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Biomedical subjects

M Risio

Publications and source records attributed to M Risio.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Impact of surgery on the development of duodenal cancer in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis.

PURPOSE: Precancerous duodenal lesions in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis can be detected with duodenoscopy and treatment may prevent the development of cancer. We proposed to determine the frequency, natural history, cumulative risk, and risk factors of the precancerous duodenal lesions in a series of patients diagnosed in northern Italy. METHODS: A prospective, endoscopic, follow-up protocol was performed in 50 patients examined by gastroduodenoscopy at two years of interval or less. The presence and severity of precancerous lesions of the duodenal mucosa were evaluated by Spigelman score. Twenty-five patients (50 percent) had proctocolectomy and ileoanal anastomosis, 15 (30 percent) had colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis, and 5 (10 percent) had proctocolectomy and definitive ileostomy from 0 to 3 years before the admission to the surveillance program. All patients showed more than a thousand adenomas in the colorectal mucosa. No patients with attenuated polyposis were found. RESULTS: At the first endoscopy, duodenal adenomas could be detected in 19 of 50 patients (38 percent), whereas at the end of the follow-up, 43 (86 percent) had duodenal lesions. The final mean Spigelman score increased during the follow-up period (P<0.001 respect to baseline values). No duodenal cancer could be detected. Eleven patients had or developed severe precancerous duodenal lesions (Stage IV) treated with endoscopic or surgical resection. The distribution of patients with Stage IV according to the surgery of the colon was: 2 of 25 treated with ileoanal anastomosis and 8 of 15 with ileorectal anastomosis (P=0.0024, Fisher's exact test). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis are at risk of significant neoplasia. The natural history of precancerous lesions might be related to surgical treatment of colorectal neoplasms.

Adenoma↗

Serum bile acids, programmed cell death and cell proliferation in the mucosa of patients with colorectal adenomas.

BACKGROUND: Deoxycholic acid induced programmed cell death and an imbalance with cell proliferation may favour colorectal tumourigenesis according to 'in vitro' studies, but information is lacking on the relationships occurring 'in vivo' in humans. AIMS: To evaluate whether serum deoxycholic acid is associated with programmed cell death and cell proliferation in colonic mucosa. METHODS: In 10 patients with colorectal adenomas, we measured fasting serum levels of bile acids; and, in normal colonic mucosa, programmed cell death by the TUNEL technique and cell proliferation by immunohistochemical staining with anti-Ki67. Total and compartmental indices for both activities were calculated. RESULTS: Among serum bile acids, only total deoxycholic acid (median: 0.89 micromol/L +/- 0.54 95% CI), showed a significant positive correlation with the total and basal compartments PCD Index (r = 0.68, p < 0.05). Total proliferation index showed no correlation with either total PCD Index, or bile acids. Within the median compartment of the crypt, cell proliferation was negatively associated with all unconjugated bile acids. CONCLUSIONS: The positive association between deoxycholic acid and programmed cell death in the basal compartment of the crypt, and the negative association of cell proliferation and unconjugated bile acids in the median compartment, do not seem to support the co-carcinogenic effect of deoxycholic acid.

Adenoma↗

Malignant adenoma: diagnosis, staging, risk factors, lymph node involvement and problems of sampling.

Colorectal adenoma containing invasive carcinoma corresponds to a carcinoma invading the submucosa and represents the earliest form of clinically relevant colon cancer. Despite the generally favourable course after endoscopic removal, a limited risk of developing lymph node metastases still exists and the correct histologic assessment of malignant polyps can help in defining the evolutive potential. At present, histopathologic parameters alone determine whether a high (35%) or low (7%) risk of nodal metastases exists and the most relevant diagnostic criteria are the grade of differentiation of invasive adenocarcinoma, vascular invasion, the level of invasion of carcinomatous cells and the status of the resection margin.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Somatic alterations of the androgen receptor CAG repeat in human colon cancer delineate a novel mutation pathway independent of microsatellite instability.

The human androgen receptor gene contains a polymorphic CAG repeat region ranging from 8 to about 35 repeats in the normal human population. The repeat length is inversely related to the transactivation potential of the receptor. We have analyzed the repeat length in 50 sporadic colon cancer samples in comparison to surrounding healthy mucosa and have found somatic reductions of up to 10 repeats in 5 cases (10%), 3 of which were complex, probably involving both alleles. Alterations occurred in tumors with and without microsatellite instability indicating that they follow an independent mutation pathway. The similar repeat of the huntingtin gene did not show any somatic alterations in the same cases. No correlation to sex, tumor stage, location, or histology was evident. In the tumors that showed somatic reductions, the reduced allele was present in at least half of the cells and thus in most, if not all, of the tumor component of the sample. Somatic reductions of the androgen receptor CAG repeat thus occur frequently, through a pathway distinct from microsatellite instability and early during colon carcinogenesis. The receptor is expressed in most normal and neoplastic tissue samples analyzed. Apparent growth selection of cells bearing shortened AR alleles suggests that androgens contribute to colon carcinogenesis in a yet unknown way.

Alleles↗

Programmed cell death, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and p53 expression in mouse colon mucosa during diet-induced tumorigenesis.

Western-style diets (WDs) trigger and sustain the early phases of tumorigenesis in mouse colon, and when continued throughout the life span lead to the development of dysplastic crypts. In order to evaluate the roles both of cell proliferation and programmed cell death (PCD) in WD-induced tumorigenesis, immunohistochemical detection of proliferating nuclear antigen (PCNA), in situ end labeling (TUNEL) of DNA breaks, and p53 protein were carried out in mouse colonic mucosa during prolonged feeding of two WDs. PCNA Labeling Index of colonic crypts was significantly higher in WD-treated animals than in controls only at the beginning of the nutritional study, the gap rapidly bridged by increased cell proliferation spontaneously occurring in the colonic mucosa during aging. A transient early homeostatic activation of PCD at the base of the crypt also was observed in WD groups. No changes in PCD were seen in the upper third of the crypt or in surface epithelium throughout the study, indicating that PCD in that colonic crypt segment produces a constant flux of cell loss, uninfluenced by homeostatic fluctuations. A major finding was an irreversible, progressive, age-related decline of PCD at the crypt base in both control and treated animals that occurred during the second half of the rodents' life span. p53 protein was not immunohistochemically detected, suggesting that neither overexpression of wild-type nor mutated forms of the protein are involved in the above mentioned changes.

Animals↗

Preclinical mouse models for cancer chemoprevention studies.

To aid in identifying the ability of chemopreventive agents to inhibit tumor development, new preclinical in vivo rodent models have recently been developed. Some of the models contain targeted mutations capable of increasing the incidence and progression of neoplastic lesions, whereas in other models dietary nutrients induce preneoplastic lesions in normal mice. These new preclinical models are assisting the analysis of genetic and environmental factors leading to neoplasia, and clinical studies to evaluate the chemopreventive efficacy of specific nutrients and pharmacological agents.

Animals↗

K-ras2 activation and genome instability increase proliferation and size of FAP adenomas.

The possible role of K-ras2 mutations and aneuploidy toward increase of proliferation and adenoma size in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) adenomas is not known. The present study addresses these issues by investigating 147 colorectal adenomas obtained from four FAP patients. The majority of adenomas had size lower than or equal to 10 mm (86%), low grade dysplasia (63%), and were preferentially located in the right colon (60%). Normal mucosa samples were obtained from 19 healthy donors. Three synchronous adenocarcinomas were also investigated. K-ras2 mutation spectrum was analysed by PCR and Sequence Specific Oligonucleotide (SSO) hybridization, while flow cytometry (FCM) was used for evaluating degree of DNA ploidy and S-phase fraction. Overall, incidences of K-ras2 mutations, DNA aneuploidy and high S-phase values (>7.2%) were 6.6%, 5.4% and 10.5%, respectively. In particular, among the adenomas with size lower than 5 mm, K-ras2 mutation and DNA aneuploidy frequencies were only slightly above 1%. Statistically significant correlations were found between K-ras2 and size, DNA ploidy and size and K-ras2 and S-phase (p < 0.001). In particular, among the wild type K-ras2 adenomas, high S-phase values were detected in 8% of the cases versus 57% among the K-ras2 mutated adenomas (p = 0.0005). The present series of FAP adenomas indicates that K-ras2 activation and gross genomic changes play a role toward a proliferative gain and tumour growth in size.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Small bowel tumors and polyposis syndromes.

Tumors of the small bowel are uncommon and seldom suspected on a clinical basis. Together with the relative inaccessibility of the small bowel to endoscopic investigation, the rarity of these tumors undoubtedly delays the diagnosis. Small bowel tumors may be an interesting field of application for enteroscopy, which now can be readily performed with dedicated enteroscopic evaluation in patients with suspected small bowel neoplasia could improve prognosis and treatment. Enteroscopy may also play an important role in the surveillance of inherited polyposis syndromes, as in other precancerous condition of the small bowel. In Peutz-Jeghers syndrome it may reduce polyp-induced complications and improve planning for surgery; in familial adenomatous polyposis it may contribute to preventing upper gastrointestinal tract cancer.

Biopsy↗

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor, uncommitted type, with monosomies 14 and 22 as the only chromosomal abnormalities.

Karyotypic analysis of a gastric stromal tumor with the histologic and immunohistochemical features of a malignant, uncommitted lesion revealed clonal monosomies of chromosomes 14 and 22. Such changes, together with loss of chromosomes 15 and 18, as well as structural rearrangements involved chromosome 1, have been previously reported in gastrointestinal stromal tumors with smooth muscle differentiation. We suggest that monosomies of chromosomes 14 and 22 are early events in the malignant transformation of the mesenchymal cell-originating gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Antigens, CD34↗

Correlation between 1p deletions and aneusomy in human colorectal adenomas.

Human sporadic colorectal adenomas are characterized by a relatively high occurrence of aneuploidy. Similarly, 1p deletions have been reported to be an early event in colorectal tumorigenesis, while chromosome 7, 17 and 18 gain/losses were also found. The present study investigated 1p deletions, the numerical aberrations of chromosomes 1, 7, 17 and 18, and the nuclear DNA content as obtained by flow cytometry in a series of 34 human sporadic colorectal adenomas. From these adenomas, 51 intra-adenoma regions were microdissected according to 2 degrees of dysplasia and presence of foci of early cancer. Isolated epithelial nuclei were analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization interphase cytogenetics using centromeric probes for chromosomes 7, 17 and 18 and, in a double-target analysis, a centromeric probe for chromosome 1 simultaneously with a telomeric probe mapping to the 1p36 band. Aneuploidy incidence due to presence of numerical aberrations for at least one among the investigated chromosomes and/or abnormal flow-cytometric DNA content was 35%, while 1p deletion incidence was 38%. The correlation of 1p deletions with aneuploidy was statistically highly significant (p = 0.003), suggesting that loss of genes in this region may be implicated in chromosome instability.

Adenoma↗

Specific K-ras2 mutations in human sporadic colorectal adenomas are associated with DNA near-diploid aneuploidy and inhibition of proliferation.

Recent studies indicate that p21ras proteins mediate their multiple cell functions through interactions with multiple effectors and that the number of new effectors is growing. We recently reported that K-ras2 mutations in human colorectal adenomas were associated with chromosome instability and proliferation changes. In the present study, we extend these previous observations. Hereditary and multiple (n > or = 5) adenomas and adenomas with early cancer were excluded. Dysplasia was moderate in 91 cases and high in 25, and the median adenoma size was 1.5 cm. K-ras2 spectrum analysis was done by sequence-specific oligonucleotide hybridization using nuclear suspensions provided by analysis and sorting of multiparameter flow cytometry. In particular, tissue inflammatory cells were separated for DNA diploid tumors, whereas DNA aneuploid epithelial subclones were analyzed separately. K-ras2 mutations and DNA aneuploidy were both detected in 29 of 116 (25%) cases. DNA aneuploid index was in the near-diploid region in the majority of cases. DNA aneuploidy was strongly associated with G-->C/T transversions. An association was also found between low S-phase values and G-->A transitions. These findings were confirmed using multivariate logistic regression analysis to account for the effects of size, dysplasia, site, type, age, and sex. These data suggest that specific K-ras2 mutations in a subgroup of human sporadic colorectal adenomas play a role in chromosome instability and, contrary to expectations, are associated with inhibition of proliferation.

Adenoma↗

Microsatellite instability is associated with the histological features of the tumor in nonfamilial colorectal cancer.

Replication errors (RERs) at microsatellite loci were examined in 46 specimens of nonfamilial colorectal cancer. Somatic microsatellite alterations in at least two genetic loci, D11S904, D13S175, D2S123, and D10S197, consistent with a RER(+) phenotype were found in four cases (8.7%). Six additional cases (13%) showed alterations at a single locus. Mucinous differentiation was observed in 3 of 4 (75%) adenocarcinomas with a RER(+) phenotype and only in 19% (8 of 42) of RER(-) adenocarcinomas (P < 0.05). A distinct cap of inflammatory cells at the advancing edge of the tumor and Crohn's-like reaction in peritumoral stroma were histologically identified in 50 and 25% of RER(+) and in 5 and 0% of RER(-) tumors, respectively (P < 0.05). Also, the plexiform pattern of growth of carcinoma turned out to be significantly associated with the RER(+) phenotype (P < 0.05). Mucinous differentiation and stromal inflammatory reactions are frequent features of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer in which germ-line mutations of mismatch repair genes cause genetic instability. Our results indicate that a link exists between such histological features and somatic genetic instability consistent with a RER(+) phenotype also in nonfamilial colorectal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Apoptosis, cell replication, and Western-style diet-induced tumorigenesis in mouse colon.

In this study, feeding Western-style diets (WDs) to mice for a duration of two years without any chemical carcinogen led to the development of gross colonic lesions that were histologically classified as dysplastic crypts and focal hyperplasias with or without atypical nuclei. To better understand early biological events contributing to the development of colonic neoplasia, grossly normal colonic mucosa was investigated; mitotic and apoptotic colonic epithelial cells, atypical mitosis, and atypical nuclei were studied. A significant and transient increase of mitotic activity in the basal and intermediate portions of the colonic crypts was seen in young mice after feeding them the WDs. This was accompanied by diffuse activation of apoptosis of the colonic epithelial cells. In the middle of the rodents' life span, after administration of both the WDs and control diet, the rodents developed a marked depletion of apoptotic epithelial cells in the mid-region of the colonic crypts; this was followed by the expansion of an epithelial cell population containing atypical nuclei, and the emergence of the gross lesions noted above. With this sequence of events, prolonged feeding of WDs to mice produced single-crypt dysplastic lesions and focal hyperplasias indicative of tumorigenesis.

Animals↗

Inherited and acquired risk factors in colonic neoplasia and modulation by chemopreventive interventions.

The progressively abnormal development of epithelial cells prior to tumor development leads to widely differing chemopreventive approaches. The diversity of these approaches has resulted in different assays to measure the activities of the agents. To apply these assays to preclinical studies, we have developed rodent models in which different stages of evolution of colonic neoplasia are expressed. In one model mice carrying a truncated Apc allele with a nonsense mutation in exon 15 have been generated by gene targeting and embryonic stem cell technology (Apc 1638 mice). These mice develop multiple gastrointestinal lesions including adenomas and carcinomas, focal areas of high grade dysplasia (FAD) and polypoid hyperplasias with FADS. The incidence of inherited colonic neoplasms has now been modulated by a chemopreventive regimen. Colonic lesions significantly increased in Apc 1638 mice on a Western-style diet, compared to Apc 1638 mice on AIN-76A diet which has lower fat content and higher calcium and vitamin D. These studies have also been carried out in normal mice, and have demonstrated without any chemical carcinogen that a Western-style diet induced colonic tumorigenesis. Modulation of cell proliferation has also been induced by Western-style diets in other organs including mammary gland, pancreas and prostate. These findings are leading to the development of new preclinical models for evaluating the efficacy of many classes of chemopreventive agents.

Animals↗