BACKGROUND: Adhesion molecules are important in the maintenance of normal epithelial structure, and altered expression of these molecules may be important in epithelial tumors, particularly in the processes of invasion and metastasis. METHODS: We have examined the expression of E-cadherin, cathepsin-D, CD44, CD44v6, nm23 and transforming growth factor-1 (TGF-1) proteins in the cervical squamous cell carcinoma to evaluate the prognostic significance of these molecules. RESULTS: Immunostain for E-cadherin was highly expressed in the majority of cases of cervical carcinomatous lesions (85.7-100%), but cathepsin-D was very low (7.1-32%). Immunostain for CD44 showed a lower expression in invasive carcinoma with and without metastasis (50.4 and 52.2%) than in carcinoma in situ (68.0%). CD44v6 protein showed some controversy of expression between invasive carcinoma with metastasis (35.7%) without metastasis (56.5%). Staining for nm23 was observed in the high expression of invasive lesions (85.7%). TGF-1 and C-erbB-2 protein were highly expressed, especially in the microinvasive carcinoma (81.8%, 42.8%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that CD44 and CD44v6 were not highly expressed in the invasive squamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix. However, it is notable that TGF-1 and c-erbB-2 in the microinvasive carcinoma and nm23 in invasive carcinoma were highly expressed compared to these of the other lesions of the uterine cervix.
Cadherins ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri ; Female ; Immunohistochemistry* ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Receptor, erbB-2

In 2007, the Korean Interstitial Lung Disease Society had collected clinical data of patients who have diagnosed as Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) since 1990 through nationwide survey, which showed that LAM patients had increased sharply after 2004. The present study was performed to show the clinical features of Korean patients with LAM, and to establish the reason for the recent increase in the diagnosis. All 63 patients were women and the mean age at diagnosis was 36 yr. The most common presenting symptom was dyspnea and 8 patients had tuberous sclerosis complex. The survival rate at 5 yr after diagnosis was 84%. Compared with patients diagnosed after 2004 (n=34), the patients diagnosed before 2004 (n=29) complained with dyspnea more (P=0.016) and had lower FEV1% predicted (P=0.003), and DLco% predicted (P=0.042). The higher proportion of patients diagnosed after 2004 showed the normal chest radiography, and they were detected by routine chest CT screening (P=0.016). This study showed that clinical features of Korean patients with LAM were not different from those reported elsewhere. It is concluded that the reason for the increase of newly diagnosed patients is the result of increase in detection of the early stage LAM by the widespread use of chest CT screening.
Adult ; Aged ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/*diagnosis/mortality/radiography ; Lymphangioleiomyomatosis/*diagnosis/mortality/radiography ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Survival Rate ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed