Cloacogenic carcinoma of the anal canal and associated viral lesions: an in situ hybridization study for human papilloma virus
Article Abstract:
Condyloma acuminatum is a form of wart that occurs in the genital or anal area. Since condyloma acuminatum is frequently associated with anal carcinoma, the most common form of anal cancer, some researchers have postulated that the cancer arises from the wart. Both anal warts and anal cancers are associated with infection with papillomavirus, but the types of virus most frequently associated with anal warts are different from the types most commonly found in anal cancers. This observation has led to speculation that the cancer does not actually arise from the wart, but that both anal warts and anal cancer arise from a common risk factor: virus transmission by anal intercourse. Some pathologists recognize another form of anal cancer termed cloacogenic carcinoma; cloacogenic carcinoma appears to have a somewhat better prognosis than anal carcinoma. Since cloacogenic carcinoma is more common among homosexuals, there is some reason to suspect that this anal cancer may also be associated with infection by the human papillomavirus (HPV). A study was conducted on five cases of cloacogenic carcinoma to determine if HPV genes were present. Using DNA probes to identify both the presence and type of viral DNA in tissues specimens, evidence for HPV infection was found in four of the five specimens. In three cases, HPV type 16/18 was present. (HPV 16 is the most common type of virus in anal carcinoma; the DNA probes used in the present experiment cannot differentiate between the closely related types 16 and 18.) In one cancer, viral genes were found in the center of the cancer, but not in the cancer cells which had begun to invade the surrounding tissues. Another cancer that was infected with HPV 16/18 had indications of a second infection with type 6/11 at the border of the invading tumor. The observations in this study indicate that the relation between cloacogenic carcinoma and human papillomavirus appears to be similar to the relation between this virus and anal carcinoma as well as cervical carcinoma. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Cancer
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0008-543X
Year: 1991
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Lymphomatoid granulomatosis in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: evidence of Epstein-Barr virus infection and B-cell clonal selection without myc rearrangement
Article Abstract:
Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is a lesion marked by the infiltration of mononuclear white blood cells into the tissue. There are areas of dead tissue and atypical lymphoreticular cells. Originally, such granulomas were thought to be benign, but the condition has been observed to progress to malignant lymphoma in 20 to 50 percent of cases. Most lymphomatoid granulomas involve cells with a T cell phenotype, but in patients with AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), a number of lymphomatoid granulomas have been observed of the B cell type. In one case, lymphomatoid granulomatosis occurred in a man suffering from AIDS, and a resected wedge of lung containing the lymphomatoid granuloma was obtained. The tissue was examined both by microscope and techniques of molecular biology. The majority of the cells in the granuloma were of the T cell type, but about 20 percent were the B cell type. Molecular analysis of the B cells indicated that they were all clonal descendants of two cells, and that these cells were infected with the Epstein-Barr (EB) virus. The EB virus is a ubiquitous DNA virus that has been associated with some human cancers. It is presumed that the immunosuppression associated with AIDS has provided an environment suitable for the proliferation of a few Epstein-Barr virus-infected B cells. Similar proliferation has been observed in other immunocompromized patients, such as those undergoing chemotherapy or immune suppression for organ transplantation. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Cancer
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0008-543X
Year: 1990
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Radiation therapy in lymphomatoid granulomatosis
Article Abstract:
Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG) involves the infiltration of small cells (including white blood cells) into the tissue of the lungs. LYG primarily affects the lungs, but other organs may be involved such as the skin, central nervous system and kidneys. Evidence suggests that LYG is actually a form of malignant lymphoma (a cancerous disease in the lymphatic system). The prognosis for patients with LYG is poor, with the mortality rate ranging from 53 to 95 percent. Most cases of LYG are treated with prednisone (an anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive agent) or cytotoxic drugs (chemicals that destroy cells or prevent their proliferation), or a combination of both. Researchers report the use of radiation therapy on a patient suffering from LYG. They found that in this case, where the LYG was confined to specific areas of the skin, radiation therapy was a useful adjunct to chemotherapy and corticosteroids in the treatment of the disease. Further radiation therapy (radiotherapy) trials are needed to determine the most appropriate regimen for treatment of LYG.
Publication Name: Cancer
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0008-543X
Year: 1989
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