ABSTRACT
Introduction: CD10 is a zinc-dependent peptidase (metalloproteinase). Stromal CD10 expression in breast cancer correlates with poor prognosis, oestrogen receptor negativity and higher grade. CD10 may be a potential target of new cancer therapies as it is involved in cleavage of doxorubicin. Aim: To evaluate the effect of neo-adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy on status of stromal CD10 antigens in breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Patients with invasive breast cancer scheduled for anthracycline-based neo-adjuvant chemotherapy were included in the study. Tumor stromal CD10 expression was estimated before and after 3 cycles of chemotherapy, and change in its status was correlated with clinical response to chemotherapy. Results: 16 out of the 29 patients had strong CD10 expression; in these 16 patients, 14 (87.5%) were hormone receptor negative, and 14 (87.5%) had HER-2/neu overexpression. Stromal CD10 expression remained same in 13 out of 29 cases (44.83%) after chemotherapy. There was a change in CD10 expression in the remaining 16 cases (55.17%); in 13 cases (44.83%) it decreased from its pre-chemotherapy status, while its expression increased in 3 cases (10.34%). In cases of complete and partial clinical response, there was no increase in CD10 expression. Where CD10 expression had increased after chemotherapy, there was either a minor response or no response to chemotherapy. In 13 cases where CD10 expression had decreased, 12 cases had a clinical response to chemotherapy. Conclusions: Strong CD10 expression correlates with hormone receptor negativity and HER-2/neu overexpression. Stromal CD10 expression in breast cancer is not static and changes with neo-adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy. A stable or decrease in CD10 expression correlates with complete or partial clinical response, while an increase in CD10 expression appears to correlate with poor clinical response. A larger series is required to determine the clinical significance of these changes. As stromal CD10 expression and its change with chemotherapy may have a prognostic significance, they should be documented in breast cancer patients before and after chemotherapy.
Subject(s)
Adult , Anthracyclines/administration & dosage , Biomarkers, Pharmacological/metabolism , Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Breast Neoplasms/therapy , Female , Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects , Humans , Middle Aged , Neoadjuvant Therapy , Neoplasm Staging , Neprilysin/genetics , Neprilysin/metabolism , Receptor, ErbB-2/genetics , Receptor, ErbB-2/metabolism , Receptors, Estrogen/genetics , Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism , Stromal Cells/drug effects , Stromal Cells/metabolism , Stromal Cells/pathologyABSTRACT
A 26-year-old man presented with pain in the right upper abdomen. Ultrasonography revealed a large solitary right lobe liver abscess, which was treated by aspiration and antiamebic treatment. The patient continued to be symptomatic with the abscess increasing in size. Repeat aspiration revealed a pure growth of coccidioidomycosis, which was confirmed on culture. He was treated with amphotericin-B; the abscess resolved completely and the patient has remained asymptomatic at one-year follow up.
Subject(s)
Adult , Amphotericin B/therapeutic use , Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Coccidioidomycosis/drug therapy , Humans , Liver Abscess/drug therapy , MaleABSTRACT
This study was undertaken on 117 consecutive patients referred to a head and neck oncology clinic at a major hospital in New Delhi. 89.5 per cent patients were in clinical stage III or IV at the time of referral. The prevalence of pain was 83.8 per cent with a mean pain duration of 6.2 +/- 5.9 months and a mean pain intensity of 5.0 +/- 2.7 on a modified numerical rating scale ranging from 0 to 10. The mean intensity of pain was not significantly different for age groups or stage of the disease but patients with oro-pharyngeal cancers had significantly higher pain scores than patients with hypopharyngeal cancers (4.6 +/- 3.0 vs 2.9 +/- 2.5, P < 0.05).