The Role of PROX1 in Neoplasia: A Key Player Often Overlooked.

The human gene () is a member of the homeobox transcription factor family. PROX1 plays a key role in the development of the lymphatic system and is primarily used as a lymphatic vessel marker. However, as the accumulating evidence indicates that PROX1 is also implicated in the tumorigenesis of various cancer types, the scientific community has attempted to elucidate its complicated function in neoplasia pathogenesis, as well as its utility in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy.

Exosomes on Endometrial Cancer: A Biomarkers Treasure Trove?

Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the main causes of cancer-related death among women. In the last decade, the incidence of EC is on the rise, and the relative 5-year survival remains unchanged. This creates a dire need for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches that can only result from a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease.

Two Needle Passes Achieve Similar Diagnostic Yield Compared to Three Passes Regarding Diagnosis of Solid Pancreatic Lesions in Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration.

Current guidelines advocate 3-4 passes with a fine-needle aspiration (FNA) to achieve high rates of diagnostic samples for malignancy when performing endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided sampling of solid pancreatic lesions, in the absence of on-site cytologic evaluation. The aim of this study is to compare 2 vs. 3 needle passes in EUS-FNA for solid pancreatic lesions in terms of incremental diagnostic yield and to identify factors associated with the procedure's outcome.

The Goodness-of-fit of the Fractal Dimension as a Diagnostic Factor in Breast Cancer.

A large number of studies have found that the fractal dimension increases with the progression towards pathological or more pathological states, but there are also studies that have demonstrated the opposite relationship. In this study, we calculate the nuclear box-counting fractal dimension of 109 malignant, 113 benign, and 80 normal isolated breast cells in order to investigate its possible diagnostic importance. We computed the fractal dimension and its goodness-of-fit (i.

Imaging and Cytopathological Criteria Indicating Malignancy in Mucin-Producing Pancreatic Neoplasms: A Series of 68 Histopathologically Confirmed Cases.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the performance of clinical, imaging, and cytopathological criteria in the identification of high-grade dysplasia/carcinoma (HGD/Ca) in pancreatic mucin-producing cystic neoplasms.

Methods: Sixty-eight consecutive, histopathologically confirmed mucin-producing cystic neoplasms, evaluated by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration, were enrolled; specifically, 39 branch duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (BD-IPMNs), 21 main duct IPMNs, and 8 mucinous cystic neoplasms. The associations between HGD/Ca in histopathology and findings of endoscopic ultrasound and cytology, demographic, lifestyle, and clinical parameters were evaluated, separately in IPMNs and mucinous cystic neoplasms.

Elevated Hu-Antigen Receptor (HuR) Expression is Associated with Tumor Aggressiveness and Poor Prognosis but not with COX-2 Expression in Invasive Breast Carcinoma Patients.

Hu-antigen R (HuR), a RNA-binding protein, is considered to play a crucial role in tumor development and progression by stabilizing or regulating a group of cellular mRNAs of cancer-related genes, such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of HuR and COX-2 expression in invasive breast carcinoma. HuR and COX-2 protein expression was assessed immunohistochemically on paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissue sections obtained from 121 patients and was statistically analyzed with clinicopathological parameters, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), as well as with tumor cells' proliferative capacity and overall and disease-free patients' survival.

Filaggrin and Periostin Expression Is Altered in Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Normalized With Treatment.

Objectives: Previous data have suggested that filaggrin (FLG) and periostin (POSTN) genes may be dysregulated in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). We aimed to further evaluate the expression patterns of FLG and POSTN proteins in esophageal tissue samples of patients with EoE, as compared to those of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and normal controls.

Methods: A total of 61 prospectively collected cases, including 40 children with EoE and 21 children with GERD, and a control group of 14 sex- and age-matched healthy children were enrolled.

Pregnancy associated breast cancer (PABC): aspects in diagnosis.

Diagnosis of a clinical entity like pregnancy associated breast cancer (PABC) is as demanding and challenging as its rarity. Increasing incidence and controversy that exists in the literature upon prognosis, tumor aggressiveness and underlying mechanisms, highlight the importance of optimizing the diagnostic strategy in women with PABC. Adjustment of standard approach for breast cancer by modifying management methods and options plays key role in decision making.

Cytomorphometric study of epithelial cells in normal and cataractous human lenses in relation with hyperglycemia.

The aim of the study is to evaluate and correlate the morphology and cell density of epithelial cells adhering to lens capsule surgically removed from the anterior central region with lens clarity and type of cataract present in patients with or without type 2 diabetes. Capsulorhexis specimens were obtained from patients who had undergone phacoemulsification cataract surgery. All the samples were centrifuged and stained by the aid of Papanicolaou technique and were observed under light microscope.

Detection of pAkt protein in imprint cytology of invasive breast cancer: Correlation with HER2/neu, hormone receptors, and other clinicopathological variables.

Purpose: Akt is a serine/threonine protein kinase and has emerged as a crucial regulator of widely divergent cellular processes, including apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation, and metabolism. Activation of Akt/protein kinase B has been positively associated with human epidermal growth-factor receptor 2 (HER2)/neu overexpression in breast carcinoma and a worse outcome among endocrine treated patients. The Akt signaling pathway currently attracts considerable attention as a new target for effective therapeutic strategies.

In vitro exposure of NK-92 cells to serum from patients with non-small cell lung cancer impairs their cytotoxicity.

Aim: To investigate the effect of serum from patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on in vitro cytotoxicity of the clonal cell line NK-92.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-six patients with NSCLC were included in this study. NK-92 cells were incubated in medium supplemented with 25% of each patient's serum (before and after chemotherapy) for 24 h, then washed and tested for cytotoxicity against NK-sensitive K562 targets.

Immunohistochemical expression of p53, p63, c-myc, p21(WAF1/cip1) and p27(kip1) proteins in urothelial bladder carcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological parameters.

Purpose: To reevaluate the expression levels of p53, p63, c-myc, p21(WAF1/cip1) and p27(kip1) proteins and their potential association with standard clinicopathological parameters, including tumor stage and grade, in urothelial bladder carcinoma (UBC).

Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed in 100 transurethral resection specimens obtained from prospectively identified patients with primary UBC.

Results: Overall, 26, 41 and 75% of the cases showed positive staining for p53, p63 and c-myc, respectively, while p21(WAF1/cip1) and p27(kip1) expression levels were altered in 75 and 88% of the cases, respectively.

The clinical significance of cytology versus histology-based diagnosis in small cell lung cancer: a retrospective study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of cytology versus histology-based diagnosis among patients diagnosed with small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Materials And Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical records of 443 patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) was performed. All patients received platinum-based chemotherapy regimens.

Differential transcriptional and protein expression of thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor in ovarian carcinomas.

Objective: Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) regulates normal thyroid function by binding to its receptor (thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor -TSHR) that is expressed at the surface of thyroid cells. Recently, it has been demonstrated that TSHR is abundantly expressed in several tissues apart from the thyroid, among them the normal ovarian surface epithelium. The role of TSHR expression outside the thyroid is not completely understood.

Standardized categorical reporting of cytopathology results: the strengths and weaknesses of a constantly evolving and expanding system.

Since the success of the Bethesda nomenclature system in standardizing Pap smear results, there has been growing interest in adopting Bethesda-like standardized categorical formats in areas of nongynecologic cytopathology. Standardized categorical reporting may have several advantages over descriptive reporting, in enhancing cytopathologist-clinician communication and inter-institutional exchange of information, providing better guidance for treatment planning, and facilitating statistical analysis for research purposes or quality control studies. On the other hand, descriptive reporting may be more effective as a tool of communication between cytopathologists, may better express the uncertainty of the observer in diagnostically difficult and equivocal cases and may better serve the purposes of training and continuing education of cytopathologists.

Expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) in human non-small cell lung carcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological parameters, proliferation and apoptosis related molecules and patients' survival.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) has currently been considered as molecular target for the treatment of human metabolic disorders. PPAR-γ has also been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of several types of cancer, being associated with cell differentiation, growth and apoptosis. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of PPAR-γ expression in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).

VEGF directly suppresses activation of T cells from ovarian cancer patients and healthy individuals via VEGF receptor Type 2.

The role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in tumor angiogenesis is well characterized; nevertheless, it is also a key element in promoting tumor evasion of the immune system by downregulating dendritic cell maturation and thus T cell activation. We sought to investigate the possible direct effect of VEGF on T cell activation and through which type of VEGF receptor (VEGFR) it exerts this effect. Circulating T cells from healthy donors and ovarian cancer patients were expanded in cultures with anti-CD3 and IL-2 with or without VEGF for 14 days, and the number of T cells was assessed.

Study of T lymphocytes infiltrating peritoneal metastases in advanced ovarian cancer: associations with vascular endothelial growth factor levels and prognosis in patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy.

Introduction: The presence of CD3(+) tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has been found to correlate with improved survival in epithelial ovarian cancer, but the association of TIL subpopulations with clinical outcome remains controversial. We performed a prospective analysis of TIL subpopulations from patients with epithelial ovarian cancer and their activation status and studied their association with prognosis.

Methods: Flow cytometric analysis was performed on TIL subpopulations isolated from 45 fresh ovarian tumor specimens, obtained during surgery, after mechanical dissociation and enzymatic degradation.

Prevalence of different HPV types and estimation of prognostic risk factors based on the linear array HPV genotyping test.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of HPV in a gynecologic population attending outpatient clinics using two new molecular tests. The Amplicor HPV test and the Linear Array (LA) HPV Genotyping test were used for the detection of HPV DNA in 320 women. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify independent prognostic factors of HPV positivity.

Survivin expression as a strong indicator of recurrence in urothelial bladder cancer. Predictive value of nuclear versus cytoplasmic staining.

Background: Since its discovery in 1997, survivin has garnered significant interest due to its putative role as an inhibitor of apoptosis. Few studies have investigated the immunohistochemical status of survivin in urothelial bladder carcinoma. The subcellular localization of survivin (nuclear, cytoplasmic) and its differential predictive value is a parameter that previous studies have almost ignored.

Mixed metaplastic carcinoma of the breast associated with pregnancy: Diagnostic dilemmas in fine-needle aspiration cytology.

Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast represents a rare entity characterized by the simultaneous presence of ductal, squamous, and/or mesenchymal components in several proportions. There are limitations in fine-needle aspiration diagnosis due to its pathological heterogeneity. When it develops under pregnancy and lactation influence, the cytologic evaluation appears to be more difficult and accurate diagnosis often proves challenging.

Parity is associated with lower cervical E-cadherin expression in postmenopausal women.

Aim: Epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin), a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in calcium-dependent homophilic cell-cell adhesion, is expressed aberrantly during cervical carcinogenesis. E-cadherin expression and putatively implicated predictors in healthy women remain a rather under-investigated area. The objective of this study is to evaluate the possible associations between E-cadherin expression and reproductive/lifestyle factors in cervical epithelial cells from postmenopausal women.