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Small cell carcinoma of ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT) is an unusual malignant tumor that most commonly affects young women. Unfortunately, it has a very poor prognosis. We describe here an unusual case of a Moroccan young woman with a left ovarian mass and a symptomatic hypercalcemia. Morphologically, there are some malignant tumors that resemble SCCOHT; thus, it is very challenging to diagnose, and immunohistochemistry has a great contribution in it. Hopefully, molecular tools and new therapies will improve the management of these cases in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schwannoma, typically a non-cancerous tumor originating from Schwann cells, seldom occurs in the retroperitoneal area. Its clinical manifestation varies, often remaining asymptomatic for an extended period until it enlarges, exerting pressure on neighboring organs. This article presents a unique instance of retroperitoneal pelvic schwannoma in a 75-year-old woman, initially presenting with unusual lower back discomfort. Imaging was used to characterize the tumor, and anatomopathological examination established the preoperative diagnosis of pelvic schwannoma and its benign nature. The clinical, imaging, and anatomopathological aspects of this pelvic schwannoma case are elucidated herein.

Adult hepatoblastoma is a rare tumor whose etiology and mechanisms of development are still incompletely understood. Imaging and biological tests such as AFP and liver enzymes are non-specific. Histologically, there are 2 histological variants: pure epithelial with 5 types (pure fetal, embryonal, small cell undifferentiated, cholangioblastic, and macrotrabecular), a mixed epithelial and a mesenchymal variant with or without a teratoid contingent. The main differential diagnosis concerns hepatocellular carcinoma. The treatment of hepatoblastoma in adults is not yet standardized and surgery remains the mainstay of treatment. In this report we aim to describe the clinical, pathological, and immunohistochemical features of this rare entity in adult patients and discuss the elements allowing its distinction from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The peritoneal pseudotumor localization of tuberculosis is a rare clinical form, representing 1 to 3% of extrapulmonary site of tuberculosis. It represents the sixth most common extra pulmonary site of tuberculosis. It is a great mimicker with major overlapping clinical and imaging features. Differentiating peritoneal tuberculosis and peritoneal carcinomatosis in imaging remains challenging. We present a case of a 37-year old woman complaining of chronic abdominal pain and distension who has been diagnosed to have peritoneal carcinomatosis based on CT findings, histopathological study then revealed necrotizing, granulomatous inflammation consistent with tuberculosis. This case showed the interest to be aware of the common and uncommon imaging features of tuberculosis by radiologists to better assess for alternative differential diagnosis.

Background: Leiomyosarcoma of the rectum is a rare entity that comprises less than 0.1 % of all rectal malignancies. Given the uncommon nature of this tumor and the controversy about its treatment we report one case and review the literature in an attempt to report a particular evolution and to discuss the most appropriate treatment.Case Presentation: This case report describes the presentation of leiomyosarcoma of the rectum. A 30-year-old man from the north of Morocco presented with rectorrhagia and constipation. On physical examination we found a mass in his rectum approximately 6 cm from his anal margin. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging showed a rectal mass with a parietal attachment that invaded the fascia and his perirectal tissue. Before any treatment he defecated spontaneously the tumor. On histopathological examination a diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma was made. An anterior resection of his rectum was performed with adjuvant radiotherapy at a dose of 50 Gy. After 1 year of surveillance, he has not presented any clinical symptoms and pelvic magnetic resonance imaging was normal. Unfortunately, histological analysis of a superficial biopsy of a rectal leiomyosarcoma may not be reflective of the entire tumor mass, and a diagnosis is based essentially on postoperative pathological examination. The optimal treatment modality in patients with rectal leiomyosarcomas is controversial. Prognosis is also poor; tumor size, histological grade, mitotic index, and local staging are the most known prognosis factors.Conclusion: The prognosis of rectal leiomyosarcoma is poor; more investigations are necessary to understand the progression of these tumors and to define an optimal treatment modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST) or ductal carcinoma is the largest group of invasive breast cancers. Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common histological type; it comprises 5%–15% of all invasive breast cancers. Historically, lobular neoplasia and invasive lobular carcinoma may produce intracellular mucin that pushes the nucleus to one side, creating the characteristic signet ring cell morphology. The extracellular mucin secretion is essentially described in mucinous breast carcinoma. Mucinous differentiation can be seen in small areas of NST carcinoma, but recently a few cases of invasive lobular carcinoma with extracellular mucin are reported in the literature. It is important for pathologists to recognize this new entity because it mimics a NST carcinoma, as such a diagnosis may require a different approach in clinical management and surveillance. We report a new case of ILC with extracellular mucin and a review of the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The clear cell sarcoma of tendons and aponeuroses (CCSTA) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma in the head and neck region and parapharyngeal space. Over 95% of CCSTAs present in the extremities, with the head and neck region (1.9%) being an unusual site. This study presents an additional case of CCSTA of the head and neck region involving the parapharyngeal space in a 48-year-old men and review of the literature on CCSTA.

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It constitutes a public health problem, especially in developing countries. Pelvic localization is rare with tubal involvement being the most frequent. It presents clinically, radiologically, and biologically as an ovarian tumor. We report the case of a patient who presented to the emergency department with pelvic pain, an abdominal-pelvic mass, and a general state of deterioration. The patient had a high CA125 level, and imaging initially suggested a neoplastic origin. She underwent laparoscopy with histopathological examination, confirming the diagnosis of tuberculosis, showing giant cell granulomas with caseous necrosis. A favorable outcome was observed on all fronts after antitubercular treatment., (© 2024 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of University of Washington.)

Primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma (PHL) is a rare malignant tumor, which originates from smooth muscles. The imaging features are nonspecific and the diagnosis is often delayed until the tumor reaches a large size, which leads often to a dismal prognosis. We report a case of a 46-year-old male patient who was complaining about abdominal pain for 2 months. The imaging revealed the presence of a large mass in the liver with adrenal and liver metastasis. Diagnosis of PHL was confirmed by histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations. In this case report, we review the epidemiological, clinical, and paraclinical aspects of the disease, as well as the treatment modalities., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of University of Washington.)

The increasing commercialization of new gene panels based on next-generation sequencing for clinical research has significantly improved our understanding of breast cancer genetics and has led to the discovery of new mutation variants. The study included 16 unselected Moroccan breast cancer patients tested with multi-gene panel (HEVA screen panel) using Illumina Miseq, followed by Sanger sequencing to validate the most relevant mutation. Mutational analysis revealed the presence of 13 mutations (11 single-nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] and 2 indels), and 6 of 11 identified SNPs were predicted as pathogenic. One of the 6 pathogenic mutations was c.7874G>C, a heterozygous SNP in HD-OB domain of BRCA2 gene, which led to the arginine to threonine change at codon 2625 of the protein. This work describes the first case of a patient with breast cancer harboring this pathogenic variant and analyzes its functional impact using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. Further experimental investigations are needed to validate its pathogenicity and to verify its association with breast cancer., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality rates are increasing rapidly in many low-income and middle-income countries. A demonstration project was implemented in Morocco in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and challenges of implementing CRC screening through routine primary care facilities., Methods: The objective of the project was to screen 10,000 men and women aged 50 to 75 years through 10 primary health centers (PHCs) in 2 provinces. All eligible men and women attending the selected PHCs were offered the fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Stool specimens brought to the PHCs were tested immediately by trained nurses. FIT-positive individuals were referred to the National Oncology Institute for colonoscopy., Results: In total, 9763 eligible men and women were screened by FIT between June 2017 and May 2019; most (73.3%) were women. The test was positive in 460 participants (4.7%). Among the individuals who had positive FIT results, 62.6% underwent colonoscopy. The main reasons for noncompliance to colonoscopy were competing life priorities (15.4%), other health problems (13%), and fear of getting a cancer diagnosis (12.3%). As the number of referrals to colonoscopy increased, the waiting time for the procedure increased, resulting in a drop in compliance. The detection rates of advanced adenomas and CRC were 4.0 in 1000 and 0.5 in 1000 individuals screened, respectively., Conclusions: An effective strategy to reach the target populations (especially men), a pragmatic assessment of the health system's capacity to deal with large numbers of referrals, and a formal cost-effectiveness analysis are essential before making any decision to introduce CRC screening in Morocco., (© 2021 American Cancer Society.)

Background: The status of peritoneal surface malignancy (PSM) management in North Africa is undetermined. The aim of this study was to assess and compare current practice and knowledge regarding PSM and examine satisfaction with available treatment options and need for alternative therapies in North Africa., Methods: This is a qualitative study involving specialists participating in PSM management in North Africa. The survey analyzed demographic characteristics and current knowledge and opinions regarding PSM management in different institutions. We also looked at goals and priorities, satisfaction with treatment modalities and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) usefulness according to specialty, country, years of experience, and activity sector., Results: One-hundred and three participants responded to the survey (response rate of 57%), including oncologists and surgeons. 59.2% of respondents had more than 10 years experience and 45.6% treated 20-50 PSM cases annually. Participants satisfaction with PSM treatment modalities was mild for gastric cancer (3/10 [IQR 2-3]) and moderate for colorectal (5/10 [IQR 3-5]), ovarian (5/10 [IQR 3-5]), and pseudomyxoma peritonei (5/10 [IQR 3-5]) type of malignancies. Good quality of life and symptom relief were rated as main priorities for treatment and the need for new treatment modalities was rated 9/10 [IQR 8-9]. The perceived usefulness of systemic chemotherapy in first intention was described as high by 42.7 and 39.8% of respondents for PSM of colorectal and gastric origins, while HIPEC was described as highly useful for ovarian (49.5%) and PMP (73.8) malignancies., Conclusions: The management of PSM in the North African region has distinct differences in knowledge, treatments availability and priorities. Disparities are also noted according to specialty, country, years of expertise, and activity sector. The creation of referral structures and PSM networks could be a step forward to standardized PSM management in the region., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Souadka, Essangri, Makni, Abid, Ayadi, Ksantini, Kordjani, Ballah, Bouka, Benkabbou, Majbar, El Khannoussi, Mohsine, Boutayeb and Hubner.)

The metaplastic breast cancers are rare lesions, accounting for less than 1 % of all breast malignancies. According to the WHO classification (2012), the spindle cell carcinoma of the breast figures among variants of metaplastic carcinomas. The average age at diagnosis is 53 years, and the usual course is fast. Their prognosis is more pejorative than the classic invasive ductal carcinoma. The differential diagnosis arises with sarcomas, especially phyllodes sarcomas but also with other primary breast sarcomas which remain rare. The distinction of this entity is important for further management of patients which is similar to that of conventional infiltrating carcinoma.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, very aggressive neuroectodermal tumor of the skin. It is typically located on sun-exposed skin and frequently found in white men aged between 70 and 80 years., Case Presentation: We report a case of a 58-year-old black woman diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma of the posterior face of the right elbow. She had biopsy excision and was lost to follow-up. Four months later, she presented with recurrent disease on the inferior third of the right arm with three ipsilateral axillary lymph node metastases. Amputation of the right arm and ipsilateral axillary lymph node dissection were performed, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. Six months later, the patient died as a result of respiratory failure caused by lung metastasis. To the best of our knowledge, no specific studies have been done comparing the course and the characteristics of Merkel cell carcinoma in white and black populations, and no similar case has been reported in the literature., Conclusions: The Merkel cell carcinoma is very rare in black people. As described elsewhere in the literature, our patient had a poor outcome despite radical management. To date, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no comparison of the prognosis of this tumor in white and black populations.

Endometrial cancer in patients with uterine congenital malformations is exceptional and there are only a few rare cases published in the literature. We report the case of a 67 years-old patient with an endometrial cancer located in the right cavity of a complete septate uterus.

Intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma is a rare lymph node benign tumor, of unknown pathogenesis. Although benign, this lesion is frequently confused with metastatic lesions, especially in atypical sites. We report a 39-year-old man with a history of testicular malignant mixed germ cell tumor, presented with abdominal painless mass. The computed tomography of the abdomen confirmed the presence of 180 × 140 mm2 mass in the retroperitoneum with lympadenopathy on the right measuring 20 x 15 mm. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy, and a surgical exerese of the retroperitoneeum lymph node was made. Histological and immunohistochemical examination confirmed the diagnosis of intranodal palissaded myofibroblastoma. This entity has been previously described, only once, in retroperitoneal region. Despite to the rarity of this neoplasm, we discuss clinicopathologic features and differential diagnosis.

Introduction: Metastases to the breast from extramammary malignancies are infrequent, the most common primary sites are malignant melanoma, leukemia, lymphoma, and cancer of the lung, stomach, prostate and ovary. The cervical origin is exceptional. Splenic metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix is also rare. To the best of our knowledge, only three cases of isolated splenic metastasis have been reported in the literature., Case Presentation: We describe the case of a 55-year-old North African woman who presented with a nodule in her left breast eight months after treatment for stage IIB squamous cell uterine cervical carcinoma. The excisional biopsy with histological study demonstrated a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. A computed tomography scan revealed a splenic secondary location., Conclusions: We report here a case of two unusual metastatic sites of uterine cervical carcinoma, the breast and spleen. It is the first case of this association without widespread disease.

Background: Breast metastasis is fairly uncommon and prognosis is dismal. Breast metastasis might be the first symptom or may occur during the course of other malignancies dominantly arising from the contralateral breast. Leukemia, lung cancer and conjunctival melanoma may spread to the breast., Case Presentation: A 43-year-old female patient was operated on for conjunctival melanoma. After two years the disease progressed quickly and cutaneous nodes appeared on the back and paraumbilical region. Physical and radiological examination showed a breast mass. No palpable lymph's nodes were noted. She underwent an open biopsy. Histopathologic examination and immunohistochemistry confirmed breast metastases from melanoma. During post-operative staging multiple nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal lesions were also objective. The patient was given palliative dacarbazine (250 mg/m2 per day for 4 days) for 4 cycles. She died 4 months after the diagnosis of breast metastases., Conclusion: Histopathological evaluation should be mandatory in patients with medical history of malignancies in order to differentiate new primary tumors, metastases, and benign tumors.