William J. Hunter

Studies of a human mesothelioma

Abdominal fluid from a patient with mesothelioma was cultured in vitro, and a cell line designated JMN was established. This cell line has undergone more than 100 passages. Electron microscopic, karyotypic, and heterotransplantation studies as well as the capability of collagen synthesis by this cell line indicated that it is of malignant mesothelial origin. The cell line has proved very useful for the isolation of human pathogenic viruses.

Expression of leukemia/lymphoma related factor (LRF/Pokemon) in human benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer

Leukemia/lymphoma related factor (LRF), also known as Pokemon, is a protein that belongs to the POK family of transcriptional repressors. It has an oncogenic role in many different solid tumors. In this study, the expression of LRF was evaluated in benign prostate hyperplastic (BPH) and prostate cancer (PC) tissues. The functional expression of LRF was studied using multiple cellular and molecular methods including RT-PCR, western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence. Paraffin-embedded human tissues of BPH and PC were used to examine LRF expression. Histological staining of the BPH and PC tissue sections revealed nuclear expression of LRF with minimal expression in the surrounding stroma. The semi-quantitative RT-PCR and western immunoblot analyses demonstrated significantly higher mRNA transcripts and protein expression in PC than BPH. High expression of LRF suggests that it may have a potential role in the pathogenesis of both BPH and prostate cancer. Further studies will help elucidate the mechanisms and signaling pathways that LRF may follow in the pathogenesis of prostate carcinoma.

Neoadjuvant treatment of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans of pancreas with Imatinib: case report and systematic review of literature

Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP) is a rare skin tumor, characterized by frequent local recurrence but is seldom metastatic. It is histologically characterized by storiform arrangement of spindle cells. Cytogenetically, most tumors are characterized by translocation 17:22 leading to overexpression of tyrosine kinase PDGFB which can be targeted with tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Imatinib. We describe the first case of unresectable pancreatic metastases from DFSP treated with neoadjuvant Imatinib and subsequently R0 metastectomy. Additionally, a comprehensive systematic review of DFSP pancreatic metastases and the current published data on the use of Imatinib in DFSP is summarized.

A novel t(6;13)(q15;q34) translocation in a giant cell reparative granuloma (solid aneurysmal bone cyst)

Aneurysmal bone cyst is a rapidly growing and locally aggressive lesion that commonly affects children and young adults. Initially regarded as a reactive process, primary aneurysmal bone cyst is now widely accepted as a neoplasm owing to recent findings of recurrent clonal chromosomal alterations, mostly t(16;17)(q22;p13). However, other infrequent chromosomal rearrangements have also been reported. Giant cell reparative granuloma, previously regarded as a nonneoplastic process and histologically indistinguishable from the solid variant of aneurysmal bone cyst, is frequently seen in the gnathic bones and the short tubular bones of the hands and feet. Here we present such a case of giant cell reparative granuloma (solid aneurysmal bone cyst) in the finger of a 63-year-old white man. Cytogenetic analysis revealed a novel alteration involving a reciprocal translocation between 6q and 13q, with a karyotype of 46,XY,t(6;13)(q15;q34),del(20)(q13.1).

Multiple Arterial Injuries and Prolonged Cholesterol Feeding Do Not Increase Percent Lumen Stenosis: Impact of Compensatory Enlargement in the Microswine Model

While the swine model is frequently utilized in the study of arterial intervention, it has been difficult to create severe peripheral arterial stenosis without total thrombotic occlusion with a single arterial injury and short-term cholesterol feeding. The combination of multiple arterial injuries and prolonged cholesterol feeding was explored in an effort to create lesions with significant luminal compromise. Nineteen microswine were divided into two groups and fed a high cholesterol diet followed by multiple balloon injuries of the iliac arteries. We conclude that repeated balloon injuries and longer cholesterol feeding significantly increase areas of plaque and necrotic core but do not increase percent stenosis because of arterial compensatory enlargement. The microswine iliac arteries enlarge in relation to plaque area and repeated balloon injuries. The compensatory lumen enlargement may be one of the factors resulting in significant angiographic underestimation of plaque area during the early stage of the atherosclerotic disease, but it may functionally delay important lumen stenosis until the lesion occupies 40% of the internal elastic lamina area. This study suggests that repeated injury and longer cholesterol feeding to increase percent stenosis may not be cost effective in this model. However, this model is good for studying an increase in plaque accumulation.

Analysis of treatment effectiveness and complications associated with MammoSite™ breast brachytherapy in patients treated at a single institution

ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to present treatment and follow-up data over a 5-year period for patients treated with MammoSite™ breast brachytherapy at our institution. Patient data was collected regarding the specific treatment and planning volumes, the complications occurring during and after treatment, and the overall outcome of each patient relating to tumor-free survival.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of patients who presented with early stage breast cancer and received breast conserving surgery. These patients elected to receive accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) using the MammoSite™ catheter device. Patients were treated with 30.6–34.0xa0Gy in 3.4xa0Gy fractions twice daily with a minimum of 6xa0h between fractions utilizing either a spherical or an ellipsoidal catheter device.ResultsFrom October 2005 to November 2010, 78 patients eligible for our retrospective analysis were treated with APBI using the MammoSite™ catheter device. The median follow-up time was 80xa0months. Of the patients in our study, there were a total of 10 recurrences. Five of these recurrences were local, two of the recurrences were local or new primaries that eventually developed into widespread metastatic disease, and three of the recurrences were widespread metastatic disease. Two were considered new primaries due to receptor status change in the new tumor.ConclusionsThis case series of 78 patients having greater than 24xa0months of follow-up from a single institution provides important data regarding failure analysis with MammoSite™ accelerated partial breast irradiation. Our results show a higher rate of metastatic recurrence in the group of patients with positive nodal disease.