A rare case of xanthogranuloma of the stomach masquerading as an advanced stage tumor

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Xanthogranuloma of the stomach is an extremely rare disease, and this lesion has only been found to coexist with early gastric cancer in 2 cases in the literature.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report a case of xanthogranuloma of the stomach combined with early gastric cancer that mimicked an advanced stage tumor. A 65-year-old female was referred to our hospital because of epigastralgia. During a physical examination, a defined abdominal mass was palpable in the region of the left hypochondrium. Imaging studies revealed an advanced gastric cancer, which was suspected of having infiltrated the abdominal wall. Total gastrectomy and resection of the regional lymph node and abdominal wall were performed. Histopathologic examination of the resected specimen demonstrated xanthogranuloma combined with early gastric cancer.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Xanthogranuloma presenting as a form of SMT (submucosal tumor) of the stomach is an extremely rare disease, and diagnosing it preoperatively is difficult. Further accumulation and investigation of this entity is necessary.</p

Nicotine promotes lymph node metastasis and cetuximab resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is overexpressed in many cancers and is associated with worse prognosis. EGF binds to its cell surface receptor (EGFR), which induces EGFR phosphorylation. Phosphorylated EGFR (p‑EGFR) is translocated into the nucleus, which increases cancer cell activity. Nicotine, which is one of the main components of tobacco, is absorbed through pulmonary alveoli and mucosal epithelia in the head and neck region by smoking and moves into the blood. Nicotine in blood binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) in the central nervous system and serves a crucial role in tobacco addiction. Although nAChR localization is thought to be limited in the nervous system, nAChR is present in a wide variety of non‑neuronal cells, including cancer cells. Recent studies suggest that nicotine contributes to the metastasis and resistance to anti‑cancer drugs of various cancer cells. However, it remains unknown whether head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells can utilize nicotine‑nAChR signaling to metastasize and acquire resistance to anti‑cancer drugs, even though the mucosal epithelia of the head and neck region are the primary sites of exposure to tobacco smoke. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to demonstrate the role of nicotine in metastasis and anti‑EGFR‑therapy resistance of HNSCC. The present findings demonstrated that nicotine increased proliferation, migration, invasion, p‑EGFR nuclear translocation and protein kinase B (Akt) phosphorylation in HNSCC cells. It was also demonstrated that nicotine restored cetuximab‑inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of HNSCC cells. Finally, an in vivo experiment revealed that nicotine increased lymph node metastasis of xenografted tumors, whereas an nAChR inhibitor suppressed lymph node metastasis and p‑EGFR nuclear localization of xenografted tumors. Taken together, these results demonstrated that nicotine induced nuclear accumulation of p‑EGFR, and activation of Akt signaling. These signaling pathways elevated the activities of HNSCC cells, causing lymph node metastasis and serving a role in cetuximab resistance

Neuropilin-2 expression in breast cancer: correlation with lymph node metastasis, poor prognosis, and regulation of CXCR4 expression

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuropilin-2 (Nrp2) is a receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C), which is a well-known lymphangiogenic factor and plays an important role in lymph node metastasis of various human cancers, including breast cancer. Recently, Nrp2 was shown to play a role in cancer by promoting tumor cell metastasis. CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) also promotes tumor metastasis. In the previous studies, we demonstrated that VEGF-C and cytoplasmic CXCR4 expressions were correlated with poorer patient prognosis (BMC Cancer 2008,8:340; Breast Cancer Res Treat 2005, 91:125–132).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The relationship between Nrp2 expression and lymph node metastasis, VEGF-C expression, CXCR4 expression, and other established clinicopathological variables (these data were cited in our previous papers), including prognosis, was analyzed in human breast cancer. Effects of neutralizing anti-Nrp2 antibody on CXCR4 expression and chemotaxis were assessed in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nrp2 expression was observed in 53.1% (60 of 113) of the invasive breast carcinomas. Nrp2 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis, VEGF-C expression, and cytoplasmic CXCR4 expression. Survival curves determined by the Kaplan-Meier method showed that Nrp2 expression was associated with reduced overall survival. In multivariate analysis, Nrp2 expression emerged as a significant independent predictor for overall survival. Neutralizing anti-Nrp2 antibody blocks cytoplasmic CXCR4 expression and CXCR4-induced migration in MDA-MB-231 cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Nrp2 expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis, VEGF-C expression, and cytoplasmic CXCR4 expression. Nrp2 expression may serve as a significant prognostic factor for long-term survival in breast cancer. Our data also showed a role for Nrp2 in regulating cytoplasmic CXCR4 expression <it>in vitro</it>.</p