Expression of Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor gamma in Prostatic Adenocarcinoma.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ), a ligand-activated transcription factor has been investigated as the target for cancer treatment as well as metabolic disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated that PPAR-γ ligands are anti-tumorigenic in prostate cancer due to anti-proliferative and pro-differentiation effects. The aim of this study was to validate PPAR-γ expression in malignant and benign prostate tissues by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 730 prostatic adenocarcinomas (PCAs) including 63 whole sections from radical prostatectomy specimens and tissue microarrays containing 667 PCAs were subject to immunostaining for two PPAR-γ antibodies. Twenty-five benign prostate tissues and PCAs were selected for investigating mRNA expression by quantitative real-time PCR. 10.7% of PCAs (78/730) showed cytoplasmic immunoreactivity of PPAR-γ and no nuclear immunoreactivity was noted in PCAs. Most benign prostatic glands showed negative immunoreactivity of PPAR-γ except for variable weak cytoplasmic staining in some glands. Nuclear immunoreactivity of PPAR-γ was noted some central zone and verumontanum mucosal epithelium. The constitutive PPAR-γ mRNA showed significantly lower level in PCAs compared to that in the benign tissues. There was no difference of PPAR-γ mRNA expression between low (≤7) and high (>7) Gleason score groups. There was no association of PPAR-γ mRNA level or cytoplasmic immunostaining with Gleason grade or pathologic stage. Our study supported the evidence of extra-nuclear localization and nongenomic actions of PPAR-γ. Further studies are needed to assess the functional role of PPAR-γ and to validate its therapeutic implication in prostate cancer.

VEGF/VEGFR2 and PDGF-B/PDGFR-ß expression in non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a retrospective study in 1,091 consecutive patients.

PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate the correlations between the expression of VEGF, PDGF-B, and their receptors (VEGFR2 and PDGFR-ß) with pathologic stage or cell type in non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: VEGF, VEGFR2, PDGF-B, and PDGFR-ß protein expression were evaluated immunohistochemically in prospectively collected 1,423 tumour samples obtained during radical or partial nephrectomy at a tertiary referral center. Intensity of expression was quantified on a scale of 0 to 3, and was compared among renal cell carcinoma cell types. RESULTS: The study cohort consisted of 1,091 patients, of mean age 54 years, including 968 (88.7%) with clear cell, 82 (7.5%) with papillary, 31 (2.8%) with chromophobe, 4 (0.4%) with unclassified, and 6 (0.5%) with other types of renal cell carcinoma. VEGF expression increased with higher T and N stage and Fuhrman nuclear grade. PDGFR-ß expression was highest in clear cell renal cell carcinoma, whereas VEGF and PDGF-B expression were highest in papillary renal cell carcinoma. After adjusting for T stage and Fuhrman nuclear grade using multivariate logistic regression analysis, VEGF (OR = 3.57, P < 0.001), VEGFR2 (OR = 1.82, P = 0.017), and PDGF-B (OR = 2.46, P = 0.019) expression were significantly greater in papillary than in clear cell type. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the cytoplasmic expression of VEGF, VEGFR2, PDGF-B, and PDGFR-ß in RCC tumour cells is different in various pathologic stage and cell type. Notably, VEGF and PDGF-B expression are higher in papillary than in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Further studies using quantitative measurement of proangiogenic factors in tumour cell are needed.

Preoperative Clinical and Pathological Characteristics of pT0 Prostate Cancer in Radical Prostatectomy.

PURPOSE: To analyze the preoperative clinical and pathological characteristics of patients with pT0 prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 702 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) at our institution between January 2004 and July 2008 for clinically localized prostate cancer. If there was no evidence of residual tumor in the pathological specimen of the prostate, a patient was staged as pT0. Patients with pT0 disease were compared with a control group of patients who were operated on during the same period. RESULTS: Overall, 9 (1.3%) patients were staged as pT0 on the pathologic examination. Significant differences were observed between the pT0 group and the control patients in the biopsy Gleason score (p=0.004), the number of positive cores on biopsy (p=0.018), the tumor length of positive cores (p<0.001), and prostate volume (p=0.015). Cutoff values predictive of pT0 tumor status were defined as a biopsy Gleason score sum 30 cm(3). Whereas 8 of the 9 (88.9%) pT0 patients showed all of these characteristics, only 55 of the 693 (7.9%) control patients fulfilled the criteria. The combination suggested above afforded a sensitivity of 88.8% and a specificity of 92.1% for the prediction of pT0 status. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of pT0 prostate cancer seen on RP was 1.3%. A combination of clinicopathological features, incorporating a biopsy Gleason score, the number of positive biopsy cores, tumor length on biopsy, and prostate volume, was useful to predict pT0 stage on RP.

Proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma with elevated serum CA 125: report of a case with CA 125 immunoreactivity.

Proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma is a recently described rare soft tissue neoplasm. It is commonly found in the pelvic, perineal, and genital areas in middle-aged or older adults, as compared with the classic type of epithelioid sarcoma, which arises in the distal portion of the extremities in adolescents and young adults. Proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma has a more aggressive clinical behavior than the classic type of epithelioid sarcoma. Proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma is histologically characterized by a diffuse proliferation of epithelioid cells with prominent rhabdoid feature. Recently, a few cases have been reported of epithelioid sarcoma with elevated serum CA 125 level and CA 125 immunoreactivity in neoplastic cells. These cases raise the possibility that serum CA 125 and CA 125 immunoreactivity could be a useful tumor marker for diagnosing and monitoring epithelioid sarcoma. We describe a case of proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma with elevated serum CA 125 level (up to 3395 U/mL [reference range, <35 U/mL]) in a 12-year-old girl who presented with a huge pelvic mass measuring 12 cm in greatest dimension. The serum CA 125 level dropped to 452 U/mL after a debulking operation of the mass. Immunostaining for CA 125 demonstrated a positive immunoreactivity in the neoplastic cells. She received one cycle of chemotherapy and died of the disease 2 months after diagnosis. This case represented a rare example of proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma with elevated serum CA 125 and immunoreactivity for CA 125 in the tumor cells. Based on the previous reported cases and the current case, serum CA 125 as well as immunohistochemical stain for CA 125 may be a useful tumor marker of proximal-type epithelioid sarcoma.