CTHRC1 has been known as a regulator of collagen expression and cell migration. The aim of this research was to clarify the clinicopathologic significance of CTHRC1 expression in human breast cancer. 22 cases of breast cancer tissues, randomly selected from clinically diagnosed patients, showed a significant increase of CTHRC1 mRNA expression compared to the normal tissue from the same patients using RT-PCR and real-time PCR. Additionally we investigated breast cancers from 189 patients by immunohistochemistry (IHC). A high level of CTHRC1 expression was observed in 111 (58.7 %) out of 189 breast cancer patients and the expression was significantly correlated with histologic grade (P = 0.026), nodal status (P < 0.001), and TNM pathologic stage (P = 0.002). High CTHRC1 expression was associated with a shorter recurrence free survival (P = 0.008). Taken together, the results showed that CTHRC1 over-expression was significantly associated with clinicopathological factors of poor prognosis in invasive ductal carcinoma. CTHRC1 could be used as a supplementary prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer.

Primary renal synovial sarcoma (PRSS) is a rarely seen spindle cell neoplasm that's characterized by the specific translocation t(X;18)(p11.2;q11). To date, 26 cases of genetically confirmed PRSS have been reported in the English literature, but none has yet been reported in the Korean literature. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] It is not easy to diagnose a renal synovial sarcoma due to the paucity of specific immunohistochemical markers and/or ultrastructural features, and perhaps this is due to the rarity of this kidney tumor. It is necessary to making the differential diagnoses from the more common renal spindle cell tumors, including adult blastemal/ primitive stromal Wilms tumors, mixed epithelial and stromal tumors, undifferentiated or sarcomatoid carcinoma, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors. Moreover, to arrive at a diagnosis of PRSS, the possibilities of distant metastasis and a secondary extension of a retroperitoneal synovial sarcoma to the kidney must be ruled out.We present here a case of monophasic PRSS in a 35-year-old woman, and the SYT-SSX fusion transcript was detected through nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis with using the formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tumor tissue. We describe the gross and histopathologic findings of the case, several important aspects of the differential diagnoses are discussed and the characteristics of genetically confirmed PRSS are summarized. CASE REPORTA 35-year-old woman with a right renal mass that was incidentally found during a periodic ultrasonographic examination was admitted to our urology clinic. There were no related complaints such as pain, tenderness, hematuria or a palpable mass. She had a history of near total thyroidectomy at another hospital for papillary carcinoma 2 years previously, and a history of right salpingectomy for a tubal pregnancy 10 months previously. She had been on regular follow-up and was taking synthyroid medication since the thyroidectomy. CT and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 7 cm sized cavitary lesion that contained a slightly enhanced protruding solid mass measuring about 3.8 cm in diameter at the lower pole of the right kidney, and there were multiple tiny calcifications in the cystic wall (Fig. 1A). The possibility of cystic renal cell carcinoma confined to the kidney (clinical stage I) was preferentially suggested, and so radical nephrectomy of the right kidney was done via laparoscopy.

BackgroundThere is a subjective disagreement about nuclear chromatin in the field of pathology. Objective values of red, green, and blue (RGB) light intensities for nuclear chromatin can be obtained through a quantitative analysis using digital images.MethodsWe examined 10 cases of well differentiated neuroendocrine tumors of the rectum, small cell lung carcinomas, and moderately differentiated squamous cell lung carcinomas respectively. For each case, we selected 30 representative cells and captured typical microscopic findings. Using an image analyzer, we determined the longest nuclear line profiles and obtained graph files and Excel data on RGB light intensities. We assessed the meaningful differences in graph files and Excel data among the three different tumors.ResultsThe nucleus of hematoxylin and eosin-stained tumor cells was expressed as a combination of RGB light sources. The highest intensity was from blue, whereas the lowest intensity was from green. According to the graph files, green showed the most noticeable change in the light intensity, which is consistent with the difference in standard deviations.ConclusionsThe change in the light intensity for green has an important implication for differentiating between tumors. Specific features of the nucleus can be expressed in specific values of RGB light intensities.

BackgroundMalignant lymphomas are classified on the basis of morphology, immunohistochemistry, and genetic and molecular biological features. Morphology is considered the most important and basic feature. Lymphomas can be classified as small, medium, or large depending on the cell size, but this criterion tends to be rather subjective. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of an objective approach based on quantitative measurements.MethodsTwenty specimens of mantle cell lymphoma and 2 specimens of the tonsil were examined. The nuclear area of 6,401 tumor cells of mantle cell lymphoma and 743 normal mantle cells of reactive tonsils were measured by 3 authors by using a user-controlled image-analyzer. The images of the nuclei were outlined using the spline method and the i-solution software, and the data were assessed using ANOVA and Student's t-test.ResultsThe mean nuclear areas of mantle cell lymphoma cells measured by the 3 authors were 37.9 [7.9] µm2, 37.9 [7.2] µm2, and 38.2 [7.7] µm2 and those of normal mantle cells in reactive tonsil were 28.6 [2.3] µm2, 28.8 [2.0] µm2, and 27.0 [3.0] µm2. There was no statistical difference between the 3 observations of mantle cell lymphoma (P=0.580) and normal tonsils.ConclusionFor morphology, nuclear area is considered an important feature in the classification schemes of lymphoma. We showed that nuclear area measurement by using image analyzer can be used as an objective quantitative method. We think that nuclear morphometry may play a significant role in the diagnosis of lymphoma.

PurposeAlong the invasive margin, colorectal cancer may show distinctive morphologic changes characterized by an asymmetrically attenuating tumor gland with loss of polarity. The author coined the term ‘gland attenuation (GA)’ for these peculiar changes. The aims of this study were to compare the immunoreactivity of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers E-cadherin and β-catenin and thus determine whether EMTs occurs at tumor budding (TB) or GA sites and to assess the association of TB and/or GA levels with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis.MethodsExpression patterns of E-cadherin and β-catenin in the tumor centers at GA and TB sites were examined in 101 patients with well or moderately differentiated CRCs, and the prognostic significance of TB and/or GA was statistically evaluated.ResultsGA foci, as well as TB foci, revealed loss of membranous and cytoplasmic E-cadherin expressions and aberrant β-catenin expression with reduced membranous expression and increased localization to the nucleus, suggesting that EMTs occur in GA as well as in TB. The high-TB and the TB-dominant groups were significantly correlated with advanced invasion depth, presence of lymph node metastasis, advanced pathologic staging and presence of lymphovascular invasion. The high-TB and the TB-dominant groups showed poor overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), and high TB was an independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analyses for OS and RFS.ConclusionThis study showed evidence that EMTs occurs at GA sites as well as TB foci. TB is a strong and independent prognostic factor, and TB-dominance may be an indicator of adverse clinical outcome.