No abstract

We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of ret finger protein (RFP) along with conventional immunohistochemical markers in endometrioid and serous carcinomas of the endometrium. A total of 124 endometrial carcinoma cases (24 grade 1 endometrioid, 60 grade 3 endometrioid, 40 serous) were retrieved from pathology archives. Tissue microarrays were constructed. The expression of RFP, WT1, ER, PR, p53 and p16 was examined immunohistochemically. Sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, κ statistic for interobserver reproducibility, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact tests were performed for statistical analyses. The mean RFP score was 1.54 in grade 1 endometrioid, 4.31 in grade 3 endometrioid, and 6.31 in serous carcinomas (p < 0.001). Overall, RFP scores were higher both in serous and grade 3 endometrioid carcinoma (p > 0.05), and significantly lower in grade 1 endometrioid carcinoma (p < 0.05). p16 and p53 staining patterns were able to differentiate between high-grade endometrioid and serous carcinoma (p < 0.001). ER, PR and WT-1 did not reach statistical significance for subtyping. The κ values of the general agreement between the observers were 0.737 and 0.727 for endometrioid and serous carcinomas respectively (p < 0.001). Diffuse p53 and p16 staining provides the most sensitive and specific immunomarkers for differentiating high-grade endometrioid and serous carcinomas.

Objective:To explore the accuracy of sentinel lymph node (SLN) dissection in predicting regional lymph node status by using either only Technetium-99m-labelled (Tc-99m) or in combination with a blue dye in patients with squamous cell cancer of vulva. Material and Methods:Twenty-one patients who had T1 (≤2 cm) or T2 (>2cm) tumors that did not encroach into the urethra, vagina or anus were included in the study. For the first twelve patients, Tc-99m was used for SLN identification, and the combined technique was used in subsequent patients. Preoperatively, Tc-99m and a blue dye was injected intradermally around the tumor. Following SLN dissection, complete inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy was performed. Results:We could detect SLN in all 21 patients (100%) by either Tc99m or the combined method. SLN was found to be histopathologically negative in 13 groins via Tc-99m and 10 groins via the combined method. Twenty-one of these 23 (91.3%) groin non-SLN were also negative, but in two groins, we detected metastatic non-SLN. Conclusion:Although SLN dissection appears promising in vulvar cancer, false negative cases are reported in the literature. Sentinel lymph node dissection without complete lymphadenectomy does not seem appropriate for routine clinical use, since it is known that groin metastasis is fatal. (J Turkish-German Gynecol Assoc 2013; 14: 146-52) Key words: Sentinel node, lymph node, vulvar cancer Received: 30 May, 2013 Accepted: 18 July, 2013 Amaç: Vulva kanserli hastalarda teknesyum-99m (Tc-99m) veya mavi boya (blue dye) kullanılarak yapılan sentinel lenf nodu (SLN) diseksiyonlarının hastaların lenf nodu tutulumların göstermedeki başarısını belirlemek. Gereç ve Original Investigation 146 IntroductionVulvar squamous cell cancer is a disease of postmenopausal women, with a median age at diagnosis of about 65 years. It accounts for about 4% of genital tract cancers. The increase in incidence of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia and life span has brought vulvar cancer into a place of more importance among genital tract cancers (1). Lymphatic spread to the inguinal and femoral lymph nodes is the major pathway of invasion in early stage vulvar cancer. The status of the regional lymph nodes is clearly the most important prognostic factor in vulvar cancer.