• Annals of dermatology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.712-715
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• 2018

Desmoplastic fibroblastoma is a rare fibrous tumor that usually presents as a painless, slow-growing mass in the subcutaneous tissues and skeletal muscles. It has a wide anatomic distribution, with the most common involvement being the arm and shoulder. Here, we report a case of a tiny painful desmoplastic fibroblastoma arising on the scalp. According to a microscopic examination, this tumor was composed of spindle-shaped fibroblasts in the dense collagenous stroma. On immunohistochemical staining, tumor cells were positive for vimentin and negative for smooth muscle actin, CD34, and S100. Our case is unique in that desmoplastic fibroblastoma developed on the scalp and there was presence of pain despite its small size.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.5 no.3 s.19
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• pp.206-212
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• 2005

Purpose: Angiogenesis has a critical role in tumor proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. In gastric cancer, tumor-associated macrophages and mast cells produce angiogenic factors such as VEGF, that inhibit the functional maturation of dendritic cells. The aim of this study is to identify tumor-associated macrophages, mast cells, dendritic cell infiltrations, and microvessel densities (MVD) to investigate the relationship between them and the prognosis for gastric-cancer patients. Materials and Methods: The subjects were 79 patients selected from those who had undergone a curative gastric resection for stomach cancer. With them, Immune-histochemical staining was done using CD34 for the MVD, CD68 antigen for macrophages, and S-100 protein for dendritic cells, and toluidine blue staining was done for mast cells. Results: Macrophage infiltration showed a statistically significant positive correlation with histologic differentiation and a negative correlation with invasion depth, nodal metastasis, and stage. S-100 (+) dendritic cells and mast cells had no significant correlations with histologic differentiation, invasion depth, nodal metastasis, distant metastasis, stage, and MVD. As survival, no statistically significant differences were seen between the variables. Conclusion: Tumor-associated macrophages should be evaluated as possible prognostic markers in gastric-cancer patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6415-6421
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• 2012

Background: Canine mammary gland tumors (CMGTs) are the most common tumor found in bitches. Changes in HER-2/neu genes in human breast cancer (HBC) lead to decrease in disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival rate (OSR). Previous studies have demonstrated that the biological behavior of malignant mammary gland tumors (MMGTs) is similar to that of HBC. The present study aimed at evaluating the relationship between overexpression of HER-2/neu and clinicopathological features in MMGTs to represent a model of prognostic factors for HBC. Materials and Method: The clinicopathological data of 35 MMGTs were obtained. Immunohistochemical staining with HER-2, Ki-67 and CD34 markers was conducted with sections from paraffin-embedded blocks. According to standard protocols, histological type, grade, margin status, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), HER-2/neu score, proliferation rate and microvessel density (MVD) of tumors were determined and the association of HER-2/neu overexpression with these parameters was assessed statistically. Results: The IHC results showed that 12 (34.3%) cases were HER-2/neu positive. Statistical analyses indicated a significant relationship between HER-2 positivity and tumor grade (p=0.043), which also was demonstrated with cancer stage (p=0.035), tumor margin involvement (p=0.016), proliferation index (p=0.001) and MVD (p=0.001); however, there was no statistical relationship between LVI and tumor size. Overexpression of the HER-2/neu gene in MMGTs results in similar biological behavior as that of HBC; as a result, these tumors have can be considered to have important similarities in clinicopathological characteristics. Conclusions: MMGTs can be regarded as an HBC animal model. Further studies in this field would result in new treatments that could be beneficial for both dogs and humans.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.179-184
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• 2005

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EH) is a rare borderline malignant tumor which originating from vascular endothelial cells and occurs in many organs such as soft tissues, lung, liver and bone. But, pulmonary EH which simultaneously involves pleura and liver is very rare. In the present report, we describe an uncommon case of EH involving the lung, pleura and liver in a 26-year-old woman. Chest CT showed single nodule in right upper lobe with large amount of pleural effusion at ipsilateral side and abdominal CT multiple round low densities in liver. The EH was confirmed by microscopic analysis and immunohistochemical staining of CD34+ from open lung biopsy specimen.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.583-587
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• 2013

This study aimed to investigate tumor microvessel density (MVD) and lymphatic vessel density (LVD) using the Chalkley method as predictive markers for the risk of axillary lymph node metastasis and their relationship to other clinicopathological parameters in primary breast cancer cases. Forty two node-positive and eighty node-negative breast cancers were immunostained for CD34 and D2-40. MVD and LVD were counted by the Chalkley method at x400 magnification. There was a positive significant correlation of the MVD with the tumor size, coexisting ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and lymph node metastases (P<0.05). In multivariate analysis, the MVD (2.86-4: OR 5.87 95%CI 1.05-32; >4: OR 20.03 95%CI 3.47-115.55), lymphovascular invasion (OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.13-10.58), and associated DCIS (OR 3.1, 95%CI 1.04-9.23) independently predicted axillary lymph node metastasis. There was no significant relationship between LVD and axillary lymph node metastasis. However, D2-40 was a good lymphatic vessel marker to enhance the detection of lymphatic invasion compared to H and E staining. In conclusion, MVD by the Chalkley method, lymphovascular invasion and associated DCIS can be additional predictive factors for axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer. No relationship was identified between LVD and clinicopathological variables, including axillary lymph node metastasis.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2003

Background: Hemopoietic cells require the constant presence of growth factors for survival in vitro and in vivo. Caspases have been known as central executors of apoptotic cell death. We have, therefore, investigated the pathways that regulate caspase activity and apoptosis using the $CD34^+$ cell line, TF-1 which requires GM-CSF for survival. Methods: Apoptosis was measured by annexin V staining and mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by DiOC6 labelling. Intracellular pH was measured using pH sensitive fluorochrome, BCECF or SNARF-1, followed by flow cytometry analysis. Caspase activation was analyzed by PARP cleavage using anti-PARP antibody. Results: Removal of GM-CSF induceed PARP cleavage, a hallmark of caspase activity, concomitant with pHi acidification and a drop in mitochondrial potential. Treatment with ZVAD, a competitive inhibitor of caspases, partially rescued cell death without affecting pHi acidification and the reduction of mitochondrial potential, suggesting that both these events act upstream of caspases. Overexpression of Bcl-2 prevented cell death induced by GM-CSF deprivation as well as pHi acidification and the reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential. In parental cells maintained with GM-CSF, EIPA, a competitive inhibitor of $Na^+/H^+$ antiporter induced apoptosis, accompanied by a drastic reduction in mitochondrial potential. In contrast, EIPA induced apoptosis in Bcl-2 transfectants without causing mitochondrial membrane depolarization. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that the regulation of $H^+$fluxes, either through a mitochondriondependent or independent pathway, is central to caspase activation and apoptosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.4965-4969
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• 2015

LCN2 (Lipocalin 2) is a 25 KD secreted acute phase protein, reported to be a novel regulator of angiogenesis in breast cancer. Up regulation of LCN2 had been observed in multiple cancers including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer. However, the role of LCN2 promoter methylation in the formation of microvessels is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyze the association of LCN 2 promoter methylation with microvessel formation and tumor cell proliferation in breast cancer patients. The LCN2 promoter methylation status was studied in 64 breast cancer tumors by methylation specific PCR (MSP). Evaluation of microvessel density (MVD) and Ki67 cell proliferation index was achieved by immunohistochemical staining using CD34 and MIB-1 antibodies, respectively. LCN2 promoter unmethylation status was observed in 43 (67.2%) of breast cancer patients whereas LCN2 methylation status was seen in 21 (32.8%). Further, LCN2 promoter unmethylation status was associated with aggressive tumor phenotype and elevated mean MVD in breast cancer patients.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.178-182
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• 2008

We report here a case of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) in the stomach that was diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (EUS-FNA). A 67 year old male patient underwent regular check-ups for five years due to the presence of a submucosal tumor that was found in the fundus of the stomach incidentally. EUS-FNA was performed to evaluate the tumor, which had increased in size from 1 cm to 2.8cm. A cytologic smear revealed cohesive sheets or clusters of spindle cells with elongated nuclei. Immunohistochemical staining revealed a strong positive reaction for c-kit and CD34, without any reaction for smooth muscle actin and Ki-67. Therefore, a diagnosis of GIST was made.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.131-138
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• 2004

High-flow gas insufflation to get a bloodless field during off-pump coronary artery bypass may have adverse effects on the coronary endothelium. This study was designed (1) to elucidate the effect of carbon dioxide gas insufflations on the coronary endothelium at different flow rates and (2) to assess the protective effect of humidifcation against the coronary endothelial damage. Material and Method: In nine pigs, the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was exposed after a median sternotomy. The LAD was divided into 4 segments and a coronary arteriotomy was made in each LAD segment in the beating heart. The far distal arteriotomy was exposed to room air for 10 minutes and was harvested as a control. Non-humidified carbon dioxide gas at a continuous flow rate of 5 L/min (Group I), humidified carbon dioxide gas at a continuous flow rate of 5 L/min (Group II), and humidified carbon dioxide gas at a continuous flow rate of 10 L/min (Group III) were insufflated for 10 minutes on each coronary arteriotomy site, respectively. After harvesting the coronary segments, hematoxylin-eosin staining, elastic fiber staining, and immunostaining with a CD34 monoclonal antibody were performed to evaluate the depth of endothelial damage and to count the residual endothelial cells, Result: In all three groups (Group I, II, and III), internal elastic laminae were preserved, however, the endothelial layers were significantly damaged by carbon dioxide gas insufflation. The mean percentages of remaining endothelial cells were 20,9$\pm$16.7%, 39.3$\pm$19.6%, and 6.8$\pm$5.3%, in groups I, II, and III, respectively. The percentages of remaining cells were significantly higher in group II than in groups I and III (p=0.008). The percentages of remaining cells were significantly higher in group I than in group III (p=0.008). Conclusions: The harmful effect of carbon dioxide gas insufflation on the coronary endothelium was dependent on the flow rate. The addition of humidification did not protect the coronary endothelium from denudation injury caused by high flow carbon dioxide gas insufflations.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.254-260
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the clinicopathological characteristics of stomach and small bowel gastrointestinal stromal tumors and to determine the risk factors and treatment guidelines. Materials and Methods: Among 38 patients who were diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor from August 1998 to May 2006, 29 patients at the Pundang Jesaeng General Hospital, Daejin Medical Center were evaluated. The clinicopathological characteristics of gastrointestinal stromal tumors arising from stomach and small bowel were compared. Immunohistochemical staining for CD117, CD34, smooth muscle actin, desmin, and S-100 protein was performed and classified according to NIH criteria. Prognosis between groups was analyzed according to NIH criteria. Results: There was no significant difference in the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis between gastrointestinal stromal tumors arising from the stomach and small bowel. Recurrence of the disease occurred in four (13.8%) patients. Classification of gastrointestinal stromal tumors according to NIH criteria was predictive of recurrence (P=0.030). Conclusion: NIH criteria were predictive of recurrence, but the location of the primary site was not predictive of recurrence. A further study involving multi center data and a long-term follow-up will be needed for formulating diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines.