RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Invasive breast carcinomas of no special type (IC-NST) are the heterogeneous tumours showing distinct prognostic features even in patients with similar clinicopathological characteristics. To date, many clinicopathological data have been analyzed to make a guess about prognosis and to determine treatment modality. In this study, HER-2/neu status was analyzed by using both immunohistochemical (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods, and its correlations with hormone receptor status and clinicopathological parameters were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was included 112 female patients with diagnosis of IC-NST. FISH for HER-2/neu was applied in only primary tumour tissues, while IHC analyses for HER-2/neu, estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) were applied on both primary and metastatic lymph node foci. The results were compared with appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS: Our rates of HER-2/neu overexpression and gene amplification in the overall study group were 22.3 and 25%, respectively. In the metastatic group, these rates were higher than those of the overall study group (34% and 40%, respectively). Gene amplification rate of the axilla positive group was 40%, while this rate in non-metastatic group was 6.7% (p=0.015). Overexpression and amplification results were compliant (χ2=77,591, p<0.001). The concordance rates in HER-2/neu negative and overexpression groups were 95.3% and 88%, respectively. Our false negativity rate was 4.7%. While 36% of score 3+ cases were ER positive, 67.1% of HER-2/neu negative cases showed ER positivity (p=0.01). The increase of gene amplification rate in ER negative cases over 50 years age was more than two times and statistically significant (p=0.014). CONCLUSION: The concordance rates between the results of IHC and FISH in the HER-2 negative and the overexpression categories were compatible with the literature and lower than the literature, respectively. In the case of ER negativity, the patient's age over 50 years was associated with a higher rate of gene amplification.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Deviations in the apoptotic process have been demonstrated in prostate carcinogenesis. We aimed to evaluate especially the process of extrinsic apoptosis in the spectrum of neoplastic lesions of the prostate epithelium so as to reveal the variations in the apoptotic process. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study included 20 benign prostatic hyperplasia, 8 high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and 82 prostatic carcinoma patients. Immunohistochemistry was performed on sections obtained from materials of suprapubic prostatectomy, tru-cut biopsy, transurethral resection and radical prostatectomy. While Fas and FasL were evaluated in glandular and stromal areas, DcR1 and FLIP were evaluated in only glandular areas. Intensity and extent of immunostaining for Fas and FasL antibodies were separately scored and both scores were summarized. The total score of ≥ 4 both for Fas and FasL, expressions of FLIP and DcR1determined in more than 5% of glandular areas were accepted as positive. RESULTS: Glandular FasL positivity was observed in 63.8 and 20% of the cases with prostatic carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia, respectively (p=0.001). The loss of stromal Fas expression in PCa was obvious (p < 0.001). FLIP positivity was more frequently seen in high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and PCa. CONCLUSION: In prostatic carcinoma, decreased stromal Fas expression, contrary to higher glandular FasL positivity, supports the assertion that sensitivity of epithelial and stromal cells to apoptosis and their protective pathways against apoptosis undergo alterations. Increased FLIP expressions in high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and prostatic carcinoma can also be interpreted accordingly.