ABSTRACT
Condyloma acuminatum is an anogenital lesion caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, a common sexually transmitted disease. It usually affects the external genitalia while urethral and/or bladder involvement is rare. HPV types are classified into three categories depending on their oncogenic potential: low risk (type 6, 11, 42, 43, 44, 59, 66, 68, 70), intermediate risk (type 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 39, 40, 49, 51, 52, 53, 57, 58, 63, 64) and high risk (type 16, 18, 45, 56). High-risk and intermediate-risk HPV-DNA types, together with other co-factors still to be defined, are responsible for over 90% of the cases of anogenital pre-malignant and malignant tumours. We report a unique case of a urinary bladder condyloma acuminatum positive for HPV 16/18 DNA, presented as the primary and only site of the disease in an immunocompetent patient. We review the treatment and follow-up strategies of this rare lesion.
Subject(s)
Condylomata Acuminata/virology , Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/virology , Adult , Condylomata Acuminata/diagnosis , Condylomata Acuminata/epidemiology , DNA Probes, HPV , DNA, Viral/analysis , Female , Greece/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Papillomaviridae/genetics , Papillomaviridae/isolation & purification , Urinary Bladder/virology , Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/diagnosis , Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/epidemiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The E-cadherin-catenin complex plays a key role in intercellular adhesion of epithelial cells. Aberrant expression and/or function of its components have been implicated in tumor progression and metastasis. We evaluated the expression of the E-cadherin-catenin complex in gastric cancer by immunohistochemistry and investigated its relationship to histopathological features. METHODOLOGY: The expression of E-cadherin, alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenin, and p120 protein was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 36 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens of gastric cancer. RESULTS: In benign gastric mucosa all five molecules co-localized at the cell membrane. Reduced E-cadherin, alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenin, and p120 expression was found in 67%, 61%, 50%, 64%, and 56% of cases, respectively. The expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin correlated significantly with the histological type and the degree of tumor differentiation. gamma-Catenin expression correlated only with the histological type of the tumor. The expression of E-cadherin correlated significantly with alpha-, beta- and gamma-catenin, and p120 expression, respectively. The expression of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin showed the highest concordance. CONCLUSIONS: In gastric cancer, reduced E-cadherin, catenin and p120 expressions are related events with E-cadherin showing the most frequent aberrations.
