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C Fotiadis

Publications and source records attributed to C Fotiadis.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the gallbladder. Case report and review of the literature.

The case of a 64 year old female who was known to have gallstones is presented. She was admitted to the Hospital following an attack of acute cholecystitis. Ten days after vigorous conservative treatment cholecystectomy was performed. The histological examination showed the presence of the gallbladder leiomyosarcoma. Primary sarcomas of the gallbladder are rare, leiomyosarcoma being the most infrequent type, their preoperative diagnosis almost impossible and their prognosis poor.

Acute Disease↗

[Surgery of the adrenal glands in Cushing's syndrome].

Our surgical experience for the Cushing syndrome, reviewed in 23 patients. The accuracy of localizing adrenal lesions increased recently. The present study shows that, adrenal surgery, after accurate diagnosis and localisation, can be performed with low morbidity and mortality.

Adrenalectomy↗

[Surgical excision of the cancer of the stomach after 75 years of age].

A retrospective study of 302 patients hospitalized for gastric adenocarcinoma in the period between 1976 and 1987 revealed that 133 of the patients (44%) were over 75 years of age. In order to bring out the characteristics of stomach cancer in the elderly, these patients were compared with younger subjects, as a comparison with a population of under seventies emphasizes the existing differences. Clinical signs, the time necessary for reaching diagnosis, as well as the evolutive stage of the pathology at the time of diagnosis were the same. The incidence of the intestinal histological type, which has a better prognosis, was significantly higher after the age of 75. Operability was decreased due to contraindications related to the patients' general status. Resectability (86 patients, i.e., 77.2%) did not differ significantly. Complications imputable to surgery did not occur more frequently. Anastomotic fistulas were rare, although invariably fatal in the over-seventy-five group. Overall mortality for excision patients over 75 was 12.8%, and did not rise significantly (or exponentially) before the age of 79. Mortality was 14.3% in case of palliative excision versus 9.8% for curative excision. This parameter was nil for the 48 patients classified ASA 1 and 2, and 30% for the 38 patients classified ASA 3 and 4. In this latter group, it was 20% when the operation was curative versus 43% in palliative surgery situations. Post-surgery survival rates were similar to those obtained for the younger subjects. In conclusion, the course of stomach cancer is the same for both the elderly and younger subjects. This study permits to set up certain rules for excision surgery after the age of 75.

Adenocarcinoma↗

The effect of various types of splenectomy on the development of B-16 melanoma in mice.

260 CB57BL/J6 mice were used in an experimental protocol designed to investigate the effects of 4 different varieties of splenectomy on the growth rate of subcutaneously implanted GB-16 melanoma. In addition, the mean and absolute survival of the mice, the histopathology of the tumour and the effects of the same procedures on the immunological status of the tumour-bearing animals as assessed by serum IgG levels and immunoelectrophoresis were determined. The effects of the timing of the splenectomy and the removal of the primary tumour after splenectomy on the above parameters were also annotated. The following were found: First, splenectomy performed 1 week after B-16 melanoma tumour implantation in mice i.e. in the early period of oncogenesis, lengthened the survival of the grafted experiments, delayed tumour growth, reduced the "activity" of the tumour and caused pseudoencapsulation of the tumour by fibrous tissue. It increased, but not by a statistically significant degree (p > 0.05), the circulating levels of the IgG immunoglobulin. Second, splenectomy performed 4 weeks prior to grafting of the same tumour did not affect the circulating IgG levels, nor did it prolong survival; however, it reduced the rate of tumour growth and pseudoencapsulation of the tumour was observed. Third, splenectomy at the early stages of oncogenesis in combination with surgical removal of the primary tumour increased absolute and mean survival, delayed the tumour growth rate, increased the time to relapse and reduced the "activity" of the pseudocapsulated tumour.

Animals↗

Experimental echinococcus infection in the mouse model: pericystic cellular immunity reaction and effects on the lymphoid organs of immunocompetent and thymectomized mice.

Echinococcus can infect man as an accidental intermediate host causing hydatid disease. The infection persists and the growth of the cysts advances, while the patient usually remains asymptomatic for years. Experimental Echinococcus infection in mice provides a well described model for the study of the parasite-host relationship that permits the evolution of the disease despite the activation of the host's immune system. The aim of the present study was to assess the immune response to Echinococcus infection in normal and thymectomized mice. For this purpose, a total of 150 mice, divided into three equal groups (A, B and C), were infected by intraperitoneal inoculation of live protoscoleses. The mice of groups B and C underwent thymectomy, two weeks prior and after the infection, respectively. The mice of each group were further divided into three subgroups and were sacrificed at three consecutive time points: 45 days, 3 and 6 months post the infection. The hydatid cysts that subsequently developed by the metacestode-lavral stage, along with the spleen and lymph nodes were excised from each mouse and histologically studied. The results revealed a marked activation of the cell-mediated immunity against the parasite at the early stages of the disease. The initial response of the host abated with time and was minimal six months after the infection suggesting a local immunosuppression state that could account for the advancement of the disease. In addition, the thymectomized mice exhibited a higher susceptibility to the infection, which corresponded to the weak and delayed cellular immunity response observed in these groups. These results suggest that the cell-mediated immunity is crucial for the defense against Echinococcus, especially early in the course of the disease where suppression of larval growth is critical for the final outcome of the infection.

Animals↗

Recurrent liposarcomas of the abdomen and retroperitoneum: three case reports.

We report three cases of patients with liposarcomas of the abdomen who had been treated during the last 13 years (1980-1993). Two patients were men, aged 29 and 51 years, with tumors of the retroperitoneal space and the third patient was a woman aged 64 years with a tumor in the peritoneal cavity. Therapeutic treatment was as aggressive as possible excision of the tumor. In the case of the first male patient, the histological examination revealed a retroperitoneal myxoid liposarcoma which recurred 5 times within 13 years. In the second male patient, it revealed a well differentiated retroperitoneal liposarcoma of the sclerosing type which recurred 5 times within 5 years since the first treatment. Finally, the one female patient had 2 recurrences of myxoid liposarcoma of the abdomen 9 years after the first operation, presented with an infected mass and has been well since then.

Adult↗

A new rare allele at the CGG repeat polymorphism in the first intron of human c-H-ras gene.

We have examined a region in the first intron of the human c-H-ras gene containing a CGG repeat. This region was previously shown to be variable in length. The length variation was attributed to the presence of the CGG repeat after estimation of its electrophoretic mobility. In the present report we have characterized in detail this region by PCR-RFLP and automated sequencing, in a total of 102 histologically normal tissues from unrelated individuals affected by lung and breast cancer. Four alleles were detected and analysis of their internal sequence showed that the length alterations of this region were due to the presence of 5, 6, 8 and 9 CGG triplets respectively. The last three occur most often (44.1%, 34.8%, 20.6% respectively) and coincide with three previously reported alleles (Riggins et al, Hum Mol Genet 9: 775, 1992). The fourth allele consisting of 5 repeats is a rare one (0.5%), whilst alleles with 7, and a previously reported one suggested to comprise 11 repeats (1%) were not present in our cohort. This polymorphism coincides in position with an element that was previously shown to possess regulatory activity.

Alleles↗

Expression of HLA-DR is reduced in tumor infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) and regional lymph nodes of non-small-cell lung carcinomas. A putative mechanism of tumor-induced immunosuppression?

BACKGROUND: Deregulation of MHC class II molecules consists of a favorable mechanism of tumor evasion from immune surveillance. Among these molecules, HLA-DR antigens are the predominant ones in cancer. In the present study we sought to investigate the ability of tumor infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) to express HLA-DR antigen in the primary tumor site and reactive regional lymph nodes (LNs) in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Material consisting of 60 NSCLCs with corresponding regional LNs was studied by immunohistochemistry for human leukocyte antigen D-region related (HLA-DR) expression. Control reactive LNs, regional to several different malignant and non-malignant disorders, were also included in the study. RESULTS: Primary tumor site investigation revealed positive HLA-DR cancer cells in 22% of cases, whereas TIICs rarely expressed HLA-DR antigens. The lack of HLA-DR expression in TIICs was gradually attenuated as the distance from the primary tumor site decreased. Regional LN investigation showed that all follicles (paracapsular and deep cortical ones) were HLA-DR-negative in 60% of the LNs; in the remaining 40%, the paracapsular follicles remained negative, while all deep cortical ones were positive. Interestingly, LNs possessing only HLA-DR-negative follicles were more proximal to the primary tumor site compared to those that had only the paracapsular follicles negative. All control reactive LNs, regional to several distinct malignant and non-malignant disorders, were found to be HLA-DR-positive. CONCLUSION: The impairment of HLA-DR expression, detected both in neoplastic and by-stander immune cells, may justify the immunosuppression observed in NSCLC. This phenomenon may be due to a putative soluble factor in the tumor environment secreted by cancer cells.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung↗