Are there sufficient diagnostic criteria for bronchial atypical carcinoid? A case report of bronchial pigmented spindle cell carcinoid with a review of the literature

Here we present a case of a 42-year-old female patient with pigmented spindle cell variant of bronchial carcinoid. The aim of this study was not only to record a rare variant of this tumour but also to highlight the differences in diagnostic criteria of gastrointestinal and bronchopulmonary-thymic neuroendocrine neoplasms. Ki-67 index is a discriminating factor in differential diagnosis between gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) and, only optionally, in bronchopulmonary-thymic tumours. Since diagnosis is currently based on mitotic activity, optionally Ki-67 index and tumour necrosis, a rare variant of NET, spindle cell carcinoids with cellular atypia could be potential pitfalls for diagnostic controversies or mistakes. Nevertheless, the presented case of typical carcinoid with spindle cell component and mild to moderate cellular atypia has been classified according current WHO criteria as a typical carcinoid

Knowledge of cervical cancer risk factors among students at the Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce

Introduction : Cervical cancer is the third most common malignant tumour in women. As far as we know today, the main cause of cervical cancer is human papilloma virus (HPV) infection with high grade oncogenic HPV genotypes, as well as co-occurrence of other factors predisposing women to cervical cancer. According to the WHO, the factors include smoking, multiple sexual partners, low socioeconomic status, herpes simplex virus (HSV) co-infection, human immunodeficiency virus infection, and antioxidant and vitamin insufficiency in the diet. Aim of the research : To assess the knowledge of cervical cancer among young women. Material and methods: The survey was carried out in 2010–2012 in a group of 149 female students at the age of 20 ±1 at the Jan Kochanowski Memorial University, Kielce prior to gynaecology, pathology and oncology classes. The questionnaire survey included closed multiple choice questions. The statistical analyais was conducted by means of PQStat ver. 1.4.4 software using ANOVA and Fisher tests. Results and conclusions : The obtained results show that the 94% of the surveyed people are familiar with the impact of HPV infection, but knowledge of accessory risk factors of cervical cancer is at low level. The study revealed that smoking is regarded as another risk factor by 13% of the surveyed people, HSV infection by 9%, multiple sex partners by 21%, and low hygiene level by 25%. Our examination revealed differences regarding the knowledge and available information sources by the respondents’ place of residence. Knowledge level of cervical cancer development depends on the place of residence and reaches the highest level in towns with over 20,000 inhabitants. The main source of information on cervical cancer risk factors is Internet and peer opinions

Fetal alcohol syndrome – causes, diagnostic criteria and prevalence

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the outcome of alcohol exposition in the prenatal period. It is irreversible. In Poland, FAS is becoming more and more common, the diagnostic tools are limited though. It is recommended to use the 4-Digit Diagnostic Code, which evaluates the 4 basic FAS symptoms: growth retardation, dysmorphic appearance, damage to the central nervous system and prenatal alcohol exposure. It has been confirmed that there is no safe amount of alcohol for a mother to drink while carrying a baby. To put it another way, only a complete lack of alcohol consumption is a guarantee that the baby will not suffer from FAS. It is necessary for society to know that even the smallest amount of alcohol is bad for the foetus. A number of people still believe that, for example, red wine is good and healthy for both the mother and child

CD63 and GLUT-1 Overexpression Could Predict a Poor Clinical Outcome in GIST: A Study of 54 Cases with Follow-Up

Background and Goals. In light of current knowledge, it seems that alternations underlying GISTs are well explained, although all that is enhanced by various aspects on a daily basis. More recently, attention has been pointed towards exosomes as important particles able to modify healthy and also diseased tissues including cancer. The goal of the present study was an analysis of CD9, CD63, and GLUT-1 as a marker of hypoxia status within 54 cases of GIST and evaluation of their predictive value. Methods. 54 cases of patients suffering from GIST were enrolled into the study, predominantly in the gastric location. All operated cases had no Imatinib and other chemotherapies up to the day of operation. Expression of targeted proteins was performed by immunohistochemistry and, after that, the results with tabulated clinical data were compared by Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model of statistical analysis. Results. Our results presented a marked dependence of worsening clinical outcome with high expression CD63 (p=0.008) as well as with GLUT-1 (p=0.014). We noted a strict correlation of GLUT-1 expression with CD63 expression (p=0.03), which could confirm the thesis about the contribution of exosomes in intratumoural hypoxia status. The collected material did not confirm CD9 contribution. Conclusions. As presented here, CD63 and GLUT-1 have a prognostic value in GIST cases. The results confirm the other studies in this scope and can be used in future as an additional prognostic factor

Role of immunohistochemical and histochemical profiling in H&E-based diagnosis of scrotal leiomyosarcoma of dartos muscle

Abstract: Histochemical and immunohistochemical methods should often but not always complement standardized histopathologic procedures. Here, we illustrate use of these ancillary techniques in a report of scrotal leiomyosarcoma. 62-year-old male patient presented with a palpable, subcutaneous 2,5 cm wide tumor arising from dartos muscle. The tumor was diagnosed leiomyosarcoma G2 pT1b. Interestingly, the sarcomatous mass was focally strictly attached to convoluted, benign bundles of smooth muscles that were intermingled with tumor mass at peripheral, lateral and superior sides of the lesion. We have used immune- and histochemical methods to confirm histopathological findings based on H&E staining. As expected, in tumor cells smooth muscle actin and desmin were strongly immunopositive similarly as Masson trichrome staining, while S100 and CD34 antigens were immunonegative except for sustained positivity for CD34 in vessels. The auxiliary staining methods can provide additional information on the tumorigenesis of leiomyosarcoma. They can also serve to determine additional features of prognostic significance, since e.g. immunoreactivity of CD34 accurately maps vascular density of tumor and enables a careful assessment of vascular invasion in course of leiomyosarcoma as well

Endometrial Cancer in Aspect of Forkhead Box Protein Contribution

(1) Background: The present study aimed to investigate the influence of forkhead box (FOX) on endometrial cancer (EC) progression. For a better understanding, the driving mechanisms are vital to identifying correlations between genes and their regulators. (2) Methods: The study enrolled one hundred and three white female patients with confirmed EC. For the analysis, we used next-generation sequencing with the Hot Spot Cancer Panel provided by Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, USA, and an immunohistochemical analysis of FOXA1, FOXP1, and estrogen receptors. (3) Results: FOXA1 silencing led to a worse outcome based on the correlation with FOXA1 (test log-rank p = 0.04220 and HR 2.66, p = 0.033). Moreover, FOX proteins were closely correlated with TP53 and KRAS mutation. (4) Conclusions: Our study confirmed previous reports about FOX box protein in the regulation of tumor growth. A remarkable observation about the unclear crosstalk with crucial genes, as TP53 and KRAS need deeper investigation

FGFR-2 and Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition in Endometrial Cancer

Background. At present, EC staging is based on the WHO conservative criteria, which only consider the percentage of gland formation. The molecular subgrouping of EC recently proposed by the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) represents a milestone in precise molecular-based patient triage. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of FGFR-2 on the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and whether it can lead to endometrial cancer dedifferentiation. Methods. One hundred and three White female patients with confirmed EC were enrolled in our research. For the analysis, we performed next-generation sequencing and immunohistochemical analyses of E-cadherin, β-catenin, and vimentin. Results. Tumor grade progression was closely correlated with LVI (p = 0.0338), expression of vimentin (p = 0.000), tumor budding (p = 0.000), and lack of E-cadherin (p = 0.0028). Similar observations were noted with regard to TNM/FIGO stage progression. In terms of FGFR-2 mutation, we found the following correlation p-values: LVI (p = 0.069), expression of vimentin (p = 0.000), tumor budding (p = 0.000), and lack of E-cadherin (p = 0.000), RFS (p = 0.032), ECSS (p = 0.047). Conclusions. FGFR-2 is the important factor influencing on EMT

The Roles of TP53 and FGFR2 in Progress Made Treating Endometrial Cancer

The morbidity and mortality caused by endometrial cancer (EC) is still rising worldwide. In recent years, a new system of tumor stratification has been proposed based on POLE-mutational status, TP53, and microsatellite stability status. The aim of the study was to analyze a vast panel on the genes potentially involved in the genesis of endometrial cancer in the Polish population. One hundred and three white female patients with confirmed endometrial cancer were enrolled on the study. We performed sequencing using the Hot Spot Illumina panel and microsatellite stability with immunohistochemistry. We confirmed a key role of the TP53 mutation in progress to high-grade EC and parallelly some role of FGFR2 mutation. Moreover, our data present a vast landscape of mutations in EC and their polymorphism. We reported the meaning of FGFR2 mutation and TP53 (high copy number) in high-grade ECs. Our observation in MSI contribution is comparable with other studies. Finally, we see a strong need for the implementation of the TCGA classification