Standardized mitotic counts in breast cancer. Evaluation of the method.

Twenty-one pathologists and technicians participated in a study evaluating the variation present in mitotic counts for prognostication of breast cancer. The participants counted the mitotic figures in 20 breast cancer samples from ten high power fields (mitotic activity index, MAI, giving the results in mitotic figures per 10 fields) and also made a correction for field size and area fraction of the neoplastic epithelium to get the standardized mitotic index (volume fraction corrected mitotic index, or M/VV index, giving the result in mitotic figures per square mm of neoplastic epithelium). The difference in variation between the two methods was not big, but the standardized mitotic index (SMI) showed consistently smaller variation among all participants and different subgroups.

[Gastritis. Current point of view of the anatomo-pathologist].

Acute, granulomatous and chronic are the three main forms of gastritis. The discovery of Helicobacter pylori has stimulated a new detailed classification of gastritis. Having set out the various conventional histopathological classifications, the authors describe two newly recognized types of gastritis, lymphocytic gastritis and reactive gastritis.

Collagenous, microscopic and lymphocytic colitis. An evolving concept.

Collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis (previously described as microscopic colitis) are two newly recognised forms of colitis. Both have generated much controversy and continue to do so; their aetiology and pathogenesis are unresolved and their association with a variety of immune-related disorders is intriguing. Response to available therapeutic modalities is often disappointing.

Newly recognized forms of colitis: collagenous colitis, microscopic (lymphocytic) colitis, and lymphoid follicular proctitis.

Based on pertinent data from the literature and on their personal experience, the authors present a clinicopathological review of collagenous colitis, microscopic (lymphocytic) colitis, and lymphoid follicular proctitis. The following aspects of these three newly recognized forms of colitis are emphasized: clinical features, light microscopy, histological diagnostic problems, immunological aspects, coexisting diseases, treatment, etiology, and pathogenesis. Special attention is paid to possible overlap between collagenous colitis and microscopic (lymphocytic) colitis.

Ménétrier's disease with lymphocytic gastritis: an unusual association with possible pathogenic implications.

Ménétrier's disease is a rare form of hypertrophic or hyperplastic gastropathy, characterized by conspicuous thickening of the gastric mucosal folds and foveolar (crypt) hyperplasia. The pathogenesis of Ménétrier's disease remains unresolved. Lymphocytic gastritis is a newly described entity which corresponds endoscopically to varioliform gastritis and is marked by T-lymphocyte infiltration of the surface epithelium and crypts.

Apparent lack of usefulness of monoclonal antibody Ki-67 in thyroid tumour pathology. Relation to histological typing and classification.

In order to test its potential application to thyroid tumour pathology, the monoclonal antibody Ki-67 was used to demonstrate immunohistochemically proliferating cells in 31 non neoplastic and neoplastic lesions of the thyroid. Twenty benign lesions were negative. Of the 11 malignant tumors, 4 papillary, 2 follicular and 1 medullary carcinomas were also negative; only 3 follicular and 1 medullary carcinomas were positive.