A Radial Sclerosing Lesion Mimicking Breast Cancer on Mammography in a Young Woman

A spiculated mass on a mammogram is highly suggestive of malignancy. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman with a radial sclerosing lesion that mimicked breast cancer on mammography. She visited her physician after palpating a lump in her left breast. Mammography showed architectural distortion in the upper inner quadrant of the left breast. Ultrasonography showed a low echoic area with an ambiguous boundary. Core needle biopsy was performed because of the suspicion of malignancy. Histological examination did not reveal any malignant cells. After 6 months, the breast lump became larger and the patient was referred to our hospital. Mammography performed in our hospital showed a spiculated mass, and therefore mammotome biopsy was performed. Histological examination revealed dense fibroelastic stroma with a wide variety of mastopathic changes, leading to a diagnosis of a radial sclerosing lesion. One year after the biopsy, the lump on her left breast had disappeared and mammography showed no spiculated mass

DNA methylation status of REIC/Dkk-3 gene in human malignancies

The REIC (reduced expression in immortalized cells)/Dkk-3 is down-regulated in various cancers and considered to be a tumor suppressor gene. REIC/Dkk-3 mRNA has two isoforms (type-a,b). REIC type-a mRNA has shown to be a major transcript in various cancer cells, and its promoter activity was much stronger than that of type-b. In this study, we examined the methylation status of REIC/Dkk-3 type-a in a broad range of human malignancies. We examined REIC/Dkk-3 type-a methylation in breast cancers, non-small-cell lung cancers, gastric cancers, colorectal cancers, and malignant pleural mesotheliomas using a quantitative combined bisulfite restriction analysis assay and bisulfate sequencing. REIC/Dkk-3 type-a and type-b expression was examined using reverse transcriptional PCR. The relationships between the methylation and clinicopathological factors were analyzed. The rate of REIC/Dkk-3 type-a methylation ranged from 26.2 to 50.0% in the various primary tumors that were examined. REIC/Dkk-3 type-a methylation in breast cancer cells was significantly heavier than that in the other cell lines that we tested. REIC/Dkk-3 type-a methylation was inversely correlated with REIC/Dkk-3 type-a expression. There was a correlation between REIC/Dkk-3 type-a and type-b mRNA expression. REIC/Dkk-3 type-a expression was restored in MDA-MB-231 cells using 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine treatment. We found that estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers were significantly more common among the methylated group than among the non-methylated group. REIC/Dkk-3 type-a methylation was frequently detected in a broad range of cancers and appeared to play a key role in silencing REIC/Dkk-3 type-a expression in these malignancies

Overexpression of UbcH10 alternates the cell cycle profile and accelerate the tumor proliferation in colon cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>UbcH10 participates in proper metaphase to anaphase transition, and abrogation of UbcH10 results in the premature separation of sister chromatids. To assess the potential role of UbcH10 in colon cancer progression, we analyzed the clinicopathological relevance of UbcH10 in colon cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We firstly screened the expression profile of UbcH10 in various types of cancer tissues as well as cell lines. Thereafter, using the colon cancer cells line, we manipulated the expression of UbcH10 and evaluated the cell cycle profile and cellular proliferations. Furthermore, the clinicopathological significance of UbcH10 was immunohistologically evaluated in patients with colon cancer. Statistical analysis was performed using the student's t-test and Chi-square test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using the colon cancer cells, depletion of UbcH10 resulted in suppression of cellular growth whereas overexpression of UbcH10 promoted the cellular growth and oncogenic cellular growth. Mitotic population was markedly alternated by the manipulation of UbcH10 expression. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that UbcH10 was significantly higher in colon cancer tissue compared with normal colon epithelia. Furthermore, the clinicopathological evaluation revealed that UbcH10 was associated with high-grade histological tumors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results show the clinicopathological significance of UbcH10 in the progression of colon cancer. Thus UbcH10 may act as a novel biomarker in patients with colon cancer.</p

Expression of ALDH1 in axillary lymph node metastases is a prognostic factor of poor clinical outcome in breast cancer patients with 1–3 lymph node metastases

Background Recently, evidence in support of the cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis has been accumulating. On the other hand, it has been reported that the expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) in primary breast cancer is a powerful predictor of a poor clinical outcome, and that breast cancer stem cells express ALDH1. According to the CSC hypothesis, development of metastases requires the dissemination of CSC that may remain dormant and be reactivated to cause tumor recurrence. In this study, we investigated whether the detection of CSC in axillary lymph node metastases (ALNM) might be a significant prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer. Methods From 1998 to 2006, 40 primary breast cancer patients with ALNM, the number of metastatic nodes varying in number from 1 to 3, underwent surgery at Okayama University; of these, 15 patients developed tumor recurrence. We retrospectively evaluated the common clinicopathological features and the expression of ER, HER2, ALDH1, and Ki67 in both the primary lesions and the ALNM, and analyzed the correlations between the expression of these biological markers and the disease-free survival (DFS). Results Expression of ALDH1 in the ALNM was significantly associated with the DFS (P = 0.037). Conclusion Evaluation of biomarker expression in ALNM could be useful for prognosis in breast cancer patients with 1–3 metastatic lymph nodes