Tehran University Medical Journal

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 !mso]> ject classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui> Background: Glycoconjugates are a class of cell surface glycoproteins, the terminal sugars of which are important indicators of neoplasia and the aberrant biological behavior of cancer cells. Lectins are a class of plant or animal glycoproteins that specifically bind to the terminal sugars of glycoconjugates. The aim of the present study is to identify the presence of L-fucose in cell surface glycoconjugates and extracellular matrix glycoconjugates of cancer cells of different grades of colonic adenocarcinoma.
Methods: Paraffin blocks of colonic adenocarcinoma tissue from 30 patients were collected from the Pathology Department of Khatam Al Anbia Hospital in Zahedan, Iran. Sections, 5-7μm thick, were prepared and stained using hematoxylin and eosin. Sections were graded histopathologically and then stained using the lectin Ulex europaeus agglutinin (UEA, 10μm/mL), which binds specifically to L-fucose, and Alcian blue (pH=2.5). Sections were graded blindly according to lectin staining intensity on a scale of 0-3. Collected data were analyzed using Kruskall-Wallis and Mann Whitney nonparametric tests with SPSS.
Results: Our results show that there is a significant difference in the staining intensity for L-fucose between tumoral cells of different grades of colon carcinoma (p<0.001). Results show that the degree of UEA lectin binding to cancer cells is lower in the cytoplasm and nucleus and higher in the extracellular matrix in tumors, with the degree increasing with histopathological grade. Furthermore, staining intensity differs in different portions of cancer cells.
Conclusions: The increased staining intensity of L-fucose in the extracellular matrix of colon carcinoma is a reflection of the aberrant protein glycosylation pathway in neoplasia.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Background: Gastric adenocarsinoma is the first leading fatal malignancy in Iran. Despite advances in novel therapeutics approaches for gastric cancer (GC) patient, tumor dissemination via blood stream to distant organ is still the major cause of death. Therefore, there is urgent need to establish sensitive methods for early detection of disseminated tumor cells in peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) specimens of gastric cancer patients.
Methods: In the present study, we use Carcinoma Embryonic Antigen (CEA) as a tumor marker and Glyceraldehyde 3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as an internal control to detection and quantification of disseminated tumor cells in PB and BM specimens of affected individuals. Total RNA was extracted from AGS (gastric cancer) cell line and CEA and GAPDH fragments were generated by reverse transcription. The amplified fragments were cloned into pTZ57R/T vector separately. Double cloning of these genes has done into one pTZ57R/T vector. Serial dilution of this recombinant plasmid is used to construct standard curve, each containing a known amount of input copy number. Total RNA was extracted from BP and BM specimens of 35 GC patients. cDNA of the specimens were synthesized by reverse transcription and subjected to Quantitative Real-Time PCR (QRT-PCR).
Results: We developed a highly sensitive and specific quantitative PCR for CEA and GAPDH using Real-Time PCR based on TaqMan technology. CEA mRNA was detected in 23% of PB and 20% of BM specimens. There was no CEA mRNA detecting in control group.
Conclusions: The QRT-PCR for CEA can be a useful technique for detection of micrometastases in the PB and BM specimens of gastric cancer patients.

Background: Surgery is the most effective treatment of well-differentiated endometrial cancer. But using systemic progestins, have been evaluated to treat the young patients with well-differentiated endometrial cancer who wish to preserve their fertility. The aim of this study was the evaluation of megestrol acetate on endometrial adenocarcino-ma with regard to the receptors.

Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study. In 16 infertile patients with stage Ia well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma. The treatment initiated with 160mg/d of megestrol acetate and continued with 320mg/d for non-responsive cases. All of the patients followed with FD&C and hysteroscopy. The responsive patients were referred to IVF group and they were followed for three years.

Results: Of nine patient in the first step of the study, 4 (25%) became pregnant. Eight patients underwent Total Abdominal Hysterectomy (TAH), and one was retreated conservatively. Of seven patient of second step of the study, five are under treatment at the time of closing the paper (three cases candidate for IVF and two are under 320 mg/d megestrol acetate), one patient is a candidate for hysterectomy, and one exited of study because of male infertility. All of the patients were progesterone receptor positive, and only one was estrogen receptor negative.

Conclusion: Conservative treatment of early stage well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma with progestins may be used in highly selected young patients who have not completed their family. Close long- term follow up in this special group of patients is necessary. The evaluation of estrogen and progesterone receptors assay may be useful in predicting response to the treatment.

Background: Thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) is widely used in the diagnosis of lung and thyroid carcinomas. Although there have been reports of TTF-1 immunoreactivity in tumors other than those originating from the lung or thyroid, endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas have not been studied in large numbers in this regard.

Methods: Thirteen endocervical adenocarcinomas, 39 endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinomas and four uterine serous carcinomas which had no neuroendocrine component were retrieved, stained by TTF-1 and examined. A semiquantitative grading system was used to evaluate the distribution of TTF-1 staining (0= negative, 1+  5%, 2+= 5% to 25%, 3+= 26% to 50%, 4+= 51% to 75% and 5+  75%). A qualitative system was also used to evaluate the intensity of TTF-1 staining (weak, moderate and strong).

Results: TTF-1 expression was seen in 1 out of 13 (7.7%) endocervical adenocarcinoma samples, showing 1+ distribution rate and weak intensity. The positive sample was moderately differentiated. TTF-1 expression was present in 2 out of 39 (5.1%) endometrioid adenocarcinoma samples (one grade I and the other grade II) with 1+ distribution rate and weak intensity. There was no apparent correlation between the degree of differentiation and TTF-1 positivity in the studied adenocarcinomas. None of the four endometrial serous carcinomas were positive for TTF-1.

Conclusion: Although some recent studies cast doubt about the specificity of TTF-1 for lung and thyroid carcinoma, our study showed that TTF-1 was negative in endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas and established the specificity of TTF-1 for lung and thyroid carcinomas.

Background: Fumonisins, a family of mycotoxins, are mainly found in wheat, corn and their products. Previous studies have shown that fumonisin B1 (FB1), the most abundant and toxic of known fumonisins, has been associated with many animal and human diseases including cancer. In the present study, the effects of FB1 were examined on the production of inflammatory cytokines in intestine and stomach cell lines.

Methods: This study was performed in the Cancer Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2010. The cell lines of colon adenocarcinoma (SW742) and gastric epithelium (AGS) were purchased from the Pasteur Institute of Iran. The cells were pretreated with different concentrations of FB1 (0 to 100 µM) for 3 days. The cells were later stimulated by lipopolysaccharides. Twenty-four hours after cell induction, the cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interlukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interlukin-8 (IL-8) were measured by ELISA.

Results: Treatment with FB1 induced a dose-dependent decrease in IL-8 production (P<0.05). This decrease was seen in both SW742 and AGS cell lines. Moreover, FB1 induced a dose-dependent increase in the production of TNF-α and IL-1β in both cell lines (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that FB1 could increase the inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α and IL-1β in gastric and intestinal celllines. These effects might result in the development of inflammatory responses and subsequent mucosal atrophy in in-vivo conditions.

Background: Ovarian mucinous borderline tumors are divided into two morphologic groups: endocervical-like and intestinal type. Most endocervical adenocarcinomas exhibit mucinous and/or endometrioid differentiation, they infrequently metastasize to the ovaries but may simulate primary ovarian tumors (both atypical proliferative or borderline and carcinoma). In patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma in the abdominal cavity, caution should be exercised in interpreting the possible primary site of the tumor on the basis of the immunohistochemical profiles. The presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA is assessed to determine whether the ovarian neoplasms were metastases or primary independent neoplasm. Approximately 90% of endocervical adenocarcinomas are related to high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) with the remainder being unrelated to HPV. Both types metastasize to the ovaries very infrequently. Ovarian endocervical-type (mullerian) mucinous tumors and tumors composed of a mixture of endocervical-type mucinous, serous endometrioid, squamous, and indifferent cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm reported to date have been primarily limited to borderline and micro invasive types. We report a-36-yr old woman with adenocarcinomas of uterine cervix who also had ovarian mucinous borderline tumor.
Case presentation: The patient presented with abnormal uterine bleeding and lower abdominal pain. She had a history of uterine cervix polyps. Pelvic ultrasound showed a right adnexal mass and a large cervical size. Histological diagnosis in uterine cervix biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma of cervix. Radical hysterectomy type III with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Histological finding in adnexal mass revealed borderline mucinous tissue of ovarian tumor. Testing for HPV DNA in the tumoral tissue was negative. This confirms that the ovarian tumor is not metastatic from endocervical adenocarcinoma.
Conclusion: We conclude that in a patient with tumors that involve two organs, complete diagnostic investigation should be done to distinguish the primary origin. The factors that affect cell proliferation, can probably have synchronous effects on the two similar cells.

Background: As far as the role and amount of Transferrin receptor 2 (TFR2), which is the transferrin receptor gene, studies have been conducted, some of which confirming its relationship with gastric adenocarcinoma. The idea behind this study was to examine changes in the TFR2 gene expression in the tumor cells of gastric adenocarcinoma and comparing with gene expression in the normal tissue adjoining the tumor.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted at the Pathology Section of Cancer Institute of Imam Khomeini University Hospital in Tehran from September 2015 to September 2016. In this study, 30 fresh samples from tumor tissues of patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma, 30 fresh samples of normal tissue adjoining the tumor and 30 samples of frozen plasma from the same patients were taken. The patients' plasma was examined in terms of existence of helicobacter pylori antibody by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) method and TFR2 gene expression in the tumor tissue and the adjoining normal tissue by applying real-time polymerase chain reaction (Real-Time PCR).

Results: Gene expression (by applying real time polymerase chain reaction) in the tumor tissue was meaningfully higher than in the normal tissue (P= 0.125). The TFR2 expression in patients with stomach cancer, who were at the same time infected with helicobacter pylori, indicated that the gene expression had increased in those with this contamination (P= 0.077). Examining the relationship between this gene expression and the stage of disease showed that the TFR2 gene expression increased significantly in the more advanced stages of the disease (P= 0.396).