Diverticulosis of the appendix (DA) is rare and frequently found incidentally. Some cases are discovered after presenting with similar symptomatology to acute appendicitis, whereas other cases may be completely silent. Fibrous obliteration (FO) is a histologic finding indicative of cellular proliferation secondary to relapses of subclinical inflammatory processes. We report a case of a 75-year-old female with a history of chronic, intermittent abdominal pains who presented to the general surgery clinic after an abnormal thickening of the appendix was discovered on abdominal and pelvic computed tomography imaging. The patient underwent laparoscopic appendectomy for suspicion of malignancy. The histologic evaluation of the specimen demonstrated a diverticulum at the distal end of the appendix with FO of the lumen. We suspect the chronic nature of her disease course may have led to the FO of the diverticulum. An extensive literature search was performed, which revealed no other cases of FO of appendiceal diverticula. This may be the first case of diverticulosis of the appendix with FO in the English medical literature. If DA is discovered early with non-invasive imaging, surgical excision should be performed prophylactically as an association with an increased risk of perforation and neoplastic progression has been found.
Introduction: Pancreatic lymphoma comprise less than 1 % of pancreatic malignancies. Most common location of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are lymph nodes. Clinical symptoms and imaging studies have significant similarity resulting in delayed diagnosis or early initiation of comfort care measures. It is important to determine the histology of pancreatic tumor given the differences in management and prognosis. Here we report a rare case of primary DLBCL arising from pancreas. Case Description/Methods: 62-year-old female with history of HTN and DM presented with 30 lbs unintentional weight loss epigastric abdominal pain and early satiety. CT abdomen with IV and oral contrast demonstrated pancreatic mass. Core biopsy of pancreatic head mass demonstrated infiltration by large atypical lymphoid cells with high N/C ratio, round nuclear contour, fine chromatin and variably prominent nucleoli (Figure A). Atypical mitosis and apoptosis seen in background. Lymphoma cells positive for CD 19, CD 20 (Figure B). Final diagnosis Large B cell lymphoma germinal center type. FISH for BCL 2, C MYC were normal ruling out possibility of double or triple hit lymphoma. Cancer antigen 19-9 at the time of diagnosis was within normal limits. FDG PET/CT prior to initiation of treatment showed main foci of increased tracer activity appears to be in the proximal body of the pancreas just medial to the stomach, measures greater than 4 cm in diameter, and has a maximum SUV of 11.86 (Figure C). Rituximab- Cyclophosphamide HydrOxyadriamycin Prednisone (R-CHOP) every 3 weeks initiated. After one cycle of R-CHOP reported significant improvement in epigastric pain and started gaining weight. She completed 6 cycles of R-CHOP. Post treatment FDG PET/CT complete resolution of upper abdominal lymph node mass (Figure D). She remains in remission for the past 1 year. Discussion: Our case is an example of successful biopsy and treatment with aim to cure pancreatic malignancy. Despite radiological differences between pancreas adenocarcinoma and lymphoma, it is crucial to obtain adequate tissue sampling during from pancreas to establish histological diagnosis prior to discussion of prognosis and treatment plan. In general, DLBCL germinal center type has a 5-year survival of 70% with R-CHOP. Differential diagnosis of pancreatic mass that confer better prognosis than adenocarcinoma include neuroendocrine tumor, solid pseudopapillary tumor and lymphoma. Therefore, it is important to obtain biopsy and direct therapy based on histology.Figure 1.: A: Core biopsy of pancreatic head mass demonstrated infiltration by large atypical lymphoid cells with high N/C ratio, round nuclear contour, fine chromatin and variably prominent nucleoli. B: Lymphoma cells positive for CD 19, CD 20. C: FDG PET/CT prior to initiation of treatment showed main foci of increased tracer activity appears to be in the proximal body of the pancreas just medial to the stomach, measures greater than 4 cm in diameter, and has a maximum SUV of 11.86. D: Post treatment FDG PET/CT complete resolution of upper abdominal lymph node mass.
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