We present the cytologic features and the immunocytochemical profile of four cases of chordoma on fine-needle aspiration biopsies. The physaliferous cells in signet-ring, pearl-like formations and the trabecular arrangement with rounded contours are distinctive. Other cell types and cellular arrangements are also described. The negative immunoreactivity of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and the positive staining pattern for neuron-specific enolase (NSE), S-100 protein, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), and keratin provide a profile that, in the appropriate clinical setting, can be useful in the differential diagnosis of chordoma from similar-appearing neoplasms in small biopsies and fine-needle aspirates.
Background. Metallothioneins (MT) are endogenous metalloproteins involved in the homeostasis of essential metals and detoxification of toxic metals. Some recent experimental studies suggested tumor resistance to cisdiamminedichloroplatin may be associated with overexpression of MT in the tumor.
Methods. The presence of MT in 33 primary testicular germ cell tumor specimens was assessed immunohistochemically using a rabbit polyclonal rat liver MT antibody that cross‐reacted with human MT. The data were correlated with the patients' clinical course.
Results. Seminomas stained weakly or not at all for MT, regardless of the clinical stage. Most nonseminomas stained heavily for MT. The more advanced staged nonseminomas tended to stain more heavily for MT.
Conclusions. In view of the considerable experimental evidence as well as some inferential clinical data involving MT in cis‐diamminedichloroplatin resistance, there appears to be a role for MT in cis‐diamminedichloroplatin resistance in germ cell tumors. Further studies to elucidate the role of MT in germ cell tumor chemoresistance are warranted.
The presence of high levels of metallothionein (MT) in developing mammalian cells is well documented. It has been suggested that the developmental profile and gene expression of MT is similar to that of the so-called oncodevelopmental gene products such as a-fetoprotein. In this study tissue sections of nine human embryonal carcinomas of the testis were tested by means of the avidin-biotin peroxidase complex for the presence of MT. The antigen was localized in variable amounts in the cytoplasm and nucleus in tumour cells in all cases. There was evidence that immunoreactivity was related to the histological growth pattern of tumour cells. These findings suggest that MT may be considered an oncodevelopmental product which could be useful as a tumour marker. In addition, the histology of these tumours might predict MT expression; this may prove of value in testing the hypothesis of MT-related emergence of drug-resistant cell lines in the course of treatment of tumours with metal-containing chemotherapeutic agents.
The development of a stomal recurrence after total laryngectomy is a complication with a dismal prognosis. The risk factors and mechanisms involved are still not well understood. In this review of 352 patients, 21 (6%) developed a stomal recurrence. We studied the group of 74 patients (21%) with subglottic involvement separately. There was no significant difference in the rate of stomal recurrence in those with emergency tracheostomy (23.3%) as compared with those with intra-operative tracheostomy (18.2%). Stomal recurrence was more strongly associated with subglottic involvement itself (20.3%) and T4 stage (15.3%). The findings suggest that submucosal extension and lymph node metastases are probably more important mechanisms of stomal recurrence than cancer cell implantation.
This paper presents two cases of adenosquamous carcinoma of the colon and brings to 39 the total number documented in medical literature. The concurrent glandular and squamous differentiation of the tumor cells was demonstrated by immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy. Evaluation of the biologic characteristics of all the reported cases suggests that malignant squamous elements in colonic carcinomas behave more aggressively than their glandular counterparts. In contradistinction from the pure squamous-cell carcinoma of the colon, adenosquamous carcinoma does not show the same predilection for the right colon.
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