Prognostic significance of epidermal growth factor receptor in surgically treated squamous cell lung cancer patients.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of signalling pathways activated during premalignant proliferative changes in the airway epithelium. However there is no agreement about prognostic significance of EGFR expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Facts mentioned above prompted us to study EGFR expression in the group of 78 surgically treated squamous cell lung cancer (SqCLC) patients. The EGFR expression was visualized in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections, using immunohistochemistry. Three methods of assessment of EGFR expression were applied: percentage of cells with membranous EGFR expression--EGFR labellig index (EGFR LI), percentage of fields with membranous EGFR staining (PS%) and staining intensity (absent, weak or strong) in the whole specimen (SI). Mean EGFR LI and PS% values were 30.4 +/- 3.5% and 51.6 +/- 3.9%, respectively. Patients with higher EGFR expression (EGFR LI, PS%, SI) were significantly younger than those with low EGFR expression. EGFR LI was higher in pT3 tumours than in pT1+pT2 tumours, moreover, EGFR expression (EGFR LI, PS%, SI) was significantly higher in G1+G2 tumours than in G3 tumours. There were significant correlations between parameters used for assessment of EGFR expression. PS% 50. However, patients with tumours with both very low and very high EGFR LI (13% > or = EGFR LI > 80%) showed significantly shorter survival than those with medium EGFR LI (13% < GFR LI < or = 80%). Additionally, pTNM and pN significantly influenced patients' survival. In multivariate analysis, EGFR LI and pTNM were independent prognostic parameters influencing disease-specific survival of patients

Rak wewnątrzprzewodowy, a rak naciekający u chorych z rakiem piersi usuniętym po oznakowaniu igłą lokalizacyjną

Background: Early diagnosis of a breast cancer is very important and challenging aspect in imaging the lesion in the breast. The small lesions visible in imaging exams, in majority of cases are not palpable in clinical testing. The aim of the work is to make a comparison between the clinical features and radiological image in patients with impalpable breast cancer in clinical testing. Material/Methods: 338 operating procedures of the breast tumors removal were conducted after preliminary marking them by the localized needle. The lesion in the breast was shown in the mammography or ultrasonography exam. Results: In histopathology exam the breast cancer was confirmed in 131 women. The ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) occurred in 41 (31 %) women and the invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in 91 (69 %) women. Microcalcifications find out to be characteristic for the DCIS. The shape of the spicular lesion is characteristic for the invasive carcinoma. DCIS in mammography exam is bigger than invasive carcinoma. Conclusions: 1. The mammography exam is the basic method for the detection of the breast cancer and the best method for the detection of DCIS, which is often visible in the form of microcalcifications. 2. The average size of the DCIS in mammography exam is twice as large than in ultrasonography and three times larger than in histopathology exam. 3. Size of the lesion in microscopic and macroscopic exam is equal with size of the lesion in ultrasound exam and the diameter of the solid center in the mammography and because of that reason, presence of the processes around the malignant tumor, which is visible in mammography exam should not have influenced the qualification for the surgical treatment

Ocena wartości prognostycznej wybranych cech klinicznych i objawów mammograficznych w raku piersi

Background: The aim of the work is to assess the probability of the breast cancer occurrence on the basis of analysis of the clinical and mammographical factors in women with unpalpable breast tumor. Material/Methods: In the period from the 1st February 1995 to the 31st August 2000, 163 surgical procedures for the removal of any lesions in the breasts were conducted, after being previously marked by localized needle, in women who earlier underwent mammography exam.Following data was taken into consideration: patients age, type of the breast structure; side of the breast, where the lesion was localized in the mammography exam; localized lesions depending on the quadrant; shape of the lesion; size of the lesion in millimeters; presence and the type of microcalcifications. Results/Conclusions: 1. The only one population factor, which can be distinguished as characteristic for the women suffering from the breast cancer impalpable in clinical testing, is the age of the patient, because the breast cancer in these women more frequently occurs after 53 years of age. 2. On the basis of our own material the following radiological symptoms characteristic for the breast cancer in mammography exam were stated: the breast cancer is more frequently found in the upper external quadrant; all lesions, which in mammography exam were identified as multifocal and radiologicaly suspected in histopathology exam turned out to be the cancer; pleomorphic microcalcifications are characteristic for the malignant lesions; external outline and the shape of the lesion are the features, which allow to differentiate malignant and benign lesions. 3. The analysis of the material indicates that the greatest probability of the breast cancer occurrence is in case of the four risk factors occurrence simultanosly, and the smallest in case of only one risk factor occurrence

Prognostic significance of epidermal growth factor receptor in surgically treated squamous cell lung cancer patients

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of signalling pathways activated during premalignant proliferative changes in the airway epithelium. However there is no agreement about prognostic significance of EGFR expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Facts mentioned above prompted us to study EGFR expression in the group of 78 surgically treated squamous cell lung cancer (SqCLC) patients. The EGFR expression was visualized in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections, using immunohistochemistry. Three methods of assessment of EGFR expression were applied: percentage of cells with membranous EGFR expression--EGFR labellig index (EGFR LI), percentage of fields with membranous EGFR staining (PS%) and staining intensity (absent, weak or strong) in the whole specimen (SI). Mean EGFR LI and PS% values were 30.4 +/- 3.5% and 51.6 +/- 3.9%, respectively. Patients with higher EGFR expression (EGFR LI, PS%, SI) were significantly younger than those with low EGFR expression. EGFR LI was higher in pT3 tumours than in pT1+pT2 tumours, moreover, EGFR expression (EGFR LI, PS%, SI) was significantly higher in G1+G2 tumours than in G3 tumours. There were significant correlations between parameters used for assessment of EGFR expression. PS% &lt; or = 50 indicated shorter disease-specific survival than PS% &gt; 50. However, patients with tumours with both very low and very high EGFR LI (13% &gt; or = EGFR LI &gt; 80%) showed significantly shorter survival than those with medium EGFR LI (13% &lt; GFR LI &lt; or = 80%). Additionally, pTNM and pN significantly influenced patients' survival. In multivariate analysis, EGFR LI and pTNM were independent prognostic parameters influencing disease-specific survival of patients

Aim of the study: Radical nephrectomy

in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains the gold standard, but nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) is still increasing in importance. The main goal of this study was to compare the diag-nostic accuracy of ultrasound and mul-ti-detector computed tomography in RCC staging and its influence on decid-ing about further patient treatment. Material and methods: 87 patients (age range 27–90 years; median 61.5) under-went ultrasound (US) scan and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) of the abdomen and pelvis. 28 patients were qualified for NSS. The remaining group of patients underwent nephrec-tomy. Results: NSS was performed more fre-quently among patients with lesions in the lower pole of the kidney and there was no infiltration to the calyx and renal pelvis. Radical nephrectomy (RN) was pursued in cases with lesions in the central or upper pole. Lesion diameter in patients qualified for NSS was smaller than in patients qualified for radical nephrectomy. Conclusions: Determining the relation-ship between tumour and adjacent structures is not a simple matter. Accord-ing to our study, 50 % of CT results dif-fer from histopathology assessment. Tumour diameter determined in CT ex-amination is larger than in ultrasound and histopathological measurements while US scanning tends to underesti-mate tumour size in relation to histo-pathological assessment. Key words: renal cell carcinoma, nephrec

Analysis of background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) on contrast enhanced spectral mammography compared with magnetic resonance imaging

Objectives: With the growing number of new breast cancer cases in women, new methods of imaging arise. Contrast enhanced spectral mammography (CESM) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are comparable methods regarding sensitivity. The aim of this study is to check if analysis of background parenchymal enhancement on CESM can improve its usefulness.Material and methods: A total of 64 patients with breast lesions found previously on ultrasound or mammography underwent MRI and CESM within less than one month. On MRI the contrast enhancement kinetics and visual BPE were evaluated. On CESM the enhancement of lesions was noted as well as a quantitative level of BPH. The gathered data was analysed in terms of patterns and relations.Results: A total of 66 lesions were identified both on MRI and CESM, including 11 (17%) benign and 55 (83%) malignant lesions. Among malignant lesions 13 (20%) were assessed as intraductal and 42 (64%) as infiltrating carcinomas. The study showed correlation between the level of enhancement on CESM and the type of kinetic curve on MRI and lesion enhance-ment on CESM as well as confirmed the fact that the BPE is a destimulant in both methods of imaging.Conclusions: Evaluation of BPE level on CESM can help reading radiologists to define a lesion as malignant with higher probability than based only on the qualitative lesion enhancement level