Evaluation of cathepsin D immunostaining in colorectal adenocarcinoma

Background and Objectives: Cathepsin D (CD), an estrogen-regulated lysosomal protease, has been detected in a variety of tissues, Cn expression has been correlated with the invasive potential of breast cancer, acting as an autocrine mitogen or as a protease that degrades the extracellular matrix, The role of CD expression in predicting prognosis or invasive potential in colorectal carcinomas is mostly unknown. Methods: CD immunohistochemical expression was studied in 60 surgical specimens of colon adenocarcinomas, A three-step avidin biotinylated, horseradish immuno-peroxidase (ABC-HRP) staining technique was performed on 4 mu m paraffin-embedded tissue sections with a polyclonal antibody to CD. Results: Carcinoma cells showed positive CD immunostaining in 41.6% of adenocarcinomas (50%, 43.7%, 37.5%, and 25% of Dukes’ Stage A, B, C, and D, respectively). Nonneoplastic stromal cells demonstrated positive staining in 68.3% of the adenocarcinoma specimens (37.5%, 62.5%, 91.6%, and 75% of Stage A, B, C, and D, respectively). Patients with coloreclal carcinomas exhibiting simultaneously negative and positive CD expression in malignant and stromal cells, respectively, had a worse 5-year overall survival (P < 0.05). The mean 5-year survival of the 16 patients overexpressing CD in nonneoplastic stromal cells (>15% of stromal cells positive for CD) was significantly worse in comparison with the rest of the adenocarcinomas (n = 44) (27.6 +/- 4.6 vs. 46 +/- 2.7 months, respectively, P < 0.01). Conclusions: Expression of CD immunoreactivity by the stromal cells may be associated with a more invasive phenotype. Therefore, CD expression in tumor and stromal cells may serve as an important indicator of progression and guide postoperative treatment. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc

SIGNIFICANCE OF ESTROGEN-RECEPTORS AND CATHEPSIN-D TISSUE DETECTION IN GASTRIC ADENOCARCINOMA

Estrogen receptors (ERs) have recently been reported to be present in carcinomas of stomach, an organ that has so far been considered as nontarget for sex hormones. Cathepsin D is an estrogen-regulated lysosomal protease that has been overexpressed in breast cancer. ER and cathepsin D immunohistochemical expression were studied in this research in order to estimate their association to known histopathological and clinical parameters and their possible prognostic significance as well. Sixty-two patients with gastric adenocarcinomas were included in this study. The cancers were studied immunohistochemically concerning ER positivity in tumor cell nuclei and cathepsin D cytoplasmic expression. Nuclear ER staining was detected in tumor cells of 25% of male and 27% of female patients. ER positivity was demonstrated mainly in the well and moderately differentiated carcinomas; 87.5% of ER(+) tumors were also characterized as cathepsin D positive and a significant correlation between ER and cathepsin D positive expression was demonstrated (P < 0.05). Cytoplasmic cathepsin D expression was observed in carcinomatous cells of 70.9% of gastric tumors. Early tumor stage and good differentiation were significantly associated with increased cathepsin D expression (P < 0.05, P < 0.001). Histologic type, degree of differentiation and tumor stage were significantly correlated to survival (P < 0.05, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001). The patients who were cathepsin D(+) had a significant prognostic advantage over the cathepsin D(-) patients (P < 0.001). The presence of ER and estrogen-regulated cathepsin D indicates the involvement of sex hormonal factors in these tumors and cathepsin D positive expression in tumor cells seems to be related to better prognosis. Their biological, clinical, and prognostic roles remain to be further elucidated. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Modified Bascom's asymmetric midgluteal cleft closure technique for recurrent pilonidal disease - Early experience in a military hospital

PURPOSE: Despite the variety of surgical techniques proposed for the treatment of pilonidal disease, recurrence after its operative management remains a common occurrence. Relatively few data exist that focus on an optimal surgical approach that should be followed in cases of recurrent pilonidal disease. The aim of this study was to describe the technical details, analyze the advantages, and present the early results of a modified Bascom asymmetric midgluteal cleft closure technique applied in patients with recurrent pilonidal disease in a military hospital setting. METHODS: Among the 72 male military service patients (median age, 21; range, 18-26 years) who underwent surgery for pilonidal disease in the Military Hospital of Samos Island, Greece, there were 24 who presented with recurrent pilonidal disease eight months to four years after one to four operations each, which were performed before their enrollment in the Army (total of 43 operations). One or two midline pits were evident in 41.6 percent of the patients, whereas the rest had more complex disease. Three patients presented with acute purulent disease and required initial incision and drainage. The modified Bascom technique was applied, which involved an asymmetric ellipse-like, gluteal fat-preserving excision of the affected skin, the pilonidal sinus, and lateral tracts, a thick skin and fat tongue of tissue mobilization, and finally, complete lateralization of wound closure and flattening of midgluteal groove. RESULTS: All patients tolerated the procedure well, with minimal to moderate postoperative discomfort. Full return to military duty was possible in three weeks after surgery. There was one case of limited primary healing failure. No recurrences have developed in a short median follow-up period of ten months. CONCLUSION: The suggested modified Bascom technique is an attractive, safe, easily performed operation with minimal morbidity and can be reliably used as a second-line surgical option for recurrent pilonidal disease

Prognostic significance of p53 and c-erbB-2 immunohistochemical evaluation in colorectal adenocarcinoma

Mutant p53 tumour suppressor gene and c-erbB-2 proto-oncogene are involved in human carcinogenesis, and their protein product detection in human malignancies might influence the evolution of many neoplasms. Our aim was to estimate their association with histopathological and clinical parameters of prognostic value in colorectal cancer. An immunohistochemical assay was undertaken in formalin-fixed sections from tissue specimens of 60 colorectal carcinomas. Nuclear p53 expression was detected in 46.6%, while membranic c-erbB-2 positivity was noticed in 35% of the examined cases. P53 positivity rate significantly correlated with poor differentiation (p<0.001), high mitotic activity (p<0.0001), tumour stage (p<0.001) and 5-year overall survival period (p<0.01). C-erbB-2 positivity incidence significantly correlated with advanced Dukes' stage (p<0.001) and high mitotic activity (p<0.05). Significant association between p53 and c-erbB-2 immunostaining was observed (p<0.05) and p531c-erbB-2 CO-expression was related to poor differentiation (p<0.001), high mitotic activity (p<0.00 l), advanced Dukes' stage (p<0.001), tumour aneuploidy (p<0.05) and worse overall survival ( ~ ~ 0 . 0 5 ) . P53 and c-erbB-2 immunohistochemical detection in combination with known prognostic indicators may be a useful future tool in determining colorectal cancer prognosis and subsequently in deciding on optimal postoperative treatments

Persistent omphalomesenteric duct causing small bowel obstruction in an adult

An extremely rare case of persistent omphalomesenteric duct causing small bowel obstruction is presented. A 20-year-old female patient without medical history presented with colicky abdominal pain, vomiting, absence of passage of gas and feces, and abdominal distension of 24 h duration. Physical examination and blood tests were normal. Abdominal X-ray showed small bowel obstruction. Computed tomography of the abdomen demonstrated dilated small bowel and a band originating from the umbilicus and continuing between the small bowel loops; an omphalomesenteric duct remnant was suspected. In exploratory laparotomy, persistent omphalomesenteric duct causing small bowel obstruction was identified and resected. The patient had an uneventful recovery and was discharged on the 5th postoperative day. Although persistent omphalomesenteric duct is an extremely infrequent cause of small bowel obstruction in adult patients, it should be taken into consideration in patients without any previous surgical history. © 2007 The WJG Press. All rights reserved

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen and heat shock protein 70 immunolocalization in invasive ductal breast cancer not otherwise specified

A series of 80 female patients undergoing surgery for primary breast ductal infiltrating carcinoma not otherwise specified (NOS) was immunohistochemically studied in order to verify any relationships between Proliferating Cell Nulear Antigen (PCNA) immunostaining, Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) immunoreactivity, and several clinicopathological predictors. Positive PCNA scores (&gt; 20% of strongly immunopositive malignant nuclei) were observed in neoplastic cells’ nuclei in 13 tumors (16.25%) and were intimately associated with axillary nodal involvement (p = 0.0131), relatively high tumor grades (p = 0.0016), increased tumor size (p = 0.0312), and low or negative levels of estrogen receptors (p = 0.0323). HSP70 positive immunoexpression in malignant cells’ cytoplasm (percentage of HSP70 immunoreactive cells &gt; 10%) was detected in 33 samples (41.25%). It correlated significantly with presence of axillary lymph nodal metastases (p = 0.0033) and rather poor tumor differentiation (p = 0.0014), whereas an association of borderline statistical significance emerged between HSP70 immunoreactivity and high progesterone receptor status (p = 0.0637). PCNA positive immunostaining demonstrates the tumors’ proliferative fraction and might be used as an indicator of increased malignant potential in breast cancer since it was associated with four adverse prognosticators. HSP70 immunodetection is a probable marker of the biological stress experienced by breast cancer cells, since it was related to relatively high tumor grades. Since both proteins may potentially predict disease outcome, their prognostic significance must be validated by direct relation to survival. A multivariate statistical analysis including the variables with which both proteins were associated will reveal any possible independent prognostic value of PCNA and HSP70 immunostaining in local, ductal invasive breast cancer NOS

Assessment of JC polyoma virus in colon neoplasms

PURPOSE: Research data have recently emphasized an in triguing association of JC polyoma virus with colon carcinogenesis. Tumorigenicity of JC virus is attributed to the T-antigen of its Mad-1 variant. Controversy arose when another research group did not confirm this association. The purpose of this study was to detect JC virus in a series of colon neoplasms from Greek patients. METHODS: A nested polymerase chain reaction assay was used to detect JC virus in 80 cancerous, 25 adenomatous specimens of large bowel, and 20 colonoscopic biopsy samples from normal patients without colorectal neoplasia. Quantitation of JC virus DNA was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: JC polyoma virus nucleotide sequence was detected in 61 percent of colon adenocarcinomas and in 60 percent of adenomas, at a viral load of 9 x 10(3) to 20 x 10(3) copies/mug DNA. Adjacent normal mucosa in 35 positive colon adenocarcinoma specimens, and normal mucosa from six patients of the control group, had low viral loads (50-450 copies/mug DNA). CONCLUSIONS: JC polyoma virus genome is present in colon neoplasms. JC virus detection in adenomas at comparable viral loads to malignant tumors suggests its implication at early steps of colonic carcinogenesis. Taking into consideration other published data, infection of colonic epithelium with JC virus might be a prime candidate for a role in chromosomal and genomic instability