Granular cell tumor of the bladder: a case report.

Background: Granular cell tumor is usually a benign tumor, generally believed to be of neural origin, most commonly affecting the tongue and skin. Although it can present in any part of the body, the bladder is a rare location, with only 16 cases found in the English-language literature.

Case: We report the case of a 54-year-old woman with hematuria who had a solid tumor in the posterior wall of the bladder.

Update on the diagnosis of cancer of unknown primary (CUP) origin.

The cancer of unknown primary (CUP) concept encompasses a heterogeneous group of cancers that are difficult to diagnose and that show diverse clinical and histopathological features. Currently, CUP is the fifth most frequent cancer diagnosis in women and the eighth in men. The ongoing development of new therapies specific to the various cancer types makes mandatory the identification of the primary tumour in CUP patients, so that they may benefit from advances in therapy and improvements in prognosis.

Stromal expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C is relevant to predict sentinel lymph node status in melanomas.

The dissemination of tumour cells to the lymph nodes is a complex process involving the formation of new lymph vessels, or lymphangiogenesis, produced by the tumour itself. The main growth factor involved in lymphangiogenesis is vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C), which is secreted by several different malignant tumours, including melanoma. Not only has VEGF-C expression been found in tumour cells, it has also been detected in tumour stromal cells like macrophages and fibroblasts.

Vascular endothelial growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 tumor expression in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer after induction chemotherapy for organ preservation.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression seems to be associated with worse overall survival in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The purposes of this study were to assess the prognostic values of the immunohistochemical expression of VEGF and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) in a cohort of patients with operable advanced laryngeal cancer who had been treated with induction chemotherapy.

Methods: VEGF and VEGFR-2 expression in the malignant cells was quantified by an enzyme immunosorbent assay in a retrospective series.

Successful treatment of perforating granuloma annulare with 0.1% tacrolimus ointment.

Perforating granuloma annulare (PGA) is a rare subtype of granuloma annulare (GA) named in 1971 by Owens and Freeman. It is characterized by necrobiotic areas surrounded by histiocytes and lymphocytes with transepidermal elimination. Many treatments for PGA have been used, often with unsatisfactory results.

Composite cutaneous hemangioendothelioma on the back.

Composite cutaneous hemangioendothelioma (HE) is the most recently described variant of the lesions known as HEs. It is characterized by a mixture of histologic patterns, namely, epithelioid HE, retiform HE, and spindle cell hemangioma. We report a new case of this rare tumor located on the back of a 23-year-old woman.

Association between VEGF expression in tumour-associated macrophages and elevated serum VEGF levels in primary colorectal cancer patients.

Objective: Angiogenesis is stimulated by angiogenic factors released by tumour cells, though other cells, such as tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs), also contribute towards increasing the angiogenic process in colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to determine in CRC patients the contribution of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in TAMs and tumour cells towards circulating VEGF levels, their association with p53 expression and microvascular density (MVD), and their prognostic value.

Methods: Immunohistochemical techniques were used to identify TAMs and p53 protein, and to evaluate the VEGF expression in TAMs, MVD and tumour cells in 110 primary CRC patients.

Elevated serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor are associated with tumor-associated macrophages in primary breast cancer.

We analyzed serum and tumor samples from 133 patients with operable primary breast cancer to determine the possible relationship between presurgery and postsurgery circulating serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) numbers, tumor VEGF expression, and other immunohistochemical parameters. A significant positive correlation was observed between the number of TAM and postsurgery circulating VEGF values (P < .05).

[Relationship between pesticide exposure and low-grade superficial bladder urothelial carcinoma].

Background And Objective: Few studies have been published analyzing the association between pesticides use and the increased risk of developing urothelial cancer of the bladder (UCB). The aim of this work was to investigate, in a geographical area with a high prevalence of UCB (Axarquia, Malaga province, southern Spain) if a) subjects with occupational exposure to pesticides have greater risk of developing UCB and b) there are histopathological differences with regard to UCB in patients without any exposure.

Patients And Method: Case control study.