Previous Pathology Case Challenges

A 37-year-old woman presents to medical attention reporting increasing vague abdominal pain, irregular bowel movements (constipation alternating with diarrhea), and menorrhagia, over the past year.

A 37-year-old woman presents to medical attention reporting increasing vague abdominal pain, irregular bowel movements (constipation alternating with diarrhea), and menorrhagia, over the past year.

A 14-year-old boy presents with new onset of shortness of breath and easy bruising. A chest x-ray reveals a large anterior mediastinal mass.

A 62-year-old man presents with an incidental finding of an enlarged lymph node along the left internal iliac chain. No prior history of malignancy.

A 57-year-old man presents with a dull lower back pain for the last six months. Clinical workup and imaging reveals an 8.0 cm mass in the sacrum area.

A 45-year-old woman presents with a mass in the left flank. The excision specimen reveals a 4.5 cm relatively well-circumscribed mass with a yellow-tan appearance.

A 26-year-old woman sees her physician because of abdominal discomfort. She undergoes an extensive workup in which an 8.0 cm mass is identified in the uncinate process of the pancreas by computed tomography scan. She undergoes a resection.

A 56-year-old woman presents with significant weight loss. She was in her usual state of health until five months ago, when she noted a mass over her left lower thorax. An MRI scan of the back reveals a lipoma of the left lower thorax.

An 18-year-old woman presents with a non-tender mass in the left breast. Ultrasound shows a 4.0 cm hypoechoic, oval, circumscribed mass at 4 o’clock

A 70-year-old woman presents with a 7.0 cm right supraclavicular neck mass, night sweats, fatigue, and an unintentional 10-pound weight loss.

A 23-year-old woman presents with a one-year history of fatigue. Imaging studies reveal a large right atrial mass, which is resected. On gross examination, the resected mass measures 8.5 x 8.0 x 6.5 cm.

A 37-year-old woman presents to medical attention reporting increasing vague abdominal pain, irregular bowel movements (constipation alternating with diarrhea), and menorrhagia, over the past year.

A 19-year-old woman presents with vaginal bleeding during the 14th week of pregnancy. She reports intractable nausea. Serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta HCG) levels are markedly elevated at 1,780,000 mIU/ml.

Upon imaging, a 53-year-old woman is found to have a large cystic mass in her left kidney. Following nephrectomy, gross examination shows a well-circumscribed multiloculated cystic mass measuring 12.0 cm in greatest dimension.

A 24-year-old woman (G6P5, status post 5 Cesarean sections) arrives in the emergency room complaining of profuse but painless bright red vaginal bleeding of one hour duration. She is 18 weeks pregnant with her sixth child.

A 56-year-old man presents with an incidental 5.2 cm gastric tumor (identified on imaging after a motor vehicle accident). Esophagoduodenoscopy shows a submucosal mass lesion in the gastric antrum (mucosal biopsies are normal).

A 67-year-old woman presents to the emergency room with intense abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Physical examination identifies splenomegaly, with the organ located 6.0 cm below the left costal margin.

A 44-year-old man presents with a two-year history of a fungating penile mass, as well as a 15.0-pound weight loss over the past few months.

A 47-year-old woman presents with a thigh mass. Upon computed tomography scan, a 5.2 cm non-homogenously enhancing mass is identified in the deep soft tissue.

A 41-year-old Asian man complains of shortness of breath of three months’ duration. Imaging studies reveal a mediastinal mass involving the anterior mediastinum.