TROP-2 expression in papillary thyroid cancer: a preliminary cyto-histological study.

Objective: TROP-2 (human trophoblast cell surface marker) is a gene-related protein expressed in trophoblastic cells, which is also present in a variety of epithelial cancers and whose overexpression has been found to correlate with a poor prognosis. We analysed the possibility of using the expression of TROP-2 to detect papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) on cytological and histological samples, and compared it with Hector Battifora mesothelial antigen-1 (HBME-1).

Methods: From 127 patients, 127 fine needle aspirates (FNAs), in which HBME-1 was detected by immunocytochemistry (ICC), were re-classified according to the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology (TBSRTC): 20% were benign, 56% were atypical cells/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS), 4% were follicular neoplasm/suspicious for a follicular neoplasm, 5% were suspicious for malignancy and 16% were malignant.

P16(INK4a) protein expression in endocervical, endometrial and metastatic adenocarcinomas of extra-uterine origin: diagnostic and clinical considerations.

Determining the primary site of uterine adenocarcinoma (ADC) may be problematic, especially with small specimens. This is particularly important in light of the increase of endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinoma and the decrease in incidence of squamous cell carcinoma. P16(INK4a) , a member of the INK4 family of cell cycle regulatory proteins, plays a critical role.

Nuclear NHERF1 expression as a prognostic marker in breast cancer.

Our purpose was to investigate whether Na(+)/H(+) exchanger regulatory factor 1 (NHERF1) expression could be linked to prognosis in invasive breast carcinomas. NHERF1, an ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) binding phosphoprotein 50, is involved in the linkage of integral membrane proteins to the cytoskeleton. It is therefore believed to have an important role in cell signaling associated with changes in cell cytoarchitecture.

Angiogenetic axis angiopoietins/Tie2 and VEGF in familial breast cancer.

Angiogenesis leads to the formation of blood vessels from pre-existing ones, allowing tumor growth. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Angiopoietins (Ang-1, Ang-2) have a pivotal role in tumor angiogenesis but few data regarding their role in hereditary breast cancer are available. The aim of the present study was to analyze Ang-1, Ang-2, tyrosine-protein kinase receptor Tie2 and VEGF expression and their correlation in a cohort of familial and sporadic breast cancers in order to verify whether the presence of germline mutations in BRCA may have a role in tumor microenvironment regulation.

Centromere 17 copy number alteration: negative prognostic factor in invasive breast cancer?

Context: Chromosome 17 polysomy has been identified in 5% to 50% of invasive breast cancers; even though a relationship with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/ neu ) status has been reported, other studies have shown that coincident centromere 17 (Cep17) amplification may be the cause of an overestimation of chromosome 17 polysomy in fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing.

Objective: To evaluate polysomy/amplification of Cep17 in invasive breast cancer with relation to proliferative activity (Ki-67), estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2/ neu status, in an attempt to identify a subgroup of patients with a worse prognosis.

Design: A total of 647 cases of invasive ductal breast cancer were collected and subjected to FISH analysis for HER2/neu gene and centromere 17 alteration, HercepTest for HER2/ neu protein expression, and routine immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 and hormone receptor status.