Galectins are a large family of proteins which bind galactoside-containing glycans. Their role in cancer seems to be important since members of the family may mediate cell adhesion and modulate cell growth. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is expressed in the nucleus, in the cytoplasm and on the cell surface, and can also be secreted into the extracellular matrix. A series of experimental and clinical data have been reported which indicate that Gal-3 may play a putative role in carcinogenesis, cancer progression and the process of metastasis. To study the possible correlation between Gal-3 expression and malignant potential in primary melanoma lesions, we conducted an immunohistochemical study with monoclonal anti-Gal-3 antibody in a series of primary and metastatic melanoma lesions as well as benign skin pigmented lesions. We also developed a xenograft melanoma model in nude mice with two melanoma cell lines (ATCC G-361 and ATCC HT-144) and assessed staining with the Gal-3 antibody in the xenografts and the metastases. The expression of anti-Gal-3 staining was determined semiquantitatively. The expression of Gal-3 was higher in thin primary melanoma lesions than in benign pigmented skin lesions or metastases and seemed to correlate inversely with the aggressiveness as estimated by the Breslow index which is recognized as the main prognostic factor in melanoma. We propose Gal-3 expression in melanoma as a diagnostic and/or a prognostic parameter and suggest that further studies of such a role for Gal-3 are warranted.

Over a period of 4 years, metastatic lesions to the gastrointestinal tract were analysed in postmortem and clinical series. Melanoma, breast and lung cancers were the most common primary lesions. The topography of parietal involvement shows that all patients evidenced tumor involvement of the submucosa, but not all of them revealed invasion of the mucosa and serosa, suggesting a hematogenous route of dissemination. Although almost all cases had widespread disease at the time of referral for diagnosis, patients who were submitted to surgery had a median survival of 8 months (range 1-48). In selected cases, surgery offers good palliation and may permit resumption of otherwise active chemotherapeutic treatments.

Maspin is a member of the serpin family of protease inhibitors. It is a 42 kDa

Some authors attribute recurrences of giant cell tumours to biological factors which are only expressed in some tumours. Grover et al. (1998) suggested that the risk for recurrence is associated with the down-regulation of the nm23-H1 gene. We reviewed the charts of the 154 patients operated on for giant cell tumours of the tendon sheath and selected a group of patients with recurrence (ten cases) and a group of patients who did not have a recurrence after a minimum follow-up of 3 years (13 cases). Immunohistochemical detection of nm23-H1 was performed blindly of the clinical outcome on the paraffin-embedded specimens of these patients and no correlation was found between nm23-H1 expression and the risk for recurrence.

Irradiation of the epigastric area for gastric cancer may induce actinic lesions of the stomach characterized on endoscopic examination by ulcerations, haemorrhagic gastritis, fragility of the mucosa, thickening and congestion of the gastric folds.