revealed a pelvic mass of suspected ovarian origin. Radical surgery was attempted but not achieved due to widespread tumor growth. Histopathological evaluation revealed estrogen receptor-positive stage III PsC. Tamoxifen treatment was thus initiated, still maintaining stable disease 10 years later. The patient has undergone extensive radiological work-up, including CT, chest X-ray, 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (PET)/CT, 99mTc- hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (HDP) bone scintigraphy, 18F-fluoro-thymidine (FLT) PET/CT, Tc-99m depreotide scintigraphy and magnetic resonance imaging. In conclusion, we demonstrate that PsC has characteristic radiological features and different imaging modalities can be suitable in different clinical situations. In contrast to most other ovarian cancers, PsC does not always warrant adjuvant chemotherapy, even in advanced stages. This emphasizes the need for a deeper knowledge of the biological behavior of this rare tumor, to select the optimal treatment strategy.

Psammoma bodies in Papanicolaou tests and associated factors to predict an underlying malignancy: a clinicopathological analysis of 10 cases

INTRODUCTION

Psammoma bodies (PBs) are rarely encountered in Papanicolaou tests. They have been described in benign and malignant conditions of the gynecologic tract and peritoneum. The aim of our study was to reveal the associated factors with PBs in Papanicolaou tests to predict an underlying malignancy, particularly in the absence of atypical glandular cells (AGCs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From 1987 to 2018, all gynecologic cytology reports with PBs were identified from the computerized pathology database of Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Massachusetts. Patients with previous history of gynecologic and/or peritoneal malignancy were excluded. Clinical information and follow-up data were obtained from chart review.

RESULTS

PBs were found in 10 of the 1,497,540 Papanicolaou tests (0.0006%). Six patients with age ranging from 19 to 58 years (mean age, 37.6 years) had benign outcome (eg, endometritis, ovarian serous cystadenofibroma). Four patients with age ranging from 31 to 54 years (mean age, 41.7 years) had borderline/malignant outcome (eg, ovarian borderline serous tumor, peritoneal serous psammocarcinoma). All patients with borderline/malignant outcome had family history of cancer and/or gene mutation (eg, sister with breast cancer, father with BRCA-1 mutation). PBs were accompanied by AGCs in 2 of 4 borderline/malignant cases.

CONCLUSIONS

PBs should not be ignored in Papanicolaou tests because of their possible association with an underlying malignancy. To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating that relevant family history of cancer and/or gene mutation may be a helpful clue regarding an underlying malignancy, especially in the absence of accompanied AGCs with PBs.

An Unusual Adenomatoid Tumor of Fimbria with Pronounced Psammoma Bodies in a BRCA Positive Patient as a Pitfall for Carcinoma on Frozen Section

Background

BRCA gene mutations significantly increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers where the lifetime risk of the ovarian cancer is about 40%. Therefore, many women with such mutations undergo prophylactic bilateral mastectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy. About 5-6% of these individuals display occult carcinomas in tubo-ovarian locations of which over 85% are tubal in origin. The objective of this case study was to emphasize emergence of benign lesions mimicking cancer under these circumstances.

Case Report

We present a case with positive BRCA1 mutation who underwent the prophylactic procedure where a small mass was identified in her fallopian tube. Our initial encounter with this tumor was during intraoperative consultation. The tumor was associated with extensive psammoma bodies arranged in closely packed small tubules, mimicking serous carcinoma. Frozen section limitations including artifact, time constraint, and lack of ancillary studies as well as the clinical history further complicated our diagnostic assessment, which was deferred. A diagnosis of adenomatoid tumor was rendered on permanent sections.

Conclusion

It is important to be familiar with this morphologic presentation of adenomatoid tumor as it is a pitfall for carcinoma, particularly on frozen section, and inaccurate diagnosis could lead to further unnecessary extensive procedures.