Evdokia Arkoumani

Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) is expressed in brain astrocytic tumors and declines with dedifferentiation of the neoplasm

Purpose Estrogen receptor β (ERβ) is the second identified receptor mediating the effects of estrogen on target tissues. The role of ERβ in cancer pathobiology is largely unknown, because specific antibodies have not been available until recently. Initial studies have shown that ERβ expression declines in breast, ovarian, prostatic, and colon carcinomas. Tamoxifen, a synthetic anti-estrogen compound that is a mixed agonist/antagonist of estrogen receptor α (ERα) and a pure antagonist of ERβ, has moderate beneficial effects in human astrocytic neoplasms. However, most published studies agree that glial tumors do not express ERα. The purpose of this study was to explore the expression of ERβ in astrocytic neoplasms.Methods ERβ expression was monitored immunohistochemically in 56 cases of astrocytomas of all grades (grade I–IV) and in adjacent non-neoplastic brain tissue.Results Moderate or strong nuclear immunopositivity was obtained in non-neoplastic astrocytes and in low-grade astrocytomas, whereas the majority of high-grade tumors were immunonegative or displayed weak immunoreactivity. The progressive decline in ERβ expression paralleled the increase in tumor grade.Conclusions In as much as ERβ is possibly the only ER expressed in astrocytes, its decreased expression may play an important role in astrocytic tumor initiation and in the potential response of glial neoplasms to tamoxifen.

Immunohistochemical Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and C-KIT in Cutaneous Melanocytic Lesions

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and C-KIT are involved in tumor progression in several human neoplasms. The aim of the present study has been to investigate their immunohistochemical expression in melanocytic lesions. We examined 11 compound nevi, 12 dysplastic nevi, and 18 melanomas. Immunostaining for VEGF was observed only in melanomas; c-kit expression was detected in melanomas (higher in radial than in vertical growth phase) and in nevi (predominantly in the junctional component). Our data indicate that assessment of VEGF expression might aid in the differential diagnosis between dysplastic nevi and melanomas. Moreover, VEGF might be a candidate for targeted therapy. The loss of c-kit expression might contribute to melanoma progression.

Immunohistochemical expression of cell-cycle proteins in gastric precancerous lesions

Background:  The early indicator for the subject predisposed to gastric cancer is abnormal proliferation of gastric epithelial cells, such as atrophic gastritis (AG), intestinal metaplasia (IM), and dysplasia, which have been considered as precancerous lesions of gastric cancer. To determine whether p53 protein, cyclins D1, and D3, and p27kip1 play a role in the carcinogenesis pathway of gastric cancer, we performed an immunohistochemical study of their expression in gastric precancerous lesions.

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia following chlorambucil treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Abstract:  A 70‐yr‐old man developed cough, chest pain, hemoptysis and a pulmonary infiltrate shortly after initiation of treatment with chlorambucil for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Chlorambucil was discontinued and an open lung procedure was performed with complete excision of the pulmonary lesion. The biopsy specimens showed histological alteration consistent with the diagnosis of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP). There was no evidence of other known causes usually associated with BOOP. The patient recovered completely after surgery. This report suggests that BOOP must be considered in the differential diagnosis of respiratory symptoms and pulmonary infiltrates in patients treated with chlorambucil.