A rare case of tuberculous salpingitis

Rare non-serous fallopian tube cancers: institutional experience and literature review

INTRODUCTION

We reviewed 63 reports from the literature on rare non-serous tumors of the fallopian tubes and carried out a comparative analysis of clinical manifestations and diagnostic methods. We also report our observations from patients with these tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Of 157 patients with primary fallopian tube cancer (FTC) treated in our regional oncological hospital between 1970 and 2020, there were nine (6%) cases of rare non-serous cancers, including one case each of choriocarcinoma, carcinosarcoma, and neuroendocrine tumor, and two cases each of non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma, mucinous adenocarcinoma, and clear cell adenocarcinoma.

RESULTS

For carcinosarcoma and squamous cell, clear cell, and transitional cell carcinomas, clinical history, patient age, and clinical manifestations were similar to the main group of FTCs. Choriocarcinoma differed significantly from other cancers of the fallopian tubes in terms of patient age and clinical course. Mucinous adenocarcinoma, mesothelioma, and borderline tumors, with rare exceptions, were almost always asymptomatic and were found only incidentally during surgery. Choriocarcinoma and carcinosarcoma had an aggressive course, while squamous cell, transitional cell, clear cell, and mucinous carcinomas were less aggressive. Since most rare non-serous tumors have a similar disease course to typical FTCs and there is a lack of appropriate treatment protocols for rare tumors, treatment options developed for ovarian tumors and FTC are justified for these tumors.

CONCLUSION

Rare non-serous malignant fallopian tube tumors are very similar to serous and endometrioid FTC in terms of clinical manifestations and diagnosis.

Neuroendocrine Tumor of the Fallopian Tube and Serous Adenocarcinoma of the Ovary: Multicentric Primary Tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) comprise a large group of tumors that are most often localized in the gastrointestinal tract and lungs. They are rarely found in the organs of the female reproductive tract; such NETs are primarily localized in the ovaries. We present a case of multicentric primary low-grade NET of the fallopian tube and high-grade ovarian serous adenocarcinoma. In both tumor regions, the histotypes of neoplasms were determined by morphological and immunohistochemical investigations. The NET of the fallopian tube was diffusely positive for chromogranin A and CD56, but wild type for p53 and negative for CK7, CK20, and ER; Ki-67 expression was observed in 3% of the neoplastic cells. The ovarian serous adenocarcinoma was positive for CK7 and ER, mutant for p53, but negative for chromogranin A, CK20, and CD56; Ki-67 expression was observed in 45% of the tumor cells. These results support the possibility that NET can occur in the female reproductive tract and coexist with other malignant tumors.

A Rare Case of Isolated Ovarian Tuberculosis Incidentally Found During In Vitro Fertilization Workup in a Young Woman With Primary Infertility

Female genital tuberculosis (TB) is a common form of extrapulmonary TB (EPTB). It is a major cause of infertility in low-income countries, and in many cases, it is asymptomatic and typically not diagnosed until the patient seeks medical advice for infertility. The infection is usually secondary to primary pulmonary TB via hematogenous or lymphatic dissemination, but sexual transmission through genital TB of the partner is also possible. We describe a rare case of isolated ovarian TB as a fortuitous diagnosis during in vitro fertilization (IVF) workup in a 40-year-old woman with primary sterility and no specific symptoms. This case highlights the importance of screening for TB before an IVF procedure in women with infertility, especially in countries with a high prevalence of this disease.

Salpingitis Impairs Bovine Tubal Function and Sperm-Oviduct Interaction

Salpingitis is a common cause for subfertility and infertility both in humans and animals. However, the effects of salpingitis on tubal function and reproductive success are largely unknown. Therefore we set out to investigate the effects of inflammation on sperm and oocyte transport and gameto-maternal interaction in the oviduct using the bovine as a model. For this purpose, oviducts revealing mild (n = 45), moderate (n = 55) and severe (n = 45) inflammation were obtained from cows immediately after slaughter and investigated by live cell imaging, histochemistry and scanning electron microscopy. Our studies showed that endometritis was always correlated with salpingitis. Moderate and severe inflammation caused a significant increase in the thickness of tubal folds (p < 0.05). Severe inflammation was characterized by luminal accumulations of mucus and glycoproteins, increased apoptosis, loss of tight junctions and shedding of tubal epithelial cells. The mean ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in the ampulla was significantly reduced as compared to the controls (p < 0.05). The higher the grade of inflammation, the lower was the CBF (p < 0.001). In severe inflammation, spermatozoa were stuck in mucus resulting in decreased sperm motility. Our results imply that tubal inflammation impairs proper tubal function and leads to reduced sperm fertilizing capacity.

Pathomorphological peculiarities of tuberculous meningoencephalitis associated with HIV infection

Background and aims

One of the most severe manifestation displays of tuberculosis (TB) generalization is meningitis/meningoencephalitis. The purpose of this work was to improve the diagnostic efficiency of TB central nervous system (CNS) affection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons.

Materials and methods

Meninges and cerebral tissues, taken from died patients, who were HIV-infected and dead from TB of CNS affection, were investigated histologically.

Results and discussion

Our examination showed that clinical course of the pathologic process loses the peculiarity of TB-undulating character, and changes in tissues have monomorphism that appears in the presence of the same type of granulomas with a few Pirogov–Langhans cells. Alterative reactions with formation of the large fields of caseous necrosis, necrotic focuses, areas of infiltration with polymorphic cellular elements went out on the first plan in the disorder of cerebrum in patients with the terminal stage of HIV infection. The tendency to decrease in inflammatory–proliferative processes was observed, which is confirmed by the presence of the poorly expressed cellular reaction on the peripheries of focuses of caseous necrosis.

Conclusion

Morphologic features of tuberculous meningoencephalitis in HIV-infected patients are the presence of edema, gliosis, trombovasculitis, small focal hemorrhage, tuberculous granuloma formation with a small number of Pirogov–Langhans cells, and the prevalence of alterative–exudative reactions.