Glutathione-S-transferase-pi (GST-pi) expression in renal cell carcinoma

Multidrug resistance correlates with unfavourable treatment outcomes in numerous cancers including renal cell carcinoma. The expression and clinical relevance of Glutathione-S-transferase-pi (GST-pi), a multidrug resistance factor, in kidney tumors remain controversial. We analyzed the expression of GST-pi in 60 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded renal cell carcinoma samples by immunohistochemistry and compared them with matched normal regions of the kidney. A significantly higher expression of GST-pi was observed in 87% of clear cell carcinoma and 50% of papillary subtypes. GST-pi expression did not correlate with tumor grade or patient survival. GST-pi is unlikely to be a prognostic factor for renal cell carcinoma. However, further studies with large number of samples are warranted to establish the role of GST-pi, if any, in intrinsic or acquired resistance of renal cell carcinoma to conventional treatments. Supplementary files: The supplementary files of this article are found under 'Article Tools' at the left side bar

THE DETECTION OF HPV COMMON ANTIGEN IN TRANSITIONAL CELL CARCINOMA OF THE BLADDER

ONE HUNDRED CASES OF TRANSITIONAL CELL CARCINOMA WERE STUDIED FOR THE DETECTIONOF HPV COMMON ANTIGEN, USING AS CRITERION THE PRESENCE OF KOILOCYTIC ATYPIA. SEVENTY ONE CARCINOMAS WERE PAPILLARY AND 29 SOLID KOILOCYTES WERE POSITIVE FOR HPV CAPSID ANTIGEN MORE OFTEN THAN OTHER EPITHELIAR CELLS. HPV ANTIGEN WAS DETECTED IN 13% OF THE CASES. SAFE CONCLUSIONS ON BIOLOGICAL BEHAVIOUR OF THE VIRUS IN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BLADDER CANCER DUE TO LIMITED DATA IN CONTRAST TO SIMILAR STUDIES ON GENITAL CANCER, A SAFE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE BIOLOGICALBEHAVIOUR OF THE VIRUS AND BLADDER CARCINOMA CAN NOT BE SAFELY DRAWN.ΜΕΛΕΤΗΣΑΜΕ 100 ΚΑΡΚΙΝΩΜΑΤΑ ΑΠΟ ΜΕΤΑΒΑΤΙΚΟ ΕΠΙΘΗΛΙΟ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΑΝΙΧΝΕΥΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΚΟΙΝΟΥ ΑΝΤΙΓΟΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ HPV. ΚΡΙΤΗΡΙΟ ΕΠΙΛΟΓΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΠΕΡΙΠΤΩΣΕΩΝ ΗΤΑΝ Η ΠΑΡΟΥΣΙΑ ΚΟΙΛΟΚΥΤΤΑΡΙΚΗΣ ΑΤΥΠΙΑΣ. ΘΕΤΙΚΗ ΑΝΤΙΔΡΑΣΗ ΕΔΩΣΑΝ 13 ΔΕΙΓΜΑΤΑ ΜΕ ΣΤΑΤΙΣΤΙΚΑ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΗ ΚΑΤΑΝΟΜΗ ΣΤΑ ΚΟΙΛΟΚΥΤΤΑΡΑ. ΑΣΑΦΑΛΗ ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑΤΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΒΙΟΛΟΓΙΚΗ ΣΥΜΠΕΡΙΦΟΡΑ ΤΩΝ ΚΑΡΚΙΝΩΜΑΤΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΣΤΗΣ ΣΕ ΣΧΕΣΗ ΜΕ ΤΗΝ HPV ΛΟΙΜΩΞΗ ΔΕΝ ΜΠΟΡΟΥΝ ΝΑ ΕΞΑΧΘΟΥΝΑΚΟΜΗ ΛΟΓΩ ΤΗΣ ΠΕΡΙΟΡΙΣΜΕΝΗΣ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑΣ. ΑΝΤΙΘΕΤΑ ΤΕΤΟΙΑ ΣΥΣΧΕΤΙΣΗ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΚΑ ΤΕΚΜΗΡΙΩΜΕΝΗ ΣΤΑ ΚΑΡΚΙΝΩΜΑΤΑ ΤΟΥ ΠΡΩΚΤΟΓΕΝΝΗΤΙΚΟΥ ΣΩΛΗΝΑ. ΛΕΠΤΟΜΕΡΕΣΤΕΡΗ ΜΕΛΕΤΗ ΛΟΙΠΟΝ ΜΕ ΠΙΟ ΕΥΑΙΣΘΗΤΕΣ ΤΕΧΝΙΚΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΟΥΡΟΔΟΧΟ ΚΥΣΤΗ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΔΥΝΑΤΟΝ ΝΑ ΟΔΗΓΗΣΟΥΝ ΣΕ ΑΝΑΛΟΓΑ ΜΕ ΤΟ ΓΕΝΝΗΤΙΚΟ ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑ

Infliximab-Induced Erythema Multiforme in a Patient with Chronic Sarcoidosis

Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors, in particular infliximab, have shown effectiveness as a third-line treatment option in relapsing, refractory sarcoidosis that requires an increased dose of corticosteroids plus one or more anti-sarcoidosis disease modifying drugs [...

Patient data

Multidrug resistance correlates with unfavourable treatment outcomes in numerous cancers including renal cell carcinoma. The expression and clinical relevance of Glutathione-S-transferase-pi (GST-pi), a multidrug resistance factor, in kidney tumors remain controversial. We analyzed the expression of GST-pi in 60 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded renal cell carcinoma samples by immunohistochemistry and compared them with matched normal regions of the kidney. A significantly higher expression of GST-pi was observed in 87% of clear cell carcinoma and 50% of papillary subtypes. GST-pi expression did not correlate with tumor grade or patient survival. GST-pi is unlikely to be a prognostic factor for renal cell carcinoma. However, further studies with large number of samples are warranted to establish the role of GST-pi, if any, in intrinsic or acquired resistance of renal cell carcinoma to conventional treatments. Supplementary files: The supplementary files of this article are found under 'Article Tools' at the left side bar.</p

Alarming endoscopic data in young and older asymptomatic people: Results of an open access, unlimited age colonoscopic screening for colorectal cancer

There is a lack of a national organized screening program for colorectal cancer in Greece, and asymptomatic detection is usually the result of individual decisions. The collection of epidemiologic endoscopic data from a population of interest would therefore provide valuable information for future treatment guidance, especially during periods of economic austerity. The current cross-sectional study included 380 asymptomatic, average risk individuals undergoing screening colonoscopy for the first time, during the period of one year in a tertiary public hospital in Athens. Descriptive and analytic epidemiologic data were analyzed. The prevalence of adenomas and advanced lesions were compared between the younger and older cohort, and a regression model was applied for risk evaluation. The mean age of participants was 63 years, and 53% were male. A significant proportion of patients presented with polyps (51.5%) and 25% of them had lesions in the proximal colon. The prevalence of adenomas and advanced adenomas was 29.5 and 11.8%, respectively. Similar high prevalence rates of lesions were identified in the cohort of individuals &lt;50 years of age and the older cohort (&gt;50 years of age). Regression models identified age, number and size of polyps as the major risk factors for the detection of adenomas. The increase of advanced lesions in the older and younger cohort requires confirmation by larger studies. Overall, the results of the present study indicate the requirement for a well-organized screening colonoscopy program starting from as early as 40 years of age. This program may confer an additional endoscopic burden with socioeconomic consequences in a country with limited health resources

Somatic mutations of adenomatous polyposis coli gene and nuclear b-catenin accumulation have prognostic significance in invasive urothelial carcinomas: Evidence for Wnt pathway implication

Wnt pathway signaling is crucial in many cancers and data indicate crosstalk with other key cancer pathways, however in urothelial carcinogenesis it has not been extensively studied. We searched for mutations in adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), a key regulator of the pathway, and studied b-catenin expression and interactions with the expression of other markers of apoptosis, angiogenesis, and proliferation in patients with invasive urothelial cancer. The mutation cluster region of APC was directly sequenced in 70 patients with muscle invasive disease who were treated with surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. COX-2, p53, Ki67, and b-catenin were studied immunohistochemically and micro vessel density was quantified by CD105 expression. Single somatic amino-acid substitutions (missense) were found in 9 (13%) and frameshift deletions in 2 (3%) tumors, all located in regions adjacent to b-catenin binding sites. Patients having either APC missense mutations or b-catenin nuclear accumulation had less frequent COX-2 overexpression (24% vs. 76%, p = 0.043) and more frequent lymph node involvement (75% vs. 38%, p = 0.023). Patients with either APC mutations or b-catenin accumulation had shorter disease-free interval (13.4 vs. 28 months, p = 0.07), whereas in multivariate analysis they had shorter disease- specific survival (60.5 vs. 20.6 months, p = 0.048). Somatic APC missense mutations are not rare in advanced urothelial neoplasms. Either APC mutations and/or aberrant expression of b-catenin are associated with worse outcome. Further study of the role of the Wnt pathway, potential crosstalk with other pathways and potential candidate therapeutic targets in urothelial cancer is needed. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc