Objective  To determine differences in the immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of Bcl‐2 protein and Ki‐67 antigen in patients with prostatic cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy with or without neo‐adjuvant hormonal therapy. Materials and methods  Ki‐67 antigen and Bcl‐2 protein were detected by IHC using MIB‐1 and Bcl‐2 antibodies in prostatectomy specimens from 28 patients who received hormonal therapy before surgery (group 1) and 51 patients who did not (group 2). Results  In group 2, the mean MIB‐1 index increased with increasing grade of tumour, from 11.6% in low‐grade to 24.7% in high‐grade tumours (P=0.002). Bcl‐2 expression did not correlate with either tumour grade or stage. In group 1, there were no correlations between Bcl‐2 expression or MIB‐1 index and tumour grade or stage. More tumours in group 1 were Bcl‐2‐positive (16 of 28, 57%) than were tumours in group 2 (11 of 51, 22%; P=0.003). The mean (sd) MIB‐1 index of tumours in group 2 [15.6 (14.4)%], was significantly greater than that of tumours in group 2 [6.8 (7.5)%; P=0.004]. Conclusions  These results indicate that Bcl‐2 positivity is increased by androgen ablation therapy and conversely, that the proliferative activity of cancer cells is significantly reduced. The expression of Bcl‐2 protein may play a role in the ability of prostate cancer cells to survive in an androgen‐deprived environment.

BackgroundCurrently, there is no standardized follow-up protocol for patients who undergo laser conization. Therefore, we retrospectively investigated the clinical outcomes of laser conization in patients with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2-3 (CIN 2-3) and microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma and assessed the risks of residual and recurrent lesions of the cervix uteri.MethodsThe medical and pathological records of 91 patients with CIN 2, 580 with CIN 3 and 73 with microinvasive cervical cancer (MIC) who underwent laser conization between January 2000 and December 2011 were retrospectively reviewed.ResultsPositive margins increased with the extent of disease and were observed in 5.5%, 8.9% and 16.4% patients with CIN 2, CIN 3 and MIC, respectively, while residual or recurrent disease was observed in 0%, 3.2% and 13.6% patients, respectively. Examination of specimens obtained through postconization biopsy or hysterectomy revealed that 1.5% and 20% patients with negative and positive margins, respectively, were diagnosed with residual or recurrent lesions. Among patients who were conservatively managed after conization, seven with CIN 3 exhibited residual or recurrent disease, as evidenced by abnormal cytological findings, within 2 years after conization.ConclusionsContinuous follow-up by cytology and colposcopy, particularly during the first 2 years after conization, can effectively detect early residual or recurrent disease in CIN 3 and MIC patients, regardless of their margin status.