The expression rate of MUC1/CORE and MUC1/HMFG-1, which is related to poor prognosis in the gastric and colorectal cancers, is low in mucinous carcinomas. The high expression rate of gel-forming secretory mucins (MUC2 and MUC6) in mucinous carcinoma suggests that high production of these types of mucins may act as a barrier to cancerous extension resulting in their less aggressive biological behaviour.

Background: Pleomorphic adenoma of the salivary gland (PA) is essentially a benign neoplasm. However, patients with recurrent PA are difficult to manage. There are rare reports on useful immunohistochemical markers to detect a high risk of recurrence when the primary lesions are resected. Aims: To find a new marker to predict the recurrence of PA. Methods: Primary lesions of PA were collected from nine patients showing subsequent recurrence and from 40 patients without recurrence during at least 10 years of follow up of the disease. Paraffin wax embedded tumour samples of the two groups were examined for the expression profiles of MUC1 (differentially glycosylated forms), MUC2, MUC4, MUC5AC, and MUC6 using immunohistochemistry. Several clinicopathological factors were also examined. Results: In univariate analysis of the factors examined, MUC1/DF3 high expression (more than 30% of the neoplastic cells stained) in the primary lesions was seen more frequently in patients with recurrence (four of nine) than in those without recurrence (three of 40; p = 0.011). Larger tumour size (more than 3.0 cm) of the primary PA was also a significant (p = 0.035) risk factor for the recurrence of PA. In multivariate analysis, only high expression of MUC1/DF3 was found to be a significant independent risk factor for the recurrence of PA (p = 0.021). Conclusions: Expression of MUC1/DF3 in PA is a useful marker to predict its recurrence. Those patients with PA showing positive MUC1/DF3 expression should be followed up carefully.

Extramammary Paget's disease (EPD) is a relatively common skin cancer wherein tumor cells have mucin in their cytoplasm. However, little is known about mucin expression in EPD. We examined immunohistochemically the expression of mucin core proteins (MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6) in 36 cases of EPD and found different patterns of expression in intraepithelial (n = 36), microinvasive (n = 13) and invasive lesions (n = 6). In normal skin, MUC1 was expressed in the sebaceous, eccrine and apocrine glands. MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6 were not expressed in any of these. In the 36 intraepithelial lesions, MUC1 and MUC5AC were expressed in 35 and 36 lesions, respectively. MUC1 expression was also observed in all 13 microinvasive lesions and in all six invasive lesions. In contrast to the intraepithelial lesions, a decrease or loss of MUC5AC expression was observed in five out of 13 microinvasive lesions and in all six invasive lesions. MUC2 and MUC6 were not expressed in any of the EPD lesions examined. The combination of immunohistochemical staining for MUC1 and MUC5AC was useful for identifying invasive Paget cells. The decrease or loss of MUC5AC expression may have an important role in the invasive growth of Paget cells.

We report a rare case of an umbilical cord hemangioma diagnosed by ultrasound at 16 weeks of gestation. The umbilical cord consisted of a hemangioma nodule and pseudocysts near the placental insertion, a large gelatin-like swelling adjacent to the nodule on its fetal side, and a short normal part extending to the navel. At 17 weeks of gestation, this condition resulted in the intrauterine death of the fetus. Microscopically, there were communications between the capillary of the hemangioma and the umbilical vessels, verifying the origin of the tumor. Moreover, the umbilical vein and one of the arteries changed stenotically due to the intravascular proliferation of the hemangioma. These findings indicate the possibility of a pathological association between the umbilical cord hemangioma and fetal demise due to impaired umbilical circulation.

We report a case of an adenoma of the nipple in a 33-year-old Japanese woman who presented with a 2-year history of itching, eczema, and discharge from the left nipple. Examination revealed a firm, well defined and erosive tumor measuring 10 x 11 mm that was sore, crusted, and indurated. There was a slight serosanguineous discharge from the tumor. Cytological material from the tumor obtained from the discharge and by fine needle aspiration (FNA) and scraping showed a papillary cell cluster thought to be a benign papilloma. We performed a tumor resection with preservation of the nipple. The histological diagnosis was adenoma of the nipple. The patient was left with a cosmetically well-preserved nipple. No recurrent tumor has been observed for two years after surgery.