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S Baithun

Publications and source records attributed to S Baithun.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Detection of human chorionic gonadotrophin-beta in serum or urine of prostate cancer patients is of no clinical significance.

The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the potential role of elevated urinary/serum human chorionic gonadotrophin-beta (hCGbeta) in prostate cancer prognosis. 104 patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancers were included; 68 patients had organ-confined, 18 had locally advanced and 18 had metastatic disease. A control group consisted of 115 patients presenting with benign prostatic disease. Serum and urinary total hCGbeta was measured prior to treatment and serum PSA was measured at diagnosis. The patients were treated along conventional lines and progression-free survival was assessed. Four patients had elevated serum and 10 had elevated urinary, total hCGbeta. There were no significant correlations between serum/urinary levels of hCGbeta and tumour stage, Gleason score or PSA. In contrast, serum PSA had significant linear correlations with both clinical tumour stage and Gleason score (p = 0.0001). At a median follow-up of 36 months, 22 (21.2%) patients had died while 17 (16.3%) others had progressed. Kaplan-Meier plots and log-rank test revealed no significant difference in progression-free survival between patients with elevated or normal levels of serum and/or urinary total hCGbeta. Clinical tumour stage, grade and PSA were statistically significant prognostic variables. Immunoassay measurement of serum or urinary hCGbeta has no significant role in the clinical management of prostate cancer.

Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human↗

Seasonal variation in mortality from myocardial infarction and haemopericardium. A postmortem study.

BACKGROUND: Seasonal variation in the incidence of and mortality from myocardial infarction (MI) has been well recognised for many years. Haemopericardium (HP) is usually a fatal complication of MI. No data exist in the literature with regard to the seasonal variation in mortality from HP. AIMS: To perform a necropsy based study to confirm seasonal variation in mortality from MI in a London population and to determine whether seasonal variation in mortality from HP can be established. METHODS: Postmortem causes of death issued by several pathologists, working in two public London mortuaries over a five year period from 1999 to 2004 were analysed. Deaths caused by HP secondary to traumatic or iatrogenic causes were specifically excluded, as were deaths caused by HP secondary to bicuspid aortic valve and aortic dissection. The results were subdivided into winter (1 November to 31 March) and summer (1 April to 31 October). RESULTS: In total, there were 2266 cases of MI and 135 cases of HP. Significantly more deaths from HP (83 of 135; 61.5%; p = 0.004) and MI (1051 of 2266; 46.4%; p = 0.016) occurred in the five month winter period. Furthermore, there was a significantly higher incidence of HP compared with MI during the winter (83/1051; 7.9%) than the summer (52/1215; 4.3%; p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the age or sex of patients dying in either the winter or summer. CONCLUSION: There is seasonal variation in mortality from both MI and HP in the London population, as confirmed by a postmortem study.

Age Factors↗

Does human papillomavirus play a role in the development of bladder transitional cell carcinoma? A comparison of PCR and immunohistochemical analysis.

AIM: To investigate the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the development of bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). METHODS: Seventy eight paraffin wax embedded TCC samples were tested for the presence of HPV by two methods. First, immunohistochemistry was carried out using a polyclonal antibody capable of detecting the capsid protein of all known papillomaviruses. The second method was a consensus GP5+/6+ primer mediated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, with the products analysed by both agarose gel electrophoresis and an enzyme immunoassay using type specific oligonucleotide probes for 10 different mucosal genotypes. To exclude false negative results because of the poor quality of DNA extracted from paraffin wax embedded samples, the series was extended to include 20 further blocks for which the corresponding snap frozen unfixed tissue was available. RESULTS: The two methods produced contrasting results, with 47 of the 78 samples positive for HPV antigen and none positive for HPV DNA. HPV DNA was not detected in the 20 additional paraffin wax embedded TCCs or in the 20 paired unfixed samples. In contrast, HPV DNA was amplified by PCR from all six of the paraffin wax embedded cervical carcinoma and anogenital wart control samples. CONCLUSION: The disparity between the two sets of results is probably caused by false positives resulting from the non-specificity of the polyclonal antibody used for immunohistochemistry. These results suggest that HPV is unlikely to play an aetiological role in the development of bladder TCC.

Adult↗

DNA copy number changes in Schistosoma-associated and non-Schistosoma-associated bladder cancer.

DNA copy number changes were investigated in 69 samples of schistosoma-associated (SA) and non-schistosoma-associated (NSA) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). DNA copy number changes were detected in 47 tumors. SA tumors had more changes than NSA tumors (mean, 7 vs. 4), whereas the number of changes in SCC and TCC tumors was similar. SA tumors displayed more gains than losses (1.7:1), whereas NSA tumors showed an equal number of gains and losses. Changes that were observed at similar frequencies in SCC and TCC, irrespective of the schistosomal status, included gains and high-level amplifications at 1q, 8q, and 20q and losses in 9p and 13q. These changes may be involved in a common pathway for bladder tumor development and progression independent of schistosomal status or histological subtype. Losses in 3p and gains at 5p were seen only in SCC (P < 0.01) and losses in 5q were more frequent in SA-SCC than in other tumors (P < 0.05). However, changes that were more frequent in TCC than those in SCC included gains at 17q (P < 0.01) and losses in 4q (P < 0.05) and 6q (P < 0.01). Gains and high-level amplifications at 5p were seen only in SA-SCC (P < 0. 01), whereas gains and high-level amplifications with minimal common overlapping regions at 11q13 were more frequently seen both in SA-SCC and SA-TCC tumors (P < 0.01). In addition to the above mentioned alterations, several other changes were also seen at lower frequencies. The variations in the DNA copy number changes observed in TCC, SCC, SA, and NSA bladder carcinomas suggest that these tumors have different genetic pathways.

Aged↗

Squamous change in bladder cancer and its relevance to understanding clonal evolution in development of bladder cancer.

Using conventional morphological assessment, squamous change in bladder epithelium has been observed in 73% of bilharzial associated squamous cancers but only 28% of pure transitional cancers. However, more detailed studies of patients with TCC suggest that the latter figure may be an underestimate, since in one series it was reported to be more than 50%. The most significant risk factor for development of squamous carcinoma in the bladder is chronic persistent bacterial cystitis, although in the areas of the world where bilharzia is endemic this infestation also increases the risk of both squamous bladder cancer and chronic bacterial cystitis. Although it is clear that carcinogens are involved as co-factors in transformation from squamous metaplasia to cancer, the fact that in Zimbabwe one author has observed that TCC is more frequent in whites than squamous cancer is in bilharzia infected blacks is evidence that other unidentified risk factors are involved. This is increasing evidence for involvement of HPV subtypes in cervix, oropharynx and lung cancer. As all three of these tumours are associated with squamous metaplasia, there could be a case for investigation of bladder squamous tumours for HPV involvement. This is particularly so given the observation of the "hit and run" type of transient infection in cattle that develop BPV associated tumours and the tenfold difference (30% vs 3%) in frequency of HPV detection in squamous skin tumours developing in immunosuppressed individuals compared with those arising spontaneously. With new technology for cytological screening techniques using dot ELISA and evidence of differences in TP53 mutations that support the involvement of nitrous oxide, it is clear that there is more to learn from study of this tumour type that may be of general interest in understanding the clonal development of cancer.

Animals↗

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the kidney confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are rare lesions that form part of the Ewing family of tumors, which includes osseous and extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma and Askins tumor of the thorax. All are characterized by translocations involving the EWS gene at 22q12, usually the translocation t(11;22)(q24;12). PNETs usually occur in soft tissues but occasionally arise within a visceral organ. We describe a PNET of the kidney that showed characteristic microscopic and immunohistochemical appearances of a small, round, dark blue cell tumor with focal rosette formation and strong membrane positivity for the MIC2 gene product. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization on touch imprints prepared from frozen tissue using cosmid probes flanking the EWS gene at 22q12 and the FLI1 gene at 11q24 indicated the presence of t(11; = +22)(q24; = +q12), confirming the diagnosis of PNET. This is the first reported PNET of the kidney supported by cytogenetic analysis. We also review the literature on this fascinating tumor in this unusual location.

Female↗

Verrucous carcinoma of the renal pelvis: case presentation and review of the literature.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the renal pelvis is an uncommon tumour that has occasionally been associated with horseshoe kidney. The verrucous form of well-differentiated SCC has not been described previously at this site. We describe such a tumour in a 41-year-old man, who presented with gross haematuria and recurrent pyelonephritis caused by staghorn calculi within a horseshoe kidney. Histology showed extensive keratinising squamous metaplasia of the pelvic urothelium with an area of verrucous acanthosis and underlying invasion of the pelvic smooth muscle by broad tongues of squamous epithelium without atypia. Local lymph nodes were not involved by tumour. Immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction revealed no evidence of human papillomavirus infection. The literature regarding verrucous carcinoma of the urothelial tract is reviewed.

Adult↗