Chemoradiotherapy in gallbladder cancer.

Gallbladder cancer (GC) is considered a rare disease associated with a poor prognosis. Unfortunately, the low number of cases makes the performance of trials addressing the role of adjuvant, neoadjuvant, and/or palliative therapy difficult. For a long time, the majority of trials were 5-fluorouracil (5 FU)-based, and results were uniformly poor.

Preneoplastic lesions in gallbladder cancer.

Background: Gallbladder cancer is an uncommon disease except in countries like Chile and areas of India and Japan. The knowledge regarding the etiology and mechanisms through which this neoplasia is developed is significantly less compared to other malignant tumors.

Results: The epithelial lesions involved in gallbladder carcinogenesis are dysplasia and adenomas that represent two biologically distinct carcinogenetic models.

Prognostic factors of phyllodes tumor of the breast.

The phyllodes tumor is characterized by its tendency to recur locally and occasionally to metastasize. The purpose of the present paper was to assess the prognostic value of clinical-morphological characteristics in patients with phyllodes tumor. Forty-seven cases of phyllodes tumors was studied; the World Health Organization classification was used and follow up was obtained.

Promoter methylation profile in gallbladder cancer.

Background: Methylation in the promoter region of genes is an important mechanism of inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Our objective was to analyze the methylation pattern of some of the genes involved in carcinogenesis of the gallbladder, examining the immunohistochemical expression of proteins, clinical features, and patient survival time.

Methods: Twenty cases of gallbladder cancer were selected from the frozen tumor bank.

Gallbladder cancer: an analysis of a series of 139 patients with invasion restricted to the subserosal layer.

The goal was to study our experience in the management of a series of patients with a potentially curative subserosal gallbladder cancer who were prospectively treated by the authors. Between April 1988 and July 2004, 139 patients were enrolled in our prospective database. Of the above, 120 were operated on with an open procedure and the rest with laparoscopic surgery.

[Frequency of K-ras mutation in biliary and pancreatic tumors].

Background: The ras gene family (H-ras, N-ras and K-ras) are oncogenes that mutate frequently in human cancer, specially in tumors of the biliary tract and pancreas.

Aim: To determine the frequency of K-ras gene codon 12 mutation in pancreatic and biliary tumors.

Material And Methods: Samples of 35 gallbladder, 15 ampulla of Vater, 10 biliary tract and 9 pancreatic tumors, were analyzed.

[Promoter methylation profile in gastric cancer].

Background: Promoter genomic DNA methylation is an important inactivation mechanism of tumor suppressor genes. This genetic-molecular pathway for cancer may separate a subset of patients with different prognoses and eventually different responses to specific therapies.

Aim: To analyze the methylation pattern of important genes related to different carcinogenic mechanisms in patients with gastric cancer (GC) and the relationship with its morphological features and biological behavior.

[Detection of human papilloma virus in cytologic samples or biopsies of the cervix].

Background: The DNA quality for the detection and typification of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) varies according to the type of sample in which it is studied. This may affect the sensitivity and specificity of the method employed.

Aim: To study the yield and specificity of HPV detection and typification in uterine cervical samples obtained by cervical brushing fresh frozen and formalin fixed tissue.

[Detection of bone marrow micrometastases in patients with gallbladder cancer].

Background: There is a very strong documented correlation between the appearance of cancer cells in blood and occurrence of metastasis in gastrointestinal cancer.

Aim: To determine MUC1, CK19, CK20 and CEA mRNA expression in bone marrow of patients with gallbladder cancer and evaluate its clinical significance.

Material And Methods: Sixty eight samples were analyzed, 38 bone marrow samples of gallbladder cancer patients, 20 healthy donors, and 10 frozen samples of gallbladder cancer.

[Inactivation of CDKN2A gene (p16) in gallbladder carcinoma].

Background: The CDKN2A gene encodes a cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor, p16, which promotes cell cycle arrest. Methylation of the promoter region transcriptionally inactivates the gene.

Aim: To study the relationship between methylation status of the prometer region of p16 gene, the immunohistochemical expression of p16 and clinical and morphological features of gallbladder carcinoma.

[Association between Helicobacter pylori genotype and the severity of gastritis in infected adults].

Background: The damaging capacity of Helicobacter pylori is variable and depends, in part, on its genetic polymorphism.

Aim: To study H pylori genes vacA, cagA and iceA and the relationship of these genotypes with the features of acute damage in chronic gastritis.

Material And Methods: Gastric endoscopic biopsies were obtained in 75 adults for pathological study and genetic typification of H pylori by specific PCR.

Microsatellite instability in preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of the gallbladder.

Background: Gallbladder cancer is very common in Chile and is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women aged over 40 years. However, there is limited information about the molecular changes involved in its pathogenesis. Microsatellite analysis was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays to identify genetic loci that were altered in neoplastic and preneoplastic conditions of early and advanced gallbladder cancer.

[Promoter methylation profile in breast cancer].

Background: Genomic DNA methylation, mutations and allelic deletions explain the inactivation of genes involved in cell proliferation and cell cycle control mechanisms.

Aim: To analyze the methylation pattern of important genes related to different carcinogenic mechanisms in patients with breast cancer and the relationship with its biological behavior.

Material And Methods: Seventy fresh-frozen breast cancer samples were selected.

[K-ras gene mutation in gallbladder carcinoma].

Background: Different K-ras mutation frequencies in gallbladder cancer have been reported.

Aim: To study the frequency of K-ras gene mutations in advanced gallbladder carcinoma not associated to anomalous junction of pancreatic-biliary duct (AJPBD).

Material And Methods: 33 formalin fixed paraffin embedded samples of gallbladder carcinoma (30 women, age range 32-86 years) were selected.

[Management of gallbladder cancer with invasion of the muscular layer].

Background: Gallbladder cancer is the leading cause of death of cancer among women in Chile. Detection of early forms of the disease during the pathological study of the cholecystectomy specimen is common. The management of these cases, specially those with invasion of the muscular layer is under discussion.

[DNA content and survival in subserous gallbladder carcinoma].

Background: The clinical and morphological characterization of the subserous gallbladder carcinomas is controversial.

Aim: To study the prognostic importance of DNA content of subserous gallbladder carcinoma.

Material And Methods: We studied 104 females aged 60+/-12 years old and 16 men aged 70+/-13 years old.

[Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in gallbladder cancer].

Background: Gallbladder cancer is generally associated with a poor prognosis, being local recurrence the main pattern of failure.

Aim: To evaluate neoadjuvant chemoradiation as a means to improve the prognosis in gallbladder cancer.

Patients And Methods: Twenty three gallbladder cancer patients were prospectively treated between June 1993 and September 1999 in the Temuco Regional Hospital.

[Clinicopathological features of gallbladder polyps and adenomas].

Background: Chile has a high frequency of gallbladder cancer. Polyps are common lesions of gallbladder mucosa but there is little information about their morphological features.

Aim: To report the clinical and pathological features of 219 gallbladder polyps.

[Human papilloma virus (HPV) typing in preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of the uterine cervix in the IX region-Chile].

Background: Uterine cervical cancer (UCC) is an important public health problem in Chile. Although HPV infection has been established as the main cause of UCC, little is known of its frequency and distribution in our population.

Aim: To determine the presence and frequency of viral genotypes in uterine cervical specimens with preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions.

[Genetic changes in chronic gastritis: study of microsatellite instability and loss of heterozygosity].

Background: Multifocal chronic gastritis, associated to intestinal metaplasia, is considered a preneoplastic lesion, closely associated to intestinal type gastric cancer.

Aim: To study the frequency of microsatellite instability (MSI) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in areas of chronic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia in gastric biopsies of patients without cancer.

Material And Methods: Gastric biopsy samples from 34 patients without cancer (22 with multifocal atrophic gastritis and 12 with diffuse antral gastritis), were studied.

[Microsatellite instability and loss of heterozygosity in neoplastic and preneoplastic gastric lesions].

Background: Gastric cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the general population in Chile, with mortality rates as high as 33.7 per 105 in males in the IX region. A chain of genetic and morphological events precedes the intestinal type of gastric carcinoma.

[Reversion of hypophosphatemia after the excision of a composite hemangioendothelioma in the great toe].

We report a 43 years old male admitted to the hospital for progressive lumbar pain, lasting 20 years, that caused severe disability. On admission the patient had a serum phosphate of 2 mg/dl, an urine phosphate excretion over 300 mg/dl and serum alkaline phosphatases over 750 U/L. Serum intact parathormone was normal and tubular maximum phosphorus/glomerular filtration was 0.

[Primary hyperthyroidism after excision of a Struma ovarii].

Struma ovarii is a teratoma composed of thyroid tissue and can be a rare cause of hyperthyroidism. We report a 35 years old woman with a left ovarian mass whose pathology revealed a Struma ovarii. This tumor was partially excised initially to avoid fertility problems and after a successful gestation, the tumor was completely removed during a cesarean section.