Pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis from gallbladder cancer mimicking diffuse alveolar haemorrhage.

Diagnosis in cases with pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis as a primary manifestation is difficult due to unawareness of the cancer. An 81-year-old man was admitted due to a one-week history of dyspnoea and haemoptysis. Chest computed tomography showed diffuse bilateral ground-grass opacity and partial consolidation. We suspected diffuse alveolar haemorrhage. High-dose methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide did not improve his condition and he died from respiratory failure. Autopsy revealed pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis of whole lungs and primary gallbladder cancer. We should consider pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis in the differential diagnosis of patients with haemoptysis and diffuse lung opacity of unknown origin.

Methotrexate-associated lymphoproliferative disorder with multiple pulmonary nodules and bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy.

As has been well recognized, methotrexate (MTX) leads to a state of immunosuppression and can provide a basis for the development of lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs). MTX-associated LPDs can affect nodal sites as well as extranodal sites, though the manifestation of an LPD in the form of multiple pulmonary nodules is rare. Here, we report two cases of MTX-associated LPD with multiple bilateral pulmonary nodules, which was a finding suggestive of lung cancer, and bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. After withdrawal of MTX, the multiple bilateral pulmonary nodules and bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy disappeared without chemotherapy in both cases. From these results, patients with pulmonary nodules and cervical lymphadenopathy should be examined for head and neck malignant tumors. Also, physicians should carefully check the administration of MTX. In patients with an MTX-associated LPD, we need to make an early diagnosis and consider discontinuing the administration of MTX as soon as possible.

Pulmonary Tumor Thrombotic Microangiopathy Induced by Prostate Cancer.

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a fatal, malignancy-related respiratory complication; we herein report a PTTM case induced by metastatic prostate cancer. An 81-year-old Japanese man developed dyspnea. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) revealed ground-glass opacities spread across bilateral lung fields. Pulmonary microvascular aspiration cytology detected prostate cancer cells. As PTTM was highly suspected, docetaxel chemotherapy was performed immediately. His respiratory condition and HRCT findings improved temporarily, but he died approx. 6 weeks after admission. Autopsy showed fibrocellular intimal proliferation of small pulmonary arterioles, which confirmed the diagnosis of PTTM induced by prostate cancer. As in the present case, it is often difficult to confirm the presence of not only tumor embolization but also fibrocellular intimal proliferation before the patient's death.

Adenocarcinoma In Situ Arising from Brunner's Gland Treated by Endoscopic Mucosal Resection.

An 86-year-old Japanese man was presented to our hospital for further investigation of duodenal adenocarcinoma. The tumor was endoscopically resected. Pathological analysis revealed coexistence of gastric foveolar metaplasia and a surrounding hyperplastic Brunner's gland, in addition to an adenocarcinoma component. Immunostaining for MUC5AC and MUC6 confirmed the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in situ arising from Brunner's gland hyperplasia. This case suggests that although detailed preoperative evaluation is required to determine the depth of tumor invasion, endoscopic resection may be a promising option for the treatment of adenocarcinomas arising from Brunner's gland hyperplasia.

Prospective evaluation of endoscopic criteria characteristic of sessile serrated adenomas/polyps.

BACKGROUND: Differentiating sessile serrated adenoma/polyp (SSA/P) from hyperplastic polyp (HP) is clinically important in determining the necessity of endoscopic resection or recommending appropriate surveillance. There are few reports of characterization of SSA/P using narrowband imaging and chromoendoscopy with and without magnification. We aimed to establish imaging criteria to aid real-time diagnosis of SSA/P. METHODS: Patients with pale sessile or flat lesions of 6 mm or greater were prospectively enrolled in this multicenter trial. Nine endoscopic criteria, determined in real time, were investigated for possible association with SSA/P. Endoscopic mucosal resection was performed; specimens were retrieved and analyzed by histopathological examination. RESULTS: In 63 patients, 89 lesions were detected, including 41 HP, 38 SSA/P, five mixed polyps, and five other lesions. Right-side colon location, lesion size of 10 mm or greater, excessive mucus, the presence of a varicose microvascular vessel (VMV) noted with high-magnification narrowband imaging, and type III(H) pit pattern were each commonly associated with SSA/P compared with HP. Multivariate analysis substantiated three independent endoscopic criteria for SSA/P: the presence of VMV (p = 0.001), lesion size of 10 mm or greater (p = 0.0017), and right-side location (p = 0.0041), with odds ratios of 8.2, 7.2, and 6.1, respectively. The presence of VMV had a significantly higher specificity (87.8%) than the other two independent endoscopic criteria (p = 0.0007 and p = 0.0008, respectively), but a lower sensitivity (57.9%), whereas a combination of the three criteria (two or more positive) increased the sensitivity significantly (89.5% and p = 0.0033) and had a higher degree of accuracy (82.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Three endoscopic criteria individually and in combination were effective in predicting a diagnosis of SSA/P without the need for chromoendoscopy.

A case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma transformed from primary duodenal follicular lymphoma.

Primary intestinal follicular lymphoma (FL) is a variant of FL characterized by frequent duodenal involvement and a very indolent clinical behavior without therapy. Unlike nodal FL, there have been no reports of histologic transformation (HT) or death attributable to primary intestinal FL. Here, we report the first case of primary duodenal FL showing HT. A Grade 1 FL in the duodenum was incidentally detected in a 73-year-old man. A watch-and-wait strategy was adopted because the disease was stage IE. Six months later, bone marrow involvement was suspected. The intestinal lesions had not changed during the first year since the initial diagnosis. Sixty-two months after the initial diagnosis, a biopsy specimen showed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). A perforation of the intestine occurred before chemotherapy was started. Partial resection was performed and subsequent chemotherapy was administered. The clone of the initial FL and DLBCL were identical according to PCR analysis, indicating that the primary intestinal FL had transformed into DLBCL. Although HT is rare, it could occur in some patients with primary intestinal FL. Based on this case, it may be necessary to re-evaluate the clinical watch-and-wait strategy for primary intestinal FL in some patients.

Systemic IgG4-related disease with extensive peripheral nerve involvement that progressed from localized IgG4-related lymphadenopathy: an autopsy case.

A 77-year-old man, with a lengthy medical history of chronic dysuria, constipation, hypertension, myocardial infarction, and a submandibular lymphadenopathy that was excised 3 years ago, was hospitalized due to elevated liver enzyme levels. He demonstrated hypergammaglobulinemia, hyperproteinemia, high levels of IgG and IgG4, eosinophilia, sclerosing cholangitis, and retroperitoneal fibrosis. He was diagnosed with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). While hospitalized, he had several episodes of syncope while standing and was diagnosed with autonomic nerve dysfunction. Thirty days after hospitalization, he died of nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI). Post-mortem, his submandibular lymphadenopathy lesion was diagnosed with progressively transformed germinal center (PTGC)-type IgG4-related lymphadenopathy. At autopsy, small and large intestines showed mucosal necrosis and the wall muscles of the transverse to sigmoid colon were necrotic. The sigmoid colon was fibrotic and infiltrated with numerous IgG4+ plasma cells and eosinophils; infiltration into Auerbach's plexus was also observed. The IgG4-RD lesions were also detected in the mesentery of the sigmoid colon, retroperitoneal soft tissue, abdominal aorta, liver, extrahepatic bile duct, bilateral lungs, bilateral kidneys, urinary bladder, prostate, epicardium, bilateral coronary arteries, and lymph nodes. Interestingly, infiltration into the lesions was most notable around the peripheral nerves in every organ. Thus, this case describes an IgG4-RD that progressed from PTGC-type IgG4-related lymphadenopathy to systemic IgG4-RD, suggesting that IgG4-RD may affect many organs through peripheral nerve involvement. VIRTUAL SLIDE: The virtual slides for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/9995992971155224.

Externalization of saw-tooth architecture in small serrated polyps implies the presence of methylation of IGFBP7.

INTRODUCTION: Serrated polyps have been considered to be precursors of colorectal cancer with microsatellite instability. However, the biological and/or morphological changes which occur during the course of serrated polyp to cancer remain to be elucidated. METHODS: Twenty-eight colorectal serrated polyps including five mixed polyps (MP) from 20 patients were observed by chromoendoscopy with magnification, and subsequently resected endoscopically. The presence of mutations in two genes (K-ras and BRAF) and the methylation status of six genes (MLH1-A, MLH1-C, ESR1, P16, SOCS1, and IGFBP7) were examined. RESULTS: The 28 polyps included 32 histological serrated lesions (22 sessile serrated adenomas [SSA], six hyperplastic polyps [HP], and four traditional serrated adenoma [TSA]-like lesions). BRAF mutation was frequently observed in SSAs (19/22), while K-ras mutation was dominant in HPs (5/6). The externalization of saw-tooth architecture in serrated polyps was endoscopically observed more frequently in those with high levels of IGFBP7 methylation (P = 0.03). Moreover, the endoscopic finding was observed in five of six small serrated lesions (<10 mm) which contained both BRAF mutation and high levels of IGFBP7 methylation. TSA-like lesions in small MPs demonstrated the endoscopic finding with no or little MLH1 methylation, while the counterparts in the mixed polyps had high levels of MLH1 methylation with relatively low levels of IGFBP7 methylation. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests two distinct pathways may be involved in the early stages of the serrated pathway: one where MLH1 is primarily methylated, and a second where methylated IGFBP7 is associated with an externalization of saw-tooth architecture.

Carbon dioxide submucosal injection cushion: an innovative technique in endoscopic submucosal dissection.

AIM: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) can successfully resect large lesions en bloc, but it requires a satisfactory submucosal (sm) injection agent for proper safety and efficacy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of carbon dioxide (CO(2) ) as an ESD sm injection agent. METHODS: In vitro study using porcine stomachs compared CO(2) with normal saline (NS) and sodium hyaluronic acid (SHA) solution, both of which are currently used to provide long-lasting sm elevation during ESD. Histopathological examination assessed differences between CO(2) and NS sm cushions. ESD were then carried out in vivo in the stomach and rectum of a live pig using CO(2) sm injection. RESULTS: CO(2) sm elevation was significantly longer lasting than either NS or SHA (P<0.001). Histopathology revealed no mucosal layer tissue damage, and dissection of honeycomb-like fibrous connective tissue in the CO(2) sm cushion. Creating and maintaining a CO(2) sm cushion of sufficient elevation combined with partial physical dissection of the sm layer was achieved, followed by complete endoscopic dissection of the sm layer with all ESD, resulting in successful en-bloc resections having a mean specimen size of 24.3mm within 15min. CONCLUSION: Safety and efficacy of CO(2) as a satisfactory sm injection agent during ESD was successfully demonstrated in these preliminary studies, warranting further investigation of this innovative technique.

The long-term risk of gastric cancer after the successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori.

BACKGROUND: We previously reported that eradication of Helicobacter pylori reduced the risk of developing gastric cancer in patients with peptic ulcer diseases. In the present study, we further followed up our patient group to investigate the occurrence and clinical features of gastric cancers that developed after cure of the infection. METHODS: Prospective post-eradication evaluations were conducted on 1674 consecutive patients who had received successful H. pylori eradication therapy. The patients had undergone endoscopic examination before eradication therapy to evaluate peptic ulcers, background gastric mucosal atrophy, and H. pylori infection. After confirmation of cure of the infection, follow-up endoscopy was performed yearly. RESULTS: The patients were followed for up to 14.1 years (a mean of 5.6 years). During the follow-up, gastric cancer developed in 28 of the 1674 patients as long as 13.7 years after the cure of H. pylori infection. The risk of developing gastric cancer was 0.30% per year. Histologically, 16 of the gastric cancers were the intestinal type and 12 were the diffuse type; the risk of each cancer type was 0.17 and 0.13% per year, respectively. There was no significant inflammatory cell infiltration in the background gastric mucosa at the time the cancers were recognized. CONCLUSION: There is a risk of developing gastric cancer of both the intestinal and diffuse types even after the cure of H. pylori infection and extinction of gastric inflammation. It is important to inform patients about the risk of gastric cancer after eradication therapy and offer them surveillance endoscopy.

BAFF-R is expressed on B-cell lymphomas depending on their origin, and is related to proliferation index of nodal diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.

B-cell activating factor receptor (BAFF-R) is one of three known receptors for BAFF. BAFF-R is required for B-cell maturation and survival. We tried to determine the normal pattern of BAFF-R expression in non-neoplastic and neoplastic B- and T-cells. We used immunohistochemistry to evaluate the expression pattern of BAFF-R in non-neoplastic and neoplastic lymphoid tissues of routinely fixed paraffin-embedded samples, and examined the relationships among BAFF-R and expressions of CD10, bcl-6, MUM-1, and MIB-1. BAFF-R expression was detected on B-cells of the mantle zones, some cells within germinal centers, and scattered cells in the interfollicular areas of reactive lymph nodes. BAFF-R expression was only found in B-cell lymphoma (60/120, positive samples/examined samples), but not in T/NK cell lymphoma (0/10) or Hodgkin lymphoma (0/10). The proportions were as follows : follicular lymphoma (14/16), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (27/61), mantle cell lymphoma (4/4), and Burkitt lymphoma (0/4). According to Hans' criteria, DLBCLs were subclassified into germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) and non-germinal center B-cell-like (non-GCB) types. Interestingly, in nodal lymphomas, in the GCB subgroup (n=12), 9 of 12 (75%) were positive for BAFF-R, while 6 of 20 (30%) were positive in the non-GCB subgroup (n=20) (p < 0.05). In addition, expression of BAFF-R related to lower MIB-1 index was associated with GCB-type DLBCL. In conclusion, BAFF-R was only found in some B-cell lymphomas, which was closely associated with the expression pattern in normal counterparts, although BAFF-R expression on follicular lymphoma is different from that on germinal center cells, which is similar to bcl-2. BAFF-R was rather specifically related to low growth activity of GCB-type DLBCL of nodal origin.

Preferential up-regulation of heparanase and cyclooxygenase-2 in carcinogenesis of Barrett's oesophagus and intestinal-type gastric carcinoma.

AIMS: Metaplastic changes secondary to chronic inflammation at the gastro-oesophageal junction and at the pyloric antrum are recognized as the premalignant conditions of Barrett's oesophageal adenocarcinoma and intestinal-type gastric carcinoma (GC), respectively. Heparanase (HPSE) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 have been proved to play critical roles in inflammation as well as in cancer. The aim was to examine the meaning of their expression in inflammation-related carcinogenesis. METHODS AND RESULTS: First, expression of HPSE and COX-2 in 78 clinical tissues of Barrett's oesophagus was examined by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Their expression was increased during the metaplasia-dysplasia sequence with increased neovascularization. Successively, their expression in Barrett's dysplasia was compared with that of GC (22 cases of diffuse-type and 10 of intestinal-type). Interestingly, the expression pattern in Barrett's dysplasia was similar to that in intestinal-type GC, which mainly arises from chronic inflammation. Furthermore, cultured cell lines isolated from differentiated GC tissues, which are often found to be of intestinal-type, revealed up-regulated mRNA expression of HPSE and COX-2. CONCLUSIONS: HPSE and COX-2 are preferentially up-regulated in Barrett's oesophagus and intestinal-type GC. These molecules may play an important role during the development of inflammation-related adenocarcinoma of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

The presence of large serrated polyps increases risk for colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: There is evidence that serrated polyps (serrated adenomas and hyperplastic polyps) have different malignant potential than traditional adenomas. We used a colonoscopy database to determine the association between the presence of serrated colorectal polyps and colorectal neoplasia. METHODS: We performed a multicenter observational study of 10,199 subjects who underwent first-time colonoscopies. Data collected on study subjects included age and sex and the location, size, and histology of polyps or tumors found at colonoscopy. Serrated polyps were defined as those diagnosed by the pathologists in the participating hospitals as a serrated lesion (a lesion given the term of "classical hyperplastic polyp," "traditional serrated adenoma," "sessile serrated adenoma," or "mixed serrated polyp"). Large serrated polyps (LSPs) were defined as those ≥ 10 mm. RESULTS: There were 1573 patients (15.4%) with advanced neoplasia, 708 patients (6.9%) with colorectal cancer (CRC), and 140 patients (1.4%) with LSPs in our cohort. Multivariate analysis associated the presence of LSPs with advanced neoplasia (odds ratio [OR], 4.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.83-5.69) and CRC (OR, 3.34; 95% CI, 2.16-5.03). The presence of LSPs was the greatest risk factor for CRC, particularly for proximal CRC (OR, 4.79; 95% CI, 2.54-8.42). Proximal and protruded LSPs were the highest risk factors for proximal CRC (OR, 5.36; 95% CI, 2.40-10.8 and OR, 9.00; 95% CI, 2.75-19.2, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of LSPs is a risk factor for CRC, particularly CRC of the proximal colon.

Multi-step aberrant CpG island hyper-methylation is associated with the progression of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

Aberrant CpG island methylation contributes to the pathogenesis of various malignancies. However, little is known about the association of epigenetic abnormalities with multistep tumorigenic events in adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). To determine whether epigenetic abnormalities induce the progression of ATLL, we analyzed the methylation profiles of the SHP1, p15, p16, p73, HCAD, DAPK, hMLH-1, and MGMT genes by methylation specific PCR assay in 65 cases with ATLL patients. The number of CpG island methylated genes increased with disease progression and aberrant hypermethylation in specific genes was detected even in HTLV-1 carriers and correlated with progression to ATLL. The CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) was observed most frequently in lymphoma type ATLL and was also closely associated with the progression and crisis of ATLL. The high number of methylated genes and increase of CIMP incidence were shown to be unfavorable prognostic factors and correlated with a shorter overall survival by Kaplan-Meyer analysis. The present findings strongly suggest that the multistep accumulation of aberrant CpG methylation in specific target genes and the presence of CIMP are deeply involved in the crisis, progression, and prognosis of ATLL, as well as indicate the value of CpG methylation and CIMP for new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.

Frequent downregulation or loss of CD79a expression in plasma cell myelomas: potential clue for diagnosis.

Plasma cell myeloma is a frequent hematogeneous disorder that occurs mainly in older people. Not only bone marrow smears but also clots and/or biopsied specimens are often taken for confirmation of pathological diagnosis. Some specimens show sheet-like plasma cell proliferation associated with immunoglobulin monotype on immunohistology, which readily leads to diagnosis, but many samples do not clearly show light-chain restriction. The aim of the present study was therefore to examine CD79a expression because some samples had reduced expression or none at all. The immunoreactivity of CD79a was categorized into three groups: positive, weakly positive and negative, compared with scattering non-neoplastic plasma cells in the same specimen. Out of 100 specimens of plasma cell myeloma, 48% were positive for CD79a, 15% were weakly positive, and 37% were negative. In contrast, overexpression of cyclinD1 was detected in 26% of examined samples. CD79a-negative cases had a significantly lower percentage of positive staining for cyclinD1 than CD79a-positive or weakly positive cases. Clinicopathological data showed that CD79a-negative expression was associated with decreased platelet numbers in patients. The present study indicates that downregulation or loss of CD79a and/or overexpression of cyclin D1, observed in 59% of neoplastic plasma cell samples, could provide a strong diagnostic clue without regard to the results of immunoglobulin light-chain restriction.

Narrow-band imaging provides reliable screening for esophageal malignancy in patients with head and neck cancers.

OBJECTIVES: The narrow-band imaging (NBI) system is a novel technology that enhances the visualization of microvasculature and mucosal patterns. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of the NBI system for esophageal cancer screening in patients with head and neck cancers. METHODS: A total of 142 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were examined by NBI endoscopy, followed by Lugol chromoendoscopy between April 2006 and June 2008 at the Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, Japan. Detection of SCC and high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) was conducted. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 64 years (range: 29-86 years), and approximately three-fourths of all the patients were male. In total, 21 superficial lesions in 16 patients were detected by NBI endoscopy. Of these, 4 lesions were diagnosed histologically as SCC and 11 lesions as HGIN. An additional 22 Lugol-voiding lesions >or=5 mm were detected in 19 patients by Lugol chromoendoscopy. Although 1 of these lesions was diagnosed as HGIN, 21 lesions were diagnosed as low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia or lesions without atypical findings. The sensitivity of NBI endoscopy for detecting esophageal SCC and HGIN was 90.9% (95% confidence interval (CI), 58.7-99.8), specificity was 95.4% (95% CI, 90.3-98.3), and accuracy was 95.1% (95% CI, 90.1-98.0). CONCLUSIONS: NBI seems to be useful and reliable for screening for esophageal SCC in patients with head and neck cancers.

Accumulation of aberrant CpG hypermethylation by Helicobacter pylori infection promotes development and progression of gastric MALT lymphoma.

Aberrant DNA hypermethylation is an important mechanism for the inactivation of tumor-related genes in human tumors. Gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas arise from Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic gastritis; most patients are H. pylori-positive and eradication therapy is highly effective. In the present study, we used methylation-specific PCR to analyze the DNA methylation status of 11 tumor-related genes (Kip2, p16, hMLH-1, p15, p73, MGMT, DAPK, MINT1, MINT2, MINT31 and HCAD) in 21 specimens of MALT lymphoma, 5 specimens of MALT lymphoma with large cell component (high-grade MALT lymphoma), 15 specimens of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 8 specimens of complete remission of MALT lymphoma after eradication therapy, 5 specimens with no evidence of malignancy and PBMCs from 10 healthy donors. The average number of methylated genes was significantly greater in gastric lymphomas as compared to normal controls (P<0.001). The CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) was observed in 93.3% (14/15) of DLBCLs, 100% (5/5) of high-grade MALT lymphomas and 61.9% (13/21) of MALT lymphomas; in contrast, CIMP was not found in the control group (0%). The average number of methylated genes and the CIMP incidence significantly increased with H. pylori infection. Furthermore, aberrant CpG methylation of specific genes, such as p16, MGMT and MINT31, was consistently associated with H. pylori infection. These findings strongly suggest that H. pylori infection causes the aberrant DNA hypermethylation of specific genes and induces CIMP, which is an important epigenetic mechanism for the development and progression of gastric MALT lymphoma; additionally, our findings provide new epigenetic markers.

Immunohistochemical staining of liver grafts with a monoclonal antibody against HCV-Envelope 2 for recurrent hepatitis C after living donor liver transplantation.

AIM: We evaluated the expression of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antigen on liver grafts by immunohistochemical staining (IHS) using IG222 monoclonal antibody (mAb) against HCV-envelope 2 (E2). METHODS: The study material was 84 liver biopsy specimens obtained from 28 patients who underwent living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for HCV infection. The biopsy samples were examined histopathologically, and by IHS using IG222 mAb against HCV-E2. Serum HCV-RNA level was measured in all patients. The IHS grades were compared among the three groups classified according to the time elapsed from LDLT (at 1-30, 31-179 and > or =180 days post-LDLT) and among four post-transplant conditions, including acute cellular rejection (ACR). RESULTS: Immunoreactivity to IG222 was detected in 78.6% of the specimens obtained during the first month after LDLT, and there were no significant differences on the IHS grades between the three groups classified according to the time elapsed from LDLT. The IHS grades were significantly stronger in definite recurrent HCV (n = 12) and probable recurrent HCV (n = 7) than in definite ACR (n = 7) and other complications (n = 8). There were no significant differences in serum HCV-RNA levels among the four post-transplant conditions. There was no significant correlation between the IHS grades using IG222 mAb and serum HCV-RNA levels when data of 84 liver biopsy specimens were analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Constant HCV-E2 expression was observed in liver biopsy specimens obtained 1 month or longer. The strong HCV-E2 expression on liver grafts were associated with recurrent hepatitis C after LDLT, but the serum HCV-RNA levels were not.

Ophthalmic artery embolization as pretreatment of orbital exenteration for conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma.

The aim of this study is to describe the effect of transarterial embolization from the ophthalmic artery as a pretreatment for orbital exenteration. A 75-year-old Chinese man with a 7-year history of gradual increase of the left eye swelling showed a massive conjunctival tumor growing outwardly from the interpalpebral fissure and had no light perception in the left eye. Magnetic resonance imaging showed orbital invasion of the tumor around the left eyeglobe. The initial surgery for the planned orbital exenteration was discontinued after skin incision around the orbital margin due to massive hemorrhage. The patient underwent transarterial embolization with gelatin sponge (Spongel) of the feeding arteries from the left ophthalmic artery and, the next day, had orbital exenteration with well-controllable bleeding and reconstruction with free vascularized anterolateral thigh cutaneous flap transfer. Pathologically, well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma proliferated in exophytic, papillary, and nested fashions, arising from the bulbar conjunctiva. Tumor cells were also found in the conjunctival stroma around the vessels. The sclera at the equator had a perforated site with tumor cell invasion, but no intraocular invasion was found. Hematoxylin-positive gelatin sponges were found inside the orbital vessels and large choroidal vessels. In conclusion, transarterial embolization of feeding arteries arising from the ophthalmic artery is a useful pretreatment to control bleeding at orbital exenteration for malignancy.

Identification of the HERV-K gag antigen in prostate cancer by SEREX using autologous patient serum and its immunogenicity.

The prostate cancer HERV-K gag-related NGO-Pr-54 antigen was identified by SEREX analysis using autologous patient serum. NGO-Pr-54 mRNA was observed to be faintly expressed in normal prostate and strongly expressed in a variety of cancers, including ovarian cancer (5/8), prostate cancer (6/9), and leukemia (5/14). A phage plaque assay showed that a strong reaction was constantly observed with clone ZH042 in which the 5' end of NGO-Pr-54 is deleted, suggesting that it contained the sequence coding for the protein product. A TI-35 mAb was produced using a recombinant protein (438 aa) deduced from the sequence of ZH042. Transfection of clone ZH042 into 293T cells resulted in the production of an approximately 50-kDa molecule visualized by Western blotting. Natural production of the molecule was confirmed in a SK-MEL-23 melanoma cell line. An indirect immunofluorescence assay showed that NGO-Pr-54 protein was expressed on the cell surface as well as in the cytoplasm. Cell surface expression was confirmed by flow cytometry using the TI-35 mAb. The antibody response against NGO-Pr-54 was observed in patients with bladder (5.1%), liver (4.1%), lung (3.4%), ovarian (5.6%), and prostate (4.2%) cancer, as well as with malignant melanoma (13.2%).