An unusual case of saphenous neuropathy secondary to compression by a large hydatid cyst within the adductor longus muscle is reported. Solitary hydatid cyst(s) localized in the skeletal muscles occur rarely and often mimic soft tissue tumours. Presentation with signs of peripheral nerve compression by a hydatid cyst in an extremity is exceedingly rare. Diagnosis can be established by ultrasound, computerized tomography or magnetic resonance if clinically suspected. Clinical suspicion of hydatid origin of a solitary muscle cyst should be high especially in patients hailing from areas endemic for echinococcosis. Laboratory tests are usually unhelpful in such cases and needle biopsy carries the risk of anaphylactic shock and should therefore be avoided. Surgical removal of the unruptured cyst is the treatment of choice in cases of intramuscular hydatid cyst. In the present case, excision of the hydatid cyst was followed by complete clinical recovery. In the absence of systemic involvement, treatment with albendazole may be avoided.

Teratomas are embryonal neoplasms that arise when totipotential germ cells escape the developmental control of primary organizers and give rise to tumors containing tissue derived from all three blastodermic layers. Teratomas have been reported to occur in various sites and organs. Teratoma of the cervical neck are relatively rare in adulthood. It usually extends from the neck to the thoracic cavity causing local mass effect. In most of the cases intrauterine diagnosis is possible by ultrasound. Because of dyspnea due to mass effect, this condition is treated promptly after birth. However cases of teratoma in adulthood with supraclavicular localization have been reported rarely in the literature. The presented case is of a 25-year-old female with a cervical mass. Histological examination revealed a benign mature teratoma. The patient has been disease free for more than nine years after surgical removal of a neck teratoma.

BackgroundPrognosis and treatment of patients with breast carcinoma of no special type (NST) is dependent on a few established parameters, such as tumor size, histological grade, lymph node stage, expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER-2/neu, and proliferation index. The original Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI) employs a three-tiered classification system that stratifies patients with breast cancer into good, moderate, and poor prognostic groups. The aim of our study was to use robust immunohistochemical methodology for determination of ER, PR, HER-2/neu, Ki-67, p53, and Bcl-2, and to observe differences in the expression of these markers when patients are stratified according to the original, three-tiered Nottingham Prognostic Index.MethodsParaffin blocks from 120 patients diagnosed with breast carcinoma, NST, were retrieved from our archive. Cases included in the study were female patients previously treated with modified radical mastectomy and axillary dissection.ResultsOur study demonstrates that expression of markers of good prognosis, such as ER, PR, and Bcl-2, is seen with higher frequency in good and moderate NPI groups. In contrast, overexpression of HER-2/neu, a marker of adverse prognosis, is more frequent in moderate and poor NPI groups. High proliferation index, as measured by Ki-67, is seen in moderate and poor NPI groups, whereas low proliferation index is seen in good NPI groups.ConclusionsThese data confirm that the original, three-tiered NPI statistically correlates with the expression of prognostic immunohistochemical markers in breast carcinoma NST.

Original scientific articleBackground. Colorectal polyps (CP) are common among individuals older than 50 years. Some polyp types can precede colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed at describing histopathological characteristics of colorectal polyps in relation to age and gender among symptomatic patients referred for a colonoscopy examination during 2011-2014 in Tirana, Albania.

Cardiac hemangiomas are very rare benign cardiac tumors. They can present at any age and clinical presentation varies according to location and size. We encountered an 87-year-old woman with a left atrial hemangioma clinically diagnosed as cardiac myxoma. Histopathological examination revealed that it was a cavernous-type hemangioma Left atrial hemangiomas, especially those attached to the left atrium wall, may be mistakenly diagnosed as myxomas. Furthermore, a comprehensive review of atrial hemangioma was conducted for the diagnosis and treatment of this uncommon entity.