Adrenomedullin expression does not correlate with survival in lung cancer.

It is suggested that adrenomedullin (AM) plays a role in lung carcinogenesis although, to confirm this suggestion, further clinical studies are needed to determine its relationship with prognosis in lung cancer. Archived 50 paraffin-embedded tumor samples of the lung were retrospectively evaluated for AM expression by immunohistochemistry and analyzed for a possible correlation with patient characteristics and survival. Quantitation of immunoreactivity was accomplished using an immunohistochemical scoring system. The pulmonary resection specimens contained 22 squamous cell carcinomas, 15 adenocarcinomas, and 13 small cell carcinomas. Non-small cell carcinomas of the lung were more likely to express AM than small cell carcinomas of the lung. Ninety-one percent of squamous cell carcinomas and 87% of adenocarcinomas expressed AM at a moderate to strong level and grade2-4 (30-100%), which were significantly higher from the non-neo-plastic lung tissue. Twenty-three percent of small cell carcinomas of lung expressed AM. Interestingly, AM immunoreactivity was essentially weak and grade 1 (<%30) in this group. AM expression is upregulated in non-small cell carcinomas of the lung, whereas it is downregulated in small cell carcinomas and non-neo-plastic lung tissues. AM expression did not show any correlation with the differentiation of the tumor, the stage of cancer, and the overall survival of patients. These results did not support the role of adrenomedullin as an independent survival factor for lung cancer. However, AM inhibition in conjunction with other anti-angiogenic agents may be useful in the prevention and treatment of malignancies.

Cyproterone acetate and ethinylestradiol-induced pill oesophagitis: a case report.

Although there are many cases of oesophagitis related to pill in medical literature, there are only a few reports concerning oesophagitis related to oral contraceptives, and none about cyproterone acetate and ethinylestradiol combination (Diane-35). In this report, we describe a female patient who suffered from odynophagia and retrosternal pain after taking Diane-35 for hirsutism. The endoscopic examination revealed two well-demarcated circumferential ulcers of 1 cm diameter surrounded by relatively normal mucosa in mid-oesophagus. The patient had gone to bed immediately after taking the pill. Oral intake was stopped, and intravenous fluids and omeprazole were administered as part of treatment. The patient benefited from this approach very quickly and was discharged from hospital in 5 days. The oesophagus was completely normal in control endoscopy after 2 months. Diane-35 should be added to the list of drugs causing pill oesophagitis, and physicians should inform the patients that the pills should be taken with enough water and they should not lie down right after ingesting the pills.