Clinical pathologic analysis of urologic primary primitive neuroectodermal tumor

Objective To explore clinico-pathological features,immunophenotype,treatment and prognosis of urologic primary primitive neuroectodermal tumor ( PNET) . Methods The clinical data of 3 patients with urologic PNET were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were male,aged 29,32 and 75 years respectively.

Clinical Pathological Analysis of Synovial Sarcoma

OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical diagnosis and differential diagno- sis of synovial sarcoma (SS). METHODS A total of 41 paraffin-embedded synovial sarcoma samples were examined by H&E staining, immunohistochemistry staining and the re- verse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in order to provide a scientific bases for diagnosis and differential diagnosis. RESULTS Twelve cases were a biphasic type, 22 cases were a mono- phasic fibrous type, and 7 cases were a poorly differentiated type. Thirty-six cases were both CK (and/or EMA) and Vim positive. Five cases were only Vim positive. A SYT-SSX fusion gene was detected in 18 cases by RT-PCR. CONCLUSION By observation of the histomorphology, immunohisto- chemistry markers and detection of a SYT-SSX fusion gene, we can make a clinical pathological diagnosis of synovial sarcoma.

Clinical and pathological features and risk factors for primary breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women all around the world.According to the latest statistics in 2018,there were more than 2.08 million new breast cancer cases all around the world and more than 620000 deaths;the proportion of breast cancer deaths in women with cancer is 15%.By studying age,clinicopathological characteristics and molecular classification,age at menarche,age at birth,number of births,number of miscarriages,lactation time,surgical history of benign breast lesions,history of gynecological diseases,and other factors,we retrospectively summarized and compared the disease history of patients with primary breast cancer and patients with benign thyroid tumors admitted to our hospital in the past 10 years to explore the clinicopathological characteristics and risk factors for primary breast cancer.AIM To investigate the clinical and pathological features and risk factors for primary breast cancer treated at our center in order to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer in the Zhuhai-Macao region.METHODS Through a retrospective case-control study,149 patients with primary breast cancer diagnosed and treated at Zhuhai Hospital of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2013 to March 2020 were included as a case group,and 165 patients with benign breast tumors diagnosed and treated from January 2019 to March 2020 were included as a control group.The data collected included age,age at menarche,age at first birth,number of births,number of miscarriages,lactation time,history of surgery for benign breast lesions,history of familial malignant tumors,history of gynecological diseases,history of thyroid diseases,and the tumor characteristics of the patients in the case group including pathological diagnosis,pathological type,tumor size,lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis,stage,and molecular classification,among others.In the case group,the chi-square test was used to analyze the clinical and pathological features of patients in three age groups(<40,40-59,and≥60 years).A multifactor logistic regression analysis was used to analyze correlations between the two groups.RESULTS Among 149 patients with primary breast cancer,the average age was 48.20±12.06 years,and the proportion of patients at 40-59 years old was the highest,accounting for 61.8%of cases.The molecular type was mainly luminal B type,accounting for 69.2%of cases,and at the time of diagnosis,the tumor stage was mainly stage I/II,accounting for 62.4%of cases.There were no statistically significant differences in the distributions of tumor location,pathological type,tumor size,lymph node metastasis,stage,or molecular classification among the three age groups(<40,40-59,and≥60 years)(P≥0.05).The differences in the distribution of distant metastasis among the three age groups(<40,40-59,and≥60 years)were statistically significant(P<0.01).The differences in lactation time,history of familial malignant tumors,history of gynecological diseases,and history of thyroid diseases between the two groups were not statistically significant(P≥0.05).The differences in age at disease diagnosis,age at menarche,and history of surgery for benign breast lesions were statistically significant(P<0.01).The difference in age at first birth was also statistically significant(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The highest incidence of breast cancer in the Zhuhai-Macao region is present among women aged 40-59 years.There is a larger proportion of stage I/II patients,and the luminal B type is the most common molecular subtype.Distant metastasis occurs mainly in the≥60-year-old group at the first diagnosis;increased age,late age at menarche,and late age at first birth may be risk factors for primary breast cancer,and a history of surgery for benign breast lesions may be a protective factor for primary breast cancer.

Association of secretory IgA with clinical pathological characteristics and complement activation in IgA nephropathy

Objective To further investigate the association among clinical pathology,complement activation and renal secretory IgA(SIgA)deposition in patients with IgA nephropathy(IgAN).Methods The activation of serum complements was detected by immunoturbidimetry and ELISA.Renal deposition of SIgA and activation of complements were detected by immunofluorescence.

Clinical and Pathological Observation on Infectious Serositis of Duck

According to clinical and pathological observation in infectious serositis of duck, the main signs of this disease were diarrhoea, breathing with difficulty, head tremble and movement beyond coordination. The pathological changes that had been found in 30 experimental ducks were fibrous pericarditis, hepatitis, and encephalitis. The fibrous serositis, liver fatty degeneration or focus necrosis,nonsuppurative encephalitis and serous-fibrous pneumonia were typical pathological changes of histology.

Prediction of Nipple and Areola Complex Invasion in Breast Cancer Patients. Clinical and Pathological Study of Surgical Specimens

Breast conservation surgery (BCS) and nipple-areola-sparing (NAS) mastectomy have been recognized as two milestones in this period. This study included 60 Egyptian female patients with breast cancer, all of them were subjected to modified radical mastectomy operation. Methods: This study included female patients > 18 years old who have breast cancer with healthy looking non invaded skin of nipple and areola and excluded patients < 18 years old, patients unfit for surger, patients previously subjected to chemo or radiotherapy for breast cancer. We peformed clinical examination of 60 patients with breast cancer. We studied the relevant factors that affect NAC invasion such as patient’s age, menstrual state, family history, tumor size, tumor location (central vs peripheral), tumor to nipple distance, lymphovascular invasion of NAC, lymph node metastasis, histological tumor type, tumor stage, multifocal/multicentric tumors and (ER, PR, HER2) status. Result: In our study, we have shown that NAC invasion is strongly associated with: 1) Nipple retraction as a patient’s complaint;2) Tumor site;3) Tumor-nipple-distance ≤ 4 cm;4) Multifocal/multicentric tumor;5) Tumor grade (grade III tumors);6) Positive lymph node invasion;7) ER and PR receptors negativity;8) HER2 positivity. This helps in preoperative planning for selecting patients for NAS mastectomy. Conclusion: The ideal patients for NAS mastectomy are with these criteria: 1) Clinically normal nipple areola complex;2) Distance from the tumor to the nipple is >4 cm;3) No multifocal/multicentric tumor;4) Absence of lymph node invasion;5) Tumor grade (grade I, II);6) Peripheral not central tumor;7) No sub-areolar lymphovascular invasion (LVI);8) ER receptor positive;9) PR receptor positive;10) HER2 negative.

Relationship between autophagy and perineural invasion, clinicopathological features, and prognosis in pancreatic cancer

AIM To investigate the relationship between autophagy and perineural invasion(PNI), clinical features, and prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer. METHODS Clinical and pathological data were retrospectively collected from 109 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who underwent radical resection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2011 to August 2016. Expression levels of the autophagy-related protein microtubuleassociated protein 1 A/1 B-light chain 3(LC3) and PNI marker ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase(UCH) in pancreatic cancer tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlations among LC3 expression, PNI, and clinical pathological features in pancreatic cancer were analyzed. The patients were followed for further survival analysis. RESULTS In 109 cases of pancreatic cancer, 68.8%(75/109) had evidence of PNI and 61.5%(67/109) had high LC3 expression. PNI was associated with lymph node metastasis, pancreatitis, and CA19-9 levels(P < 0.05). LC3 expression was related to lymph node metastasis(P < 0.05) and was positively correlated with neural invasion(P < 0.05, r = 0.227). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that LC3 expression, lymph node metastasis, pancreatitis, and CA19-9 level were factors that influenced neural invasion, whereas only neural invasion itself was an independent factor for high LC3 expression. Univariate analysis showed that LC3 expression, neural invasion, and CA19-9 level were related to the overall survival of pancreatic cancer patients(P < 0.05). Multivariate COX regression analysis indicated that PNI and LC3 expression were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer(P < 0.05). CONCLUSION PNI in patients with pancreatic cancer is positively related to autophagy. Neural invasion and LC3 expression are independent risk factors for pancreatic cancer with a poor prognosis.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm in Jinhua,China:Two case reports

BACKGROUND Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm(BPDCN)is a rare and clinically aggressive hematologic malignancy originating from the precursors of plasmacytoid dendritic cells.BPDCN often involves the skin,lymph nodes,and bone marrow,with rapid clinical progression and a poor prognosis.The BPDCN diagnosis is mainly based on the immunophenotype.CASE SUMMARY In this paper,we retrospectively analyzed 2 cases of BPDCN.Both patients were elderly males.The lesions manifested as skin masses.Morphological manifestations included diffuse and dense tumor cell infiltration of the dermis and subcutaneous tissues.Immunohistochemistry staining showed that cluster of differentiation CD4,CD56,CD43,and CD123 were positive.CONCLUSION In this paper,we retrospectively analyzed 2 cases of BPDCN.Both patients were elderly males.The lesions manifested as skin masses.Morphological manifestations included diffuse and dense tumor cell infiltration of the dermis and subcutaneous tissues.Immunohistochemistry staining showed that cluster of differentiation CD4,CD56,CD43,and CD123 were positive.

A clinicopathological analysis in unsuspected gallbladder carcinoma: A report of 23 cases

AIM： To study the clinicopathological characteristics of unsuspected gallbladder carcinoma （UGC）. METHODS： We retrospectively studied 23 cases of UGC in Tongji Hospital, and compared their clinicopathological characteristics with 33 cases of preoperatively diagnosed gallbladder carcinoma （PDGC）. RESULTS： The proportion of UGC coexisting with cholecystolithiasis was significantly higher than that of PDGC （x^2 = 13.53, P 〈 0.01）. The infection rate of hepatitis B virus was 21.74% （5/23） in UGC and 30.30% （10/33） in PDGC. Nine （39.13%） of 23 patients with UGC and 8/33 （24.24） PDGC had contact with schistosome pestilent water. The rate of multiple pregnancies was 56.52% （13/23） in the patients with UGC and 42.42% （14/33） in PDGC. The primary location of the UGC was mostly in the neck and body of the gallbladder, and that of the PDGC was often in the body and bottom. The incidence of Nevin stage I and 11 UGC was significantly higher than that of PDGC （x^2 = 4.44, P 〈 0.05 and 2 = 4.96, P 〈 0.05） while that of Nevin stage V UGC was significantly lower than that of PDGC （x^2 = 7.59, P 〈 0.01）. According to the grading of carcinoma, the incidence of well-differentiated UGC was significantly higher than that of PDGC （2 = 4.16, P 〈 0.05）, and that of poorlydifferentiated UGC was significantly lower than that of PDGC （x^2 = 4.48, P 〈 0.05）.CONCLUSION： There are different characteristics between UGC and PDGC, such as in primary location, malignant degree and incidence of coexistence with cholecystolithiasis. Cholecystolithiasis, hepatitis B, schistosome and multiple pregnancies were high risk factors for gallbladder carcinoma.

Enhancement parameters of contrast-enhanced computed tomography for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Correlation with pathologic grading

BACKGROUND Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDA)is a malignancy with a high mortality rate and short survival time.The conventional computed tomography(CT)has been worldwide used as a modality for diagnosis of PDA,as CT enhancement pattern has been thought to be related to tumor angiogenesis and pathologic grade of PDA.AIM To evaluate the relationship between the pathologic grade of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and the enhancement parameters of contrast-enhanced CT.METHODS In this retrospective study,42 patients(Age,mean±SD:62.43±11.42 years)with PDA who underwent surgery after preoperative CT were selected.Two radiologists evaluated the CT images and calculated the value of attenuation at the aorta in the arterial phase and the pancreatic phase(VAarterial and VApancreatic)and of the tumor(VTarterial and VTpancreatic)by finding out four regions of interest.Ratio between the tumor and the aorta enhancement on the arterial phase and the pancreatic phase(TARarterial and TARpancreatic)was figured out through dividing VT arterial by VAarterial and VTpancreatic by VApancreatic.Tumor-to-aortic enhancement fraction(TAF)was expressed as the ratio of the difference between attenuation of the tumor on arterial and parenchymal images to that between attenuation of the aorta on arterial and pancreatic images.The Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney U test for statistical analysis were used.RESULTS Forty-two PDAs(23 men and 19 women)were divided into three groups:Welldifferentiated(n=13),moderately differentiated(n=21),and poorly differentiated(n=8).TAF differed significantly between the three groups(P=0.034)but TARarterial(P=0.164)and TARpancreatic(P=0.339)did not.The median value of TAF for poorly differentiated PDAs(0.1011;95%CI:0.01100-0.1796)was significantly higher than that for well-differentiated PDAs(0.1941;95%CI:0.1463-0.3194).CONCLUSION Calculation of TAF might be useful in predicting the pathologic grade of PDA.

Clinicopathological Features of Non-familial Colorectal Cancer with High-frequency Microsatellite Instability

Objective To explore the clinicopathological features of non-familial colorectal cancer with high-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI-H). Methods One hundred and fifty patients with colorectal cancer who had no family history were enrolled in this study from June 2006 to June 2008. Five standard microsatellite loci including BAT25, BAT26, D2S123, D5S346, and D17S250 were amplified with immunofluorescent polymerase chain reaction. The patient information including age, sex, and tumor location was recorded. Pathological features including differentiation, mucinous differentiation, histological heterogeneity, and Crohn's-like reaction were observed under light microscope. The presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TLs, CD4+ and CD8+) was detected by means of immunohistochemistry. A regression equation was obtained by stepwise logistic regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between MSI-H phenotype in colorectal cancer ands pathological features. Results MSI-H phenotype occurred in 13.33% of the 150 patients with non-familial colorectal cancer. Poor differentiation, histological heterogeneity, Crohn's-like reaction, and presence of TLs were found to be independent factors to identify MSI-H non-familial colorectal cancer. Logistic regression equation showed an overall sensitivity of 70.0%, specificity of 99.2%, and accuracy of 95.3% in identifying MSI-H non-familial colorectal cancer. Conclusion MSI-H non-familial colorectal cancer manifests specific pathological features, which may be relied upon for effective identification of that disease.

Clinicopathological analysis of early-stage breast cancer patients that meet indications for BRCA 1/2 genetic testing

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of early-stage breast cancer patients with indications for breast cancer susceptibility genes 1/2(BRCA1/2)genetic testing in China.Methods:Based on the indication criteria for BRCA genetic testing specified in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network(NCCN)clinical practice guidelines in oncology,genetic/familial high-risk assessment:Breast and ovarian(Version 2.2019),a retrospective analysis was performed on patients with early-stage invasive breast cancer treated at Breast Disease Center,Peking University First Hospital between January 2008 and December 2016.Clinicopathological characteristics of all patients were analyzed,and prognoses were calculated using the KaplanMeier method and a Cox proportionate hazards model.Results:A total of 906 early-stage breast cancer patients who had indications for BRCA genetic testing and had complete clinicopathological data and follow-up information were included in the study group,accounting for34.7%of all breast cancer patients treated in Breast Disease Center,Peking University First Hospital during the study period.Compared with breast cancer patients without indications for BRCA genetic testing,the overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS)of patients with indications were not significantly different.In the study group,patients with premenopausal status,high T stage,lymph node positive,estrogen receptor(ER)negative,Ki-67>20%and presence of a vascular tumor thrombus had worse prognosis.There were more family histories of gastrointestinal cancer in patients with related indications than in patients without such indications.Conclusions:Single-center data showed that more than 30%of patients with early-stage breast cancer had indications for BRCA genetic testing.There was no prognostic difference in patients with or without indications for BRCA genetic testing.Premenopausal status,high T stage,lymph node positive,ER negative,Ki-67>20%,and presence of a vascular tumor thrombus were associated with poor prognosis.

Clinical observation of pediatric-type follicular lymphomas in adult:Two case reports

BACKGROUND Pediatric-type follicular lymphoma(PTFL)is a unique pathological type in the 4th edition of hematopoiesis and lymphoid tissue tumor classification revised by World Health Organization.It is unique in clinical practice and seldom seen in adult.PTFL mainly occurs in the head and neck lymph nodes.Most of the cases are short of fever,night sweat,weight loss,and other B symptoms which substitute for lymphadenopathy as the main symptom.PTFL can be disposed of surgical resection and it can achieve long-term tumor-free survival,and it has an excellent outcome.CASE SUMMARY Two cases of PTFL were reported and their clinicopathological features,differential diagnosis,therapy and prognosis were discussed.PTFL showed graybrown tough texture in general performance.The histological manifestations of PTFL were similar to that of adult-follicular lymphoma(FL).Under low power microscope,the structure of lymph nodes was destroyed in different degree,the follicles were closely arranged,expanded and irregular,and the mantle zone became thin or disappeared.In addition,the“starry sky phenomenon”could be seen.At high magnification,the follicles were mainly composed of single medium-sized central cells,and some of them mainly consisted of centroblastic cells to characterize scattered chromatin and inconspicuous nucleoli.Immunohistochemical showed the tumor cells expressed CD20,PAX5,CD79a and CD10,BCL6,FOXP-1,which were limited in germinal center;Ki-67 was highly expressed in germinal center.CD21 and CD23 showed nodular and expanded follicular dendritic cells.Immunoglobulin gene rearrangement was positive for IGH and IGK.The two patients underwent surgical resection with no complications.After discharge,the two patients with a close review for 18 mo and 5 mo respectively and showed no evidence of recurrence.CONCLUSION PTFL in adult is generally supposed to be extremely rare.PTFL displayed characteristic morphological,immunophenotypic,and molecular biological changes which are a kind of neoplasm with satisfactory prognosis after surgical excision.

Pathological characteristics and immunophenotype analysis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

Objective To explore the clinical pathological features and immunophenotypes of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia(CIN).Methods The protein expression of p16, p53, Bcl-2, and c-erb B-2 in 59 cases of CIN, 20 cases of cervical squamous cell carcinoma, and 20 cases of normal cervical tissues were tested using immunohistochemistry staining.Results The expression rates of p16, p53, Bcl-2, and c-erb B-2 in CIN tissues were 76.3%(45/59), 28.85(17/59), 61.0%(36/59), and 40.0%(23/59), respectively. The expression rates of p16, p53, Bcl-2, and c-erb B-2 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma tissues were 60.0%(12/20), 60.0%(12/20), 75.0%(15/20), and 65.0%(13/20), respectively. The expression rates of p16, p53, Bcl-2, and c-erb B-2 in normal cervical tissues were 0.0%(0/20), 0.0%(0/20), 35.0%(7/20), 0.0%(0/20), respectively. In comparison to normal tissues, the differential expressions of p16, p53, and Bcl-2 in squamous cell carcinoma and CIN were statistically significant(P <0.001), whereas the difference between the squamous cell carcinoma and CIN was not significant(P >0.05). In comparison to normal tissues, the differential expressions of c-erb B-2 and p53 in squamous cell carcinoma and CIN were statistically significant(P >0.05). The differential expressions of Bcl-2, c-erb B-2, and p53 in CIN 3 were statistically significant in comparison to CIN 1 and CIN 2(P <0.05). Conclusion Overexpression of Bcl-2 occurs early in the development of cervical cancer, whereas p16 and c-erb B-2 overexpression are markers for cell malignancy. The expression of p53 is correlated with the development of cervical cancer.

Tubular Carcinoma of the Breast: A Clinicopathological Analysis of Two Cases

Tubular Carcinoma (TC) of the breast, also known as tubular carcinoma or well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, is defined as a special type of breast cancer consisting of well-differentiated tubular structures with excellent prognosis by WHO (2019) pathological and genetic classification of breast neoplasms. Two cases of breast tubular carcinoma admitted to our hospital were reported. The relevant literature was reviewed and the clinical features, histological morphology (microscopic features and differential diagnosis), molecular changes and clinical prognosis were summarized.

Understanding Ehrlichia canis Infections in Dogs of Costa Rica: Hematological Findings and Indicative Clinical Signs

Background: A cross-sectional study combining different serological and molecular techniques for the detection of Ehrlichia canis in dogs was carried out to determine hemopathological findings and suggestive clinical signs associated with acute, subclinical and chronic infections in the dog population of Costa Rica. Objectives: The present study describes and analyzes, in a more representative sampling frame, the clinical and hematological presentation of E. canis infection in dogs of Costa Rica in all its clinical stages. Methods: A descriptive analysis of the clinical signs was performed from a 441-dog sample. Serological and molecular techniques for the detection of Ehrlichia canis in dogs were applied. One and two-way ANOVA were carried out to determine the effect of the infection status on the hematological parameters. Results: A total of 0.7% (3/407) dogs were found with acute (seronegative but PCR positive), 29.7% (121/407) with subclinical (seropositive and PCR negative), and 2.5% (10/407) with chronic (seropositive and PCR positive) E. canis infections. Significant hemopathological findings were determined in dogs with acute (thrombocytosis), subclinical and chronic (anemia, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia) E. canis infections. Conclusions: Future studies must determine if dogs with subclinical E. canis infections eliminated the agent without any medication, or if they continue to be persistently infected, and will develop the chronic disease at some point in their lives.

Expression of PPAR-γ in Lung Cancer and the Role of PPAR-γ in Apoptosis of Lung Cancer

Objective: To investigate the relationship between peroxisomeproliferators-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) and clinical pathology of lung cancer, and to studythe inhibitory effect of PPAR-γ activators on lung cancer growth and the mechanism of inducingapoptosis of lung cancer. Methods: Expression of PPAR-γ in 15 cases of non-cancerous lung tissuesand 64 cases of lung cancer tissues was detected by using immunohistochemistry. The average A valueswere measured by using image analysis. The expression of PPAR-γ in lung cancer cells was detectedby using RT-PCR. After being treated with PPAR-γ activators, apoptosis was detected by using flowcytometry, and meanwhile, the change in caspase-3 activity was detected by caspase-3 kits. Results:Expression levels of PPAR-γ in cancerous tissues were higher than those in non-cancerous lungtissues. In four types of lung cancer, the sequence of PPAR-γ expression from high to low levelswas small-cell lung cancer, squamous carcinom, large-cell lung cancer, adenocarcinoma in turns. Theexpression of PPAR-γ was correlated with differentiation and postoperative TNM staging of lungcancer tissues, but not with lymph node metastasis. PPAR-γ expressed in two lung cancer cell lines,which could induce apoptosis of lung cancer cells after being treated with PPAR-γ activators, andcaspase-3 activity in cells treated with PPAR-γ activators was significantly increased. Conclusion:PPAR-γ is correlated with clinical pathology and apoptosis of lung cancer closely, and activatedPPAR-γ can increase caspase-3 activity to induce cells apoptosis. PPAR-γ will be able to become anew target for therapy of lung cancer in the future.

The prognostic value of clinical and pathologic features in nonmetastatic operable male breast cancer

Compared with female breast cancer, male breast cancer is a rare disease, and the relationship between clinical/pathologic features and prognosis is controversial, or even largely unknown. In this study, we performed a retrospective analysis using clinical and pathologic data from 109 nonmetastatic operable male breast cancer patients treated from January 1996 to December 2011 at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital. Log-rank test showed that lower tumor stage, no lymph node involvement, and positive estrogen/progesterone receptor status were good predictors of both disease-free survival and overall survival on univariate analysis. However, hormonotherapy is only a good predictive factor of disease-free survival, and not of overall survival. In addition, based on a Cox proportional hazard regression model, only lymph node involvement, and estrogen/progesterone receptor status were statistically significant predictive factors on multivariate analysis. Our results demonstrated that although adjuvant systemic therapy is used extensively in male breast cancer patients and prognosis has improved over the last few decades, lymph node involvement, and estrogen/progesterone receptor status are still the most important prognostic factors. A prospective multi-center study with a larger sample size is urgently needed to further understand male breast cancer.

ENDOMYOCARDIAL FIBROSIS IN CHINA

To introduce the epidemical, pathological, and clinical characteristics as well as the diagnostic and therapeutical experiences of endomyocardial fibrosis(EMF) in China. [WT5”BX] Data sources.[WT5”BZ]A CMBdisc search was done of the Chinese language literature published from January 1983 through June 1997 about EMF and/or restrictive cardiomyopathy. A manual search was then done for other contributions, including abstracts, between January 1965 and June 1997. [WT5”BX] Results. [WT5”BZ]Eighty seven Chinese cases of EMF were collected in this paper. There were 49 men and 38 women, with a mean age of 28±13 years(range, 8 to 68 years). The distribution of the cases is mainly in the south of China. Combined right and left ventricular disease occurs in 48 percent of cases, with pure right ventricular involvement occurring in 42 percent and pure left ventricular involvement in the remaining 10 percent of patients who are examined postmortem. The diagnosis of EMF was confirmed in 21 cases at autopsy, and in 66 cases by echocardiography, angiocardiography, and/or endomyocardial biopsy which showed the characteristic changes. Clinically, right sided disease is the commonest variety. Endocardiectomy and tricuspid(n=7) or mitral(n=1) valves replacement have been performed in 8 patients. There were 2 operative deaths. Six patients had a satisfactory recovery postoperatively and living well in the follow up duration. [WT5”BX] Conclusion.

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors in the Rectum

OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical and pathologic features of rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumors （GIST） and to evaluate their reasonable management. METHODS The clinical and pathological data for 19 patients with rectal GIST over the past 19 years were studied retrospectively. RESULTS The diagnosis of the 19 cases was identified by surgery and pathology. All the rectal GISTs were spindle cell type with immunohistochemical analysis showing positive reactivity for CD117 （100%） and CD34 （73.7%）. There were 4 cases of high risk, 3 cases of intermediate risk, 5 cases of low risk and 7 cases of very low risk of aggressive behavior in this study. CONCLUSION Rectal GIST, without specific symptoms in the early stage, has a low incidence and usually shows low risk of aggressive behavior. It is difficult to produce an accurate pathological diagnosis before operation and it is difficult to decide whether to save the sphincter before or during operation. Reasonable initial treatment includes trans-anal local resection as the best recommend management of low risk submucosal rectal GIST （〈3.0 cm）.