Telomerase is an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase that synthesizes TTAGGG telomeric DNA onto chromosomal ends to compensate for sequence loss during replication. It has been detected in a variety of human malignancies, suggesting that such activity may play a role in the tumorigenic process. To determine whether telomerase is reactivated in malignant fibrous histiocytoma, 12 tissue samples with this tumor were analyzed for the telomerase activity by a radioactive PCR-based TRAP (telomeric repeat amplification protocol) assay. All of the tumors were further investigated for the expression of human telomerase RNA (hTR) by an in situ hybridization (ISH). Telomerase activity was detected in one (8.3%) sample. Expression of hTR was demonstrated in 7 (58.3%): one telomerase-positive and six telomerase-negatives. These data indicate that the reactivation of telomerase is an uncommon event and not an important factor involved in tumorigenesis in malignant fibrous histiocytoma. It is noteworthy that 50% of the patients with grade 2 tumors expressed hTR, suggesting that telomerase RNA may be useful as a marker for identifying tumor aggressiveness earlier than the conventional histopathologic grading scale.
Carcinogenesis ; DNA ; Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous* ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; RNA* ; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase ; Telomerase*

An eccrine squamous syringometaplasia (ESS) is defined as a mature squamous metaplasia of the eccrine ducts. The clinical and pathological features of an ESS are presented. Syringometaplasia is a rare lesion, mostly occuring in the extremities, and as far as we know, no report on the ESS has been published in Korean literature. We experienced a case of an ESS occured in a 15 year-old male, who had a tender erythematous plaque in the right knee. The histologic examination revealed some scattered nests of metaplastic squamous epithelium in the deep dermis, associated with acute nonspecific panniculitis. The importance of the ESS is that it histologically simulates the well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The histopathologic findings were discussed and a brief review of the literature was made.
Adolescent ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Dermis ; Epithelium ; Extremities ; Humans ; Knee ; Male ; Metaplasia ; Panniculitis

We report a case of necrotizing arteritis involving the gallbladder. This case was clinically diagnosed as cholelithiasis with cholecystitis, and necrotizing arteritis was found in the surgically resected specimen. Vascular changes were similar to those seen in classic polyarteritis nodosa, involving medium-sized muscular arteries and characterized by fibrinoid necrosis and panarterial and periarterial inflammation varying from active to resolving stages. Acute cholecystitis is a rare initial clinical manifestation of the systemic vasculitis. If acute cholecystitis is found in the absence of obvious cause, careful examination is essential. Since steroid therapy improves the prognosis in the systemic vasculitis, clinicians and pathologists should be aware of this unusual lesion.
Arteries ; Cholecystitis ; Cholecystitis, Acute ; Cholelithiasis ; Gallbladder* ; Inflammation ; Necrosis ; Polyarteritis Nodosa ; Prognosis ; Systemic Vasculitis ; Vasculitis*

Orbital mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, first described by Luis et. al in 1971, is a very rare tumor of characteristic histologic features. A 21-year-woman was admitted with a 4-month histoiry of rapidly progressive proptosis and visual disturbance. Right orbital exenteration was performed under the clinical diagnosis of orbital calcifying tumor. Grossly, the tumor presented as a multibloblated, circumscribed mass that measures 5.5 cm in the greatest dimentsion. Cut sections resembled ordinary chonrosarcoma. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells, interspersed nodules of well differentated cartilagenous tissue, areas of gradual transition from undifferentiated mesenchymal cells to cartilage, and hemangiopericytoma-like areas. A brief summary of the histopathological aspect of this tumor and a review of literature are presented.
Female ; Humans

Tubular apocrine adenoma is a well-circumscribed intradermal benign tumor with tubular structures showing apocrine differentiation. Most of those cases occur on the scalp in middle aged women. Histologically, tubular structure with apparent apocrine decapitation secretion, cystic dilatation of tubule, and connection with epidermis are the characteristic features of tubular apocrine adenoma. We presented a case of tubular apocrine adenoma that had recurred after incomplete excision. It showed apocrine decapitation secretion histologically and both eccrine and apocrine differentiation on immunohistochemical study.
Adenoma* ; Decapitation ; Dilatation ; Epidermis ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Scalp

The dysplastic nevus is a rare form of melanocytic nevus in Korean people. During the past 5 years the authors experienced 5 cases in the St. Mary's Hospital and Kang Nam St. Mary's Hospital. The criteria and the histologic findings of dysplastic nevi are debated in the western literature. Clinically, all cases were greater than 5 mm in size with ill defined irregular borders and irregularly distributed pigmentation. Histopathologically, all cases showed numerous discrete individual nests of melanocytes located in the dermoepidermal junction and the papillary dermis and were characterized by extension of dermoepidermal component of the nevus at the "shoulder" beyond the dermal component of the nevus. There was no cytologic atypia of nevus cells in all cases. Our cases lacked personal or family history of malignant melanoma. Therefore, we believe our cases are nonfamilial, sporadic and benign nevi with no prognostic significance. A brief review of the literature and a discussion on the term "dysplastic" and clinicopathologic correlation are made.

The rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate is very rarely encountered in the western literature, and only a few reports have been published in Korea. The authours recently experienced two cases of rhabdomyosarcomas of the prostate in 35-year-old and 51-year-old males who had suffered from gross hematuria and difficulty of urination. Microscopic studies showed embryonal type of rhabdomyosarcoma in two cases. The clinical and pathological features of the distinctive prostatic rhabdomyosarcoma are described, and a brief review of the literature is made.
Male ; Humans

Primary malignant parovarian epithelial tumors are extremely rare, with only 56 cases previously reported in the world literature. Most parovarian epithelial tumors are of paramesonephric (Mullerian) origin. In this article, we report the first case in the Korean literature of papillary serous cystadenoma of borderline malignancy from paramesonephric parovarian cyst. This case presented here is of particular interest since this neoplasm is rare. A 48-year-old female underwent a hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection for a cystic tumor of the right parovarian area. The tumor, measuring 13 cm in diameter, was apart from the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus. The cyst wall had well-developed smooth muscle layers. The cyst was lined with mildly atypical ciliated and non-ciliated low columnar cells compatible with those of paramesonephric origin. From the inner surface of the cyst several cauliflower-like structures projected into the lumen. They were of a predominantly papillary architecture covered by atypical epithelial cells with piling-up and occasional glandular growth. No destructive stromal invasion was identified.
Cystadenoma, Serous* ; Epithelial Cells ; Fallopian Tubes ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Lymph Node Excision ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth ; Ovary ; Parovarian Cyst* ; Uterus

Compared with osteosarcoma of bone, primary osteosarcoma of the soft tissue is very rare. Extraskeletal osteosarcoma is also a highly malignant pleomorphic sarcoma composed of cells exhibiting primarily osteoblastic, and to a lesser extent, chondroblastic differentiation. A case of extraskeletal osteosarcoma in the right sole is presented in a 67 year old male. The patient had noticed a progressively enlarging soft tissue mass, during about 14 months. This sarcoma was located in the soft tissues without attachment to the skeleton, as determined by examination of the X-Ray findings. The mass of right plantar portion was simply excised and pathologically confirmed to be an extraskeletal osteosarcoma. The clinical and pathological features of this sarcoma are described, and brief review of the literature is made.

Agenesis of the dorsal pancreas is one of the rare congenital anomalies of the pancreas. Six cases of them have been reported. We have experienced an autopsy case of agenesis of the dorsal pancreas associated with fetal death in the uterus. Grossly, the body and tail of the pancreas and uncinate process were not found and those were partially replaced by adipose tissue. No abnormality was noted in the other organs. Microscopically, pancreatic tissue with autolytic change was identified only in the head portion of the pancreas.