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| International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology |
Int J Clin Exp Pathol 1(6):539-543;2008
Case Report
Carcinoid Tumors Arising in Tailgut Cysts May Be Associated with Estrogen Receptor
Status: Case Report and Review of the Literature
John J. Liang, Sadir Alrawi, Gregory N. Fuller and Dongfeng Tan
Department of Pathology, U.T. M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030; Department of pathology*, Penn State Hershey
Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033
Received 17 Sept 2007; accepted and available online 1 January 2008
Abstract: Tailgut cysts are uncommon developmental cysts that form in the presacral space. Complications of tailgut cysts include
benign reactive lesions associated with infection and inflammation, and malignant transformation. Six cases of carcinoid tumor arising in
tailgut cysts have been reported in the medical literature to date. Here we report another case of carcinoid tumor arising in a tailgut cyst.
Because six of seven cases occurred in females, we postulate that these tumors are hormone-associated. This hypothesis is supported
by the present study. We found strong estrogen receptor immunoreactivity of the benign squamous and columnar cyst-lining cells as well
as carcinoid tumor cells, in addition to neuroendocrine differentiation in the tumor cells and scattered cyst-lining cells. We speculate that
estrogen receptor may be a potential therapeutic target in patients with this condition. (IJCEP709009).
Key Words: Carcinoid tumor, tailgut cyst, estrogen receptor
Full Text PDF
Address all correspondences to: Dongfeng Tan, M.D., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Unit 85, The University of
Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, Texas 77030; phone: (713) 745-4977; fax: (713) 745-1105; Email:
dtan@mdanderson.org
Case Report
Carcinoid Tumors Arising in Tailgut Cysts May Be Associated with Estrogen Receptor
Status: Case Report and Review of the Literature
John J. Liang, Sadir Alrawi, Gregory N. Fuller and Dongfeng Tan
Department of Pathology, U.T. M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030; Department of pathology*, Penn State Hershey
Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033
Received 17 Sept 2007; accepted and available online 1 January 2008
Abstract: Tailgut cysts are uncommon developmental cysts that form in the presacral space. Complications of tailgut cysts include
benign reactive lesions associated with infection and inflammation, and malignant transformation. Six cases of carcinoid tumor arising in
tailgut cysts have been reported in the medical literature to date. Here we report another case of carcinoid tumor arising in a tailgut cyst.
Because six of seven cases occurred in females, we postulate that these tumors are hormone-associated. This hypothesis is supported
by the present study. We found strong estrogen receptor immunoreactivity of the benign squamous and columnar cyst-lining cells as well
as carcinoid tumor cells, in addition to neuroendocrine differentiation in the tumor cells and scattered cyst-lining cells. We speculate that
estrogen receptor may be a potential therapeutic target in patients with this condition. (IJCEP709009).
Key Words: Carcinoid tumor, tailgut cyst, estrogen receptor
Full Text PDF
Address all correspondences to: Dongfeng Tan, M.D., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Unit 85, The University of
Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, Texas 77030; phone: (713) 745-4977; fax: (713) 745-1105; Email:
dtan@mdanderson.org