No abstract

Oral administration of cilostazol is effective in preventing cerebral vasospasm with a low risk of severe adverse events. Clinical trial registration no. UMIN000004347, University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry.

In myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MLS/RCLS), the presence of a round cell (RC) component has been reported to correlate with a worse prognosis for the patients. However, little is known about the molecular genetic differences between conventional myxoid (MX) components and RC components in this tumour. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible implications of molecular alterations of G1 to S-phase check-point genes, especially in the RC component. We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of p53, MDM2, p14 and p16 protein and assessed proliferative activities using MIB-1 in 29 RC components and 81 MX components from 90 cases. Mutation of the p53 gene, amplification of the MDM2 gene, homozygous deletion, methylation status and mutation of the p16(INK4a)/p14(ARF) genes were also investigated, using concordant paraffin-embedded and frozen material. The data were analysed together with clinicopathological factors to assess their prognostic implications in MLS/RCLS. Immunohistochemically, the over-expression of p53 protein (p = 0.01366) and the reduced expression of p14 (p < 0.0001) and p16 (p < 0.0001) proteins were significantly more frequently observed in RC components than in MX components. Reduced expression of p14 protein correlated significantly with hypermethylation of the p14(ARF) gene promoter (p = 0.0176) and over-expression of p53 protein (p = 0.00837). By univariate analysis, reduced expression of p14 and p53 missense mutation were found to reduce the rate of survival significantly (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis, including clinicopathological factors, revealed that tumour site (p = 0.0251), the presence of an RC component (p = 0.0113), high MIB-1 labelling index (p = 0.0005) and p53 missense mutation (p = 0.0036) were adverse prognostic factors. In MLS/RCLS, reduction of p14 protein expression and p53 mutation were related to poor prognosis. Accordingly, the p14(ARF)/p53 pathway may contribute to the presence of an RC component and malignant progression in this tumour.

The aberrant methylation of promoter CpG islands is known to be a major inactivation mechanism of tumorrelated genes. To determine the clinicopathological significance of gene promoter methylation in soft tissue sarcomas, we examined the promoter methylation status of 10 tumor-related genes in 65 soft tissue sarcomas and 19 adjacent non-neoplastic tissues by methylation-specific PCR. The methylation frequencies of tumorrelated genes tested in soft tissue sarcomas were 17 (26%) for RASSF1A, 11 (17%) for DAP kinase, 10 (15%) for MGMT, nine (14%) for GSTP1, eight (12%) for PTEN, six (9%) for p16 and hMLH1, five (8%) for hMSH2, two (3%) for p14, and one (2%) for RB. Promoter methylation of these genes was not recognized in non-neoplastic tissues. All those cases of soft tissue sarcoma that had MGMT methylation, with the exception of one case of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, showed large tumor size (Z10 cm) or recurrence. Moreover, eight of 10 cases with MGMT methylation revealed high American Joint Committee on Cancer stage. Seven of 10 cases (70%) with MGMT methylation showed a loss of MGMT expression by immunohistochemistry. In addition, MGMT methylation status had a statistically significant correlation with a loss of MGMT expression (P ¼ 0.014).In conclusion, although methylation of tumor-related genes was a relatively rare event in soft tissue sarcomas, methylation was tumor-specific. Of 10 tumor-related genes, cases with MGMT methylation had a tendency to be aggressive behavior. Moreover, MGMT methylation was closely associated with a loss of MGMT expression. Although our findings need to be extending to a large series, promoter methylation of tumor-related genes is likely to have an association with the pathogenesis of soft tissue sarcomas. Furthermore, MGMT methylation may be associated with tumor aggressiveness and the inactivation of MGMT gene.

Fusion of the collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1) gene with the platelet-derived growth factor beta chain (PDGFB) gene has been described in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. The abnormal fusion transcripts probably cause PDGFB and its receptor (platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta, PDGFRB) autocrine stimulation and cell proliferation, which are responsible for the development of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay was performed to detect the COL1A1-PDGFB fusion transcripts in 57 samples. In addition, the PDGFB gene amplification and PDGFB/PDGFRB mRNA levels were quantified by a real-time PCR system for the samples in which the fusion transcripts had been successfully detected. The fusion transcripts were detected in 42 of 57 samples. Various exons of the COL1A1 gene were fused in frame with the PDGFB gene; exons 7 and 25 were found to be slightly more frequently involved than the other exons. The PDGFB gene amplification levels varied from 0.6 to 8.3 (mean 2.4) in 42 tumor samples and from 0.4 to 3.0 (mean 1.2) in 20 adjacent normal tissue samples. In the 20 paired samples, the PDGFB gene amplification in the tumor was significantly higher than that in the normal tissue. The presence of PDGFB and PDGFRB mRNAs was demonstrated in 26 and 21 of 26 cases, respectively. The PDGFB and PDGFRB mRNA expression levels showed a good correlation (r ¼ 0.76, Po0.0001). These results indicate that the fusion protein, which is processed by the COL1A1-PDGFB transcripts, can serve as a functional ligand for PDGFRB. Keywords: dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans; COL1A1-PDGFB fusion transcripts; platelet-derived growth factor; platelet-derived growth factor receptor Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a dermal and subcutaneous tumor of intermediate malignancy.Tumors are slow growing and rarely metastasize, but they are prone to local recurrence after surgery. Cytogenetic features of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans include a recurrent translocation t(17;22, q22;q13) and supernumerary ring chromosomes. Translocation 17;22 has been shown to result in a fusion of the platelet-derived growth factor beta chain (PDGFB) gene in 22q13 with the collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1) gene in 17q22. In all analyzed translocations, the breakpoints occur in the intron preceding exon 2 of the PDGFB gene, whereas the COL1A1 part varies and includes various exons in the alpha-helical domain.1 The fusion deletes all known elements that negatively control PDGFB transcription and translation, which are considered as oncogene-activating events.2 The abnormal fusion transcripts probably cause PDGFB and its receptor (platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta, PDGFRB) autocrine stimulation and cell proliferation, which are responsible for the development of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. Recently, patients with unresectable dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans have been reported to be successfully