Diagnostic value of serum tumor markers CEA, CYFRA21-1, SCCAg, NSE and ProGRP for lung cancers of different pathological types / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the diagnostic value of the serum tumor markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin-19-fragment (CYFRA21-1), squamous cell carcinoma associated antigen (SCCAg), neuron-specificenolase (NSE) and pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) for lung cancers of different pathological types.@*METHODS@#This study was conducted among patients with established diagnoses of lung adenocarcinoma (LADC, n=137), lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC, n=82), small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC, n=59), and benign chest disease (BCD, n=102). The serum tumor markers were detected for all the patients for comparison of the positivity rates and their serum levels. ROC curve was used for analysis of the diagnostic efficacy of these tumor markers either alone or in different combinations.@*RESULTS@#In patients with LADC, the positivity rate and serum level of CEA were significantly higher than those in the other groups (P < 0.05); the patients with LSCC had the highest positivity rate and serum level of SCCAg among the 4 groups (P < 0.05). The positivity rates and serum levels of ProGRP and NSE were significantly higher in SCLC group than in the other groups (P < 0.05). CYFRA21-1 showed the highest positivity rate and serum level in LADC group and LSCC group. With the patients with BCD as control, CEA showed a diagnostic sensitivity of 62.8% and a specificity of 93.1% for LADC, and the sensitivity and specificity of SCCAg for diagnosing LSCC were 64.6% and 91.2%, respectively. CYFRA21-1 had the highest diagnostic sensitivity for LADC and LSCC. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of ProGRP for SCLC were 83.1% and 98.0%, respectively. When combined, CYFRA21-1 and CEA showed a high sensitivity (78.8%) and specificity (86.3%) for diagnosing LADC with an AUC of 0.891; CYFRA21-1 and SCCAg had a high sensitivity (84.1%) and specificity (87.3%) for diagnosing LSCC with an AUC of 0.912. NSE combined with ProGRP was highly sensitive (88.1%) and specific (98.0%) for diagnosis of SCLC, with an AUC of 0.952. For lung cancers of different pathological types, the combination of all the 5 tumor markers showed no significant differences in the diagnostic power from a combined detection with any two of the markers (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#CEA, CYFRA21-1, SCCAg, NSE and ProGRP are all related to the pathological type of lung cancers and can be used in different combinations as useful diagnostic indicators for lung cancers.

Spontaneous remission of follicular bronchiolitis with nonspecific interstitial pneumonia: A case report and literature review / 北京大学学报(医学版)

A 41-year-old female patient was admitted in Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital because of having cough for a year. Multiple subpleural ground grass and solid nodules could be seen on her CT scan. Four months before admission, she began to experience dry mouth and eyes, blurred vision, finger joints pain, muscle pain and weakness in both lower limbs and weight loss. At the time of admission, the patient's vital signs were normal, no skin rash was seen, breath sounds in both lungs were clear, no rales or wheeze, no deformities in her hands, no redness, swelling, or tenderness in the joints. There was no edema in both lower limbs. Some lab examinations were performed. Tumor markers including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), Cyfra21-1, pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (proGRP), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) were all normal. The antinuclear antibody, rheumatoid factor, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, anti-dsDNA antibody, anti-Sm antibody, anti-SSA/SSB antibody, anti-ribonucleoprotein (RNP) antibody, anti-Jo-1 antibody, anti-SCL-70 antibody and anti-ribosomal antibody were all negative. The blood IgG level was normal. The blood fungal β-1.3-D glucose, aspergillus galactomannan antigen, sputum bacterial and fungal culture, and sputum smear test for acid-fast staining were all negative. Lung function was normal. Bronchoscopy showed the airways and mucosa were normal. To clarify the diagnosis, she underwent thoracoscopic lung biopsy, the histopathology revealed follicular bronchiolitis (FB) with nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP). She did not receive any treatment and after 7 months, the lung opacities were spontaneously resolved. After 7 years of follow-up, the opacities in her lung did not relapse. To improve the understanding of FB, a literature research was performed with "follicular bronchiolitis" as the key word in Wanfang, PubMed and Ovid Database. The time interval was from January 2000 to December 2018. Relative articles were retrieved and clinical treatments and prognosis of FB were analyzed. Eighteen articles concerning FB with complete records were included in the literature review. A total of 51 adult patients with FB were reported, including 18 primary FB and 33 secondary FB, and autoimmune disease was the most common underlying cause. Forty-one (80.4%) patients were prescribed with corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressive agents, 6 (11.8%) patients were treated with anti-infective, 5 (9.8%) patients did not receive any treatment. The longest follow-up period was 107 months. Among the 5 patients without any treatment, 1 patients died of metastatic melanoma, the lung opacities were unchanged in 1 patient and getting severe in 3 patients. In conclusion, FB is a rare disease, the treatment and prognosis are controversial. Corticosteroid and immunosuppressive agents could be effective. This case report suggests the possibility of spontaneous remission of FB.

Performances of CYFRA 21-1, Carcinoembryonic Antigen and Their Combination for Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Functional and genomic characterization of three novel cell lines derived from a metastatic gallbladder cancer tumor

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common tumor of the biliary tract. The incidence of GBC shows a large geographic variability, being particularly frequent in Native American populations. In Chile, GBC represents the second cause of cancer-related death among women. We describe here the establishment of three novel cell lines derived from the ascitic fluid of a Chilean GBC patient, who presented 46% European, 36% Mapuche, 12% Aymara and 6% African ancestry. RESULTS: After immunocytochemical staining of the primary cell culture, we isolated and comprehensively characterized three independent clones (PUC-GBC1, PUC-GBC2 and PUC-GBC3) by short tandem repeat DNA profiling and RNA sequencing as well as karyotype, doubling time, chemosensitivity, in vitro migration capability and in vivo tumorigenicity assay. Primary culture cells showed high expression of CK7, CK19, CA 19-9, MUC1 and MUC16, and negative expression of mesothelial markers. The three isolated clones displayed an epithelial phenotype and an abnormal structure and number of chromosomes. RNA sequencing confirmed the increased expression of cytokeratin and mucin genes, and also of TP53 and ERBB2 with some differences among the three cells lines, and revealed a novel exonic mutation in NF1. The PUC-GBC3 clone was the most aggressive according to histopathological features and the tumorigenic capacity in NSG mice. CONCLUSIONS: The first cell lines established from a Chilean GBC patient represent a new model for studying GBC in patients of Native American descent.

Prognostic significance of inflammation-based prognostic scoring in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma

ABSTRACT Objectives: To investigate whether Glasgow Prognostic Score has prognostic significance in patients with upper urinary urothelial carcinoma. Patients and methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 74 patients with upper urinary urothelial carcinoma. We set the cut-off value for C-reactive protein as 1.0mg/dL, and 3.5mg/dL for albumin as Glasgow Prognostic Score. Their blood data including albumin and C-reactive protein for Glasgow Prognostic Score and cytokeratin 19 fragment 21-1 as a tumor marker were measured before starting treatment. The patients were stratified into three groups with Glasgow Prognostic Score: The Group-1, albumin ≥3.5g/dL and C-reactive protein < 1.0mg/dL; Group-2, albumin < 3.5g/dL or C-reactive protein ≥1.0mg/dL; Group-3, albumin < 3.5g/dL and C-reactive protein ≥1.0mg/dL. Results: The median follow-up for all patients was 26.9 months (range: 10.9-91.1 months), during which 37 (50%) patients died. There was a significant difference in the estimated survival rate among the 3 groups stratified by Glasgow Prognostic Score. The estimated survival rate in the Group-1 was significantly higher than those in Groups 2 and 3. In the univariate analysis C-reactive protein, serum cytokeratin 19 fragment 21-1 and Glasgow Prognostic Score were significant predictors of overall survival. On the multivariate analysis, serum cytokeratin 19 fragment 21-1 and Glasgow Prognostic Score were independently associated with shorter overall survival. Conclusion: Our review suggests Glasgow Prognostic Score may play as a prognostic predictor for upper urinary urothelial carcinoma.

Increased Expression of the Matrix-Modifying Enzyme Lysyl Oxidase-Like 2 in Aggressive Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Poor Prognosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2), a collagen-modifying enzyme, has been implicated in cancer invasiveness and metastasis. METHODS: We evaluated the expression of LOXL2 protein, in addition to carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), keratin 19, epithelial cell adhesion molecule, and interleukin 6, in 105 resected hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: LOXL2 positivity was found in 14.3% (15/105) of HCCs, and it was significantly associated with high serum α-fetoprotein levels, poor differentiation, fibrous stroma, portal vein invasion, and advanced TNM stage (p < 0.05 for all). Additionally, LOXL2 positivity was significantly associated with CAIX (p=0.005) and stromal interleukin 6 expression (p=0.001). Survival analysis of 99 HCC patients revealed LOXL2 positivity to be a poor prognostic factor; its prognostic impact appeared in progressed HCCs. Furthermore, LOXL2 positivity was shown to be an independent predictor of overall survival and disease-specific survival (p < 0.05 for all). Interestingly, co-expression of LOXL2 and CAIX was also an independent predictor for overall survival, disease-specific survival, disease-free survival, and extrahepatic recurrence-free survival (p < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: LOXL2 expression represents a subgroup of HCCs with more aggressive behavior and is suggested to be a poor prognostic marker in HCC patients.

Hair Follicle Nevus Located on the Neck: Comparison with Accessory Tragus, Cervical Chondrocutaneous Branchial Remnants and Trichofolliculoma

Hair follicle nevus (HFN) is a rare, benign, follicular hamartoma that most frequently presents as a congenital nodule on the face. We experienced a rare case of HFN on the neck of a 14-year-old boy and performed a pilot immunohistochemical study with cytokeratin 19 (CK19) to compare the staining pattern of hair follicles in HFN and its differential diagnoses, accessory tragus, cervical chondrocutaneous branchial remnants (CCBR) and trichofolliculoma. With hematoxylin and eosin stain, HFN showed numerous tiny hair follicles in the dermis with several sebaceous and eccrine glands, and perifollicular fibrous thickening. With CK19 stain, some hair follicles in HFN and CCBR showed positive expression, a few hair follicles in accessory tragus showed weak expression, and no hair follicles in trichofolliculoma showed expression. The present report supports the view that HFN, accessory tragus and CCBR are within the same spectrum of hamartomas.

Correlation between Serum Cytokeratin 19 Fragment and the Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis of Thymic Epithelial Tumors / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#So far there's no tumor maker applied in diagnosis and treatment of thymic epithelial tumors. This study is to assess the correlation between serum cytokine 19 fragment (Cyfra 21-1) and clinicopathological features and prognosis of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs).@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 159 patients with TETs in Shanghai Chest Hospital was retrospectively analysed. Patients were divided into groups according to different tumor stages and histotypes. Serum Cyfra 21-1 was thus compared. In addition, the possible relationship between perioperative serum Cyfra 21-1 level and the recurrent status was carrid out.@*RESULTS@#Preoperative Cyfra 21-1 serum concentrations in patiants with advanced stage (T4) and thymic carcinomas were significantly higher than that in others (P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively). When the preoperative serum level exceeds the out-off of 1.66 ng/mL, it possibly indicates the recurrence during follow up. Furthermore, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive as well as negative predictive value (PPV and NPV) of postoperative Cyfra 21-1 to predict tumor recurrence were evaluated. At a cut-off of Cyfra 21-1 of 2.66 ng/mL, the sensitivity was 0.7, the specificity was 0.925, the PPV was 0.5 and the NPV was 0.966.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The elevated level of preoperative serum Cyfra 21-1 indicates an advanced stage of tumor or a more malignant histotype (thymic carcinoma). It also probably suggests a higher risk of tumor recurrence. During the oncological follow up, in addition to regular imaging examinations, the blood test of serum Cyfra 21-1 is also suggested to improve the diagnosis of tumor recurrence in order to improve the prognosis.

Hepatoid Carcinoma of the Pancreas Presenting as Acute Pancreatitis / 대한내과학회지

Hepatoid carcinoma is extrahepatic neoplasm showing similar morphologic, immunohistochemical features with hepatocellular carcinoma. It's a very rare disease and has been reported most frequently in the stomach. Herein, we report a case of hepatoid carcinoma of pancreas presented with acute pancreatitis. The hepatoid carcinoma was diagnosed by his needle biopsy specimen and it showed pleomorphic nuclei and predominantly eosinophilic and occasionally clear cytoplasm in hematoxylin and eosin staining, and positive for HepPar-1 and cytokeratin 19 in immunohistochemical staining. Surgical treatment seems to be the best choice, if possible. However, there is no standard regimen for palliative chemotherapy. In our case, the patient was treated with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), folinic acid, irinotecan, oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX). The response was stable disease up to 4 month of follow up.

The Intraoperative Immunohistochemical Staining of CD56 and CK19 Improves Surgical Decision for Thyroid Follicular Lesions

BACKGROUND: When differential diagnosis is difficult in thyroid follicular lesions with overlapping histological features, the immunohistochemical staining can help confirm the diagnosis. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of rapid immunohistochemical stains of CD56 and cytokeratin 19 on frozen sections of thyroid follicular lesion and explore the possible gains and limitations of the practice. METHODS: Eighty-six nodules of 79 patients whose intraoperative frozen sections were selected as the control group, and 53 nodules of 48 patients whose intraoperative frozen sections were subject to rapid immunohistochemistry were selected as the study group. RESULTS: Five nodules (6%) in the control group were diagnosed as follicular neoplasm and six nodules (7%) were deferred. In the study group, six nodules (11%) were follicular neoplasm and none were deferred. Three nodules (4%) in the control group showed diagnostic discrepancy between the frozen and permanent diagnoses, but none in the study group. The average turnaround time for the frozen diagnosis of the control group was 24 minutes, whereas it was 54 minutes for the study group. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative rapid immunohistochemical stains significantly decreased the diagnostic discrepancy in this study. Considering the adverse effects of indefinite frozen diagnosis or discrepancy with permanent diagnoses, the intraoperative rapid immunohistochemical stain can help to accurately diagnose and hence provide guidance to surgical treatment.

Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Liver Transplantation: Comparative Analysis with Partial Hepatectomy

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LT) is the treatment of choice for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to investigate the recurrence rate of HCC after LT and prognostic factors for recurrence by comparing LT with non-transplanted resection. METHODS: The participants were 338 patients who underwent LT between 1996 and 2012 at Seoul National University Hospital (LT group) and 520 HCC patients who underwent partial hepatectomy between 1995 and 2006 (control group, non-LT group). RESULTS: In the LT group, 68 of 338 patients (19.8%) showed relapse, and the recurrence rate was lower than that in the non-LT group (64.9%, 357/520, p < .001). Stratification analysis by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage showed that the stage I-II LT group had a lower recurrence rate than the non-LT group. Univariate comparative analysis demonstrated that multiplicity of tumor, tumor size, gross type, Edmondson- Steiner (ES) nuclear grade, extent of tumor, angioinvasion, AJCC stage, Milan criteria, University of California at San Francisco criteria on explant pathology (all p < .001), positive expression of cytokeratin 19 (p = .002), and preoperative α-fetoprotein (AFP) (p < .001) were predictors of tumor recurrence. In multivariate analysis, LT, preoperative AFP, multiplicity of tumor, extent of tumor, size of tumor, and ES nuclear grade were independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: LT might have a protective effect against the late recurrence of stage I-II HCC compared to non-LT, and the prognostic factors for recurrence were similar to previously well-known prognostic factors for HCC.

The Cancer Genome Atlas Validation of Ancillary Tests for Classifying Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ancillary tests such as BRAF(V600E) mutation or immunohistochemical (IHC) assays have been utilized as complements to morphological criteria in diagnosing subsets of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Utilizing results from analysis by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we evaluated the diagnostic value and feasibility of these ancillary tests in diagnosing follicular variant PTC (FVPTC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical data and tissue samples were analyzed from 370 PTC patients, who had undergone thyroidectomy between December 2003 and July 2014. PTC was limited to conventional PTC (CVPTC), tall cell variant PTC (TCPTC), and FVPTC. Using multivariate analyses, FVPTC cases were compared to CVPTC and TCPTC cases. Surgical specimens were pyrosequenced for BRAF(V600E) mutation or stained for IHC markers such as CD56, galectin-3, cytokeratin 19 (CK19), or CD31. For the validation, a comprehensive analysis was performed for BRAF(V600E) mutation and quantitative mRNA expressional difference in TCGA. RESULTS: Demographic differences were not observed between 159 CVPTC, 103 TCPTC, and 108 FVPTC cases. BRAF(V600E) mutation predominated in CVPTC+TCPTC group, but not in FVPTC group (78.4% vs. 18.7%, p<0.001), as suggested by TCGA (57.4% vs. 12.1%, p<0.0001). IHC markers significantly distinguished FVPTC cases from CVPTC+TCPTC cases. CD56 exhibited more intense staining in FVPTC cases (21.1% vs. 72.0%, p<0.001). Galectin-3 and CK19 yielded limited values. CD31 correlated with lymphovascular invasion (r=0.847, p<0.001). In analysis of TCGA, mRNA differential expression of these genes revealed their corresponding upregulation or downregulation. CONCLUSION: BRAF(V600E) mutation or TCGA-validated IHC assay could be recommended as ancillary tests for classifying PTC.

Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer Patients Using Cytokeratin-19 Real-Time RT-PCR

PURPOSE: The roles of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as predictive and prognostic factors, as well as key mediators in the metastatic cascade, have been investigated. This study aimed to validate a method to quantify CTCs in peripheral blood using a real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for cytokeratin (CK)-19 and to evaluate the utility of this assay in detecting CTCs in breast cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Real-time monitoring PCR of fluorescently labeled specific hybridization probes for CK-19 mRNA was established. Peripheral blood samples from 30 healthy donors, 69 patients with early breast cancer, 47 patients with locally advanced breast cancer, and 126 patients with metastatic breast cancer were prospectively obtained and analyzed for CTC detection. RESULTS: CK-19 mRNA was not detectable in healthy subjects using the real-time RT-PCR method. The detection rates of CK-19 mRNA in breast cancer patients were 47.8% for early breast cancer (33/69), 46.8% for locally advanced breast cancer (22/47), and 61.1% for metastatic breast cancer (77/129). The detection rate of CK-19-positive CTCs in metastatic disease was slightly higher than early or locally advanced breast cancer; however, the detection rate according to disease burden was not statistically different (p=0.097). The detection rate was higher in patients with pleural metastasis (p=0.045). CTC detection was associated with poor survival (p=0.014). CONCLUSION: A highly specific and sensitive CK-19 mRNA-based method to detect CTCs in peripheral blood in breast cancer patients can be used in further prospective studies to evaluate the predictive and prognostic importance of CTCs.

Heparin/Collagen 3D Scaffold Accelerates Hepatocyte Differentiation of Wharton's Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Both mature and stem cell-derived hepatocytes lost their phenotype and functionality under conventional culture conditions. However, the 3D scaffolds containing the main extracellular matrix constitutions, such as heparin, may provide appropriate microenvironment for hepatocytes to be functional. The current study aimed to investigate the efficacy of the differentiation capability of hepatocytes derived from human Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) in 3D heparinized scaffold. In this case, the human WJ-MSCs were cultured on the heparinized and non-heparinized 2D collagen gels or within 3D scaffolds in the presence of hepatogenic medium. Immunostaining was performed for anti-alpha fetoprotein, cytokeratin-18 and -19 antibodies. RT-PCR was performed for detection of hepatic nuclear factor-4 (HNF-4), albumin, cytokeratin-18 and -19, glucose-6-phosphatase (G6P), c-met and Cyp2B. The results indicated that hepatogenic media induced the cells to express early liver-specific markers including HNF4, albumin, cytokeratin-18 and 19 in all conditions. The cells cultured on both heparinized culture conditions expressed late liver-specific markers such as G6P and Cyp2B as well. Besides, the hepatocytes differentiated in 3D heparinized scaffolds stored more glycogen that indicated they were more functional. Non-heparinized 2D gel was the superior condition for cholangiocyte differentiation as indicated by higher levels of cytokeratin 19 expression. In conclusion, the heparinized 3D scaffolds provided a microenvironment to mimic Disse space. Therefore, 3D heparinized collagen scaffold can be suggested as a good vehicle for hepatocyte differentiation.

Molecular Portrait of the Normal Human Breast Tissue and Its Influence on Breast Carcinogenesis / 한국유방암학회지

Normal human breast tissue consists of epithelial and nonepithelial cells with different molecular profiles and differentiation grades. This molecular heterogeneity is known to yield abnormal clones that may contribute to the development of breast carcinomas. Stem cells that are found in developing and mature breast tissue are either positive or negative for cytokeratin 19 depending on their subtype. These cells are able to generate carcinogenesis along with mature cells. However, scientific data remains controversial regarding the monoclonal or polyclonal origin of breast carcinomas. The majority of breast carcinomas originate from epithelial cells that normally express BRCA1. The consecutive loss of the BRCA1 gene leads to various abnormalities in epithelial cells. Normal breast epithelial cells also express hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) 1α and HIF-2α that are associated with a high metastatic rate and a poor prognosis for malignant lesions. The nuclear expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in normal human breast tissue is maintained in malignant tissue as well. Several controversies regarding the ability of ER and PR status to predict breast cancer outcome remain. Both ER and PR act as modulators of cell activity in normal human breast tissue. Ki-67 positivity is strongly correlated with tumor grade although its specific role in applied therapy requires further studies. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) oncoprotein is less expressed in normal human breast specimens but is highly expressed in certain malignant lesions of the breast. Unlike HER2, epidermal growth factor receptor expression is similar in both normal and malignant tissues. Molecular heterogeneity is not only found in breast carcinomas but also in normal breast tissue. Therefore, the molecular mapping of normal human breast tissue might represent a key research area to fully elucidate the mechanisms of breast carcinogenesis.

Immunohistochemical Expression and Clinical Significance of Suggested Stem Cell Markers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence has shown that tumor initiation and growth are nourished by a small subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) within the tumor mass. CSCs are posited to be responsible for tumor maintenance, growth, distant metastasis, and relapse after curative operation. We examined the expression of CSC markers in paraffin-embedded tissue sections of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and correlated the results with clinicopathologic characteristics. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining for the markers believed to be expressed in the CSCs, including epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), keratin 19 (K19), CD133, and CD56, was performed in 82 HCC specimens. RESULTS: EpCAM expression was observed in 56% of the HCCs (46/82) and K19 in 6% (5/82). EpCAM expression in HCC significantly correlated with elevated alpha-fetoprotein level, microvessel invasion of tumor cells, and high histologic grade. In addition, EpCAM expression significantly correlated with K19 expression. The overall survival and relapsefree survival rates in patients with EpCAM-expressing HCC were relatively lower than those in patients with EpCAM-negative HCC. All but two of the 82 HCCs were negative for CD133 and CD56, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that HCCs expressing EpCAM are associated with unfavorable prognostic factors and have a more aggressive clinical course than those not expressing EpCAM. Further, the expression of either CD133 or CD56 in paraffin-embedded HCC tissues appears to be rare.

Expression and Clinical Significance of Cytokeratin-19 and Thymidine Kinase-1 in Advanced Gastrointestinal Cancer / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>As the clinical value of cytokeratin-19 (CK19) and thymidine kinase-1 (TK1) in advanced gastrointestinal cancer remains controversial, we investigated their expression and clinical significance in this disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 171 advanced gastrointestinal cancer patients were prospectively enrolled in this study. The mRNA level of CK19 was detected using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in all patients, along with a control group of fifty healthy individuals. Furthermore, detection of TK1 protein was carried out in 96 patients using a chemiluminescence dot blot assay. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) time.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Positive CK19 mRNA expression was detected in 74 (43.3%) of the 171 patients and positive TK1 expression was detected in 66 (68.8%) of the 96 patients. Furthermore, of the 96 patients, 36 (37.5%) were positive for both TK1 protein and CK19 mRNA, 30 (31.3%) were negative for TK1 protein, and 15 (15.6%) were negative for TK1 protein and positive for CK19 mRNA. The results indicated that patients who were positive for CK19 mRNA expression had significantly shorter OS times than those who were negative for it (median OS 7.7 vs. 9.7 months, respectively; P = 0.02). Moreover, patients who were positive for CK19 mRNA and TK1 protein expression had shorter OS times (median OS 6.1 months) than those who were positive for CK19 mRNA and negative for TK1 protein expression (median OS 9.1 months; P = 0.028). Positive CK19 mRNA expression was significantly associated with shorter OS in the univariate analysis (P = 0.027). Based on a multivariate Cox regression analysis, CK19 mRNA together with TK1 protein expression (P = 0.024) was an independent predictor for OS in gastrointestinal cancer patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Our results suggest that positive expression of CK19 mRNA and TK1 protein is closely correlated with poor prognosis in advanced gastrointestinal cancer. Furthermore, both CK19 and TK1 are possible gastrointestinal cancer biomarkers.</p>

A Case of Intrahepatic Sarcomatoid Cholangiocarcinoma Mimicking Liver Abscess / 대한췌담도학회지

Sarcomatoid transformation of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is rarely found but usually has very poor prognosis due to the lack of effective approaches for early detection and its aggressive nature. We report a case of this tumor type, in a 60-year-old man who was referred to our hospital for further evaluation of screening-detected, asymptomatic hepatic lesion. Clinical diagnosis was elusive despite performance of different imaging modalities and a transcutaneous liver biopsy. Pathology of the surgically resected tumor demonstrated intrahepatic sarcomatoid cholangiocarcinoma. In our case, tumor cells expressed strong immunoreactivity to both cytokeratin-19 and vimentin. We assume the relatively good prognosis of this patient would be expected because surgery played a critical role at an early stage of the tumor.

Cholangiolocellular carcinoma with satellite nodules showing intermediate differentiation

No abstract available.

Significance of serum neuron-specific enolase before treatment in predicting brain metastases and prognosis of advanced non-small cell lung cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the value of serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) before treatment in predicting brain metastases and prognosis of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 128 hospitalized patients with advanced NSCLC from Jan 2012 to Mar 2012 were followed up, and their clinicopathological data, serum NSE, carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin 21-1 (cyfra21-1) levels, albumin (ALB), white blood cell (WBC) before treatment were analyzed retrospectively to determine the factors affecting brain metastasis and prognosis of advanced NSCLC.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 128 NSCLC patients, 90 cases were of adenocarcinoma, 30 cases were of squamous cell carcinoma, and 8 cases were of large cell carcinoma. The median levels of pre-treatment NSE, CEA and cyfra21-1 were 13.6 ng/ml, 7.8 ng/ml and 6.1 ng/ml, respectively. The average levels of ALB and WBC were (35.41 ± 5.60) g/L and (8.16 ± 2.53) × 10⁹/ml, respectively. Multi-variate logistic regression analysis showed that serum NSE before treatment was associated with brain metastasis of advanced NSCLC (P = 0.030). Pre-treatment NSE levels were (34.18 ± 28.48) ng/ml in 28 patients with brain metastasis and (13.87 ± 4.49) ng/ml in 98 patients without brain metastasis (P < 0.05). The median survival time were 3.5 months in patients with normal levels of NSE, and 10.7 months in patients with elevated levels of NSE pre-treatment (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>A higher pre-treatment level of NSE is closely correlated with brain metastasis of advanced NSCLC, and can be used as a predictor of brain metastases in advanced NSCLC. High pre-treatment levels of NSE indicate a poor prognosis in advanced NSCLC patients.</p>