No abstract

1as a premalignant condition of PA. According to their report, atypical PA exhibits at least one of following pathological ndings : hypercellularity, capsule violation, hyalinization, necrosis or cellular anaplasia. However, the immunoreactivity of atypical PA for HER2 / neu, an important immunohistochemical tool for the differential diagnosis of benign PA versus carcinoma Ca ex PA 2, 3 , is still unclear. This study investigated the pathology and HER2 / neu immunoreactivity of atypical PA, compared with Ca ex PA and benign PA. Abstract : Atypical pleomorphic adenoma PA is a premalignant condition of PA, although its immunoreactivity for HER2 / neu, which is a marker for carcinoma Ca ex PA, is still unclear. We investigated the pathology and HER2 / neu immunoreactivity of atypical PA, and compared the results with Ca ex PA and benign PA cases. The mean age of atypical PA was statistically lower and the size tended to be smaller than Ca ex PA. Pathologically, hypercellularity was observed in 10 cases of atypical PA, and 8 cases showed capsule violation. Immunohistochemically, the HER2 / neu positive ratio in hypercellular foci of atypical PA was 40 , signi cantly higher than the ratio in benign PA, and significantly lower than that in Ca ex PA. However, the ratio in capsule violation foci of atypical PA was 0 , as in benign PA. Thus, hypercellularity was considered to indicate greater potential for malignant transformation than capsular violation. Further studies are needed to determine whether atypical PA with HER2 / neu expression undergoes malignant transformation more frequently than HER2 / neu-negative atypical PA.

: The tumor suppressor gene maspin serves to inhibit cancer infiltration/metastasis, and maspin's involvement in apoptosis-inducing action has been noted. In the current research, we studied the relationship between maspin expression and apoptosis using clinical specimens of stomach and colon cancer. Subjects were 39 cases of stomach cancer (20 cases of early cancer, 19 cases of advanced cancer) and 36 cases of colon cancer (16 cases of early cancer, 20 cases of advanced cancer) in which the cancer was surgically resected. We performed immunohistochemical staining of maspin and ss-DNA for apoptotic cell extraction. Based on the degree of maspin expression, we classified subjects into a high expression and low expression group, calculated the number of ss-DNA-positive cells for both, and compared the proportion of these cells. In early stomach cancer, the proportion of ss-DNA-positive cells was significantly higher in the group with high maspin expression (high expression group vs. low expression group 0.014 vs. 0.005; P = 0.022). In advanced cancer, a significant difference was not found (0.013 vs. 0.005: P = 0.09). However, the proportion of such cells with advanced stomach cancer tended to be high in high expression groups. With colon cancer, the proportion of ss-DNA-positive cells with both early and advanced cancer was significantly higher in the group with high maspin expression (early cancer 0.009 vs. 0.002, P = 0.021; advanced cancer 0.012 vs. 0.003, P = 0.006) . Results suggested that the expression of maspin in both stomach and colon cancer may induce apoptosis regardless of the extent of the tumor. Future study of molecular therapies targeting maspin is anticipated for cancer that is difficult to cure surgically.

: We report here a case of peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor PNET arising from the minor salivary gland. A 22-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for surgical excision of a small painless cheek tumor with a 7-month history. Macroscopically, the tumor measured 10 5 6 mm and was located in the minor salivary gland. Microscopically, the tumor comprised proliferating, small, round cells with scant cytoplasm and high nuclear cytoplasmic ratios. The tumor cells showed some mitotic gures and Homer-Wright-type rosettes. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were immunopositive for CD99, synaptophysin, CD56, S-100 protein, and vimentin. Based on these ndings, the patient was diagnosed as having PNET arising from the minor salivary gland. There are very few case reports of PNET in the head and neck region, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the rst case report of PNET arising from the minor salivary gland.

: The lysosomal protease cathepsin D is associated with tumor progression in malignant tumors, but its presence in pre-malignant dysplastic cells has not been established. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the expression patterns of the cathepsin D, Ki-67, and p53 proteins in dysplastic cells in uterine cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CINs). In 52 patients with uterine CINs, expression of the cathepsin D, Ki-67, and p53 proteins was assessed in dysplastic cells by immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies against cathepsin D, Ki-67, and p53. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed high levels of cathepsin D (>10% cathepsin D-positive dysplastic cells) in 3 of 17 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1 specimens, 16 of 20 CIN2 specimens, and in all 15 CIN3 specimens. Cathepsin D expression was significantly higher in CIN2 and CIN3 specimens than in CIN1 specimens (P < 0.01). but did not differ significantly between CIN2 and CIN3 specimens. The proportion of dysplastic cells that expressed nuclear Ki-67 was 26.41% in CIN1 specimens, 50.35% in CIN2 specimens, and 76.33% in CIN3 specimens. Ki-67-positive dysplastic cells were significantly increased in CIN2 and CIN3 specimens as compared to CIN1 specimens (P < 0.01), and in CIN3 specimens as compared to CIN2 specimens (P < 0.01). High expression of nuclear p53 (>10% p53-positive dysplastic cells) was detected in 4 of 17 CIN1 specimens, 12 of 20 CIN2 specimens, and in 11 of 15 CIN3 specimens. Nuclear p53 expression was significantly higher in CIN2 and CIN3 specimens than in CIN1 specimens (P < 0.01), but did not differ significantly between CIN2 and CIN3 specimens. Compared to dysplastic cells in CIN1, dysplastic cells in CIN2 have an increased invasive growth potential, as shown by their increased expression of cathepsin D, a higher proliferating potential as shown by their increased expression of Ki-67, and a higher p53 expression.