Phenotypic variation in hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer syndrome. Association with infiltrative fibromatosis (desmoid tumor).

Familial infiltrative fibromatosis (desmoid tumor) is a recognized complication of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) but has not been described in families without colonic polyposis. The authors describe a unique family in which a predisposition to infiltrative fibromatosis and nonpolyposis colon cancer was inherited dominantly through four generations. This report expands the range of phenotypic variation described for the hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) syndrome and adds to the extracolonic complications that are common with FAP and HNPCC.

Long-term risk of colorectal cancer after excision of rectosigmoid adenomas.

Background And Methods: Surveillance by repeated colonoscopy is currently recommended for patients with colorectal adenomas. We assessed the long-term risk of colorectal cancer after rigid-instrument sigmoidoscopy and polypectomy in 1618 patients with rectosigmoid adenomas (tumor of the rectum or distal sigmoid colon) who did not undergo surveillance. A total of 22,462 person-years of observation were accrued (mean, 14 years per patient).

Value of counting colonic mucosal Ig-containing cells in the differential diagnosis of chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

Aims: To investigate whether counting cells containing immunoglobulin (Ig) subclass in colonic biopsy specimens of patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease, in addition to conventional histological evaluation, can improve the differentiation of patients with Crohn's disease from those with ulcerative colitis.

Methods: The colonic and rectal biopsy specimens of 40 patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease, comprising 20 patients with Crohn's disease and 20 with ulcerative colitis, were used and sections were stained specifically for IgA, IgM, and IgG heavy chains using an indirect immune peroxidase method. The immunoglobulin subclass containing cells were counted using an ocular grid counting method in a light microscope.