Diagnostic relevance of clonal cytogenetic aberrations in malignant soft-tissue tumors

Article Abstract:

A number of different types of cancers may occur in soft tissues such as muscles and joints, but precise classification is often quite challenging for the pathologist who must examine the specimens with great care. Some chromosomal aberrations have been identified in different sorts of soft-tissue cancers, but reports of such aberrations often accompany case studies and do not give insight into the actual prevalence of such aberrations. For this reason, researchers attempted to obtain karyotypes, or chromosome analyses, from a series of 62 malignant soft-tissue tumors. Successful analyses could be obtained in 61 cases, and provide insight not only into what sorts of chromosomal aberrations are present, but also into how specific some of these changes are for specific tumor types. In six cases, no chromosomal abnormalities were identified, but it is believed that the tumor cells from these specimens did not grow well in tissue culture, and that the cells actually tested were normal fibroblasts growing out of the specimen and not actual tumor cells. In 40 cases, chromosomal abnormalities were identified which were suggestive of a diagnosis, and in 15 cases (24 percent of the total) the chromosomal abnormalities played a significant role in arriving at the final diagnosis. Commonly identified chromosomal abnormalities include t(11;22), which was seen in five Ewing's sarcomas, t(X;18) seen in five synovial sarcomas, and a deletion of the short arm of chromosome 1 and the presence of double minute chromosomes seen in three poor-prognosis neuroblastomas. (The terminology t(11;22) refers to a deletion of genetic material from chromosome 22 and the insertion of this material into chromosome 11; the process is called a translocation.) The results of the study indicate that chromosomal abnormalities are found in virtually all soft-tissue tumors, and that in a significant proportion of cases, the chromosomal abnormalities are of diagnostic value. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Translocation (Genetics), Chromosome abnormalities, Karyotypes

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Tumor angiogenesis and metastasis - correlation in invasive breast cancer

Article Abstract:

The growth and development of a cancer involves a broad spectrum of events. One key event is the stimulation of new blood vessels which penetrate the tumor and supply it with increased amounts of oxygen and nutrients. Current estimates suggest that early cancers grow slowly and are relatively dormant. When they reach about a million cells (which represents a tumor of only a few millimeters) further growth can not occur without the development of new blood vessels to vascularize the tumor. In addition to providing improved blood supply to the tiny tumor, the new blood vessels provide routes for metastatic cells to crawl out of the primary tumor and circulate to distant parts of the body. A study of 49 breast cancers was undertaken to determine if the number of blood vessels within the tumor correlates with metastatic disease in the patients. Of the 49 patients, 30 had metastatic disease and 19 did not. If the notion that more blood vessels provide more opportunity for metastasis is correct, then more blood vessels would be expected to be found in the tumors from the patients with metastatic disease. This is precisely what was observed. Researchers without knowledge of the patient's history counted blood vessels under the microscope in tissue sections of breast cancer specimens. An average of 101 blood vessels could be seen in a high power field of the microscope among the patients with metastatic disease. Among patients without metastatic disease, an average of 45 blood vessels were observed. These results confirm the importance of vascularization in the progression of a tumor, and indicate that vascularization is also an important step in setting the stage for metastatic spread of cancer cells. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Physiological aspects, Development and progression, Breast cancer, Metastasis, Cancer invasiveness, Cancer metastasis

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Interferon alfa-2a therapy for life-threatening hemangiomas of infancy

Article Abstract:

Interferon alfa-2a may be an effective treatment for life-threatening hemangiomas that are resistant to treatment with corticosteroids. A hemangioma is a birthmark-like tumor that starts to grow soon after birth, and that, in most infants, starts to regress before the age of two. In rare cases, hemangiomas continue to grow, and can cause blindness and death. Twenty infants with a vision or life-threatening hemangioma that was resistant to treatment with corticosteroids were injected each day with interferon alfa-2a. Eighteen infants experienced 50% remission or more of a hemangioma over an average of 7.8 months of treatment. One infant died despite treatment with radiation therapy, corticosteroids and interferon alfa-2a. Side effects of interferon alfa-2a included fever, reduced levels of white blood cells and death of skin cells. These side effects disappeared after treatment was discontinued, and there were no long-term side effects after a 16-month follow-up period.

Health aspects, Drug therapy, Diseases, Infants, Interferon alpha, Hemangioma

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