Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Breast Cancer: Clinicopathological Significance of Bcl-2 Positive Solid Papillary Carcinoma

Solid papillary carcinoma (SPC) is considered a rare malignant breast tumor. Maluf and Koerner first reported this disease entity as a special type of ductal carcinoma in situ with several characteristic histopathological features, including low-grade cellular atypia, intracellular or extracellular mucin deposition, and solid papillary growth pattern, as well as neuroendocrine differentiation. The present paper describes a case of SPC with bcl-2 expression, which is known as a marker for malignancy of neuroendocrine tumors. Interestingly, despite bcl-2 expression being a poor prognostic indicator of neuroendocrine tumors, the patient with this tumor has achieved long-term survival (approximately 6 years) at the time of writing this report. Because previous investigators reported that bcl-2 expression might play a role in the inhibition of the development of breast cancer, we suggest that bcl-2 expression might reflect a good prognosis in patients with SPC, rather than being a poor prognostic indicator, as it is in several types of neuroendocrine tumor. However, to confirm this hypothesis, further investigation is required

Butterflies collected in and around Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia in Borneo

Data of butterflies collected in Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia in Borneo, and in its surrounding areas since 1996 are presented. In addition, the data of observation for several species witnessed but not caught are also presented. In total, 347 butterfly species are listed with biological information (habitat etc.) when available

Survival and relapse pattern after trimodality therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma.

PURPOSE: Multimodality therapy has been applied to resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma, but the tolerability of the treatment and relapse pattern in detail remain unknown. We reviewed our experience of trimodality therapy as a single-institution study in Japan. METHODS: A total of 16 patients with resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma were intended to treat with extra-pleural pneumonectomy followed by platinum-based chemotherapy and external beam radiation therapy. The histology of the tumors was epithelioid in 10, sarcomatoid in 4, and biphasic in 2. International Mesothelioma Interest Group staging was stage II in 1, stage III in 11, and stage IV in 4. The tolerability to the combined treatment, the survival, and the relapse pattern were examined. RESULTS: All patients underwent a macroscopic complete resection. In all, 14 patients received chemotherapy, and subsequently 13 underwent radiotherapy, indicating a tolerability of 81%. The overall median survival was 28.1 months; and the 2-year and 5-year survival rates were 53.3% and 26.7%, respectively. In patients with stage III or lower disease, the median survival was 37.9 months. Recurrence was seen in eight patients; the first relapse site was local in seven and distant in two. The local recurrences occurred within 24 months, mostly around 12 months, after the extrapleural pneumonectomy, whereas the distant metastases occurred later. CONCLUSION: Trimodality therapy showed a survival benefit in patients with stage III or lower malignant pleural mesothelioma. Most of the recurrences were local. Therefore, better local control is required to improve the prognosis of the disease

Use of totally implantable central venous access port via the basilic vein in patients with thoracic malignancies.

BACKGROUND: For patients with a thoracic malignancy whose peripheral veins are not suitable for blood access for chemotherapy, we evaluated a totally implantable central venous access port, in which the port is implanted in the ulnar side of the arm and the catheter is introduced via the basilic vein into the superior vena cava (TIAP-BV). METHODS: Twenty-five patients (21 with lung cancer, 2 with malignant pleural mesothelioma, and 2 with thymoma) receiving TIAP-BV were included. Indications, surgical complications, and long-term complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Indications for TIAP-BV were: chemotherapy (17 patients) and chemotherapy with parenteral nutrition (8 patients). The following surgical complications occurred: arrhythmia due to misplacement of the tip of catheter (1 patient); intraoperative conversion from the left to right arm (2 patients); and hematoma at the implantation site (1 patient). Short-term problems were: death 1 week after implantation without the use of TIAP-BV (2 patients). Long-term complications were: skin ulcer at the port site (1 patient); early removal of TIAP-BV because of port site infection (1 patient); catheter occlusion (1 patient); and venous thrombosis of basilic vein (2 patients). In the 22 patients who did not die early or have the device withdrawn early, the median duration of TIAP-BV use was 7 months (range, 1 to 20 months) without any break to the port system, leakage of drugs, or catheter-related infections. CONCLUSION: TIAP-BV can be employed for long-term use for chemotherapy and parenteral nutrition. However, a patient's expected prognosis and infectious disease status at the time of implantation surgery should be considered before the surgery proceeds

Age-related changes in the trachea in healthy adults.

To investigate age-related changes in the shape of trachea, normal male volunteers (n = 83, mean +/- SD: 47.7 +/- 20.2 years old) underwent inspiratory CT scans at full inspiration and lung function tests. Subjects who showed VC < 80% predicted or FEV1 < 80% predicted on lung function tests were excluded. The CT data, which is located at 2.0 cm above the aortic arch, were transferred to a personal computer. The tracheal area (St) and two parameters, Tracheal index (Ti) and Circularity (Ci) indicating the shape of the trachea, were automatically calculated. Ti was defined the ratio of the coronal to the sagittal diameter of the trachea, and the Ci (Ci = 4piS/L2, S: tracheal area, L: tracheal perimeter) was used to indicate the roundness of the trachea. A Ci value of less than 1 indicated the distortion of the roundness. Both St and St/BSA (body surface area) showed a significant correlation with age (r = 0.37, r = 0.52; p = 0.0006, p < 0.0001). Ti was not correlated with age (r = -0.20; p = 0.0697), whereas Ci was significantly correlated with age (r = -0.32; p = 0.00364). There were measurable age related changes of the trachea both in the area and the shape. Aging results in the increased tracheal area and a distortion of the roundness