Mildly Interesting

We describe the accidental transplantation of a malignant sarcoma from a patient to a surgeon. Using molecular methods, we showed that the sarcomas in the unrelated patient and surgeon were genetically identical.

A 32-year-old man underwent emergency surgery to remove a malignant fibrous histiocytoma from his abdomen and died shortly thereafter of postoperative complications. During the operation the 53-year-old surgeon injured the palm of his left hand while placing a drain. The lesion was immediately disinfected and dressed. Five months later, the surgeon consulted a hand specialist because of a hard, circumscribed, tumor-like swelling, 3.0 cm (1.2 in.) in diameter, in his left palm at the base of the middle finger, where he had been injured during the operation. An extensive examination, including laboratory tests, did not reveal any signs of immune deficiency. The tumor was completely excised. Histologic examination revealed that it was a malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Two years later, the surgeon's condition was good, and there was no evidence of recurrence or metastasis of the tumor. The pathologist who investigated both the patient's tumor and the surgeon's tumor raised the question whether the tumors were identical.

(Quote from the actual article from 1996)