Prognostic comparison of the pathological classifications of gastric cancer: a population-based study.

AIMS: There is controversy over the value of the pathological classifications of gastric carcinomas in the prediction of patient survival. This study was designed to assess the prognostic value of four widely used pathological classifications, in addition to classical prognostic factors. METHODS AND RESULTS: Records from the population-based registry of digestive tract tumours in the department of Côte d'Or (France) have been analysed. All available histopathological slides of gastric cancer resected between 1976 and 1985 were reviewed and classified according to World Health Organization (WHO), Laurén, Ming and Goseki pathological coding systems. A relative survival analysis was performed using a relative survival model with proportional hazard applied to net mortality by interval. WHO, Laurén or Goseki classifications were not found to be independent prognostic factors. In addition to advanced age group, depth of parietal involvement, nodal involvement, presence of metastases, tumour site and gross appearance of the tumour, the Ming's infiltrative type was associated with a lower survival. CONCLUSION: This study suggests an independent prognostic value of the Ming subtypes with respect to survival in patients resected for gastric carcinoma.

Alphafetoprotein-producing gastric adenocarcinoma.

We report a rare gastric tumour characterized morphologically by its hepatoid features and alpha-fetoprotein production and which presented clinically with gastric haemorrhage. Gastric fibroscopy showed a bleeding tumour of the antrum. The microscopic appearance of the tumor showed two different patterns. The most extensive presented hepatoid features. The second pattern showed undifferentiated features. The tumour cells showed immunohistochemical positivity for alphafetoprotein, EMA and p53 protein; 37% were aneuploid with a DNA index of 1.46. The serum level of alphafetoprotein was not measured before the gastrectomy but after ten days it was elevated at 1070 ng/ml. The patient died 6 months after the admission. This case provides, for the first time, information on the DNA content and the p53 expression of this unusual and aggressive variant of gastric adenocarcinoma.

[Papillary and cystic tumor of the pancreas. Histological, immunohistochemical and flow cytometric study]. / Tumeur papillaire et kystique du pancréas. Etude histologique, immunohistochimique et par cytométrie en flux.

The authors are reporting a case of papillary and cystic neoplasm of the pancreas. This rare malignant epithelial neoplasm occurs mostly in young women and has a more favorable prognosis than the adenocarcinoma. Radiologic investigations showed a well demarcated, heterogeneous, hypovascular mass. The histological study showed the proliferation of epithelial cells in a papillary pattern. The immunochemistry was negative for markers of adenocarcinoma but positive for vimentin, alpha-1-antitrypsin, alpha-1-antichymotrypsin and neuron specific enolase. Receptors of progesterone were also detected. By flow cytometric analysis, the tumours was hypoploid. The histogenesis of these tumours remained controversed. Ultrastructural details of the neoplastic cells suggest that these tumours originate from small duct cells; detection in several cases of markers for endocrine neoplasm suggests that they originate from primitive multipotential cells, that may show exocrine or endocrine differentiation.

[Value of cytological study by flow cytometry or analysis of image as a complement to macroscopic study by cytoscopy. Apropos of therapeutic follow-up of a case of tumor of the bladder]. / Intérêt de l'étude cytologique par cytométrie en flux ou analyse d'image en complément de l'examen macroscopique par cystoscopie. A propos du suivi thérapeutique d'un cas de tumeur de vessie.

The case described corresponds to a grade G2 urothelial tumor with stage pTa extension (according to the World Health Organisation classification). After transurethral resection of the tumor and treatment by Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), the efficacy of treatment was evaluated by cystoscopy, standard cytology, flow cytometry or image analysis. According to these various methods it has been shown that a normal cystoscopy may or may not be associated with aneuploidy revealed by flow cytometry. Such a case clearly illustrates the value of combining macroscopic examination and a cytologic analysis in particular by flow cytometry in order to increase the accuracy of diagnosis and to evaluate without ambiguity the efficacy of treatment.

Prognosis of gastric carcinoma after curative surgery. A population-based study using multivariate crude and relative survival analysis.

A population-based series of 246 gastric cancer patients operated for cure and who survived the postoperative phase was reviewed to determine prognostic factors after potentially curative treatment. The overall five-year observed survival rate was 34.8%, and the relative survival rate was 43.9%. Previous history of gastric ulceration, tumor location, tumor size, gross appearance, extension within the gastric wall, and number of proximal lymph nodes involved were significantly related to both crude and relative survival rates. Age was a significant prognostic factor when considering crude survival rates, but it had no influence on relative survival rates. Multivariate analysis of crude and relative survival gave similar results except for age. The covariates retained in the final model were, by decreasing importance, extension within the gastric wall, lymph node involvement, gross appearance and tumor location. Combining the two major prognostic criteria, tumor extension through the gastric wall and lymph node involvement, four prognostic categories could be determined with five-year corrected survival rates ranging from 92% in patients with a carcinoma limited to the gastric wall to 17% in patients with more than two positive nodes whatever the extension in the gastric wall. Gross appearance had no influence on prognosis for carcinomas limited to the gastric wall, but had a significant impact on prognosis of more extended carcinomas. From these data, a simple staging system requiring only routinely available pathological data was proposed. This classification could be helpful for planning multicenter clinical trials on this disease where progress in therapy is needed.

Characterization of seven kidney tumors by flow cytometry: analysis of cell cycle, DNA content and P-glycoprotein expression.

Seven kidney tumors obtained from patients aged from 5 to 76 years were analyzed by flow cytometry for cell cycle, DNA content and P-glycoprotein expression involved in multidrug resistance. The DNA index seems to be an important criterion since all the tumors were aneuploid. In a case of clear cell carcinoma, two aneuploid clones were identified. In 5 cases of kidney tumors a high proportion of cells in proliferation (S + (G2 + M)) was observed; it was comprised between 13 and 33%. As for P-glycoprotein it was detected only in few tumor cells (5-15%) respectively in a case of clear cell carcinoma and in a case of Wilms' tumor.

[Colorectal hyperplasic polyps in the population of Côte-d'Or, between 1976 and 1985]. / Les polypes hyperplasiques colo-rectaux dans la population du département de la Côte-d'Or, entre 1976 et 1985.

The data of the polyp registry of the Côte d'Or was used to study the characteristics of hyperplasic polyps detected in a well defined-population. In the 1976-1985 10-yr period, 1,222 hyperplasic polyps were resected in 874 Côte d'Or residents. They represented 17% of all polyps. The incidence rate standardized according to the world reference population was 21.9/100,000 in males and 8.1/100,000 in female. The male predominance was observed in all age groups. The incidence of hyperplasic polyps increased by a mean of 19.8% per year in males and 26.6% in females (P less than 0.001). Hyperplasic polyps were discovered twice as often in patients living in an urban area than in patients living in a rural area (P less than 0.001). Hyperplasic polyps were smaller than 5 mm in 91.4% of cases and were located in the rectum in 59.4% of the cases. They were associated with an adenoma in 21.0% of the cases. In the case of a rectal hyperplasic polyp, 10.5% of the patients had an adenoma in the left colon and 2.8% in the right colon. A rectal hyperplasic polyp cannot be considered as a marker of the presence of a large bowel adenoma. The relationship between hyperplasic polyp and colorectal cancer needs to be established.

[Prostatic specific antigen and prostatic pathology. Value of preoperative blood assay. Preliminary study apropos of 709 case reports]. / Antigène spécifique de prostate et pathologie prostatique valeur du dosage sérique pré-opératoire. Etude préliminaire à propos de 709 observations.

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a prostate tissue marker detected by immunostaining in 97% of specimens examined. Tissue staining is variable and cancers are more heterogeneous than normal or hyperplastic prostate. Serum PSA levels in patients with normal or hyperplastic lesions are 12 ng/ml + 19 and are positively correlated with the weight of the gland. In patients with carcinoma serum PSA levels are 216 ng/ml + 782 and are positively correlated with tumor spread. PSA assay is of little value for screening for prostatic carcinoma. However, carcinoma of prostate is more frequent when PSA levels are above 10 ng/ml and the level of 50 ng/ml indicates capsular penetration, seminal vesicle or lymph node involvement or metastatic spread.