Common bile duct MALT lymphoma: case report and review of the literature.

We report a rare case of common bile duct mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma treated with pancreatico-duodenectomy with a partial gastrectomy. MALT lymphoma involving the biliary tree is extremely rare. Diagnosis is difficult and treatment options are controversial. Even though Helicobacter pylori treatment is effective in the early stages of the disease, surgery is still helpful especially when obstruction, perforation, or bleeding is present.

Breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma: long-term follow-up of 60 patients.

PURPOSE: Breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a recently described clinicopathologic entity that usually presents as an effusion-associated fibrous capsule surrounding an implant. Less frequently, it presents as a mass. The natural history of this disease and long-term outcomes are unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the literature for all published cases of breast implant-associated ALCL from 1997 to December 2012 and contacted corresponding authors to update clinical follow-up. RESULTS: The median overall survival (OS) for 60 patients was 12 years (median follow-up, 2 years; range, 0-14 years). Capsulectomy and implant removal was performed on 56 of 60 patients (93%). Therapeutic data were available for 55 patients: 39 patients (78%) received systemic chemotherapy, and of the 16 patients (28%) who did not receive chemotherapy, 12 patients opted for watchful waiting and four patients received radiation therapy alone. Thirty-nine (93%) of 42 patients with disease confined by the fibrous capsule achieved complete remission, compared with complete remission in 13 (72%) of 18 patients with a tumor mass. Patients with a breast mass had worse OS and progression-free survival (PFS; P = .052 and P = .03, respectively). The OS or PFS were similar between patients who received and did not receive chemotherapy (P = .44 and P = .28, respectively). CONCLUSION: Most patients with breast implant-associated ALCL who had disease confined within the fibrous capsule achieved complete remission. Proper management for these patients may be limited to capsulectomy and implant removal. Patients who present with a mass have a more aggressive clinical course that may be fatal, justifying cytotoxic chemotherapy in addition to removal of implants.

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma associated with breast implants: a report of 13 cases.

We report 13 cases of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) associated with breast implants. Patient age ranged from 39 to 68 years, and the interval from implant to ALCL was 4 to 29 years. All tumors were composed of large, pleomorphic cells that were CD30 and ALK1, and all 7 cases assessed had monoclonal T-cell receptor γ-chain rearrangements. Two patient subgroups were identified. Ten patients presented with effusion surrounded by fibrous capsule without a grossly identifiable tumor mass. Nine patients had stage I and 1 had stage II disease. Eight patients underwent implant removal and capsulectomy. Four patients received chemotherapy and 4 radiation therapy. All patients were alive without disease at last follow-up. A second subgroup of 3 patients had effusion and a distinct mass adjacent to the implant. One patient had stage I and 2 stage II disease. One patient had a 3-year history of lymphomatoid papulosis, and 1 patient had a 1-year history of CD30 T-cell lymphoma adjacent to the breast before the diagnosis of ALCL associated with breast implant. Two patients received chemotherapy and 1 radiation therapy. Two patients died 2 and 12 years after diagnosis, respectively. We conclude that the clinical behavior of ALCL associated with breast implants is heterogeneous. Patients who present with effusion without a distinct mass have an indolent disease course, similar to CD30 lymphoproliferative disorder of skin. In contrast, patients who present with a distinct mass may have advanced stage or possibly systemic disease and have a poorer prognosis.

Analysis of Aurora kinase A expression in CD34(+) blast cells isolated from patients with myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia.

Aurora kinase A, also known as aurora A, is a serine/threonine kinase that plays critical roles in mitosis entry, chromosome alignment, segregation, and cytokinesis. Overexpression of aurora A has been observed in many solid tumors and some hematopoietic neoplasms, but little is known about its expression in myeloid diseases. Because cytogenetic abnormalities play an essential role in the pathogenesis of myeloid malignancies, we hypothesized that aurora A deregulation may be involved in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia and contribute to the chromosomal instability observed in these diseases. We assessed aurora A mRNA levels in CD34(+) bone marrow blasts from nine patients with acute myeloid leukemia, 20 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, and five normal patients serving as controls. CD34(+) blasts were isolated from bone marrow aspirate specimens using magnetic activated cell separation technology. RNA was extracted from purified CD34(+) cells, and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for aurora A was performed. Immunocytochemical analyses for total aurora A, phosphorylated aurora A, Ki-67, and activated caspase 3 were performed on cytospin slides made from purified CD34(+) cells in myelodysplastic syndrome patients using standard methods. Aurora A mRNA and protein levels were correlated, as was aurora A mRNA level, with blast counts, cytogenetic abnormalities, and International Prognostic Scoring System score. We found that CD34(+) cells in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia expressed aurora A at significantly higher levels (P = 0.01 and P = 0.01, respectively) than normal CD34(+) cells. Aurora A mRNA levels correlated with total and phosphorylated protein levels (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.02, respectively). No significant correlation was found between aurora A mRNA level and blast count, blast viability, cytogenetic abnormalities, or the International Prognostic Scoring System score in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. We conclude that aurora A is up-regulated in CD34(+) blasts from myeloid neoplasms.

Sudden unexpected death in a 31-year-old man caused by arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

A 31-year-old white man collapsed suddenly at a graduation ceremony and was pronounced dead after attempted resuscitation. He had no pertinent medical or familial history. Postmortem toxicologic studies showed negative results. A complete autopsy revealed a cardiac cause of death. Grossly, the right ventricular chamber was moderately to markedly dilated, and its free wall showed extensive myocardial adiposity. Microscopically, the right ventricular free wall consisted predominantly of adipose tissue, with only small subendocardial islands of hypertrophied myocytes and interstitial fibrosis. These features are characteristic of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Moreover, Purkinje-like cells were observed among right ventricular myocytes and may have increased the likelihood of developing an arrhythmia. To our knowledge, this finding has not been previously emphasized. Because arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy accounts for 10% of cases of sudden unexpected cardiac death, recognition of this disease by pathologists is important, especially in cases of otherwise unexplained death in young persons.

Selective inhibition of P-glycoprotein expression in multidrug-resistant tumor cells by a designed transcriptional regulator.

Selective inhibition of the multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene and its product, the P-glycoprotein, a membrane transporter responsible for multidrug resistance, could be an important approach for enhancing cancer therapeutics. An emerging strategy for selective gene regulation involves designed zinc finger proteins that can recognize specific sequences in the promoter regions of disease-related genes. Herein, we investigate the behavior of clones of multidrug-resistant NCI/ADR-RES breast carcinoma cells displaying ponasterone-inducible expression of a designed transcriptional repressor targeted to the MDR1 promoter. The controlled production of this novel repressor resulted in major reductions in P-glycoprotein levels in these otherwise highly drug-resistant tumor cells. The regulated reduction of MDR1 expression in NCI/ADR-RES cells was accompanied by a marked increase in the rate of uptake of the P-glycoprotein substrate rhodamine 123. In addition, the cytotoxicity profile of the antitumor drug doxorubicin was dramatically altered in the induced cells compared with controls. The expression levels of other genes were examined both by a DNA array analysis of approximately 2000 genes and by biochemical techniques. Although some changes were observed in mRNA levels of nontargeted genes, the most dramatic effect by far was on MDR1, indicating that the action of the designed transcriptional repressor was quite selective. This study suggests that designed transcriptional regulators can be used to strongly and selectively influence expression of cancer-related genes, even under circumstances of extensive amplification of the target gene.

Evaluation of strategies for the intracellular delivery of proteins.

PURPOSE: The intracellular delivery of functionally active protein represents an important emerging strategy for laboratory investigation and therapeutic applications. Although a number of promising approaches for protein delivery have been developed, thus far there has been no attempt to compare the merits of the various deliver technologies. This issue is addressed in the current study. METHODS: In this study we utilize a sensitive luciferase reporter gene assay to provide unambiguous and quantitative evaluation of several strategies for the intracellular delivery of a biologically active protein comprised of the Gal4 DNA binding domain and the VP16 transactivating domain. RESULTS: Both a cationic lipid supramolecular complex and a poly meric complex were able to effectively deliver the chimeric transcription factor to cultured cells. In addition, protein chimeras containing the Tat cell penetrating peptide, but not those containing the VP22 peptide, were somewhat effective in delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Both supramolecular protein-carrier complexes and protein chimeras with certain cell penetrating peptides can support intracellular delivery of proteins. In the cell culture setting the supramolecular complexes are more effective, but their large size may present problems for in vivo applications.

Evaluating the specificity of antisense oligonucleotide conjugates. A DNA array analysis.

Antisense oligonucleotides are potentially powerful tools for selective control of cellular and viral gene expression. Crucial to successful application of this approach is the specificity of the oligonucleotide for the chosen RNA target. Here we apply DNA array technology to examine the specificity of antisense oligonucleotide treatments. The molecules used in these studies consisted of phosphorothioate oligomers linked to the Antennapedia (Ant) delivery peptide. The antisense oligonucleotide component was complementary to a site flanking the AUG of the MDR1 message, which codes for P-glycoprotein, a membrane ATPase associated with multidrug resistance in tumor cells. Using a DNA array of 2059 genes, we analyzed cellular responses to molecules comprised of Ant peptide-oligonucleotide conjugates, as well as to the Ant peptide alone. Besides the expected reduction in MDR1 message level, 37 other genes (approximately 2% of those tested) showed changes of comparable magnitude. The validity of the array results was confirmed for selected genes using Northern blots to assess messenger RNA levels. These results suggest that studies using antisense oligonucleotide technology to modulate gene expression need to be interpreted with caution.