Masashi Imanaka

Staining of interleukin-10 predicts clinical outcome in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) has been implicated as an important modulator of lymphoid cells, and its sequence is homologous to an open reading frame in the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) genome. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a representative tumor related to EBV infection.

Characteristics of nasal inverted papilloma and its malignant transformation: a study of cell proliferation and programmed cell death.

Background In nasal inverted papilloma (IP) and its malignant transformation process, abnormal cell growth has been regarded as an altered proliferation of the epithelial cells, while the role of programmed cell death in this process remains to be determined. Methods An apoptotic index was calculated, and the proliferation ability by using Ki67 as a marker was evaluated in the study subjects, which consisted of 15 cases of nasal chronic sinusitis, 23 cases of nasal IP, 9 cases of nasal IP with dysplasia, 8 cases of nasal IP with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and 21 cases of primary SCC. In addition, expressions of apoptosis-related molecules p53, Bcl-2, Bax, and Fas were investigated also. Results The result showed that the Ki67 index increased in IP and IP with dysplasia. The Ki67 value was further enhanced in SCC within IP and primary SCC. The apoptotic index was low in IP with dysplasia, IP with SCC, and primary SCC. Concerning the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, p53 protein accumulated in IP with dysplasia, IP with SCC, and primary SCC. The p53 overexpression was directly correlated with the Ki67 index in IP and primary SCC diseases. No remarkable differences were found regarding expression of Bcl-2 and Fas productions among these diseases, and Bax protein was decreased only in primary SCC. Conclusion We concluded that inhibition of apoptosis could be an early sign of IP undergoing malignant transformation. A high proliferative rate was a characteristic of IP-associated malignant diseases.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Nucleolar Organizer Regions in Squamous-Cell Carcinomas of the Maxillary Sinus

The clinicopathological implications of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were assessed in 25 squamous-cell carcinomas arising in the maxillary sinuses. NORs in the carcinoma tissue were stained with silver colloid and counted. As the histological differentiation of the tumors decreased, the mean AgNOR number rose significantly. The mean AgNOR number in T4 cancers was higher than that in T2 and T3 cancers, and the difference between T3 and T4 categories was significant. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the AgNOR number between tumors of patients with and without recurrence after therapy, between those with different clinical stages or between those with good or poor response to treatment. Moreover, there was no significant difference in survival rates between patients with low and high AgNOR counts. These studies indicate that, in the collective examined, the AgNOR staining method was of no prognostic value for patients with squamous-cell carcinomas of the maxillary sinus.

The Early Detection of Occult Metastasis from Oral Cancer

We examined occult metastasis to cervical lymph nodes in ten cases of early oral and oropharyngeal (uvula origin) cancer. In all ten cases, partial excision alone was performed, without performing prophylactic neck dissection. Ultrasonic echo was carried out once every few month after the initial cancer treatment, and tried to detect occult cervical metastasis early. Metastatic lymph node was defined as showing a minor axis/major axis >0.5, and a minor axis >6mm on ultrasonic echo. The period from primary treatment to detection of metastatic lymph node ranged from 4 to 16 months. The average size of the lymph nodes at diagnosis of metastasis was 16×11mm. Pathological diagnosis of metastatic lymph node was detected by FNA in nine cases and excisional biopsy in one case. Although there was a case in which the observation period was short, seven cases survived and the results were better than the previous reports. It is important to perform ultrasonic echography after the initial treatment for early oral cancer in which prophylactic neck dissection was not performed. These results suggest that early detection of occult metastasis from oral cancer by ultrasonic echo can be expected to improve prognoses in cases of occult metastasis.

Bilateral Basal Cell Adenomas in the Parotid Glands Combined with Warthin's Tumor Unilaterally; A Case Report.

We treated an extremely rare case of bilateral basal cell adenomas combined with Warthins tumor in the left parotid gland. The patient was a 65-year-old male who complained of swelling in the bilateral parotid areas. We removed bilateral parotid masses. Histopathological examination demonstrated adenoma and Warthins tumor. The incidence of bilateral parotid tumors is rare, and synchronous tumors with different histopathological types in a single salivary gland are extremely rare.

Cytofluorometric DNA analysis by stathmokinetic method of experimental thyroid neoplasms in rats

Thyroid neoplasms were Induced In rats by the intraperitoneal Injection of N‐bis(2‐hydroxy‐propyl)nltrosamlne as a carcinogenic substance and by the oral administration of KCIO4 as a promoter. The nuclear DNA content was measured in tissue sections of the tumors by the stathmokinetic method with the use of vincristine, and was correlated with the hlstopathological findings In the process of tumorigenesls and progression. Hlstological examination showed various types of lesions were produced In 47 surviving rats. A diplold pattern was seen In 82 (92%) of 89 tumors and an aneuplold pattern in 7 (8%) of 89 tumors. Papillary carcinomas and mixed carcinomas only had a dlploid pattern, while two of 17 follicular carcinomas and five of 13 anaplastic carcinomas had an aneuploid pattern. On the other hand, benign proliferative nodules only had a dlploid pattern. DNA heterogeneity was noted in seven malignant tumors. In four of them it was associated with the histo‐pathological evidence of change, but in three there was no histologlcal difference between the aneuplofd and diploid areas other than a difference in the mitotic index. Mitotic indices were significantly higher in the aneuploid than in the diploid areas. These findings suggest that changes in the DNA ploidy cause histologlcal abnormalities and/or affect the mitotic index, ft is hypothesized that a change occurs in some diploid ceils in a region of a tumor, and that aneuploid cells develop from the diploid cells which then acquire high proliferatlve activity.

Tracheo-esophageal shunt speech: report of an unusual case.

A rare case of laryngectomee who acquired TE shunt speech is reported. Our patient was a 64-year-old woman with laryngeal cancer (glottic type T3N0M0). She underwent laryngectomy in 1990, and a Komorn tracheo-esophageal shunt operation was performed simultaneously. A voice prosthesis (BIVONA) was inserted into the shunt, but the voice valve was not used. She acquired shunt speech soon after the operation, and there was no need to close the tracheostoma during phonation. Fiberoptic, X-ray and aerodynamic findings of the shunt and esophagus were as follows: (i) The one-way valve of the voice prosthesis was open during inspiration and closed during phonation. (ii) Swallowing of air, as seen in esophageal speech, was not observed. (iii) The neoglottis was in the upper part of the esophagus. It was concluded that the air for the vibration of the neoglottis entered the esophagus through the T-E shunt during inspiration.