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Pathological Data (pathological + data)
Selected AbstractsPancreatico-duodenectomy for complicated groove pancreatitisHPB, Issue 3 2007SAKHAWAT H. RAHMAN Objectives. Groove pancreatitis (GP) describes a form of segmental pancreatitis, which affects the pancreatic head at the interface with the duodenum, and is frequently associated with ectopic pancreatic tissue in the duodenal wall. We present a series of symptomatic patients with complicated GP who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy, and review the diagnostic challenges, imaging modalities, pathological features and clinical outcome of this rare condition. Patients and methods. This was a prospective case base study of clinical, radiological and pathological data collected between the years 2000 and 2005 on patients diagnosed with severe GP , confirmed by histopathological examination following pancreaticoduodenectomy. Results. In total 11 patients were included, presenting with chronic abdominal pain (n= 11), gastric outlet obstruction (n= 5) and jaundice (n= 1). Exocrine dysfunction with associated weight loss (median > 9 kg) was present in 10 patients, and type 2 diabetes in 2 patients. Radiological imaging (CT/MRCP/EUS) provided complementary investigations and correlated well with classic histopathological findings (duodenal wall thickening, mucosal irregularity and Brunner's gland hyperplasia, duodenal wall cysts and pancreatic heterotropia). Following pancreaticoduodenectomy (median follow-up period 52 weeks) all patients experienced significant pain alleviation and weight gain (average 3 kg at 2 months). Conclusion. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is associated with significant improvements in weight gain and alleviates the chronic pain associated with severe GP. [source] Independent predictors of contralateral metachronous upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma after nephroureterectomy: Multi-institutional dataset from three European centersINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 2 2009Giacomo Novara Objectives: To identify the variables predictive of contralateral metachronous upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma (UUT-TCC) after nephroureterectomy (NFU) for non-metastatic UUT-TCC. Methods: Clinical and pathological data of 234 patients who had undergone NFU for UUT-TCC from 1989 to 2005 in three European urological centers were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results: The median follow-up duration for the whole cohort was 34 months. Contralateral metachronous UUT-TCC was detected in 14 patients (6%). Three patients were treated by NFU, while seven patients underwent ureterectomy and reimplantation and four patients were treated by endoscopic resection plus bacillus Calmette,Guérin instillations within the UUT through a nephrostomic tube. On univariate analysis, a prior history of bladder TCC before NFU was the only factor predictive of the occurrence of contralateral UUT-TCC. Specifically, the 5-year probabilities of being free from contralateral UUT-TCC were 96.6% for the patients with de novo UUT-TCC, and 91.1% and 55.3% for those having non-muscle-invasive and muscle invasive bladder TCC before the UUT cancer, respectively. All survival differences were statistically significant (no history of bladder TCC vs history of non-muscle-invasive bladder TCC, log rank P value 0.015; history of non-muscle-invasive bladder TCC vs history of muscle-invasive bladder TCC, log rank P value 0.035). Conclusions: In our multicenter dataset of patients who had undergone NFU for UUT-TCC, contralateral metachronous UUT-TCC occurred in 6% of the patients. A prior history of bladder TCC before NFU was the only variable predictive of UUT recurrence at univariate analysis. [source] Clinical and pathological data of 10 malignant pheochromocytomas: Long-term follow up in a single instituteINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 3 2007Kuo-How Huang Background: Malignant pheochromocytomas are rare. Many controversies still exists in clinical practice. We report the clinical and histological data of long-term follow up in 10 patients with malignant pheochromocytoma. Methods: The clinical charts of 10 patients with malignant pheochromocytoma from a single institute were reviewed. The diagnosis of pheochromocytoma was confirmed at surgery. All patients had metastases in sites where chromaffin tissue was normally absent. Results: The median follow-up period was 5.5 years (range, 2,20 years). Extra-adrenal tumors occurred in four patients including paraganglioma tumors in three cases and bladder tumor in one case. Regional lymph node metastases were noted in six patients. Distant metastases were located in the lungs of two patients, in the bones of two patients and in the liver of one patient. Histological characteristics were not helpful for diagnosis of malignancy and for prediction of prognosis. Metastases were present in postoperative pathology in seven patients. In another three patients, metastases were discovered 6 months to 10 years after surgery. Three patients received chemotherapy and one patient received combination therapy of high-dose 131I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (131I-MIBG) therapy and chemotherapy. All patients achieved long-term survival except for two who died of metastasis 1.5 years and 2 years after diagnosis. Conclusions: Early complete resection and adjunctive lymphadenectomy can cure malignancy. Close long-term follow up for more than 10 years after surgery is necessary in patients with pheochromocytoma. The possibility of malignancy should be kept in mind even though the initial pathology is benign. [source] Hepatitis C virus infection in a Japanese leprosy sanatorium for the past 67 yearsJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 4 2010Kazuya Shiogama Abstract Oku-Komyo-En is one of the national leprosy sanatoria, located on a small island in Setouchi city, Okayama prefecture of Japan since 1938. Since autopsies were carried out routinely on almost all patients who had died in the sanatorium up to 1980, approximately 1,000 formalin-fixed autopsy tissue samples were available for analysis. When these samples were reviewed, the pathological data indicated a sharp rise in the death rate caused by cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) since 1960 and 1970, respectively. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a common cause of HCC in Japan. The presence of HCV RNA was demonstrated in paraffin sections prepared from the autopsied liver tissue fixed in formalin for a prolonged period of time, by employing nested RT-PCR using type-specific primers. The data showed that HCV RNA was detectable in samples of the liver archived as early as 1940, representing the liver tissues kept in formalin for up to 67 years. HCV genotypes 1b and 2a were found by RT-PCR at 85.7% and 14.3%, respectively, in patients with leprosy. J. Med. Virol. 82:556,561, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Expression of major vault protein gene in osteosarcoma patientsJOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 7 2007Cristiane Arruda Dalla-Torre Abstract Osteosarcoma (OS) is a primary malignant tumor of bone. Despite the successful use of multiple chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of OS, more than 30% of OS tumors remain resistant to treatment. Elucidation of cellular resistance mechanisms may lead to better treatments for cancer patients. In this study, we used the low-density expression cDNA array, GEArray Q Series Human Cancer Drug Resistance and Metabolism Gene Array to screen genes related to drug resistance in 15 OS tumors. Expression patterns of the MPV gene were validated by real time PCR on 45 OS patient tumor samples and correlated with clinical and pathological data. Major vault protein (MVP) expression was present in 24 (53%) tumor samples and absent in 21 (47%). Samples from surgery showed correlation between the expression of MVP, metastatic disease at diagnosis and event free survival (EFS). The MVP gene expression correlates with metastatic disease at diagnosis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p,=,0.048), and is also associated with worse EFS (p,=,0.036). These findings suggest that MVP expression is involved in one of the mechanisms of drug resistance in OS and is induced by chemotherapy. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 25:958,963, 2007 [source] Seventh Day Syndrome , acute hepatocyte apoptosis associated with a unique syndrome of graft loss following liver transplantation,LIVER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2001Muhammed Ashraf Memon Abstract:Aim: The aim of this study is to describe a unique 7th day syndrome (7DS), quite different from other causes of post-transplantation allograft dysfunction in a group of orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) patients who needed retransplantation. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 594 consecutive OLT over an 8-year period revealed that 10 patients developed allograft dysfunction approximately 7 days following an initially normal graft function. Results: The features included: (a) severe liver failure; (b) sudden peak of extremely high liver enzymes at approximately day 7; (c) serial liver biopsy findings of central lobular hemorrhage with minimal inflammatory cell infiltrate and (d) an explant with no evidence of vascular thrombosis. The biochemical and morphometric pathological data of these patients were compared with data of patitents who had early acute rejection (AR), hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT), primary non-function (PNF), severe sepsis and no dysfunction. Lastly, serial liver core biopsies and explants were tested for evidence of apoptosis, which revealed a significantly higher number of apoptotic hepatocytes in 7DS compared to all control groups. Conclusions: Seventh Day Syndrome is a distinct entity associated with early graft dysfunction characterized by a marked apoptosis of hepatocytes. Fas receptor activation or other pathways of program cell death may be implicated in occurrence of 7DS. [source] Ancient DNA and Family Relationships in a Pompeian HouseANNALS OF HUMAN GENETICS, Issue 4 2009Giovanni Di Bernardo Summary Archaeological, anthropological and pathological data suggest that thirteen skeletons found in a house at the Pompeii archaeological site, dated to 79 A.D., belong to one family. To verify this and to identify the relationships between these individuals, we analyzed DNA extracted from bone specimens. Specifically, hypervariable segment 1 (HVS1) of the human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region was amplified in two overlapping polymerase chain reactions and the sequences were compared to the revised Cambridge Reference Sequence. As independent controls, other polymorphic sites in HVS1, HVS2 and in the coding region were analyzed. We also amplified some short tandem repeats of the thirteen specimens. This study revealed that six of the thirteen individuals are indeed closely related. [source] Colorectal carcinoma among Indigenous people: a public hospital-based study in Townsville and Cairns, North Queensland, AustraliaANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 11 2005Ping-Yan Lu Introduction: There are very little clinical and pathological data on colorectal cancer among Indigenous people in Australia. Methods: A retrospective study on Indigenous patients treated for colorectal cancer at the Townsville and Cairns Base Hospitals from 1999 to 2004 was carried out in order to better characterise this disease in the Indigenous population. Results: There were 25 patients (12 M, 13 F) with a median age of 57.3 years. The majority (56%) of the tumours were left-sided, being in the sigmoid colon, rectosigmoid junction and rectum. Of the patients, 60% had American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system Stage I and II disease at presentation. There was a relatively high proportion of poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas (40%). Six patients died of the disease. The median follow-up was 20.5 months (range 2,51). Conclusions: Comparisons were made with available data on colorectal cancer in the general Australian population. The limitations and deficiencies of the study, as well as problems of data collection on Indigenous people were discussed. [source] Oncological outcome of 100 laparoscopic radical nephrectomies for clinically localized renal cell carcinomaANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 7 2005Man-Chiu Cheung Background: Laparoscopic renal surgery is now accepted within the urological community and its indication is extended to oncological operation. The oncological outcome and survival of patients undergoing laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for clinically localized renal cell carcinoma were evaluated. Methods: From October 1998 to July 2003, 100 patients underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for clinically localized renal cell carcinoma. All operations were performed by transperitoneal approach with early vascular control. Perioperative events and pathological data were recorded prospectively. Patients were followed up by clinical examination, chest radiograph, ultrasonography and/or computed tomography where appropriate. Results: The median age of patients was 61 years. Median operating time was 120 min and blood loss was 100 mL. There were five open conversions. There was no perioperative mortality but 11 patients had complications. Resection margins were clear in all but one patient. The median tumour size was 4.6 cm. The median follow-up time was 30 months. All patients survived up to the date of review. No patient developed port-site recurrence but two patients had recurrence at the renal bed 1 year after the operation. Five patients developed distant metastases involving liver, lung and bone. Conclusion: Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is a safe and efficacious treatment option for clinically localized renal cell carcinoma. The intermediate-term oncological outcome appears favourable. [source] Prostate-specific antigen-positive extramammary Paget's disease,,association with prostate cancer,APMIS, Issue 1 2008ANNE HAMMER Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a rare intraepidermal adenocarcinoma that primarily affects the anogenital region. Cases of EMPD reacting with PSA (prostate-specific antigen) have previously been associated with underlying prostate cancer. However, a recent case of EMPD in our department has led us to question the value of PSA as an indicator of underlying prostate cancer. Clinical and pathological data were obtained for 16 cases of EMPD. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from the primary skin lesions were investigated using PSA and other immunohistochemical markers. 5 of the 16 cases of EMPD stained positive for PSA (2 women and 3 men). However, no reactivity was seen for the prostatic marker P501S. Three of the five patients had been diagnosed with internal malignant disease,two with prostate cancer, stage 1. Immunohistochemical investigations of the tumour specimens from the prostate revealed an immunoprofile which was very different from that of the primary skin lesion. In our study, no cases of EMPD with PSA positivity seem to represent an extension of an underlying prostatic adenocarcinoma. PSA positivity can be seen in cases of EMPD without associated adenocarcinoma of the prostate. [source] The number of negative pelvic lymph nodes removed does not affect the risk of biochemical failure after radical prostatectomyBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2010Alana M. Murphy Study Type , Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 OBJECTIVES To assess patients who had radical prostatectomy (RP) and pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) for pT2,4 N0M0 prostate cancer, to determine if LN yield affects the risk of biochemical failure (BCF), as the extent of PLND at the time of RP has become increasingly uncertain with the decreasing trend in tumour stage. PATIENTS AND METHODS We reviewed the Columbia University Urologic Oncology Database for patients with pT2,4 N0M0 prostate cancer treated with RP from 1990 to 2005. Exclusion criteria included <12 months of follow-up, incomplete clinical and pathological data, and neoadjuvant androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) or immediate adjuvant ADT or external beam radiotherapy. Unadjusted and adjusted models were used to determine the ability of clinical and pathological variables to predict BCF. RESULTS The final dataset included 964 patients, with a mean age of 60.5 years and median preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 6.2 ng/mL. The median (range) LN yield was 7 (1,42) and the median follow-up 59 (12,190) months. In the unadjusted and adjusted models, preoperative PSA, pathological Gleason score, pathological stage, surgical margin status and year of surgery were significant predictors of BCF. The LN group was not a significant predictor of BCF in both the unadjusted and adjusted model (P = 0.759 and 0.408, respectively). When patients were stratified into high- and low-risk groups, LN yield remained an insignificant predictor of BCF. CONCLUSION A higher LN yield at the time of RP does not increase the chance of cure for patients with pT2,4N0M0 prostate cancer. This lack of a survival advantage holds true for patients with high-risk disease. [source] Oncological control after radical prostatectomy in men with clinical T3 prostate cancer: a single-centre experienceBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 9 2009Evanguelos Xylinas OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of cancer control afforded by radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients with clinical stage T3 prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed data for patients treated by RP for clinical stage T3 prostate cancer between 1995 and 2005. The following case characteristics were analysed: patient age, clinical presentation, preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, Gleason score, tumour stage (2002 Tumour-Node-Metastasis), surgical procedure, pathological data, margin and lymph node status, and recurrence. Biochemical recurrence was defined as an increase in PSA level of >0.2 ng/mL after surgery. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated, and prognostic factors were evaluated. RESULTS Overall, 100 patients were included; only 79% of them had pT3 disease based on the pathological specimen. The median follow-up after RP was 69 months. The RP was open in 77 and laparoscopic in 23, with no significant difference between these approaches (P = 0.38). The 5-year PSA-free survival after surgery was 45%, and 5-year cancer-specific survival was 90%. On univariable analysis, Gleason score >7 (P = 0.01), pathological stage (pT2-T3a vs T3b) (P < 0.001), positive lymph node (P < 0.001), and positive margin (P < 0.001) were associated with recurrence. On multivariable analysis, lymph node, margin status and Gleason score were also significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS RP can be recommended as an alternative primary treatment that results in acceptable cancer control for clinical stage T3 prostate cancer in selected cases. However, the patient should be warned that surgery alone might not be sufficient to control the cancer, and that adjuvant therapy might be needed during the course of the disease. [source] Model-based prediction of defective DNA mismatch repair using clinicopathological variables in sporadic colon cancer patientsCANCER, Issue 7 2010Frank Sinicrope MD Abstract BACKGROUND: Colon cancers with defective DNA mismatch repair (MMR) have a favorable prognosis and may lack benefit from 5-fluorouracil,based adjuvant chemotherapy. The authors developed models to predict MMR deficiency in sporadic colon cancer patients using routine clinical and pathological data. METHODS: TNM stage II and III colon carcinomas (n = 982) from 6 5-fluorouracil,based adjuvant therapy trials were analyzed for microsatellite instability and/or MMR protein expression. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were quantified (n = 326). Logistic regression and a recursive partitioning and amalgamation analysis were used to identify predictive factors for MMR status. RESULTS: Defective MMR was detected in 147 (15%) cancers. Tumor site and histologic grade were the most important predictors of MMR status. Distal tumors had a low likelihood of defective MMR (3%; 13 of 468); proximal tumors had a greater likelihood (26%; 130 of 506). By using tumor site, grade, and sex, the logistic regression model showed excellent discrimination (c statistic = 0.81). Proximal site, female sex, and poor differentiation showed a positive predictive value (PPV) of 51% for defective MMR. In a patient subset (n = 326), a model including proximal site, TILs (>2/high-power field), and female sex showed even better discrimination (c statistic = 0.86), with a PPV of 81%. CONCLUSIONS: Defective MMR is rare in distal, sporadic colon cancers, which should generally not undergo MMR testing. Proximal site, poor differentiation, and female sex detect 51% of tumors with defective MMR; substituting TILs for grade increases the PPV to 81%. These data can increase the efficiency of MMR testing to assist in clinical decisions. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society. [source] N1S3: A revised staging system for head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma with lymph node metastasesCANCER, Issue 5 2010Results of 2 Australian Cancer Centers Abstract BACKGROUND. A staging system was designed for metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) that would incorporate the parotid as a regional level and facilitate a better prognostic discrimination between subgroups. METHODS. A retrospective review of clinical and pathological information of patients treated for metastatic cutaneous SCC to the parotid and/or neck was conducted. Potential prognostic factors were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. A staging system was elaborated and externally validated. RESULTS. Two hundred fifteen patients were included. All patients had surgery as their primary treatment; 148 had parotidectomy with neck dissection, 50 parotidectomy alone, and 18 neck dissection alone. One hundred seventy-five patients received postoperative radiotherapy. On univariate analysis, the number of involved lymph nodes (P < .001), maximal size (P = .01), and extracapsular spread (P = .003) were found to be significant predictors of survival. On Cox regression, the number of involved lymph nodes as single or multiple (P = .006) was significant. The N1S3 staging system incorporates involved lymph nodes from parotid and neck (single or multiple) and the size (< or >3 cm). This system demonstrates significant predictive capacity for locoregional control (P < .001), disease-specific survival (P<.0001), and overall survival (P<.0001). N1S3 was tested on a different cohort of 250 patients, and the results confirmed those obtained from our primary analyses. CONCLUSIONS. The N1S3 system stages patients according to the number of involved lymph nodes and size, and incorporates parotid as 1 of the regional levels. These 2 predictors are easily applied on both clinical and pathological data. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society. [source] Human papillomaviruses are identified in a subgroup of sinonasal squamous cell carcinomas with favorable outcomeCANCER, Issue 12 2009Llucia Alos MD Abstract BACKGROUND: The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the sinonasal tract and its clinicopathological implications were evaluated. METHODS: All SCCs of the sinonasal tract diagnosed in the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona from 1981 to 2006 were retrospectively evaluated (N = 60). Clinical and pathological data were reviewed. HPV infection was determined and typed by amplification of HPV DNA by polymerase chain reaction using the SPF-10 primers. p16INK4a expression was determined by immunohistochemistry. Overall and progression-free survival for HPV-positive and -negative patients was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and by the use of a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: HPV DNA was detected in tumor tissue of 12 of 60 (20%) patients. HPV16 was identified in 11 tumors and HPV35 in 1. Immunohistochemistry for p16INK4a stained all HPV-positive and no HPV-negative tumors (P < .001). No differences were observed in terms of site and histological grade or stage at presentation between HPV-positive and -negative tumors. However, HPV-positive patients had a significantly better 5-year progression-free survival (62%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 23%-86% vs 20%; 95% CI, 9%-34%; P = .0043, log-rank test) and overall survival (80%; 95% CI, 20%-96% vs 31%; 95% CI, 15%-47%; P = .036, log-rank test) than patients with HPV-negative tumors. In multivariate analysis, HPV-positive tumors were associated with improved progression-free survival (hazard ratio, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.17-0.98; P = .012). CONCLUSIONS: A subgroup of sinonasal SCCs is associated with HPV infection. These tumors have a significantly better prognosis. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society. [source] Investigation of vasculogenic mimicry in sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelidACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 5 2010Xiaofang Xu Abstract. Purpose:, Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is a newly proposed pattern of tumour angiogenesis that has been identified in some malignancies and is associated with poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether sebaceous carcinomas of the eyelid exhibit VM and to determine whether these fluid-conducting patterns are associated with clinicopathologic features, the number of microvessels and the levels of endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2) in tumours. Methods:, Forty paraffin-embedded samples of sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid were collected, along with complete clinical and pathologic data for all the cases. Tissue sections were stained for CD34, periodic acid and Schiff (PAS), VEGF and MMP-2. VM was identified by the presence of PAS-positive and CD34-negative loops lined by tumour cells. The VM status of tumour samples was compared with the clinical and pathological data using statistical tests. The levels of VEGF, MMP-2 and the number of microvessels were compared between patients with and without VM. Results:, VM was detected in 14 of 40 (35%) tumour samples. The existence of VM in tumours was associated with tumour size (p = 0.007) and recurrence (p = 0.021). The number of microvessels was lower in tumours with VM (13.03 ± 4.02 versus 22.99 ± 7.72; p < 0.0001). The staining index of MMP-2 was higher in tumours with VM (27.43, range: 0,5.3) compared to tumours without VM (16.77, range: 0,2.7; p = 0.004). However, there was no difference in the expression of VEGF between groups with and without VM (p = 0.244). Conclusions:, Vasculogenic mimicry is present in sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid making it an unfavourable prognosis sign. MMP-2 is associated with VM formation in sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid. [source] Higher serum TSH in thyroid cancer patients occurs independent of age and correlates with extrathyroidal extensionCLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Megan R. Haymart Summary Background, It has previously been shown that higher serum TSH is associated with increased thyroid cancer incidence and advanced-stage disease. In the healthy adult population, mean TSH increases with age. As age over 45 years is a known prognostic indicator for thyroid cancer, it is important to know whether higher TSH in patients with thyroid cancer occurs independent of age. Objective, To determine the relationship between higher TSH, cancer and age. Design, A retrospective cohort study. Patients and methods, A total of 1361 patients underwent thyroid surgery between May 1994 and December 2007 at a single institution. Of these patients, 954 had pathological data, preoperative TSH and complete surgical history available. Data were analysed in relation to age and TSH. Results, Mean TSH was significantly higher in cancer patients regardless of age < 45 years or , 45 years (P = 0·046 and P = 0·027, respectively). When examining age groups < 20, 20,44, 45,59 and , 60 years, there was a trend of rising mean TSH with age. Despite the rise in the benign subgroups, mean TSH was consistently higher in those with cancer vs. those without. On multivariate analysis, higher TSH was independently associated with cancer (P = 0·039) and pathological features of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (P = 0·001) but not with age (P = 0·557). On multivariate analysis of high-risk features associated with poor prognosis, there was a significant association between higher TSH and extrathyroidal extension (P = 0·002), whereas there was no clear relationship with age, tumour size > 4 cm, and distant metastases. Conclusion, Independent of age, thyroid cancer incidence correlates with higher TSH. Higher TSH is associated with extrathyroidal extension of disease. [source] Development of the coronary vasculature and its implications for coronary abnormalities in general and specifically in pulmonary atresia without ventricular septal defectACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 2004AC Gittenberger-de Groot Aim: Coronary vascular anomalies are an important factor in congenital heart disease in the neonate. However, our knowledge of the pathomorphogenesis is still defective. Material and methods: 1) Study of coronary anomaly variations in congenital heart disease using specimens and 2) study of the role of epicardium-derived cells (EPDC) and neural crest cells in coronary vascular formation using quail-chicken chimeras. Results: The clinical and pathological data revealed the existence of ventriculo-coronary arterial communications during fetal life before pulmonary atresia was established. This supported a primary coronary developmental anomaly as the origin of some cases of pulmonary atresia as opposed to other cases in which the pulmonary orifice atresia was the primary anomaly. Our experimental work showed the high relevance of the development of the epicardium and epicardium-derived cells for the formation of the coronary vasculature, and showed the coronary vascular ingrowth into the myocardium and subsequently into the aorta and the right atrium. The absence of epicardium-derived cells leads to embryonic death, while delayed outgrowth could result in the absence of the main coronary arteries to pinpoint orifice formation. In these cases, the circulation was maintained through ventriculocoronary arterial communications. Neural crest cells were important for the patterning of the coronary vasculature. We have extended this knowledge to a number of other heart malformations. Conclusions: Coronary vascular anomalies are highly linked to the development of extracardiac contributors like the epicardium and the neural crest. A proper interaction between these cell types and the myocardium and aortic arterial wall are important for normal vascular development. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||