Differential diagnosis of bladder versus colorectal adenocarcinoma: keratin 7 and GATA3 positivity in nuclear ß-catenin-negative glandular tumours defines adenocarcinoma of the bladder.

Aims: This study evaluates immunohistochemical markers for the differential diagnosis of primary bladder adenocarcinoma (BAC) from secondarily involving colorectal adenocarcinoma (CAC). Additional staining of putative precursor lesions (cystitis cystica et glandularis (CC) and intestinal metaplasia (IM)) supports insights into metaplastic cell development and aberrant differentiation in tumours.

Methods: Tissue microarray sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from clinically verified 11 BAC, 11 CAC, 18 invasive urothelial carcinomas (UCs), 22 normal urothelium samples, 25 CC and 15 IM were stained for keratin 7, 5/6, 5/14 and 20, ß-catenin, e-cadherin, cadherin 17, cdx2, uroplakin II and III, CD10, androgen receptor (AR), S100P, MUC2, MUC5AC and GATA3 expression.

RNA extraction from archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue: a comparison of manual, semiautomated, and fully automated purification methods.

Background: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor material represents a valuable resource for the analysis of RNA-based biomarkers, both in research laboratories and in routine clinical testing. A robust and automated RNA-extraction method with a high sample throughput is required.

Methods: We evaluated extraction performance for 4 silica-based RNA-extraction protocols: (a) a fully automated, bead-based RNA-isolation procedure; (b) its manual counterpart; (c) a semiautomated bead-based extraction system; and (d) a manual column-based extraction kit.

The incidence of lymph node metastases in prostate carcinoma depends not only on tumor characteristics but also on surgical performance and extent of pelvic lymphadenectomy.

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to determine whether predictions of the incidence of pelvic lymph node metastases in patients with similar prostate cancer characteristics are influenced by the extent of pelvic lymphadenectomy or surgical performance.

Material And Methods: Data from a prostate cancer database were analyzed to investigate associations between incidence of lymph node metastasis and preoperative prostate-specific antigen level, clinical stage, biopsy Gleason score, extent of pelvic lymphadenectomy, and surgical performance. Subgroups of patients with the same characteristics were formed, and a multivariate analysis was performed.

Fractional polynomials in a new metastatic renal carcinoma continuous prognostic index involving histology, laboratory, and clinical predictors.

Background: We analyzed the effect of histology and various clinical and laboratory predictors in a new continuous prognostic index for metastatic renal-cell carcinoma based on fractional polynomials.

Patients And Methods: We evaluated 322 metastatic renal-cell carcinoma patients treated with subcutaneous recombinant cytokine-based home therapies in consecutive trials. We evaluated papillary histology, along with age, disease localizations, C-reactive protein, and neutrophil count in a new prognostic index, which was based on the multivariable fractional polynomial (MFP) algorithm.