BACKGROUNDFascin, an actin binding protein, usually expressed at a low level in normal epithelium, but is significantly increased in transformed epithelial cells and several common carcinomas. In this study, we examined the expression of fascin by immunohistochemistry in sinonasal epithelium with chronic inflammation (control group), exophytic papilloma (EP), inverted papilloma (IP) with dysplasia and cancerated IP (including carcinoma in situ and invasive squamous cell carcinoma, SCC), and furthermore investigated the relationship between fascin expression and formation of malignant IP.

METHODSFascin expression was immunohistochemically detected using monoclonal antibody against fascin in 86 paraffin embedded tissues, including 10 cases of sinonasal mucosa with chronic inflammation, 10 of EP, 45 of IP with dysplasia (45 cases were divided into three groups: IP with mild dysplasia, IP with moderate dysplasia, and IP with severe dysplasia, 15 cases each), and 21 of cancerated IP.

RESULTSThe level of fascin expression was significantly higher in the neoplastic tissue than that in control group. Fascin expression increased gradually with the progression from sinonasal epithelium with chronic inflammation, IP with mild dysplasia, IP with moderate dysplasia, IP with severe dysplasia, to cancerated IP, and significant difference of fascin expression was observed between any two groups of the five.

CONCLUSIONPrecancerous lesions of IP exhibit elevated levels of fascin that may be associated with carcinogenesis of IP. Fascin may play a role in the formation of IP and EP.

Adult ; Aged ; Carrier Proteins ; analysis ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Microfilament Proteins ; analysis ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Mucosa ; chemistry ; Nose Neoplasms ; chemistry ; pathology ; Papilloma, Inverted ; chemistry ; pathology ; Precancerous Conditions ; chemistry

To investigate the histopathological characteristics of inverted papillomas of the urinary bladder, including the possibility of malignant transformation, we studied the indicators of cellular proliferation activity in 7 inverted papillomas of the bladder including two cases of malignant inverted papilloma of the bladder. PCNA expression rates in two cases of malignant inverted papilloma were higher than in benign inverted papillomas. Mean numbers of AgNORs per nucleus in malignant inverted papillomas were much more than in benign inverted papillomas. The c-erbB-2 oncoprotein was expressed only in malignant inverted papillomas. These results suggest that PCNA expression rate, mean number of AgNORs per nucleus and c-erB-2 oncoprotein expression may be merited as good indicators to detect the inverted papilloma with more proliferative and aggressive lesions, and with the potential of malignant transformation.
Adult ; Bladder Diseases/pathology ; Bladder Neoplasms/chemistry/*pathology ; Cell Division/physiology ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/pathology ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Nitrosourea Compounds/analysis ; Nucleolus Organizer Region/chemistry ; Papilloma, Inverted/chemistry/*pathology ; Receptor, erbB-2/analysis ; Silver Staining