1,721,053 research outputs found

    Bulletin of breast disease: results of the 1990-1994 quinquennium

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    All mammary lesions diagnosed at the Institute of Pathological Anatomy of the University of Modena have been systematically filed since 1990 and reported in a bulletin, which is issued twice a year and delivered to health operators. So far, 5.188 cases of breast lesions, comprising 1.999 non-neoplastic pathologies, 1.040 benign tumors, 1.943 primary malignant neoplasms and 206 recurrences, have been filed. During the quinquennium 1990-1994, a progressive numerical reduction in diagnoses of non-neoplastic lesions coupled to an increase of benign tumors has been observed, whereas the number of primary malignant tumors has not changed. In particular, a statistically significant increase in diagnoses of carcinoma-in-situ and of fibrocystic disease associated with moderate-risk lesions (atypical hyperplasias) has been detected, whereas the number of cases of single fibrocystic disease has decreased. This reduction, however, is not significant. A slight increase of breast carcinomas smaller than 1 cm and 2 cm, coupled to a decrease of those exhibiting dimensions between 2 and 5 cm, has been found. The collection and systematic analysis of cases of mammary lesions appears to represent a useful tool to study the incidence of different breast pathologies in the general populations. It can also be viewed as a simple way to test the reliability of diagnostic methods used for selection of surgical cases

    HIGHER REPRODUCIBILITY OF MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OVER THE COUNTING METHOD FOR INTERPHASE AGNOR QUANTIFICATION

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    In a series of 40 breast carcinomas, the reproducibility of two different methods for interphase AgNOR quantification was evaluated. Two operators independently defined on each slide the interphase AgNOR quantity both by measuring the area of the silver-stained structures using image cytometry and counting the AgNOR number directly at the microscope. The correlation between the values obtained by the two observers was statistically significant, but the correlation coefficient between AgNOR areas (r = 0.79; P < 0.001) was greater than that between AgNOR numbers (r = 0.38; P = 0.014). On the other hand, when interphase AgNOR area and number values obtained by each observer were compared, no significant correlation was found. This study has demonstrated that the two different methods for interphase AgNOR quantification are not comparable, and that morphometric analysis is more objective and reproducible than the counting method

    Alterations of 9p21 analysed by FISH and MLPA distinguish atypical spitzoid melanocytic tumours from conventional Spitz's nevi but do not predict their biological behaviour

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    Alterations of 9p21 analysed by FISH and MLPA distinguish atypical spitzoid melanocytic tumours from conventional Spitz's nevi but do not predict their biological behaviour Aim: Histopathological criteria alone cannot predict the biological behaviour of spitzoid melanocytic tumours. The aim of this study was to investigate whether 9p21 status influence the prognosis of the spitzoid melanocytic tumours, peculiar lesions whose biological behaviour cannot be predicted by histopathological criteria alone. Methods and results: Twenty-eight atypical spitzoid tumours, 12 conventional Spitz's nevi and one congenital Spitz's nevus were studied by fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) and multiple ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) for the presence of 9p21 deletion. The 28 patients were aged 3-56 years (mean 32, median 35), and follow-up ranged between 4 and 156 months (mean 51, median 48). Eight patients (28.5%) experienced lymph node metastasis (three cases with macrometastasis and five with micrometastasis). Of those with macrometastasis, two are alive after 159 and 26 months, whereas a third developed widespread metastases and died after 26 months. All of the other patients are alive. Statistically, the thickness (P = 0.01) and the diameter (P = 0.009) of the lesions significantly correlated with metastasis. Deletion of 9p21 by FISH analysis was observed in eight spitzoid tumours (28.5%), and MLPA demonstrated alterations of 9p21, particularly deletion of CDKN2A, in the same lesions, whereas all Spitz's nevi, except the congenital one, were of unaltered 9p21 status (P < 0.0001). Deletion of 9p21/CDKN2A did not correlate with the presence of metastasis. Conclusion: Alterations at 9p21 locus are significantly more frequent in spitzoid tumours than in Spitz's nevi, but do not predict their biological behaviour

    The role of molecular analyses in the diagnosis and treatment of non-small-cell lung carcinomas

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    Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) subtyping has recently been a key factor in determining patient management with novel drugs. In addition, the identification of distinct oncogenic driver mutations frequently associated with NSCLC histotype and coupled to the clinical responses to targeted therapies have revolutionized the impact of histologic type and molecular biomarkers in lung cancer. Several molecular alterations involving different genes (EGFR, KRAS, ALK, BRAF, and HER2) seem to have a remarkable predilection for adenocarcinoma and specific inhibitors of EGFR and ALK are now available for patients with adenocarcinoma harboring the relevant gene alterations. The efficacy of histology-based and molecular-targeted therapies had a deep impact in (1) re-defining classification of lung cancer (particularly adenocarcinomas) and (2) routine clinical practice of pathologists involved in optimization of handling of tissue samples in order to guarantee NSCLC subtyping with the help of immunohistochemistry and adequately preserve tumor cells for molecular analysis. In agreement with the modern multidisciplinary approach to lung cancer, we reviewed here the diagnostic and predictive value of molecular biomarkers according to the clinical, pathologic, and molecular biologist viewpoints

    Polimorfismo dell'apolipoproteina E nel carcinoma mammario: correlazione con i parametri clinico-patologici e prognosi.

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    There is preliminary evidence that polymorphism of apolipoprotein E (apoE, protein; APOE, gene), one of the key regulatory proteins in cholesterol metabolism, influences the pathobiology of carcinoma of the colon, prostate and breast and also primary tumours of the brain. This study was designed to determine whether APOE polymorphism is related to variation in the rate of tumour cell proliferation and clinical outcome in carcinoma of the breast. One hundred and eleven infiltrating ductal carcinomas, for which follow up data were available, were included in the study. Estrogen and progesterone receptor status (ER, PR) cell proliferation index (MIB- 1) and APOE genotypes were determined from paraffin-embedded tissue by standard methods. Positive correlations were found between grade and tumour size, grade and presence of metastasis, grade and MIB-1 expression, as well as between ER and PR. Survival correlated inversely with tumour size and the presence of positive lymph nodes. Both steroid receptors correlated inversely with MIB- 1 expression. PR positive status also correlated inversely with high histological grade and presence of lymph node metastases. APOE allele frequencies resembled those of the general population. No significant associations were found between possession of either APOE epsilon2 or epsilon4 alleles and the parameters investigated. Although there is evidence to suggest that APOE epsilon4 may predispose to the development of carcinoma of the breast our data do not support the hypothesis that APOE genotype influences the rate of tumour cell proliferation or the clinical course

    Relationship between quantitative expression of protein p120 and proliferative activity in cancer cells

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    In questo articolo, il nostro gruppo tra i primi a livello europeo indirizza la ricerca verso la p120, proteina nucleolare con notevoli potenzialità sulla cinetica di crescita tumorale

    Expression of p27(kip1) in basal cell carcinomas and trichoepitheliomas

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    Immunohistochemical analysis was used to evaluate p27(kip1) expression in normal hair follicles and in a series of 39 basal cell carcinomas (BCC) (13 of superficial type, 7 infiltrating, 7 morphea-like, 12 nodular) and 20 trichoepitheliomas (TE) (9 of classic type, 9 immature, 2 desmoplastic). The labeling index (LI) was derived semi automatically by means of a computer-assisted cellular image analyzer, and statistical analysis was carried out using the Student t test. A positive reaction for p27(kip1) was detected in the hair germ papillae, in supramatrical cells, and in the inner pilar sheath, whereas matrical cells and the outer pilar sheath were negative. All BCC and TE cases showed a positive immunoreaction for p27(kip1), but the staining pattern was different in the two groups of lesions, being patchy with focal peripheral accentuation in TE and more diffusely dispersed in BCC. The quantitative study showed lower p27(kip1) expression in BCC (LI = 27.51 +/- 12.55) than in TE (LI 45.27 +/- 20.27) (P &lt; 0.0001). Statistically significant differences were also observed between TE subgroups and nodular or infiltrating BCC subtypes. The Occurrence of a wide overlap of LI values hampers the practical application of a p27(kip1) LI it, the differential diagnosis between BCC and TE in difficult cases, however

    p120 expression provides a reliable indication of the rapidity of cell duplication in cancer cells independently of tumour origin

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    p120 is a nucleolar protein that has been immunocytochemically detected in rapidly proliferating cells of a variety of human malignancies. In the present study, the relationship between p120 expression and the rapidity of cell proliferation was evaluated in 48 human tumours of different origins. The cell proliferation rate of cancer cells was determined by quantitative analysis of AgNOR proteins. p120 immunostaining and AgNOR protein quantity,were measured by image cytometry and a highly significant correlation was found between the two variables, as evaluated by linear regression analysis (r = 0.98, p < 0.0001), The relationship between p120 expression and the rapidity of cell duplication was also studied in vitro, in six human cancer cell lines derived from different tumour types, characterized by various doubling times (ranging from 20 to 77 h), p120 expression was determined on western blots using specific anti-p120 monoclonal antibodies. Densitometric analysis revealed a highly significant inverse correlation between the integrated optical density values of the chemoluminescence bands at 120 kD and the cell line doubling times (r = - 0.93; p = 0.007), The same result was obtained bl situ by correlating p120 immunostaining of the cytological preparations obtained from the six cancer cell lines with the corresponding doubling time (r = -0.98, p < 0.0001), These results indicate that in cancer cells, the quantitative expression of p120 is directly related to the rapidity of cell duplication, independently of the tumour origin. Copyrigh

    Pathological findings in perinatal autopsies

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    The study of perinatal mortality rates has recently be entered by pathologists, because of their capacity to discover the true cause of death at necroscopy
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