Clinical characteristics and outcome for hepatitis C virus-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Several previous studies have addressed the association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but there are few studies on HCV-related diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBL). We conducted this retrospective study to investigate the distinctive clinical characteristics and outcome for HCV-positive DLBL. We compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes of 32 HCV-positive DLBL cases from nine Korean institutions with those of 371 HCV-negative DLBL cases. A higher percentage of HCV-positive DLBL cases were associated with old age (> or = 60) than HCV-negative DLBL cases at diagnosis (59.4% vs. 36.1%, respectively, P = 0.009) and HCV-positive cases were less likely than HCV-negative cases to have extranodal involvement (53.1% vs. 71.1%, respectively, P = 0.044). The nodal presentation was the only independent factor favorably influencing the event free survival (EFS) in HCV-positive DLBL (HR = 0.11, 95% CI; 0.01-0.95, P = 0.012). In comparison to patients with HCV-negative DLBL, HCV-positive DLBL patients had a superior complete response rate (P = 0.023) and EFS (P = 0.02). In Korean patients, HCV-positive DLBL is more common with old age and has less extranodal involvement than does HCV-negative DLBL. The superior survival outcome for HCV-positive DLBL should be verified by further investigation, especially with respect to its correlation with transformed low-grade NHL.

Phospho-Stat3 expression and correlation with VEGF, p53, and Bcl-2 in gastric carcinoma using tissue microarray.

The signal transducer and activator of the transcription (Stat)-family of proteins are latent cytoplasmic transcription factors that transmit signals from cytokines and growth-factor receptors to the nucleus. Stat proteins, especially Stat3 and Stat5, are constitutively activated in various solid tumors and hematological malignancies. However, the role of Stat3 signaling in gastric carcinoma has not yet been fully determined. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical value of phospho-Stat3 expression in gastric carcinoma. Expression of phospho-Stat3 (Tyr705), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), p53, and Bcl-2 was determined by immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays from 137 cases of resected gastric cancer specimens. We evaluated the relationships among phospho-Stat3, VEGF, p53, and Bcl-2 expression and the correlation between expression of these proteins and various clinicopathological factors, including overall survival. Phospho-Stat3 nuclear expression was observed in 18.2% of the cases. Of the total number of cases, 68.6% were positive for VEGF, 40.1% for p53, and 11.7% for Bcl-2. Phospho-Stat3 expression correlated with VEGF (p=0.021) and Bcl-2 (p=0.005) expression. Positive phospho-Stat3 staining was significantly associated with poor pathological grade. However, there was no significant difference in other clinicopathological parameters, such as tumor stage (T, N, M), pathological type, relapse-free survival, and overall survival between the phospho-Stat3-positive and -negative groups. Co-expression of phospho-Stat3 and VEGF was found in many patients with N3 and Stage IV disease. These results suggest that phospho-Stat3 expression might be associated with angiogenesis, anti-apoptosis, and tumor progression. Further studies are needed to determine the role of phospho-Stat3 in gastric cancer.

A case of NK/T-cell lymphoma complicated by a squamous cell carcinoma of hard palate during combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

NK/T-cell lymphoma, which often shows an angiocentric growth pattern, is a distinct clinicopathologic entity highly associated with Epstein-Barr virus. The disease is characterized by a destruction of the upper respiratory tract, particularly the nasal cavity, palate and paranasal sinuses. Interestingly, NK/T-cell lymphoma is closely linked to a variety of complications, such as hemophagocytic syndrome, second primary cancer, sepsis and bleeding. Here we report a case of a 50-year-old man diagnosed initially as NK/T-cell lymphoma of the oropharynx and who developed a second primary carcinoma of the hard palate during combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Absence of clinical prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor and microvessel density in multiple myeloma.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is considered a potent stimulator of angiogenesis. In multiple myeloma (MM), it has been reported that bone marrow angiogenesis parallels tumor progression and correlates with a poor prognosis. To investigate the role of angiogenesis in MM, we investigated VEGF expression and microvessel density (MVD) in the bone marrow of 75 MM patients by immunohistochemical methods. VEGF expression was observed in 87.3% (62 of 71) of patients. MVD was 69.42 +/- 9.67 (mean +/- SE) compared with the normal control values of 26.81 +/- 2.85. MVD values were 73.98 +/- 11.27 and 36.04 +/- 6.99 in the VEGF-positive and VEGF-negative groups, respectively. The MVD of patients in the VEGF-positive group was significantly higher than in the VEGF-negative group (P = .045). However, there were no significant differences in various clinical parameters, such as age, sex, hemoglobin, platelet count, serum levels of albumin, calcium, creatinine, and beta2-microglobulin, and bone marrow plasma cell percentage, between the VEGF-positive and VEGF-negative groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that age, hemoglobin, platelet count, serum levels of albumin and creatinine, and bone marrow plasma cell percentage were correlated with overall survival, whereas VEGF expression or MVD was not. In conclusion, our results suggest that VEGF is highly expressed and that MVD is increased in MM, indicating that angiogenesis may play a role in MM. Although MVD in the bone marrow of the VEGF-positive group is significantly higher compared with the VEGF-negative group (P = .045), VEGF is not correlated with overall survival. Further studies that include other angiogenic factors are needed to determine the functional role of angiogenesis in MM.