Variant complex chromosome translocation with chronic and acute myeloid leukemia

A large number of simple or complex translocation involving the CML and AML chromosomal abnormalities has been described. This study was aimed to investigate the complex chromosome aberrations in the series of myeloid malignancies including CML and AML. The present report deals analyzed 187 consecutive with CML and AML patients, using Methotrexate cell synchronization and un-stimulated cultures of cells to determine the incidence of chromosomal aberrations and association of complex variant chromosome anomalies according to French American British morphological subtypes. The results revealed an abnormal karyotype with a novel complex translocation involving chromosomes 1,2,4,9,11,22. Complex variant translocations were found in two cases of AML and two cases of CML. The present reports provides sufficient grounds for assuming that a chromosomes involving of complex abnormalities plays an important role in the development of malignancy

Clinico-pathologic manifestations of Iranian patients with breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and is the second cause of cancer death in female population. The objective was to find out different clinical manifestations and epidemiology of breast cancer among various ethnics groups to help improve health system in the country. In this retrospective cross sectional study, we evaluated clinical and pathologic features of one thousand Iranian women with breast cancer. The data including age, type of surgery, pathology report, tumor size, lymph node involvement, tumor stage and receptor status were extracted from medical records and were analyzed. The highest prevalence of breast cancer was in patients in 40-49 years age group [37.4%]. The most common performed surgery was modified radical mastectomy and the most common pathology report was intra-ductal carcinoma. Tumor size was 2-5 cm in most of patients. Sixty percent of patients had lymph node involvement. Finally, 49.1% of patients were diagnosed when they were in stage II and 36.7% were in stage III. In 72.9% of patients, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor or both receptors were positive and of 116 patients who were checked for Her-2, 27 patients [23.2%] were 3+ positive. Our findings suggest that Iranian breast cancer patients are relatively younger than patients in western countries and mostly present at higher pathologic stages. We highly recommend screening test to be performed at lower ages [at least 40 years old]

[Is serum testosterone level higher in patients with breast cancer with unfavorable histopathologic factors?]

Breast cancer is more common in women with high serum testosterone level. Few studies showed that high level of serum testosterone is associated with poor prognosis. The association of testosterone level with histopathological findings has not been studied yet. In this study we investigated this association. Patients referred to a medical oncology clinic with no history of previous chemotherapy, hormone therapy, oophorectomy, or other cancers enrolled in the study. Morning serum testosterone was checked. Histopathologic findings were extracted from pathologic reports. Relationship between testosterone level and histopathologic types was analysed. 106 patients were studied whose mean age was 47 +/- 10 years. 63.2% of our patients were premenopausal. Histopathologic factors were unfavourable in 50%. The rate of vascular invasion was 56.4% and 73% were receptor positive. Mean level of serum testosterone was 0.56 +/- 0.52 ng/ml in patients with favourable histopathology and 0.70 +/- 0.77 ng/ml with unfavourable histopathology [p<0.4]. No testosterone level was above normal range. There was no relation between serum testosterone level and histopathologic findings; viz. serum testosterone level was not higher in breast cancers with unfavourable histopathologic factors. So we need to conduct more studies to figure out the reasons for the poor prognosis observed in patients with higher levels of serum testosterone

Specific chromosomal abnormalities in patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Cytogenetic analysis performed at diagnosis is considered to be the most valuable prognostic factor in acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), a very heterogeneous disease. Little data exist in Iran regarding the cytogenetic characteristics of ANLL . Therefore, cytogenetic investigations were performed for 58 patients with various subtypes of ANLL with unstimulated short term culture and high resolution cell synchronization techniques. Among the 58 evaluated patients, 45 (77.5%) showed clonal karyotypic abnormalities and the percentages of the abnormal cells were recorded within the range of 30%-100%. Some 14 were classified as M1, 20 as M2, 19 as M3 , 3 as M4, 1 as M5 and 1 as M6. The most common chromosome rearrangements were t(15;17), t( 8;21) and t(9;22). Trisomy of chromosome 8 (+8) was the most frequent numerical alteration in 3 patients with M1, M2 and M6. The incidence of other chromosomal defects, including -10, DMCs , -19 , 5q- , dicentric(dic), chromatid breaks, and marker chromosomes was relatively high. Similarities and dissimilarities of our study with others may be due to the role of genetic sensitivities as well as uneven geographic distribution in the pathogenesis of ANLL. Further prospective studies are warranted to precisely elucidate ethnic differences in the pathogenesis of this disease in different populations.