[Kidney function in contrast media-enhanced imaging]. / Nierenfunktion bei kontrastmittelverstärkter Bildgebung.

BACKGROUND: The potential adverse reactions to contrast media-enhanced imaging regularly offer challenges in decision-making for nephrologists and radiologists. OBJECTIVE: The clinical pictures of contrast media-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) were evaluated, which are both caused by contrast media and closely linked to the kidney function. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The literature in PubMed and Medline was searched for the terms "kidney function" and "contrast media" and complemented by our own experiences. RESULTS: While there is an ongoing re-evaluation of the clinical relevance of CI-AKI, no new cases of NSF have recently been reported under consideration of certain preventive interventions and very restricted use of gadolinium-based contrast agents. CONCLUSION: Considering the results of the latest clinical research, the potential risk of CI-AKI has been overestimated for a long time and should no longer outweigh the diagnostic benefit of contrast media-enhanced imaging. Nevertheless, the most effective prophylaxis for CI-AKI is the avoidance of unnecessary administration of contrast media.

[First description of Schilder's disease : Paul Ferdinand Schilder and his struggle for the delimitation of a new entity]. / Die Erstbeschreibung der Schilder-Krankheit : Paul Ferdinand Schilder und sein Ringen um die Abgrenzung einer neuen Entität.

Paul Ferdinand Schilder was born in Vienna in 1886 and died in New York in 1940. He is nowadays remembered predominantly for his contributions to modern psychiatry and psychotherapy; however, he was also a neurologist and neuroscientist and in particular in his early years, he researched and published on neuropathological topics. This paper focuses on his scientific work during his years in Middle Germany (1909-1914), where he worked with Gabriel Anton in Halle and Paul Flechsig in Leipzig. During those years, he laid the foundations for his definition, clinical classification and differentiation of encephalitis periaxialis diffusa. Today, this inflammatory brain disease is known as Schilder's disease and is of some importance as a rare differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), especially in children. Schilder's reflections and findings were based on his scrupulous and detailed analysis of only a few medical histories, which also comprised histological neuropathological examinations, as well as on his extensive and critical review of the relevant literature of the time. His aim was to differentiate encephalitis periaxialis diffusa from brain tumors, MS and Heubner's diffuse sclerosis. Schilder's scientific achievement, made in relatively young years, is still impressive even to the present day due do its thoroughness and accuracy as well as the enormous workload and ambition it required. Even though ambitious, Schilder was always prepared to critically review his own ideas.

Intraductal Carcinoma of the Prostate on Diagnostic Needle Biopsy Predicts Prostate Cancer Mortality: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Intraductal carcinoma of the prostate (IDC-P) is a distinct histopathologic feature associated with high-grade, advanced prostate cancer. Although studies have shown that IDC-P is a predictor of progression following surgical or radiation treatment for prostate cancer, there are sparse data regarding IDC-P on diagnostic needle biopsy as a prognosticator of prostate cancer mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a population-based study of all prostate cancer patients diagnosed using needle biopsy and without evidence of systemic disease between 1991 and 1999 within a defined geographic region of Norway. Patients were identified by cross-referencing the Norwegian Cancer Registry. Of 318 eligible patients, 283 had biopsy specimens available for central pathology review. Clinical data were obtained from medical charts. We examined whether IDC-P on diagnostic needle biopsy was associated with adverse clinicopathological features and prostate cancer mortality. RESULTS: Patients with IDC-P on diagnostic needle biopsy had a more advanced stage and a higher Gleason score compared to patients without IDC-P. IDC-P was also associated with an intensively reactive stroma. The 10-year prostate cancer-specific survival was 69% for patients with IDC-P on diagnostic needle biopsy and 89% for patients without IDC-P (Log rank P-value < 0.005). The presence of IDC-P on diagnostic needle biopsy remained an independent predictor of prostate cancer mortality after adjustments for clinical prognostic factors and treatment. After adjustment for the newly implemented Grade Group system of prostate cancer, IDC-P showed a strong tendency toward statistical significance. However, IDC-P did not remain a statistically significant predictor in the multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: IDC-P on diagnostic needle biopsy is an indicator of prostate cancer with a high risk of mortality. Accordingly, a diagnosis of IDC-P on needle biopsy should be reported and considered a feature of high-risk prostate cancer. Moreover, the association between IDC-P and reactive stroma provides evidence in support of the idea that stromal factors facilitate carcinoma invasion to the prostatic acini and ducts. Prostate 77:859-865, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of ovariectomy on intracellular Ca2+ regulation in guinea pig cardiomyocytes.

This study addressed the hypothesis that long-term deficiency of ovarian hormones after ovariectomy (OVx) alters cellular Ca2+-handling mechanisms in the heart, resulting in the formation of a proarrhythmic substrate. It also tested whether estrogen supplementation to OVx animals reverses any alterations to cardiac Ca2+ handling and rescues proarrhythmic behavior. OVx or sham operations were performed on female guinea pigs using appropriate anesthetic and analgesic regimes. Pellets containing 17ß-estradiol (1 mg, 60-day release) were placed subcutaneously in selected OVx animals (OVx + E). Cardiac myocytes were enzymatically isolated, and electrophysiological measurements were conducted with a switch-clamp system. In fluo-4-loaded cells, Ca2+ transients were 20% larger, and fractional sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release was 7% greater in the OVx group compared with the sham group. Peak L-type Ca2+ current was 16% larger in OVx myocytes with channel inactivation shifting to more positive membrane potentials, creating a larger "window" current. SR Ca2+ stores were 22% greater in the OVx group, and these cells showed a higher frequency of Ca2+ sparks and waves and shorter wave-free intervals. OVx myocytes showed higher frequencies of early afterdepolarizations, and a greater percentage of these cells showed delayed afterdepolarizations after exposure to isoprenaline compared with sham myocytes. The altered Ca2+ regulation occurring in the OVx group was not observed in the OVx + E group. These findings suggest that long-term deprivation of ovarian hormones in guinea pigs lead to changes in myocyte Ca2+-handling mechanisms that are considered proarrhythmogenic. 17ß-Estradiol replacement prevented these adverse effects.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Ovariectomized guinea pig cardiomyocytes have higher frequencies of Ca2+ waves, and isoprenaline-challenged cells display more early afterdepolarizations, delayed afterdepolarizations, and extra beats compared with sham myocytes. These alterations to Ca2+ regulation were not observed in myocytes from ovariectomized guinea pigs supplemented with 17ß-estradiol, suggesting that ovarian hormone deficiency modifies cardiac Ca2+ regulation, potentially creating proarrhythmic substrates.

MtDNA depletion influences the transition of CD44 subtypes in human prostate cancer DU145 cells.

Our earlier study revealed that long-term ethidium bromide application causes mitochondrial DNA depletion in human prostate cancer DU145 cell line (DU145MtDP), and this DU145MtDP subline appears to have expanded CD44Bright cell population than its parental wild type DU145 cells (DU145WT). Increasing evidence suggests that CD44Bright cells are highly cancer stem cell like, but it is not clear about their dynamic transition between CD44Dim and CD44Bright phenotypes in prostate cancer cells, and how it is affected by mitochondrial DNA depletion. To address these questions, four cell subpopulations were isolated from both DU145WT and DU145MtDP cell lines based on their CD44 expression level and mitochondrial membrane potential. The cell motility and colony formation capability of the fluorescence activated cell sorting-sorted cell subpopulations were further examined. It was discovered in the DU145WT cells that CD44Dim cells could transit into both CD44Dim and CD44Bright phenotypes and that CD44Bright cells were prone to sustain their CD44Bright phenotype as renewal. However, such transition principle was altered in the DU145MtDP cells, in which CD44Bright cells showed similar capability to sustain a CD44Bright phenotype, while the transition of CD44Dim cells to CD44Bright were suppressed. It is concluded that mitochondrial DNA depletion in the human prostate cancer DU145 cells influences their renewal and CD44 subphenotype transition. Such alterations may be the driving force for the enrichment of CD44Bright DU145 cells after the mitochondrial DNA depletion, although the molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

The relationship between perineural invasion, tumor grade, reactive stroma and prostate cancer-specific mortality: A clinicopathologic study on a population-based cohort.

BACKGROUND: In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that nerves, tumor epithelium, and stroma interact and promote prostate cancer (PC) progression. Perineural invasion (PNI) is established amidst these interactions and may therefore indicate an aggressive PC phenotype. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between PNI, tumor grade, reactive stroma, and PC-specific mortality. METHODS: A population-based study on 318 patients, encompassing all cases of PC diagnosed by needle biopsies and without evidence of systemic metastasis at the time of diagnosis in Aust-Agder County in the period of 1991-1999. Patients were identified by cross-referencing the Cancer Registry of Norway. Clinical data were obtained by review of medical charts. Diagnostic prostate needle biopsies were reviewed with respect to presence of PNI, percentage of biopsy cores with PNI, Gleason score (GS), and reactive stromal grade (RSG). The endpoint was PC-specific mortality. RESULTS: The presence of PNI was significantly associated with high tumor grade and abundant reactive stroma. The 10-year PC-specific survival for patients with and without PNI was 72% and 91%, respectively (P = 0.001, log rank). PNI predicted PC-specific mortality independently of clinical factors, though the effect of PNI was attenuated when adjusting for GS and RSG. However, a percentage of biopsy cores with PNI >50% was found to predict PC-specific mortality independently of other clinicopathologic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The present population-based study shows that PNI on diagnostic prostate needle biopsy is associated with increased risk of PC-specific mortality. Our findings demonstrate that the prognostic effect of PNI is dependent on an association with high grade carcinoma and reactive stroma. However; the impact of PNI on clinical outcome becomes stronger and independent of other clinicopathologic factors upon increased percentage of PNI positive biopsy cores. Thus, our study highlights the importance of PNI and microenvironmental interactions for the long-term outcome of PC.

Combining lymphovascular invasion with reactive stromal grade predicts prostate cancer mortality.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that lymphovascular invasion (LVI) has a weak and variable effect on prognosis. It is uncertain whether LVI, determined by diagnostic prostate biopsy, predicts prostate cancer death. Data from experimental studies have indicated that carcinoma-associated fibroblasts in the reactive stroma could promote LVI and progression to metastasis. Thus, combining LVI with reactive stromal grade may identify prostate cancer patients at high risk of an unfavorable outcome. The purpose of the present study was to examine if LVI, determined by diagnostic biopsy, alone and in combination with reactive stromal grade could predict prostate cancer death. METHODS: This population-based study included 283 patients with prostate cancer diagnosed by needle biopsy in Aust-Agder County (Norway) from 1991 to 1999. Clinical data were obtained by medical charts review. Two uropathologists evaluated LVI and reactive stromal grade. The endpoint was prostate cancer death. RESULTS: Patients with LVI had marginally higher risk of prostate cancer death compared to patients without LVI (hazard ratio: 1.8, P-value = 0.04). LVI had a stronger effect on prostate cancer death risk when a high reactive stromal grade was present (hazard ratio: 16.0, P-value <0.001). Therefore, patients with concomitant LVI and high reactive stromal grade were at particularly high risk for prostate cancer death. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluating LVI together with reactive stromal grade on diagnostic biopsies could be used to identify patients at high risk of death from prostate cancer. Prostate 76:1088-1094, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Expression and clinical significance of Wee1 in colorectal cancer.

Wee1 is a nuclear kinase regulating cell cycle progression, and has emerged as a promising therapeutic target in cancer. Expression of Wee1 has been associated with poor outcome in certain tumor types, but the prognostic impact and clinical significance in colorectal cancer is unknown. The expression of Wee1 was examined by immunohistochemistry in primary colorectal carcinomas from a prospectively collected patient cohort, and associations with clinicopathological parameters and outcome were investigated. Cell culture experiments were performed using the cell lines RKO and SW620, and the relationship with the metastasis-promoting protein S100A4 was investigated. Nuclear expression was detected in 229 of the 258 tumors analyzed (89 %). Wee1 staining was associated with low pT stage, but no other significant associations with demographic or histopathological variables were found. Moderate Wee1 staining intensity was a predictor of favorable metastasis-free and overall survival compared to strong intensity and no or weak staining. The fraction of positive cells was not a prognostic factor in the present cohort. Inhibition of Wee1 expression using siRNA or treatment with the Wee1 inhibitor MK-1775 reduced expression of the metastasis-promoting protein S100A4, but no relationship between Wee1 and S100A4 was found in the patient samples. In conclusion, Wee1 is highly expressed in primary colorectal carcinomas, but few relevant associations with clinicopathological parameters or outcome were found. The lack of clinical significance of Wee1 expression could indicate that other tumor types might be better suited for further development of Wee1 inhibitors.

MPC1 and MPC2 expressions are associated with favorable clinical outcomes in prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer cells exhibit an altered metabolism, which is characterized by a preference for aerobic glycolysis more than mitochondrial oxidation of pyruvate. Mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1 (MPC1) and mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 2 (MPC2) play a bottleneck role by transporting pyruvate into mitochondrial through the mitochondrial inner membrane. Therefore, their protein expression in cancers may be of clinical consequences. There are studies showing low levels of MPC1 expression in colon, kidney and lung cancers, and the expression of MPC1 correlates with poor prognosis. However, the expression status of MPC1 and MPC2 in prostate cancer (PCA) is unclear. METHODS: In this study, expression of MPC1 and MPC2 in LNCaP and DU145 prostate cancer cell lines was examined by immunocytochemistry (ICC) and Western blotting. Compared to the LNCaP cells, lower levels of MPC1 and MPC2 expression in the DU145 cell line was identified. We then extended our study to 88 patients with prostate cancer who underwent transurethral electro-vaporization of prostate or radical prostatectomy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan, China. Patient-derived paraffin embedded PCA specimens were collected for immunohistochemistry (IHC). Correlations with clinicopathologic factors were evaluated by Chi-square or Fisher´s exact probability tests. Overall survival (OS) rates were determined using the Kaplan-Meier estimator. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used in univariate analysis and multivariate analysis to identify factors significantly correlated with prognosis. RESULTS: Linear regression analysis revealed that MPC1 expression level was positively correlated with MPC2 expression (r = 0.375, P = 0.006) in the prostate cancers. MPC1 expression was negatively associated with UICC stage (P = 0.031). While UICC stage (P < 0.001) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.002) were negatively associated with MPC2 expression. Positive MPC1 or MPC2 expression in cancer tissues was significantly associated with higher OS (P < 0.05). The multivariate analysis showed that both MPC1 and MPC2 expressions in PCA were independent prognostic factors for higher OS (For MPC1: RR = 0.654, 95% CI: 0.621-0690, P < 0.001; For MPC2: RR = 0.696, 95% CI: 0.660-0.734, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that MPC1 and MPC2 expressions are of prognostic values in PCAs and that positive expression of MPC1 or MPC2 is a predictor of favorable outcome.

The prognostic value of reactive stroma on prostate needle biopsy: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Reactive tumor stroma has been shown to play an active role in prostatic carcinogenesis. A grading system for reactive stroma in prostate cancer (PC) has recently been established and found to predict biochemical recurrence and prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) in prostatectomized patients. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no study investigating the prognostic value of reactive stromal grading (RSG) with regard to PCSM when evaluated in diagnostic prostate needle biopsies. METHODS: A population-based study on 318 patients, encompassing all cases of PC diagnosed by needle biopsies and without evidence of systemic metastasis at the time of diagnosis in Aust-Agder County in the period 1991-1999. Patients were identified by cross-referencing the Cancer Registry of Norway. Clinical data were obtained by review of medical charts. The endpoint was PCSM. RSG was evaluated on haematoxylin and eosin stained sections according to previously described criteria; grade 0, 0-5% reactive stroma; grade 1, 6-15%; grade 2, 16-50%; grade 3, 51-100%. RESULTS: RSG could be evaluated in 278 patients. The median follow- up time was 110 months (interquartile range: 51-171). The 10-year PC - specific survival rate for RSGs of 0, 1, 2, and 3 was 96%, 81%, 69%, and 63%, respectively (P < 0.005). RSG remained independently associated with PCSM in a multivariate Cox regression analysis adjusting for prostate-specific antigen level, clinical stage, Gleason score, and mode of treatment. The concordance index of the multivariate model was 0.814 CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that RSG in diagnostic prostate needle biopsies predicts PCSM independently of other evaluable prognostic factors. Hence, RSG could be used in addition to traditional prognostic factors for prognostication and treatment stratification of PC patients.

The expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) in ovarian carcinomas and its clinicopathological associations: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) is widely used as a specific cancer stem cell marker in a variety of cancers, and may become a promising target for cancer therapy. However, the role of its expression in tumor cells and the microenvironment in different cancers is still controversial. METHODS: To clarify the clinicopathological effect of ALDH1 expression in ovarian carcinoma, a series of 248 cases of paraffin-embedded formalin fixed ovarian carcinoma tissues with long term follow-up information were studied by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The immunostaining of ALDH1was variably detected in both tumor cells and the stromal cells, although the staining in tumor cells was not as strong as that in stromal cells. Statistical analyses showed that high ALDH1 expression in tumor cells was significantly associated with histological subtypes, early FIGO stage, well differentiation grade and better survival probability (p < 0.05). The expression of ALDH1 in the stromal cells had no clinicopathological associations in the present study (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIOMS: High expression of cancer stem cell marker ALDH1 in ovarian carcinoma cells may thus portend a favorable prognosis, but its expression in tumor microenvironment may have no role in tumor behavior of ovarian carcinomas. More studies are warranted to find out the mechanisms for this.

High nuclear SOX2 expression is associated with radiotherapy response in small (T1/T2) oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Expression of the stem cell transcription factor SOX2 is often used to imply stemness and poor prognosis in cancer. However, its role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is not fully elucidated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Tumour tissues from 62 patients with primary, node negative and non-metastatic OSCCs were used to evaluate SOX2 expression by immunohistochemistry. The results were correlated to clinicopathology, treatment and disease recurrences. RESULTS: The majority of the OSCCs (88%) expressed SOX2. Patients with higher nuclear SOX2 staining intensity in the invasive front compared to the adjacent normal epithelium, had a remarkable longer disease-free period if they received adjuvant post-operative radiotherapy (P = 0.001). This was in particular evident for highly differentiated OSCCs, as none of the high SOX2-expressing tumours reoccurred in contrast to all low SOX2-expressing OSCCs. CONCLUSIONS: High nuclear SOX2 expression in the invasive front was associated with dramatic longer disease-free period than low SOX2-expressing carcinomas after post-operative radiotherapy in small OSCCs. The result suggested that high nuclear SOX2 expression at the invasive front may predict radiosensitivity.

Droplet based microfluidics: spectroscopic characterization of levofloxacin and its SERS detection.

Levofloxacin (Levo), a second generation fluoroquinolone, has both clinical and environmental relevance. Therefore, the implementation of fast, robust and cost effective techniques for its monitoring is required. Here, its spectroscopic characterization and its detection in aqueous environment were carried out using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy combined with droplet based microfluidics. The Levo molecule interacts with the silver nanoparticles via the carboxylate group and it adopts an upright or slightly tilted orientation. Furthermore, it is shown that the presence of Cl(-) ions has a strong influence on the enhancement efficiency of the Raman signal of the target molecule. Thus, for the determination of the limit of detection (LOD) the measurements were carried out in the absence of any electrolytes. The estimated LOD is ∼0.8 µM and the linear dynamic window ranges between 1-15 µM. These results were achieved after the normalization of the SERS signal to the Raman mode at 230 cm(-1). This band was attributed to the ν(Ag-O) stretching and it accounts for the Levo molecules in the first layer on the Ag nanoparticles.

B7-H3 expression in colorectal cancer: associations with clinicopathological parameters and patient outcome.

BACKGROUND: We have previously reported overexpression of the immunoregulatory protein B7-H3 in colorectal cancer and that nuclear expression predicted poor outcome in colon cancer patients. The present study was performed to examine the prognostic role of B7-H3 in an independent colorectal cancer cohort. METHODS: Using tissue microarrays from 731 colorectal cancer patients, tumour B7-H3 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Associations with clinicopathological parameters and patient outcome were investigated. RESULTS: Nuclear expression of B7-H3 in cancer cells was present in 27% of the samples in the total study cohort, while cytoplasmic/membrane and stromal expression was seen in 86% and 77% of the samples, respectively. Nuclear B7-H3 had no prognostic relevance in the complete outcome cohort, neither in colon cancer patients. However, nuclear B7-H3 was significantly associated with reduced recurrence-free survival in TNM stage I colorectal cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of B7-H3 in colorectal cancer was confirmed, but in contrast to previous results, nuclear B7-H3 was not a strong prognostic biomarker in this cohort. The discrepancy might be related to the use of single-core tissue microarrays for detection of the heterogeneously expressed B7-H3, and the role of B7-H3 in colorectal cancer still needs further examination.

The length of a positive surgical margin is of prognostic significance in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To establish predictors of clinical failure in patients operated with radical prostatectomy (RP) for clinically localized prostate cancer (PC) by analyzing the pathological characteristics of positive surgical margins (PSM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The RP specimens of 303 consecutive patients operated with RP between 1985 and 2009 were reviewed. PSM were analyzed with regard to the PSM length, location and multifocality and the Gleason score (GS) at the PSM. RESULTS: Of the 163 patients with PSM, 79 (48%) progressed to clinical failure compared to 30 (22%) in the negative-margin-status group. In univariate analysis, a GS at the PSM ≥4 + 3 = 7 (p = 0. 013) and a PSM length >3.0 mm (p < 0.005) were significantly associated with higher clinical failure rates compared to a GS at the PSM ≤3 + 4 = 7 and ≤3.0 mm in extent, respectively. A linear extent of the PSM ≤3.0 mm appeared to have the same clinical outcome as in the group with a negative margin status. In multivariate analysis, a PSM length >3.0 mm remained an independent predictor of clinical failure. CONCLUSIONS: PSM length is an independent predictor of clinical failure following RP.

Disseminated tumor cells and their prognostic significance in nonmetastatic prostate cancer patients.

Detection of pretreatment disseminated cells (pre-DTC) reflecting its homing to bone marrow (BM) in prostate cancer (PCa) might improve the current model to predict recurrence or survival in men with nonmetastatic disease despite of primary treatment. Thereby, pre-DTC may serve as an early prognostic biomarker. Post-treatment DTCs (post-DTC) finding may supply the clinician with additional predictive information about the possible course of PCa. To assess the prognostic impact of DTCs in BM aspirates sampled before initiation of primary therapy (pre-DTC) and at least 2 years after (post-DTC) to established prognostic factors and survival in patients with PCa. Available BM of 129 long-term follow-up patients with T1-3N0M0 PCa was assessed in addition to 100 BM of those in whom a pretreatment BM was sampled. Patients received either combined therapy [n = 81 (63%)], radiotherapy (RT) with different duration of hormone treatment (HT) or monotherapy with RT or HT alone [n = 48 (37%)] adapted to the criteria of the SPCG-7 trial. Mononuclear cells were deposited on slides according to the cytospin methodology and DTCs were identified by immunocytochemistry using the pancytokeratin antibodies AE1/AE3. The median age of men at diagnosis was 64.5 years (range 49.5-73.4 years). The median long-term follow-up from first BM sampling to last observation was 11 years. Categorized clinically relevant factors in PCa showed only pre-DTC status as the statistically independent parameter for survival in the multivariate analysis. Pre-DTCs homing to BM are significantly associated with clinically relevant outcome independent to the patient's treatment at diagnosis with nonmetastatic PCa.

CD117 expression in operable oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas predicts worse clinical outcome.

AIMS: To investigate the aberrant expression of CD117 in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and its prognostic significance. METHODS AND RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining for CD117 was performed on tissue microarray and routine tissue sections from 157 oesophageal SCC patients and 10 normal oesophageal epithelia adjacent to tumour. The positive rate of CD117 expression was 29.9% in oesophageal SCC tissues, whereas no CD117 expression was detected in the 10 normal oesophageal epithelia. CD117 expression was significantly associated with T stage (P < 0.001), distant metastasis (P = 0.015), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.019), and clinical stage (P = 0.021). Progression-free survival in the patients with CD117-positive tumours was shorter than that in the patients with CD117-negative tumours (P = 0.010). In univariate analyses, CD117 expression was the most significant factor for overall survival of oesophageal SCC patients (P < 0.001), followed by lymph node metastasis (P = 0.001), T stage (P = 0.002), clinical stage (P = 0.006), distant metastasis (P = 0.020), and histological grade (P = 0.027). Multivariate analyses verified that CD117 expression was an independent prognostic marker for oesophageal SCC patients (P = 0.002). In addition, CD117 expression predicted poorer survival in patients without distant metastases. CONCLUSIONS: CD117 expression in operable oesophageal SCC may be a valuable prognostic marker, and detection of its expression in clinical samples may be useful in defining a subclass of oesophageal SCCs with extremely poor clinical outcome, which may require a specially targeted treatment modality.

High expression of wee1 is associated with malignancy in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma patients.

BACKGROUND: Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer form with increasing incidence rate and few treatment options. Wee1 is a central regulator of the G2/M DNA-damage checkpoint, and has in previous studies been described as a prognostic biomarker and a potential target for therapy in other cancer forms. METHODS: In the present study we analyzed the expression of Wee1 in a panel of 297 vulvar tumors by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, siRNA transfections were carried out in two vulvar cancer cell lines (SW-954 and CAL-39) in order to study the effect on cell cycle distribution (flow cytometry) and proteins (western blot) involved in DNA damage response and apoptosis. RESULTS: Wee1 kinase is increased in vulvar squamous cell carcinomas, as compared to expression in normal epithelium, and a high Wee1 expression is associated with markers of malignancy, such as lymph node metastasis and poor differentiation. Our in vitro results showed that siRNA mediated Wee1 silencing only led to a modest reduction in viability, when examined in vulvar cancer cell lines. Nonetheless, a marked increase in DNA damages, as assessed by augmented levels of γ-H2AX, was observed in both cell lines in the absence of Wee1. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that Wee1 may be involved in the progression of vulvar carcinomas. Based on our in vitro results, Wee1 is unlikely to function as a target for mono-treatment of these patients.

Primary tumor vascularity, HIF-1α and VEGF expression in vulvar squamous cell carcinomas: their relationships with clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic impact.

BACKGROUND: Increased vascularity is a crucial event in the tumor progression and has prognostic significance in various cancers. However, the ultimate role of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis and clinical outcome of vulvar carcinoma patients is still not settled. METHODS: Tumor vascularity using CD34 stained slides measured by Chalkley counting method as well as hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) immunoexpression was examined in 158 vulvar squamous cell carcinomas. Associations between vascular Chalkley count, HIF-1α and VEGF expression and clinicopathological factors and clinical outcome were evaluated. RESULTS: High CD34 Chalkley count was found to correlate with larger tumor diameter (P = 0.002), deep invasion (P < 0.001) and HIF-1α (P = 0.04), whereas high VEGF expression correlate significantly with poor tumor differentiation (P = 0.007). No significant association between CD34 Chalkley counts and VEGF expression and disease-specific survival was observed. High HIF-1α expression showed better disease specific survival in both univariate and multivariate analyses (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A significant association between high tumor vascularity and larger tumor size as well as deeper tumor invasion suggests an important role of angiogenesis in the growth and progression of vulvar carcinomas. HIF-1α expression in vulvar carcinomas was a statistically independent prognostic factor.

Combined analysis of vascular invasion, grade, HER2 and Ki67 expression identifies early breast cancer patients with questionable benefit of systemic adjuvant therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Over-treatment of low-risk early breast cancer patients with adjuvant systemic therapies is an important clinical challenge. Better techniques are required which can be used to distinguish between the large group of patients with no residual disease after surgery and consequently no benefit of adjuvant treatment, from the smaller group with high relapse risk. A better integration of available prognostic factors might contribute to improved prediction of clinical outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The current study included 346 unselected pT1pN0 patients who did not receive adjuvant systemic treatment. In Norway, no patients with this stage were recommended systemic treatment at the time of the study (1995-1998). Histological type, tumour size, grade, vascular invasion (VI), hormone receptor (HR) status, HER2 and Ki67 (cut-off 10%) were analysed. Median follow-up was 86 months for relapse and 101 months for death. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients experienced relapse, 31 with distant metastasis. Twenty-one patients died of breast cancer. In univariate analysis grade, HER2, HR, VI and Ki67 had impact on clinical outcome (p < 0.005, log rank). In multivariate analysis, only grade 1-2 vs. grade 3, HER2, VI, and Ki67 status were significant for disease free survival, distant disease free survival, and/or breast cancer specific survival. These factors were used in combination, to separate patients into groups based on the number of unfavourable factors present [combined prognostic score (CPS) 0-4]. Close to 2/3 of the patients (61.4%) had no unfavourable factor (CPS0), whilst 18.4% had CPS ≥ 2. Only 3.6% of those with CPS0 developed metastasis (p < 0.001). The outcome was clearly worse for patients with CPS ≥ 2 (p < 0.001), systemic relapse was detected in approximately 40%. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the combined use of grade, VI, HER2 and Ki67 identifies a subgroup of breast cancer patients with a relapse risk that may question the benefit of adjuvant systemic therapy.