Mucinous metaplasia of the penis.

AIMS: To determine the incidence of mucinous metaplasia occurring in the foreskin or glans penis and any associated clinical or histopathological features. METHODS AND RESULTS: Following the recognition of two index cases, 100 other foreskin specimens were retrieved from the histopathology archives at Southampton General Hospital. The haematoxylin and eosin-stained slides were examined by a single observer to detect the presence of mucin-producing cells in the surface epithelium. The absence of mucinous metaplasia in negative cases was confirmed with mucin histochemistry. In total, four cases of mucinous metaplasia were identified, three involving the foreskin and one involving the glans penis. The age range was 51-80 years. Three cases were associated with Zoon's balanitis and the fourth showed mild non-specific balanitis. All four cases showed positive staining with both diastase periodic acid-Schiff and alcian blue. No mucin-producing cells were identified in non-inflamed or minimally inflamed specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Mucinous metaplasia of the penis is an uncommon but under-recognized condition. It is seen in the elderly and appears to be a metaplastic change associated with severe chronic inflammation, and possibly more specifically with Zoon's balanitis. Our study identified a case affecting the glans penis, a site not previously recorded.

Mitotic and in situ end-labeling apoptotic indices as prognostic markers in malignant mesothelioma.

The prognostic role of mitotic and apoptotic indices in 60 patients with malignant mesothelioma was examined on hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections. The findings were compared with apoptotic indices determined by in situ end labeling (ISEL) in 35 of the cases. There was a significant survival advantage associated with lower mitotic counts and a lower apoptotic index defined by ISEL (P < .05). There was no association between the apoptotic index derived from the hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections and prognosis (P = .90). However, there was a positive association between the apoptotic counts calculated from hematoxylin-eosin- and ISEL-stained sections (P < .01). The mitotic count and ISEL apoptotic index are potentially useful markers of prognosis in malignant mesothelioma.

Acinar morphology in colorectal cancer is associated with survival but is not an independent prognostic variable.

AIMS: Microacinar morphology has been reported as a stage-independent prognostic variable for colorectal cancer. We have undertaken a retrospective analysis to test this observation in patients with colonic as well as rectal adenocarcinoma, and to assess interobserver agreement for identifying microacinar morphology. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and eighty patients with colorectal cancer, 144 colonic and 36 rectal, were assigned to either macroacinar (144) or microacinar (36) groups. There was excellent correlation between two observers examining the colorectal cancers independently (kappa statistic, kappa = 0.87). Patients with microacinar tumours had a significantly reduced median survival compared with macroacinar lesions (46 and 87 months, respectively, P = 0.022) and this morphology was significantly associated with higher Dukes' stage (P = 0.007). Microacinar morphology lacked statistical significance when examined in a multivariate analysis with other prognostic variables, both when colonic and rectal tumours were examined either separately or as a combined colorectal group, but small numbers of rectal tumours in this study make it difficult to draw useful conclusions about microacinar morphology in rectal adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Microacinar morphology was strongly associated with poor prognosis when examined in isolation but was not found to be an independent factor when examined with other prognostic variables.