Mammary myofibroblastoma: a clinicopathological analysis of fifteen cases / 中华病理学杂志

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features, diagnosis and differential diagnosis of breast myofibroblastoma. Methods: The clinicopathological data and prognostic information of 15 patients with breast myofibroblastoma diagnosed at the Department of Pathology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China from 2014 to 2022 were collected. Their clinical characteristics, histological subtypes, immunophenotypes and molecular characteristics were analyzed. Results: There were 12 female and 3 male patients, ranging in age from 18 to 78 years, with a median and average age of 52 years. There were 6 cases in the left breast and 9 cases in the right breast, including 12 cases in outer upper quadrant, 2 cases in inner upper quadrant and 1 case in outer lower quadrant. Most of the cases showed a well-defined nodule grossly, including pushing growth under the microscope in 13 cases, being completely separated from the surrounding breast tissue in 1 case, and infiltrating growth in 1 case. Among them, 12 cases were classic subtype and composed of occasional spindle cells with varying intervals of collagen fiber bundles; eight cases had a small amount of fat; one case had focal cartilage differentiation; one case was epithelioid subtype, in which epithelioid tumor cells were scattered in single filing or small clusters; one case was schwannoma-like subtype, and the tumor cells were arranged in a significant palisade shape, resembling schwannoma, and one case was invasive leiomyoma-like subtype, in which the tumor cells had eosinophilic cytoplasm and were arranged in bundles, and infiltrating into the surrounding mammary lobules like leiomyoma. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the tumor cells expressed desmin (14/15) and CD34 (14/15), as well as ER (15/15) and PR (15/15). Three cases with histologic subtypes of epithelioid subtype, schwannoma-like subtype and infiltrating leiomyoma-like subtype showed RB1 negative immunohistochemistry. Then FISH was performed to detect RB1/13q14 gene deletion, and identified RB1 gene deletion in all three cases. Fifteen cases were followed up for 2-100 months, and no recurrence was noted. Conclusions: Myofibroblastoma is a rare benign mesenchymal tumor of the breast. In addition to the classic type, there are many histological variants, among which the epithelioid subtype is easily confused with invasive lobular carcinoma. The schwannoma-like subtype is similar to schwannoma, while the invasive subtype is easily misdiagnosed as fibromatosis-like or spindle cell metaplastic carcinoma. Therefore, it is important to recognize the various histological subtypes and clinicopathological features of the tumor for making correct pathological diagnosis and rational clinical treatment.

Hydroa vacciniforme-like cutaneous T cell lymphoma: a case report and literature review / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical features, diagnosis and therapy of hydroa vacciniforme-like cutaneous T cell lymphoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical presentations and the findings of laboratory examinations and skin biopsy of affected tissue in a child with hydroa vacciniforme-like cutaneous T cell lymphoma were retrospectively reviewed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The child manifested as rash, fever and lymph node intumesce. Rash was pantomorphia, including edematous erythema, vesicles, crusts, necrosis and depressed scar, and it was mild in winter and severe in summer, mainly involving in the face and extremities. Epstein-Barre virus (EBV)-IgM was positive. Histopathological findings revealed focal lymphocyte invasion in subcutaneous panniculus adiposus, mainly surrounding the blood vessels. Immunohistochemistry showed CD3 (+), CD43 (+), CD20 (-), pax-5 (-), TIA (+), CD5 (+), CD8 (+), Granmye (+) and CD4 (-). The clinical symptoms were improved after glucocorticoid treatment in this child.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Hydroa vacciniforme-like cutaneous T cell lymphoma has special clinical manifestations. This disorder may be definitely diagnosed by skin biopsy of affected tissue and immunohistochemistry assay. Glucocorticoid treatment is effective. EBV infection may be related to the development of this disorder.</p>

Quantity and distribution of CD44+/CD24- cells in breast cancer tissue and the cell lines / 中华病理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the distribution and quantity of CD44+/CD24- cells in breast cancer tissue and the cell lines, and as well as its correlation with the expression of various breast cancer markers and molecular subtyping of breast carcinoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression of CD44/CD24, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2, human estrogen-induced protein PS2, bcl-2 and nm23 in 60 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma of breast were studied by either single or double immunohistochemical staining. The co-expression of CD44 and CD24 in 3 breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-468, and MDA-MB-231) was also examined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The quantity and distribution of CD44+/CD24- cells varied greatly and no specific patterns were identified. The percentage of CD44+/CD24- in breast cancer was 65%. The amount of CD44+/CD24- cells did not correlate with the age of patients, lymph node metastasis, tumor size, molecular subtypes and expression of various breast cancer markers in breast carcinoma. The proportion of CD44+/CD24- cells in MCF-7, MDA-MB-468, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines was <1%, 5% and >80%, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CD44+/CD24- cells are demonstrated in certain breast cancer tissues and cell lines. However, there is no relationship obtained between the quantity or the distribution of these cells and the molecular subtyping or the clinicopathologic parameters in breast cancer.</p>

Effect of nanosize delivery system for ASODN against hTERT on the expression of telomerase in the esophageal cancer EC9706 cells / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the inhibitory effect of nanoparticle-mediated antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ASODN) of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) on telomerase in the esophageal cancer EC9706 cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Line-polyethylenimine (L-PEI) was used to condense ASODN into nanoparticle and to couple NGR peptides into targeting nanoparticle, and the prepared L-PEI/ASODN complexes were transfected into the EC9706 cells. Cellular uptake of L-PEI/ASODN complexes was detected by laser confocal scanning microscopy. MTT assay was used to detect the inhibitory rate of EC9706 cell growth. The level of hTERT mRNA and its protein expression were measured by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Annexin V FITC/PI double labeling was used to detect cell apoptosis. The distribution of drug in nude mice was observed by laser confocal scanning microscopy, and the growth and morphology of the tumor was examined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The L-PEI-mediated ASODN uptake was enhanced. After transfection, the inhibitory rate of EC9706 cells was time-dependant and there was a significant difference between control cell group and L-PEI/ASODN group (P < 0.05). At 48 h after transfection, the level of hTERT mRNA was decreased significantly compared with that of control cell group (P < 0.05), and the expression of hTERT protein was negative. There was apparent apoptosis in EC9706 cells after transfection with L-PEI/ASODN complexes. For the two NGR/L-PEI/ASODN groups, fluorescence was observed in the liver, kidney, lung and tumor tissues of nude mice, and their uptake intensity was time-dependent. The mean volume of tumors in the two NGR/L-PEI/ASODN groups was significantly smaller than those in blank control group and SODN group (P < 0.05). Apoptotic bodies were detected in the tumors of L-PEI/ASODN group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The NGR/L-PEI/ASODN nanoparticles can effectively reach into the human esophageal cancer xenograft and inhibit the tumor growth in nude mice, and this may provide a theoretical and experimental basis for gene therapy for human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.</p>

Expressions of thymidine phosphorylase, thymidylate synthase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase in breast cancer and their correlations with prognosis / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the expression of thymidine phosphorylase (TP), thymidylate synthase (TS) and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) mRNA in breast cancer and its correlation with prognosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Expression levels of TP, TS and DPD mRNA in 86 micro-selected breast cancer tissues and 9 normal breast tissues were detected by real-time quantitative PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The median expression levels of TP, TS and DPD mRNA in tumor tissue and in normal tissues were 16.54, 0.38, 2.47 and 11.75, 0.25, 8.33, respectively, there were no significant differences (P >0.05). The expression levels of TP, TS and DPD mRNA showed no association with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, pathological grade and clinical stage, except that of DPD showed a negative association with patients' ages. There was no significant difference in disease-free survival or overall survival between the patients with high and low TP or DPD mRNA levels. Disease-free survival tends to be better in the patients with low TS mRNA level than those with high TS mRNA, but the difference was not significant (P=0.069), while the overall survival showed a statistically difference (59.00 month and 70.30 month) (P=0.0496).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression level of TS mRNA may serve as a prognostic marker for breast cancer patients.</p>