Biomedical subjects

Dorota Jesionek-Kupnicka

Publications and source records attributed to Dorota Jesionek-Kupnicka.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A comparative assessment of HER2 status in operable breast cancer by real-time RT-PCR and by immunohistochemistry.

BACKGROUND: The most commonly used methods for detecting HER2 gene amplification in breast cancer are immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in-situ hybridization. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess HER2 expression by real-time RT-PCR. MATERIAL/METHODS: Expression of HER2 was analyzed by real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry in specimens of invasive ductal breast cancer tissue obtained from 131 women during radical mastectomy. RESULTS: There was a highly significant difference in mean relative gene expression between HER2-positive and HER2-negative patients as assessed by immunostaining (22.10+/-41.89 vs. 3.17+/-8.76; p<0.001). With a median follow-up of 56 months, the cancer-specific survival of HER2-positive patients assessed by RT-PCR was worse in all cases and in the node-positive group. In multivariate analysis, HER2 status was an independent prognostic factor in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time RT-PCR is a valuable method for determining HER2 status, but the selection of the cut-off point of the relative gene expression differentiating between HER2-negative and -positive tumors is essential.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Langerhans cells in vulvar lichen sclerosus and vulvar squamous cell carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Langerhans cells (LCs), specializing in antigen presentation, are a very important part of the skin immune system (SIS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Skin biopsies from 22 women with vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS): 15 patients with early and 7 with the late stage of the disease, were evaluated. Five women with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were also examined. The control group consisted of 9 women who underwent plastic surgery of the vulvar region. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues samples using antihuman CD1a antibody (NCL-CD1a-235, Novocastra). RESULTS: Increased numbers of LC stainings were present in early LS, whereas decreased numbers of these cells were present in late LS and in SCC compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that dysregulation of the SIS may lead to suppression of LCs in the vulvar epithelium and may be one of the reasons for a higher tendency for carcinogenesis in the vulvar region.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Ki-67 expression in operable breast cancer: a comparative study of immunostaining and a real-time RT-PCR assay.

The main purpose of this retrospective study was to compare Ki-67 expression in operable breast cancer examined by immunostaining and real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Relations between Ki-67 and classic prognostic factors were also investigated, and the prognostic relevance of Ki-67 expression was examined. Expression of Ki-67 was analyzed in specimens of invasive ductal breast cancer tissue obtained from 131 women during radical mastectomy. There was a significant, but weakly positive, correlation between Ki-67 expression assessed by immunostaining and real-time RT-PCR (tau=0.154, p=0.005). Higher Ki-67 expression in immunostaining and RT-PCR was more often seen in grade 3 tumors (p<0.001 and p=0.026, respectively). No significant relationship with age, disease stage, nodal involvement, estrogen receptor or HER2 status was found. In a univariate and multivariate analysis of cancer-specific survival with a median follow-up of 56 months, Ki-67 expression determined by immunostaining or real-time RT-PCR was no prognostic factor. We demonstrated that Ki-67 expression levels measured by immunostaining and real-time RT-PCR were weakly concordant, and both were related to higher tumor grade. Ki-67 expression did not influence survival.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2006

Cyclin E expression in operable breast cancer quantified using real-time RT-PCR: a comparative study with immunostaining.

OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this retrospective study was to compare cyclin E expression levels in operable breast cancer patients determined using real-time RT-PCR and immunostaining. The prognostic relevance of cyclin E was also investigated. METHODS: Specimens of invasive ductal breast cancer tissues obtained from 124 women during radical mastectomy were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the tumor samples, 40.3 and 59.7% showed high expression of cyclin E in RT-PCR and immunostaining, respectively. The overall agreement probability was 0.032 according to Scott's pi statistic. With a median follow-up of 55.5 months, cyclin E expression assessed using immunostaining was an independent negative prognostic factor in the node positive group (hazard ratio 3.1; 95% CI 1.0-9.2; P = 0.045). Cyclin E expression correlated with absence of steroid receptors and younger age. RT-PCR results did not predict survival in any group of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Disagreement between real-time RT-PCR and immunostaining was demonstrated. Immunostaining seems to be the more reliable method for assessing cyclin E in breast cancer cells.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Immunohistochemical identification of basal-type cytokeratins in invasive ductal breast carcinoma--relation with grade, stage, estrogen receptor and HER2.

Gene expression analyses with cDNA microarray technology identified distinct groups of breast cancers. Tumors with no ER expression could be divided into three subgroups: "basal-like" subtype, HER2-positive subtype, and "normal breast-like". "Basal-like" subtype was characterized by high expression of keratins 5 and 17, laminin and fatty acid binding protein 7. In the present study, we analyzed the usefulness of immunohistochemistry for separation of the distinct subtypes of the breast ductal carcinomas and provided further characterization of "basal-like subtype". A consecutive series of 195 primary operable invasive breast carcinomas was immunostained for HER2, ER, PGR, CK5/6 and CK17. CK5/6 or CK17 were expressed in 72 cases (36.9%), and 41 cases (21%) presented expression of CK5/6 or CK17 without ER/PGR or HER2. ER/PGR was present in 109 cases (55.9%), but in this group there were 8 cases with HER2 overexpression and 17 cases with basal-cytokeratin positivity. Similarly, in 17 out of 72 "basal-like" tumors there was ER/PGR positivity, and also in 17 of them there was HER2 overexpression. Three of these cases belonged to all three groups, representing expression of all markers. Tumor grade differed significantly (p < 0.001) between luminal and basal cytokeratin- or HER2-positive tumors. Differences for tumor size and lymph node status were not statistically significant. Our study showed that immunohistochemistry is useful for dividing breast cancers into separate subgroups, but further analyses for better characterization of cases presenting two or three markers should be performed.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

PubMed2002

Rhabdomyosarcomatous (myoblastic?) phenotype of metastatic malignant melanoma. A case report.

Melanoma may present a great variety of cell morphology and mimic virtually almost all other neoplasms, and metastatic lesions pose major diagnostic difficulties. A typical immunoreactive profile of melanoma is: S-100p- and HMB-45-positivity, but these markers are not always present. Other new antigens for melanoma are NKIC3 and Anti-Melan-A (MART-1). This tumor may also present expression of unspecific markers, as cytokeratin, CEA, EMA, desmin, NFP, GFAP, CD68 and actins. We present here unusual features of two metastatic melanomas, showing the anaplastic pattern, immunopositive for desmin.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Apoptosis in non-astrocytic brain tumours in children.

Apoptosis is a process of great significance in cell biology. It plays a crucial role in both physiological and pathological conditions. An example is a tumour growth that is based on a subtle balance between cell division and cell death. Previously necrosis was considered to be the major type of cell death in tumours. Many recent investigations have focused on apoptosis, a phenomenon of great importance, and it is this type of cell death that is frequently "chosen" by a moribund cell. The objects of our interest were central nervous system (CNS) tumours, in which we estimated the number of apoptotic cells and sought for any correlation between the intensity of apoptosis and other markers of proliferation. Therefore, we studied CD34, the marker of angiogenesis, and Ki67, the marker of cell proliferation. We investigated 19 medulloblastomas and 15 ependymomas, among which 6 were anaplastic. We used in-situ labelling of DNA fragments to detect apoptosis in paraffin-embedded tissues. The mean value of the apoptotic ratio (AR) for all examined brain tumours was 0.012 with a standard deviation (SD) of 0.032, for medulloblastomas 0.021 (SD 0.04), for ependymomas 0.001 (SD 0.002) and for anaplastic ependymomas 0.004 (SD 0.003).

Antigens, CD34↗