HER2 and topoisomerase IIalpha: possible predictors of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Surrogate markers may be used to assess the response to neoadjuvant treatment. The association between HER2 overexpression and favorable response to specific therapy in breast cancer is controversial, and the mechanism unclear. The purpose of the study was to evaluate HER2 and topoisomerase IIalpha (Topo IIalpha) as candidates for predicting the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. METHODS: Between 1999 and 2006, seventy-six breast cancer patients who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were studied. Regimens including either CEF (cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil) or CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil) were given in more than three cycles to this group of patients. Protein expression of HER2 and Topo IIalpha were determined by immunohistochemistry. The primary endpoint was pathological and clinical response. RESULTS: Of 76 primary breast cancer samples, 27 (35.5%) showed overexpression of either HER2 (25%) or Topo IIalpha protein (10.5%), whereas in 7 tumors (9.2%) both proteins were found to be overexpressed. Ten patients (13.2%) had a clinical complete response and 21 (27.6%) had a clinical partial response. Five women (6.6%) had a pathological complete response, 5 (6.6%) had microscopic residual disease, and 46 (60.5%) had macroscopic residual disease. HER2 and Topo IIalpha overexpression was significantly associated with a favorable response (P < 0.001 and P = 0.005 respectively). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that HER2 and Topo IIalpha overexpression could be predictors of the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in both the CEF and CMF arms.

Surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma originating from caudate lobe--a report of 39 cases.

The study objective was to study the therapeutic effect of surgical treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) originating from the caudate lobe. From 1995 to 2003, caudate lobe resection was carried out for 97 cases; among them 39 were for HCC, who were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 19 cases undergoing isolated caudatectomy, and group B consisted of 20 cases undergoing caudatectomy combined with other liver resections. The factors that might influence postoperative recovery were compared between the two groups. A special instrument, Peng's Multifunctional Operative Dissector, was used for surgical dissection. All tumors were resected successfully. One patient died of postoperative renal failure. Hydrothorax occurred in three patients, ascites occurred in four patients, and bile leakage occurred in one patient. Thirty cases received long-term follow-up with survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years of 53%, 50%, and 39%, respectively. Caudate lobectomy is an effective therapeutic method for HCC originating in the caudate lobe. Isolated caudatectomy should be performed as the first choice whenever possible. Anterior transhepatic approach is appropriate in some cases. Peng's Multifunctional Operative Dissector is a very useful instrument for surgical dissection.

Clinical and pathological analysis of 27 patients with combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma in an Asian center.

BACKGROUND: Our purpose was to assess the clinicopathological features and surgical outcomes of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (HCC-CC) in an Asian center. METHODS: Between 1998 and 2009, 27 patients were diagnosed with combined HCC-CC at our hospital. Their medical records were reviewed and clinicopathological data retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The 27 patients included 24 (88.9%) males and 3 (11.1%) females with a mean age of 58.26 ± 11.18 years. Cirrhosis was present in 10 patients (37.0%), and 12 patients had hepatitis C or hepatitis B virus infection. Serum alpha fetoprotein was >20 ng/ml in 7 of the 19 patients in whom it was measured (36.8%). Twenty-five patients underwent hepatic resections and 2 received liver transplantations. Five (18.5%) patients had separate HCC and CC within the same liver (type I), 21 (77.8%) had tumors with mixed components (type II), and 1 patient had a type III tumor (3.7%). Of 22 patients with immunohistochemical data, 19 (86.4%) were cytokeratin (CK) 7-positive, 20 (90.9%) were CK19-positive, and 4 (18.2%) were CK20-positive. Mean follow-up was 25.8 months. The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 72.5 and 49.4%, respectively. The 1- and 2-year disease-free survival rates were 54.2 and 41.3%, respectively. Symptoms at the time of diagnosis, and regional lymph node metastases, were associated with higher mortality and recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Lymph node metastasis and positive resection margins are important factors affecting HCC-CC surgical outcomes.

Liver transplantation outcomes in 1,078 hepatocellular carcinoma patients: a multi-center experience in Shanghai, China.

PURPOSE: To evaluate current selection criteria for patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) in response to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to analyze the prognostic factors for successful transplantation. METHODS: We evaluated the outcome of 1,078 consecutive patients with HCC from the Shanghai Multi-Center Collaborative LT Group who underwent LT over a 6-year period. Clinicopathologic data for these patients were evaluated. The prognostic significance was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and log-rank tests. Multivariate study with Cox's proportional hazard model was used to evaluate the prognosis-relative aspects. RESULTS: We determined that expansion of Milan criteria to include: a solitary lesion < or = 9 cm in diameter, no more than three lesions with the largest < or = 5 cm, a total tumor diameter < or = 9 cm without macrovascular invasion, lymph node invasion and extrahepatic metastasis (referred to as the "Shanghai criteria"), resulted in overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates that were similar to the Milan criteria. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards regression model showed that the Child-Pugh-Turcotte classification (P = 0.010, 0.000), tumor differentiation (P = 0.001, 0.000), tumor size (P = 0.000, 0.000) and number (P = 0.014, 0.016), macrovascular invasion (P = 0.022, 0.000) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels (P = 0.031, 0.003) were independent predictors of OS and DFS, while post-LT chemotherapy (OS, P = 0.000) and tumor encapsulation (DFS, P = 0.038) were independent predictors of OS or DFS. CONCLUSION: Shanghai criteria expanded the current criteria while maintaining similar survival.

Diagnosis and treatment of VIPoma in China: (case report and 31 cases review) diagnosis and treatment of VIPoma.

OBJECTIVES: To discuss the experience of diagnosis and treatment of VIPoma by summarizing clinical information of 31 patients with VIPoma in China. METHODS: To analyze clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, imaging features, operation, pathologic findings, and follow-up survey of 31 patients, among them 1 case was from our hospital and the other 30 cases were reported in Chinese literature from 1977 to 2002. RESULTS: Periodical backache, skin rash, and polyps of colon were never reported previously, all of which except polyps disappeared after operation. Partial resection of superior mesenteric vein was also never reported. The mean serum value of VIP which had been very high before operation, decreased markedly after the operation (963.2 pg/ml Versus 131.9 pg/ml),the immunohistochemical expression of many kinds of digestive hormone including VIP presented positive. Hepatic involvement was 29.0%,nodal metastasis was 9.7%. CONCLUSIONS: VIPoma is rare. Typical symptoms and the serum value of VIP are keys to diagnosis before operation, Surgical resection is the most effective means for cure. surgical debulking of the tumor, somatostatin analogues can be used for good palliation.