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P Van Leer

Publications and source records attributed to P Van Leer.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Differential histochemical peanut agglutinin stain in benign and malignant human prostate tumors: relationship with prostatic specific antigen immunostain and nuclear DNA content.

The histochemical binding pattern of the peanut (Arachis hypogaea) lectin (PNA) was quantitatively described by means of computer-assisted microscope analysis in 28 benign prostatic hyperplasias (BPH), 15 prostatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PIN), and 119 prostatic adenocarcinomas. PNA exhibits nonimmune but selective binding to glycoproteins with beta-D-galactosyl(1,3)-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine residues. We also investigated whether a relationship existed between the number of histochemical-related PNA acceptors and the histochemical prostate-specific antigen (PSA) stain intensity, and between the number of PNA receptors and DNA ploidy level. The results show that neoplastic prostate tissues and high-grade intraepithelial prostatic neoplasias (PIN2_3) exhibit a significantly higher number of PNA acceptors than benign prostatic hyperplasias and low (PIN1) grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasias. A statistically significant correlation was observed between the number of histochemically related PNA acceptors and PSA immunostain intensity. Lastly, diploid prostatic tumors, whether benign or malignant, exhibited a significantly higher number of PNA acceptors than aneuploid ones. These results suggest that PNA acceptors play an important role in the biology of prostate tumors.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Does any correlation exist between the Gleason classification system and the computer-assisted microscope analysis of Feulgen-stained nuclei features in human prostate adenocarcinoma?

Grading prostatic adenocarcinomas remains an important problem. Various systems exist (including those proposed by Gleason) but none of these systems seems able to reliably predict either the lethal potential of a tumor in an individual patient or the responsiveness of an individual tumor to various forms of therapy. The most frequently used grading system, as proposed by Gleason, is essentially based on the description of tumor growth pattern. The aim of the present work is therefore to investigate whether the quantitative description of morphonuclear features (including cell anaplasia) and the DNA ploidy level can contribute significant information to the Gleason grading, thus partly at least reducing its subjective nature. This quantitative description was carried out by means of the Feulgen-stained nuclei image cytometry computation of 24 variables in 101 prostatic adenocarcinomas. The results show that both DNA ploidy- and morphonuclear-related variables were weak discriminators for the various grades of the Gleason classification system, and particularly between the high (Gleason 4 and 5) and the other Gleason-grades, i.e. the low (Gleason 1 and 2) and intermediate (Gleason 3) ones. The morphonuclear evidence of anaplasia is thus not redundant data on tumor growth pattern and may be expected to provide additional diagnostic information.

Adenocarcinoma↗