A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, an interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves the extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a disease. The tissue is then fixed, dehydrated, embedded, sectioned, stained and mounted before it is generally examined under a microscope by a pathologist; it may also be analyzed chemically. When an entire lump or suspicious area is removed, the procedure is called an excisional biopsy. An incisional biopsy or core biopsy samples a portion of the abnormal tissue without attempting to remove the entire lesion or tumor. When a sample of tissue or fluid is removed with a needle in such a way that cells are removed without preserving the histological architecture of the tissue cells, the procedure is called a needle aspiration biopsy. Biopsies are most commonly performed for insight into possible cancerous or inflammatory conditions.
Calcinosis cutis is an uncommon condition marked by calcium buildup in the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Calcinosis cutis can range in intensity from little nodules in one area of the body to huge, crippling lesions affecting a vast portion of the body. Five kinds of the condition are typically distinguished: calciphylaxis, idiopathic calcification, iatrogenic calcification, dystrophic calcification, and metastatic calcification.
Plantar fascial fibromatosis, also known as Ledderhose's disease, Morbus Ledderhose, and plantar fibromatosis, is a relatively uncommon non-malignant thickening of the feet's deep connective tissue, or fascia. In the beginning, where nodules start growing in the fascia of the foot, the disease is minor. Over time, walking becomes painful. The disease is named after Georg Ledderhose, a German surgeon who described the condition for the first time in 1894. A similar disease is Dupuytren's disease, which affects the hand and causes bent hand or fingers.
Myositis ossificans comprises two syndromes characterized by heterotopic ossification (calcification) of muscle. The World Health Organization, 2020, has grouped myositis ossificans together with fibro-osseous pseudotumor of digits as a single specific entity in the category of fibroblastic and myofibroblastic tumors.
Giant-cell fibroma is a benign localized fibrous mass. It often mimics other fibroepithelial growths and can be distinguished by its histopathology. The exact cause of giant-cell fibromas is unknown however there is no evidence to show that it can be caused by irritation. Giant-cell fibromas can be removed by surgical incision, electrosurgery, or laser excision.
An ameloblastic fibroma is a fibroma of the ameloblastic tissue, that is, an odontogenic tumor arising from the enamel organ or dental lamina. It may be either truly neoplastic or merely hamartomatous. In neoplastic cases, it may be labeled an ameloblastic fibrosarcoma in accord with the terminological distinction that reserves the word fibroma for benign tumors and assigns the word fibrosarcoma to malignant ones. It is more common in the first and second decades of life, when odontogenesis is ongoing, than in later decades. In 50% of cases an unerupted tooth is involved.
Peripheral odontogenic fibroma(PFO) is a fibrous connective tissue mass that is exophytic and covered in surface epithelium that contains odontogenic epithelium. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies peripheral odontogenic fibroma as a fibroblastic neoplasm with variable amounts of odontogenic epithelium that appears to be dormant. Dentine and/or cementum-like material may be present.
Angiolipoma is a subcutaneous nodule with vascular structure, having all other features of a typical lipoma. They are commonly painful. Angiolipomas manifest as multiple painful subcutaneous nodules commonly on the upper limbs. The can occur sporadically, with a family history or after trauma. Angiolipomas can be seen on CT scans and MRI but are diagnosed based of histopathology. Total excision or liposuction is used to treat angiolipomas. They are more common in med and usually appear in third and second decades of life.
Infantile digital fibromatosis (IDF), also termed inclusion body fibromatosis, Reye tumor, or Reye's tumor, usually occurs as a single, small, asymptomatic, nodule in the dermis on a finger or toe of infants and young children. IMF is a rare disorder with approximately 200 cases reported in the medical literature as of 2021. The World Health Organization in 2020 classified these nodules as a specific benign tumor type in the category of fibroblastic and myofibroblastic tumors. IDF was first described by the Australian pathologist, Douglas Reye, in 1965.
Microvenular hemangioma is an acquired benign vascular tumor that presents as an asymptomatic, slowly growing, 0.5- to 2.0 cm reddish lesion on the forearms or other sites of young to middle-aged adults. The cause of microvenular hemangioma is unknown, however it has been associated with immunosuppression.
Collagenous fibroma, also known as desmoplastic fibroblastoma, is a slow-growing, deep-set, benign fibrous tumor, usually located in the deep subcutis, fascia, aponeurosis, or skeletal muscle of the extremities, limb girdles, or head and neck regions. The World Health Organization in 2020 reclassified desmoplastic fibroblastoma/collagenous fibroma as a specific benign tumor type within the broad category of fibroblastic and myofibroblastic tumors.
Chondroid lipomas are deep-seated, firm, yellow tumors that characteristically occur on the legs of women. They exhibit a characteristic genetic translocation t(11;16) with a resulting C11orf95-MKL2 fusion oncogene.
A cutaneous myxoma, or superficial angiomyxoma, consists of a multilobulated myxoid mass containing stellate or spindled fibroblasts with pools of mucin forming cleft-like spaces. There is often a proliferation of blood vessels and an inflammatory infiltrate. Staining is positive for vimentin, negative for cytokeratin and desmin, and variable for CD34, Factor VIIIa, SMA, MSA and S-100.
Onychomatricoma is a cutaneous condition characterized by a distinctive tumor of the nail matrix.
Proliferating trichilemmal cysts, also known as a pilar tumor, proliferating follicular cystic neoplasm, proliferating pilar tumor, and proliferating trichilemmal tumor is a cutaneous condition characterized by proliferations of squamous cells forming scroll-like structures.
A superficial acral fibromyxoma is a type of myxoma and is a rare cutaneous condition characterized by a mesenchymal neoplasm that typically occurs on the digits of middle-aged adults.
Fibroma of tendon sheath is a benign tumor that presents as a small subcutaneous nodule that slowly increases in size. The tumors often have a multinodular growth pattern, with individual nodules being composed of bland, slender, spindle-shaped cells (myofibroblasts) in a dense, fibrous matrix.” A common microscopic finding is the presence of elongated, slit-like blood vessels. The lesions nearly always arise in the distal portions of the extremities. They often occur on the fingers, hands, toes, or feet. Although they are benign, they may recur after surgical excision in up to 40% of people.
An inflammatory fibroid polyp(IFP) is an uncommon digestive system tumor. J. Vanek initially identified it as a separate pathological entity in 1949 when he reported six case reports of eosinophilic infiltration in gastric submucosal granulomas. It is a single, non-encapsulated polypoid lesion that is typically submucosal. It is characterized by a large number of small blood vessels, oedematous connective tissue, and an inflammatory eosinophilic infiltrate.
Fibroblastic and myofibroblastic tumors (FMTs) develop from the mesenchymal stem cells which differentiate into fibroblasts and/or the myocytes/myoblasts that differentiate into muscle cells. FMTs are a heterogeneous group of soft tissue neoplasms. The World Health Organization (2020) defined tumors as being FMTs based on their morphology and, more importantly, newly discovered abnormalities in the expression levels of key gene products made by these tumors' neoplastic cells. Histopathologically, FMTs consist of neoplastic connective tissue cells which have differented into cells that have microscopic appearances resembling fibroblasts and/or myofibroblasts. The fibroblastic cells are characterized as spindle-shaped cells with inconspicuous nucleoli that express vimentin, an intracellular protein typically found in mesenchymal cells, and CD34, a cell surface membrane glycoprotein. Myofibroblastic cells are plumper with more abundant cytoplasm and more prominent nucleoli; they express smooth muscle marker proteins such as smooth muscle actins, desmin, and caldesmon. The World Health Organization further classified FMTs into four tumor forms based on their varying levels of aggressiveness: benign, intermediate, intermediate, and malignant.
The ameloblastic fibro-odontoma (AFO) is essentially a benign tumor with the features characteristic of ameloblastic fibroma along with enamel and dentin. Though it is generally regarded as benign, there have been cases of its malignant transformation into ameloblastic fibrosarcoma and odontogenic sarcoma. Cahn LR and Blum T, believed in "maturation theory", which suggested that AFO was an intermediate stage and eventually developed during the period of tooth formation to a complex odontoma thus, being a hamartoma.
