Time Trends in the Incidence and Treatment of Extra-Abdominal and Abdominal Aggressive Fibromatosis: A Population-Based Study

BACKGROUND: Aggressive fibromatosis (AF) is a locally infiltrating soft-tissue tumor. In a population-based study in the Netherlands, we evaluated time trends for the incidence and treatment of AF. METHODS: In PALGA: Dutch Pathology Registry, all patients diagnosed between 1993 and 2013 as having extra-abdominal or abdominal wall aggressive fibromatosis were identified and available pathology data of the patients were evaluated. Epidemiological and treatment-related factors were analyzed with χ(2)and regression analysis. RESULTS: During the study period, 1134 patients were identified. The incidence increased from 2.10 to 5.36 per million people per year. Median age at the time of diagnosis increased annually by B 0.285 (P = 0.001). Female gender prevailed and increased over time [annual odds ratio (OR) 1.022; P = 0.058]. All anatomic localizations, but in particular truncal tumors, became more frequent. During the study period diagnostic histological biopsies were performed more often (annual OR 1.096; P < 0.001). The proportion of patients who underwent surgical treatment decreased (annual OR 0.928; P < 0.001). When resection was preceded by biopsy, 49.8 % of the patients had R0-resection versus 30.7 % in patients without biopsy (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based study, an increasing incidence of extra-abdominal and abdominal-wall aggressive fibromatosis was observed. The workup of patients improved and a trend towards a nonsurgical treatment policy was observed

Identification of mouse T and B lymphocytes from cytocentrifuged cell smears.

A method enabling direct enumeration of mouse T and B cells from cytocentrifuged cell smears is described. The acid alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE) staining was used as marker for T cells. The distribution of the ANAE marker-carrying lymphocytes closely followed the percentual distribution of T cells in spleen and lymph node. Electrophoresis analysis demonstrated that while more than 95% of resting spleen and lymph node T cells carried the ANAE marker, only less than 5% of the B cells were ANAE positive. The B cells (surface-bound Ig-carrying small lymphocytes) were identified by anti-Ig serum followed by rosetting of the B cells with Staphylococcus aureus strain Cowan 1 (StaCw). The ANAE marker-carrying cells did not overlap with the StaCw rosette-forming lymphocytes. Thus we conclude that the combination of StaCw rosetting and ANAE staining enables accurate identification of resting T and B cells from a single microscope slide. Ninety to 100% of Con A-activated blasts expressed the ANAE marker but only 60-85% of PHA and MLC-activated blasts were positive. Twenty to 33% of the blast cells stimulated by LPS expressed the ANAE marker. Thus the ANAE marker is not a reliable criterion for T cells in actibated state