BACKGROUND: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an enzyme that promotes proliferation of tumor cells. HuR is a member of the family of embryonic lethal abnormal vision-like proteins. Recent studies show that cytoplasmic HuR stabilizes the mRNA of COX-2 and regulates the expression of COX-2. Moreover, cytoplasmic HuR expression is associated with a poorer prognosis for patients with some cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression patterns of and the relationship between COX-2 and HuR in gallbladder carcinoma. METHODS: We analyzed COX-2 and HuR expression by immunohistochemical staining of 108 gallbladder carcinomas. RESULTS: COX-2 expression and nuclear and cytoplasmic HuR expression were seen in, respectively, 61 (56.5%), 77 (71.3%), and 4 (3.7%) cases. COX-2 and nuclear HuR were simultaneously expressed in 44 of the 108 samples without any quantitative association between the levels of each. COX-2 expression correlated with tumor stage, differentiation (based on histology), lymph node metastasis, perineural invasion, and survival. Nuclear and cytological expression of HuR did not correlate with any clinical parameters. CONCLUSIONS: COX-2 expression but not HuR may play an important role in the prognosis of patients with gallbladder carcinoma.
Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Cytoplasm ; Gallbladder ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; ELAV Proteins ; ELAV-Like Protein 1 ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Proteins ; RNA, Messenger

BACKGROUND: Embryonic lethal abnormal vision (ELAV)-like protein HuR is known to stabilize mRNA through binding AU-rich elements in the 3'-untranslated region. Recent studies show that HuR expression is associated with the expression of several genes including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). HuR exists predominantly in the nucleus, but cytoplasmic translocation of HuR is thought to be more important for its activity. COX-2 is a well-known enzyme that promotes tumor growth. METHODS: To evaluate the correlation of HuR and COX-2 expression, we analyzed expression of HuR and COX-2 in 91 cases of breast cancer using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of HuR was seen in 76 (83.5%) and 19 (20.9%) of 91 cases respectively. COX-2 immunoreactivity was seen in 54 (59.4%) cases. Cytoplasmic HuR expression showed significant correlation with COX-2 expression (p=0.001). Nuclear HuR showed no correlation with COX-2 expression or other clinicopathological parameters. COX-2 expression is significantly associated with tumor grade (p=0.028). COX-2 (p=0.092) and cytoplasmic (p=0.569) and nuclear HuR (p=0.247) expression showed no correlation with survival. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that cytoplasmic HuR expression is associated with COX-2 expression in breast cancer and cytoplasmic location of HuR might contribute to the stabilization of COX-2 mRNA.
Breast Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic alteration may affect a patient's prognosis by altering the development and progression of the tumor. Some recent reports have identified a correlation between histone modification and patient outcome. However, no studies have been conducted on global histone modification in osteosarcomas. METHODS: We investigated histone modification in 54 cases of osteosarcoma by performing immunohistochemical staining. The immunohistochemical expression of four histone modification markers, acetylated H4 lysine 12 (H4K12Ac), acetylated H3 lysine 18, trimethylated H3 lysine 27, and dimethylated H3 lysine 4 were evaluated. RESULTS: High H4K12Ac expression was correlated with patient age (p=0.011). However, the other histone modification markers showed no correlation with any of the clinicopathological data such as survival, tumor grade, tumor site, metastasis, age, or gender. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that all four histone modification markers are expressed in osteosarcoma (median expression rate, 40 to 60%). However, we did not find a correlation with the clinicopathological factors except for age. Further study to evaluate the reason for the association between H4K12Ac and patient age is needed.
Epigenomics ; Histones ; Humans ; Lysine ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Osteosarcoma ; Prognosis

Plasmacytoma is a rare disease, which afflicts 2 to 3 people per every 100,000 of the general population. Solitary plasmacytoma accounts for 5% of the plasma cell neoplasm. Solitary plasmacytoma of the bone appears more vividly in the axial skeleton (25-60%), which has the red marrow and usually affects the thoracic vertebrae. We report a case of 54-year-old man who has a chest pain on the right side. After being treated for the muscle pain, his symptoms of pain were changed into weakness and allesthesia. We checked the MRI and found a mass lesion in the T5 vertebra, but there were no significant laboratory findings, in blood and urine samples. Finally, he got an operation due to the aggravation of the weakness. The result of biopsy indicated that it was a solitary plasmacytoma of the spine. After 5 months later, the weakness and allesthesia had disappeared.
Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Chest Pain ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Muscles ; Neoplasms, Plasma Cell ; Plasmacytoma ; Rare Diseases ; Skeleton ; Spine ; Thoracic Vertebrae

Thyroid carcinoma is the commonest endocrinological malignancy. After papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is the second most common histological subtype. Common presentations of FTC include a solitary thyroid nodule and cervical lymphadenopathy. The incidence of individuals diagnosed with thyroid cancer showing initially distant metastatic disease ranges from 1 to 9%. Also, the incidence of solitary bone metastasis from thyroid is only 2 to 3%. We report a case of a patient with FTC whose initial presentation was low back pain and right buttock pain due to vertebral metastasis rather than the usual neck lumps or symptoms of thyroid disease.
Adenocarcinoma, Follicular ; Buttocks ; Carcinoma ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Incidence ; Low Back Pain ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroid Nodule

Pancreatic endocrine tumors are rare and represent a heterogeneous group of benign or malignant lesions. In nonfunctioning tumors, lacking the features of an endocrine tumor syndrome, they seldom present until there is advanced local disease. Endocrine tumors of the pancreas, even in case of liver involvement, are generally characterized by a slower evolution and a better prognosis, if compared with ductal carcinoma. This fact gives reason to a radical surgical approach and to the research of any effective adjuvant treatment including hormonal suppression, systemic chemotherapy and hepatic transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). We report a case of synchronous liver metastases from nonfunctioning pancreatic endocrine tumor in 66 year old female patient.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Liver* ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Pancreas* ; Prognosis