BackgroundUrothelial bladder carcinoma (UBC) is one of the most prevalent cancers in men worldwide. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression has been detected in a wide range of urothelial carcinoma. Despite many reports in the literature, the prognostic significance of this overexpression remains unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the expression of HER2 in urothelial bladder carcinomas and its association with clinical and pathological parameters.Methods103 cases of UBC were diagnosed in our department between January 2014 and December 2015. The tumor specimens obtained by transurethral resection or cystectomy were evaluated by immunohistochemistry using HER2 antibody.ResultsHER2 protein overexpression was present in 11.7% of cases and associated with tumor grade (p = 0.003) and pathological stage (p = 0.015). In multivariate analysis, HER2 overexpression was associated only with tumor grade (P = 0.04).ConclusionHER2 protein overexpression is noted in patients with high grade cancer. This expression may select patients for anti HER2 targeted therapy. Future larger and prospective studies will verify the frequency of HER2 alteration and the role of HER2 in the aggressive behavior.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12907-017-0046-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundPrimary thyroid lymphoma is an uncommon pathological entity that accounts for only 1 to 5 % of all thyroid malignancies. Primary Burkitt lymphoma of the thyroid gland is very rare. This article presents the first Moroccan case of a primary BL of the thyroid to be reported in the literature to date.Case presentationWe describe here a case of a 70-year-old male who developed a rapidly enlarging thyroid gland with progressive symptoms of compression. Core biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma. The patient died of septic shock, 2 weeks after the first cycle of appropriate therapeutic chemotherapy.ConclusionsThis presentation emphasizes the importance of considering lymphoma when dealing with a thyroid mass, as its management is different from that of other thyroid pathologies, and affords an opportunity to review a very rare type of primary thyroid lymphoma.

Adrenal hemangioma is an extremely rare benign and non-functioning neoplasm of the adrenal gland. We report a case of a 71-year-old woman admitted for intermittent abdominal pain and abdominal distension associated with vomiting and chronic constipation for 5 years. Physical examination revealed a large abdominal mass. Both computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging suggested hemangioma in the right lobe of the liver. Laboratory examinations and tumour markers were within normal limits, except for hypochromic microcytic anemia. The mass was removed intact by conventional surgery and histopathology revealed a cavernous hemangioma of the adrenal gland with no signs of malignancy. Surgical resection was curative, with no recurrence at the 2-year follow-up.

Les tumeurs annexielles cutanées sont des tumeurs primitives cutanées à la fois rares et hétérogènes. Elles sont le plus souvent bénignes et rarement malignes. Elles sont dominées du point de vu morphologique par leur polymorphisme lésionnel. Le but de cette étude est de relever le profil épidémiologique et les différents aspects anatomopathologiques de ce groupe de tumeurs dans une cohorte de population marocaine et de les comparer avec les données de la littérature. Il s'agit d'une étude rétrospective de 96 cas de tumeurs annexielles cutanées colligées au service d'anatomie et de cytologie pathologique de l'Hôpital Militaire d'Instruction Mohammed V de rabat durant une période de 6 ans, de Janvier 2009 à Décembre 2014. Le pic de fréquence est situé entre 31 et 40 ans. L’âge moyen est de 36 ans avec une prédominance masculine (63,5%). Le siège de prédilection est la région de la tête et cou (47,9%). Les tumeurs bénignes (97,9%) sont plus fréquentes que les tumeurs malignes. La différenciation est folliculaire dans 51% des cas, eccrine/apocrine dans 44,8% des cas et sébacée dans 4,2% des cas. Le type histologique le plus fréquent est le pilomatrixome (33,4%) suivi par l'hidradénome (12,5%) et le spiradénome eccrine (11,5%). Les tumeurs annexielles cutanées sont rares et très variées. Le profil épidémiologique et les aspects anatomopathologiques qui ressortent sont globalement superposables à ceux rapportés dans la littérature. Elles sont majoritairement bénignes, à prédominance masculine et dominées par le pilomatrixome et l'hidradénome nodulaire. Les tumeurs malignes sont rares, agressives et surviennent à un âge plus avancé.

Background: The incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate. BRAFV600E mutation is described to be associated with a worse prognostic of thyroid carcinomas, as well as extrathyroidal invasion and increased mortality. Objective: To our knowledge, there are no reported studies neither from Morocco nor from other Maghreb countries re- garding the prevalence of BRAFV600E mutation in thyroid carcinomas. Here we aim to evaluate the frequency of BRAFV600E oncogene in Moroccan thyroid carcinomas. Methods: In this Single-Institution retrospective study realized in the Anatomic Pathology and Histology Service in the Mil- itary Hospital of Instruction Mohammed V ‘HMIMV’ in Rabat, we report, using direct genomic sequencing, the assessment of BRAFV600E in 37 thyroid tumors. Results: We detected BRAFV600E mutation exclusively in Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas ‘PTC’ with a prevalence of 28% (8 PTC out 29 PTC). Like international trends, Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas ’PTC’ is more frequent than Follicular Thyroid Carcinomas ‘FTC’ and Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinomas ‘ATC’ (29 PTC, 7 FTC and 1 ATC). Conclusion: Our finding gives to the international community the first estimated incidence of this oncogene in Morocco showing that this prevalence falls within the range of international trends (30% to 90%) reported in distinct worldwide ge- ographic regions. Keywords: Biomarker; BRAFV600E; Thyroid cancer; Morocco.