Immunohistochemical studies and fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography in pharyngeal cancer for predicting radiotherapy-based treatment outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: This study correlated immunohistochemical studies with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) and identified prognostic factors for radiotherapy (RT)-based treatment outcomes in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx and hypopharynx. METHODS: Genomic data from pre-treatment biopsy specimens (Glut1, CAIX, VEGF, HIF-1α, EGFR, Ki-67, Bcl-2, CLAUDIN-4, YAP-1, c-Met and p16) of 76 patients were analysed using tissue microarrays. FDG uptake was evaluated using the maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). RESULTS: The overexpression of Glut1 positively associated with increased values of the SUVmax, MTV and TLG, whereas VEGF and HIF-1α expression with the MTV and TLG, respectively. A VEGF immunoreactive score (IRS) >2 (P = 0.001, hazard ratio [HR] = 3.94) and an MTV defined by an SUV of 2.5 (MTV2.5) >14.5 mL (P = 0.004, HR = 3.31) were prognostic factors for low cause-specific survival, whereas a VEGF IRS >2 (P = 0.02, HR = 2.83) for low primary relapse-free survival. CONCLUSION: The overexpression of Glut1, VEGF and HIF-1α associated with increased FDG uptake. For patients with pharyngeal cancer requiring RT, the treatment outcome can be stratified by VEGF and MTV2.5.

Overexpression of the RNA-binding proteins Lin28B and IGF2BP3 (IMP3) is associated with chemoresistance and poor disease outcome in ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: RNA-binding proteins have an important role in messenger RNA (mRNA) regulation during tumour development and carcinogenesis. In the present study, we examined the insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding proteins (IGF2BPs; hereafter refered to as IMPs) and Lin28 family expressions in epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) patients and correlated their expression levels with the response to chemotherapy, hCTR1 expression and patient survival. METHODS: Patients clinical information, real-time RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blot, Transwell migration invasion assays, and cytotoxicity assays were used. RESULTS: From 140 EOC patients, high expression of IMP3 or Lin28B was associated with poor survival, and women diagnosed at advanced stages with elevated IMP3 and Lin28B were at higher risk of developing chemoresistance. High IMP3 levels combined with high Lin28B levels significantly correlated with the poorest 5-year survival rates. Knockdown of IMP3 or Lin28B decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and increased the platinum sensitivity, but not taxol sensitivity, of ovarian cancer cells through increased expression of hCTR1, a copper transporter involved in platinum uptake. High expression of hCTR1 correlated with low expression of IMP3/Lin28B and better progression-free survival in advanced-stage EOC patients. CONCLUSION: Testing for a combination of elevated IMP3 and Lin28B levels could further facilitate the identification of a patient subgroup with the worst prognosis.

Diagnosis of renal cancer by molecular urinalysis.

BACKGROUND: Organ-confined renal malignancies can be cured in the majority of patients, whereas more extensive lesions have a poor prognosis. We sought to develop a noninvasive test for renal cancer detection based on a novel molecular approach. METHODS: Matched urine and serum DNA samples were obtained before surgery from 30 patients with clinically organ-confined solid renal masses (25 with malignant tumors and five with tumors of low malignant potential) and were subjected to microsatellite analysis. Serum samples and urine samples obtained from 16 individuals without clinical evidence of genitourinary malignancy served as controls. RESULTS: Nineteen (76%) of the 25 patients with malignant tumors were found to have one or more microsatellite DNA alterations in their urine specimen, and 15 (60%) were found to have alterations in their serum DNA by microsatellite analysis. In every case, the microsatellite changes in urine or serum were identical to those found in the primary tumor. Three of five patients with tumors of low malignant potential were found to have DNA alterations in their urine, but none displayed alterations in their serum. Moreover, microsatellite alterations were not identified in either the urine or the serum samples from normal control subjects and patients with hematuria due to nephrolithiasis (renal stones). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that microsatellite DNA analysis of urine specimens provides a potentially valuable tool for the early detection of resectable kidney cancer. Furthermore, microsatellite analysis of serum samples reveals evidence of circulating tumor-specific DNA in approximately half of these patients and may reflect the propensity of these tumors to spread to distant sites at an early stage.

The role of nm23-H1 in the progression of transitional cell bladder cancer.

The nm23 gene was initially cloned as a metastasis suppressor gene, but the clinical relevance of nm23-H1 as a metastasis suppressor or prognostic indicator for human cancers remains enigmatic. Given that gene expression is regulated at the tissue-specific level, we studied the molecular mechanisms of nm23-H1 expression in human bladder cancer cell lines and the clinical importance of protein product (NM23-H1) in association with patient outcome (n = 257) by immunohistochemistry. We demonstrated that nm23-H1 is expressed in bladder cancer cells without genomic alterations. High NM23-H1 expression was found in 39 cases (15.2%), intermediate expression in 119 cases (46.3%), and low NM23-H1 in 99 cases (38.5%). NM23-H1 was inversely related to staging classification or tumor size (P < 0.05), with the most significant difference being observed between pTa tumors and those of pT1-pT3 bladder cancer (P = 0.01). Reduced NM23-H1, defined as intermediate and low levels of expression, tended to have a higher risk of tumor metastasis (P = 0.06) or poor longtime survival (P = 0.07). In the subset of grade 2 bladder tumors, reduced NM23-H1 significantly correlated with the occurrence of tumor metastasis or poor patient survival (P < 0.05). These findings overall suggest that nm23-H1 may play an important role in suppressing the early step of carcinogenesis and thus act as an invasion suppressor for human bladder cancer. A prospective study is required to clarify the potential of the molecular marker in prediction of disease progression.

The potential of soybean foods as a chemoprevention approach for human urinary tract cancer.

Isoflavones are excreted in human urine and can be modulated by soy-rich diets. Recently, isoflavones were suggested to have protective effects against bladder cancer cells. We sought to determine the efficacy of the antitumorigenic effects of isoflavones at concentrations found in the range of human urine excretion and compare normal urothelium and bladder cancer cells for differential cytotoxicity. A total of seven human bladder cancer cell lines and an immortalized uroepithelial cell line were used to examine the effects of genistein, daidzein, and biochanin-A, either individually or as an equal-proportion mixture regimen, on cell growth, DNA synthesis, alterations of cell cycle distribution, and induction of apoptosis. The role of cyclin B1 and cdc2 kinase in cell cycle arrest was analyzed. In addition, severe combined immunodeficient mice were used to confirm the anti-cancer effects of isoflavones in vivo. Cooperative action of isoflavones was more effective in growth inhibition and apoptosis induction than any single compound. Genistein tends to cause a dose-dependent induction of G2-M cell cycle arrest and an inhibition of cdc2 kinase activity. However, both daidzein and biochanin-A directly induced apoptosis without altering cell cycle distribution. The IC50 values in non-transformed cells were higher than those in most cancer cell lines, and the IC50 of the mixture regimen was within reach of the levels observed in urine after a soy challenge. Furthermore, both genistein and combined isoflavones exhibited a significant tumor suppressor effect in vivo (P < 0.05). The results justify the potential use of soybean foods as a practical chemoprevention approach for patients with urinary tract cancer.

Expression profiles of ErbB family receptors and prognosis in primary transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

In vitro experiments have demonstrated that epidermal growth factor (EGF)-related peptides activate distinct subsets of ErbB receptors and differ in their biological activities. The implications of cross-talk among ErbB family receptors in human cancer, however, remain to be clarified. This cohort study was performed to examine the expression patterns of ErbB receptors by immunohistochemistry in primary human bladder cancer (n = 245) and compared with conventional biological indicators for their prognostic significance. Expression of individual EGF receptor (EGFR) and ErbB2, ErbB3, or ErbB4 receptors was detected in 72.2, 44.5, 56.3, and 29.8% of bladder cancer cases, respectively. Expression of two of the receptors varied from 14.7 to 42.4%, of three of the receptors between 11.0 and 22.0%, and of all four of the ErbB receptors by 8.6%. Important indicators in association with patient survival were tumor staging (P = 0.017), ErbB2 (P = 0.018), EGFR-ErbB2 (P = 0.023), and ErbB2-ErbB3 (P = 0.042). In the subset of grade-2 tumors, EGFR-ErbB2-ErbB3 and EGFR-ErbB2 predicted the development of second recurrence (P = 0.026 and 0.039, respectively), and ErbB2-ErbB3 tended to correlate with patient survival (P = 0.09). The results indicate that a combination of EGFR, ErbB2, and ErbB3 expression profile may be a better prognostic indicator than any family member alone. Given that ErbB2 is the preferred coexpression partner of ErbB family members, expression of other ErbB receptors may significantly affect the prognostic implication of ErbB2 for bladder cancer patients.

Molecular detection of prostate cancer in urine by GSTP1 hypermethylation.

Novel approaches for the early detection and management of prostate cancer are urgently needed. Clonal genetic alterations have been used as targets for the detection of neoplastic cells in bodily fluids from many cancer types. A similar strategy for molecular diagnosis of prostate cancer requires a common and/or early genetic alteration as a specific target for neoplastic prostate cells. Hypermethylation of regulatory sequences at the glutathione S-transferase pi (GSTP1) gene locus is found in the majority (>90%) of primary prostate carcinomas, but not in normal prostatic tissue or other normal tissues. We hypothesized that urine from prostate cancer patients might contain shed neoplastic cells or debris amenable to DNA analysis. Matched specimens of primary tumor, peripheral blood lymphocytes (normal control), and simple voided urine were collected from 28 patients with prostate cancer of a clinical stage amenable to cure. Genomic DNA was isolated from the samples, and the methylation status of GSTP1 was examined in a blinded manner using methylation-specific PCR. Decoding of the results revealed that 22 of 28 (79%) prostate tumors were positive for GSTP1 methylation. In 6 of 22 (27%) cases, the corresponding urine-sediment DNA was positive for GSTP1 methylation, indicating the presence of neoplastic DNA in the urine. Furthermore, there was no case where urine-sediment DNA harbored methylation when the corresponding tumor was negative. Although we only detected GSTP1 methylation in under one-third of voided urine samples, we have demonstrated that molecular diagnosis of prostate neoplasia in urine is feasible. Larger studies focusing on carcinoma size, location in the prostate, and urine collection techniques, as well as more sensitive technology, may lead to the useful application of GSTP1 hypermethylation in prostate cancer diagnosis and management.

Prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor expression in colorectal cancer patients.

Solid tumours require neovascularisation for growth and metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to be an important regulator of tumour angiogenesis. To examine the relevance of VEGF in the neoplastic transformation of human colon, we analysed protein expression in a total 30 polyps and 145 colorectal carcinomas by immunohistochemistry. All adenoma specimens, regardless of histological differentiation, and normal colonic mucosa did not express VEGF. Amongst 90 patients with non-metastatic colorectal cancer, VEGF expression was observed in 43 (48%) cases, whilst 29 of the 55 patients (53%) with metastases expressed the angiogenic factor. Both the proportion and intensity of VEGF expression were positively associated with the progression of colon carcinogenesis. Tumours with the highest VEGF expression tended to correlate with patients' survival, although VEGF expression did not emerge as an independent risk factor in a multivariate analysis. After exclusion of the patients with distant metastases, both univariate and multivariate analysis did not indicate any prognostic value for the tissues with the highest VEGF expression. Our results suggest that VEGF may play a role in the progression of colon cancer, although evaluation of this angiogenic phenotype did not provide additional prognostic information compared with that obtained from Dukes' staging of the tumours.

Investigation of the prognostic value of coexpressed erbB family members for the survival of colorectal cancer patients after curative surgery.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), erbB2, erbB3 and erbB4 are four transmembrane glycoproteins belonging to the subtype I tyrosine kinases. They share structure homologies and are believed to direct cellular growth through the ligand-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of intracellular substrate. The overexpression of these tyrosine kinases has been linked to various cancers. To examine the role of the erbB family in the neoplastic transformation of the human colon, we analysed the protein expression of these four members by immunohistochemistry in paraffin-embedded specimens from 125 resected colorectal cancers. Our data showed that for EGFR expression, 62 (50%) were scored as '+', and 2 (2%) as '++'. For erbB2 expression, 39 (31%) were classified as '+', and 5 (4%) as '++'. For erbB3 expression, 43 (34%) were scored as '+', and 3 (2%) as '++'. A significantly higher percentage of overexpressed erbB3 was observed in early stage carcinomas (Dukes' stage A or B) (50%) than in advanced stage cancers (Dukes' stage C or D) (15%) (P<0.0001). For erbB4 expression, 22 (18%) were scored as '+', and 5 (4%) as '++'. Early stage patients had a lower percentage of erbB4 overexpression than the late stage ones (18% versus 28%). Concomitant overexpression of erbB2 and erbB3 occurred in 21% (16/78) of the early stage carcinomas, whereas it occurred in only 2% (1/47) of the late stage ones (P=0.003). Conversely, simultaneous overexpression of erbB2 and erbB4 occurred in 17% (8/47) of the late stage carcinomas but in only 4% (3/78) of the early stage ones (P=0.02). Overexpression of EGFR, erbB2, erbB3 or erbB4 alone was not significantly associated with a shortened survival. However, patients with a simultaneous overexpression of erbB2 and erbB4 had a shorter overall survival time than others in the univariate analysis (P=0.01). This significance disappeared after adjustment for Dukes' staging in the Cox model. In conclusion, overexpressed erbB3 was common in early stage colorectal cancers, but its prevalence was significantly reduced in late stage ones. The percentage of its coexpression with erbB2 was significantly higher in early stage than in late-stage cancers. Heterodimerisation between erbB2 and erbB4 may play a role in the late stages of carcinogenesis.

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in normal liver and hepatocellular carcinoma: an immunohistochemical study.

Angiogenesis is of vital importance during the development and progression of solid tumors. To examine the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in hepatocarcinogenesis, we evaluated the expression of peptide in normal human liver (n = 6) and in 36 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Immunoreactivity for VEGF was present in the extracellular matrix of the portal tracts in the normal and nontumor part of liver, but not in hepatocytes and bile duct epithelium. For HCC, variable amounts of VEGF were expressed in 13 cases (36.1%) of tumor cells. Using a logistic regression model, expression of VEGF was significantly associated with a higher proliferative index (P = .01) and sonographic portal vein thrombosis (P = .05). However, VEGF expression did not correlate with a biochemical liver profile, alpha-fetoprotein levels, histological grading, gender, or clinical stage of cirrhosis (P > 0.1, respectively). Log-rank test showed that evaluation of VEGF did not provide more prognostic information (P > .5) than that from tumor volume and portal vein thrombosis (P < .01, respectively). In addition, VEGF was always present in the fibrovascular stroma or pericellular matrix of HCC, although no strong relationship was observed with the expression of VEGF in tumor cells (P > .5). Our data suggested that expression of VEGF may characterize a progression toward higher proliferation in hepatocarcinogenesis in vivo. The relevance of VEGF existing in the extracellular matrix of the normal liver and HCC remains to be clarified.

Growth kinetics of colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence: an immunohistochemical study of proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression.

Tumorigenesis is a multistep process that begins with the abrogation of normal controls of cell proliferation. The authors examined the in vitro growth kinetics and compartment shift through the adenoma-carcinoma sequence of the human colon by determining the labelling indexes of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in normal mucosae (n = 10), adenomas (n = 88), and carcinomas (n = 20). Carcinoma cells had a significantly higher PCNA index than adenomas or control specimens (P = .0001). There also was a difference in the PCNA index between the histological subtypes of adenomas (P = .03), whereas no significant difference was observed for dysplastic grade, tumor size, or location (P > .1). Tubular and tubulovillous adenomas, adenomas with mild dysplasia, small (< 10 mm) adenomas, and proximally located adenomas revealed shift of cell proliferation toward the middle portion of the colonic glands. The PCNA in the villous, moderate or severe dysplastic, larger or distally located adenomas appeared to be diffuse (P = .04, 0.02, 0.07, and 0.06, respectively). In addition, the transitional mucosa neighboring carcinoma showed an elevation of the mean PCNA index together with an upward shift of cell proliferation compared with the controls (P = .03). These results suggest a stepwise increment of proliferating activity with compartment shift of the proliferating zone through the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. The information essentially supports contemporary understanding of the carcinogenic processes in the human colon.

Expression patterns of erbB receptor family in normal urothelium and transitional cell carcinoma. An immunohistochemical study.

The class I tyrosine kinase growth-factor receptors include epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), ErbB2 (c-erbB-2, HER-2/neu), ErbB3 and ErbB4. To elucidate their role in the regulation of homeostasis and carcinogenesis, we examined the expression of the receptors in normal urothelium and in urothelial carcinoma by immunohistochemistry. EGFR was expressed in the basal cells of normal urothelium, while ErbB2, ErbB3 and ErbB4 were present mainly in the superficial layer. A distinct reciprocal distribution was observed between the EGFR and the remaining members of the subclass (P = 0.0001). Both BCL-2 protein and Ki-67 antigen (MIB-1) showed a strong positive association with EGFR (P = 0.002) and an inverse correlation with ErbB2, ErbB3 or ErbB4 (P = 0.0004, 0.0000, and 0.001, respectively). With regard to carcinoma, there was no important relationship between receptor overexpression and tumour grading (P > 0.1), while only EGFR overexpression was correlated with muscular invasion (P = 0.02). Coexpression of EGFR-ErbB3 and ErbB3-ErbB4 was more often detected in high-grade tumours and correlated with the extent of tumour invasion. Our data indicate that class I receptors are differentially expressed in normal urothelium in vivo, but an orchestrated expression pattern does not exist during tumorigenesis.

Infiltrated Cells in Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis by Additional Intracerebral Injection in Myelin-Basic-Protein-SensitizedB6 Mice.

We previously reported that murine experimental allergic encephalomyelitis can be induced by an additional intraperitoneal and intracerebral (i.c.) restimulation in resistant B6 mice after standard immunization with myelin antigens in complete Freund's adjuvant and Bordetella pertussis coadjuvant. Neutrophils infiltrated into perivascular spaces at 12 h, followed by mononuclear cells 24 h after i.c. injection. In this study, we report that the i.c. injection induced the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). The kinetic expression of ICAM-1 or VCAM-1 on brain endothelial cells paralleled the infiltration of neutrophils and mononuclear cells, respectively. The infiltrated lymphocytes also expressed very late antigen-4 (VLA-4) molecules. The microvascular endothelial cells were positive for VCAM-1, whereas the surrounding mononuclear cells were VLA-4 positive. Furthermore, we found a unique subpopulation of cells with characteristics of CD4(-)CD8(-)V(beta)8(+) markers. The kinetic studies of this population showed that these cells were transiently depleted from 12 to 24 h after i.c. challenge (before the development of clinical symptoms) in cervical lymph nodes. These CD4(-)CD8(-)V(beta)8(+) cells can be expanded by in vitro culture with myelin basic protein or IL-2. No significant changes of CD4(+)/CD8(+) cells were noted. CD4(+)CD8(-)CD3(+) cells were also found in brain by double histochemical stains and were the major infiltrating cells at 24 or 48 h after i.c. challenge.

Immunohistochemical analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor family members in stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: To elucidate the relationship between the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor family members (ErbB-1, neu/ErbB-2, ErbB-3, and ErbB-4) and tumor recurrence. METHODS: We used immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of four epidermal growth factor receptor family members in 73 patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer. RESULTS: Using Cox univariate analysis, we determined that angiolymphatic tumor emboli and non-well-differentiated tumor cells were two significant conventional pathologic predictors of tumor recurrence, and that ErbB-1 and ErbB-3 were also significant predictors. Co-expression of ErbB-1+, -3+, or expression of three or more epidermal growth factor receptor family members had a significant effect on lung cancer recurrence. A stepwise multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis provided a predictive model for tumor recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that in patients with a non-well-differentiated tumor, overexpression of ErbB-3 is a useful marker for predicting tumor recurrence. The present study also confirmed that ErbB-1 expression increased in proportion to the loss of tumor differentiation. The correlation between ErbB-3 and distant metastasis was good.

Potential value of urinary intercellular adhesion molecule-1 determination in patients with bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is known to play a role in immunity against bladder cancer and can be detected in the supernatants of cultured bladder cancer cells that constitutively express ICAM-1. This study was performed to examine the relevance of the ICAM-1 urine test in patients with bladder cancer. METHODS: A total of 53 patients with bladder carcinoma, 35 with history of bladder cancer, and 30 normal control subjects were included in this analysis. Urinary ICAM-1 (ulCAM-1) levels were measured by immunoassay and corrected for hydration status. RESULTS: Levels of ulCAM-1 were significantly elevated in patients with bladder cancer or those at tumor-free status compared with normal control subjects (P=0.001). However, there was no apparent difference between the two groups of urothelial disorders (P >0.1). ulCAM-1 did not correlate with clinicopathologic variables of bladder cancer or patient outcome (P >0.1). Six patients at tumor-free status had multiple ulCAM-1 determinations during the study period. Three of these 6 patients had elevated ulCAM-1 levels and proved to have recurrent tumors; 3 of the 6 had stable ulCAM-1 levels and were still free of disease. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that urinary excretion of ICAM-1 is elevated in the early stage of bladder carcinogenesis, but is independent of biologic properties of bladder cancer. Serial monitoring of ulCAM-1 may be helpful in selecting patients who are at risk of tumor recurrence.

Incidental non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in patients with localized prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the outcome of patients with clinically organ-confined prostate cancer undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy for cure and incidentally discovered concurrent low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at time of surgery. METHODS: From September 1986 to September 1997, 4319 patients underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy at our institution. The records of 10 patients incidentally diagnosed to have low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the time of radical prostatectomy were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Of 4319 patients requiring radical prostatectomy, 10 (0.2%) were found to have low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. All 10 men had an uneventful postoperative course. Two patients subsequently developed progression of lymphoma, one of whom required treatment. One patient died of sepsis associated with his lymphoma and 1 patient died of an unrelated malignancy (lung cancer), both 7 years following surgery. Two patients developed biochemical prostate-specific antigen recurrence. The remainder of men were free of prostate cancer recurrence and experienced no progression of lymphoma at an average of 45 months (range 12 to 142). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with organ-confined prostate cancer, who are candidates for radical prostatectomy, experience long-term prostate cancer-free survival in the face of incidentally diagnosed low-grade lymphoma. Because the management of most incidentally discovered low-grade lymphomas is expectant, patients discovered at surgery to have this clinical entity should not be denied radical prostatectomy.

Level of transforming growth factor beta 1 is elevated in cerebrospinal fluid of children with acute bacterial meningitis.

We investigated the levels of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in children with meningitis, with a view to prognostic relevance. CSF TGF-beta 1 levels on admission were measured by a sandwich enzyme immunoassay in children with bacterial meningitis (n = 16), aseptic meningitis (n = 12), and control subjects without evidence of central nervous system (CNS) infection (n = 16). Patients were followed up for a mean duration of 13 months, and neurodevelopmental sequelae was determined for those with bacterial meningitis. On admission, CSF TGF-beta 1 levels were significantly higher in children with bacterial meningitis (mean, standard error, 32.92, 2.36 pg/ml) as opposed to those with aseptic meningitis (25.26, 1.72 pg/ml) (P = 0.0155), or control subjects (20.53, 1.05 pg/ml) (P < 0.0001). The CSF TGF-beta 1 levels in children with aseptic meningitis were higher than those in the control group, but without significance (P = 0.02). No apparent correlation existed between CSF TGF-beta 1 levels and CSF protein or cell counts in patients with bacterial meningitis. No significant difference in CSF TGF-beta 1 levels was found between patients with or without major sequelae following bacterial meningitis.

Papillary cystic tumor of the pancreas: a case indistinguishable from oncocytic carcinoma.

A case of papillary cystic tumor (PCT) of the pancreas in a 55-year-old woman is described. She presented with a gradually enlarging and painless abdominal mass for > 26 years. The tumor was encapsulated and measured 16 x 12 x 10 cm. The gross features and conventional light microscopic appearance of this tumor were consistent with the previously reported cases of PCT. Perineural and capsular invasions were found. In addition to the densely packed blue granules in the cytoplasm demonstrated by phosphotungstic acid-hematoxylin stain, ultrastructural study revealed the tumor cells to be packed with numerous mitochondria. These oncocytes comprised almost all the non-necrotic tumor areas. Therefore, this case was indistinguishable pathologically from oncocytic carcinoma of the pancreas. DNA flow cytometry showed a diploid pattern and low S phase fraction, indicating that the tumor has a low proliferative activity and a favorable prognosis.

Expression of nm23-H1 in transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract.

Transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract is an uncommon neoplasm. Relatively little information is available regarding the clinical relevance of molecular markers. This study was performed to examine the importance of nm23-H1 gene expression (NM23-H1) in this type of tumors. Immunohistochemical expression of NM23-H1 was analyzed in 90 cases of upper urinary tract cancer, and was compared for its prognostic significance with conventional biological indicators. High expression of NM23-H1 was found in 7 cases (8%), intermediate expression in 32 cases (36%), and low expression in 51 cases (57%). Reduced NM23-H1 (defined as intermediate or low level of expression) was associated with a higher histological grading (p=0.002), invasive tumor growth (p=0. 002), or an increased proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index (p=0.004). NM23-H1 tended to inversely relate to later recurrence or long-term survival (p=0.06), but, only tumor staging was found to be significant in predicting clinical outcome (p=0.002). nm23-H1 appears to function as a tumor suppressor for upper urinary tract cancer, however, evaluation of NM23-H1 provides limited prognostic information.

Modulating the antitumor immunity of MBT-2 murine bladder tumor bearing mice by postoperative administration of interferon-alpha.

This study was conducted mainly to investigate the effect of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) on the antitumor immunity of a tumor bearing host (TBH) when postoperatively administrated with or without lethally irradiated autologous tumor cells. Using the C3H/He-MBT-2 murine bladder tumor model, a status of postoperative residual tumor was mimicked by rechallenging tumor cells 24 hours after resecting the day-17 tumor. Using immunohistochemical analysis we demonstrated that after treating with lethally irradiated MBT-2 tumor cells (IRMBT-2) + IL-2 cells of CD4+, CD8+, CD44+ and CD11b+ phenotypes prominently infiltrate the subcutaneous local injection sites. In contrast, only scanty immune responding cells could be seen locally if treated with IRMBT-2 + IFN-alpha 2b, albeit in the presence of interleukin-2 (IL-2). However, the spleens of D17TBM treated with IRMBT-2 + IFN-alpha 2b contained the highest percentage of CD44+ memory T cells and cells of the CD11b+ phenotype; moreover, their natural killer (NK), lymphokine activated killer (LAK) and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) activities were significantly augmented. The results of in vivo tumor rechallenge revealed that administration of IFN-alpha, either alone or combined with IRMBT-2, could both effectively suppress the outgrowth of perioperative rechallenged tumor cells as well as prolong the survival of TBH. We conclude that despite the presence of autologous tumor vaccine, postoperative administration of IFN-alpha can further enhance the antitumor immunity of TBH and therefore can be an effective adjuvant therapy to improve the therapeutic results of surgery on a tumor bearing host.