Differential expression of STAT5 and Bcl-xL, and high expression of Neu and STAT3 in non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

Experimental evidence suggests that in lung cancer, development, progression and an increased proliferation rate can be linked to apoptosis-related factors. The objective of this study is to evaluate the status of Neu, signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-3, STAT5 and Bcl-xL expression in non-small-cell lung cancer. We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of these proteins in 92 non-small-cell lung cancer specimens to establish their role in lung cancer pathogenesis. Neu was overexpressed in 65% of cases, and although STAT3 was overexpressed in 52.1% in cytoplasm, it was expressed in nucleus (activated) in 60.8%. Meanwhile, STAT5 was found overexpressed in 41.3% in cytoplasm and 32.6% in nucleus. Thus, Bcl-xL was overexpressed in cytoplasm in 81.5%. Interestingly, we found nuclear expression of Bcl-xL in 30.4% of cases. Finally, we found correlation among histological types of lung cancer and nuclear expression of both STAT5 (P=0.005) and nuclear Bcl-xL (P=0.003). Besides, nuclear expression of Bcl-xL was correlated with TNM stage IV (distant metastasis) (P=0.02). These results suggest for the first time, a relevant role for STAT5 and Bcl-xL as apoptosis-regulatory proteins in the pathogenesis of lung cancer, and overexpression of both Neu and activated STAT3, could be related with the proliferation rate in lung carcinoma cells.

[Advanced gestational choriocarcinoma. A clinical-pathological study of 40 cases]. / Coriocarcinoma gestacional avanzado. Estudio clínico patológico de 40 casos.

Forty two cases of advanced gestational choriocarcinoma were examined, with 4 of these patients being hospitalized for less than 24 hours. Given the non specific and atypical nature of the symptomatology, it was correctly diagnosed in 20 of these cases. In the other 22 cases where the predominant clinical status was established as a result of the localized invasion of neighboring structures or through metastasis, a variety of diagnoses were given, including uterine cervical carcinoma, endometrial carcinoma, pulmonary metastasis, brain tumor, bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract. The 20 patient diagnosed with choriocarcinoma were treated in the following manner: nine were operated for hysterectomies, with one of these also receiving an omentectomy, seven more were given chemotherapy treatment based upon methotrexate, and the remaining for were simply stabilized, which produced unfavorable results in that they survived from one to twenty weeks longer, with an average on only five weeks.