Short- and long-term outcome following laparoscopic versus open resection for carcinoma of the rectum in the multimodal setting.

Background: Laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer has remained controversial because of the lack of level 1 evidence regarding oncologic safety and long-term survival.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of laparoscopic versus open resection for rectal cancer on clinical and oncologic outcome in the multimodal setting.

Design: This is a review of prospectively gathered data from a single-institution rectal cancer database.

Absence of cytomegalovirus from the gastrointestinal tract of patients with active Crohn's disease.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection reportedly is detectable in the gastrointestinal mucosa of patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease. One view is that CMV infection is of clinical significance in patients with Crohn's disease with severe colitis not responding to steroid therapy. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of CMV infection in our own patients with Crohn's disease treated with colon resection.

Quality of surgical care, local recurrence, and survival in patients with low- and midrectal cancers following multimodal therapy.

Purpose: To assess the quality of surgical care and outcome following multimodal treatment for low- and midrectal cancers, focusing on differences between low anterior and abdominoperineal resections.

Methods: From 1999 to 2007, 179 patients underwent low anterior resection (LAR), abdominoperineal resection (APR), or proctocolectomy for low- or midrectal cancers. Preoperative (chemo)radiotherapy was given according to local guidelines and adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy in stage III disease.

Remission of membranous glomerulonephritis after pancreatectomy for pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm - a rare coincidence.

The concomitant existence of a non-malignant neuroendocrine tumor (NET) and membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is rare. We report a subject with kidney biopsy proven MGN and nephrotic syndrome in which a computerized scan tomography (CT) examination was performed revealing a pancreatic tumor. A pancreatectomy was performed and the tumor was shown to be a non-malignant NET with a malignant potential.

High frequency of TTK mutations in microsatellite-unstable colorectal cancer and evaluation of their effect on spindle assembly checkpoint.

Frameshift mutations frequently accumulate in microsatellite-unstable colorectal cancers (MSI CRCs) typically leading to downregulation of the target genes due to nonsense-mediated messenger RNA decay. However, frameshift mutations that occur in the 3' end of the coding regions can escape decay, which has largely been ignored in previous works. In this study, we characterized nonsense-mediated decay-escaping frameshift mutations in MSI CRC in an unbiased, genome wide manner.

Mutations in the circadian gene CLOCK in colorectal cancer.

The circadian clock regulates daily variations in physiologic processes. CLOCK acts as a regulator in the circadian apparatus controlling the expression of other clock genes, including PER1. Clock genes have been implicated in cancer-related functions; in this work, we investigated CLOCK as a possible target of somatic mutations in microsatellite unstable colorectal cancers.

Carbonic anhydrase II. A novel biomarker for gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are clinically distinct mesenchymal tumors, which generally result from expression of mutant KIT or PDGFRA receptor tyrosine kinase oncogenes. Most GISTs feature strong expression of KIT that serves as a crucial diagnostic adjunct. However, a subset of tumors lacks KIT expression and otherwise may also be difficult to distinguish from other sarcomas, including leiomyosarcoma.

Molecular analysis of endometrial tumorigenesis: importance of complex hyperplasia regardless of atypia.

Purpose: Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is common in the population and the most frequent extracolonic malignancy in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma (HNPCC)/Lynch syndrome. We characterized precursor lesions of endometrioid EC to identify markers of malignant transformation and tumor progression.

Experimental Design: Serial specimens of normal endometrium, simple hyperplasia, complex hyperplasia without atypia, complex hyperplasia with atypia, and endometrial carcinoma obtained during a 10-year surveillance of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutation carriers (together 110 samples) were molecularly profiled and compared with a sporadic reference series of endometrial specimens taken for nonmalignant reasons (62 samples).

Differential cancer predisposition in Lynch syndrome: insights from molecular analysis of brain and urinary tract tumors.

Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal carcinoma (Lynch syndrome) is among the most common hereditary cancers in man and a model of cancers arising through deficient DNA mismatch repair (MMR). Lynch syndrome patients are predisposed to different cancers in a non-random fashion, the basis of which is poorly understood. We addressed this issue by determining the molecular profiles for different tumors from a nationwide cohort of Lynch syndrome families (approximately 150 tumors in total).

Allelic imbalance at rs6983267 suggests selection of the risk allele in somatic colorectal tumor evolution.

A common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs6983267, at 8q24.21 has recently been shown to associate with colorectal cancer (CRC). Three independent SNP association studies showed that rs6983267 contributes to CRC with odds ratios (OR) of 1.

Is gastric cancer part of the tumour spectrum of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer? A molecular genetic study.

Background: Gastric cancer is the second most common extracolonic malignancy in individuals with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)/Lynch syndrome. As gastric cancer is relatively common in the general population as well, it is not clear whether or not gastric cancer is a true HNPCC spectrum malignancy.

Aim: To determine whether or not gastric cancer is a true HNPCC spectrum malignancy.

Nitric oxide synthase in human salivary glands.

The distribution of the three nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms was determined immunohistochemically in the human minor and major salivary glands with comparison to that of rat salivary glands. In contrast to rat glands, which contained a dense plexus of neuronal NOS-immunoreactive nerve fibers, only a minority of the nerve fibers in human glands showed neuronal NOS immunoreactivity. Human labial and submandibular glands contained sparse NOS-immunoreactive fibers, while only occasional nerve fibers in the parotid or sublingual glands were stained.

Day-case stapled (circular) vs. diathermy hemorrhoidectomy: a randomized, controlled trial evaluating surgical and functional outcome.

Purpose: Stapled hemorrhoidectomy may be associated with less pain and faster recovery than conventional hemorrhoidectomy for prolapsing hemorrhoids. Therefore, the outcome of stapled hemorrhoidectomy was compared with that of diathermy hemorrhoidectomy in a randomized, controlled trial.

Methods: Sixty patients with third-degree hemorrhoids were randomly assigned to stapled hemorrhoidectomy (n = 30) or to diathermy hemorrhoidectomy in a day-case setting.

Specialized columnar epithelium of the esophagogastric junction: prevalence and associations. The Central Finland Endoscopy Study Group.

Objectives: In Barrett's esophagus (BE) normal squamous esophageal epithelium is replaced by specialized columnar epithelium (SCE). BE is related to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and is a risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma. SCE is detected also at normal-appearing esophagogastric junction without BE (junctional SCE).

Apoptotic activity is increased in parallel with the metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence of the bronchial epithelium.

A high level of apoptotic activity and an independence of apoptosis from the expression of p53 and bcl-2 have been observed in non-small-cell lung carcinoma. We examined 44 samples of normal, metaplastic and premalignant (i.e.

Pulmonary adiaspiromycosis in a two year old girl.

A case of disseminated bilateral pulmonary adiaspiromycosis is reported in a two year old Finnish girl. She recovered from this rare infection after treatment with amphotericin B. She is the first human case of adiaspiromycosis in Scandinavia and she is the youngest child with this disease reported so far.

Presence of human papillomavirus DNA and abnormal p53 protein accumulation in lung carcinoma.

Background: In some carcinomas inactivation of the tumour suppressor gene product p53, either by point mutation or indirectly by the human papillomavirus (HPV), has been suggested as two alternative routes to malignant transformation. To test this hypothesis in lung tumours, 43 lung carcinomas were analysed by in situ hybridisation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of HPV DNA, and the results were compared with p53 protein immunohistochemical analysis.

Methods: The presence of HPV DNA in lung carcinoma was detected by nucleic acid in situ hybridisation for HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, and 33 using nonradioactively labelled DNA probes.

p53 protein accumulation and the presence of human papillomavirus DNA in bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma correlate with poor prognosis.

Accumulation of the tumour suppressor gene p53 product due to a gene mutation is frequently seen in human carcinomas, including lung carcinoma. Another indirect mechanism involving p53 in malignant growth relates to the E6 protein of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is able to bind and degrade wild-type p53 protein, thus eliminating its tumour suppressor activities. Bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma (BAC) is a rare type of lung carcinoma.

p53 protein accumulation in lung carcinomas of patients exposed to asbestos and tobacco smoke.

Primary lung carcinomas often carry mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Most of these mutations alter the conformation of the p53 protein into a more stable phenotype that makes it immunohistochemically detectable. Asbestos is a carcinogen that can cause deletions in chromosomes and possibly also gene mutations.

p53 and c-erbB-2 expression in schistosomal urinary bladder carcinomas and schistosomal cystitis with premalignant lesions.

Immunoreactivity for p53 and c-erbB-2 proteins was studied in 31 schistosomal urinary bladder carcinomas and 21 cases of schistosomal cystitis with hyperplastic, metaplastic and/or dysplastic (premalignant) lesions. The results were compared with 30 carcinomas and 21 premalignant lesions of the urinary bladder without schistosomiasis. Abnormal nuclear p53 protein accumulation was found in 17/31 schistosomal and in 15/30 non-schistosomal carcinomas and in 8/21 schistosomal cystitis with premalignant lesions of which five showed hyperplasia.

p53 immunohistochemistry in transitional cell carcinoma and dysplasia of the urinary bladder correlates with disease progression.

Immunohistochemically detectable p53 protein using a polyclonal antibody (CM-1) was studied in 42 carcinomas of which 11 were grade I, 22 grade II and nine grade III carcinomas. Additionally 14 urothelial dysplasias were studied. In 11 of these a diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma was established before and in one after the dysplasia diagnosis.

Tenascin immunoreactivity in lung tumors.

The distribution of tenascin immunoreactivity was analyzed in nonneoplastic lung tissue, benign lung tumors, and different types of lung carcinomas. In nonneoplastic lung tissue, tenascin could be observed in the basement membranes of the bronchial epithelium and endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and bronchial cartilage. Strong tenascin immunoreactivity was seen in the stroma of all the carcinomas of various histologic types.

p53 and c-erbB-2 protein expression in adenocarcinomas and epithelial dysplasias of the gall bladder.

In this study we investigated immunohistochemically the expression of p53 and c-erbB-2 proteins in 30 gall bladder adenocarcinomas, one carcinoma in situ, eight gall bladder epithelial dysplasias, and four cases of chronic cholecystitis. p53 expression could be found in 14 (47 per cent) adenocarcinomas and in two out of eight epithelial dysplasias. There were significantly more p53-positive grade II-III tumours than grade I tumours (P = 0.

Concurrent p53 expression in bronchial dysplasias and squamous cell lung carcinomas.

We analyzed the p53 protein immunohistochemically in bronchial dysplasias or squamous cell carcinomas in situ and in squamous cell lung carcinomas occurring in the same patients. The polyclonal antibody used (CM-1) is directed against the wild-type p53 protein, but also recognizes the mutated p53 in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections. To study the integrity of basement membranes (BMs) and the possible invasion of the dysplastic epithelium, immunostainings for the BM proteins laminin and type IV collagen were used.

Evidence by in situ hybridization that c-erbB-2 proto-oncogene expression is a marker of malignancy and is expressed in lung adenocarcinomas.

In order to identify potential markers of malignancy in diagnostic respiratory cytopathology, c-myc and c-erbB-2 proto-oncogene expression was studied in fine needle aspirates from 14 consecutive fresh operation tissue samples (after surgical removal) representing lung tumors and a variety of other cell samples by in situ hybridization of 35S-labeled antisense and sense RNA c-myc and c-erbB-2 specific proto-oncogene probes. All 14 lung tumors showed c-myc expression and eight also showed c-erbB-2 expression. On average, the c-myc expression was about 4 times higher than that of c-erbB-2 (P less than 0.