BECN1 protein expression is associated with poor survival in triple negative locally advanced breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The role that Beclin 1 (BECN1) plays in the development and progression of cancer mediated by autophagy, as well as its differential expression in breast cancer cell lines and mammary tumor tissue according to the molecular subtype, has been demonstrated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of BECN1 cytoplasmic expression with clinical and pathologic response, recurrence, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC), according to immunophenotype. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 64 patients with non-triple negative LABC and 20 patients with triple negative LABC who received preoperative chemotherapy were included in an observational, analytical and retrospective study to evaluate the cytoplasmic expression of BECN1 protein by immunohistochemistry in microarrays of breast cancer tissue obtained before treatment. Association between BECN1 and clinicopathological characteristics, clinical and pathologic response to preoperative chemotherapy and recurrence, were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher's exact test. Postoperative DFS and OS were assessed by Kaplan-Meir curves, and the difference according to BECN1 expression was evaluated using the log-rank test. The bivariate analysis was performed using the Cox Proportional Hazards Model. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: BECN1 staining revealed positive expression in 62.5% of patients with non-triple negative and 60.0% with triple negative LABC. No association was observed between BECN1 expression and clinical or pathological response or recurrence. An association of the BECN1 expression with lower OS in triple negative breast cancer was found (HR = 5.19; 95% CI 1.12-24.02; p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Results showed an association of the cytoplasmic expression of BECN1 with a lower OS, which could be a poor prognostic biomarker in triple negative LABC.

[Clinicopathologic characteristics of 127 cases of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) studied in an oncology hospital]. / Características clínico-patológicas de 127 casos de neoplasias neuroendocrinas del aparato gastrointestinal y páncreas (NNE-GEP) estudiadas en un hospital de oncología.

BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) present all along the length of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from the esophagus to the anus, and they also present in the pancreas. AIMS: To classify NETs according to the WHO 2010 criteria and to evaluate their anatomic distribution and clinicopathologic characteristics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A search was carried out in the hospital pathology archives of all the cases diagnosed with carcinoid tumor and neuroendocrine carcinoma of the GI tract and pancreas studied over a period of 11 years (1999-2010). The cases were reclassified according to the WHO 2010 criteria. The clinical case records of each patient were reviewed. RESULTS: The study group was made up of 127 cases (68 men; 59 women). Age ranged from 24 to 85 years with a median of 52 years. A total of 113 (89.00%) tumors occurred in the GI tract and 14 (11.00%) in the pancreas. Tumor size varied from 0.4cm to 9cm (median: 2.5cm). GI tumor histologic grades were: 54.00% grade 1; 31.00% grade 2; and 15.00% grade 3. Pancreatic tumor histologic grades were: 43.00% grade 1; 36.00% grade 2; and 21.00% grade 3. Ki-67 overexpression was correlated with tumor grade (22.00% grade 3 vs 2.50% grade 1). CONCLUSIONS: Histologic grade of the gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) is one of the most important prognostic factors. The term carcinoid should be eliminated because it does not reflect the biological behavior of these tumors.

[Scintigraphy with 99mTc-MIBI for assessment of tumor response to preoperative chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma]. / Centelleografía con 99mTc MIBI para valorar la respuesta tumoral a la quimioterapia preoperatoria en pacientes con osteosarcoma.

In osteogenic sarcoma an increase in patient survival has been observed due to improvement of diagnostic and treatment methods. The objective of the investigation was to determine the usefulness of scintigraphy with 99mTc-MIBI in comparison to clinical revaluation, in order to assess tumor response (sarcoma) to chemotherapy previous to surgery. Patients with histopathological osteogenic sarcoma that received chemotherapy were included, clinical and scintigraphy response was assessed previous to the surgery. The gold standard for comparison was the degree necrosis histopathological analysis of the surgical specimen with measurement. Twelve patients met the inclusion criteria. A was observed a higher correlation between the 99mTc-MIBI and the histopathology. vs. clinical evaluation (0.89 vs. 0.59 respectively). Likewise the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) were superior (Se and Sp = 100% vs. Se 66.6% and Sp 75%) when therapeutically responses good and null were compared. We may conclude that scintigraphy with 99mTc-MIBI used to asses the response to presurgery chemotherapy in patients with osteogenic sarcoma, together with the clinical assessment, help the physician to make therapeutically decisions with more objectivity and certainly.

[Cervical pregnancy. Report of a case. Diagnostic and therapeutic considerations]. / Embarazo cervical. Informe de un caso. Consideraciones diagnósticas y terapéuticas.

A patient with cervical pregnancy is reported, in spite of the important bleeding a radical management was not required. Clinical, ultrasonographical and histopathological criteria which are needed for diagnosis are reviewed. Also some management alternatives are discussed.

Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease in Mexico. Report of four cases and review of the literature.

The clinicopathologic findings in eight Mexican patients with immunoproliferative small intestinal disease (IPSID) are analyzed. Four of these cases have been previously reported and the remainder were found in a retrospective review of 42 lymphoproliferative disorders of the small bowel (9.5% of the cases at our institution). There were six male and two female patients with an average age of 30 years. Laparotomy with intestinal resection was performed in seven cases. Malignant lymphoma was documented in five and the early phase of IPSID in two patients. The remaining case was diagnosed by means of several endoscopic biopsies. It is concluded that although IPSID seems to be a rare disease in the mestizo population of our country, it may not be exceptional and its diagnosis has probably been overlooked.