BACKGROUND/AIMS: Telomerase activity and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression have been proposed as a marker for malignancy. However, little is known about those markers in intestinal metaplasia (IM). This study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of telomerase activity in gastric washing fluid and TERT expression in tissue as a marker for early diagnosis of stomach cancer. METHODS: Gastric washing fluid and biopsies were taken endoscopically. We examined the telomerase activity by telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) and the TERT expression by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 26, 21 and 15 cases of cancer, IM, and normal mucosa respectively. RESULTS: The telomerase activity was positive in 65% of cancer, 44% of incomplete IM, and 33% of complete IM. The TERT was expressed in 89% of cancer, 81% of IM, but not in normal mucosa. The TERT expression level was higher in cancer and incomplete IM than in complete IM and normal mucosa (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Telomerase activity in gastric washing fluid and TERT expression in tissue may have limited usefulness as a marker for the early diagnosis of stomach cancer. However, the increased levels of TERT expression in IM and cancer suggest that TERT expression may be associated with carcinogenesis in stomach cancer.
DNA-Binding Proteins ; Gastric Lavage ; Gastric Mucosa/enzymology ; Humans ; Metaplasia ; Precancerous Conditions/diagnosis ; Stomach/enzymology ; Stomach Neoplasms/*diagnosis/enzymology ; Telomerase/*analysis ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*analysis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: M2 pyruvate kinase (M2-PK) is an enzyme that is produced in undifferentiated and proliferating tissues. This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of the immunochromatographic M2 pyruvate kinase (iM2-PK) for the screening of colorectal cancer (CRC) and premalignant lesions. METHODS: Healthy volunteers and patients with colorectal neoplasia were enrolled in six academic hospitals in the capital province of Korea. The iM2-PK value was compared with the immunochromatographic fecal occult blood test (iFOBT) and fecal tumor M2-PK enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: A total of 323 subjects were enrolled. The sensitivity of iM2-PK for CRC was 92.8%, which was superior to iFOBT (47.5%, p<0.0001). For adenomatous lesions, the sensitivity of iM2-PK was 69.4%, which was also superior to iFOBT (12.1%, p<0.001). Compared with M2-PK ELISA, iM2-PK exhibited significantly enhanced sensitivity for CRC (97.5% vs 80.0%, p=0.0289). The sensitivity of iM2-PK was higher in advanced stages of CRC compared with cancers confined to the mucosa and submucosa (p<0.05). However, lymph node metastasis had no influence on the sensitivity of iM2-PK. CONCLUSIONS: The iM2-PK exhibited increased sensitivity for identifying CRC and adenomatous lesions compared with iFOBT. Given its rapid results and convenience, CRC screening using iM2-PK is promising.
Adenoma/*diagnosis ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biomarkers, Tumor/*analysis ; Clinical Enzyme Tests/*instrumentation ; Colorectal Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Feces/*enzymology ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Immunochromatography/methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occult Blood ; Precancerous Conditions/diagnosis/enzymology ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Pyruvate Kinase/*analysis ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Republic of Korea ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVETo assess the utility of P504S immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma.

METHODSLight microscopy and immunohistochemistry examinations (EnVision staining) were performed in 117 cases of prostatic adenocarcinoma, PIN, AAH, ASAP, BPH and normal prostatic tissue to correlate the morphology and protein expression of P504S, 34betaE12, and P63.

RESULTSSeventy-one of the 78 (91%) cases of prostatic adenocarcinoma stained positive for P504S, with strong cytoplasmic granular staining in most cases, and a weak or intense granular staining along the circumferential luminal and apical cell border membrane in a few cases. Negative P504S immunostaining was observed in 7 of 78 (9%) cases of prostatic adenocarcinoma, all of which were clear cell type prostatic adenocarcinoma. Cases of PIN (9 cases), AAH (6 cases) and ASAP (2 cases) showed various expression levels of P504S. Sixty-five of 68 (96%) cases of normal prostates and BPH were negative for P504S and basal cell hyperplasia cases were also negative.

CONCLUSIONSP504S is a useful marker for microscopic diagnosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma, and immunohistochemistry study using a combination of P504S and 34betaE12/p63 may be of greater benefit in aiding the differential diagnoses.

Adenocarcinoma ; diagnosis ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratins ; analysis ; Male ; Phosphoproteins ; analysis ; Precancerous Conditions ; diagnosis ; Prostate ; enzymology ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; diagnosis ; Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; diagnosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Racemases and Epimerases ; analysis ; Trans-Activators ; analysis ; Transcription Factors ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins