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Biomedical subjects

M J Egan

Publications and source records attributed to M J Egan.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Evaluation of a policy of total mesorectal excision for rectal and rectosigmoid cancers.

BACKGROUND: Total mesorectal excision (TME) is advocated for rectal cancer but the indications and extent of resection vary widely between surgeons. METHODS: Seventy-six consecutive patients (61 elective, 15 acute admission) with rectal or rectosigmoid cancer were admitted to a unit where TME was the preferred surgical option for potentially curative cancer at all levels of the rectum. RESULTS: Procedures undertaken were anterior resection (38 patients), abdominoperineal resection (18), Hartmann's procedure (ten) and transanal excision (one). Six patients had proximal faecal diversion alone and surgery was withheld in three. Anastomotic leaks occurred in six of 37 patients who had anterior resection with primary anastomosis, resulting in one early death. The presence of a proximal stoma did not influence the rate or seriousness of anastomotic dehiscence. After potentially curative TME in 45 patients, there have been eight local recurrences, four associated with systemic metastases and four which occurred in isolation (median follow-up 34 months). CONCLUSION: Curative TME was deemed appropriate in 59 per cent of unselected patients with rectal cancer. It was associated with few local recurrences but a morbidity rate that questions its role in treatment of upper third tumours.

Adult↗

How should we count AgNORS? Proposals for a standardized approach.

There is interest currently in the AgNOR technique, for NOR-associated proteins. In some cases, this technique enables the distinction to be made between certain grades of malignancy and may enable prognostic assessment. This paper attempts to suggest a standardized means for the enumeration of NORs in histological sections. Attention should be paid to rigorous technique and careful resolution of intranucleolar AgNOR dots. The timing of the reaction and fixation methods are also most important.

Humans↗

Significance of venous and lymphatic invasion in malignant polyps of the colon and rectum.

Three hundred and sixty seven neoplastic colorectal polyps removed at endoscopy of which 34 were complicated by invasive carcinoma, were reviewed clinically and histologically to assess the prevalence and clinical significance of venous and or lymphatic invasion. Traditional stains for histological assessment were supplemented by immunohistochemical methods. Venous and or lymphatic invasion was present in six cases (17.6%), with a statistically significant association with recurrent carcinoma or Dukes's C carcinoma in polyps otherwise regarded as completely excised. The presence or absence of venous and or lymphatic invasion in malignant polyps should be documented as if present, further treatment is indicated. A combination of haematoxylin and eosin and elastic-van Gieson stains will usually identify the presence of vascular invasion. Where a discrepancy arises, however, additional immunohistochemical stains may be of value.

Colon↗

Nucleolar organizer regions in cutaneous tumours.

A silver colloid technique to identify nucleolar organizer region associated protein (AgNOR) has been applied to 68 cutaneous tumours. Basal cell carcinomas, eccrine tumours, apocrine tumours, and hair follicle tumours had differences in their numbers of AgNORs; these appeared as small black dots in their nuclei. Dermatofibromas and squamous cell carcinomas showed a degree of variability in the number of AgNORs depending on the cellularity of the former and differentiation of the latter. Basal cell carcinomas possessed significantly many more AgNORs per nucleus than the other neoplasms. It is suggested that this technique, previously the province of the cytogeneticist, may be of use in the diagnosis of cutaneous neoplasms.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗

Correlation between NOR sizes and numbers in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

A series of 36 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) has been studied by means of the argyrophil (AgNOR) method for nuclear organizer regions (NORs). Morphometric analysis of highly magnified photographic images of light microscope preparations of the AgNORs was performed by means of an interactive image analysis system. It was observed that in the low-grade specimens (where NORs are less frequent than in those of high-grade histology), the AgNOR sites were highly significantly (P less than 0.001) larger than in high-grade NHL. In the low-grade lymphomas, the AgNOR maximum diameter (Dmax) ranged from 0.7 to 1.7 micron 2 (mean 1.11 micron 2) and area ranged from 0.48 to 1.99 micron 2 (mean 1.11 micron 2). In contrast, in the high-grade specimens, Dmax was from 0.33 to 0.51 micron (mean 0.41 micron) and the area ranged from 0.082 to 0.19 micron 2 (mean 0.13 micron 2). Thus, a well-defined inverse relationship was observed between AgNOR numbers and their sizes. There was total separation between low- and high-grade values in this series. This light microscope technique offers some advantages over ultrastructural morphometry of interphase NORs (fibrillar centres).

Humans↗

Nucleolar organiser regions in fibrous proliferations of childhood and infantile fibrosarcoma.

A silver colloid technique to identify nucleolar organiser region associated protein (AgNOR) was applied to 16 fibrous proliferations of childhood and six low grade fibrosarcomas. The fibrous proliferations comprised five cases of infantile digital fibromatosis, seven of infantile desmoid type fibromatosis, and four of infantile myofibromatosis. The AgNORs were visualised as dots within the nuclei of the cells, and on the basis of their relative mean numbers of AgNORs fibrous proliferations of childhood could be easily differentiated from low grade infantile fibrosarcoma. The differences observed were significant (0.01 greater than p greater than 0.001). This technique, previously the province of the cytogeneticist, may be of use to the pathologist in differentiating infantile fibrous proliferations.

Child↗

Nucleolar organizer regions in small cell tumours of childhood.

A silver colloid technique for nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) was applied to paraffin sections of 50 small cell tumours of childhood. These comprised 20 neuroblastomas, 10 Ewing's sarcoma, and 20 rhabdomyosarcomas, including spindle cell, myxoid, and round cell variants. On the basis of the number of AgNORs, one could differentiate between the three groups. The differences observed were statistically significant (P = 0.01-0.001). The subtypes of rhabdomyosarcoma could not be distinguished from one another on the basis of AgNOR counts. We suggest that this simple histochemical technique may be a useful adjunct to the range of special techniques now available to assist the pathologist in the diagnosis of small round cell tumours.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

Immunohistochemical localization of S100 protein in benign and malignant conditions of the breast.

A peroxidase--antiperoxidase technique for S100 protein has been applied to 122 breast lesions from 122 patients. These included 35 cases of fibrocystic disease, 16 cases of sclerosing adenosis, 24 cases of papilloma and papillomatosis, 43 intraduct carcinomas, and four intralobular carcinomas. In fibrocystic disease, S100 protein was demonstrable in large amounts in cells between the duct lining cells and the basement membrane of the ducts, being most pronounced in those exhibiting adenosis. Areas of epitheliosis showed scattered positive cells within the ducts with more strongly positive cells around these ducts. Apocrine metaplasia was moderately positive. No S100 protein was demonstrable in the epithelial lining cells of cysts or within the stroma. In sclerosing adenosis individual cells and groups of cells in the fibrous tissue were strongly positive. In papillomatosis and papilloma, the vascular core and epithelium failed to stain, but a discontinuous layer of cells between the epithelium and basement membrane was positive. In intraduct and intralobular carcinoma the tumor cells were uniformly negative, and wherever fibrocystic disease was also present, S100 protein was variably demonstrable. The study corroborated the view that fibrocystic disease and benign proliferative processes of the breast appear to contain cells that correspond to myoepithelial cells, and suggests that S100 protein may serve as a useful marker in the separation of benign proliferative breast lesions from in situ carcinoma.

Breast Diseases↗

Immunohistochemical localization of S100 protein in skin tumors.

We applied a peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique for S100 protein to 73 tumors of skin and skin adnexa. These included 15 eccrine tumors, 11 apocrine tumors, 18 tumors with differentiation toward hair, two sebaceous adenomas, one mixed tumor of the scalp, ten dermatofibromas, ten basal cell carcinomas, five squamous cell carcinomas, and one clear cell acanthoma. Consistent results were obtained. Occasional cells in eccrine tumors showed strong positive staining, as did the Langerhans' cells in the squamous cell carcinomas and the clear cell acanthoma. The cells of the apocrine tumors showed moderate to weak staining, and the tumors with differentiation toward hair, the sebaceous adenomas, and the mixed tumor of the scalp showed uniform negative staining, as did basal cell carcinomas and dermatofibromas.

Humans↗