Head and Neck Pathology
Aarya Unnikrishnan; Vijaya Basavaraj
Abstract
Background & Objective: Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is a highly frequent malignancy worldwide and is also the leading cause of death. The prognosis for individuals with HNSCC remains dismal, with a five-year survival rate of less than 50%. The novel anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy is found ...
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Background & Objective: Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) is a highly frequent malignancy worldwide and is also the leading cause of death. The prognosis for individuals with HNSCC remains dismal, with a five-year survival rate of less than 50%. The novel anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy is found to be promising, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been established as a reliable method for patient stratification. We intend to evaluate the prognostic significance of the expression of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) in HNSCC and determine its association with clinicopathological variables.Methods: A total of 50 cases of biopsy-confirmed HNSCC were studied in a tertiary hospital between Dec 2020 and June 2022. The specimens were tested for PD-L1 IHC expression with antibody clone CAL-10 (Biocare) and scored by Combined Positive Score (CPS). The association between PD-L1 expression and clinicopathological variables was evaluated.Results: PD-L1 was positive in 92% of the cases, and a significant association (P= 0.024) was seen between PD-L1 expression and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). PD-L1 did not show any significant association with patient demographics, tumor site, grade, or stage.Conclusion: In the present study, evaluation of the immunohistochemical expression of PD-L1 on the tumor cells and TILs in HNSCC revealed a high prevalence of PD-L1 expression. PD-L1 IHC studies for patient selection for immunotherapy would be a promising technique. Frequent PD-L1 expression in tumors with significant TILs may be useful in identifying patients who may benefit from anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy.
GI, Liver & Pancreas Pathology
Samaneh Salarvand; Farzaneh Bagheri; Mahsa Gholizadeh; Sima Sharifi; Pooneh Panahi; Ebrahim Esmati; Marzieh Lashkari; Amirmohsen Jalaeefar; Mohammad Shirkhoda; Reza Shahsiah; Reza Ghalehtaki
Abstract
Background & Objective: Iran is located in the esophageal cancer geographical belt. As multiple genetic alterations are responsible for the molecular pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC), the role and frequency of HER2 expression, MMR deficiency, and PI3KCA mutation are not well ...
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Background & Objective: Iran is located in the esophageal cancer geographical belt. As multiple genetic alterations are responsible for the molecular pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC), the role and frequency of HER2 expression, MMR deficiency, and PI3KCA mutation are not well defined.Methods: We carried out HER2/neu expression, dMMR/MSI high, and PI3KCA mutation analysis in specimens of patients with ESCC. We accessed archival tissue blocks related to specimens of 68 ESCC cases at the time of surgery following neoadjuvant chemoradiation. These patients underwent surgery during 2013-2018 at the Cancer Institute of Iran affiliated with the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran.Results: None of the patients showed HER2 expression, dMMR/MSI high, or PI3K mutations.Conclusion: dMMR/MSI-H and PI3KCA mutation and HER2 expression may not be reliable andfrequent targets for systemic therapy in patients with esophageal SCC.
Head and Neck Pathology
Mitra Rezaei; Mahboobeh Karimi-Galougahi; Azin Kheradmand; Mihan Pourabdollah Toutkaboni; Hassan Mir Mohammad Sadeghi; Alireza Abdollahi; Amirnader Emami Razavi; Ali Safavi Naini; Farahnaz Bidari- Zerehpoosh
Abstract
Background & Objective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been associated with prognosis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Similar to the global studies, different prevalence rates of this viral infection have been reported in Iran. Therefore, we aimed to report the prevalence ...
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Background & Objective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been associated with prognosis in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Similar to the global studies, different prevalence rates of this viral infection have been reported in Iran. Therefore, we aimed to report the prevalence of this virus and its significance in HNSCC patients.Methods: Patients who were referred to the five hospitals of Tehran city from May 2018 to May 2019 were enrolled in this study. All patients were diagnosed with HNSCC based on pathologic study. The pathologic disease staging was defined, and DNAs were extracted from the fresh tissue samples via kits. After polymerase chain reaction (PCR), HPV positive samples were evaluated for determining genotypes and data analysis.Results: Of the 46 patients, three patients (6.5%) had positive HPV with the following subtypes: 18 (in two patients), 52 (in three patients), 61 (in two patients), 67, and 73.Comparison of variables between the groups with and without HPV showed a significant difference based on the tumor’s lymphatic invasion (p =0.041), peripheral lymph node involvement (p =0.008), and histologic grade (p =0.011), but there was no statistically significant difference in terms of other variables such as age, primary tumor site, size, pathologic stage, vascular or perineural invasion, metastasis, smoking, and alcohol consumption.Conclusion: HPV positivity is an important factor in the lymphatic invasion, peripheral lymph node involvement, and histologic grade of cases with HNSCC and should be further investigated for its effect on prognosis.
Molecular Pathology
Mitra Heidarpour; Mehran Taheri; Ali Akhavan; Parvin Goli; Amirhosein Kefayat
Abstract
Background & Objective: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) exhibits a vast range of expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients as a biomarker. This paper aimed to investigate HER-2 expression and clinicopathological parameters of esophageal SCC. Methods: HER-2 ...
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Background & Objective: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) exhibits a vast range of expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients as a biomarker. This paper aimed to investigate HER-2 expression and clinicopathological parameters of esophageal SCC. Methods: HER-2 expression was assessed in 102 ESCC patients by immunohistochemistry. The HER-2 staining intensity , according to the Gastric HER2 Biomarker1.0.0.1 version of the college of American pathologists (CAP) protocol for gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers, was graded as 0 (no reactivity in any of the cancer cells’ membranes); 1+ (pale or hardly noticeable reactivity in the membrane of cancer cells’ cluster [≥ 5 neoplastic cells] regardless of the positive cancer cells’ percentage); 2+ (weak-to-moderate complete, basolateral, or lateral membranous reactivity regardless of the positive cancer cells’ percentage); and 3+ ( strong complete, basolateral, or lateral reactivity in the membrane of the cancer cell cluster regardless of the positive cancer cells’ percentage).In this regard, 3+ scored samples were considered as positive. If HER-2 expression was scored 2+, an additional fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed. Fisher's exact test was employed for investigating the correlation of HER-2 expression status with patients’ clinicopathological characteristics (including age, gender, tumor location, stage, grade, infiltration level, venous invasion, lymphatic invasion, and tumor recurrence). Kaplan-Meier analysis was done for the patients’ survival assessments. Result: Five patients (~5%) were HER-2 positive and no significant association was observed between HER-2 expression and clinicopathological properties. In addition, HER-2 expression status exhibited no significant association with the patients’ overall survival (p =0.9299). Conclusion: HER-2 is not a suitable prognostic biomarker for Iranian ESCC patients.
Oral Pathology
Pooja Sharma; Anjali Narwal; Mala Kamboj
Abstract
Background & Objective: Cell population and turnover are controlled by a balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis. Detection of apoptosis in oral cancer contributes to its better prognosis and improved management. This study aimed to quantify apoptotic cells in leukoplakia and oral squamous ...
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Background & Objective: Cell population and turnover are controlled by a balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis. Detection of apoptosis in oral cancer contributes to its better prognosis and improved management. This study aimed to quantify apoptotic cells in leukoplakia and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) using methyl green-pyronin (MGP) and hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining. Methods: The sample included a total of 130 subjects (comprising 108 males and 22 females). Formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissues were used and categorized into three groups of normal oral mucosa (n=10), leukoplakia with dysplasia (n=60), and OSCC (n=60). The number of apoptotic cells and apoptotic index (AI) were calculated after staining with MGP and routine H & E stained slides. Results: MGP stained the condensed chromatin of apoptotic cells. Statistically significant difference (P≤0.001) was observed among various study groups in terms of numbers of AI and apoptotic cells. Also, AI increased with increasing grades of dysplasia, and it was the highest in well differentiated OSCC. Results were statistically significant in both H & E and MGP stained sections (P≤0.001). A good correlation was found between MGP and H & E staining results. Conclusion: MGP is more specific and can lead to intense staining for chromatin in apoptotic cells. Accordingly, it can provide a good alternative to H&E in identifying apoptotic cells.
Microbiology
Hassan Ehteram; Mohaddeseh Sadat Mousavian; Tahereh Mazoochi; Tahereh Khamehchian; Mohammad Karimian
Abstract
Background & Objective: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common non-melanoma skin cancer that may be caused by Human papillomavirus (HPV), especially in immunosuppressed patients. However, the role of the mucosal types of HPV in SCC patients with normal immunity has not been extensively ...
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Background & Objective: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common non-melanoma skin cancer that may be caused by Human papillomavirus (HPV), especially in immunosuppressed patients. However, the role of the mucosal types of HPV in SCC patients with normal immunity has not been extensively confirmed. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of some high-risk mucosal types of HPV with cutaneous SCC in an Iranian population. Methods: Sixty-five formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens with a diagnosis of cutaneous SCC as the case group and sixty-five healthy skin specimens as the control group were included in our case-control study. Genomic DNA was extracted from tissue samples and then PCR was used for the detection of HPV genotypes by a commercial kit. Result: Our data revealed that 6 out of 65 SCC samples (9.2%) were infected by high-risk mucosal types of HPV whereas none of the 65 control samples were infected by the mentioned HPVs. Statistical analysis showed a significant association between these types of HPV infection and SCC risk in our studied population (P=0.028). Conclusion: These findings suggested that some high-risk mucosal types of HPV are significant risk factors for cutaneous SCC.
Oral Pathology
Fatemeh Mashhadiabbas; Masoume Fayazi-Boroujeni
Abstract
Background & objective: Changes in submucosal vascularization and inflammation, determined by immunohistochemistry staining, were shown to be correlated with the development of dysplasia and invasiveness of epithelial cells in premalignant and malignant lesions. This study evaluated changes in sections ...
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Background & objective: Changes in submucosal vascularization and inflammation, determined by immunohistochemistry staining, were shown to be correlated with the development of dysplasia and invasiveness of epithelial cells in premalignant and malignant lesions. This study evaluated changes in sections routinely stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) in order to investigate vascular density and intensity of inflammatory cells infiltration during the progression of oral leukoplakia with mild dysplasia to Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC).The aim of the research was to determine whether changes in sub-mucosal vascularity and inflammatory infiltration of leukoplakia in routine H&E-stained sections could contribute to the assessment of severity of the lesion. Methods: In this cross-sectional, comparative and descriptive study, vascular density and inflammation intensity of 125 available samples of H&E-stained sections, consisting of 35 cases of mild and moderate dysplasia, 38 severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ, and 52 SCC, were investigated. To analyze the data, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Tukey’s post hoc test, and cumulative ordinal logistic regression were conducted. Results: There was a significantly higher vascular density in cases with severe dysplasia, in situ carcinoma, and SCC compared to those with mild to moderate dysplasia (P<0.0001). However, the difference in vascularity was not statically significant between severe dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, and SCC (P=0.78). Intensity of inflammatory cells infiltration in the underlying connective tissue was significantly different among the three groups (P<0.0001), and the highest intensity of inflammatory cells infiltration was seen in the SCC group. Conclusions: Increased submucosal vascularization and inflammatory cells infiltration can contribute further to predicting more aggressive epithelial dysplasia.
Mohamad Javad Ashraf; Shahla Hosseini; Ahmad Monabati; Behnaz Valibeigi; Bijan Khademi; Elham Abedi; Negar Azarpira
Abstract
Background and objective: Oral tongue Squamous Cell carcinoma (SCC) commonly involves males between the sixth to eighth decades of life. Major risk factors are tobacco usage and alcohol consumption. The increasing number of patients developing oral tongue cancer without these well-known risk factors ...
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Background and objective: Oral tongue Squamous Cell carcinoma (SCC) commonly involves males between the sixth to eighth decades of life. Major risk factors are tobacco usage and alcohol consumption. The increasing number of patients developing oral tongue cancer without these well-known risk factors suggests that a viral infection, such as Human Papillomavirus (HPV), may be responsible for this increase, by acting as an oncogenic agent. This study investigated the prevalence of HPV infection and its clinicopathologic significance in oral tongue SCCs. Material and methods: Tissue blocks from a total of 50 cases (patients with oral tongue SCC) and 50 controls (palatine tonsillar tissues with benign diagnosis) were selected. DNA was extracted from tumoral and non-tumoral tissue blocks. Detection of common HPV DNA by nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and high-risk genotypes, HPV 16 and HPV 18, by conventional PCR, was achieved and the results correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Results: Of the 50 patients (18 males and 32 females with a mean age of 57.36±12.18 years, and age range of 27 to 86 years), 7 (14%) had HPV positive results. None of the control group subjects had HPV DNA positive results (P-value of 0.012). The HPV genotype 16/18 was not detected in positive cases. No statistically significant association was found between HPV status and gender, age, tumor grade, tumor stage or lymph node involvement. Conclusion: Although there was a significantly higher prevalence of HPV in oral tongue SCC, its association with carcinogenesis in this area requires further studies.
Shahram Sabeti; Farhad Malekzad; Nastaran Neishaboori; Mihan Pourabdollah Toutkaboni; Farahnaz Bidarizerehpoosh
Volume 9, Issue 4 , October 2014, , Pages 245-250
Abstract
Background & Objectives: CD10 is a cell surface enzyme with metalloendopeptidase activity, also known as Common Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Antigen, which mainly serves as a marker for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). To date and to the best of our knowledge, only few comparative immunohistochemical ...
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Background & Objectives: CD10 is a cell surface enzyme with metalloendopeptidase activity, also known as Common Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Antigen, which mainly serves as a marker for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). To date and to the best of our knowledge, only few comparative immunohistochemical studies have assessed CD10 expression in cutaneous epithelial neoplasms. Our goal was to determine whether CD10 can be used in pathologic distinction of cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Methods: This study included 27 BCC and 17 SCC cases immunohistochemically stained for CD10. Cytoplasmic +/- cell membrane staining was considered as positive. Each slide was studied by two pathologists and scored semi- quantitatively as follows: negative (<10%); 1+ (10-50% positive cells); and 2+ (>50% positive cells). Results: The rate of CD10 expression in tumor cells was significantly higher in BCCs in comparison to SCCs. (20/27 vs., 2/17; P <0.0001). Discussion: Our findings suggest CD10 as a useful adjunct marker in distinguishing cutaneous BCC and SCC.
Hamidreza Azimi; Saeedeh Khajehahmadi; Amin Rahpeyma
Volume 9, Issue 1 , January 2014, , Pages 28-32
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (SCCOT) is the most common malignant neoplasm in oral cavity. At the time of the diagnosis of SCCOT regional metastases with a high mortality rate are common, which is due to the extensive lymphatic system drainage of the tongue. ...
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Background and Objectives: Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (SCCOT) is the most common malignant neoplasm in oral cavity. At the time of the diagnosis of SCCOT regional metastases with a high mortality rate are common, which is due to the extensive lymphatic system drainage of the tongue. Although the level of healthcare has significantly improved, the survival rate is still low with an unsatisfactory cure rate. The present study was designed to establish a clinical review on adults with SCCOT and to determine whether the rate of SCCOT has been changed over the 20-year.
Methods: A cohort of 102 patients was recruited for this retrospective study. The study was carried out by reviewing the medical reports and case notes of patients with histologically confirmed SCCOT.
Results: The peak incidence was observed between 60 and 70 years. Stage I disease was found in 24, stage II in 64, stage III in 10 and stage IV in four patients. Seventy-three patients were treated with combined therapy; surgery and radiation, whereas, 29 patients received only surgery. The overall 5-year survival was 60%. Thirty patients developed tumor recurrence including 12 local, 12 nodal, four locoregional, and two distant. Thirty-four patients died during the follow-up period, six with persistent disease, and 62 remained cancer free, giving a mortality and morbidity rate of 39%.
Conclusion: This study recommends aggressive early treatment of patients with SCCOT including resection of the primary tumor with a safe margin (1.5cm) in addition to an appropriate neck dissection.
Maryam Alsadat Hashemipour; Shahrzad Adhami; Behroz Mozafari; Fatemeh Ahmadi Motemail
Volume 6, Issue 3 , June 2011, , Pages 158-163
Abstract
A primary intraosseous carcinoma (PIOC) is a squamous cell carcinoma arising within the jawbone andshould be differentiated from a malignant ameloblastoma. It is not due to arising from an odontogenic cyst or tumor. The possibility of the lesion being a metastasis fromanotherprimary ...
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A primary intraosseous carcinoma (PIOC) is a squamous cell carcinoma arising within the jawbone andshould be differentiated from a malignant ameloblastoma. It is not due to arising from an odontogenic cyst or tumor. The possibility of the lesion being a metastasis fromanotherprimary site should be considered, and excluded by a careful history and examination. The diagnosis of a PIOC is rare, but it is often worth considering in any differential diagnosis of jawradiolucency. The prognosis associated with primary intraosseous carcinoma of the jaws is poor and needs for aggressive treatment. It is common for these patients to present with apparent routine dental.This paper reports a case PIOC of the maxilla. The patient was a 68-year-old woman with a chief complaint of swelling of her hard palate.
Fatemeh Homaei Shandiz; Mohammad-Reza Ghavam Nassiri; Fatemeh Varshoee Tabrizi; Mohammad Khagedaloee; Kamran Ghafarzadegan
Volume 5, Issue 1 , January 2010, , Pages 9-13
Abstract
Background and Objective: Esophageal cancer especially squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the most common gastro intestinal malignancies in north part of Iran (Khorasan). The standard treatment for esophageal cancer is surgical resection, but its outcome remains poor. Then, the oncologists ...
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Background and Objective: Esophageal cancer especially squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the most common gastro intestinal malignancies in north part of Iran (Khorasan). The standard treatment for esophageal cancer is surgical resection, but its outcome remains poor. Then, the oncologists try to treat this cancer with sandwich protocols especially neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy. Several studies have reported that over expression of Cyclin D1 is a negative prognostic factor and is correlated with poor response to chemo-radiotherapy and decrease of survival. For this reason we evaluated Cyclin D1 expression in patients with esophageal SCC and its effect on response rate to neo- adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy in north-east Iran. Materials and Methods: We analyzed Cyclin D1 expression by immunohistochemistry in 37 endoscopic biopsies of esophageal SCC from April 2004 to March 2005 in Mashhad University of Medical Science, Iran and compared it with clinical and pathologic response rate to neo adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy. Results: Cyclin D1 over expression was detected in 24 patients (64.9%). Nine patients with Cyclin D1 over expression had pathologic complete response (37.5%) as compared with 9 patients with negative cyclin D1 expression (69.2%) (P=0.09). Conclusion: Cyclin D1 is a useful tumor marker to select patients may not be suitable for neo- adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy and it is better to refer them for surgery or definitive radiotherapy.
Maryam Khalili; Zahra Alyani
Volume 3, Issue 3 , June 2008, , Pages 140-145
Abstract
Background and Objective: Oral cancer accounts for less than 3% of all cancers. Despite recent improvement in diagnostic and treatment methods, the overall survival of the disease is unfavorable. Several studies have been performed to assess factors influencing lymph node metastasis and prognosis. ...
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Background and Objective: Oral cancer accounts for less than 3% of all cancers. Despite recent improvement in diagnostic and treatment methods, the overall survival of the disease is unfavorable. Several studies have been performed to assess factors influencing lymph node metastasis and prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate some clinical and pathological factors influencing lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, 111 cases of oral SCC registered from 1991 to 2001 were retrieved from the archive of the Department of Pathology of Cancer Institute. Cases were divided into two groups based on the presence of lymph node metastasis. Patients’ pathological reports and medical records were reviewed and variables such as age, gender, occupation, disease duration, site and greatest diameter of tumor and histopathologic grade were compared between metastatic and non-metastatic groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS package and t, chi square, Mann-Whitney and Fisher’s exact test with pResults: Among the studied factors, patients’ gender (female), the disease duration (more than 12 months) and tumor size based on T1–T4 category were significantly related to lymph node metastasis. Other factors failed to show any correlation with lymph node metastasis. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, women with large tumors lasting more than 12 months might be of greater risk for lymph node metastasis.
Seyed Ali Ahmadi; Fahimeh Asadi Amoli; Katayoun Gohari Moghaddam
Volume 3, Issue 3 , June 2008, , Pages 151-156
Abstract
Background and Objective: The frequency and pattern of eye neoplasms differ in various geographic areas. Our aim was to determine the distribution of patient age, gender, ocular tumor origin, location and histological type in our region. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, ...
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Background and Objective: The frequency and pattern of eye neoplasms differ in various geographic areas. Our aim was to determine the distribution of patient age, gender, ocular tumor origin, location and histological type in our region. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all of the 384 eye globe enucleation cases carried out during a 10-year period in Farabi Medical Center in Tehran were selected and reviewed. The inflammatory and non-tumoral conditions were excluded. Results: Out of 350 primary tumors, 344 (98.6%) were malignant including 248 cases of retinoblastomas (70.9%), 76 cases of (21.7%) melanomas and 14 cases of (4%) squamous cell carcinomas. Mean ages for these tumors were 3.2, 51 and 64.8 years respectively. Overall the tumors were 1.15 times more frequent in left eye and 1.53 times more common in males. Out of 248 cases of retinoblastomas, only 12 (4.8%) cases were bilateral (mean age 3.46 years; male to female ratio 1.4:1). Some rare cases in our series included a primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of choroid, two choroidal leiomyomas and an adenocarcinoma of the retinal pigment epithelium. Conclusion: The overall frequency of the three most common primary malignancies in our series was similar to the reported Asian countries but slightly differed with western countries in terms of lower incidence of melanoma here. Also bilateral retinoblastoma was less frequent here and occurred in a slightly older age. The actual frequency of metastatic eye tumors could not be evaluated precisely due to lack of systematic autopsy data.
Mehdi Seilanian Toosi; Mohammad Reza Ghavam Nasiri; Kamran Ghafarzadegan; Azar Fani Pakdel; Roham Salek; Kazem Anvari
Volume 3, Issue 1 , January 2008, , Pages 5-10
Abstract
Background and Objective: P53 is a suppressive gene that plays a key role in DNA repair and apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of P53 protein over-expression and some clinicopathological factors on the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. ...
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Background and Objective: P53 is a suppressive gene that plays a key role in DNA repair and apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of P53 protein over-expression and some clinicopathological factors on the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 44 patients with localized esophageal SCC undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (cisplatin + 5FU and 40 Gy in 20 fractions of irradiation) and surgery were evaluated. Pretreatment specimens were immunohistochemically assessed for p53 over-expression and scored according to the frequency of stained cells. The pathologic response in resected specimens was categorized as follows: complete response (CR), no evidence of malignant cell; partial response (PR), small foci of malignant cells and negative lymph nodes and minor response, macroscopic residual tumor or positive lymph nodes. Results: It was found out that p53 protein over-expression exists in 29 cases (65.9%). Following chemoradiotherapy, CR and PR were found in 9 (20.5%) and 19 cases (43.2%) respectively. There were also no significant association between tumor response and clinicopathological features such as sex (p = 1), age (p = 0.82), dysphagia grade (p = 0.82) and longitudinal length of the tumor (p = 0.59). No significant correlation was found between p53 expression and pathological response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (p = 0.94). Conclusion: These findings suggest that p53 protein expression is not reliable for predicting the response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. There were also no correlations between pathological response to chemoradiotherapy and clinical features such as age, sex, dysphagia grade and longitudinal diameter of the tumor.
Nourieh Sharifi; Mohammad Javad Yazdanpanah
Volume 2, Issue 3 , June 2007, , Pages 97-99
Abstract
Background and Objective: Cutaneous cytology is the study of scraping or smears obtained from skin lesions. Although not commonly employed, cutaneous cytology has been a useful tool for clinicians due to simplified procedures and high sensitivity and specificity of presurgical clinical diagnosis of common ...
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Background and Objective: Cutaneous cytology is the study of scraping or smears obtained from skin lesions. Although not commonly employed, cutaneous cytology has been a useful tool for clinicians due to simplified procedures and high sensitivity and specificity of presurgical clinical diagnosis of common types of skin tumors. This investigation was conducted to study usefulness of cutaneous cytology in diagnosis of basal and squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: We collected 42 skin tumors in total, clinically presumed to be either BCC (n = 31) or SCC (n = 10). Samples were taken by the scraping technique. After smearing the cells onto several glass slides, they were fixed with 96% alcohol. The specimens were stained with Papanicolaou stain. Punch biopsies were taken to confirm the clinical and cytologic impression. Results: Cytodiagnosis and histopathologic examination of 42 cases of BCC (n = 32) and SCC (n = 10) showed a significant concordance between histopathology of skin specimen and cytologic diagnosis with a sensitivity rate of 96.8% and specificity rate of 90% and with a high positive predictive value of 96.8%. Conclusion: Cytologic examination is easy to perform, saves time, and provides a rapid and reliable procedure in diagnosis and confirmation of non-melanoma malignant skin tumors (BCC and SCC).
Parvin Rajabi; Mohammad Aboutalebdokht; Mitra Heidarpour; Ali Asilian; Fatemeh Rajabi
Volume 2, Issue 1 , January 2007, , Pages 7-10
Abstract
Background and Objective: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are two common tumors of the skin. In some cases, distinction between BCC and SCC can be difficult. This study aimed to clarify this uncertainty through immunohistochemical analysis. In this respect, epithelial membrane ...
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Background and Objective: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are two common tumors of the skin. In some cases, distinction between BCC and SCC can be difficult. This study aimed to clarify this uncertainty through immunohistochemical analysis. In this respect, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and Ber-Ep4 are the two immunohistochemical markers on which we focus in differentiating skin BCC from SCC. Materials and Methods: Archived paraffin-embedded tissue samples of BCC (n = 40) and SCC (n=40) were stained immunohistochemically using Ber-Ep4 and EMA antibodies. Results: It was found out that 37 (92.5%) out of the BCC samples stained positive for Ber-Ep4 and 2.5% of SCC samples showed positive staining. The majority of SCC group (37 out of 40) expressed EMA, while 5% of BCC samples showed positive staining. Conclusion: Distinction of BCC and SCC of the skin can be readily achieved through Ber-Ep4 and EMA immunohistochemical markers. Regarding potential false positive and negative results through immunostaining techniques, we may recommend the use of these two antibodies together.