Gains and losses of HLA class II (DR) and CD4 in atypical hyperplasia, carcinoma in situ and infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast.

Aim: Breast cancer is a frequent cause of death among women with gynaecologic malignancies despite the introduction of combination chemotherapy. There is therefore a need for new therapeutic strategies for patients with breast cancer, such as cellular immunotherapy. In this immunohistochemical study we analyzed the epithelial expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II (HLA-DR) on atypical and malignant primary mammary epithelial cells, as well as the magnitude of the stromal T lymphocytes (T4 subset) at the tumor site.

Local immune response in serous papillary carcinoma of the endometrium.

Objective: Serous papillary carcinomas of the endometrium are aggressive tumors that tend to permeate, in a very extensive fashion, to uterine and adnexal lymphatic and vascular channels at an early stage in their evolution, and are associated with a particularly gloomy prognosis. It is generally thought that even tumors apparently limited to the endometrium or confined to an endometrial polyp have a poor outcome. Our study points towards the value of HLA-DR antigen in the outcome of serous papillary endometrial cancer.

Ulcerative locally advanced breast cancer: the efficacy of combined anthracycline-based and hormonal therapy.

Aim: In the literature there are numerous large prospective studies on patients with locally advanced breast cancer, however little is reported on the management of ulcerative breast cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the employment of combined anthracycline-based chemotherapy and hormonal therapy in ulcerative locally advanced mammary carcinoma.

Patients And Methods: Four patients, aged from 67 to 83 years, presented with ulcerative breast cancer resulting in breast destruction.

Does neoplastic cholecystokinin expression reflect the embryonal pattern of the protein? A study in human pancreas.

Aim: To determine the immunoreactivity of cholecystokinin (CCK) during the development of the human fetal pancreas and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, given that, CCK positive cells were demonstrated either in its embryonic anlage or in pancreatic cancer. In order to obtain possible parallels in the expression pattern of neoplastic cells in adults (well--moderately--poorly differentiated), we investigated the pattern of CCK expression in the pancreatic tissue during the various stages of development and compared these with the proliferation of tissue assessed by proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunohistochemistry.

Experimental Design: Tissue sections from 15 pancreatic fetal specimens, and equal number of ductal adenocarcinoma specimens, were assessed using immunohistochemical methods for CCK.