A Case of Uterine Tumor Resembling Ovarian Sex Cord Tumor With Prominent Myxoid Features.

Uterine tumor resembling ovarian sex cord tumor (UTROSCT) is a rare tumor with low malignant potential that commonly occurs in middle age. Although more than 100 cases have been reported to date, myxoid morphology is not well documented. Here, we present a 75-yr-old woman with abnormal vaginal bleeding, with an 8-cm mass in the uterine corpus detected by irregular, high-intensity signaling on T2-weighted imaging. The uterine mass had a glistening mucinous appearance on gross examination. Microscopically, most of the tumor cells were floating in the myxoid stroma. The tumor cells formed clusters or nests with abundant cytoplasm, while some exhibited trabecular or rhabdoid appearances. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for pancytokeratin (AE1/AE3), α-smooth muscle actin, CD10, progesterone receptor, and some sex cord markers such as calretinin, inhibin, CD56, steroidogenic factor-1. Electron microscopy demonstrated epithelial and sex cord differentiation. This tumor was negative for JAZF1-JJAZ1 fusion gene that is frequently found in low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. Fusion genes related to UTROSCT, including NCOA2/3 , were not detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The present case suggests that UTROSCT should be included in the differential diagnosis of myxoid uterine tumors.

Early abdominal wall ectopic pregnancy treated with laparoscopic surgery: A case report and literature review.

The abdominal wall is a rare site of ectopic implantation. Laparoscopic surgery for early abdominal pregnancy, in contrast to its use for tubal ectopic pregnancy, remains controversial because of concerns regarding heavy bleeding at the implantation site. Treatment of early abdominal pregnancy must be individualized for each implantation site. Herein, we present a case of an early abdominal pregnancy implanted in the anterior abdominal wall that was successfully treated with laparoscopic surgery. A 28-year-old multiparous woman with a 6-week amenorrhea presented with acute abdominal pain. An ectopic pregnancy was suspected because of elevated serum human chorionic gonadotropin levels without a visible gestational sac on transvaginal ultrasonography. Diagnostic laparoscopy revealed a gestational sac hanging from the anterior abdominal wall near the previous cesarean section wound. Laparoscopic surgery was successfully performed, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day three. In the present case, laparoscopic surgery was beneficial.

Abnormal Expression of PICT-1 and Its Codon 389 Polymorphism Is a Risk Factor for Human Endometrial Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The protein interacting with carboxyl terminus-1 (PICT-1) gene has been implicated as a tumor suppressor gene, and its alterations have been reported in several cancers. This study investigated the association of PICT-1 alterations with endometrial carcinogenesis. METHODS: We analyzed the entire coding region of the PICT-1 gene using polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing to examine PICT-1 mutations in endometrial cancer. Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining were performed to analyze the protein expression and cellular localization of PICT-1 in endometrial cancer cell lines and patient samples. RESULTS: The codon 389 polymorphism of PICT-1 increased the risk of endometrial cancer. Interestingly, 2 of 13 endometrial cancers somatically acquired this mutation compared to normal counterparts. Immunohistochemical staining revealed lower levels of PICT-1 in samples from atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer tissues compared to normal endometrial tissues (p < 0.01). This decrease in PICT-1 expression was significantly correlated with histological grade and lymph node metastasis (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that disruption of PICT-1 protein expression and codon 389 polymorphism can contribute to the pathogenesis or neoplastic progression of endometrial cancer.

The protein interacting with carboxyl terminus-1 codon 389 polymorphism impairs protein interacting with carboxyl terminus-1 function and is a risk factor for uterine cervical cancer.

PICT-1 is a nucleolar protein with various tumor suppressor functions. Recently, PICT-1 expression was reported to be dramatically reduced in several cancers. To investigate the role of PICT-1 in uterine cervical carcinogenesis, we examined its gene mutations, protein expression, cellular localization, and effect on p53 stabilization. PCR-SSCP analysis of the entire coding region of PICT-1 showed that a polymorphism at codon 389 may increase the risk of uterine cervical cancers, and also identified a novel missense mutation. Expression of wild-type PICT-1 inhibited the degradation of p53 in the presence or absence of HPV 18 E6 viral protein in vitro, while the expression of codon 389 polymorphic PICT-1 had a diminished inhibitory effect on p53 degradation. Moreover, we observed that PICT-1 degradation was induced both independently and cooperatively by E6 and E7 proteins from high-risk HPVs, but only marginal degradation was observed with proteins from low-risk HPV. Immunohistochemical staining of tumor samples revealed that lower levels of PICT-1 were observed in samples from CIN III and cervical cancer tissues, compared to normal cervical epithelium and CIN I, II tissues (P < 0.05). The reduction of PICT-1 may therefore be an early event in uterine cervical tumorigenesis. Our results indicated that PICT-1 counteracts HPV-induced p53 degradation and that aberrant PICT-1 function may contribute towards inactivating p53. Therefore, PICT-1 may play a critical role during the pathogenesis of uterine cervical cancers.

Clinicopathologic risk factors for recurrence of ovarian endometrioma following laparoscopic cystectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To identify epidemiologic risk factors and investigate whether the characteristics of removed ovarian tissue during surgery influence the recurrence of endometriomas. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Medical university hospital. POPULATION: 248 women with endometriomas. METHODS: All women who had a minimum of 2 years of follow-up after the laparoscopic excision of endometriomas were analysed retrospectively. Specimens were analysed histologically. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sixteen epidemiologic variables were analysed as possible risk factors for recurrence. The association between the characteristics of removed ovarian tissue (the thickness of the cyst wall, the thickness of ovarian tissue, and the morphological features) and endometrioma recurrence was investigated. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of endometriomas reached 42% at 60 months after surgery. We identified only a younger age at surgery as a risk factor, and postoperative pregnancy as a preventive factor. There were no differences in the mean thickness of the cyst wall and the removed ovarian tissue between patients with and without recurrence. No statistically significant associations were found between the morphologic characteristics of removed cyst wall, ovarian tissue, graded on a semi-quantitative basis, and recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the rate of endometrioma recurrence had a significant relation to patient age and postoperative pregnancy; however, there was no association between the histological characteristics of the excised tissue and recurrence.

Telemedicine for Pregnant Women on a Japanese Remote Island: A Two-year Report.

Introduction: Remote antenatal checkups were conducted on the northernmost island of Japan to reduce the burden of hospital visits among pregnant women. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and safety of remote antenatal checkups for pregnant women living on a remote island. Methods: This observational study included singleton pregnancies on Rebun Island between October 2020 and September 2022. General surgeons conducted medical interviews and performed fetal sonography using an obstetrician videoconference system at the main central hospital. The primary outcomes were the degrees of physical, mental, and economic burdens of hospital visits and the levels of anxiety and satisfaction with remote antenatal checkups as assessed using a questionnaire survey. Moreover, we investigated the incidence of adverse perinatal events, including maternal death, fetal death, neonatal death, severe neonatal neurological disorders, and other obstetric complications. Results: This study included 16 out of 22 pregnant women from Rebun Island who visited the central hospital. No adverse perinatal events occurred as a result of the remote antenatal checkups. One pregnant woman had gestational diabetes, whereas the others had no obstetric complications. The participants underwent a median of two remote antenatal checkups. According to a questionnaire survey, 90.0%, 80.0%, and 70.0% of the pregnant women perceived improvements in their physical, mental, and economic burdens, respectively. Although 70.0% of the participants experienced anxiety regarding remote antenatal checkups before the introduction, all were satisfied after delivery. Conclusions: Remote antenatal checkups effectively reduced the burden of hospital visits for pregnant women, who reported high levels of satisfaction. Furthermore, antenatal checkups were safely conducted on remote islands.

Management of pelvic lymph nodes by sentinel node navigation surgery in the treatment of invasive cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Diagnosis of lymph node metastasis is a critical issue in the treatment of cervical cancer. Many studies describing sentinel node navigation surgery (SNNS) for examination of node status have been reported in the past decade. In this study, the feasibility of node status diagnosis by SNNS, including intraoperative frozen section diagnosis, in patients with early and advanced cervical cancer was evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight cervical cancer patients with early and advanced stage disease were enrolled. All patients were treated with backup pelvic lymphadenectomy after SNNS. To detect sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), radioactive material and/or blue dye were used as tracers. Lymph nodes confirmed as SLNs were immediately sent to pathologists and diagnosed by frozen section intraoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 118 and 16 SLNs were pathologically investigated in early and advanced stage cervical cancer, respectively. The detection rate of SLNs in the early and advanced stages was 94.7% and 66.7%, respectively, whereas the detection rate using 1 or 2 tracers was 62.5% and 90%, respectively. The false-negative rate and negative predictive value was 0% and 100% for all stages. Pathological diagnosis by frozen section was completed within 30 minutes in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that SNNS in cervical cancer is a promising procedure for patients with early stage (up to Ib1) disease, especially patients with small tumor diameter (<2.0 cm). However, SNNS raises several points for discussion before it can be established as a practical clinical procedure or as part of a subsequent radical hysterectomy.

Suppression of invasive characteristics by antisense introduction of overexpressed HOX genes in ovarian cancer cells.

HOX genes encode transcription factors that function to establish basic body pattern during embryogenesis and maintain the function of specific organs in the adult. Recent studies have demonstrated that HOX genes are also involved in oncogenesis in a range of malignancies. To elucidate whether HOX genes contribute to ovarian carcinogenesis, we created an expression profile of HOX genes using ovarian derived materials from surgical samples and epithelial ovarian cancer cells derived from five different cell lines. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR assay indicated overexpression of 14 HOX genes in clusters A and B but only 2 genes in clusters C and D. Of the 16 HOX genes, overexpression of paralogs of HOX3, HOX4 and HOX7 is seen in cluster A and B, and of HOX13 in all paralogs. In addition, HOXB7, HOXA13 and HOXB13 showed high levels of overexpression in cancer cells and tissues whereas no or little expression was observed in normal controls. To examine whether overexpressed HOX genes regulate invasion of ovarian cancer cells directly, we introduced an antisense DNA fragment of overexpressed HOXB7 and HOXB13, and HOXC5 that did not show overexpression into SKOV3 cells by electroporation. Antisense introduction followed by chemoinvasion assay using matrigel chamber demonstrated that SKOV3 cells introduced an antisense of each HOXB7 and HOXB13 showed 85% and 50% reduction of invasion ability compared to the parental SKOV3 cells, respectively. In contrast, antisense of HOXC5 introduced cells showed no significant difference of the invasion ability. These results suggest an important role of overexpressed HOX genes, especially for invasive characteristics of ovarian cancer cells.