Schwannomas are generally slow growing asymptomatic neoplasms that rarely occur in the GI tract. However, if found, the most common site is the stomach. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, and 60–70% of them occur in the stomach. Owing to their typical presentation as submucosal neoplasms, gastric schwannomas and GISTs appear grossly similar. Accordingly, the differential diagnosis for a gastric submucosal mass should include gastric schwannomas. Furthermore, GI schwannomas are benign neoplasms with excellent prognosis after surgical resection, whereas 10–30% of GISTs have malignant behavior. Hence, it is important to distinguish gastric schwannomas from GISTs to make an accurate diagnosis to optimally guide treatment options. Nevertheless, owing to the paucity of gastric schwannomas, the index of suspicion for this diagnosis is low. We report a rare case of gastric schwannoma in 53-year-old woman who underwent laparoscopic partial gastrectomy under the suspicion of a GIST preoperatively but confirmed to have a gastric schwannoma postoperatively. This case underscores the importance of including gastric schwannomas in the differential diagnosis when preoperative imaging studies reveal a submucosal, exophytic gastric mass. For a gastric schwannoma, complete margin negative surgical resection is the curative treatment of choice.

Undifferentiated carcinoma of the pancreas with osteoclast-like giant cells (UC-OGC) is a rare and poorly described pancreatic malignancy. It is comprised of mononuclear, pleomorphic, and undifferentiated cells as well as osteoclast-like giant cells (OGC’s). It constitutes less than 1% of pancreatic non-endocrine neoplasia and is twice as likely to occur in females as in males. Its histopathologic properties remain poorly understood. It is suspected that UC-OGC is of epithelial origin that can then transition to mesenchymal elements. As part of this study, we describe a case of a malignant pancreatic neoplasm that was discovered in a 69-year old patient as an incidental finding. We also provide an overview of previously published data to highlight UC-OGC’s clinical and pathologic features.

We concluded that DMI and LVI were independent factors predictive of LN metastasis.

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Objective: This study was conducted to compare the correlation between Pap smear and colposcopic biopsy findings in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Study design: A total of 68,738 ThinPrep Pap smears were done in 2011 in our institution, and of these, 865 of the women (787 premenopausal and 78 postmenopausal) had subsequent colposcopic directed biopsies performed within 3 months of obtaining the results. Results: We discovered that 52.5% of the Pap smears in postmenopausal women versus 33.6% in premenopausal women were classified as false positive (FP), with respect to the biopsy, and of these, 47.6 vs. 17% cases had no transformation zone (TZ) on the subsequent biopsies, respectively. Interestingly, with respect to high-risk human papilloma virus (hrHPV) testing in patients having both Pap smear and biopsies performed, we found the Pap smear diagnoses were a better predictor of positive hrHPV than the respective colposcopic biopsies. Conclusion: As many of the FP postmenopausal women had an absent TZ (47.6%) on biopsy, and because the majority (83.3%) of those which had hrHPV testing were positive, we suggest that this indicates a potential sampling error on biopsy, perhaps due to an inability to visualize the involved area in older women due to an upward migration of the TZ.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the esophagus is an uncommon malignancy, representing approximately 2% of esophageal carcinomas. It has also been referred to as carcinosarcoma, pseudosarcoma, pseudosarcomatous squamous cell carcinoma, spindle cell carcinoma, and polypoid carcinoma, reflecting the uncertainty of its pathogenesis. Histologically, carcinomatous and sarcomatous components coexist. The clinical and radiologic findings resemble other esophageal neoplasms. Sarcomatoid carcinoma often presents as a large, intraluminal, polypoid mass on barium esophagram. Despite its size, however, sarcomatoid carcinoma has a more favorable prognosis than other malignant esophageal neoplasms, likely because of its exophytic growth into the lumen, rather than deep invasion. This article provides a brief overview of the clinicopathologic features and possible pathogenesis of this uncommon tumor.

As with other malignancies, lymph node metastasis is an important staging element and prognostic factor in colorectal carcinomas. The number of involved lymph nodes is directly related to decreased 5-year overall survival for all pT stages according to United States Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry database. The National Quality Forum specifies that the presence of at least 12 lymph nodes in a surgical resection is one of the key quality measures for the evaluation of colorectal cancer. Therefore, the harvesting of a minimum of twelve lymph nodes is the most widely accepted standard for evaluating colorectal cancer. Since this is an accepted quality standard, a second attempt at lymph node dissection in the gross specimen is often performed when the initial lymph node count is less than 12, incurring a delay in reporting and additional expense. However, this is an arbitrary number and not based on any hard scientific evidence. We decided to investigate whether the additional effort and expense of submitting additional lymph nodes had any effect on pathologic lymph node staging (pN). We identified a total of 99 colectomies for colorectal cancer in which the prosector subsequently submitted additional lymph nodes following initial review. The mean lymph node count increased from 8.3 ± 7.5 on initial search to 14.6 ± 8.0 following submission of additional sections. The number of cases meeting the target of 12 lymph nodes increased from 14 to 69. Examination of the additional lymph nodes resulted in pathologic upstaging (pN) of five cases. Gross reexamination and submission of additional lymph nodes may provide more accurate staging in a limited number of cases. Whether exhaustive submission of mesenteric fat or fat-clearing methods is justified will need to be further investigated.

The reliability and cost-effectiveness of a repeat Papanicolaou (Pap) smear performed at the time of colposcopic biopsy is uncertain. To evaluate the usefulness of this practice, Pap smear and biopsy results of 718 patients were reviewed and compared: 619 patients had Pap smears performed prior to colposcopy with a 1.1% false-negative rate, 97.5% sensitivity, and 83.6% positive predictive value. Ninety-nine patients had Pap smears performed at the time of colposcopy with a 19.1% false-negative rate, 56.8% sensitivity, and 92.6% positive predictive value. Repeat Pap smear at the time of colposcopy resulted in significant changes in the management of only 2 patients (2%) and more careful follow-up in one (1%). Pap smears performed at colposcopic biopsy are less sensitive than those done prior to biopsy (P < 0.001). The clinical benefit of this practice is marginal, considering the added costs and potential detrimental effects to the colposcopic examination, provided patients receive adequate follow-up.