Cytotoxic function of gamma delta (ϒ/δ) T cells against pamidronate- treated cervical cancer cells.

The cytotoxic function of polyclonal expanded ϒ/δ T cells against pamidronate-treated cervical cancer cells in vitro and in vivo were determined. The ϒ/δ T cells were isolated and purified from PBMCs by using miniMACS and were later treated with 10 μM pamidronate. The expansion of ϒ/δ T cells was 15 times more than the non-stimulated cells. Among the expanded ϒ/δ T cells, 47% were Vϒ9/Vδ2 T cells with a purity of 87%. Analyzing the cytotoxic function of ϒ/δ T cells against 3 cervical cancer cells in vitro by LDH cytotoxicity test revealed that the killing efficacy increased if the cervical cancer cells (HeLa, SiHa and CaSki) were pretreated with pamidronate. The presence of CD107 on ϒ/δ T cells indicated the degranulation of perforin and granzyme pathway is one of the mechanisms used by the ϒ/δ T cells to kill cancer cells. The killing ability of ϒ/δ T cells against cancer cells in vivo was preliminary assessed by using mouse baring HeLa cells. The results demonstrated that ϒ/δ T cells induce apoptosis in tumor cells. Our study supports the usefulness of ϒ/δ T cells in future development of immunotherapy for cervical cancer.

Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression in borderline ovarian tumors: an immunohistochemical study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) in epithelial borderline ovarian tumor (BOT) by immunohistochemistry with correlation to clinicopathologic variables. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 62 borderline ovarian tumors (47 mucinous, 14 serous, and 1 clear cell) and 12 epthelial ovarian carcinomas were immunostained with antibodies to hTERT. The intensity and quantity of the immunostaining was determined and analyzed with clinicopathological characteristics. RESULTS: hTERT expression was detected in 48.4% of BOT and all cases of epithelial ovarian carcinoma. In immunoreactive BOT 50% of cases were scored as high expression. Serous BOT had the highest rate of hTERT expression. There was no significant statistical difference of hTERT immunoreactivity between histologic types of BOT. No hTERT immunoreactivity was observed in the benign parts of the same slides of each immunoreactive case. hTERT immunoreactivity was positively correlated with FIGO stage (p = 0.04), but not with other variables. The mean follow-up time of BOT cases was 81.63 months and no recurrence or death was noted. CONCLUSION: hTERT expression was found in half of BOT and all of epithelial ovarian carcinoma. High hTERT expression was associated with FIGO stage.

Comparison between adenocarcinoma in both endocervical and endometrial specimens from fractional curettage and pathologic findings in subsequent hysterectomy specimens.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hysterectomy specimen findings in the patients who underwent fractional curettage (F&C) with presence of adenocarcinoma in both endocervical and endometrial specimens. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Forty-one patients who had adenocarcinoma in both endocervical and endometrial specimens from F&C and underwent subsequent hysterectomy for surgical staging without pre-operative radiotherapy or chemotherapy at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital between 1999 and 2007 were evaluated Histologic slides from both F&C and hysterectomy specimens were reviewed and assessed All cases of endometrial adenocarcinoma with cervical involvement (stage 2) in hysterectomy specimens were also assessed and compared to the results in F&C specimens. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (36.6%) with both positive endocervical and endometrial specimens from F&C were diagnosed as endometrial adenocarcinoma within uterine cavity with lower uterine segment involvement. Only 34.1% of cases were endometrial carcinomas with cervical involvement. In the 35 cases with endometrial carcinoma stage 2, 60% had adenocarcinoma in both endocervical and endometrial specimens from F&C. CONCLUSION: In the patients who had adenocarcinoma in both endocervical and endometrial specimens from fractional curettage, the most common final pathological diagnosis from hysterectomy specimens was endometrial adenocarcinoma within uterine cavity with lower uterine segment involvement. Therefore, only 60% of endometrial carcinoma stage 2 revealed positive adenocarcinoma in both endocervical and endometrial specimens from fractional curettage.

Detection of PTEN immunoreactivity in endometrial hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10) expression in endometrial hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma as analyzed by immunohistochemistry. MATERIAL AND METHOD: PTEN protein expression was evaluated by immunohistrochemical study of 70 paraffin-embedded curettage endometrial tissue samples (10 normal endometrium, 55 endometrial hyperplasia, and 15 endometrial adenocarcinomas) selected from surgical pathology files of the Division of Gynecologic Pathology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, from 2001 to 2004. Intensity of epithelial staining of PTEN immunoreactivity in different histologic types was determined. RESULTS: Absence of PTEN protein expression was detected in 60% of endometrial carcinoma, 60% of atypical endometrial hyperplasia, and 24% of typical endometrial hyperplasia. In endometrial hyperplasia without atypia group, the majority of cases revealed moderate to strong PTEN expression, with 70% in simple hyperplasia and 47% in complex hyperplasia. There is a significant statistical difference of PTEN immunoreactivity among proliferative endometrium, endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma group (p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Complete loss of PTEN protein expression was most commonly found in endometrial carcinoma and hyperplasia with cytologic atypia.

Survey of human papillomavirus infection in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in Thai women.

HPV infection is known to be associated with cervical cancer development. Precancerous lesions named cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) are divided into 3 grades, i.e., CIN-1, CIN-2, and CIN-3. Here, HPV infection determined by PCR and dot hybridization was observed in these 3 different grades of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues. The HPV infection was demonstrated in 33.3 per cent of CIN-1, 36.8 per cent of CIN-2 and 75 per cent of CIN-3. Using type specific probes for HPV-6, 11, 16, 18 and 33, HPV-16 was the most prevalent type (44.44%) followed by HPV-18 (16.05%) in CIN-3. Only one HPV-18 was identified in CIN-1 while CIN-2 contained one HPV-6 and one HPV-18. Mixed infection was found in CIN-3 (12.35%). All of them had HPV-16. The cervicitis cases with normal histopathology were included as control. Only 2.7 per cent of HPV infection was shown. The relative risk of HPV infection was high in CIN-3 (OR = 107.25, 95% CI = 50.29-228.73). Our data confirm the association between high-risk HPV types and development of CIN.