Lu-177 labelled peptide treatment for radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) has good prognosis but 5% of the patients already have distant metastasis at the diagnosis. Tumour cells can lose their iodine uptake ability and enter a state of dedifferentiation. Treatment for differentiated thyroid carcinoma that is not suitable for the local surgery and unresponsive to radioactive iodine uptake is not always easy for physicians. We present a case of a 64-year-old man who had total thyroidectomy surgery and central lymph node dissection with diagnosis of multinodular goitre disease. Histopathological evaluation was papillary thyroid cancer with tall cell variant. Treatment using 150 mCi radioiodine was administered to the patient three times but could not effect a cure. We performed Ga-68 labelled DOTATE (synthetic somatostatin analogue peptide). This provided a good outcome. As evident from our case, Lu-177 radionuclide labelled synthetic somatostatin analogue peptides have therapeutic effect on radioiodine refractory DTC, as an alternative treatment modality.

Investigation of Rho-Kinase Expressions and Polymorphisms in Mantle Cell Lymphoma Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare but aggressive form of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma characterized by excessive expression of cyclin D1. Intracellular signaling enzyme Rho-kinase (ROCK) can contribute to cellular migration, proliferation, and differentiation, as well as tumor development and metastasis. However, ROCK gene and protein expressions or polymorphisms have never been investigated in MCL patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of ROCK gene and protein expressions in MCL patients. We also examined ROCK2 gene polymorphisms in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 patients with MCL and 60 healthy controls were included in this retrospective study. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained lymph node tissue slides in the entire archive were reevaluated and used for immunohistochemistry, gene expression, and polymerase chain reaction studies. RESULTS: In immunohistochemical studies, there were significant increases in ROCK1 (p=0.0009) and ROCK2 (p<0.0001) protein expressions in MCL patients when compared with the control group. Although a marked increase in ROCK1 gene expression (p=0.0215) was noted, no significant change was observed in ROCK2 gene expression in MCL patients. Seven ROCK2 polymorphisms were studied, but the results showed no significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to show that ROCK1 gene and ROCK protein expressions may contribute to the development of MCL.

Hepatitis C virus infection and its rheumatologic implications.

Extrahepatic manifestations are frequently encountered among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Many of these manifestations are autoimmune disorders, with added mortality and morbidity due to involvement of multiple organ systems. Symptoms of HCV infection and rheumatic diseases may be similar and include arthralgia, myalgia, arthritis, and vasculitis. Also, serologic abnormalities may be found in both cases. Some treatment modalities for HCV infection, including interferon therapy, may aggravate the symptoms of rheumatic diseases, thus confounding clinical presentation. It is imperative to distinguish whether symptoms such as arthralgia, myalgia, and arthritis occur in patients with HCV infection due to primary chronic HCV infection or to a newly developed rheumatologic disease process.