A comparison of clinically utilized human papillomavirus detection methods in head and neck cancer.

Detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) in head and neck cancer has therapeutic implications. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry for p16 are used by surgical pathologists. We compared the sensitivity and specificity of three popular commercial tests for HPV detection in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas with a 'gold standard' HPV PCR assay.

Co-expression of GPR30 and ERbeta and their association with disease progression in uterine carcinosarcoma.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the expression of G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) and estrogen receptor (ER)beta in uterine carcinosarcoma (CS).

Study Design: Immunohistochemistry was performed using antibodies to GPR30, ERbeta, ERalpha, and progesterone receptor (PR). The staining intensity and percentage of positive cells were scored for each tissue section.

Loss of retinal cadherin facilitates mammary tumor progression and metastasis.

The mammary epithelium is thought to be stabilized by cell-cell adhesion mediated mainly by E-cadherin (E-cad). Here, we show that another cadherin, retinal cadherin (R-cad), is critical for maintenance of the epithelial phenotype. R-cad is expressed in nontransformed mammary epithelium but absent from tumorigenic cell lines.

Tissue microarray analysis of hormonal signaling pathways in uterine carcinosarcoma.

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship of hormone (estrogen receptor alpha, estrogen receptor beta, progesterone receptor) and growth factor receptor (insulin-like growth factor receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) expression with disease progression in uterine carcinosarcoma.

Study Design: Immunohistochemistry was performed on tissue arrays using standard methodology. Differences between groups were evaluated by the Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

Laparoscopic nephrectomy for the management of renal medullary carcinoma in a child.

Renal medullary carcinoma is a lethal subtype of renal cancer that afflicts patients with sickle-cell hemoglobinopathies. Here we present the case of a 13-year-old boy with renal medullary carcinoma who is the first, to our knowledge, to be managed using a planned laparoscopic radical nephrectomy.

Expression of selenium-binding protein 1 characterizes intestinal cell maturation and predicts survival for patients with colorectal cancer.

To identify candidate genes involved in the development of colorectal cancer, we used cDNA microarrays to analyze gene expression differences between human colorectal tumors and paired adjacent normal mucosa. We identified approximately 3.5-fold significant downregulation of selenium-binding protein 1 (SBP1) in colorectal tumors compared to normal mucosa (p = 0.

Renal medullary carcinoma: the Bronx experience.

Objectives: Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is a devastating and extremely rare malignancy primarily afflicting young men with sickle cell trait. We present our clinical experience with 9 cases of RMC during a 10-year period and briefly review the published data.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of 9 cases of RMC during a 10-year period at our institutions was performed.

Biventricular mural vegetations in a patient without valvular pathology.

We present the case of a 40 year-old man with biventricular nonvalvular vegetations presenting with acute onset of unilateral hearing loss and headache as a result of septic emboli. The medical literature involving the rare diagnosis of mural vegetation is reviewed and unusual features of this case are discussed.

Caveolin-1 mutations in human breast cancer: functional association with estrogen receptor alpha-positive status.

A Japanese study reported that up to 16% of breast cancer samples harbor a sporadic mutation within the human Cav-1 gene, namely P132L. To date, however, no studies have examined the United States' population. Here, we developed a novel allele-specific real-time PCR assay to detect the Cav-1 P132L mutation in mammary tumor cells isolated by laser capture microdissection from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast cancer samples.

Caveolin-1 immunohistochemical analysis in differentiating chromophobe renal cell carcinoma from renal oncocytoma.

Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) and oncocytoma might mimic each other histologically. We studied the immunohistochemical staining pattern of caveolin-1 in 21 ChRCCs and 26 oncocytomas and compared it with cytokeratin (CK) 7 to evaluate its usefulness in differentiating these 2 neoplasms. All 21 ChRCCs (100%) were positive for caveolin-1, 20 of which were stained in 20% or more of the tumor cells.

Imaging characteristics of minimal fat renal angiomyolipoma with histologic correlations.

Objectives: To review our experience with minimal fat angiomyolipomas (AMLs) and correlate the confirmed pathologic diagnosis with preoperative radiologic features to evaluate the feasibility of an accurate diagnosis preoperatively. On rare occasions, renal AMLs contain minimal amounts of fat that are not identified on cross-sectional imaging.

Methods: From November 1998 to August 2003, 6 patients (seven lesions) underwent renal surgery with the preoperative diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma as determined by preoperative imaging studies, and the finding of AML was unexpected.

N-cadherin expression in breast cancer: correlation with an aggressive histologic variant--invasive micropapillary carcinoma.

Upregulation of N-cadherin in epithelial tumor cells has been shown to contribute to the invasive/metastatic phenotype. It remains however to be determined whether N-cadherin is increased in human breast cancers with enhanced malignant potential. We examined a large number of invasive breast cancer specimens (n = 114) for N- and E-cadherin.

Pulmonary crystal-storing histiocytoma.

We describe the case of a 50-year-old woman with a lung tumor composed of crystal-storing histiocytes. These cells and associated plasma cells failed to show clonal light chain restriction, and the patient had no associated hematologic disorder. The differential diagnosis included crystal-storing histiocytosis, characterized by accumulation of crystallized immunoglobulins, a rare manifestation of monoclonal gammopathies/plasma cell dyscrasias.

Caveolin-3 is a sensitive and specific marker for rhabdomyosarcoma.

Caveolin-3 (Cav-3) is a principal structural protein of caveolae membrane domains. Animal studies have revealed that Cav-3 is expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes but absent in other types of cells. Recent studies have shown that abnormalities in the Cav-3 gene are associated with some forms of muscular dystrophy, while skeletal muscle abnormalities have been observed in Cav-3 transgenic and knockout mice.

Magmas expression in neoplastic human prostate.

Magmas, is a 13-kDa mitochondrial protein which is ubiquitously expressed in eukaryotic cells. It was identified as a granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) inducible gene in hematopoietic cells and has a key role in the transport of mitochondrial proteins in yeast. Because GM-CSF receptor levels are elevated in prostate cancer, Magmas expression was examined in normal and neoplastic tissue.

Immunohistochemical staining for calretinin is useful for differentiating schwannomas from neurofibromas.

We studied 25 cases of schwannoma and 42 cases of neurofibroma immunohistochemically with antibodies to calretinin and S-100 protein to explore the potential usefulness of calretinin in differentiating schwannomas from neurofibromas. Of 25 schwannomas, 24 (96%) showed moderate to strong staining for calretinin, with the extent of staining ranging from focal to diffuse. In contrast, only 3 (7%) of 42 neurofibromas displayed focal weak to moderate staining with calretinin.

Repeated testicular infarction in a patient with sickle cell disease: a possible mechanism for testicular failure.

We report a case of repeated testicular infarction in a 39-year-old man with sickle cell disease. The patient presented with a 2-week history of testicular pain and was found clinically and sonographically to have a testicular mass, suspicious for a testicular tumor. The pathologic examination of the orchiectomy specimen revealed multiple infarcts, showing temporal variation ranging from acute (several days old) to recent (2 to 3 weeks old) to remote.

Expression of caveolin-1 and caveolin-2 in urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder correlates with tumor grade and squamous differentiation.

We immunohistochemically evaluated 94 cases of urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the urinary bladder for the expression of caveolin (Cav)-1 and Cav-2. Neither benign urothelium present in 22 cases nor flat carcinoma in situ present in 10 cases stained for Cav-1 or Cav-2. Thirty-five (37%) of 94 cases and 45 (51%) of 89 cases of UC stained positively for Cav-1 and Cav-2, respectively.

Expression of calretinin and the alpha-subunit of inhibin in granular cell tumors.

Granular cell tumors (GCTs) typically express S-100 protein, which has been used as a marker in differential diagnosis. Calretinin, a calcium-binding protein related structurally to S-100, and inhibin, a polypeptide hormone secreted primarily by ovarian granulosa cells and testicular Sertoli cells and functioning as an inhibitor for pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone secretion, are potentially useful but not well-evaluated markers for GCTs. We studied 43 cases of GCT with antibodies to calretinin, the inhibin alpha-subunit, and S-100 protein.

Caveolin-1-deficient mice are lean, resistant to diet-induced obesity, and show hypertriglyceridemia with adipocyte abnormalities.

Caveolae organelles and caveolin-1 protein expression are most abundant in adipocytes and endothelial cells. Our initial report on mice lacking caveolin-1 (Cav-1) demonstrated a loss of caveolae and perturbations in endothelial cell function. More recently, however, observation of the Cav-1-deficient cohorts into old age revealed significantly lower body weights, as compared with wild-type controls.