Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology
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Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is currently classified into embryonal RMS, including its botryoid and spindle cell variants, alveolar RMS, including a solid variant, and pleomorphic RMS. In children and adolescents embryonal RMS occurs in a younger age group than alveolar RMS, and pleomorphic RMS is almost always seen in older adults. Most recently rare spindle cell and sclerosing, pseudovascular RMS have been reported in adults as well. ⋯ Follow-up information was available in five patients (range from 10 to 48 months) and revealed lung metastases in two patients who died of disease within a short period. In summary, spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma represents a rare neoplasm in adulthood characterized clinically by a rather poor prognosis, and shows a broad morphological spectrum including most likely the sclerosing, pseudovascular variant. Immunohistochemically, tumour cells in RMS stain positively for CD 99 and WT1 as well, which is of importance in the differential diagnosis to other mesenchymal neoplasms, whereas fast myosin does not represent a reliable marker for RMS in adults.
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Both epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and RAS gene mutations contribute to the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Because RAS is one of the downstream molecules in the EGFR signal transduction, the association between the somatic mutations of EGFR and RAS may be important in the pathogenesis of NSCLC. However, to date, such data are lacking. ⋯ Inverse relationship between K-RAS and EGFR mutations in the lung adenocarcinoma was statistically significant (P=0.046, chi2 test). As regards smoking history, EGFR mutation was significantly associated with never-smoking history, whereas K-RAS mutation was significantly associated with smoking history. Our data suggest that mutations of EGFR and K-RAS genes might separately, but not cooperatively, contribute to lung adenocarcinoma pathogenesis, and that EGFR and K-RAS mutants could separately be anti-neoplastic targets in lung adenocarcinomas.
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The selection of a systemic breast cancer therapy is based on the expression pattern of immunohistochemical prognostic markers. In our study we sought to determine whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy may alter these expression patterns within the tumors. Our hypothesis was that the expression of the immunohistochemical prognostic markers does not differ between tissue specimens before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. ⋯ There were no significant differences in the changes in expression patterns from the core biopsy to the treated resected tumor between those who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the control group. We suggest that it is sufficient to analyze the prognostic factors from either the core biopsy prior to chemotherapy or the treated tumor sample instead of investigating both samples. This would markedly reduce the costs.
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We investigated tumor-free mucosa and squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity, the pharynx, and larynx with respect to the presence of stromal CD34+ fibrocytes and alpha-smooth muscle antigen (SMA)-positive myofibroblasts. Additionally, stromal expression of CD117 was analyzed. A total of 39 squamous cell carcinomas were assessed immunohistochemically. ⋯ Compared with tumor-free mucosa, the number of tissue mast cells was significantly increased in carcinomas. We conclude that stromal remodeling induced by invasive carcinomas is characterized by a loss of CD34+ fibrocytes and subsequent gain of alpha-SMA-positive myofibroblasts. The diagnostic impact of this finding is, however, limited by the fact that chronic inflammation may also be accompanied by a focal loss of CD34+ fibrocytes.
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CD34(+) fibrocytes are widely distributed in normal connective tissues but have been reported to be absent within the stroma associated with invasive carcinomas. In the present study we investigated the presence and distribution of CD34(+) fibrocytes and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) positive myofibroblasts in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia III (CIN III; n=8), invasive carcinoma of the cervix ( n=18) and adjacent normal cervical stroma. Normal cervical stroma and the stroma adjacent to CIN III disclosed a dense network of CD34(+) fibrocytes, whereas the stroma of invasive carcinoma was virtually free of this cell population. ⋯ In the setting of the present study, a loss of CD34(+) fibrocytes was specific for stromal alterations associated with invasive carcinoma and proved to be a sensitive tool in detecting small foci of stromal invasion. Therefore, detection of a loss of CD34(+) fibrocytes may constitute an adjunctive tool in detecting (1) early stromal invasion and (2) invasive carcinoma in small biopsy specimens. Moreover, the present study shows that CD34(+) fibrocytes and myofibroblasts play an important role in stromal remodeling associated with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.