Comparison of metallothionein (MT) and Ki-67 antigen expression in benign and malignant thyroid tumours.

Thyroid carcinomas are the most frequently occurring tumours in the endocrine system. Metallothioneins (MT) and Ki-67 proteins are present in intensely proliferating cells, and their expression has been observed in numerous tumours, including thyroid tumours. The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between intensity of MT expression and Ki-67 antigen on one hand and histological features of the examined thyroid tumours on the other. The investigated material included 186 archival paraffin blocks with samples of various thyroid tissues, obtained from the Chair and Department of Pathomorphology, Medical University of Wroclaw. In paraffin sections, immunohistochemical reactions were performed with the use of monoclonal anti-MT (I/II) and anti-Ki-67 antibodies. Intensity of MT and Ki-67 antigen expression was evaluated using a light microscope using the semi-quantitative method of Remmele. A significant difference in MT expression was noted between different tumours of the thyroid: the highest expression was detected in follicular carcinoma and the lowest was detected in medullary carcinoma. Expression of MT was also significantly elevated in follicular carcinoma as compared to follicular adenoma. On the other hand, no significant differences were seen between expression of Ki-67 antigen in follicular adenoma and follicular carcinoma. Moreover, these investigations detected no correlation between the expression of MT and Ki-67 antigen in follicular adenoma and follicular carcinoma. In view of the obtained results, the expression of MT can be considered as a potential marker of differentiation between the two types of thyroid tumours, which are otherwise difficult to differentiate.

Cutaneous angiogenesis in patient with intravascular lymphoma (IVL): A case report.

We present a case of widespread cutaneous telangiectasias in a patient with a B-cell intravascular lymphoma most likely representing tumor-induced angiogenesis. The patient presented with a rapid onset of large cutaneous telangiectasias and skin edema, followed by the development of multiorgan failure. We describe difficulties with the ante-mortem diagnosis in the patient with predominant, clinically observed, skin lesions. The patient had disseminated disease involving many organs with a rapidly fatal outcome. The final diagnosis of intravascular malignant lymphoma (IVL) was established post-mortem after morphological and immunohistochemical studies of the autopsy material.

Expression of FAS/APO 1/CD 95 in thyroid tumors.

Using immunohistochemistry, Fas/Apo-1 protein expression was investigated in thyroid cancers of 67 patients. Thyroid biopsies from twenty eight patients with benign thyroid diseases were also examined. The patients with thyroid cancer manifested a variable histology of the cancer, including 14 patients with follicular carcinoma, 48 with papillary carcinoma, 5 patients with medullary carcinoma. The benign thyroid disease involved nodular goitre in 11 patients and follicular adenoma in other 17 patients. The study aimed at examining immunohistochemical expression of Fas protein in order to determine whether the level of its expression correlated with histological diagnosis. In individual patients Fas expression was more prevalent in thyroid carcinomas as compared to benign tumors (p=0.001). A marked increase in Fas expression was found in papillary carcinoma, as compared to follicular and medullary carcinomas (p=0.02). In conclusion, Fas was significantly more frequently overexpressed in thyroid cancer, indicating its role in thyroid tumorigenesis.

Paratesticular localization of burned out non-seminomatous germ cell tumor--NSGCT: a case report.

Testicular cancer is broadly divided into seminoma and non-seminoma types for treatment planning because seminomas are more sensitive to radiation therapy. Non-seminomatous germ-cell testis tumors represent a majority of all testicular neoplasms and include yolk sac tumor, embryonal carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, teratoma and undifferentiated tumors. Malignant neoplasms account for approximately 25% of neoplasms of the paratesticular tissues and most of them are sarcomas. We report a case of completely undifferentiated germ cell tumor of spermatic cord and discuss its diagnosis.

Malignant myoepithelioma of the salivary gland--an untypical clinical course.

A case of malignant tumor developing from myoepithelial cells (malignant myoepithelioma) is presented. The primary focus was located in the region of the left submandibular salivary gland. A relapse and metastases were disclosed in the same salivary gland, in the lung and the left breast. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated positive reactions for S-100 protein, cytokeratins, smooth muscle actin, vimentin, GFAP protein, p53 protein and Ki-67 antigen, and allowed for establishing the final histopathological diagnosis of malignant myoepithelioma.

The morphological analysis of vasculature in thyroid tumours: immunoexpression of CD34 antigen.

Angiogenesis represents an important process manifested in tumour growth and in development of metastases. Using immunohistochemistry, the authors evaluated number of vessels in various nodular lesions of the thyroid (54 cases). Expression of CD34 antigen and microvessel density were evaluated in sections of archival paraffin blocks originating from the Department of Pathological Anatomy, University Medical School and the Lower Silesia Centre of Oncology in Wroclaw, Poland. Microvessel density was assessed in ten different fields per section in "hot spots". Expression of CD34 was quantified using computerised image analysis and, then, mean micrvessel count (MVC) and microvessel area (MVA) were calculated. In thyroid tissue with benign lesions, the MVC (31.7) was higher than in neoplastic lesions (22.3), although no differences in MVA were observed. This observation points to differences in the size of newly formed vessels in individual nodular lesions of the thyroid.

The expression of selected immunocytochemical diagnostic markers in the case of chondrosarcoma with a mesenchymal component.

The case of 52-year-old man is presented, who had suffered from pains in his right brachial region and in whom, upon admission to the Lower Silesia Centre of Oncology, a tumour of 20 cm in diameter and restricted mobility was disclosed in the right brachial region and proximal 1/3 of his right arm. Radiograms of his right humerus disclosed non-uniform restructuring of the osseous tissue, dominated by osteosclerosis in the upper half of his right humerus, while in the surrounding dift tissues of the proximal portion non-uniform shades were seen of calcified appearance. The patient was qualified to surgical biopsy and histopathological examination of the sample disclosed Chondrosarcoma G II. Following amputation of the right upper extremity together with the scapula, the tumour was subjected to histopathological and immunocytochemical examination in the Department of Pathomorphology, Lower Silesia Centre of Oncology. In numerous samples of the tumour dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma was diagnosed with a dominating component of malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH), which was confirmed by detecting a high expression of alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) within the spindle-shaped cell component of the chondrosarcoma. Spindle-shaped elements in dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma (DChSa) may represent patterns of fibrosarcoma, osteosarcoma or the malignant fibrohistiocytoma (MFH) type and they are present as if in the form of restricted fields with no reciprocal infiltrates. Moreover, due to the worse prognosis in the case of the MFH component in dedifferentiated chondrosarcoman as compared to that in classical chondrosarcoma, common evaluation of the material was made by a surgeon, radiologist and histopathologist, accompanied by a minimum panel of immunocytochemical tests (ACT, Vimentyna, Desmina, S-100). This enabled a final diagnosis for all tumour components to be established and prognosis to be made regarding the further fate of the patient.