Takuya Hatada

Evaluation of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy for thyroid nodules

BACKGROUND We retrospectively studied whether ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (US-FNAB) showed improved sensitivity in patients with palpable thyroid nodules. METHODS A total of 70 patients (72 lesions) with thyroid nodules underwent US-FNAB and 94 patients (94 lesions) underwent FNAB guided by manual palpation (standard FNAB). The diagnoses obtained by US-FNAB were compared with the surgical findings. RESULTS The sensitivity of US-FNAB for palpable thyroid nodules was 62% the specificity was 74% the accuracy was 68% the positive predictive value was 100%, the negative predictive value was 70% and the inadequate biopsy rate was 17%. In contrast, the sensitivity of standard FNAB was 45%, the specificity was 51%, the accuracy was 48% the positive predictive value was 96, the negative predictive value was 55, and the inadequate biopsy rate was 30%. The accuracy of US-FNAB was significantly higher than that of standard FNAB. For tumors < or = 2 cm in diameter, the sensitivity and accuracy of US-FNAB were both significantly higher than those of standard FNAB. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that US-FNAB can improve the preoperative diagnosis of thyroid cancer, especially in patients with tumors < or = 2 cm in diameter.

Diagnostic value of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy, core-needle biopsy, and evaluation of combined use in the diagnosis of breast lesions

BACKGROUND To investigate whether ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy (US-CNB) has more diagnostic value for breast tumors than ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (US-FNAB) and to evaluate their combined use in patients with breast tumors. STUDY DESIGN US-FNAB was carried out in 233 patients with breast tumors (254 lesions); both US-FNAB and US-CNB (combined biopsy) were performed in 81 of these patients (82 lesions). The diagnosis obtained by US-FNAB and US-CNB was compared with the surgical findings and the diagnostic value of US-CNB and combined biopsy were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS The sensitivity of US-FNAB was 86.9%, the specificity was 78.6%, and the accuracy was 84%. In contrast, the sensitivity of US-CNB was 86.2%, the specificity was 95.8%, and the accuracy was 89%. The specificity of US-CNB was significantly higher than that of US-FNAB and the inadequate biopsy rate of US-CNB was significantly lower than that of US-FNAB. For combined biopsy, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were all 100%. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of combined biopsy were significantly higher than those of US-FNAB. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that US-CNB is more useful than US-FNAB, and that a combination of US-CNB and US-FNAB can markedly improve the preoperative diagnosis of breast cancer.

Protein Kinase C Activity of Colonic Mucosa in Ulcerative Colitis

Protein kinase C (PKC) activity was measured in the inflamed colonic mucosa of 24 patients with ulcerative colitis and in the normal colonic mucosa of 10 patients with other benign diseases. The particulate fraction activity in ulcerative colitis mucosa was significantly increased compared with that of normal mucosa (320 +/- 47 versus 200 +/- 30 pmol/min/mg protein; p less than 0.05). Inflamed ulcerative colitis mucosa also showed significantly increased total PKC activity in the particulate fractions compared with normal mucosa (147 +/- 26 versus 37 +/- 8 pmol/min/mg tissue; p less than 0.05). Mucosal samples from ulcerative colitis patients were divided into 12 with mild and 12 with severe inflammation by histologic examination. The particulate PKC activity of severely inflamed mucosa was significantly lower than that of mildly inflamed mucosa (p less than 0.05). These results indicate that colonic inflammation in ulcerative colitis may be associated with altered cellular PKC activity.

Hemodynamics in the prone jackknife position during surgery

We examined the hemodynamic changes occurring with prone jackknife positioning during colorectal surgery. The operative procedure was restorative proctocolectomy with ileal J-pouch anal anastomosis in five patients with adenomatosis coli and six patients with ulcerative colitis and anoabdominal resection of the rectum with colonic J-pouch anal anastomosis in eight patients with rectal cancer. Nineteen patients (10 men and 9 women aged 41 +/- 19 years) were monitored with arterial and Swan-Ganz catheters during positioning. Measurements were obtained in the supine and prone positions (1 minute, 3 minutes), and the jackknife position (1, 3, 5, and 10 minutes), as well as before and after adoption of the Lloyd-Davies position (1, 3, 5, and 10 minutes). Turning the patient from the supine position to the prone position resulted in a significant decrease in the cardiac index (CI). However, following head-down rotation, the CI increased and returned to the value seen in the supine position (p less than 0.05). Heart rate (HR) slowed and mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased in the prone jackknife position. We concluded that the extent of the changes in cardiac function presented no serious problems.

Evaluation of J-Pouch Reconstruction after Total Gastrectomy: ρ-Double Tract vs. J-Pouch Double Tract

Objective: Various enteric reservoirs have been advocated to improve the quality of life after total gastrectomy. We evaluated the advantages of pouch reconstruction compared with traditional ρ-double tract reconstruction. Design: Prospective randomized study. Setting: Second Department of Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, Japan. Subjects: Forty patients who underwent total gastrectomy for cancer of the stomach were studied. Intervention: Forty patients were randomly divided into two groups: 20 patients received ρ-double tract reconstruction (RDT group), and 20 underwent J-pouch double tract reconstruction (PDT group) group. Main Outcome Measures: We compared the body weight, serum nutritional parameters, reflux score, scintigraphic esophageal reflux, food intake, and emptying time of the J-pouch or ρ-limb between the two groups. Results: No difference was noted between the two groups with regard to body weight, but food intake tended to be higher in the PDT group than in the RDT group. Total protein and albumin levels were higher in the PDT group than in the RDT group, while scintigraphic reflux was significantly less prominent in the PDT group. Conclusions: J-pouch reconstruction was superior with respect to protein metabolism, food intake and reduction of reflux esophagitis compared with the traditional RDT method. However, use of pouch reconstruction did not improve postoperative weight gain.

Acute abdominal symptoms caused by hemorrhagic necrosis of a pheochromocytoma: Report of a case

The diagnosis of pheochromocytoma is often difficult in a patient presenting with acute illness but without the classical constitutional symptoms. We report herein the case of a woman who developed acute abdominal symptoms following hemorrhagic necrosis of a previously unsuspected pheochromocytoma. This patient underwent successful emergency resuscitation followed later by elective surgical resection of a right adrenal pheochromocytoma. A review of 27 other cases indicates that a fatal outcome is likely to result without the initiation of prompt and appropriate emergency treatment, followed later by removal of the tumor. Thus, early diagnosis is important not only for controlling hypertension, but also because performing a laparotomy on a patient with unrecognized hemorrhagic necrosis of pheochromocytoma can create a potentially lethal situation.

Protein kinase C activity in human thyroid carcinoma and adenoma

Protein kinase C (PKC) activity was examined in the cytosolic and particulate fractions of homogenates obtained from 12 papillary thyroid carcinomas, 12 follicular thyroid adenomas, and the adjacent normal thyroid tissue. Particulate PKC activity was elevated significantly in thyroid carcinomas compared with normal thyroid tissue (P < 0.01) and adenomas (P < 0.05). By contrast, cytosolic PKC activity of carcinomas and adenomas was lower significantly than that of normal thyroid tissue (P < 0.01). The percentage of particulate PKC activity in carcinoma and adenoma was higher than in normal thyroid tissue (carcinoma, P < 0.001; adenoma, P < 0.01). The average particulate PKC activity of carcinomas more than 3 cm in diameter was significantly lower than that of carcinomas less than or equal to 3 cm in diameter (P < 0.05). The average cytosolic PKC activity of carcinomas more than 3 cm also was lower significantly than that of smaller carcinomas (P < 0.05). These results suggest that alterations in PKC activity may be important in the development of papillary thyroid cancer.

High Ki-67 Expression and Low Progesterone Receptor Expression Could Independently Lead to a Worse Prognosis for Postmenopausal Patients With Estrogen Receptor-Positive and HER2-Negative Breast Cancer

UNLABELLED We examined the prognostic significance of progesterone receptor (PgR) expression in immunohistochemical-based luminal subtypes defined by Ki-67 expression, taking menopausal status into consideration. The study included 327 surgically removed estrogen receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancers. High Ki-67 expression (> 15%) and low PgR expression (£ 20%) were significant independent factors resulting in worse distant relapse-free survival. This association was observed in postmenopausalwomen but not in premenopausal women. BACKGROUND Accurate classification of luminal A and luminal B characteristics of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer is considered clinically important for determining effective adjuvant treatment. Although Ki-67 expression has been identified as an essential constituent for this classification, the role of progesterone receptor (PgR) expression has yet to be fully elucidated. Because PgR expression is influenced by the estrogen milieu, we examined the prognostic significance of PgR expression in immunohistochemical (IHC)-based luminal subtypes defined by Ki-67 expression, taking menopausal status into consideration. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examined 327 surgically removed ER(+) and HER2(-) breast cancer specimens. ER, PgR, and Ki67 expression was determined IHC for semiquantitative measurement. We used 1%, 20%, and 15% as the cutoff value for ER, PgR, and Ki-67, respectively. RESULTS Breast cancer with low PgR (≤ 20%) expression was significantly associated with postmenopausal status, a large tumor size, and low ER expression. The low PgR expression subset had significantly worse distant relapse-free survival (DRFS) than the high PgR expression subset (P = .0067). This association was observed consistently in postmenopausal women but not in the premenopausal women. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that high Ki-67 expression (hazard ratio [HR], 3.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.57-10.58; P = .003) and low PgR expression (HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.08-6.40; P = .038) were significant independent factors affecting DRFS. CONCLUSION Low PgR expression was independently associated with a poorer prognosis for ER(+) and HER2(-) breast cancer. Determination of PgR expression combined with that of Ki-67 could thus improve the accuracy of IHC-based classification of luminal A and luminal B breast cancer, especially for postmenopausal women.

Germline p53 mutation at codon 133 in a cancer-prone family

Abstract We identified four families in which we suspected the presence of genetic factors predisposing them to cancer. We examined one family with features suggesting Li-Fraumeni syndrome for the presence of a germline p53 mutation in 13 of its members. To detect germline p53 mutations we performed polymerase chain reaction/nonradioisotopic single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing analysis on exons 4–9 of the p53 gene. Mutated polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was also performed on exon 5 to confirm the mutation identified by the sequencing analysis. A novel germline p53 mutation was identified at codon 133 (ATG→AGG) in exon 5, resulting in the substitution of arginine for methionine, in all four cancer-affected individuals and in three apparently healthy individuals. We also analyzed tumor specimens for additional p53 mutations in the wild-type alleles using the same methods. However, heterozygosity was retained, and no other additional mutations in the wild-type allele were identified in any of the tumor tissues. It is possible that additional mutations in the wild-type allele are not always necessary for the loss of tumor suppressor functions. This study presents serious clinical and ethical problems about the predictive value of identifying germline p53 mutations in presymptomatic carriers. However, accurate predictive testing will be very useful in identifying unaffected individuals who are at increased risk of developing cancer and in detecting cancer at an early stage.

Lipocortin-Present Perforating and Lipocortin-Absent Nonperforating Crohn's Disease

To investigate whether Crohns disease has two different clinical forms, a relatively aggressive perforating type and a more indolent nonperforating type, we compared the concentrations of lipocortin and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the inflamed mucosa of 12 patients with strictly controlled Crohns disease with those found in histologically normal mucosa of control subjects. The inflamed mucosa obtained from eight patients with nonperforating Crohns disease did not react with antilipocortin antibody on immune blot analysis. In contrast, the inflamed mucosa from four patients with perforating Crohns disease, as well as that obtained from histologically normal controls, contained lipocortins. In addition, higher concentrations of intramucosal ileal and colonic PGE2 were found in patients with nonperforating Crohns disease (902 +/- 454 pg/wet weight [WW] mg and 1,268 +/- 567 pg/WW mg, respectively) compared with normal controls (90.2 +/- 43.1 pg/WW mg and 173 +/- 76.5 pg/WW mg, respectively) (p less than 0.01). The difference in intramucosal ileal and colonic PGE2 levels between patients with perforating Crohns disease (109.6 +/- 16.7 pg/WW mg and 252 +/- 34.4 pg/WW mg, respectively) and normal controls was not significant. These findings indicate that there may be two distinct patterns of Crohns disease that differ in the amount of lipocortin present in the intestinal mucosa.