Morphologic features in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma of young adults in north China.

BACKGROUND: North China has an adjusted annual mortality rate of more than 100 per 100,000 persons for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, its occurrence in young adults is considered uncommon. METHODS: The clinical data and surgically resected specimens of 1033 cases of esophageal SCC were analyzed from the archives of an university hospital in Hebei, North China. There were 76 (7.4%) specimens from young adults (aged 35 years younger, Group 1) in the sample, and the clinicopathologic findings of these patients were compared with those of patients older than 35 years of age (Group 2, N = 957). RESULTS: The mean age was 31.1 years for Group 1 and 52.2 years for Group 2. The male-to-female ratio was 3.0 and 2.3, respectively (P < 0.01). The 2-year survival rates were 42.1% for Group 1 and 54.0% for Group 2 (P < 0.05). The 10-year survival rates were 9.2% and 14.5%, respectively. Group 1 patients had more diffuse infiltrative growth (P < 0.025). Poorly differentiated SCC and vessel invasion were also common in Group 1. Conversely, Group 2 had more cases with fibrocollagenous stroma around the tumor (P < 0.001) and obvious germinal center hyperplasia in the regional lymph node (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The prognosis of young adults with esophageal SCC was worse than that of their older counterpart.

Microvascular corrosion casting of normal tissue, transitional mucosa and adenocarcinoma in the human colon.

The microcirculatory architecture of normal tissue, transitional mucosa and adenocarcinoma of the human colon was investigated with microvascular corrosion casting (MVCC) combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The study showed that the capillaries within the normal mucosa were arranged in a regular hexagonal pattern around the mucosal glands and that the microvessels of transitional mucosa mostly had lost the typical hexagonal pattern and become slightly wider in diameter. The microvessels in the tumor periphery were increased in number and disorganized, and presented large variation in morphology with claw-like formations, widened sinuses, diverticula and appendixoid patterns. Microvessels were lacking in the central areas of tumors. These morphological alterations may serve as additional indicators of tumor development.

Efficacy of traditional Chinese herbs on squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: histopathologic analysis of 240 cases.

Three types of traditional Chinese herb medicine were used to treat 98 patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma prior to surgical treatment. Forty-two patients with the same diagnosis were treated with these herbs plus cyclophosphamide (endoxan). One hundred similar patients received surgical treatment without herbs or endoxan treatment as controls. Histologic examinations of surgical specimens were made on all of these patients. Stromal lymphoid-cell infiltration and cancer tissue degeneration were more prominent in Menispernum dehuricum DC- or Chelidonium majus L-treated patients, and were less clear in patients treated with herbs plus endoxan and the controls. The antitumor action of herbs is thought to be brought about by the activation of an immunological rejection mechanism. Herbs plus endoxan may result in the masking of the immunological response of hosts without obviously damaging cancer tissues.