The value of high-resolution anoscopy in the diagnosis of anal cancer precursor lesions in hiv-positive patients

CONTEXT: Anal cancer, although a still rare disease, is being observed in ascending rates among some population segments known to be at risk for the development of the disease. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, immunodepression and anal intercourse are some factors associated with the development of the malignancy. Its similarities to cervical cancer have led to many studies aiming to establish guidelines for detecting and treating precursor lesions of anal cancer, with the goal of prevention. High-resolution anoscopy is routinely used for the diagnosis of anal cancer precursor lesions in many centers but the medical literature is still deficient concerning the role of this diagnostic modality. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate diagnostic validation and precision measures of high-resolution anoscopy in comparison to histopathological results of anal biopsies performed in HIV-positive patients treated at the Tropical Medicine Foundation of Amazonas, AM, Brazil. To observe any possible association between some risk factors for the development of anal cancer and the presence of anal squamous intraepithelial lesions. METHODS: A hundred and twenty-eight HIV-positive patients were submitted to anal canal cytological sampling for the detection of HPV infection by a PCR based method. High-resolution anoscopy was then performed after topical application of acetic acid 3% in the anal canal for 2 minutes. Eventual acetowhite lesions that were detected were recorded in respect to location, and classified by their tinctorial pattern, distribution aspect, relief, surface and vascular pattern. Biopsies of acetowhite lesions were performed under local anesthesia and the specimens sent to histopathological analysis. The patients were interviewed for the presence of anal cancer risk factors. RESULTS: The prevalences of anal HPV infection and of anal squamous intraepithelial lesions in the studied population were, respectively, 79% and 39.1%. High-resolution anoscopy showed sensibility of 90%, specificity of 19.23%, positive predictive value of 41.67%, negative predictive value of 75%, and a kappa coefficient of 0.076. From the analyzed lesions, high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions was more frequently observed in association to dense (68%), flat (61%), smooth (61%), non-papillary (83%) and normal vascular pattern (70%) acetowhite lesions, while low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions tended to be associated to dense (66%), flat-raised or raised (68%), granular (59%), non-papillary (62%) and normal vascular pattern (53%) acetowhite lesions. No statistical significance was observed as to the association of epidemiological characteristics and of most of the investigated anal cancer risk factors and presence of acetowhite lesions or anal squamous intraepithelial lesions. However, anal receptive sex and anal HPV infection were significantly associated to anal squamous intraepithelial lesions (P = 0.0493 and P = 0.006, respectively). CONCLUSION: High-resolution anoscopy demonstrated to be a sensitive, but not specific test for the detection of anal squamous intraepithelial lesions. Risk factors anal receptive sex and anal HPV infection were significantly associated to the presence of anal squamous intraepithelial lesions. Based on high-resolution anoscopy image data, acetowhite lesions relief and surface pattern were prone to distinguish between low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions

Collagenous fibroma (desmoplastic fibroblastoma) of alveolar bone: a case report

Collagenous fibroma (desmoplastic fibroblastoma) is a rare benign soft tissue tumor with a fibroblastic origin. In oral mucosa only two cases have been described in the literature. We describe the case of a 42-year-old white woman whose complaint was a painless, slow-growing mass under the prosthesis. Histopathologic features included sparsely distributed stellate or spindle fibroblasts within a rich collagenous stroma. Tumor cells were diffusely stained for vimentin and rare cells stained for smooth muscle actin and factor XIIIa. Total surgical excision was performed and no recurrence is expected

Coinfection of Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus and anal intraepithelial neoplasia in HIV patients in Amazon, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: The prevention of anal cancer is a goal of worldwide Aids support centers. Despite the efforts that have been made and progress in the antiretroviral therapy, effective disease control remains elusive. Difficulty in preventing anal cancer may result from the ineffectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy on the human papillomavirus (HPV) since the coinfection with HIV and HPV appears to increase the risk of HPV-infected cells, becoming cancerous. METHODS: We evaluated 69 HIV-positive and 30 HIV-negative male patients who underwent cytological evaluation by RT-PCR for the presence of HPV, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and herpes virus types (HSV) 1 and 2, and histopathology analysis of the anal canal. RESULTS: The prevalence of anal intraepithelial neoplasia was 35% and it was restricted to HIV-positive patients. Patients infected with high-risk HPV and with fewer than 50 TCD4 cells/µL showed an anal intraepithelial neoplasia rate of 85.7% compared to those with TCD4 cells >200 cells/µL (p<0.01). The rate of viral coinfection was 16.9% of the sexual transmitted diseases cases and it was correlated with HIV-1 viral load of more than 10.001 copies/mL (p=0.017). The rate of AIN in coinfected patients was 36.4% (p=0.047). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, at the main institution for the treatment of HIV/AIDS in the Amazon region of Brazil, anal coinfection with HPV, cytomegalovirus, HSV-1, HSV-2 and Epstein-Barr virus occurred only in HIV-positive patients and it was directly influenced by the viral load of HIV-1. In this study, anal viral coinfection showed no additional risk for the development of anal intraepithelial neoplasia.<br>OBJETIVO: A prevenção do câncer anal tem sido aplicada pelos centros de apoio a pacientes com Aids em todo o mundo. Apesar dos esforços empregados, o eficaz controle da doença permanece distante. A dificuldade na prevenção do câncer anal pode resultar, em parte, da ineficácia da ação da terapia antirretroviral sobre o papilomavírus humano (HPV), pois a coinfecção com HIV e HPV parece aumentar o risco das células infectadas pelo HPV em tornarem-se cancerosas. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados 69 HIV-positivos e 30 pacientes HIV-negativos do sexo masculino, que foram submetidos à avaliação citológica anal por real time-PCR para a presença de HPV, vírus Epstein-Barr, citomegalovírus e herpes vírus tipos (HSV) 1 e 2 além da análise histopatológica de fragmento de mucosa do canal anal. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de neoplasia intraepitelial anal foi de 35% e foi restrita a pacientes HIV-positivos. Os pacientes infectados com o HPV de alto risco e com contagem inferior a 50 células TCD4/µL mostraram taxa de neoplasia intraepitelial anal de 85,7%. A diferença foi significativa quando comparado a pacientes com células TCD4 >200 células/µL (p<0,01). A taxa de coinfecção viral foi de 16,9% dos casos de doenças sexualmente transmissíveis e diretamente correlacionada à carga viral HIV-1 superior a 10,001 cópias/mL (p=0,017). A taxa de neoplasia intraepitelial anal em pacientes coinfectados foi de 36,4% (p=0,047). CONCLUSÕES: Neste estudo, realizado na principal instituição para o tratamento de HIV/Aids na região amazônica do Brasil, a coinfecção anal com HPV, citomegalovírus, HSV-1, HSV-2 e vírus Epstein-Barr ocorreu somente em pacientes HIV-positivos e foi influenciada pela carga viral do HIV-1. Neste estudo, a coinfecção viral anal não representou risco adicional ao desenvolvimento da neoplasia intraepitelial anal

MMP1 and MMP20 contribute to tooth agenesis in humans

Objective: Variations in genes that are critical for tooth formation may contribute to the tooth agenesis. MMPs are potential candidate genes for dental alterations based on the roles they play during embryogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between MMP1, MMP3, and MMP20 and tooth agenesis. Methods: One hundred sixty-seven nuclear families from two different populations were analysed, 116 from Brazil and 51 from Turkey. Probands had at least one congenitally missing tooth. DNA samples were obtained from blood or saliva samples and genotyping was performed using TagMan chemistry. In addition, Mmp20 was selected for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis with SYBR Green I Dye in mouse tooth development. Results: Associations between tooth agenesis and MMP1 (p = 0.007), and MMP20 (p = 0.03) were found in Brazilian families. In the total dataset, MMP20 continued to be associated with tooth agenesis (p = 0.01). Mmp20 was not expressed during the initial stages of tooth development. Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence that MMP1 and MMP20 play a role in human tooth agenesis. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.CAPESSao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), BrazilSao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)[2007/04148-1]Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)[2008/09274-8

The Fagerstr&ouml;m and AUDIT Tests as Probable Screening Tools in Oral Cancer and Their Correlation with CYP1A1, GSTM1, GSTP1, and GSTT1 Gene Expression

Background: Cancer is currently a major public health problem worldwide, with a marked increase of about 70% in the number of expected diagnosed cases over the next two decades. The amount of tobacco and alcohol consumed is calculated based on the subjective information provided by the user. Tobacco exposure can be assessed using the Fagerstr&ouml;m Test for Cigarette Dependence (FTCD) and alcohol consumption by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Materials and Methods: Forty-eight subjects answered the Fagerstr&ouml;m, and AUDIT tests and we studied them as likely screening tools for oral cancer and their correlation with the expression of CYP1A1, GSTM1, GSTP1, and GSTT1 genes by the RT-qPCR method. Results: There were significant differences in the AUDIT score and CYP1A1 expression between cancer and control groups. Participants in advanced stages, whether due to tumor size or regional metastasis, showed significant differences in the duration of tobacco use, FTCD, AUDIT score, and CYP1A1 expression when compared to patients in early stages. Among subjects without cancer, we found a significant correlation between participant age and GSTP1 expression. Furthermore, the expression of GSTP1 was significantly correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day, duration of tobacco use, and FTCD. Conclusions: Questionnaires designed to evaluate the degree of tobacco and alcohol exposure and dependence combined with gene expression tests can be useful to assess the risk of developing oral cancer. Furthermore, raising the awareness of individuals regarding their degree of dependence and encouraging them to participate in cessation programs are important educational measures for the prevention of tobacco-related malignancies