A comparison of cancer stem cell markers and nonclassical major histocompatibility complex antigens in colorectal tumor and noncancerous tissues.

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most fatal types of cancer in both women and men, and, unfortunately, patients are often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are associated with poor prognosis, metastasis, and recurrence, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy resistance. Therefore, different treatment alternatives are needed to facilitate the elimination of CSCs. One such approach is immunotherapy; however, tumor cells can evade immune cells by alteration of the expression patterns of human leukocyte antigens (HLA). In this study, we immunohistochemically investigated the expression patterns of CSC-specific markers CD44, CD133, Nanog, and Oct3/4, and immunosuppressive molecules HLA-G and -E in advanced CRC tumor tissues and noncancerous colon biopsies. We found significantly increased CD44, Nanog, Oct3/4, HLA-G, and HLA-E expression in the CRC tumor tissues compared with the noncancerous colon biopsies. These findings suggest that some tumor cells may be CSC-like and that the increased expression of HLA-G and HLA-E may be considered as an immune-evasive adaptation. Therefore, the nonclassical major histocompatibility complex class Ib antigens HLA-G and HLA-E may be potential targets in the elimination of CRC-CSCs. However, more detailed studies are required to support our findings.

Acute abdomen and hemorrhagic shock caused by spontaneous rupture of renal cyst in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is an important cause of end stage renal failure. Rarely, these patients may present with hemorrhagic shock caused by rupture of the renal cyst. The aim of this study was to report a rare case of a patient who arrived at the emergency department with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease presenting with acute abdominal pain and hemorrhagic shock. A 58-year-old male with chronic renal failure was admitted to the emergency department with acute abdominal pain and hemorrhagic shock. The patient was admitted to the Department of Surgery with diagnosis of acute abdomen and perirenal hematoma. Although the patient was on conservative treatment, his symptoms did not improve and the patient was operated emergently. During exploration, there was bleeding from the right polycystic kidney, which was 30×20 cm in dimension. The patient underwent nephrectomy and drainage of the hematoma, and was discharged on the fifth postoperative day without any problems. Bleeding due to rupture of a cyst in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease occurs rarely but it may be life threatening. Although conservative methods are often preferable in treatment, surgery can be life saving for patients in whom the clinical situation does not improve.

Primary malignant melanoma of the gallbladder: a case report and review of the literature.

Malignant melanoma is characterized by the ability of diffuse metastases. Since the first report of an isolated malignant melanoma case of the gallbladder, it is already controversial whether isolated cases are metastatic or primary tumors. A 49-year-old woman appealed to the emergency unit because of abdominal pain. Ultrasonography revealed increased thickness of the gallbladder wall and a lesion with surrounding fluid sized 12 mm without acoustic shadow, which arose from the gallbladder wall and was consistent with a polyp. Histopathologic evaluation of the surgical specimen after laparoscopic cholecystectomy revealed malign epithelial tumor consisting of atypical cells with large eosinophilic cytoplasm and dense melanin pigment within the cytoplasm of the tumor cells. As no other focus was identified as a result of the evaluation, the patient was diagnosed with primary malignant melanoma of the gallbladder. In this paper, we aimed to define our treatment modality for a case with isolated malignant melanoma of the gallbladder.