Histological features and prognosis of patients with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the parotid gland were analysed. Tumours from 13 patients were classified according to histological grades and immunoreactivity for HEK-2/neu. Surgical resection of the tumour was performed for all patients, and the overall five-year survival rate was 69 per cent. The patients whose histological grades were 1 or 2 showed a 100 per cent five-year survival rate, but no patient with grade 3 survived five years. Also, patients who had tumours that overexpressed HER-2/new had a lower survival rate (25 per cent) than patients with tumours that had weaker immunostaining (89 per cent). We considered tumours classified as grade 3 plus strong HER-2/neu expression to be ‘high malignancy’, and compared them with ‘low malignancy’ tumours that were grade 1 or 2 and had weaker HER-2/new staining. Patients with high malignancy tumours had shorter recurrence-free intervals and shorter overall survival than patients with low malignancy tumours. The overall survival period of the low malignancy cases was much longer than the recurrence-free interval; unlike that in the high malignancy tumour patients. These results suggest that the combination of histological grades and expression of HER-2/neu may be a useful predictor of the prognosis for mucoepidermoid carcinomata.

IntroductionThis study aims to investigate the association between the presence and frequency of cortical lesions (CLs), and the clinical and psychological features of multiple sclerosis (MS).MethodsA total of 19 patients with MS were examined using double inversion recovery (DIR) sequences with 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and classified into two groups: CL and non‐CL. In‐house software was used to quantitatively determine the atrophy of each brain region. Activities of daily living (ADL) were estimated using the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Cognitive function was assessed using the following tests: Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), Trail Making Test (TMT), and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT). Z‐scores were used to assess significant differences in the neuropsychological test outcomes between the groups.ResultsSix of 19 patients had subcortical and deep WM lesions (non‐CL group; diagnosed with relapsing–remitting MS). Thirteen of 19 patients had both subcortical and cortical lesions (CL group; 9—relapsing–remitting MS; 4—primary/secondary progressive MS). There were no significant differences in age, education, and disease duration, but EDSS scores were significantly higher in the CL group compared to the non‐CL group. There were no significant differences in gray and white matter volume between the CL and the non‐CL groups, but the white matter lesion volume was significantly higher in the CL group compared to the non‐CL group. Neuropsychological tests showed significant performance worsening in the CL group as compared to the standard values for healthy individuals in their age group, especially in the TMT data.ConclusionsProgressive MS, which was associated with decreased physical functioning, ADL, and cognitive impairment, was found in patients in the CL group.

Localization and biochemical characteristics of acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF and bFGF) were studied in the normal parotid gland (NPG) and in pleomorphic adenoma (PA). In addition, the effects of these factors on proliferation activity were investigated in cultured PA cells. aFGF and bFGF were detected immunohistochemically in 62% and 58% of NPG and 44% and 58% of PA, respectively, and they localized in the cytoplasm of the ductal segments of the NPG, and of the tubular, trabecular and squamous components of PA. Both aFGF and bFGF, each with a molecular weight of 18 kDa, were identified in PA using heparin-sepharose chromatography and Western blot analysis. Both recombinant human aFGF and bFGF stimulated [3H]-thymidine incorporation by cultured PA cells. These results indicated that aFGF and bFGF, probably produced by neoplastic cells, play important roles in the proliferation of PA of the parotid gland.

No abstract