1.What Lurks Beneath: Lacrimal Gland Adenocarcinoma Dedifferentiation to Sarcomatoid Carcinoma
Farrah-Hani Imran ; Muthukumaran Guhan ; Enda Kelly ; Jegan Thanabalan ; Farizal Fadzil ; Faridah Hanum
Journal of Surgical Academia 2015;5(2):70-74
This was a case of a young lady presenting with 10 year history of a mass in the right eye. It was found to be an
adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland from histopathological biopsy. She underwent wide excision, orbital
exenteration and reconstruction with a free rectus abdominis flap. Unfortunately, she had a tumour recurrence which
was not controlled by radiotherapy and a second excision. The behavior of the tumour was aggressive, resulting in
widespread metastases. She passed away within a year of her presentation. Of note, the histopathology report from
the second excision turned out to be sarcomatoid carcinoma. This is described in the literature as dedifferentiation, or
high grade transformation (HGT). Occurrence of dedifferentiation in salivary gland tumours is well-established, but
not as well-described in lacrimal gland tumours. In this case, there was a severely delayed presentation of a lacrimal
gland adenocarcinoma in a young person, which underwent dedifferentiation into a sarcomatoid carcinoma. This
phenomena is associated with aggressive tumour biology behavior and poor prognosis, despite surgery and
radiotherapy.
Adenocarcinoma
;
Lacrimal Apparatus
2.Sex estimation using subpubic angle from reconstructed three-dimensional computed tomography pelvic model in a contemporary Malaysian population
Siti Hanum Mohd ALI ; Normaliza OMAR ; Mohamed Swarhib SHAFIE ; Nik Azuan Nik ISMAIL ; Helmi HADI ; Faridah Mohd NOR
Anatomy & Cell Biology 2020;53(1):27-35
Research in forensic anthropology is recent in Malaysia due to limited access to documented skeletal collections. However, advanced imaging techniques provide virtual bone samples for use in morphometric studies to establish population-specific standards by virtual anthropology. This study examined sexual dimorphism in the subpubic angle using a three-dimensional computed tomography model of the pelvis, in a contemporary Malaysian population. The sample comprised multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scans of 50 male and 50 female adults. Segmentation of the MDCT scans was performed using 3D Slicer, and four landmarks were acquired using Stratovan Checkpoint for the subpubic angle measurement. The technical error of measurement (TEM), relative TEM, and coefficient of reliability (R) exhibited high reliability in measurements. Results showed that the subpubic angle in males was 68.6°±7.6° and in females 87.4°±6.5°. The subpubic angle in females was significantly larger than in males (P<0.001). Inverse correlation was found between the subpubic angle and age, in both males (r=–0.449, P<0.01) and females (r=–0.385, P<0.01). The overall accuracy of sex estimation using the subpubic angle was 94% (P<0.001). The subpubic angle, with a demarcating point of 78.6°, showed a sensitivity and specificity of 94% in the classification of female individuals. In conclusion, sex estimation using the subpu bic angle is highly accurate, with a high degree of expected sensitivity and specificity in the Malaysian population.