Of 352 patients with colorectal carcinoma followed for a minimum of 5 years after surgery, 39 cases (11.1%; median age 60 years) had mucinous adenocarcinoma, and 4 (1.1%; median age 62 years) had signet-ring cell carcinoma. Mucinous carcinomas were most frequently located in the rectum (61.5%) and in the sigmoid colon (15.3%) and presented with stage C and D disease in 41 and 15% of the cases, respectively. Disease recurrence was more frequently observed in patients with mucinous (51.7%) or signet-ring lesions (100%) as compared with adenocarcinomas. Five-year survival was 45 (median 48 months), 28 (median 27), and 0% (median 15 months) in patients with adenocarcinomas, mucinous adenocarcinomas, and signet-ring cell carcinomas, respectively (p < 0.05). Mucinous carcinomas of the rectum had had a significantly worse prognosis (5-year survival 17%, median 33 months) as compared with adenocarcinomas of the same site (5-year survival 34%, median 25 months; p < 0.05).

This study reports a series of 19 extrapleural solitary fibrous tumors. The patients included 6 men and 13 women with age ranging from 27 to 86 years. Three patients showed local recurrence. In 2 tumors, a diagnosis of malignancy was made. All of the tumors were strongly positive for CD34, and 3 of them expressed high levels of progesterone receptor. Solitary fibrous tumors are fairly rare, occurring in many parts of the body, and their behavior is unpredictable.

A morphometric analysis was performed on histologic sections of 11 cases of aggressive basal cell carcinoma that recurred and/or metastasized after the first diagnosis (BCC2) and on 11 ordinary basal cell carcinomas (BCC1). The considered parameters were as follows: nuclear area, perimeter, maximum diameter, feret x, feret y, form perimeter, and form area. The results show numeric differences between the two groups for the first five parameters. A statistical analysis was performed between BCC1 and BCC2 for all the considered parameters using a two-sided t test for independent samples. The test showed significant differences between the first five parameters except for the two form factors. A multivariate analysis was performed using area and perimeter values of the compared groups that amplified the discrimination threshold between the two groups. The authors conclude that a morphometric assessment may bring significant contribution in the knowledge and in the outcome prediction of basal cell carcinoma.

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Granular cell tumors have been described in many sites throughout the body. To our knowledge, few cases have been described in the literature. We report here the sixth case, in which positivity for lysozyme was also observed for the first time. The problems of the histogenesis and differential diagnosis of this rare variant of basal cell carcinoma are also discussed.