Concomitant induction of apoptosis and autophagy by prostate apoptosis response-4 in hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

The tumor-suppressive activity of prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) has been demonstrated in a variety of human cancers. In this study, for the first time to our knowledge, we demonstrated that a higher intensity of Par-4 was significantly correlated with a better response in patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing radiotherapy alone or concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Mechanistically, an elevated expression of Par-4 induced apoptosis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells and sensitized cells toward chemotherapeutic agents or X-ray irradiation. Along with apoptotic incitation, intriguingly, autophagic flux also increased on Par-4 stimulation and contributed to cell death. Moreover, the expressions of multiple common regulators involved in apoptosis and autophagy were regulated by Par-4. Taken together, our results suggested a prognostic role of Par-4 in hypopharyngeal carcinoma and showed novel activity of Par-4 in apoptosis and autophagy induction.

Basaloid squamous carcinoma of the hypopharynx with an extensive spindle cell component exhibiting a pedunculated polypoid mass.

We report a case of basaloid squamous carcinoma of the hypopharynx with an extensive spindle cell component in an 82-year-old man. The tumor (4.0 x 2.5 x 2.2 cm) was a pedunculated polypoid mass that was attached to the left pyriform sinus. Histologically, most (70%) of the tumor was composed of malignant spindle cell proliferation, and the rest (30%) was basaloid squamous carcinoma. Some of the spindle cells were positive for cytokeratins. The preoperative histologic diagnosis was difficult because the endoscopic biopsy specimens showed only spindle cell proliferation. This is an unusual presentation of basaloid squamous carcinoma of the head and neck.

[Biphasic hypopharyngeal synovial sarcoma: ultrastructural, cytofluorometric and immunohistochemical study and brief review of the literature]. / Sarcoma sinoviale bifasico a localizzazione ipofaringea: studio ultrastrutturale, citofluorometrico ed immunoistochimico e breve revisione della Letteratura.

Synovial sarcomas account for 7-10% of all soft tissue malignancies and the rare head and neck region location accounts for an average 5% of them. A brief review of the data in the Literature has shown that not more than one hundred cases of cervical-facial synovial sarcoma have been reported. In the head and neck locations this form of tumor is significantly less aggressive, with a higher survival rate and a recurrence rate much lower than the 60-70% shown for other locations in the limbs. After a brief review of the Literature, Authors present a rare clinical case of hypopharyngeal synovial sarcoma which recently came under observation. Despite the accurate diagnostic procedure, after surgical removal of the tumor by CO2 laser microlaryngoscopy, diagnosis required the use of histological and ultrastructural techniques. CT and NMR of the neck using contrast medium showed that the structure of the neoformation was similar to that of the soft tissues, it was 3-4 cm in diameter, located in the hypopharynx and had an extensive surface in contact with the left glossoepiglottic groove. The lesion appeared to involve the free edge of the aryepiglottic fold, coming into contact with the free edge of the epiglottis; it could not be dissociated form the epiglottis and obliterated both the homolateral glossoepiglottic vallecula and the pyriform sinus. Structural analysis after radiography with a contrast medium showed a marked impregnation of the lesion, indicative of high degree of vascolarization. Ultrastructural, cytofluormetric and immunohistochemical analyses were performed on the neoplasm in order to process all these data together with the clinical parameters; in other words a multi-parameter evaluation was performed, as suggested by other Authors, to determine the therapy and arrange more accurate monitoring of this patient, victim of a neoplasm with a high potential for metastases.

Ultrastructure of the lamina propria of the human vocal fold.

We studied three-dimensional arrangement of collagen fibers and elastic fibers in the human vocal fold by scanning electron microscopy after digesting cellular elements and collagen fibers with formic acid treatment and cellular elements and elastic fibers with 10% sodium hydroxide. The superficial layer consisted of clusters of collagen fibers and fine elastic fibers running straight or coiled. The intermediate layer consisted of thick bundles of collagen and elastic fibers running longitudinally and fine coiled elastic fibers. The deep layer consisted of coil elastic fibers and dense collagen bundles. Collagen fibers may have a role of maintaining the organization of vocal folds even during vibration, and elastic fibers act to rapidly restore the vocal folds to their original form. We also studied the distribution of oxytalan fibers in vocal folds by aldehyde-fucusin staining. Oxytalan fibers were distributed throughout the connective tissue of the vocal folds, and a large number of fibers was present just under the epithelial basement membrane and around the muscle fibers. If these fibers are damaged and lose their functions, vibration of the vocal folds will be impaired.

Nucleolar organizer regions in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Nucleolar organizer regions are collections of nucleolar proteins associated with ribosomal genes that can be visualized in histologic sections using a silver colloid stain, thus the term silver-staining nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR). In some tissues, the number of AgNORs per nucleus correlates with cellular proliferation and, independently, with malignant change. AgNORs were studied in 66 paraffin-embedded head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and in 12 samples of normal tonsillar squamous epithelium. Carcinomas had a significantly higher mean AgNOR count than the benign epithelium (P less than .0001). Among carcinomas, mean AgNOR count increased with stage of the disease (P less than .001), but there was no significant correlation with histologic grade or DNA ploidy as determined by flow cytometry. These data suggest that AgNOR count should be evaluated as a possible aid in differentiating benign from malignant squamous epithelial proliferations in the head and neck, and also possibly as a prognostic marker in these carcinomas.

[Transmission electron microscopy of in vitro cultivated squamous cell carcinoma cell lines]. / Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie von in-vitro kultivierten Plattenepithelkarzinomzellinien.

Despite a twofold recloning, ultrastructural analysis of squamous cell carcinoma lines of the head and neck showed morphologically a very heterogeneous picture in respect of the cytoplasmatic organelles, electron density of the cytoplasma, nucleus and differentiation of the cell membranes. Most prominent were the differences in the content of mitochondria and the formation of intracytoplasmatic filaments and desmosomes. Although the cells have been cultured as single cells, they developed desmosomes in vitro. The cell contact formation varied to such a degree that the plasma membranes of the cells from the tongue squamous cell carcinoma line SCC-25, as an example, were almost completely occupied by desmosomes.

T cell lymphoma of the hypopharynx: report of a case studied with immunologic techniques.

A case of primitive T cell lymphoma of the oropharynx is reported. Clinical, morphological and immunological features of the case are summarized and described according to morphological and immunological criteria proposed by Waldron and Frizzera.