Increasing Incidence of Microscopic Colitis in a Population-Based Cohort Study in Switzerland.

Microscopic colitis (MC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the colon that presents with chronic, nonbloody watery diarrhea and only few or no endoscopic abnormalities. Histologic examination discriminates lymphocytic colitis (LyC; presence of ≥20 intraepithelial lymphocytes per 100 surface epithelial cells) and collagenous colitis (CC; colonic subepithelial collagen band >10 μm in diameter). MC not otherwise specified describes a subgroup of patients who do not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for either CC or LyC.

Tumor budding in colorectal cancer revisited: results of a multicenter interobserver study.

Tumor budding in colorectal cancer (CRC) is recognized as a valuable prognostic factor but its translation into daily histopathology practice has been delayed by lack of agreement on the optimal method of assessment. Within the context of the Swiss Association of Gastrointestinal Pathology (SAGIP), we performed a multicenter interobserver study on tumor budding, comparing hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) with pan-cytokeratin staining using a 10 high power field (10HPF) and hotspot (1HPF) method. Two serial sections of 50 TNM stage II-IV surgically treated CRC were stained for H&E and pan-cytokeratin.

Pattern and clinical significance of cancer-testis gene expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Cancer-testis (CT) antigens comprise families of tumor-associated antigens that are immunogenic in patients with various cancers. Their restricted expression makes them attractive targets for immunotherapy. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of several CT genes and evaluate their prognostic value in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Feasibility and efficacy of accelerated weekly concomitant boost postoperative radiation therapy combined with concomitant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess feasibility and efficacy of weekly concomitant boost accelerated postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) with concomitant chemotherapy (CT) in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer (LAHNC).

Methods And Materials: Conformal or intensity-modulated 66-Gy RT was performed in 5.5 weeks in 40 patients.

Tenascin-W, a new marker of cancer stroma, is elevated in sera of colon and breast cancer patients.

Tenascins are extracellular matrix proteins present during the development of organisms as well as in pathological conditions. Tenascin-W, the fourth and last member of the tenascin family remains the least well-characterized one. Our study aimed to evaluate the potential significance of tenascin-W as cancer biomarker by monitoring its presence in the serum of colorectal and breast cancer patients and its expression in colorectal tumor tissues.

Background staining of visualization systems in immunohistochemistry: comparison of the Avidin-Biotin Complex system and the EnVision+ system.

The aim of this study was to evaluate specific immunostaining and background staining in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human tissues with the 2 most frequently used immunohistochemical detection systems, Avidin-Biotin-Peroxidase (ABC) and EnVision+. A series of fixed tissues, including breast, colon, kidney, larynx, liver, lung, ovary, pancreas, prostate, stomach, and tonsil, was used in the study. Three monoclonal antibodies, 1 against a nuclear antigen (Ki-67), 1 against a cytoplasmic antigen (cytokeratin), and 1 against a cytoplasmic and membrane-associated antigen and a polyclonal antibody against a nuclear and cytoplasmic antigen (S-100) were selected for these studies.

Serrated polyps of the colorectum: is sessile serrated adenoma distinguishable from hyperplastic polyp in a daily practice?

The distinction between serrated polyps of the colon is complex, particularly between hyperplastic polyps (HP) and sessile serrated adenomas (SSA). Recent data show that SSA might be the precursors of serrated colonic cancers, underlining the necessity of identifying them. We characterized the demographic and pathologic characteristics of 102 serrated lesions among 321 polyps of the colorectum and determined if SSA can be microscopically distinguished from HP in biopsy material of a daily practice.

Kayexalate Intake (in Sorbitol) and Jejunal Diverticulitis, a Causative Role or an Innocent Bystander?

Small intestine diverticulosis is a rare entity that is asymptomatic in the majority of cases. However, it may cause serious complications, such as infection, hemorrhage, intestinal obstruction and diverticulitis. Kayexalate (sodium polystyrene sulfonate) in sorbitol has been associated with colonic necrosis and less frequently with upper gastrointestinal injuries in a subset of uremic patients treated for hyperkalemia.

An agarose matrix facilitates sectioning of tissue microarray blocks.

Tissue microarray (TMA) is a powerful, high-throughput technique for in situ investigation of biomarkers in many tissue samples in a paraffin block by immunohistochemistry or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and has rapidly become the standard in marker studies. One of the difficult steps in the procedure is the sectioning of array blocks and mounting of sections using special slides and/or adhesive-coated tape, which demands specific experience and is time-consuming. We report an arraying method that allows melting of the receiving paraffin block and subsequent sectioning like any ordinary paraffin-embedded tissue block.

A cost-effective algorithm for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer detection.

Colorectal cancer with microsatellite instability (MSI) may occur sporadically or be inherited in cases of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) syndrome. However, there is no consensus as to which patients must be tested and how to test MSI. In this study, MSI was tested by immunohistochemical analysis and by polymerase chain reaction in 148 cases of colorectal cancer, and methylation of the hMLH1 promoter was examined.

Immunohistochemical expression of endothelial markers CD31, CD34, von Willebrand factor, and Fli-1 in normal human tissues.

Few systematic studies have been published comparing the expression and distribution of endothelial cell (EC) markers in different vascular beds in normal human tissues. We investigated by immunohistochemistry the expression of CD31, CD34, von Willebrand factor (vWF), and Fli-1 in EC of the major organs and large vessels. Tissue samples obtained from autopsies and biopsy specimens were routinely processed and stained immunohistochemically for CD31, CD34, and vWF.

Elevated hepatocyte paraffin 1 and neprilysin expression in hepatocellular carcinoma are correlated with longer survival.

Hepatocyte paraffin 1 (Hep Par 1) and neprilysin (CD10) are well-known markers of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To assess their potential prognostic role, we conducted a retrospective analysis of 97 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded HCC from patients treated by surgery with curative intent, using standard immunohistochemical procedures and semiquantitative analysis. Strong Hep Par 1 expression and canalicular CD10 staining pattern were significantly correlated with smaller tumor size (p=0.

Immunohistochemical localization of hTERT protein in human tissues.

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex mainly composed of a reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit (telomerase reverse transcriptase gene, hTERT) that copies a template region of its RNA subunit to the end of the telomere. For detecting telomerase activity in a tissue specimen the TRAP assay is a relatively sensitive and specific method, but it can be used only on fresh tissue extracts and offers no information at the single cell level. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) allows to detect hTERT protein expression at an individual cell level in human tissues.

Importance of tumor regression assessment in predicting the outcome in patients with locally advanced rectal carcinoma who are treated with preoperative radiotherapy.

Background: Locally advanced rectal carcinoma has a poor prognosis. However, since the introduction of preoperative radiotherapy, the outcome of patients with rectal carcinoma has been reported to have improved. Nevertheless, to the authors' knowledge few data are available regarding the histopathologic response to radiotherapy as assessed on surgical specimens as a potential predictive factor for outcome.

Molecular Diagnosis of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN) in Paraffin-Embedded Specimens.

In this article, we summarize our recent findings on rearranged during transfection (RE7) mutations in a series of 46 sporadic as well as multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2- associated tumors and present results of our family screening efforts to identify MEN 2 and MEN 1 gene carriers. A nonisotopic polymerase chain reaction-based single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis and heteroduplex gel electrophoresis method was used to screen DNA extracted from archival specimens of 22 patients with MEN 2-associated and 24 patients with sporadic tumors for mutations in RETexons 1O, 11, 13, and 16. Point mutations were identified by nonisotopic cycle sequencing of PCR products using an automated DNA sequencer.