Pituitary tumors invade the cavernous sinus via the medial wall. Researchers have speculated that this wall is composed of dura and that substances secreted by tumors might damage this barrier. In contrast to the lateral wall, little is known about the structure of the medial wall of the cavernous sinus (MWCS). This study provides the first detailed quantitative (thickness) and qualitative (histological) assessment of the MWCS. Eighteen sellar-parasellar tissue blocks were obtained from adult human autopsies. Ten specimens were used for microsurgical dissection and macroscopic anatomical description. Eight specimens were used for histopathological study and for recording computer measurements of MWCS thickness. Each of these eight specimens was divided into three approximately equal-sized pieces, with cuts made in the coronal plane from posterior to anterior starting at the anterior level of the pituitary stalk. Wall thicknesses were compared in the three different regions (posterior, middle, anterior), and also on the left vs. the right sides. The investigations showed that the MWCS is a distinct dural layer that forms a barrier between the medial venous space of the cavernous sinus and the pituitary gland. The mean thickness of the 48 total (left and right) MWCS observed in the 24 sections examined was 0.195 +/- 0.066 mm (range = 0.080-0.387 mm). This wall is composed of loosely arranged collagen fibers that comprise a specific layer known as "meningeal dura." The posterior third of the MWCS was significantly thinner than the middle third (P = 0.0014) or anterior third (P = 0.0001). No macro- or microscopic defects were observed in any of the MWCS in the 18 specimens. The thinness of the posterior MWCS suggests that this is the most likely path for extension of pituitary tumors into the cavernous sinus.

Carcinosarcoma is a rare, biphasic and malignant tumor having a mixture of carcinoma and sarcoma containing differentiated mesenchymal elements. It may occur in such diverse locations as the uterus, breast, thyroid, lung, and upper gastrointestinal system. However, to date a primary mediastinal carcinosarcoma has not been reported in the literature.

Objectives: Human Epididymal Secretory Protein 4 was firstly described as an epididymis-specific protein but more recently it has been demonstrated to be a putative serum tumor marker for different malignancies, especially ovarian epithelial cancers. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between tissue Human Epididymal Secretory Protein 4 expression and the clinicopathological features of uterine cervical tumors. Material and methods:This retrospective study was designed to evaluate the differences of tissue expressions of Human Epididymal Secretory Protein 4 protein in a spectrum of cervical neoplasms. One hundred and seven patients recently diagnosed as having cervical intraepithelial neoplasm or invasive squamous cell carcinoma, adenosquamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma based on pathology databases.Results: Decreased or negative Human Epididymal Secretory Protein 4 expressions were determined in both normal cervical epithelia and in intraepithelial carcinomas, while increased HE4 expression was observed in invasive tumors. Conclusions:This study demonstrated that altered expression of Human Epididymal Secretory Protein 4 may involve in tumorigenesis in the uterine cervix. Our findings also suggested the presence of a correlation between Human Epididymal Secretory Protein 4 expression and the invasive potential of uterine tumors. Therefore it may be thought that the tissue expression of HE4 can be used to differentiate high grade intraepithelial tumors from carcinomas.

Background and Design:The literature does not include sufficient data on the associations between cytological atypia and stromal reactions in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) subtypes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the grade of cytological atypia and to determine the associations between atypia grade and stromal reactions in BCC. Materials and Methods: The study included 85 BCC patients. Clinical parameters including age, gender and lesion location were evaluated. As histopathological parameters; subtype (high risk/low risk), grade of cytological atypia (mild/moderate/severe), density of peritumoral/adjacent perivascular inflammation, presence of lymphoid follicle formation, and the stromal reaction type (fibromyxoid/desmoplastic) were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the patients was 67.93±11.46 years (range: 38-88) and the female to male ratio was 45:40. 54.1% of the lesions were located on high-risk regions and high-risk subtype was observed in 50.6% of the lesions. Severe cytological atypia was associated with high-risk subtype (p<0.001), dense peritumoral/perivascular inflammation (p<0.001), and desmoplastic stroma (p<0.001). Moderate/severe atypia, desmoplastic stroma, dense peritumoral/perivascular inflammation and lymphoid follicle formation were significantly more common in high-risk subtypes (p<0.001). Locations were not associated with aytpia grades, density of peritumoral/perivascular inflammation, lymphoid follicle formation, and stromal reactions (p=0.774, p=0.665, 0.416, 0.230, 0.461, and 1, respectively). Conclusion: Severe cytological atypia in BCC was associated with more intense inflammation, desmoplastic stroma and high-risk subtypes in BCC. In conclusion, cytological atypia grade may be a factor influencing stromal reactions. Thus, evaluating the atypia grade in routine histopathological examination of BCCs might be used to identify high-risk BCC subtypes with more infiltrative potential.