ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIM: Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) regulates various aspects of cancer biology. There is a growing body of evidence regarding the potential distinct role of IGF-I isoforms, particularly of IGF-IEc, in the pathophysiology of various human cancer types, however, there are no studies which examined the expression of the different IGF-I isoforms in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This study aimed to characterize the expression of IGF-IEc in human RCC tissues and investigated whether its expression is associated with the histopathological type of RCC as well as with the overall survival of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded renal tissue samples from 94 patients (58 males and 36 females) were assessed for IGF-IEc expression by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: RCC tissues showed mainly cytoplasmic IGF-IEc staining but immunoreactivity of IGF-IEc was also localized in the cell membrane. Significantly lower IGF-IEc expression was found in clear cell RCC vs. all other histological types (p=0.010), and this remained significant after adjusting for tumor size, grade, stage, and mitotic index (p<0.05). No association was found between IGF-IEc expression level and overall survival of patients with RCC. CONCLUSION: The differential expression of IGF-IEc isoform among the RCC histopathological types may indicate its histological type-specific regulation and possibly suggests a discrete biological role of this isoform in the pathophysiology of RCC.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Renal Cell/metabolism , Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/metabolism , Kidney Neoplasms/metabolism , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology , Female , Humans , Kidney Neoplasms/pathology , Male , Middle Aged , Protein Isoforms/metabolismABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown that the Kiss-1 gene countervails the metastatic aptitude of several cancer cell lines and solid-tumor neoplasias. However, there still remains ambiguity regarding its role in breast cancer and literature has arisen asserting that Kiss-1 expression may be linked to an aggressive phenotype and malignant progression. Herein, we investigated the protein expression of Kiss-1 and its receptor GPR54 in breast cancer tissues compared to non-cancerous mammary tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Paraffin-fixed cancer tissues from 43 women with resected breast adenocarcinomas and 11 specimens derived from women suffering from fibrocystic disease, serving as controls, were immunostained with Kiss-1 and GPR54 antibodies. RESULTS: Kiss-1 and GPR54 protein expression levels were significantly higher in breast cancer compared to fibrocystic tissues (p<0.05). No significant correlation was established between Kiss-1 or GRP54 expression and tumor grade, tumor size, lymph node positivity, histological type or ER status. Kiss-1 expression significantly and positively correlated with GPR54 expression in both breast cancer and fibrocystic disease specimens. CONCLUSION: Kiss-1/GPR54 expression was found to be significantly higher in breast cancer compared to non-malignant mammary tissues.
Subject(s)
Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/metabolism , Carcinoma, Lobular/metabolism , Kisspeptins/metabolism , Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/metabolism , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Breast/metabolism , Breast/pathology , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/pathology , Carcinoma, Lobular/pathology , Case-Control Studies , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Lymphatic Metastasis , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Grading , Neoplasm Staging , Prognosis , Receptors, Kisspeptin-1ABSTRACT
Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast represents a rare entity characterized by the simultaneous presence of ductal, squamous, and/or mesenchymal components in several proportions. There are limitations in fine-needle aspiration diagnosis due to its pathological heterogeneity. When it develops under pregnancy and lactation influence, the cytologic evaluation appears to be more difficult and accurate diagnosis often proves challenging. We describe a case of mixed metaplastic carcinoma with dominant areas of squamous metaplasia, sarcomatoid stroma with spindle cells, and a minor component of cartilaginous metaplasia. We notify our experience in diagnostic approach of this entity focusing on differential diagnosis.